Our girl Hilary Duff has been very busy lately! After the fiasco with her latest video for Sparks, a.k.a. commercial for Tinder (you could read about it here), her fans have been complaining and asking (demanding) to get a Tinder-free version of the video. Being such a good girl, Hilary delivered the new version of the Sparks video on Vevo, for our enjoyment. Check out the video, officially and accurately titled Sparks (Fan Demanded Version):
Not only is the video great and Hilary looks amazing in it (the blue hair is just awesome), you can actually enjoy the song here, instead of listening to her making a Tinder profile with her friends. Great job, Hilary!
As this wasn't enough to build up our excitement for her new album "Breathe In. Breathe Out.", Hilary posted the back cover with the tracklist on her Instagram. Again, she looks amazing and we can't wait to here the other 11 songs! As you can see, there's no Chasing The Sun and All About You on the tracklist, but rumor is they will be bonus tracks on the deluxe edition. We'll just have to wait until June 16, when the album officially comes out!
Five years after her last album, Real Love, the most popular German singer, Sarah Connor, has come back with a brand new album! Although she has always sang in English, Sarah decided to finally make an album in German, naming it appropriately - Muttersprache (Mother Tongue). So, all the Sarah fans out there, you better brush up on your German!
As a person who doesn't speak a word of German, I can't really give a review of the albums lyrical content. Still, Sarah sounds amazing as ever, whatever language she's singing in.
Muttersprache is definitely a lot different than Sarah's English albums, which were a lot more pop (with the exception of Soulicious, her album of covers of classic soul songs). Most of the tracks on this album are midtempos and ballads, with piano and acoustic guitar being predominant, so if you're looking for something you can chill out to, this could be your thing.
The album contains 13 songs, while the deluxe edition has a bonus disc with 7 more songs (4 of which are in English). The first single, Wie Schön Du Bist, was released a few weeks before the album, on May 1. Check out the video below:
For those of you not familiar with Sarah's past hits (shame on you), be sure to check out the amazing Bounce, Living To Love You, From Zero To Hero, and the timeless ballad From Sarah With Love:
I take it you've all watched Eurovision 2015 and I can freely write without having to worry about spoiling anything, right? Cool! So the country with the best music in the world (according to a study conducted by me) won once again - Sweden! But before we go there, let's check out other countries that made it into top 10.
10. Serbia: Bojana Stamenov - Beauty Never Lies
Ok, of course I'm gonna have to be biased here and say this song deserved to be higher. It's a good pop song, exactly what you'd expect at Eurovision, though maybe not from Serbia. I really can't remember the last time Serbia had a song in English for Eurovision... Still, no. 10 is a good result, although the dancers in the performance were a bit creepy.
9. Israel: Nadav Guedj - Golden Boy
Ok, I love this song, I'm not even gonna pretend. It's ridiculously catchy and should've been top 3 at least. The singer has a great voice and some seriously funky shoes (they look like he stole them from one of Kylie's tours). However, Golden Boy sounds so similar to some other song and I can't quite remember which one? Help?
8. Norway: Mørland & Debrah Scarlett - A Monster Like Me
Things are getting serious here. This song is a ballad that doesn't really scream 'Eurovision', but it's a great song nonetheless. Also, you should see the video for it - it looks like a scene from Poirot before he reveals who the killer is. Very tense!
7. Estonia: Elina Born & Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday
Here's another duo and another awesome song! The singers look like older versions of Nate Ruess and Selena Gomez, but let's forget about that. This is a catchy song with a hook that'll keep you dancing until the very end. My personal favorite, should've won the show,
6. Latvia: Aminata - Love Injected
Hmmm, with this song you first need to take some time to figure out which language she's singing in. After that, you'll find yourself wondering what are you actually listening to and how did this song end up so high? No freaking clue, not a fan at all, sorry :/
5. Australia: Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again
So Australia has officially joined Europe and formed a new continent called Eurostralia, which will also be the official name of Eurovision as of next year! Are you prepared?!
Anyway, the land down under had a pretty good song, very Bruno Mars-esque: the singer had his styling and choreo down to a tee. I don't think the song's good enough for top 5, but I can see why others may like it.
