Today's Pick

Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are fully return from cynical adults to the wonders of childhood and play princess and knight in the impossibly adorable video for their collaboration single, "Everything Has Changed," the fifth single off Swift's multi-platinum fourth studio album "Red." They showcase miniature doppelgängers building an everlasting friendship and first childhood love at a tender age. "I've been excited about this for a very long time. Now I get to share it with you," Swift tweeted.
"Everything Has Changed" is a country pop song in an acoustic style. The lyrical content explores two lovers finding the things around them changing after they first met. Swift described the track as simply "about falling in love. It's about meeting someone and all of a sudden your entire perspective on the world changes - you're thinking for two, instead of one." She also told MTV News how she transforms her emotions into songs. "When I'm writing a song, I'm so in that zone that it's really sort of a trance I go into and I'm just kind of thinking about what I would say to this person that I'm writing the song about if I could just say whatever I wanted to them right now; that's kind of where I go in my head."
Though Sheeran comes from a folk background and Swift a country one, they serenade each other on this sweet duet about the sudden impact of new romance. Thematically, this is Swift at her most familiar and clichéd, but Sheeran's tender harmonies lend the song some much-needed depth. It is a gorgeous love song that uses simplicity as its prime weapon - it's just the two of them, a vague guitar, and almost distant drums - in order to show that she doesn’t need any extra effects to still write a stirring ballad. Rather, her sense of harmony will do the track just fine.
This has got to be the most adorable thing ever! The super sweet video follows a tall, longhaired little girl goes on the school bus and interacts with a redheaded little boy. It is clear that they are meant to look like miniature versions of Swift and Sheeran. They play together and get adventurous at school and strike up a friendship that sees the pair doing arts and crafts, building forts and experiencing life, as only a child knows how. The climax of the clip is a heart-melting slow dance in an empty gymnasium; just try to resist the urge to sob, even before Swift and Sheeran show up as their parents at the end.

Carrie Underwood paying tribute to the victims of the recent deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma in the new video which exclusively on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday for her latest tearjerker single, "See You Again," the fourth single and one consistent fan-favorite from Underwood's fourth studio album, "Blown Away." The 30-year-old singer also appeared on the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and performed "See You Again," recasting it as a somber memorial and she says the song is just right for these times. It's got us curled up in a ball of emotion.
Underwood wrote this power ballad about reuniting with a loved one in heaven with Nashville songwriter Hillary Lindsey and former Evanescence member David Hodges. "See You Again" tells the story of moving onwards after experiencing the death of a loved one in life. The lyrics provide hope and promise through Underwood's strong Christian faith that one will reunite with every fallen loved one in the afterlife. The song's opening consists of a solo piano, followed by a backing chorus and band kicking in shortly after. The song to be truly a taste of heaven, carries a hope-filled, inspirational message about a love that lasts forever, and, that's a sentiment she thinks people can really use.
The lyrics hold a simple ‘death is not the end' message but suffer from a lack of context; it is a flaw that given the song's origin I can overlook. The song isn't looking to tell a story, but rather just trying to describe a feeling. What is mostly in the way of doing that is the 1990's power pop production with vocal delays and big choruses. Underwood's voice has always been most effective when left unadorned, as she promptly demonstrates in the well-executed breakdown. What pulls it over the line however, and presumably why it has become a fan-favorite, is its sincerity in wishing to bring comfort and Underwood’s confident performance.
The emotional clip builds on the faith-based message of the song that runs through vaguely inspirational footage and tugs at heartstrings with several emotional shots, including soldiers saying goodbye to their families and dedications to the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut and the tornadoes in Oklahoma, while the country-crooner belts out her inspirational lyrics and looking luminous in a gauzy white dress in a gauzy white room, all blonde and gauzy and pretty and bathed in heavenly light. Nothing illustrates this more than the adorable little girl running to her dad, who has returned from war. Lots of patriotism here in true Underwood fashion!

