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Jennifer Lopez turns up the heat in desert with her "First Love"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, May 31, 2014 0 comments

Jennifer Lopez unveiled her super sizzling black and white "First Love" visual and raised temperatures wherever there is an internet connection with her raunchy desert antics. The catchy newest single, taken from Lopez's upcoming eighth studio album "A.K.A," due in stores on June 17th via Capitol Records, was first performed earlier this month at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards where the singer picked up the show's Icon Award. "Music has always been my first love," Lopez said in her acceptance speech.
"First Love" is an uptempo pop song that mixes an electropop beat with hard-hitting percussion and big drums. It's an adorable pure-pop explosion that expertly straddles the divide between Lopez's urban roots and much-loved dance moments. This upbeat, bass-heavy cut finds Lopez paying tribute to her beau: "I wish you were my first love/ 'Cause if you were first, baby/ There wouldn't have been no second, third or fourth love." Many fans suspect the lyrics are directed to her former backup dancer Casper Smart, whom she has been in a relationship with since October 2011.
With its poppy synths, bubbly beat and catchy chorus, "First Love" is the perfect summer anthem! Lopez told Billboard magazine the story of the song when working with producer Max Martin, "we were all talking about relationships, what they're like, how hard work they are, and how it could have been so much simpler if 'the one' was the first one," she recalled. "We talked about it and he (Martin) came back and said, 'I have the song!'" Lopez opens Anthony Mandler-directed steamy new video with a corny introduction speech: "I knew I had to leave the world behind me to find out who I was. I knew that if I went far enough and left everything behind, I would find you."
Rolling around on the ground in a cutout Issa De' Mar swimsuit, the pop diva, Lopez, 44, turns up the heat and continues to look half her age in an American Apparel body suit, a revealing black swimsuit and other curve-hugging outfits as she gets intimate and and heavy in the desert outside L.A., sharing the spotlight with British supermodel David Gandy, famous for his topless adverts with Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana, as she dances around the desert in some of her sexiest and most revealing get-ups ever! "It's a sweet and sexy video, I think," the singer says. "It definitely captures the feeling of the song." Watch sparks fly in the sizzling video.

Hollywood Records knows a thing or two about launching a pop career. The label has already made magic happen for many Disney Channel stars, such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez (among others) and is now hoping to repeat the feat with "Shake It Up" actress Bella Thorne. The 16-year-old actress is pretty, pink, and poofy all over and takes it back to the '50s in her fun new candy-colored music video for her debut Single, "Call It Whatever," the lead single and title track for her upcoming debut studio album, due out June 24.
Produced by Paro and was written by Par Westerland, Rickard Goransson and Skyler Stonestreet the classic autotune-assisted bubblegum pop anthem is an upbeat, undeniably catchy and flirty pop tune with a playful nature. It  is about a girl telling her boyfriend that they should call their relationship whatever, because no other words can describe it. In the lyrics, Thorne sings, "Our love needs no name/ We got a thing we can't explain/ Don't care what people say, let's call it whatever/ Whatever."
Previously named the artist formerly known as Ke$ha as a major influence, so that's also very encouraging as Thorne has the ultimate girl time and shows off her amazing dance moves with her friends in the Mickey Finnegan-directed video clip! The stylish star plays dress up in a few different outfits - a princess gown with a huge bow, a sequin shirt, a metallic gold skirt, and hot pink lipstick as a flirtatious waitress and dances her way through a '50s-era old-fashioned diner, as she sips on a milkshake, serves up food and, of course, sings her upbeat new hit!
But don't mistake the teen queen for an apron-wearing frump. Her cherry pie is the hottest dish in town! The video also proves that she's ultra-confident and flirts with cute crush. When the Blonde cutie boy Garrison Lambert walks in the diner, she doesn't shy away, but instead grabs his hand and pulls him up to dance like she just don't care. She's got the whole restaurant up and moving. The set-up is cute and allows Thorne to show her bubbly personality with counter-top dancing and goofy facial expressions. We love that she's showing off her sexy, but sweet new style!

Ashley Roberts sings a relationship had its moment in 'clockwork'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Thursday, May 29, 2014 0 comments

Maybe you know Ashley Roberts from eating a camel's wang with some camembert on British reality shows "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here." Perhaps you know her as second lead vocalist of the modern burlesque group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls, split in 2010. "After The Pussycat Dolls, I sat at home for three years," she admitted to British Very magazine why she wanted to be in the music industry. "I went on a spiritual journey to get that passion back again because I was a little burnt out after being on the road for seven and a half years. I just needed to remember why I got into this."
Roberts is now back and admits it was hard to motivate herself at first and she's not had much time for romance, but the 32-year-old knows just what she's after. It doesn't really matter how you first came across Roberts, the point is that she is about to embark on a pretty exciting solo adventure and the first official solo single to be lifted from her upcoming debut solo album is called "Clockwork," and the visual for the powerful ballad turns out to be a pretty steamy, as she gets intimate with a male lover in a bedroom.
"Clockwork" is the typical, somber love song, as Roberts sings of a relationship that she keeps putting her energy into even though it has clearly run its course. "I love how you survive when you're losing a fight, there's no needs, no regrets, we don't play to rewind," she beautifully sings. "'Clockwork' represents a relationship that had its moment and when it did it was fireworks," the former Pussycat Doll explained. "But now it's fizzled out and you want to go back for more fireworks even though it's done. It's dangerous and exciting but may leave you a little scarred. We've all had one of those."
The artsy accompanying music video showcases the destruction of a once happy relationship, and yes, there are clocks shown throughout. "The video shoot location was so beautiful, this big old country mansion, lots of room for us to have fun." Roberts said about video: "The 'Clockwork' video's got everything; a hot guy, bedroom scene, burning fire and a pretty dope '70s car." While things start off hot and strong, it all ends up going up in flames, literally. The video is a simple, dramatic companion piece with a bit of edge to support the proper soaring ballad.

Hot Chelle Rae pulling an all-nighter in "Don't Say Goodnight"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Wednesday, May 28, 2014 0 comments

