I kept hearing this song, wishing I knew what it was so that I could review its music video for my blog. After weeks and weeks, I've finally remembered some of the lyrics so that I could google it, and here it is, finally. I'm surprised that it's a RAYE song; YAS! It's about time she gets the recognition she deserves, but my big question is whether she'll perform well in this music video, especially considering the ones I have seen of her. I am still rooting for her though, and I really cannot wait to click play. Now that I have, I certainly am disappointed. I was really hoping this would be better. Watch RAYE and Mr Eazi perform their song as she shows off various fashion styles and her true visual potential but not quite grasping it whilst Mr Eazi outshines her slightly in this music video for "Decline".
RAYE, real name Rachel Keen, is a singer-songwriter who has been focusing on music for a handful of years. With a killer voice like hers, it's no surprise that she's got some great hits behind her and has featured on some of the best tracks recently. She is definitely one to watch, especially since her vocals are off the chart; she just needs to do better in music videos, because I've seen her perform on TV and that's the sort of energy I want to see from her. The song is a collaboration with Mr Eazi, real name Oluwatosin Ajibade. He comes from Nigeria and has released two mixtapes thus far. He relocated to Kumasi, Ghana to continue his education. He is signed to Wizkid's record label Starboy Entertainment, and I'm sure it won't be long until we hear more from him. This song samples "Always On Time" by Ja Rule featuring Ashanti. "Decline" was written by Marcus Vest, Jeffrey Atkins, Irving Lorenzo, Rachel Keen, Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith, Janee Bennett, and Oluwatosin Oluwule Ajibade.
Directed by Sing J. Lee, this music video is a pure performance piece, something we were hoping not to get from RAYE or at least something that would show off who she is. There' nothing going for this music video, from the old square style to RAYE not giving any energy whatsoever.
At times she does give some potential to the clips; we see her dancing and grooving to the beat, but there's not enough and she never really lets loose. It's because of this that Mr Eazi outshines her during his parts as he brings movement that links to the lyrics he is singing; whereas RAYE has this attitude that comes across as slightly arrogant mixed with an air of not wanting to be there filming a music video. Maybe she isn't that passionate about the songs she's singing?
Overall, this music video deserved to be a lot better since the song is undeniably catchy and certainly takes us back to Ja Rule's "Always On Time" which features Ashanti. I just wish RAYE would bring it like we know that she can. I caught her on Top Of The Pops Christmas Special last year and she was buzzing with energy; that's the woman we want to see in her music videos.
We all know how obsessed I am with Platnum, and I had planned to catch up on my blog in time for this new music release, however I am so far behind right now that I'm just taking one day at a time and trying to focus every single day and attempt to catch up to today's date; and I will eventually, it's just going to take some time. I have been obsessed with this song ever since Platnum and Sweet Female Attitude debuted the track at Staffordshire University's LRV - which is the uni I used to go to; their gigs are always pure fire and beyond worth going if you ever get the chance. Watch Platnum & Sweet Female Attitude dance and perform their collaboration song whilst they light up in UV lighting intersected by a group of dancers and fire performers in this music video for "Looking For Love".
Platnum are a duo consisting of Aaron Evers and Michelle McKenna, they were originally a three-piece with Mina Poli and went on to achieve success at the start of their career by featuring on H2O's track "What's It Gonna Be" before having a solo hit for themselves titled "Love Shy (Thinking About You)". They have gone on to release awesome fired-up tracks that I am still obsessed with today. Now, as a two-piece, this is their first song since they've been a duo, keeping their Platnum edge and style whilst making it more current. For the song, they teamed-up with classic garage artist and friend, Sweet Female Attitude, which is now the stage name for Leanne Brown. She's best known for the 90's track "Flowers". She's also had an amazing career to date and continues to drop new music; she easily stays current and totally slays when it comes to her vocals, just listen to what she brings to this song! This was a collaboration made in heaven, something we've needed in our lives before we knew it. We can only hope they team up again in the future, as this track is pure fire.
The music video is basic, filled with unstoppable energy throughout. It's clear that both these acts love being in front of a camera doing their thing and singing their songs. The track is upbeat and undeniably catchy, and all three artists convey that in the performance visual.
