American Music Awards 2013: The Best and Worst Bits

Last night played host to the AMAs, previously created as an alternative to the Grammy Awards back in 1973, and the stars were out in full force. For those of you who missed one of the biggest nights in US music, fear not! I have selected the best bits of the awards, including performances, interviews and general eventful moments. 

Best Bits: 

Lady Gaga's entrance on a (sort of) horse

BRAVO GAGA! She never fails to impress as last night the star entered the red carpet on a human horse, looking every inch Lady Godiva, minus the nakedness. Flawless 

From pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com

Rihanna receives an award from her mum 

Pop titan Rihanna received the coveted AMA Icon award, and was presented the prize by her own mother, the pride was unbelievably cute! 

From www.billboard.com

Kendall Jenner kind of denies being with Harry Styles 

So amongst the whirlwind of rumours that Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles were dating, Jenner was asked on the red carpet if she was going out with the 1D star, to which she stated "We're friends. He's cool, yeah, he's cool". Cool story Kendall... 

From www.eonline.com

Best Performances: 

Lady Gaga and R Kelly with 'Do What You Want' 

Not content with arriving on a (fake) white horse, the kooky popstar performed her latest single with R Kelly as the President and herself in Marilyn Monroe-esque attire. Lyrically flawless and always entertaining, this was definitely the best performance of the night. 

Miley Cyrus and her giant kitten

What next? Miss Cyrus is forever shocking us and this time she positioned herself in front of a giant cat that seemed to be singing along to Wrecking Ball. I admire her guts, although her outfit was questionable. Enjoy. 

Pitbull and Ke$ha

Although I abhor Pitbull and think behind Robin Thicke, he is the biggest creep in pop, I loved his ridiculously fun performance he did with crazy pop princess Ke$ha. Seedy club meets barn dance with this one, and I had to admit it left me toe-tapping. Feel-good fun. 

Worst Bits: 

Taylor Swift looking stupidly thin 

Oh gosh, what has happened to Taylor Swift? she may have bagged multiple awards last night, but she has definitely lost a little weight. A little too thin. 

From pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com

Christina Aguilera's meager appearance 

Xtina is looking mighty fine these days and she dazzled on the red carpet, but I would have preferred to have seen a solo performance from her. 

From www.billboard.com

General lack of fashion sense on the red carpet

The gowns last night were SHOCKINGLY BAD. I shall use Zendaya Coleman as an example (sorry love, but Halloween has been and gone)

From pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com

Worst Performances: 

Katy Perry- Unconditionally (crap)

Despite her hype and the international success of her new album Prism, Perry constantly disappoints me when it comes to her live performances, its simple- she just can't sing. Although the Geisha theme was attractive to look at, her voice is weak. 

One Direction- Story of My Life 

As much as I think 1D are pretty harmless, I do think they need to perhaps take a break. One Direction overload is evident and I think everyone is slightly sick of them at the moment. After a world tour, it's obvious their voices are a little tired and this performance made me yawn. 

Review: One Direction's Midnight Memories Leaked !

It's every singer's worst nightmare, but it's not surprising that the world's biggest boyband's upcoming album has been leaked. One Direction's Midnight Memories was due for release next week, but the internet has been whipped into a frenzy as Directioners across the world are sharing the leaked songs with each other. 

          From www.aceshowbiz.com

With two mainstream studio albums already released, the band promised more of a rock feel to this album, but I cant help feeling that they seemed almost scared to stray from their pop roots. 

Tracklist: 

Best Song Ever

The first single to be released back in July, Best Song Ever originally broke the 24 hour record on VEVO, gaining 12.3 million views. 

Story of My Life

The second single to be released from the upcoming album, the video received a large amount of critical acclaim due to the personal nature of the music video 

Diana 

Although they have kept fairly quiet about who Diana actually is, Liam once joked that it was about a random girl on Twitter- "She’s tweeted us so many times, we just felt like we really owed it to her. She has like 70,000 followers, too, so we thought it made some business sense. " The song has deep pop tones and a stupidly catchy chorus. 