Hot Chelle Rae have released a flash mob-style video for their latest single "Don't Say Goodnight," the lead single from Nashville pop rock band's upcoming third studio album allegedly titled "Recklessly." Hot Chelle Rae can't help but to sound sheepish in "Don’t Say Goodnight," which is a youth anthem that definitely has some influence from .fun. Sure, youthful vocalist Ryan Follese sings of two girls seated on his lap. He also admits to being super drunk and waiting out last call at a bar, as patrons pair up and head out.
He even makes a marijuana reference - this girl, she gets him high! However, the track sounds inspired by .fun.'s plucky and anthemic pop but never quite feels as revelatory as "Some Nights," even when an electric guitar solo kicks in toward the end. The song may be about grown-up antics, but it feels instead like an anthem for someone ten years younger. The visual for song is pretty straightforward and kind stays faithful to the lyrics of the song and succeeds at capturing the song's theme of long, crazy summer nights spent with friends. The guys just don't want to say goodnight as they taking a fair by storm, playing tunes in the streets and serenade a few ladies at a diner.
The video features the Ryan Follese-led band pull an all-nighter running all over Los Angeles, performing their single flash mob-style. They loaded up an old pickup truck with a guitar, mic and amp and took off to find random, unexpected locales. "The idea is to play in as many places as we can without getting kicked out or arrested," Follese explained in the video's intro. Thankfully, jail is not one of the many places the band performs. They start simple, setting up camp in a shopping center where people stop to snap photos and watch the impromptu show.
The warm welcome must have encouraged the guys, because Hot Chelle Rae then crash a party, hit up a late-night diner and serenade an outdoor bar. The trio isn't successful in every location they try, but the police cameo just makes the video even better. The unique concept is fun and spontaneous, which is pretty fitting for a song all about having a good time and seeing where the night takes you. The video spans a period of twelve hours and only ends when the sun starts to rise, a nod to the lyrics: "Come on don't say goodnight/ With the stars in the sky/ Let's wait 'til tomorrow paints the sun across the night."

MØ busting some moves in a junkyard in "Don't Wanna Dance"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Tuesday, May 27, 2014 1 comments

On the eve of the release of her debut album, "No Mythologies To Follow," Denmark's songstress , aka Karen Marie Ørsted, whose name means "maiden" or "virgin" in Danish, is easing the anticipation a little by releasing a badass video for infectious lead single, "Don't Wanna Dance," which is a misleading title and sees the 25-year-old Danish queen of seductively brash power-pop herself and busting some moves in a pretty sweet furry pink coat with a lots of girls in experimental outfits dancing in a junkyard in this one.
With her unique take on music that lies somewhere between experimental R&B and pop, "Don't Wanna Dance," is a jazzier, soulful turn from the edgy electropop we're used to hearing from her; here Danish electro-pop princess delightfully veers into what's almost Scandinavian Amy Winehouse territory. A neat, less synthy production allows "Don't Wanna Dance" to really showcase her crystal-clear vocals. The track is the most straightforward pop song the Danish singer has released so far. trades in her dark synths for handclaps and it's a lot more light-hearted than what we're used to from her, bordering on saccharine, but it's catchy enough to balance that out.
Yes, "Don't Wanna Dance" gets a blissful summery dance floor make over. Yet rather like a sexual experience with someone you weren't quite sure about, yet they end up knowing exactly what they're doing, all you can do is give yourself up and lose yourself to the moment. "It's the sunny side of being young and confused," says of the song, which she wrote one morning after going out with her hometown friends and then dreaming of the chorus. "I grew up in the suburbs, in a small town, and I wanted [the music video] to have that trashy vibe-while you know, being fabulous at the same time."
Just like the track itself, the video gives off a vibe of sweetness mixed with an undertone of total sass, but features a lot more dancing than the title would have you believe. Set predominantly in the curious setting of a car scrap junkyard, the functioning industrial machinery in the background provides the perfect juxtaposition to and her girl gang jumping around in a 'girls dancing in their bedroom at a sleepover' type of way. The kicked-up pop track is turned on its head with lip-syncing in a cloudy junkyard and um, dancing. Definitely dancing. Check it out below and  pick up some groovy new dance moves just in time for the weekend.

Swedish indie folk-pop duo First Aid Kit made big waves around the world in 2012 when haunting single "Wolf" caught the attention of indie bloggers and alternative radio stations. The Söderberg sisters Klara and Johanna are now gearing up to release their upcoming third LP, "Stay Gold," due June 10 and unveiled new summery video for sublime lead single/album opener "My Silver Lining," a song about finding yourself on the road, where the Soderberg sisters sing about voices calling and "keep on, keepin' on." It sounds simple enough, but that's what they do best: explore simple Americana notions through lush harmonies.
It's hard to image a more lush or evocative summer soundtrack than First Aid Kit's latest haunting country tune. Drenched in strings, "My Silver Lining" is true to the band's folk roots but their canvas is now a little broader musically and that chorus/those gorgeous harmonies could well find a home on pop radio. "It's a song about searching for a reason to keep on keeping on, to find that good that comes with the bad," the Americana-styled folk-harmonizing sisters explained in a press release about their brilliant folk-pop anthem. "We wanted to create a piece that was dark yet uplifting at the same time."
"My Silver Lining" marries disco, folk and a western twang for a distinctly vintage country swing vibe that seems to pay homage to both Harry Nilsson and Rumors-era Fleetwood Mac. Here, First Aid Kit further refine their blend of rootsy Americana, channeling their inner Johnny Cash over a mix of rumbling guitars and sweeping strings. While the orchestration lends a sense of grandiosity and romanticism, the siblings remain thoroughly connected to folk and country's core of straight-ahead heartache and forlorn, even amid somewhat more optimistic fare.
Filmed at the Paramour Mansion in Silver Lake, L.A. by Elliott Sellers, the visually lush clip followed by ghostly versions of themselves and their travels as the ornate mansion seems to come alive, doors open unexpectedly, dishes crash, summoning lightning with their hands and everything is a little hazy. It fits perfectly with unsteadying feel to the song's woozy, eerie Americana vibe. "We wanted to create an intriguing and mysterious world where everything is slightly off and the mansion slowly comes to life," said the sisters. "The idea of things in life changing, even scaring you, but still having to carrying on despite it all is a theme in the song, which we wanted to convey in the video."

Back in March, just before his impressive performance on Saturday Night Live, we declared the 22-year-old rising British singer Sam Smith deserving of the Adele comparisons frequently thrown his way (as Katy Perry recently tweeted that he's "a male Adele.") With his debut album, "In the Lonely Hour," is set for release June 17 stateside, he's released another love ballad "Leave Your Lover," along with its beautifully filmed video, and confirmed that earlier impression and he's worthy of all those Adele comparisons.
Smith made his name singing smooth, gliding dance-pop songs, but he seems to be changing course and moving into slick but emotive blue-eyed soul territory. His new single "Leave Your Lover," like "Stay With Me" before it, is a soft-focus piano-soul ballad. Smith said he allowed himself to experience heartbreak to inspire material for album, and it seems to have paid off. He really has it out for our feelings, and much like his last video for "Stay With Me," which saw him trudging through a gospel-powered walk of shame, "Leave Your Lover" tells a devastating love story and treads over some very emotional territory.
As its title suggests, the song is a passionate plea for Smith's crush object to leave their lover and be with him instead. "Pack up and leave everything/ Don't you see what I can bring," he sings over a gentle acoustic guitar and depicts falling in love with someone who doesn't share the same feelings for you. On its own, the song offers an honest take on what it's like to be in love with someone who's taken. The video, directed by Luke Monaghan, brings those heartbreaking lyrics to life and the video's unexpected ending adds depth to the love story. Unrequited love sucks.
Set against a series of gorgeous Parisian backdrops, the vulnerable clip finds Smith navigating a love triangle relationship among two close friends: fashion model Daisy Lowe and another man. There's clearly some sort of love-triangle dynamic going on, As he croons: "We sit in bars and raise our drinks to growing old/ Oh, I'm in love with you, and you will never know," ultimately pleading, "Leave your lover, leave him for me." The story develops it becomes clear one of his friends has other intentions, which leaves Smith heartbroken and alone, but also wiser from the experience. The evocative visual handles the subject matter with subtlety but the narrative is still fairly obvious. And if there were any doubts, the gut-wrenching final scene puts it all into perspective.

