Twitter blew up a storm yesterday when Taylor Swift revealed a new song Shake It Off, a single from her new album 1989 (which is due to be released on October 27th). Making the announcement at a Yahoo live stream event, the singer gave her fans the song through the music video that was released.
A catchy pop song that has the lines "haters gonna hate" and "fakers gonna fake", Taylor hits back to "what people say" using her best strength: her music. Swift shares that she just "shake(s) it off", a motto that her fans are sure to follow (it would be interesting to see if it has the same effect as Drake's YOLO motto...).
The song doesn't really have Taylor's usual stamp on it - the lack of country and the heartbroken lyrics that are missing (which tend to be a part of the Swift-song-formula) mean that Taylor delivers a fun song much like her single 22. The verses and the chorus are simple, which means that we can learn the song faster and sing it incessantly! The only thing that I didn't enjoy was the bridge: My ex-man bought his new girlfriend She’s like “oh my God”, but I’m just gonna shake it And to the fella over there with the hella good hair Won’t you come on over, baby, we can shake, shake, shake To me it seemed to be lyrics that were just written to fill out the song. But apart from that, the song is easy on the ear, fun to dance to and with Taylor's advice in our minds maybe we can all just 'shake off' our problems (at least while the song is playing). The video itself is also simple enough - it shows Taylor taking up different personas: hip-hop twerk-er, Black Swan ballerina, a boom box-wielding poser, and a preppy cheerleader to name a few. See what you think yourself!
It's been a few weeks since Nicki Minaj posted the snap of her Anaconda single cover that caused a stir online, but Nicki has now released a lyric video for the song. Sampling Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot, Anaconda isn't one of Nicki's best songs (I think I always think back to her verse in Kanye's song 'Monster' when I think of her best).
The song is all about Nicki knowing guys named Troy and Michael who buy her nice things like Balmain and Alexander McQueen, and then goes back to the chorus as if to emphasise the fact that they buy her these things because they love her 'bunz'.
With lyrics that when repeated almost sound like they could be from a adult-version of a playground rhyme - "Boy toy named Troy used to live in Detroit" and "This dude named Michael used to ride motorcycles" - Anaconda is a song not to be taken seriously. But I think that's the point Nicki's trying to make. And the Barbs know that Nicki can make songs not to be taken too seriously (eg Pound The Alarm) but will sure to come back with fire power with her next singles.
Ella Eyre - Comeback
Ella Eyre's new video for her latest single 'Comeback' is here, and the video shows Ella showing her fighter side as her boyfriend apologises to her for his sleeping around.
Smashing plates and destroying the home they had together, Ella sings "We've all been played, we all get hurt. Just take that pain and let that motherf***er burn!"
The song packs a punch, making it a great break-up song. Jazzy and fast-paced, Ella has fun while having pillow fights, destroying the bed and TV - showing any recently broken-hearted viewers that you can still have some fight in you even if your world's been turned upside down! With her big, bouncy curls, red lipstick and soulful voice, Ella is the advocate for the strong and undefeated woman in this video.
Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora - Black Widow
Taking a leaf out of Gaga's and Beyonce's Telephone video, Iggy and Rita take inspiration from film director Quentin Tarantino with the music video for Black Widow. With a Kill Bill-inspired sword wielding Iggy and Rita, the video starts with a diner scene with Iggy as waitress and Rita as the unhappy girlfriend of a bossy grumpy man. Drama unfolds as Iggy takes hold of the samurai sword and the pair fight together against mob men.
Ariana Grande ft Zedd - Break Free
Taking the world by storm with each new single, Ariana does no wrong with new song Break Free.
The song is accompanied by a video set in space in a futuristic alien world, with Zedd taking control of the spaceship's music decks for an alien party that's filled with people dancing to the upbeat dance track.
It's also safe to say that Zedd's collaborations are ones to pay attention too, after his smash hit with Stay The Night that featured lead singer of the band Paramore, Hayley Williams.
Ariana and Zedd deliver a great summer track for all those parties in the sun and sunny car rides!
Bang bang! - look out, three of the biggest female names in popular music have joined forces!
If you follow the three ladies (Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj) on Instagram you'll have noticed the images and snippets that the girls have been posting in the lead up to the trio's new single 'Bang Bang'.
Now before I sat down to listen to the song, I set up a blank document to jot down any thoughts I had whilst listening to it. Here's what was written:
*Pauses ARTPOP and loads YouTube video of official song 'Bang Bang'*
Jazzy. Very jazzy.
I like the clapping. I want to clap tooooo!