Midnight Memories

This song is definitely about being on tour, partying and not caring. It is reminiscent of Rock Me, an unreleased track from Take Me Home. Any McFly fans will appreciate this song for sure. 

You and I 

This track was my favourite on the album, I knew the group had to have an equivalent to Little Things, and this one is it. This may be a cheesy love ballad, but it shows off the vocal range the group has, and stripping back the music to the bare minimum is a welcome break from the rock/pop that consumes many of the tracks.  

Don't Forget Where You Belong

Very much a song about exploring the world, yet still looking forward to being back home, this track is pretty cute, and definitely gives Directioners a slice of fangirling in three minute form.  

Strong

With a heavier beat, but still maintaining the mainstream pop, this one is a sure fire contender for the next single to be released. 

Happily

As albums go, this one reaches it's optimum feel-good scale with Happily, as the five members belt out " I just want it to be you and I forever"... Directioners everywhere swoon. 

From hollywoodtimessquare.com

Right Now

This one really reminded me of a One Republic track, and for any 1D skeptic, the high notes hit in this song are almost faith-restoring. Bravo lads. 

Little Black Dress

When the group talked about the rock tones, this is as far as it went with LBD. This one was less about the solo snippets, but all about harmonising with each other. 

Through The Dark 

It was a breath of fresh air for the album to turn to more acoustic influences and I definitely think the band fair better when the music is stripped back. 

From www.blogcdn.com

Something Great

This track disappointed me the most, as although I enjoy the harmonies the group creates, this one lacked a strong, addictive chorus I was looking for. 

Little White Lies

Another song about girls that play games.. yawn! The super catchy chorus is what saves this one.. I'm still humming it. 

Better Than Words

Hello electronic influences.. I loved this song and how it was confused about whether it wanted to be upbeat or not. Cheekiest lyric of the album: "You make me wanna.... one more night"

Why We Don't Go There

This song is (close your ears young Directioners) about spending the night together... These boys are definitely growing up *winks*

From i.imgur.com

Does He Know 

In this track let's all boyfriends know that any of the five members of 1D have the potential to steal your girlfriend. Consider yourself threatened. " Does he know you can move it like that?" I assume they are talking about dancing here.. 

Alive

This one must have been written by Mr Styles himself. The proof: "I don't know why I want to be with every girl I meet". If they ever release this, I want the video to include an American diner, some serious quiffs and soft top cars. 

Half a Heart

Another Little Things substitute about how much they miss their loved ones.. aww. Definitely one for the soppiest oafs. 

Trying to leave their pop routes, they have ended up circling right back to what they know. A great third album, but not a spot on Take Me Home's charm. 

I give it:   ★★★

7 Feminist Elements of Lily Allen's 'Hard Out Here'

Never one to hold back, the fabulously  flamboyant and foul mouthed Lily Allen is back, and it's clear she is here to send a message.  Her comeback single, which she is hailing as a taster for what is to come next year, was released this week and it certainly sparked a lot of debate. For me I think it represents how perfectly ridiculous the music industry is nowadays- sexist to the point of stupidity, women are portrayed as submissive objects who flash their flesh at the click of slimy fingers such as Robin Thicke's. With his gratuitously iconic video Blurred Lines in mind, I have compiled 7 elements of 'Hard Out Here' which are not only feminist, but capable of inspiring females everywhere.

From i4.mirror.co.uk

1.   The Plastic Surgery scene

As Allen lays on a table while a group of men poke and prod at her, an older man tells the singer"Letterman says no". She pokes fun at the industry by highlighting the fact that she as a woman is being rejected by talk show hosts such as the latter and Kimmel, both of which are older men. For me it also emphasised the fact that the interviewing world is very much male dominated, and in general in presenting there are no older women at the forefront. The suited man standing up then describes her body as "terrifying". 

From primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk

2. She points out the unequal perceptions of sexual promiscuity 

Nowadays, most insulting words are female orientated, as Allen rightly says in the lines: " If I told you 'bout my sex life, you'd call me a slut. When boys be talking about their bitches, no one's making a fuss. "

      

3. "There's a glass ceiling to break"

Allen sings about the glass ceiling, and the fact that progress in equality is moving too slowly, and that she can't cope with the pace. Totally behind you on that one Lily! 

4. Owning the word "bitch"

At first listen, you might question why Allen decided to use a derogatory term multiple times in her song, but I think it is powerful AND feminist for two reasons:
1. It's a controversial thing to do, and definitely grabs the listener's attention.
2.  The emphasis on the word is a two fingers to the men who think they have the right to use the word against women. 

5. She sends up the female stereotypes

With the wonderful comparison of Blurred Lines, you will see in visual how Allen  sends up thepathetic Robin Thicke single. She emphasises that it's not about domestication, good looks or sex, it's about intelligence. 

6.  She represents a strong female archetype 

My favourite part of the song is the bridge when she says "Sometimes it's hard to find the words to say, I'll go ahead and say them anyway". She urges women to speak up and speak out, it's truly inspiring. 

7. "Inequality promises that it's here to stay"

Allen highlights a completely true statement, but points out that even though injustice is here to stay, we shouldn't put up with it. 

Lily I've missed you! Welcome back! 

And just in case you really didn't get the video and it's intentions... 

Watch the video here: 

Justin Bieber's Music Mondays: Has He Redeemed Himself?

                     

For those of you who love to hate Justin Bieber, you may want to read something else. It seems as though his immature antics have been put on hold as he is producing some pretty impressive music. The Biebs has introduced a Music Monday in which his fans are able to listen to his freshest music through his Youtube channel.

Now I know what you are thinking, we are talking about Justin Bieber here, but really.. this stuff is GOOD. Reminiscent of old school Usher meets Justin Timberlake, the five songs he has released so far ooze smooth R'n'b/pop and would (almost) convert any Bieber hater. 

 

Heartbreaker

Back at the beginning of October, Heartbreaker pleasantly surprised me. With an addictive chorus and a pure R'n'B flow, you will be pressing repeat before you know it. 

All That Matters

This one is simple: a sultry love song that contains simple chords and simple lyrics, but it works as a chilled, slow jam. High five Biebs. 

Hold Tight

For fans of Drake and Conor Maynard, this one is for you. With sprinkles of that Future Sex/Love Sounds electro pop, this song strips down Bieber's voice and shows his vocal capabilities. 

Recovery 

By now, you would have guessed that this teeny bopper obviously has a broken heart. Picking up the pace with Recovery, there are definitely some elements of Craig David here. I love this one. 

Bad Day

When Bad Day was released at the beginning of this week, I was pleased to hear more of an acoustic influence. Listen out for the impressively high voice about a minute in. 

Dare I say that I can't wait for next week's music? BRAVO BIEBS. 

AlunaGeorge at Shepherd's Bush London

Back in July, I attended a festival in Spain called Benicassim, which gathered together a variety of acts in several genres. Despite big names like The Killers and The Arctic Monkeys, it was small time duo Alunageorge who were one of my firm favourites during the week of music.

After bagging myself some tickets for their Shepherd's Bush set at the end of October, I was really excited to see more from the subtle, understated and altogether ethereal group made up of Aluna Francis and George Reid. Before the gig even began, I grabbed some drinks with friends and saw Reid standing behind us, casually chatting to a girl before he went on stage.

It certainly is hard to describe the sheer skill in which they make their electropop addictive and wild, yet utterly unnervingly calm. Francis' smooth and high notes resonated in the small venue and as she sang multiple tracks from the Body Music album, the audience was no doubt haunted by her voice.

(Above: my own picture from the gig)


The perfect encore of White Noise confirmed to me that they are definitely an act I want to see again, and I can't wait for more music.