La Roux angers the end of a relationship in 'Let Me Down Gently'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, May 24, 2014 0 comments

La Roux (aka Elly Jackson) made a rather subdued return to the music scene with languid synth-ballad "Let Me Down Gently." The sparse but sprawling anthem was soon relegated to buzz track status but that hasn't stopped the duo filming a suitably moody video starring frontwoman Jackson herself, her amazing red hair and a rather lovely sunrise. The art of delayed gratification in a music video is not one that is often practiced these days, but it is the crux of the first visuals we get from La Roux's long-delayed return to music.
"Let Me Down Gently" is a teaser track for the English synth-pop act's upcoming sophomore studio album, "Trouble In Paradise," which, a rep has confirmed, will drop on July 8. In an interview with Billboard, La Roux said this album is musically supposed to touch upon "what people in the 1970s thought that the future was going to look and sound like."
"Let Me Down Gently," a breathy exorcism of moody melodies and broken-hearted soul-purging, does everything a breakup anthem should, tapping into the frayed clusterfuck of anger, upset and desperate bargaining that comes with the end of a relationship. "You're not my life but I want you in it," Jackson bellows over a pulsating 80s keyboard line and thundering electro drums. Then there's the matter of a sax solo that grabs even the stoniest of hearts by the scruff of the neck, shaking you to the brink of hysterics.
The striking electro-pop pixie returns with a confident new look and sound. We love the lush, layered feel of her first video, director Oliver Hadlee Pearch, who puts Jackson in a dark room by herself (she does anguish surprisingly well) for the first half of the video and break free from a claustrophobic cell to roll like a fog down the British countryside and soaks up the sun that allows the camera to soar over the countryside on what optically appears to be a train track for the second half. The video is fairly simple, stylish and understated. In other words, a tidy start to the band's "Trouble In Paradise" campaign. Watch below and take a pensive stroll through the countryside with Elly Jackson.

Ed Sheeran embarks on a wild night out in Las Vegas for "SING"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Friday, May 23, 2014 1 comments

What does a folk-pop superstar like Ed Sheeran do when he wants to get wild in a music video - pop bottles, visit the strip club, nuzzle up against some breasts - without tainting his nice-guy image? Employ a Muppet lookalike to enjoy all the debauchery, of course! Never one to stick with the expected, the 23-year-old English singer-songwriter has gone for yet another slightly unusual twist for the wacky and trippy "Sing" video, which premiered exclusively on his Facebook on Thursday and just so happens to feature the man of the moment in puppet alter-ego form. The great Muppet bender!
"Sing" is the lead single from Sheeran's upcoming sophomore album, "x," due out June 23rd. "The reason I chose this song to be the first single is, I think if I put out an acoustic ballad first, everyone would be like 'ehh, it's alright,'" Sheeran explained. "But with this, you get people who are either going to love it or going to hate it, but at least they're going to be talking about it." Featuring Pharrell Williams, who also co-produced the song with Sheeran, the track, which has pop and R&B influences and was apparently inspired by singer Justin Timberlake, is a considered a departure from Sheeran's folk rock sound.
The lyrics are about "a night out in Vegas." It was inspired by a girl that Sheeran met in Las Vegas in the summer of 2013, when "one thing led to another and now she's kissing my mouth." After the events described in the song, the pair went out for sushi. Commenting on his rapping and falsetto singing on the track, Sheeran told Ryan Seacrest: "I feel like I was veering off in one direction with that song. [It was] a very R&B led song and I wanted to pull it back and make it English so that's why I put the rap in it."
A van swerving out of control on a road before crashing into a pile of stacked cardboard boxes, and Asian business men getting entertained by an Sheeran-looking puppet? Yes, these are two scenes that make "Sing" one of Sheeran's weirdest clips to date. Muppet Sheeran is out for the night of his Muppet life, bringing his fuzzy red hair and leather jacket to bar after bar and picking up some blonde beauties on the way. The human Sheeran doesn't appear until the first chorus drops, and after the Muppet visits the strip club and vomits confetti, he stops by to pick up his human counterpart and Williams. Then: karaoke, most likely on Avenue Q. Watch Sheeran, Muppet Sheeran and Williams embark on a wild night out.

Pia Mia is making all the right moves. The Youtube sensation may be known for serenading Drake at the Kardashian household, being a Jenner sidekick or collabo'ing with Chance The Rapper, but the 17-year-old pop songstress is finally breaking out on her own. Signed to Wolfpack/Interscope Records earlier this year, the blonde bombshell rocks a mean red lip and a flat midriff to match while putting her swag on full display in the new viral music video for the NicNac-produced single, "Mr. President," one of the six tracks off her debut EP "The Gift."
The budding blonde star is currently working on her upcoming Interscope Records debut, and recently stated that she is planning a somewhat different approach to live performances on her upcoming tour, wanting to model after one of her inspirations, Pink. "It's gonna be rhythmic pop," Mia revealed. "I really like to do that because I'm able to lean more towards the urban side, I'm able to do more pop, and I'm able to do some stripped down ballads also, so I'm kinda able to touch everywhere."
Mia gets street in her dance anthem music video for "Mr. President," which was directed by Luis Perez and shot in downtown L.A. The video fits flawlessly with the track finding Mia showing off her amazing vocals and unique style, bringing her track to life flawlessly. The track plays the perfect soundtrack to the video, with Mia effortlessly doing her thing. "This video was inspired by a photo that we saw of a girl laying across an old car," she told Rap-Up TV. "I thought it would be dope to make the video a cool, underground party."
In the video, the Guam native sporting her signature a grill and red bandana with gold earrings while chillin' with her girls in a room filled with television sets. Later she's laid up in the front seat of a Camaro, before hopping out and turning up with a intricate dance routine on with her male counterparts in a warehouse. Continuing her dance sequence, the video cuts into "I Got It," another track featured on the EP, where we see Mia and her back-up dancers suited in all black as they break out a choreographed dance number to the bass-knocking track.