There's a lot going on although the main section of the video is the performance piece which sees Platnum and Sweet Female Attitude embody the musical energy of the song and unleash it out to every single viewer. This is the same energy that they bring to the stage at every single event that they go to. I've seen Platnum twice and I hope I continue to see them again and again as the years come and go.
Other shots see three dancers nailing choreography that works perfectly with the song, as well as a fire performer. There are also some interesting UV shots that see the stars wearing UV paint and lighting up in the dark. It's a great basic music video that I could watch over and over again. I cannot wait to see what these artists release next. What a way to kick off their 2018.
What did I just watch? How is this song Stroke 69's biggest Romanian hit? It does not make sense, although after thinking about the song, it is kind of stuck in my head, so I guess it's not so bad; but I certainly won't be watching this music video a second time! I chose this for my Thursday Revisit, as I doubt I'll get another chance to review this. There's just no substance to the visual and although it may keep certain people entertain, it doesn't really relate that well to the song. Watch Stroke 69 perform their song to women who move sexily in this music video for their debut hit track "Beautiful Smile".
Stroke 69 is a Romanian duo consisting of Sly (Ilyes Zsolt) and DJ White (Nagy Szabolcs). They are still going today, releasing new music and proving that this is what they are meant to be doing. Their songs are easily catchy, with some of them being worthy of becoming international hits if the right promotion came along. It's interesting to see that they have charted in Romania and that they continue to thrive today, doing what they love to do. I am interested if they can expand their reach in the coming years as they continue to release more new music. This one was their debut single, and it's still their biggest hit to date. It was released on Roton Music.
We all have to admit, this music video is sexy and has a slight narration involved if you count the women who are being sexy and eventually end up smiling, as requested by Stroke 69. It's just missing an actual storyline.
Once again, Stroke 69 fails to impress in their performance visuals. None of them really bring it to the camera, and just like in "Black Rose" - which I previously reviewed this week, hence why this has become my Thursday Revisit - Sly and DJ White just makes us wish they'd bring some enthusiasm or emotion or energy to the visual. We just get nothing from them.
Overall, this music video focuses on the women in the clips rather than trying to give the viewers something meaningful to watch. I sure hope their most recent music videos are much better than this, although I probably won't explore them anytime soon.
I had no idea what to review today, and then Cleo came on to my iTunes, not this exact song though, and I decided that I might as well review one of hers. She's one of my favourite singers from Eurovision in the last few years and has certainly been considered as underrated; however, her career has certainly soared as she continues to bring exciting new music and incredible high-quality music videos. I really believe she is a star in the making; although, to go international she needs more exposure. Watch Cleo party on a rooftop with a bunch of voluptuous women as she performs the track in this music video for her song "N-O-C".
Cleo, real name Joanna Klepko. is best known for representing her home country of Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 alongside Donatan, with the song "My Słowianie", where they came 14th with 62 points. She previously took part in the first season of the Polish version of X Factor. This song is one of her most recent tracks, and she has since charted in Poland with her songs. As for her album, that did really well on the albums chart in Poland and shows she is an artist worth watching out for. This song was written by Cleo and DobroBIT.
Directed by Piotr Smoleński & Michał Konrad, this music video is of high quality and engaging from start to finish, which is something we've come to expect from Cleo. She brings a fierce quality to the video, although she also has quite an interesting high-quality relaxed fashion style.
There are various shots of a helicopter circling around the rooftop, which we can only presume some of the camera shots are from. There are a whole host of models and extras, partying, dancing sexily, taking clothes off, and splashing water, all before Cleo takes to riding in a car at the very end.
Starring throughout the visual is Ola Ciupa, Sandra Traczyk, Luxuria Astaroth, Julia Wróblewska, and Patryk Pniewski. Overall, even though this music video is of high quality, and Cleo brings it, there's just something missing; however, it does relate to the song since I translated the lyrics. I cannot wait to see what the future brings for Cleo.
Once again, I've left my iTunes to decide the music video I review, today, and this song has really embedded itself in my head. It feels like one of those classic dance/house tracks from the early 00's that was all the range; instead, it's a lot more current and really shows that amazing music is coming from Romania from the last decade. Watch Stroke 69 perform while a woman dives into the water towards a strip of coloured lights in this music video for "Black Rose".