ARTPOP Review: Latest Album Proves Lady Gaga is Queen

         From cdn.popdust.com

I can't deny the fact that I have been itching to hear ARTPOP ever since Lady Gaga opened the iTunes Festival in London back in September and after the leak of her latest album, I jumped at a chance to give her new music a listen. Despite Applause being slaughtered by the media, Gaga herself having a few Twitter meltdowns and her X Factor performance receiving more than a hundred complaints, ARTPOP sticks up a middle finger to those who ever doubted Miss Germanotta. The collection of songs has everything Little Monsters want from Gaga- addictive pop beats, soulfully slow tunes and sexually charged lyrics. 

Tracklisting: 

01 “Aura”
02 “Venus”
03 “G.U.Y.”
04 “Sexxx Dreams”
05 “Jewels N’ Drugs”
06 “MANiCURE”
07 “Do What U Want” (feat. R. Kelly)
08 “ARTPOP”
09 “Swine”
10 “Donatella”
11 “Fashion!”
12 “Mary Jane Holland”
13 “Dope”
14 “Gypsy”
15 “Applause”

The Best Bits

                        From i2.cdnds.net

 

Venus

The second track to be released, the star performed this on X Factor UK on 27th October. Filled with galactic metaphors and an addictive synth beat, Gaga repeats the words "take me to your planet". 

Sexxx Dreams

After hearing this one at the iTunes Festival I was incredibly excited to hear the album version. Despite the x rated lyrics which are by now expected from the star, the dance beat is ensnaring and one of the strongest songs on the album. 

MANiCURE

This track is FULL of attitude, fun and solidly confirms that pitched against the likes of Britney and Perry, this lady has the strongest voice with the most range. 

Swine

Without a doubt, this song is my all-time favourite, and is definitely reminiscent of her earlier tracks like Teeth and Dancing In The Dark. Sick yet humourous, it is the perfect recipe for a club banger. 

From 2.bp.blogspot.com 

Donatella 

Two words that sum up this song: fun and dumb. Bubblegum pop meets dance meets synth with this track, my favourite verse being "Walk down the runway but don’t puke (it’s okay)
You just had a salad today, Boulangerie,Just ask your gay friend's their advice, before you
Get a spray tan on holiday, in Taipe"

The Misses

As with most albums, there are always a couple of songs you are disappointed with, and for me, I was extremely underwhelmed by 'Dope'. It's weaknesses did not lie vocally, but lyrically- I could not get past the fact that the chorus consisted of 'I need you more than dope'.  I wanted a deeper emotion from Gaga! 

                   From i1.cdnds.net

Jewels and Drugs

One thing Gaga- you will never be gangster, so stick to pop and make sure Twista stays far away from your future tracks. This song shouldn't have made it to the album, but I applaud her experimentation. 

To me her music packs a punch and as an all-round performer, she can engage with an audience, she clearly has a passion for her music and for her fans and her pure kookiness only adds to her charm and blows others such as Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry out of the water. 

Listen to the whole album here

Follow this Tumblr account for the latest tracks

What did you think of Artpop? 

 I give it              ★★★★★

Warning: Fangirling Ahead! Jake Bugg at the O2 Brixton Academy

For me, there's nothing I love more than listening to the haunting indie folk creations of  singer/songwriter Jake Bugg. At the tender age of 17, he was scouted to play a set at Glastonbury where he was given a contract at Mercury Records. Two years later and with the release of his second album next month, Bugg is going from strength to strength. After seeing him at Benicassim in July and iTunes Festival in September I managed to get some tickets for his autumn tour. 

From nick-intl.mtvnimages.com

Last Wednesday I headed over to the cosmopolitan district of Brixton, where I went to queue up for the gig that took place at the O2 Academy. Unlike the festival goers and casual music listeners I had encountered at the previous two gigs, there were only a handful of girls as enthusiastic as I was to queue. Our blatant fangirling paid off however when as we sat queuing, Bugg walked past us and casually waved. Much giggling ensued before we all managed to get up and run after him to say hi and tell him how excited we were to see him play. He was nice enough to pose for a couple of pictures too, what a gem. 