5 Seconds of Summer embrace inner superheroes in "Don't Stop"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Wednesday, May 21, 2014 0 comments

Summer is the time for superhero movies to hit the multiplex, and two weeks after "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" opening, the guys of 5 Seconds of Summer donned the tights and capes as superheroes for the movie trailer-inspired music video to their new single, "Don't Stop," the second single comes from Australian pop rock band's self-titled debut album, due out July 22nd. The quartet will celebrate the release by once again joining One Direction on tour, beginning on August 4th. The new video is a trailer for their own fake summer blockbuster.
The song's comic book-themed clip ties into the anti-bullying effort the band launched in support of Ashton's sister after the 5 Seconds of Summer member tweeted, "Can't believe people pick on my sister at school, one day they will realize individuality is a beautiful thing, I love you Lauren, be tough." Fans took hold of the tweet and #5SOSFamLovesLauren immediately trended worldwide. Director Sophia Ray told MTV News the clip was inspired by the 5 Seconds of Summer fanbase. "We wanted her to signify all of their fans," she said, "all the people that they're serving through this anti-bullying campaign."
At the beginning of the clip, 5 Seconds of Summer unsuccessfully explore their new-found super powers. It isn't until they find one another that they're able to save a damsel in distress and beat up some ninjas. Before 5 Seconds of Summer leaps into action, each member pulls out his superhero costume from their parents' garage, a dresser drawer and the laundry hamper. And while our traditional heroes had powers of invisibility, flight, Spidey vision and all that, these young Australian foursome have guitars and charm, whether they're rockin' out on a rooftop or saving the world from danger in their homemade costumes in full-on superhero gear.
In the clip, the Aussie pop-punkers get silly, seductive and supernatural as they dressed in faux muscle-filled leotards becomes a crime-fighting team that not only saves the world by taking on ninjas, picking up litter and helping old ladies safely cross the street, whether these ladies want them to or not, but, more importantly, after practicing some moves in their bedrooms, the boys find the courage to venture out into the unknown and save a missing cat. Yes, the kitties of the world are safe in the hands of this band of masked crusaders. If "Don’t Stop" was made into an actual feature, it would probably be a blockbuster.

Lea Michele is embracing to live in the moment in "On My Way"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Tuesday, May 20, 2014 0 comments

Lea Michele is letting loose and showing off her adventurous side in the new music video for her latest pop offering "On My Way," the second cut off "Glee" star's debut album, "Louder." The lyrics to the upbeat, pure pop track about battling with your head and your heart over a guy you shouldn't fall for say it all. Sometimes you just have to tune out those voices inside, follow your heart, and throw a rager in the desert. The 27-year-old singer and actress is set to have a huge week with the release of the video as well as the launch of her brand new book "Brunette Ambition," which hits stores today!
Michele is finding herself in a little bit of a predicament on "On My Way," as she starts off this upbeat track with a pouty vocal slowly building its beat, with her powerful vocals packing a punch as she shows off a more vulnerable side that quickly gives way to another club-oriented track that's about returning to someone who's not right for you. Sobriety and intoxication comparisons to love run rampant throughout, as she belts out about how her "heart's too drunk to drive" and she exists in a "blackout state of mind," but she's still on her way to that special someone.
The "Glee" star is in a battle between her head and her heart, as she falls for a guy she knows is bad news. "I should stay away from you tonight/ But in this blacked out state of mind/ Baby, all I want is you tonight," Michele sings. "When my head tells me 'no'/ My heart tells me 'go'/ So I'm hitting the road tonight/ I know my heart's too drunk to drive/ But I'm on my way to you." And while "On My Way" boasts a powerful bass-heavy beat that's a bit of departure from the recent tracks we've heard from her, the lyrics are just as emotionally-charged as what we've come to expect. This time around, she touches on a battle between her head and her heart (hey, who hasn't been there!)
However, in her new video, compliments the lyrics to the song, Michele was clearly listening to her heart. The lyrics of "On My Way" are all about taking chances, and that's exactly what Michele is doing as she's embracing the opportunity to live in the moment, looks to be having the best time as she gets very flirtatious with her boyfriend as they share some super-steamy scenes in her hotel room, before hitting the dusty road enjoying a hot Spring day with a group of friends, giving us flashbacks of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream." The love story comes out loud and clear, but it's definitely more sexual appeal than we've ever seen before.

Beyoncé and Jay Z make a getaway in star-studded "On the Run"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Monday, May 19, 2014 0 comments

Beyoncé and Jay-Z seem to be taking advice from Mad Men's Don Draper and Peggy Olson: If you don't like what they're saying, change the conversation. Just a few days after releasing a joint statement about the Solange-Jay-Z elevator fight that had the Internet abuzz, the TIME 100 cover star and her husband unexpectedly premiered a faux short film "RUN" on Sunday. The star-studded, high cinematic visual - a thematic nod to their first collaboration, 2002's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde," and its 2013 sequel "Part II (On the Run)," which plays in the background, serves as a promo trailer to entice fans with what to expect for Beyoncé and Jay-Z's forthcoming highly anticipated the 16-city "On The Run" tour, which kicks off on June 25th in Miami and will mark the first time the singer and her rapper husband have toured jointly.
Melina Matsoukas, who directed Beyoncé's video for "Pretty Hurts," also helmed this gripping big budget near-four-minute "RUN" mini-movie, which the Hip-hop's royal couple didn't skimp by recruiting some of Hollywood's heavy hitters, including Sean Penn, Scandal's Guillermo Diaz, "stars" Don Cheadle, Jake Gyllenhaal, Blake Lively, Emmy Rossum, Rashida Jones and her sister Kidada Jones all make appearances for crime, betrayal, violence, love and sex.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are once again play race around the city like a modern day 'Bonny and Clyde,' two criminals whom tote guns, rob banks and run from the law while professing their undying love for one another. "You don't know who I am anymore," the "Run the World" singer responds before proclaiming her love for Jay-Z, which is why she's chosen to live such a risky life. "I love him." Their dangerous love is shown throughout the promo with various scenes of them being intimate and even one part where Beyoncé is stitching up Jay-Z's arm after he sustained an injury.
Though it (unfortunately) won't be a real movie, the video also does feature everything Beyoncé fans would want in a music video: She fires machine guns, runs from cops in fabulous outfits and puts other celebrities in her place. If you think the nearly four-minute that this mini-movie lasts are not enough, and that most-likely Beyoncé and Jay-Z will release the 'full thing' later, then your dreams will be crushed when you read the ending caption reading...'COMING NEVER.'