4. Belgium: Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside
Here we have another song that's kinda weird. It has some awkward midtempo rhythm with clapping all throughout the song, making it sound like something Lorde would've done (meaning it can't be good).
3. Italy: Il Volo - Grande Amore
Italy had an absolutely amazing song and totally deserved its spot. The singers all have stunning vocals and the song is so majestic they should've performed it standing in the Colosseum and singing in Latin, dressed in ancient Roman clothes, with lions running around them. Also, Italy was the only top 10 country whose song wasn't in English.
2. Russia: Polina Gagarina - A Million Voices
Russia's song actually sounds like something the Scandinavian countries would pull out for this contest. It was kinda playing it safe, and it obviously worked. Still, it's not among the best songs in the top 10.
1. Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes
Popular Swedish singerMåns Zelmerlöwwon the show with the song Heroes. He had a very interesting, interactive performance with some cute cartoons projected on the screen. Maybe that distracted me from the song, but I didn't really like it. I don't get where the song is going, what it's trying to achieve, and I'm sure Sweden had better songs for Eurovision. Still, well done Sweden and congrats on your victory - the land of ABBA will once again host Eurovision (now Eurostralia) next year! Can't wait!
In this edition of weird music news, we bring you two pop singers that have made some awkward choices when it comes to their new music: Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus.
1. Miley writes a song about her dead pet fish
Yeah, you read that correctly, Miley had a pet blowfish Pablow that has died, so she decided to make a ballad about it. She's definitely a big animal lover, and we all know how much it sucks to lose a pet, so we can't (and shouldn't) blame her for grieving about her passed-away fish. The song is actually very emotional, but some of the lyrics do sound strange (especially when you know it's a fish she's singing about). For example, the part about eating sushi:
On Saturday night we all went out to eat
But I can never decide, so someone chose sushi
I got soup, and I ordered rice
But watching my friends eat my friends ruined my appetite
Anyway, we know how you feel, Miley. At least Pablow has now been immortalized in this song and in your tattoo.
2. Hilary turns a video into a commercial for Tinder
So Hilary Duff is very excited that she's single and that she started dating again. To show us that she's just like us mortals, and that she uses mobile apps to find dates, she decided to turn her comeback music video into a commercial for Tinder, a popular dating app.
After her previous two singles (Chasing The Sun and All About You) didn't really perform well, even though they were great songs and had cute videos, Hilary is giving it another go with her latest single Sparks. It's a cool pop song that you can bop to, although the whistles in the chorus are very 2011.
Anyway, the music video for Sparks brings product placement to a whole new level. It's literally an advertisement for Tinder. Most of the music video is her talking about dating on Tinder, footage from her dates (real or not? who knows), so you can't even listen to the song clearly. What's worst of all, the actual parts of the video where she performs the song are very cool, so she could've made a great video for the song. At least there should've been two versions of it (one of them being Tinder-free).
So why did she decide to basically ignore the song and focus on making a documentary about her dating life? My guess is as good as yours.
This is the sassy start of Hypnotic, one of the gems from Zella Day's debut album Kicker. If you've never heard of Zella, it's no surprise - she's a new artist that has just recently released her amazing first album. She's been pretty much under the radar, but with music this good, it's time people heard more about her. Kicker is full of inspired pop-rock, acoustic and folky songs that sound something Lana Del Rey would do. Even their voices are quite similar in some ballads. However, Zella is never quite that bleak and has much more uptempo songs.
1. Jerome (5/5) - Jerome is a great opening to the album. This song will get you immediately hooked and excited for the rest of the album. You'll definitely be singing the chorus in your head all day long after just one listen.
2. High (5/5) - This song continues in the same midtempo rhythm and is just as catchy. It was definitely made to be a hit and should be released as a single ASAP!
3. Ace of Hearts (5/5) - The first ballad on the album, Ace of Hearts starts with dreamy verses that are followed by a great chorus. The song is full of night imagery ("Caught you at midnight, not in my right mind," "There's darkness between us, the moon is a witness"), which create the perfect atmosphere.
