So the video for Cheryl Cole’s debut single has been released. My impressions are that it’s very forgettable and Cheryl will never be believable as a genuine crumping, street dancer. The video is weird, it doesn’t seem to have a clear direction, but oh well, it’s nice to see her trying :)
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Leona Lewis – Happy @ America’s Got Talent
18 SepSo, Leona Lewis’ lead single from her sophomore album has been heralded as an amazing song, people are acting like it’s one of the greatest love songs of all time. It’s not. It’s not even as good as Bleeding Love. But, I have to admit, it does have some good parts. The first line of the chorus is probably the best part of the song. The thing is, Bleeding Love has no climax… just when you think it’s getting there, it doesn’t. Bleeding Love has this amazing bit at the end and everyone is like ‘wow, that’s amazing’ but Happy doesn’t have that. Regardless, Leona gives a very nice performance of it on America’s Got Talent. Although… was she upstaged by SuBo? I think she was… But it’s all down to song choice! At least that’s what Simon would say.
Cheryl Cole – Fight for This Love
7 SepThis weekend has been rather eventful for new music in the UK. Leona Lewis, Robbie Williams and now Cheryl Cole. Cheryl Cole is part of Girls Aloud (<3) and a judge on X Factor but is going solo and her debut solo single is called Fight for This Love. It actually premiered this morning and… I quite like it! Her voice doesn’t sound as weak as it does in Girls Aloud or on will.i.am’s Heartbreaker. The single is pretty catchy, it’s like a Girls Aloud’s song but also not. Chorus is really catchy. I doubt if it will get to number 1; it doesn’t feel like a number 1… but definitely top 3. Bring on Nadine though.
Leona Lewis – Happy
7 SepIt was the radio premier of Leona Lewis’ lead single from her sophomore album the other day and now I’m blogging about it. This lead in sentence is annoying me… Anyways, it’s okay… I’m not sure if I like it or not. A lot of people are talking about how emotional it is and how it’s very tear-jerky. But… I don’t quite agree. It does not have the same amount of emotion that her cover of Run has, or even Bleeding Love. The chorus isn’t as catchy either… and the ending doesn’t soar quite so aurally either. Eitherway, I guess this will be a hit and you’ll probably hear it in karaoke bars soon enough.
BoA’s 9th Anniversary – Top 9 BoA MVs
3 SepBoA recently celebrated her 9th year in the music industry (can you believe it? in the industry for 9 years and only 22!); to honour this achievement I’ve decided to post my top 9 BoA MVs/songs. Enjoy~
Do The Motion, from 2005’s Outgrow, is arguably BoA’s finest song. Produced with a sweet, summery jazz sound, it showed BoA’s versatility and hit the top spot of Japan’s Oricon chart. It remains BoA’s only number 1 single to date. The video is pretty sweet; the European feel and BoA’s simple dance routine compliment the sound of the song really well. You can tell BoA worked really hard on this single and it deservedly is my number 1.
This next song is one of my favourite songs of all time! It’s the song I listen to when I’m in a great mood and it makes me even happier. It’s also the song I listen to in the mornings if I need a bit of get up and go. Sweet Impact is from BoA’s 2007 album, The Face and was pretty successfuly (reaching the top 5 of the Oricon). The Face is a great album (my favourite BoA album for sure). Although, actually, when I first heard this single I was disappointed and didn’t listen to it again for a good while. A few months later I was hooked ^_^ The MV is awesome too, BoA does a great homage to Michael Jackson
QUINCY was the song that started it all for BoA and me. Released in 2004 on her Best of Soul best of album, it was one of the first J-pop songs I got into aside from Utada. In fact, BoA is the second J-pop artist I got into after Utada so she always has a soft spot in my heart. Who’d have thought I’d still be loving her 5 years later? I can remember listening to this song, getting hooked, coming into college the next day and telling everyone about it. It’s not BoA’s most famous song, but I love it ^_^
永遠; Eien (Forever) was released as a promotional single from BoA’s japanese release of her debut English language album (which was released with a best of album; the whole release was called Best & USA – does that make sense? ^^;). From the very first time I heard this song I loved it. It was a return to the BoA that I loved. Catchy melodies, a hook of a chorus, sweet vocals. It’s one of my favourite BoA songs ever and shows how BoA has matured as an artist over the years.
メリクリ; Meri Kuri (Merry Christmas) is also from her Best of Soul album. It was BoA’s first Christmas themed song and hit number 5 on the Oricon charts. I love this song, it’s very simple and very sweet. I love Christmas and love Christmas songs so this is perfect for me ^_^ It also shows off BoA’s very good voice (something for which she is not always given credit). The MV is simple as well and shows a softer side of BoA.
This retro BoA! Amazing Kiss is about 8 years old and taken from her very first Japanese album Listen to My Heart. It’s very very 90s pop (overly produced should I say?). This is a bit silly, but I love it ^_^ It’s weird to see BoA so young and being so talented. Especially considering the fact that 8 years ago I was messing about in class.
Valenti is BoA’s biggest selling single (with over a 200,000 copies sold), it’s a catchy pop song with a real dance vibe. I think this is what people would suggest BoA’s sound to be like. I like this song, it’s cool, it’s not my favourite song though but if it comes on, I don’t mind tapping along to it ^_^ There’s Japanese, Korean and English versions to boot! My favourite is probably the Japanese one though.