Danielle Bradbery kicks up some dust in her brand new "Young In America" music video, a plucky, uptempo ditty perfect for rolling down the windows and jamming out with friends. Hailing from her self-titled debut album, the new single celebrates the vision of youth, freedom and fun, and the video is a great reflection of that, depicting "The Voice" season 4 champ, wears her red, white and blue, shows off her fun side, and just in time for summer. Her carefree spirit shines through in the nearly four-minute clip, which also features the 17-year-old Texas native and her friends taking a road trip across the country in a camper van in the middle of summer and a late-night playful gathering.
After a top 15 debut hit in "The Heart of Dixie," and some pleasantly surprised critics to boot, Bradbery is back with a perhaps more age-appropriate single "Young In America." While her debut release was praised for its tackling of a mature topic, the music video clearly revealed she was either too young to truly do justice to it visually, or that Big Machine weren't ready to let her be a grown up. Possibly a mixture of both. Either way, "Young In America" is both more "generic" and perhaps a better fit for her.
The video is a delightful summer romp, opens up on Bradbery wandering through a strikingly golden field and sings of youthful love and escape through the lines, "Let's crank up the truck, kick up some dust/ Leave it all behind, just me and you, baby," she sweet coos on the first verse, a playful smile toying at the corners of her mouth. "Don't look back, stomp on the gas, tear off the rear view. Let's go crazy." With a crisp, clean sound that favors bright notes, the production and performances are meant for all. This new tune exudes emotions of freedom and displays a far more youthful exuberance.
"Young In America" also keeps the strong Dixie Chicks-esque fiddle line that was present in "The Heart of Dixie," plus mandolin and acoustic guitar to keep things sweet, and a strong but broad drum line to encourage dancing. The melody is cheery and bounces off the occasional off-beat, enough for it to be fresh every time it happens. Overall, it's a good release for Bradbery, and I'm happy that they picked it, especially for the summer. A lot of the songs on her album are more straight pop and it's good they decided to go for one that has an injection of country in it, despite its heavy pop influence.

Arcade Fire debut video for "We Exist" starring Andrew Garfield

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Saturday, May 17, 2014 0 comments

Arcade Fire released the inspirational and psychedelic music video for the poignant gay rights anthem "We Exist," by using their six-plus minutes of screen time to tell a haunting story about a young man’s struggle to come out in a small town, as we find "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" star Andrew Garfield plays a whole different kind of superhero by taking on one of the more unexpected, affecting roles of his career: a blonde-haired transgender woman in wig and dress, seeking a shred of solid ground.
"We Exist," conveys a message of self-empowerment and equality, comes from Canadian alternative rock band's fourth studio album, "Reflektor," which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart last October. This song was inspired by frontman Win Butler becoming a father, and also by an encounter with a gay teenager in Jamaica. The song was described by Butler as "about a gay kid talking to his dad" and coming out to his straight father. Introducing the song onstage, Butler also said that "the right to marry anyone you want is a human rights issue."
For the video, Garfield acts as this kid, who is trying to be himself in a world that won’t let him. Arcade Fire isn't quite done with the sensation of its headlining Coachella music festival set, judging by footage from its new video. The band shot the clip on and offstage when headlining this year's festival. It stars Garfield in an eerie white and pink drag costume as he hits up a roadhouse bar, where he defends himself against a hoard of violent drunks and embraces his destiny and dances up a solitary storm. Arcade Fire’s video is dedicated to those still looking to find their true self, even if the world doesn't want them to.
The clip starts off melancholy, with Garfield watching himself as he shaves his head and tries on a bra, eventually ending with him in tears. As the sun rises, he strolls down to the bar, where men leer aggressively at him and ask him to dance. After being escorted to the dance floor, he's groped, knocked to the ground and kicked in the chest. But what starts out as a hate crime ends with joy as Garfield's character to strike some Flashdance moves and walk through a tunnel into the real crowd at Coachella music festival and strikes a number of badass poses on stage with the band. It's a tense, riveting video that adds even greater depth to the already meaningful song's lyrics and throbbing synth-rock arrangement.

Jasmine Thompson, 13-year-old indie sensation from Central  London, England, is leaving our jaws dropped with the release of new music video for a brand new original song "Drop Your Guard," which was co-wrote with Emily Philips and Duck Blackwell and featured on Thompson's sophomore full-length album "Another Bundle of Tantrums," released on April 22 in the US, follow up her debut album, "Bundle of Tantrums," was released in September of last year. The "Drop Your Guard" video was produced and directed by Simone Radclyffe of Oliver's Island.
Thirteen can be rough, but Thompson seems to be handling it pretty well, as she is already releasing her second album of cover songs, along with this original track "Drop Your Guard." In the past year, the talented London native made a name for herself in the new millennial way by posting covers and originals on YouTube. Thompson's crystal clear, haunting vocals have led her to gain early support and her numbers are astounding, as she has nabbed a whopping 44 million views on YouTube for her 60+ videos, and amassing a devoted fan base on both sides of the Atlantic with her gorgeously delivered covers of popular songs. Yep, she's totally owning 13.
So what' all the fuss about? All you need to do is hear her open her mouth and sing, and you will totally get why the Internet has fallen in love with this supreme talent. The London-based singer-songwriter/pianist/guitarist  has a gorgeously crystalline and ethereal voice - Ellie Goulding and Christina Perri are probably her nearest sonic relatives - and her voice wraps around the listener. She sounds like a seasoned vet, not like someone barely into her teens. Her voice is big and beautiful, but never showy, on these tracks.
When asked about the inspiration behind the single, Thompson explained: "'Drop Your Guard' is a song about being open with your family and friends. When you are upset about something you don't have to cope all on your own. Talking about it helps. But even if you are not ready to talk about it, just being with your family and friends helps. It was inspired by an experience I had with my brother. Once I was upset when we were on a family holiday in the Lake District. I walked ahead, sulking. My brother caught up with me and started talking to me about other things, fun things. I was surprised how quickly I forgot about my upsets, even though my brother didn't make me talk about what made me upset in the first place."

Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake for 'Love Never Felt So Good'

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Thursday, May 15, 2014 0 comments

The music video for the Michael Jackson posthumous duet with Justin Timberlake "Love Never Felt So Good," debuted on Wednesday morning, and it's a careful visual tribute of the late pop singer's lasting legacy on future generations. The classy disco-soul number is on Jackson's just-released second posthumous album "Xscape," features eight songs originally recorded between 1983 and 1999, and showcases why Jackson remains an indelible influence on contemporary artists today. The track was debuted during the iHeartRadio Music Awards live on May 1 with Usher shows off his cool dance moves while performing a tribute to Jackson's brand new dance number.
Jackson originally wrote this disco confection in 1983 in a session with Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka around the time they recorded "This Is It." Jackson's demo was leaked in 2006 and a higher quality version leaked four years later. The contemporized recording is a magic combination of the new and the original production that retains the track's analog, early 80s feel, while also sounding right at home with the disco-soul inflected music of today. USA Today wrote, "old school snap and tingle with warm leaping strings that recall the melodic and rhythmic punch of Jackson's work." TIME called song as "an opulent, warm disco-soul number, which evokes Off the Wall as much as dead-on 2014."
The single edit was also reworked as a duet with Timberlake and this remix was released as a digital download on May 2, a day after Jackson's solo version was debuted on the iHeartRadio Music Awards. It was Jackson who initially encouraged Timberlake to go solo during his 'N Sync days. "I think it's the first idea that I ever got about doing something on my own because it was the first time I ever really felt the confidence to do it," Timberlake explained in an episode of Oprah's Master Class.
The posthumous "Xscape" duet nostalgic video for "Love Never Felt So Good" carefully cuts archival footage with crowds of young hip-hop dancers breakdancing to the song and attempting the late pop singer's most memorable inspired routines while fans lip-sync along to the new jam, as the vintage footage of Jackson busting his signature moves in various old-schooled sets are shown in a wall behind. The 'Sexy Back' star Timberlake also appears in the visual, getting close-up shots whenever the director thought it was required.