4. 1965 (5/5) - This is where Zella sounds the most like Lana, in a ballad that was inspired by Zella's grandmother. It's another great, nostalgic song where the singer reminisces about the past and wants to relive it.
5. East of Eden (5/5) - "Tiger on the prowl, east of Eden, coming for you now..." Another midtempo with some interesting lyrics and the middle-8 that takes the song to another level.
6. Hypnotic (5/5) - Definitely one of the highlights on the album. Everything about this song screams "no.1 hit!" What's even better is that there's a video for it, so you can enjoy the song in all of its glory.
7. Mustang Kids (5/5) - In the only collab on the album, Zella teams up with rapper Baby E. The result is a song that stands out from the rest: Baby E raps on the catchy verses, while Zella sings the powerful chorus and bridges. It's another single-worthy song, the only problem being that it's too short.
8. The Outlaw Josey Wales (5/5) - Named after a movie starring Clint Eastwood, this song is inspired by Josey Wales, a fictional character from the American Civil War. It's another uptempo song with great instrumental.
9. Jameson (3/5) - This is a lovely acoustic ballad, one of the most emotional songs on the album. While it's a very good ballad, it doesn't quite compare to others, such as Ace of Hearts or 1965.
10. Shadow Preachers (4/5) - Shadow Preachers is kind of like a mix of High and Ace of Hearts, but not as good as those two. Still, it's definitely worth a listen.
11. Sweet Ophelia (5/5) - Starting off like a ballad, Sweet Ophelia quickly kicks off in the explosive chorus. There's a video for this song too, so check it out!
12. Compass (3/5) - The last song is a magical ballad with fairytale imagery, full of nature motives. "Take me to the garden of your ecstasy, make myself a heaven from your falling leaves." Not the strongest song here, but a great way to close the album.
After such a great album, we have to have a little bit of controversy, right? Well, you know how live performances often don't sound like the album version of the song? I don't know if Zella had a cold when she performed Hypnotic here, but she sure sounds like it. She might want to use some heavy backing vocals or a pre-recorded track sometimes, just in case.
What Katy Perry did a few years back with Teenage Dream, Maroon 5 are doing right now. In their 2583rd single in the last two years, the guysare pulling all the stops in an attempt to score another hit while they're still hot. If their next single isn't a collab with some currently hot star, such as Nicki Minaj or Taylor Swift, I'm quitting blogging.* After hanging (literally) out with hams in a butcher's shop in their video for Animals, the band is back with another provocative single, with the unnecessarily long and explicit title This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like A Motherf***er. And you thought Mariah Carey's album title was awkward.
So, what's the song like?
Let's be clear right from the start - if anyone else was singing this song, it wouldn't be a hit. Animals had terrible lyrics and a disgusting video, but it was catchy as hell, while this doesn't even come close. You'd expect at least the chorus to have a great hook, but no. Also, the song has some weird old-school vibe, as if it was from another decade. Still, it's Maroon 5, so it'll probably be a summer smash in no time.
Who stayed awake during last night's 3 hours of Billboard Music Awards? If you did, that is an accomplishment. But let's not be cruel (yet), besides the many commercial breaks, forgettable performances and awards presented, there were some highlights that deserve our attention. If you haven't watched BBMAs, here's a short recap of what you've missed.
1. Taylor Swift premiered her Bad Blood video
The show wasn't opened by a live performance, but by a new video for Taylor Swift's latest single Bad Blood. You know, the song she remixed with a rapper (like many do when they need a hit, e.g. Katy Perry with E.T.) and then invited a bunch of celebrities to appear in the video. First of all, the song is mediocre at best, so it needed this buzz in order to become a hit (which it probably will). Secondly, if you think the video is similar to Britney Spears' 2004 hit Toxic, it's no suprise because they have the same director - Joseph Kahn.