Stroke 69 are a two-piece DJ project consisting of Sly (Ilyes Zsolt) and DJ White (Nagy Szabolcs). Their first single was "Beautiful Smile" which went on to help them win awards. They continue to shine, by releasing new music. They clearly work well as a duo and confidently record new music. They stay fresh and current with their music, managing to keep doing what they love. It'll be interesting to see what the future will bring for them, they clearly deserve a worldwide hit, especially since they keep recording and producing. This song was written by Ilyes Zsolt and Nagy Szabolcs.
Directed by Alexandru Popescu, this music video really doesn't go anywhere and fails to connect with the audience. I was really hoping for something to hook the viewers in but nothing turns up.
There is both a performance piece and a narrative piece - if you want to call either of them that. The narrative sees a woman jump into a pool of water after seeing some lights. She grabs for them and twists around them before magically changing her clothes in the water, and never once did she come up for air - she definitely can hold her breath.
Then the performance just sees the vocalist spinning on a chair, adding subtle emotions into the song and yet not fully nailing it. This is very lacklustre in comparison to the song which is a complete emotional banger. I was so not expecting this after loving this song for so long.
Catch-up spree is in full force, and here's my Chart Mondays review from five weeks ago - yes, I am that far behind, although you wouldn't know since I have backdated the date. This song is totally the club-banger around at the moment, which isn't a surprise since it is by MK. I am reviewing the music video to this as on this backdated date, Ed Sheeran is still at the top with his song "Perfect". This music video fails to interest me whatsoever and was not at all something I was expecting. Watch a bunch of young people party, dance, and hang out with flashbacks of their youth in this music video to MK's "17".
MK, real name Marc Kinchen, is a DJ that has stayed current as the decades have passed. This is not something many DJs can state, although in recent years they have become ever so popular; which has allowed MK to return to the mainstream recently. He'll certainly be someone that will give us hit after hit, although he's not someone we're all going to be talking about as he is known for his initials, and that's going to take quite a few hits for people to get used to; although, if anyone can do that, it's MK! This song has hit it big in Scotland, Mexico, The UK, and Ireland. It was written by Carla Monroe, Dave Whelan, Marc Kinchen, and Mike Di Scala.
Directed by Dean Richardson, this music video really doesn't have a lot going for it. It's not engaging to the audience, and when you've seen it once you're not all that bothered if you see it again. It's bright and colourful and I love the fact that MK is representing black men and women within dance and house music.
We watch a party go on, before we watch the group interact in the street, all intercut with flashbacks and camera recordings. It's clever but it is so not interesting, it doesn't actively involve the viewers.
Overall, this music video falls flat, which is in major contrast to the song. Appreciation has to go out to the fact that it is quite relatable to the track and the lyrics; the content just isn't something that leaves us wanting more. Instead, within the first minute or so, we're wondering what else we could watch.
Once again, I have left my iTunes to choose which music video to review. I always have it on shuffle and I have such a diverse range of music available that I'll probably be using this method in years to come since it actually allows me to stumble across videos I've never seen before or ones I've forgotten all about - which is the case with this one. There are two music videos released for this song, one of the original song and another of the Richard Vision Remix; I was planning on doing the latter, since I much prefer the song, however, as for music videos, I much prefer the original, but only by the tiniest little bit. Watch Hilary Duff bring fire in the background of this visual while she sings to the camera in this performance-style music video for her song "Play With Fire".
Hilary Duff is someone I have been a fan of for years, both in her music and her acting roles. She's recently been focusing on acting where she stars in TV series Younger, and she has a new film coming up, titled The Haunting Of Sharon Tate. She has dipped into music and is planning on releasing her sixth studio album in the future, although news about new music has pretty much died, with the last mention of it in 2016, although rumours are certainly hyped up. We certainly are dying for new music, especially since her last album was released in 2015, and as much as we all loved it, there wasn't much promotion around it and the singles, and she didn't tour with it. We're hoping that a world tour happens when she next releases music - we so need to see her live. This song wasn't a commercial success at all. It only managed to chart on the Billboard US Dance Club Songs at number 31 and didn't chart anywhere else. The song was written by Hilary Duff, Kara DioGuardi, Rhett Lawrence, and will.i.am.