Neon Trees take a walk down memory lane in "First Things First"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Wednesday, May 14, 2014 0 comments

Between lead single "Sleeping With A Friend" and frontman Tyler Glenn's choice to come out of the closet as a gay man, Neon Trees continuing their exploration of new wave, smart pop and dance music with their refreshing third album "Pop Psychology." So they've decided to lean into it with the #YOLO spirited video for album closing track "First Things First," and revealed their life stories through a ton of old photos to accompany the lyrics, take a look back at their rise to fame, and reminds us that they were once just dorky, lonely kids - like everyone else!
"First Things First" is a career retrospective wrapped up in one song, buoyed along by hand claps, poptronica and a solo guitar interlude, that lyrically traces Neon Trees' journey back to their beginnings as Glenn leaving California home at age 21 to start a band in Utah with guitarist Christopher Allen to start a band in Utah and shares their passion for music. The track's message is a simple one: never give up on your dreams, as Glenn sings "You are never gonna get everything you want in this world. First things first - get what you deserve."
The autobiographical song is a bit more subdued than Neon Trees' usual high-octane pop-rock, but its thoughtful, mid-tempo soul-rock is a welcome change of pace. It wouldn't make much sense to blast through some jam at full speed while you're looking back on the past, right? In the overall concept, Glenn lyrically addresses the idea of fame vs. artistry, saying he never wanted to be so famous but at the same time wishes to sing until he dies. With the same hand, he and his entire band utilize their personal narratives as a marketing tool to promote their album with this new video.
The whole track is an exercise in oral histories in which Glenn constantly breaks the fourth wall to rap-sing about his life story to date. So the visuals that go with it are a photo and video album of the moments he references, with a little extra panache. We see Glenn sings a touching tribute to the lives of himself, his bandmates and anyone else who has wanted to find their own way in front of a screen that flashes old pictures of the band from their younger days. The end result is an exploration of the complicated idea that fame and art are inescapably intertwined sometimes, but Glenn would have you know the man over the myth, but creating the myth is a necessary evil.

After returning late last year with his four-song "In Technicolor – Part 1" EP, Jesse McCartney is back at it again with a different style. It is a mix of pop, Justin Timberlake, Micheal Jackson, and a lot of his originality. He spent his Valentine's Day shooting the music video for his new pop-funk single, "Superbad," the lead single taken from McCartney's upcoming full-length studio album "In Technicolor," an authentic 70s disco-pop record that was influenced by music he loved growing up. Get ready for the Mini Leo DiCaprio and his Gatsby flavor sound!
Driven by a sleek strumming baseline and funky guitar strums, "Superbad" is a classy yet sexy funky pop number that puts McCartney in the same space as Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke with its cool disco vibe and smooth vocals. The funky baseline is also reminiscent of the late great Michael Jackson. The 27-year-old artist chose some big names to call on for his head-bopping tune, and the influences sound great behind his amazing vocals. "My girl is superbad, superstar, got no time for photographs," McCartney sings in his new single. It has an R&B funk feel that is sure to get the girls dancing.
Listening to the lyrics, where the grown-up pop star boasts that his girl is "super bad/ That's a fact/ Knock the train right off the track/ Watch out," we think he might have been trying to show off the amazing brunette he landed. At times it feels a little cheesy, but we can appreciate that McCartney's just trying to praise his lady. While it certainly isn't anything mind-blowing, I think the song comes together nicely and is unexpectedly sophisticated. "[In Technicolor] is my proudest musical achievement to date," McCartney told Billboard. "It's been really challenging, but also much more rewarding to be doing this independently. I'm really excited for this next phase."
The accompanying music video starts off with a cinematic scene featuring McCartney driving a sweet-looking new classic car home from Las Vegas on a Sunday afternoon with a total bombshell called Giselle. Skip to the next scene and McCartney is in a mansion and lights up a cigar. After the one minute introduction, the song begins. His girl is dresses up in different outfits to model for him. She gets dressed up in a fur coat to only take it off to reveal her body dressed the lingerie beneath. Now the scene changes to a pool setting and she gets into the pool to put on a show for him. When the night scene comes, you can probably guess what happens. Obviously, McCartney tries to prove that his girl is superbad and has both a classy and sexy side to herself.

It's Mother's Day, so what better time for Eminem to release the touching short film for "Headlights," the fifteenth track on his latest eighth studio album, "The Marshall Mathers LP 2," which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 last November. "Headlights," which features .Fun frontman Nate Ruess, is a long-awaited apology from Eminem to his mother Debbie Mathers after spending years negatively referencing and trashing her on his past albums, and this new video a surprising ode and appears to have an opportunity to repair their relationship.
Eminem opens up about his past on "Headlights," a really personal song with heartfelt message that addresses his relationship and appears to make amends his mother who he has skewered lyrically on previous offerings. Eminem has had a difficult relationship with his mother since childhood. In his music, Eminem has had a history of insulting his mother on various tracks. "Headlights" is an apology to his mother for the years of verbal abuse and "his plea for a united, or at least less dysfunctional, family." The title "Headlights" is a reference to their last meeting. As she drove away, he became fixated on the headlights of her car as he coped with feelings of "overwhelming sadness."
The pair remain estranged, although Eminem reaches out to her here offering the sincerest of apologies. Eminem specifically references the hurt caused by his The Eminem Show hit song "Cleanin Out My Closet," where he heavily criticized his mother for neglecting and mistreating him. The rapper explains it as an angry moment, adding that he no longer plays it at shows and he cringes every time it's on the radio. Eminem’s mother Mathers would like nothing more than to improve her estranged relationship with her son, and she believes "love will find a way home," two longtime friends of Mathers said. And that opportunity could present itself after a much-anticipated short film released on Mother's Day.
The heartfelt new video was directed by legendary filmmaker Spike Lee, which was shot in the rapper's hometown of Detroit. Shot mostly from the first-person perspective of Eminem's mother Matters, the four-minute video explores the troubled relationship between the rapper and his mom and eventually finds the two reconnecting after years of fighting. It is essentially a four-minute plea for forgiveness to mother and a fairly extreme reversal for the rapper after all. Watch the video below.