                                      From pbs.twimg.com

As venues go, the O2 in Brixton is great due to its small size and sloped floor which means the stage is visible from almost anywhere in the venue. I was pleasantly surprised with the hugely talented warm-up acts that began with Italian-English singer Jack Savoretti followed by Tennessee basedHoneyHoney who provided some much needed Country fun. 

From www.standard.co.uk

For those of us desperate for new music, Bugg didn't disappoint, beginning his set with There's a Beast and We all Feed it, the first track on upcoming album Shang ri La, one that screams intelligence with the line "When my sister suffers/When my mother cries/All I wanna do is look in someone's eyes…here's a beast eating every kind of beauty and we all feed it." 

Kingpin, Pine Trees, new single Slumville Sunrise and the delicious What Doesn't Kill You were also performed, giving us an idea of how magical the new album will be!  

His fine tuned, focussed and authentic performance would not have been complete without Lightning Bolt, Two Fingers, Country Song, Broken and one of my favourites, Seen it All and he definitely created an electric atmosphere. For someone only 19 years of age, his songs contain a huge capacity of life experience and as live acts go, he is by far my favourite. Although some tend to criticise his so-called lack of showmanship, his humble and unassuming air only adds to his charm. 

 His music is a lovely break from the ego-centric, sexist chart music manufactured superficially, written and churned out by a team of people.

I can't wait to see him in February! 

Shocker! Raw Footage from Britney Spears' 'Work Bitch' Leaked. Was She Airbrushed?

As all of us know, fame comes with an indescribable amount of pressure to look presentable and when it comes to pop princess Britney Spears, her whirlwind life in the public eye has meant she is especially prone to criticism. 

Making her comeback amongst the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, the 31 year-old released highly anticipated 'Work Bitch' this month, accompanied by a steamy video which showed her adapting to her new surroundings- the hot Nevada desert was a backdrop as she announced her two year residency in Las Vegas. 

The mother of two showed off her impressively slim figure for the release as she is seen in a bikini top and tiny metallic shorts, but was that body down to slogging it out in the gym, or a little computer trickery? 

New images were released today by HOAX films (the studio that dealt with all the visual effects on the video) seeming to show Britney with much thicker thighs and a more natural hip and stomach shape. 

 While you cannot take it away from Britney that she has worked extremely hard to lose weight of late, it was reported that the visual effects company were hired to 'clean-up' the video. This is not the first time the star has been seen airbrushed either.

(above: Piece of Me video)

Back in 2007, Britney was heavily edited in her Piece of Me footage, amidst her troubled hair shaving and weight gain. Again in 2010 the star was airbrushed for a Candies campaign shoot.

It is fair to say that throughout her career, Spears has never been overweight, and the unedited shots in all cases look remarkably natural and set more of an inspiring example to younger women. 

When will the airbrushing stop? 

Interview with Us Baby Bear Bones

Tucked down one of the streets off Brighton seafront is The Haunt, a live music venue-come- nightclub where I have come to see local band Us Baby Bear Bones play their unique electro-dream pop. Commanding the stage with pounding drums that juxtapose the sweet tinkling of the xylophone, the band showcased their potential with the mystifying and addictive "Mountains" before moving on to play most famous track "You". I managed to grab them for five minutes where they chatted to me about songwriting and their future plans. 

What is the origin behind your name? 

"The  name [came about through] an accumulation of different dreams all of us had.. they all had a very vague thread or connection between them"

Describe your music in three words

"It's basically baroque"

When you're not making music, what can we find you doing? 

"making love!" 

What is your songwriting process? 

"Someone else actually writes our music for us. [My dad] does everything. "

                      

What are your plans for the rest of the year ?

"we are writing and recording our next EP, we've got a collection of songs we are going to narrow down. We are writing and recording with someone really cool"

Like their music? 

Follow them on twitter

Listen to them on Soundcloud 

Their official website

(above: me with the band)