The music video was directed by Alex and Martin. It is a pure performance piece using video editing and mirrors to transform what could've been a great energetic visual into an unreal, uncaptivating, and quite off-putting music video.
Any energy that Hilary Duff could've pushed out to the audience falls flat with the editing techniques used. This is so not engaging at all. It was inspired by Orson Welles 1948 film noir The Lady From Shanghai.
The music video is known as Hilary Duff's sexy transition into a woman. I actually think people grasp at straws when it comes to Hilary Duff since she is a Disney star and we've all them take down this sexy route so they can strip away their too-nice front; however, this phase isn't easily found in Hilary Duff and she's gained a lot of respect from her peers for this exact reason. Regardless, this music video just doesn't work and although it was nominated for awards, it just falls flat.
I've been planning on watching this music video for some time, but I keep forgetting about it, until recently when it appeared in my YouTube Recommendations. Sunstroke Project were my favourite act in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, where they sang "Hey, Mamma!"; they came third overall, having appealed greatly to the public at home. Personally, I think they deserve international success, but I'm not that surprised that this song didn't do well when it was dropped since it has a summery feel to it even though it was released at the end of last year. I'm hoping that 2018 brings new Sunstroke Project music that we all will fall in love with. Watch Sunstroke Project host a carnival in a street as a group of children discover what's going on through a gap in a wooden door, fighting over who gets to watch in this bright and colourful music video for "Sun Gets Down".
Sunstroke Project are a three-piece group consisting of Sergei Yalovitsky, Anton Ragoza, and Sergey Stepanov. They've represented Moldova at Eurovision, twice; the first time was in 2010 alongside Olia Tira with the song "Run Away" where they came 22nd in the Grand Final with 27 points. They attempted to return by competing in following national selection shows. Finally, they won, in 2017, with the song "Hey, Mamma!", which was well received by the public at home. They came third in the Grand Final with 374 points. This is the song that followed that Eurovision hit. I am hopeful that they continue to release music and we all hope a brand new album is on the horizon.
Directed by Slava Sirbu, this music video relates to the song with its summery vibe and engaging narrative. The video opens up with a bunch of children interacting with one another. This then pans out to the carnival festival that is going on. The street completely reminds me of Antonia's "Jameia", for some reason, I guess all street sets all look the same.
The one child finds out about the carnival by looking through a hole in a wooden door or gate or fence - I'm not sure what to call that. He quickly rides his bicycle to his friends and tells him about what he's just seen, and they all rush over to watch. Then, one of the children is pulled through the door to enjoy the festivities. The ending, sees someone beckon the other children to join.
As for the performance piece, Sunstroke Project are full of style, class, and fashion. They exude their magical energy and really light up the carnival with their moves and their music. They stand out amongst the festivities while others take centre stage such as the day of the dead woman and the dancers.
Overall, this music video is stunning in concept. It really relates to the jovial sun vibe that is being leached out of the track. The addicting storyline keeps the audience entertained throughout, although I'm quite confused as to why the children run away when the door opens and a hand beckons them in. Otherwise, this music video certainly excites me for future Sunstroke Project songs.
I used to be a massive fan of Justin Timberlake, but my love of his music certainly fell as time went on, and I'm glad it did since I do not like this song, or it's accompanying music video. He's made quite the comeback this year, but it falls short. He is one of the top male singers in the whole world, and yet his latest music hasn't quite slammed the charts as his past tracks have done. Watch Justin Timberlake present to the world the first dancing robot that copies his moves on stage in this futuristic music video for "Filthy".
Justin Timberlake released this track as the first single from his new album, which is his first in five years. Usually, if an artist has waited so long to release an album, you would expect a brilliant collection of tracks. However, he doesn't meet our expectations when it comes to this album, and it really does make us miss his previous tracks. He came back with the awesome "Can't Stop This Feeling", last year which got us all excited about new music, yet this all just falls short, in my opinion. Since his latest singles haven't hit the charts hard, it just shows I'm not the only one who thinks this. However, there's bound to be a surge soon as he performed at the Super Bowl's LII halftime show. This song was written by Justin Timberlake, Larrance Dopson, James Fauntleroy, Floyd Nathaniel Hills, and Timothy Mosley.