British urban pop starlet Katy B is back, takes to the streets and giving us a lesson in the brand new gloomy music video for her stand-along rave-pop track, "What Love Is Made Of," the lead single to come from Katy's soon to be announced second album, which is expected for release in October via Rinse/Columbia. The mellow house-pop track is out on July 8, and it's also the follow-up to the 24-year-old singer's 2011 debut album "On A Mission." Apparently it's made of street racing and dancing which is exactly what I thought!
Back in March, Katy revealed that she had nearly completed work on her sophomore studio album. "Everything is great," she said of the record. "I've basically got some great tracks and I think I'll just keep writing until the end. A lot of stuff is getting mixed and mastered at the moment, so you just never know when you can just write something special at the last minute." Katy also revealed that there were more tracks which "you can imagine me singing in my bedroom rather than in the middle of a dance floor", and went on to add: "Where I am in my life at the moment, and with my age group as well, I think reality has kind of kicked in."
Katy blew us away earlier this month with her scorching potential song-of-summer, "What Love Is Made Of." Seriously though Katy delivers an infectious synth-pop/trance track that makes you move your head without even realizing it. The upbeat number showcases an undeniably pop-heavy sound that is sure to warrant significant radio spin. Katy's vocals are so ethereal and flawlessness. If she is to be believed, love is made of catchy-as-hell hooks and bouncy synths that make you want to dance like school just let out for summer break.
The accompanying visuals is quite the butch affair, directed by Emil Nava who's taking inspiration from the movies, or, more specifically, the "Fast And Furious" franchise. The video features the "Aaliyah" singer in the middle of a melee of London boy racers, as Katy sings and scowls over the hot house/alt-disco beat and surveys all sorts of tricked-out rides with lights, glitter, and custom paint jobs. Katy not only gets involved in the world of underground of street racing, but she falls hard for a new and potentially dangerous love interest. Back away slowly, girl... this might not end well.

Teasing us with a snippet of the song a few months ago, The X Factor Britain 2008 semi finalist Diana Vickers is back as the new age Cinderella and dropped the brand new visuals to the fairytale re-make, "Cinderella," the lead single to English singer/songwriter's upcoming sophomore album, "Music to Make Boys Cry," due out  September 9. Having a few drinks? Running away? Okay not the old classic we know and love, but hey its 2013, and Vickers is a pop princess. Just like our own high school prom, Vickers gets dressed up, going to the ball, and meeting her prince.
With a successful break from her run on The X Factor, the 21-year-old singer is a shining example of life after the talent shows. A brilliant debut album, festival tours and great singles, Vickers has been delivering us with some classic pop, and she's back again with a bang with her new amazing pop track, "Cinderella," which is set to be released July 21st, and seems to have created herself anew in terms of her look, yes, A fresh faced Vickers.
Co-written by Vickers with Miranda Cooper, Simen Eriksrud and Simone Eriksrud, this song is a take on the classic fairy tale. "'Cinderella,' is about being in love and not caring about any of the material things in life, just wanting to be with that one person you adore," said Vickers. "It's about being prepared to lose anything and take every chance to be with them. It's a play on the classic Cinderella story," she added, "but in this version she's fallen for her prince so much she would lose both her shoes on purpose if it meant she could win him."
With the story line based on the role of "Cinderella," its only fitting for the video to see Miss Vickers in a more glam light, living the life of a princess as she walks into a masquerade ball in a black dress and a mask, stays at a fancy house and parties the night away with Prince charming without running the risk of her ride turning into a pumpkin and ends up taking a dip in the swimming pool water engaging in a kiss. "She'd be a fool not to follow you everywhere/ Because for you I would lose both, both of my shoes" croons Vickers and by the end of the video she makes sure she loses one of her pair of shoes to symbolize the theme of the track.

British Pop-Rock boy band on the rise Lawson have teamed up with the Georgia hip-hop player B.o.B, released the music video for their new song, "Brokenhearted," the lead single taken from their upcoming as-yet-untitled sophomore studio album, that's scheduled for release later this year via Global Talent Records, under exclusive licence to Polydor. B.o.B has delivered a Pop-friendly verse on this catchy little summer single, which isn't actually released until July 7th.
"Brokenhearted," was written by frontman Andy Brown and was recorded in London earlier in 2013. About it, Brown has explained: "'Brokenhearted' is a revenge song about karma. I had a lot of fun writing this one. I'm sure many people will be able to relate to it!" It's fairly by-the-numbers stuff, but it might help give them a little stateside push. The release of "Brokenhearted" follows Lawson's huge success in 2012 with their debut album "Chapman Square," with Coldplay-inspired anthemic pop-rock songs including "When She Was Mine" and "Standing In The Dark."
“Brokenhearted,” is a chewier nugget: More Maroon 5 than Chris Martin in its jangly, funked-out vibe. Still soulful. But mostly just really, really good-looking. As the four-piece pop rock band have described the song as a "turning point" for the band. "'Brokenhearted' is definitely a bit of a turning point for us as a band," Brown has explained. "It's my favorite song we have recorded to date. It was a dream to get B.o.B on the track," he continued. "The whole band are huge fans of his. He really took the song to the next level and we had a great time shooting the video with him."
The clip was directed by Declan Whitebloom and filmed out in the Hollywood Hills in California. It follows the story of a breakup, sees a mystery blonde female attempting to bury the memory of her ex-lover and has to watch her split with Brown through a tabloid lens, and as you might expect, it's pretty much the pits. B.o.B pops up next with an energetic, sunshiny verse, and what used to be a heartbroken cry-fest turns into a rooftop rager. Only problem is, Brown's ex is out for a night out on the town, and little does she know that the party she's attending features Lawson as the musical guest. It's basically every broken up couple's worst nightmare, and it kind of makes us glad we're not dating anyone at the moment, kind of.