I KNEW Ariana and Jessie would sound amazing. I KNEW IT. AND WHERE IS THE GOSPEL CHOIR COMING FROM?!
I wish I could sing like Ariana...
Why did I just imagine the cast of High School Musical singing this in the cafeteria though.
Nicki just came in saying so many words... I think I made out the word 'slanging' out of all that. Wait she is spelling, what is she spelling... *moment of thought* oh yeah Bang Bang duh #facepalm
Oh...wait, what, it's over?
Then I took a few minutes for the song to sink in and found that the chorus 'Bang bang doo doo doo dooo' (I can only remember two words of the chorus) was stuck in my head as I was thinking about what I thought of it.
Image taken from @NickiMinaj on Instagram
Now this song is Number 1 in 16 countries around the world (as discovered on Nicki Minaj's instagram), the song is catchy and probably sounds better after the fifth listen. But my first thoughts are the reasoning behind why it's number one.
Think about just how many fans each female artist in this song has. It's undeniable that their loyal fans will purchase the song to support their favourite singer. But listening to the song I didn't feel that it was a Jessie J song, or a Nicki Minaj song, but it definitely had an Ariana Grande feel to it. And after Ariana's recent successes with Iggy Azalea with 'Problem', it's not hard to wonder why they would choose Ariana's style. It's different to most music being released at the moment and harks back to a time where Jazz and ballads where popular, and auto-tune wasn't really invented yet. Ariana herself is probably a happy chick after seeing that Bang Bang, Problem and Break Free (a song she made with Zedd) are in the Top 15 on iTunes in America.
Bang Bang is fun and will definitely have people singing along to the chorus as the gospel sings 'Baanng Baaaanngg' while they're swaying along to the song. And it has the formula of pop-song-then-throw-in-a-verse-of-rap-to-open-up-to-more-listeners, and I always find that a rap in a song helps to change up the pace and feel of the song, which sometimes helps to prevent the song from sounding too repetitious and boring. As do trumpets (at least in my opinion).
Reaching number one in many countries, it's great to see three women topping the charts. Yet although the song has potential, you have to think: if someone else were to sing it, would it still have the same feel to it, the same success? Or would it just be seen as another radio-friendly song that keeps people happy for a few days? I guess only time will tell...
What did you think of the song? Are you a fan? If you agree or disagree with this post, feel free to post a constructive comment below!
It's been a hectic week in the world of pop. With the leaking of Katy Perry's latest release 'Roar' and Lady Gaga's new song 'Applause', both Katycats and Little Monsters were sent into a meltdown! Both pop artists are head to head with their releases, and with both set to make an appearance at the MTV VMA's, it's only a matter of time before we see which one comes out on top.
Roar
Catchy, inspiring and uplifting, Katy Perry brings back the big guns that she used with anthem 'Firework' to create a summer track set to battle with Gaga's 'comeback' single. Using popular emoticons in her lyric video that are regularly used by teens and young adults, it's clear that Perry is out to sell a happy, fun record - one which people of all ages will find themselves singing "You're gonna hear me rooooaaar!" I mean, imagine driving home after a hard days work and yelling out the lyrics "I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, 'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar". The lyrics are motivating and leave you wanting to climb a mountain - almost Rocky-esque style in the infamous scene when he runs up the stairs! Take a listen and try to prevent yourself from joining in the chorus' "oh oh oh oh oh ohh!" ♡ Below is the lyric video to Roar, or you can watch by clicking here
Applause
Gaga is back!!! Monsters rejoice! Applause is fast-paced and is definitely the rave song that Gaga hinted at way back in November regarding her latest album ARTPOP (to be released in November this year) with the tweet: "#HappyBirthdayTheFameMonster a special day when you were born, your techno raver little sister is in my uterus she says hello in glowsticks"
Never one to disappoint and always filled with surprises (after releasing the song early), Gaga has penned a dance song laced with lyrics that might escape some people such as 'One second I'm a Koons, then suddenly the Koons is me!' (referring to artist Jeff Koons). But despite the poetic and cultural lyrics, Gaga delivers a pumped-up and celebratory track as she asks us to "Give me the thing that I love, put your hands up make 'em touch!"
How could we ever say no?
♡ Below is the official audio for Gaga's 'Applause', click here and get your hands ready for some clapping!
Comment below with your opinions of the songs! Who do you think has won this week's battle of releases? Gaga or Katy? Are you a Katycat that loves Applause or a Monster that loves Roar? Or are you still stanning for your favourite diva?