This is another Christmas inspired song. It was a huge success for BoA (which I think she was surprised by). It was narrowly beaten to the top of the charts. It’s a beautiful ballad with BoA proving that she can sing beautifully with heartfelt emotion and not just dance around to club beats. Winter Love is perhaps one of her best songs and should perhaps be higher up on this list… *scratches head*
I Did It for Love is BoA’s second English single and features the vocal and production talents of Sean Garrett. It’s a killer tune! It’s an awesome song! It’s a bit repetitive and I know BoA has been slated by a lot of people for still having an accent. But I think that’s rubbish, I can understand her perfectly well and she’s Korean! What’s the problem with accents? Not everyone has to sing in the same General American accent to be successful. Sadly, BoA’s American career doesn’t seem to be going too well, perhaps America is just not ready for an Asian popstar yet. Which is a shame, there’s loads of a talent there. Anyways! This rounds up the list. I hope you enjoyed it, I wish BoA many more years of success! I I I I I did it did it did it for love~ ^_^
The Saturdays – Forever Is Over
26 AugI always feel a small amount of shame when someone looks at my ipod track listing. It’s really gay. That’s not to say that I only listen to girly pop music, far from it, but lots of stuff that I listen to is exactly that. I love me some Girls Aloud and Wonder Girls. One girl group that has really taken me by surprise is The Saturdays.
I can remember first hearing the debut single, If This Is Love, ages ago on a music channel at like 1am. I should have been sleeping but heard this new song. I heard it again a couple of days later – roughly at the same time too. They make really catchy pop songs and are unashamed about it. Pop music is cool! It has such a bad stigma. Anyways! I’m going off track.
They’ve barely finished touring for their first album but already have a new song out from a second album. I guess their record company, Polydor, want to capitalise on the fact that there is no Girls Aloud release this coming year. The lead single from their sophomore album is called Forever Is Over. It’s less pop, more club, more edge. It reminds me of Call The Shots by Girls Aloud, not just sonically. It has the feel of: ‘look, we’re growing as an artist’ when they’re not really growing at all, just a slightly different sound.
I’ll probably end up listening to this loads. So much cool new music coming out of Britain at the moment! Where to find time to listen to it all?
Jade Ewen – My Man Video
26 AugA while ago I posted a video for Jade Ewen’s new single, My Man. The song is a big departure from her Eurovision song. It’s got huge beats and Jade gives a powerful vocal. Recently, the official video has been posted.
I just want to say… I’m a bit annoyed with British music videos at the moment. Granted, Jade isn’t a big start so I guess it’s fair that she doesn’t have such a big budget but the music video is pretty awful. It reminds me of the new Sugababe’s video which is equally awful and cheap looking. Random girl standing in front of a camera whilst some strobe lights flash in front of them? It’s a bit boring… and a bit 90s…
Jade Ewen – My Man
3 AugJade Ewen was the UK’s 2009 entry for Eurovision. She won a television talent contest to represent the UK with a song composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricised by Diane Warren. The song (which was a bit shit to be honest) managed to finished 5th at the contest which was a great achievement considering our last place results for a while now. Anyway, she’s back with a pretty amazing song! It’s completely different from It’s My Time (the Eurovision song). Tis a thumping dance song which no doubt the gays will love. I do have some reservations though, it’s not the most original sounding song… it sounds very similar to The Saturdays’ Work. However, there’s no denying Jade’s vocal prowess and she rips up the song’s hook with an attitude rarely found in UK popstars. Listen below to a radio rip of the song ^_^
平 和 愛
Click after the jump to hear The Saturdays’ Work song; do you think it sounds similar?
Florence and the Machine – Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
3 AugRecently I have been listening to English a bit more. It’s not a conscious thing per se, just when new music comes out and I like it then I tend to listen to it… a lot. I can quite happily listen to one song on repeat for a few hours or so. Is that strange? I don’t think it is. I think people fall into different kinds of music listeners. I play songs on repeat, others put them on random and some listen to their music in order; the latter two I just find so weird… I could never do that. I get albums, listen to all the songs (or sometimes not) and then just play the songs that I like. For example, my playcount for my Candie Payne album reads as follows:
I Wish I Could Have Loved You More – 8
Why Should I Settle for You – 1
Take Me – 1
In the Morning – 23
All I Need to Hear – 14
A Different You – 2
By Tomorrow – 2
One More Chance – 1
Hey Goodbye – 1
Seasons Change – 1
Turn Back Now – 1
One More Chance (Single Version) – 218
That’s a bit extreme, but yeah, I listen to songs a lot. Anyways! I’ve digressed…
Yes, Florence and the Machine. She’s been given a lot of praise and attention (including a Brit Award), however… I’m not sure if it’s entirely warranted. Yes, she’s an interesting and captivating artist and yes, she has an interesting voice but she is not the most original artist I’ve heard. Indeed, I think she fits rather nicely amongst her British, female contempories – not necessarily at the top of them. Below is the video for Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up). It’s a great song really; its storming beat and haunting vocals make the song powerful whilst the melody is enough to get it lodged in your head.
Check out her cover of Beyonce’s Halo for Radio 1’s Live Lounge after the jump. She transforms the song from a power love ballad to an aching lament – very beautiful.
平 和 愛
BoA – I Did It for Love
17 AprSooo… the video for the much hyped second single from BoA’s self-titled English debut album, I Did It for Love, has recently dropped! And it’s pretty darn awesome! I’ve never seen BoA dance as amazing as she does in the video. It’s non-stop, incessant dancing something special! It’s amazing! The video reminds me of Rihanna’s Umbrella a lot, but I can’t think of any singer/entertainer that can dance as good as BoA. No one. Nope, no one at all! Britney, Ciara, Rihanna, Shakira, Beyonce, whoever you want to suggest, BoA, technically, is a much better dancer!
The song itself is also pretty cool, definitely one of the best from her album. I also think this being treated more like the proper first single, Eat You Up was more of a taster, to introduce BoA to the country, and now this is the proper single. Anyways! Check it out! It’s definitely my favourite PV of the year so far!
平 和 愛
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