I will still be reviewing the latest music and film reviews, adding more personal posts and ensuring that you guys are kept in the loop! Check it out and see what you think.
Fancy (no pun intended) a song that's different to the pop songs that we hear on the radio? Charli XCX delivers with her latest release Break The Rules from her album Sucker, which will be released October 21st. 2014 has been a good year for Charli XCX, who had hits with Boom Clap and Fancy, an Iggy Azalea smash song that Charli was featured on and co-wrote. Now she delivers a bass-filled synth song that reeks of rebellion and partying hard.
Break The Rules has a Kasabian-feel to it (almost similar to their single eez-eh) as it has a punch with the chorus but still manages to be sultry and smooth in its verses. Charli states "I don't wanna go to school, I just wanna break the rules" and "getting higher, getting wrecked". You can almost imagine the music video being filled with shots of fire explosions and cars spinning circles in a car park. Take a listen to the song below and prepare to be enlightened by Charli XCX's "I don't give an f*@!" attitude.
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!
After two weeks away on holiday - one week kayaking and sunbathing in Wales, a day trip to Dublin, and a week camping in a tent (and a couple of scheduled posts during that time) - I can now return to my regular music and film review posts!
Have you seen a trailer for a film that you can't wait to see? Or heard a newly released song that you can't stop playing? Let me know in the comments below and I'll write a post on them! :)
On another note, I finally managed to read all three Hunger Games books!! I loved the first and second, but I'm still unsure as to what I think about the third... Maybe it's because I've seen the first two films which may have added an extra element to the story, but I guess I wasn't satisfied with the ending. Although there was a conclusion and a glimpse of the future, I still couldn't help but feel as though there were elements missing or that had perhaps not been written about in as much detail as I'd hoped, particularly in relation to one relationship and one death (sorry if that's a spoiler but it is the Hunger Games after all... What would it be without at least one character dying?) But I can't say too much without ruining the story for those that haven't read it yet!
Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the summer and don't forget to let me know about any films or songs you'd love for me to write about!
With my previous music review being single 'Bang Bang' by female pop divas Nicki Minaj, Jessie J and Ariana Grande, I take a look at what could arguably be the best collaborations in the history of music or ones that will at least bring back great memories.
Lady Gaga and Beyoncé:
The two biggest names in pop came together to release the track Telephone that peaked at number one and sold 7.4 million copies in 2010 WORLDWIDE. This song and its video really stood apart from the rest and is still popular today.
Eminem and Rihanna:
Rapper Eminem and singer Rihanna released Love The Way You Lie, also released in 2010, and was the UK's best selling song of that year. Singing about a love-hate relationship, it was clear that it was all pure love when it came to buying the song.
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys:
*NEW YOOOORRRRRRKK* Alicia Keys went back to the streets, New York's streets to be exact, when she collaborated with Jay Z for Empire State of Mind way back in 2009. With Alicia's vocals and piano, and Jay Z's lyrics it wasn't hard for this song to become a hit.
Big Sean and Ariana Grande:
When pop princess Ariana Grande and rapper Big Sean released the catchy Right There in 2013, after her success with songs The Way and Baby I, it was clear the two had musical chemistry. The two seem to be great pals, with Ariana rapping Big Sean's track Guap in a radio interview.
Timbaland and Aaliyah:
Timbaland and the sorely missed 'baby girl' Aaliyah worked in numerous musical projects, one of them including Try Again, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The song reached Number One in America and Number Five in the UK, also winning two MTV VMAs for its music video.
Avicii and Aloe Blacc:
Mixing country and dance together was a bold move for Avicii when it came to this hit Wake Me Up in 2013, but it paid off when it reached number one in over 20 countries.
Pharrell Williams and Daft Punk:
You couldn't drive anywhere without hearing this hit on the radio. When Get Lucky was released in 2013 its success boomed, winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year at the Grammy awards.
What are your favourite music collaborations? Or is there a collab that you wish you could un-hear? Leave a comment below!
Imagine you're a casting agent for a new film that needs two major Hollywood stars to play siblings, and you have the fabulous opportunity of casting whoever you want (regardless of age gaps)! Who would you choose to act side by side? Below are some examples of film stars who I think would make great brothers and sisters in a movie: Lisa Kudrow and Christina Applegate:
Imagine these two hilarious actresses as sisters in a movie! With Friends star Lisa and Anchorman's 'Veronica Corningstone', the laughs would never end...
Leonardo DiCaprio and James Franco:
With both actors and their cheeky smiles delivering consistently amazing performances in their diverse range of films, it would be interesting to see the two work together as brothers! With films like The Great Gatsby, Wolf of Wall Street, 127 Hours and Oz the Great and Powerful, they've proved that they are both fantastic actors and to see them in the same film would be great! Tom Hiddleston and Martin Freeman:
Both British, both blue-eyed and thin-lipped, and both making it big on the big screen in America, Tom's character Loki of Thor and Martin's portrayal of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit franchise would mean that the two could join forces in a fantasy-action movie, or - even better - show sibling rivalry with one being good and one being evil. Or they could be brothers in a British drama, showing their excellent roots of British acting!
Uma Thurman and Jennifer Lawrence:
I get the feeling that these two would really hit it off as onscreen sisters. Either that, or they'd kick each other's butts. The Kill Bill star and heroine of The Hunger Games would be two sisters not to mess with.
Eva Green and Zooey Deschanel:
Now we're used to Bond girl Eva Green playing sultry roles whilst New Girl Zooey is well known for her contributions to comedy films and TV. Put the two together as sisters and who knows: Eva could show us her funny side or Zooey could show us her Bond girl potential...?
Leonardo DiCaprio and Chloë Moretz:
I know, I know. I've already raved about DiCaprio's incredible acting abilities but I would love to see Chloe Moretz act as his younger sister. Just imagine sweet, sensitive Jack in Titanic dealing with a sister full of attitude and epic fighting skills as seen in Kick-Ass.
Sofia Vergara and Jennifer Lopez:
These beautiful ladies could be sassy, confident sisters capable of breaking so many hearts with their independence. Or maybe they'd be suckers for romance competitively chasing the same guy who wouldn't know what to do with himself...!
Colin Firth and Hugh Grant:
I know they look nothing like each other, but c'mon? Just for laughs? It would be so interesting to see after their brawling in Bridget Jones. Would you rather see them as brothers that got on with each other or brothers that fought with each other?
Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock:
JUST IMAGINE THAT ROM-COM. PICTURE IT IN YOUR MIND. It would just be amazing.
Now that you've seen into my strange ways of thinking, who would you like to see play brother and sister in a movie? Leave a comment below!