Directed by Mark Romanek, the music video is set in 2028 at the Pan-Asian Deep Learning Conference at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He takes inspiration from Steve Jobs and presents his new creation, this robot. He pulls off the geeky-look effortlessly whilst still remaining professional.
This is quite on the freaky side, it reminds me so much of iRobot and all the other robot films where it just doesn't turn out all that great. I keep expecting something to happen every single time I watch this music video, but all we are watching is a dancing robot.
There is a slight twist at the end, but rather than the robot deciding to think for itself and kill everyone, we have Justin Timberlake disappearing from existence. He really is a holographic image! It's an interesting concept of a music video, which becomes slightly relatable to the song as the dancing continues; however, they should've done more with it, there's nothing to keep the audience entertained unless your a robot fanatic and cannot wait to see what this robot does next. Nope, that's not me.
I could've sworn this became a UK number one single, but it turns out that it only hit number 13 in the UK. I'm not sure why I thought it became number one, mainly because the song and music video was literally everywhere back in 2011. It's time for my catch-up blog's Thursday revisit, and I am more than a month behind on my blog, and I totally hate myself for it, so much so that I'm determined to focus in the next few weeks and totally catch up! This music video was totally everywhere back in the day and was filmed in real time, so this tennis match actually happened! Which explains the clarity of the visual. Watch Martin Solveig compete against Bob Sinclar in a tennis match at Court Philippe Chatrier in this music video for "Hello" in collaboration with Dragonette.
Martin Solveig, real name Martin Picandet, is one DJ who continues to bring out hit after hit after hit. This track was certainly the start of his success. In recent years, his music has grown on me a lot, and I was completely honoured to have been given the chance to exclusively interview him for CelebMix. He's been bringing out brilliant songs to date, and I'm still obsessed with "Places". There's no sign of a new album on the horizon, and he even admitted, in my interview with him, that he doesn't plan to release an album, just yet, unless he feels it is right. This song is a collaboration with Dragonette, who currently consists of Martina Sorbara, Dan Kurtz, and Joel Stouffler. They've had a number of hits in their time as a group, although in recent years they haven't had the success that their early years gave them; however, they have an established name and when it comes to this sort of music, it comes in waves and I'm sure Dragonette will return with an absolute banger. The song was written by Martin Solveig and Martina Sorbara.
This music video takes place at the French Open at Court Philippe Chatrier and stars Martin Solveig, Bob Sinclar, DJ Grégory Darsa, Flo Lafaye, Olivia Sanchez, Mathilde Johansson, Novak Djokovic, and Gaël Monfils. Unfortunately, Dragonette does not appear in this visual. There are two versions of this music video, a long version which is part of the series of music videos titled "Smash", and then this shorter video. I may review the longer video at some point in the future.
I'm not sure what tennis has to do with this song overall, but it's comical and great to watch. Who knew that Martin Solveig and Bob Sinclar could play tennis, let alone this exceptionally? I love the fact that Bob Sinclar pretty much thrashes Martin Solveig until the final match point, to which Martin Solveig's love interest, played by Flo Lafaye comes in, and this is where he finds energy and motivation to impress his girl.
During the match point, Novak Djokovic refutes the referee, telling him to check it again. It turns out that Martin Solveig's return is actually in, rather than out. The game continues and Martin Solveig racks up the points to level with Bob Sinclar for the match point.
This is where it becomes interesting, because on comes Gaël Monfils, who will apparently be playing the winner of this match, and therefore is there to scope out the competition; although let's be honest, if that was the case, he would've been there from the beginning rather than appearing at the very end. Martin Solveig watches him walk up to Flo Lafaye, kissing her right in front of him. This is where Martin Solveig gives up and essentially throws in the towel by literally throwing in a towel, and the music video ends.
Overall, the song is about going over to someone and just saying 'hello' and not meaning anything in it and just enjoying the party. Instead, we have a music video all about tennis and competition; there is a love interest, but she isn't saying hello, instead she goes off to someone else. It does have a slight connection as Martin Solveig tries to impress her; however, she's not there to be impressed as she's already in a relationship. It's a very slight connection to the song, but I applaud it for not showing a typical party music video.