Ed Sheeran continued with his new music and turned weekend into a real sobfest with the release of the new video for the upcoming film "The Fault in Our Stars" soundtrack number "All of the Stars," and it's a heartbreaker. The British singer knows his way around a heartbreaking love song, so it's no surprise on this one. Directed by Josh Boone, the romantic drama comedy, hits theaters June 6, is based on John Green's bestselling novel and stars "Divergent" actress Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as two individuals who meet at a cancer support group meeting and fall in love.
Sidestepping his recent fare, which found Sheeran veering into funkier directions with his music, "All of the Stars" slots more snugly in the singer's softer acoustic rock presentation for which he came to be known originally. Accompanied by guitar and piano, Sheeran croons, "It's just another night/ and I'm staring at the moon," Sheeran sings pensively to start the tune, accompanied by warm piano notes, "I saw a shooting star and I thought of you." The chorus of "All of the Stars" kicks up the momentum a bit, acoustic guitar and piano complemented by percussion and the occasional strum of electric guitar, Sheeran crooning about "all of these stars will guide us home."
"I can hear your heart on the radio beat/ They're playing 'Chasing Cars'/ And I thought of you/ Back to our time/ How you and I used to be," he sings, remembering listening to Snow Patrol with a lost love. The track is all about falling in love under the stars, and the video captures the emotions perfectly, and this may just be Sheeran's most emotional video yet. It features fan-generated messages of encouragement submitted via Instagram. More than 5000 entries were received over a three day period, which is impressive given that the participants had no idea their handiwork would end up in the Brit's visual.
The finished product is a simple collage of encouraging fan art and all sorts of positive signs, drawings, affirmations and other inspirational quotes from John Green's novel to the story thrown in and posted on a wall, with the occasional snippet of film footage. It suits the sparse, emotional approach of "All Of The Stars." Sheeran essentially had the world's easiest job for this one and despite having a sing, he doesn't actually show his pretty little face until the last possible minute when the camera zooms out and the 23-year old artist is seen brooding on a couch, singing the song's final lyrics "I can see the stars from America." Watch and listen and try not to cry.

Sara Bareilles released a tear-jerker of a Video to her heartwarming newest song "I Choose You," following the success of her hit single “Brave,” is the second cut off of Bareilles' 2013 album, "The Blessed Unrest," which was successful for the singer, peaking at No.2 on the Billboard 200. The serotonin-raising effect of "Brave" demands scientific research, while new single "I Choose You" could be the happiest song of 2014. As such, the engagement-themed, heartstrings-pulling video feels completely and utterly appropriate, and the cutest thing you'll see this week!
The mid-tempo ballad speaks of finding lifelong love, even when at times it seemed unfathomable. This soaring romantic declaration finds the 34-year-old singer/songwriter singing of a "lifelong love letter." She told VH1: "This song, for me, was about really claiming my belief that there is true love out there." The ballad is perfect for all couples and is a lovely mixture of intimacy and sheer positivity. Bareilles' voice makes the song that much more passionate and is the best tune for an impending engagement or even marriage reception! Plus, it's all real!
The video is just as touching as the song itself, shows Bareilles plays cupid by assisting two real-life couples - one heterosexual couple from Los Angeles named Matt and Chelsea, and one same-sex couple from Denver named Aly and Andrea - for the visuals, taking to her Facebook account in March to write to her fans, "Let me help you plan the best engagement ever!" The video is a compilation of footage leading up to the big proposals intertwined with Bareilles belting out the love song. Aly is shown prepping to pop the question by making paintings that tell their story of romance. As for Matt, he makes a literal memory lane of dioramas made from colorful Post-It notes.
"Tell the world that we finally got it all right/ I choose you," Bareilles sings in the ballad at the special proposals and watched as both couples started their happily ever afters. "I will become yours and you will become mine/ I choose you./ There was a time when I would have believed them/ If they told me you could not come true/ Just love's illusion," she croons. The touching video culminates with the two big proposals that lead to lots of loving tears from the couples and their family and friends. It's all heart-warmingly adorable and genuinely touching. Watch the video and grab your tissues.

Shakira is on a roll lately and there's no stopping her. First, she released her smash hit "Empire," performing on 'The Voice,' and now, she's back on the music scene with a brand new video for her latest club-thumper "Dare (La La La)." The uptempo dance track, that contains Brazilian beats and takes influence from electronica, was written for the 2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup and will be the official anthem for it. Channeling Mad Max, a warrior princess and a certain hedonistic vibe, Shakira can make something as simple as standing against a colored wall look daring with her new video for the catchy tune.
"Dare (La La La)" maybe not Shakira's finest banger to date, but the video for Ibiza's Next Top Wordless Chorus does feature the Colombian hitmaker running through fields and liberating dance floors like a club-hopping Khaleesi. Also making up for the track's clunky spoken-word verses is the return of what appears to be her "She Wolf" choreography. "The Hips Don't Lie" singer shakes her thing in front of a colored wall, and grinds up on it - yep, her hips still don't lie. It's been almost five years since she danced around in an anatomically suggestive glittery cavern, but we couldn't remember to forget those moves - the lurching shoulders, the claw hands - even if we tried.
It's filled with fun techno dance beats, Shakira's vocals are crazy good and she's shaking her booty in the entire music video. You know that old saying, "Dance like nobody's watching"? Well, in the new "Dare (La La La)" video, Shakira's dancing like EVERYBODY's watching, which makes sense because she's, like, Shakira, as she throws her hands in the air like she just don't care. Much like in "She Wolf," the Anthony Mandler-directed clip shows Shakira dancing, ducking and weaving her way around a monument, a mini-hedge maze, and an assortment of colorfully tiled walls.
The Pied Piper that she is, Shakira's soon joined by throngs of eager dancers as she questions: "Is it true that you love me/ I dare you to kiss me/ With everyone watching/ It's truth or dare on the dancefloor." Oh, dare! Pick dare. No, truth! No, wait... Dare! After this hot dance video, we bet someone will! Needless to say, we're scheduling an appointment to get it tramp-stamped after work. Till then, we'll just be sitting here with the clip on repeat, mesmerized by the almighty power of Shakira and we don't care who's watching.

Lana Del Rey strikes up two love affairs ablaze in "West Coast"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Thursday, May 8, 2014 0 comments

Lana Del Rey goes all sad and burns up L.A. screen queen in a moody black-and-white music video for her already-sultry dark whispery new song "West Coast," the first cut to be released from Del Rey's sophomore installment "Ultraviolence," which is expected to make its way out sometime this summer. "It is absolutely gorgeous - darker than the first - so it's almost unlistenable and wrong," she reveals what to expect from the upcoming record. As always, we can expect a stunning, cinematic video from Del Rey, the mysterious, melancholy and sun-stroked new clip is about a walk on a beach, a cruise in a car, and flames.
There's something so utterly dark and mysterious and '60s surf-rock sexy ballad about Del Rey's "West Coast" that it makes you want to go get shot by a hot red-lipped gun moll with impeccable taste for vintage threads and left for dead in some remote area of the Hollywood Hills, just to feel the authenticity of the atmosphere. This ode to a guy and the western US seaboard which features a stronger, clearer emphasis on Del Rey's vocals. This is just a haunting, hypnotic piece of music that sends chills up and down my entire skeleton, especially when the tempo shifts downward on the chorus. And, like a nod to her own music, which blends old-world style and modern pop, she strikes up affairs with both young and old lovers.
The minimalist hazy clip was directed by Vince Heycock sees Del Rey hanging out on the Californian coastline through a black and white filter. It starts off with Del Rey narcotically frolicking on a beach with a group of long haired surfer male pals of her age during the day. The group dances around on the beach before dunking Del Rey in the ocean. The video then flashes between the beach scenes and ones where Del Rey is cruising down the coast and around the town while languidly lying on the shoulder of a shades-sporting older lover in a convertible during the night, intercut with scenes that look like they were shot on a low-quality camcorder.
We are getting some serious love triangle vibes from the video, between Del Rey, the surfer guy, and the older gent. When the 'Summertime Sadness' singer is with the older man she's longing to be with the younger guy and vica versa. There's a strong contrast at the end that breakout of the monochrome mood and feature Del Rey in a splash of livid red dress being engulfed in orange flames. We guess love really does burn. The video is Del Rey, well, being Del Rey. It might just be her most Del Rey-y video yet. Watch her frolic in sand and fire below.