2. Mariah Carey performed...
Queen of the divas, Mariah Carey, performed her early hit Vision of Love, as well as her latest single Infinity, to mixed reviews. We're all aware that her voice isn't what it used to be anymore, and the girl is not helping distract us from that fact with her basic standing-in-one-place performances and songs that all sound the same. Also, looks like J.Lo wasn't impressed at all. Not that Mimi cares, she doesn't even know who J.Lo is...
3. Britney & Iggy Azalea performed Pretty Girls
Britney Spears finally decided it might be a good idea to actually promote her music (we probably have Iggy to thank for that), so the two teamed up and did a great performance of their latest single Pretty Girls. Just like the video, the performance was 80s- and space-themed and the girls looked amazing in their sexy outfits. It might be even better than the actual video, as it doesn't feature cheesy acting breaks and product placement. This could very well be Britney's best TV performance since the In The Zone era, and we hope she'll do more of them soon.
4. Winners - Iggy Azalea, Taylor, One Direction and more Taylor...
Some of the most important (yet not surprising) award winners last night were: Iggy Azalea for Best Rap Song (Fancy), Best Streaming Artist and Best Rap Artist (sorry Nicki Minaj), One Direction for Best Touring Act and Top Duo/Group, Sam Smith for Top Male Artist, Meghan Trainor for Top Hot 100 Song and Top Digital Song, Taylor Swift in a bunch of categories, etc. Check out the full list here!
5. Nick Jonas copies Selena Gomez Nick Jonas (anyone interested in him at all?) performed his single Jealous, in a performance that was more than obviously inspired by Selena Gomez's hit Love You Like A Love Song. With neon colors and projections of sunglasses and lips, the whole thing looked directly borrowed from Selena's video. To be honest that's the only thing I noticed because the song is so bland...
6. Booing for Kanye West, Kendal and Kylie Jenner Kanye West closed the show (weird, right?) with a performance of All Day and Black Skinhead, but it seems that people don't like him that much (not weird). He was announced by Kendal Jenner and Kylie Jenner, who were booed while calling him "a great artist, a friend, an inspiration, a brother." Then, when Kanye got on the stage to perform, the audience apparently booed him too. To be honest, they could've booed anyone there, because with all the pyrotechnics it was hard to see who was actually on stage until the last seconds. Also, basically half the performance was censored, so it was a joy to watch live...
There, we've survived these 3 hours of sleep-inducing performances (and some entertaining ones). What were your favorite ones? Has anyone missed out on an award they deserved to win? Leave a comment! Now, it's just a few months till the VMAs, which will hopefully be more interesting (don't hold your breath though)!
After almost a year of being inactive on this blog, due to some other stuff I was working on, I decided to start things up again and continue with the latest music news! Let's be honest, last year's music scene was pretty boring, so we didn't miss out on much, right? But things are finally getting interesting, and what better way to continue where we left off then with news about our favorite legend - Britney Spears!
First of all, no doubt you've all heard her new single Pretty Girls, featuring Iggy Azalea, and watched the video for it. In case you haven't (shame on you!), here you go. Warning: a million jump cuts, bad acting, cheesy lines and a hard-to-follow storyline incoming!
While the song itself is arguably Britney's weakest lead single to date, the video kind of makes the song tolerable. That is, if you're aware that the whole idea was to make a cheesy, throwback to the 80s video with colorful clothes, valley girl parody scenes and giant hair. Compared to the mess we've seen during the Circus and Britney Jean eras (boring af videos such as Radar, If U Seek Amy and Perfume), the Pretty Girls video is definitely a great change of pace for Brit Brit.
However, Britney isn't drawing our attention with just this song and video. Over the past few weeks, she's been all sorts of sassy on her Vegas "Piece of Me" shows. Just yesterday, she decided to shame a guy from the audience who was brought on stage during Freakshow because he was drunk. So, after thanking him, she said: "Although you do reek of alcohol." Feeling on a roll, she added: "He doesn't even really know his name!"
Also, a few weeks ago, an audience member called her "a fat bitch", and since the queen obviously has super hearing, she heard him. So, what did she do? She called him a fucking asshole in front of everyone. Zero fucks to give.
So, next time you decide to show up at Britney's concert wasted or to insult her, be prepared to face the wrath of Godney.