With her first single "Love and War" holding strong at No.1 on the urban adult contemporary charts, Tamar Braxton is just in time to kick off summer with the fun and flirty new visual for her follow-up  flirtatious summer love ballad and feel-good summertime anthem, "The One," the second single to be featured on Tamar's forthcoming LP, "Love and War," Tamar's highly anticipated debut for Epic/Streamline, slated to hit stores in September.
Co-written by Tamar, Yung Berg and LaShawn Daniels, the easy breezy, infectious record, "The One," samples Notorious BIG's classic "Juicy," and Mtume's "Juicy Fruit," and does it major justice as she sings about being happily in love. It's got a nostalgic flair that's refreshing and Tamar's voice is melodically solid, and is already showing signs of becoming a classic on its own. The 36-year-old mom-to-be covered her baby bump in a set of overall shorts while singing under the sun on a boardwalk, as she waits for her man. "You know very well, who you are/ You're the only one, you've got my heart/ You've had a few, boy, one too many/ But I'm the only one to wake you up," she coos.
Reality TV starlet Tamar described the concept of the fun-filled, colorful video, as "just a summer throwback. It kinda gives you that feeling when you was in high school and you was with your boyfriend or your girlfriend and you go to the park and you hang out and you get all cutie, and it's just funners," but it's more than that it perfectly catches the spirit of the summer and the spirit of the song. Tamar is giving us a super summer-y vibe on "The One," and get into the groove, and press play.
A baby bump isn't stopping Tamar from showing off her playful side! The feel-good clip for "The One," which was directed by Gil Green, sees the pregnant R&B songstress wears a denim overall and channels her inner 90s Mariah Carey in the video to cover up some her huge belly, and take a trip in their bright yellow Jeep, enjoys herself at an amusement park with her attractive co-star, plays some carnival games, bust out some breakdancing moves, and chills on the Santa Monica Pier, and at the fair located on the boardwalk. The couple even get a caricature of themselves drawn too.

OneRepublic have just released the music video for their new single, "Counting Stars," the third single from American rock band's latest third studio album, "Native," which begins with "Counting Stars," a song of hope in big dreams with hypnotic yet extremely energetic vibe. It's incredibly catchy, driven at first by an acoustic guitar and followed by a figurative bass drop with synths. "Native" doesn't stray too far from this upbeat path and its songs all talk about feeling good through a relationship and doing everything to keep it alive.
The uplifting tunes, "Counting Stars," was written, and produced by frontman Ryan Tedder, who brought the high energy back with his hard-charging and countrified take on "Counting Stars," which is a song that sounds like OneRepublic's attempt at indie folk - acoustic guitars, shouted harmonies, Lumineers-inspired "heys" and Mumford-like builds, sure, but the soaring pop melodies, too. "Counting Stars" is definitely one of the best songs on "Native." At least Tedder recycles some of the bluesy swagger for "Counting Stars," easily their most interesting tune since "Apologize."
"We put 'Counting Stars' first because that was the song that consolidated and explained the eclectic nature of the album," said Tedder. "Obviously I love big pop melodies, but it's not that simple. If you don't like 'Counting Stars,' you won't likely be into the rest of the album. That song is my personal favorite, if not one of my two favorites." Sure enough, it's an extremely effective and infectious song with Tedder's polished pop hijacking a folk song, and a little R&B attitude in there as well. It's the new album's most instantly likable song, and is also the album's biggest departure from OneRepublic's previous work.
The video was shot in the basement of an old church in New Orleans and directed by James Lees. While the Colorado band performs downstairs in a run-down building, a therapy-cum-protestant-church-service is going on upstairs above them. As the epic new single reaches its climax, so does the ritualistic gathering upstairs, become ever more and more psychedelic through a combo of wild dancing and loud music. Well, it's all fun and ritualism until the wooden floorboards give way and some enthusiastic "gatherer" falls through the floor ceiling and lands butt first in front of a band of rockers just after they finish singing. It's epic though and just another day in the life of OneRepublic.