If anyone expected Sia's desire for anonymity to dissipate with the release of her first music video in four years, their hopes have been dashed by "Chandelier." The award-winning songwriter, whose pen has been the force behind mega-hit songs for Rihanna, Katy Perry and Beyoncé, to name a few among many, is finally stepping out with another solo record of her own, "1000 Forms of Fear." But the notoriously press-shy pop chanteuse is not going to be face-forward about it. Instead, the "Chandelier" clip features a dazzling dance performance from Maddie Ziegler, the 11-year-old star of Lifetime's "Dance Moms."
"Chandelier," a 'party girl anthem with a twist' song stemmed from an impromptu jam session between Sia and Pop producer Jesse Shatkin, and this swooping serenade about a party girl's life was the first solo single by 38-year-old Australian singer-songwriter in four years, following the release of her 2010 studio album "We Are Born." "I usually think, 'Oh this would work for Rihanna, or this would be a good one for B or Katy,'" Sia said to Ryan Seacrest. "But this time I was like, 'Uh oh I think I just wrote a full-blown pop song for myself by accident!'" Ever push emotions down so deep you feel like you're going to burst? Eventually you must let it go.
Now, escape with Sia's own epic pop masterpiece, which is one of Sia's most full-bodied productions to date, equipped with a striding beat and something that sounds less like a traditional pop chorus than an explosive, off-the-walls exercise in vocal acrobatics that only Sia could ever pull off. If you're looking for the crash-and-burn party girl described in the lyrics to her heart-wrenching "Chandelier," you won't find her in the song's video. Nor does Sia herself appear. In fact, much like the visual for "Titanium," her mainstream breakthrough pair-up with David Guetta, "Chandelier" is absent of the singer and it focuses on a youngster in this case, pre-teen dancer Ziegler as a young Sia.
Ziegler is initially seen perched in a door frame in a dingy, empty room, and over the next three and a half minutes, the pint-sized dancer rocks her blonde Sia-esque wig and a nude bodysuit in many more deserted rooms while spinning, kicking, leaping, crawling, falling, twirling and hiding herself behind window drapes. It's a departure from the party-hearty, "1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, DRINK!" lyrics of the song, but Ziegler's contemporary dance routine more than makes up for the disconnect, is at once beautiful and heartbreaking, as she interprets heavy lines like "help me, I'm holding on for dear life" and "here comes the shame" through nimble steps.

After teasing new music for a few weeks now, Usher finally delivers his new 'ode to oral sex' single, "Good Kisser," the lead single from his upcoming as-yet-untitled eighth studio album expected to drop later this year via RCA. And just moments ago he's liberated the official music video for streaming on VEVO. The 35-year-old R&B crooner has been steadily working on his new LP for awhile now and the old-school feel of "Good Kisser" is fitting.
After experimenting with bits of electronic and dubstep with his last 2012 album, "Looking 4 Myself," Usher returns to a more straight-forward blend and R&B, soul, and funk rhythms. Produced by a team that includes Pop & Oak, it's a stripped-back soul-funk number in which Usher suggestively describes his lover's skills that tows the line between '60s pop innocence and slightly naughtier, early '90s R&B fare a la Bell Biv DeVoe. She makes him holler. She gets lipstick on his leg. She prepares steak and eggs at 5 in the morning. And that's just for starters.
Usher has "lipstick on (his) leg," and that's no accident. It's one of many seductive boasts on his funky new single, "Good Kisser," which finds the R&B phenom celebrating the art of the smooch over a nimble, uptempo groove that's a bit retro without sounding like a total throwback. "I done been around the world / I done kissed a lotta girls," Usher sings at the top. He then spends the rest of the track praising one particular set of lips, setting the scene with lots of specific imagery as jazzy keyboards and handclaps roll into the chorus.
A stylish new music video, directed by Christopher Sims, lets Usher Baby serenade you in person. In the "Good Kisser" visual, which found the 'Confessions' singer unleashes his trademark glide move in a group choreography with the perfect mood lighting and channels in on the dance scene over some funky up-tempo production, croons with his shirt off and watches a mysterious freckles lady, only wearing underwear lick an ice cube. The director giving us close up shots of many girls puckering up their colorfully lip-glossed lips.

Ella Henderson pleads to an ex-lover to give up the "Ghost"

Posted by Kevin Z. Rong Monday, May 5, 2014 0 comments

The former X Factor contestant Ella Henderson has spent well over a year perfecting her debut album, "Chapter One" and it's been about 18 months since she was warbling away on our telly screens, but she's finally back with a bang. The Tetney singer, 18, releases her long-awaited first track "Ghost" and accompanying hauntingly music video online. "Chapter One" will be available in September, and despite the album taking so long to produce, she's totally happy with how it's turned out.
Teaming up with One Republic's frontman Ryan Tedder to co-write this compelling pop debut "Ghost," recording it on her 18th birthday at his house in Denver, the British songstress blends her rich, bluesy vocals with a retro beat, with ridiculously catchy consequences! Speaking about her collaboration with Tedder, Henderson said: "I wanted to make this big record and have it played worldwide, and he knows a special formula to write songs like that. When I first listened back to my album as a body of work, I realized it was everything I hoped it would be. Something real, raw and honest."
On "Ghost," we find Henderson struggling to exercise the demon of a lost love. She sounds lovely and vulnerable when she pleads to an ex-lover to 'give up the ghost' and when she belts the word 'river' in the higher register of her vocals at the end of this part. Though her slight retro soul is tormented, she has a crisp, powerful vocal performance which emits an aura of hope and strength. Her sound is intoxicating, like a more traditional pop cut, but she has more soul and power than you typical cookie cutter crooner. Henderson surprised the world with this funky, soulful, swinging and emotional debut single.
Henderson filmed the promo on a nighttime shoot out in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 9th and as this was her first ever music video shoot - we hope you'll agree - she did a pretty good job. The video sees Henderson performing the track in a red-lit motel room before showing off some pretty impressive power walking while being followed by police cars. There's two stories going on in this video; Two men in trouble with the law and being chased by ghosts from the past. Stories with a bit of a twist. And that's how you can describe "Ghost" too.

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