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biglisbonnews · 1 year

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tlinh is Vietnam's Brightest Star In Vietnam's emergent pop music scene — shaped heavily by nearby K-Pop and Chinese-style ballads — Hanoi-born singer-songwriter tlinh is pioneering a much-needed post-internet sound, infusing genres like pop, rap, hip-hop and R&B with Vietnamese lyrics and sensibilities. In a traditionally conservative country, the 22-year-old is also distinguishing herself from the establishment by pushing against outdated social views on women, unapologetically embracing her femininity and the sensuality that she says comes along with it. Related | Thuy is In Her Bag“I want people who listen to my music to feel more feminine, to feel more confident,” tlinh says. “There are feelings I believe we all have, but that people are not used to expressing in Vietnamese. I’m here to help people — women — get in touch with those emotions.” It’s clearly resonated: last year, she was one of Spotify’s most listened-to artists in Vietnam, and after making it onto the platform’s Equal playlist, had her photo displayed on a Times Square billboard. The success has created opportunities beyond charts, like creating a jingle for Maybelline and appearing in a music video with 88Rising. Born Nguyễn Thảo Linh, tlinh says she was always drawn to the stage — but she never thought that becoming a musician was a real possibility. She originally set out to become a doctor, like both of her parents. “I just wanted to prove to them that I could do anything,” she tells PAPER. “But I always neglected my studies to go to the studio.”It was in 2020, during her sophomore year of college, that tlinh auditioned for Rap Việt, a national reality TV competition. Although she didn’t win, she was the only female to crack the finals and had the chance to perform with Vietnam’s reigning queen of hip hop, Suboi. She remembers going from 10,000 followers to 600,000 in a matter of months.“It was crazy — people started messaging me to give me gifts and send me products,” she says, reflecting on the experience of newfound fame. “They also started sending me hate messages for no reason. That’s when I was like, ‘Oh, it’s getting real.’”tlinh reveals that some of that drama had to do with her boyfriend at the time and public scrutiny of the newly famous young couple’s personal lives. That relationship, though long over, would ultimately inspire her latest song, “nếu lúc đó” (which roughly translates to “If Only, At the Time”), which is the second single on her debut album set to drop later this year.With today’s release of “nếu lúc đó” — and its accompanying music video, which premieres below — we sat down with tlinh to chat about her musical inspiration, getting vulnerable with her emotions on camera and her hopes for the Vietnamese music industry. You’ve been called a rapper and a singer. How do you identify primarily as an artist? I identify most as a songwriter. I write everything that I sing or rap. I put a lot of effort into that part. I just like making music. Are there any artists that you would say have inspired your sound? Of course, big names like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, and Rosalía. I would say Kali Uchis is a huge inspiration for me right now, as well as SZA. I love how these artists have such a bold style but also with sensual touches. Powerful and feminine. In general, I’m inspired by women of color, who in history have always had to fight to express themselves freely.Tell us about the experience of going on Rap Viet and getting your break in the industry.Well, I didn’t win, but I was the only girl to make it to the final stages. I didn’t really even expect to, especially since this show is so male-dominated. So I think people found it interesting when I was in the finals. Did you have much of a following before going on the show?I had a small following before, mostly from just venting and ranting on Instagram [laughs]. I like telling stories. I would also sing a bit. Let’s talk about your latest video and song — what inspired it?The song is about my feelings toward my ex-boyfriend. It’s about repressed feelings because, at the time, I was young and naive. I felt like the world was bubbly and pink. I used to post everything about the relationship online. And that became messy and chaotic. So it forced me to repress my emotions. So the song is looking back on that period in your life. Yeah, the meaning of the song is sort of like, “If only at the time, I knew better.” If I had known better, I would have been more private, so people wouldn’t make so many assumptions. If I had known better, I would have not fed into this character people wanted me to play. How did this feeling translate to the video, and how much input do you usually have on the visuals for your music?I would say I have a lot of input. I really set the tone for the art team to work off of. I share what mood I want, what feelings I want to convey and what I want the audience to experience and feel. In the first half of the video, I'm wearing all pink. Everything is picture-perfect and pink. But if you look closely at the images being projected behind me, it's a representation of my chaotic mind. The second half of the video is pure raw emotions. I’m wearing what looks like a wedding dress, but with some burnt holes. It’s a sort of eulogy to past relationships. What was it like to release those emotions and be so vulnerable on camera the day of the shoot?I think it was easy for me because I was expecting to feel a lot. Everyone on set really held space for me to share those emotions. I cried a lot. We had some of my fans there, and so I got to share that with them. Your fans were on set? Yes, we needed around 25 extras for the video, so we let people apply online and we picked some at random. They were all very kind to me that day. There was a moment where I screamed really loud — like I really screamed — and I just feel blessed to share those intimate moments with people. Speaking generally, what do you think is the state of the Vietnamese music industry right now? I think the Vietnamese music scene is in a transition period where anything can happen. We have so much potential. With this new generation of artists, I feel like we are more likely to tell our stories. We are more unafraid to speak our minds. I feel that the upcoming year is gonna be very interesting in the Vietnamese music scene. So I hope that people pay more attention to us.Of course, Vietnamese people have the same emotions as everyone else, but we’re not used to expressing them. They don’t know how to name it yet. And I am here to convey it in Vietnamese.Would you ever want to crossover to a global market or even release a song in English one day? Of course, as an artist, you want your music to touch as many people as possible. But I never want to have to change who I am to make that happen. And I feel like right now, I need to do it in Vietnamese. It’s funny because when I first started writing, I used to write everything in English, but I want to talk about emotions in Vietnamese.Do you think because Vietnam has been so conservative in the past, it’s hard for people to find the words to talk about certain feelings?Of course, Vietnamese people have the same emotions as everyone else, but we’re not used to expressing them. They don’t know how to name it yet. And I am here to convey it in Vietnamese. It’s very easy to convey those messages in English, but I want all of my fellow Vietnamese to have this voice. Do you ever face pushback for pushing the idea of being open and expressing sexuality? If so, how do you stay so confident?Yes, my music is hyper-feminine and it can be too powerful for some people. A lot of Vietnam still has the idea of toxic masculinity. That’s still very strong here. I used to repress my femininity because I was molested at a young age, and was always afraid of it happening to me. I always acted tough so that boys would not do anything to me. I got back my power and wanted to put it in my music so girls can feel that they have their power, too. Femininity doesn’t mean weakness. What’s the most fun or exciting part of what you do? Getting to meet and vibe with so many different people with mind-blowing stories.Are there any Vietnamese artists you think we should know about?My genius producers 2pillz and wokeup. Rising rapper Wxrdie, singer-songwriter Grey D, MCK, who's also dropping his debut album, Mono and Onionn., and of course Mỹ Anh and so many more talented young artists.What’s coming up for you besides the album this summer?I’m performing at a concert for Billboard on International Women’s Day, on March 8.In your dream world, is there an international artist that you would want to work with?The Weeknd.Do you have any vision of your career in five years?At this point, I’m just trying to be present and appreciate time with my loved ones. Healthy, wealthy, sexy and zen.Photography: Dao Nhat TanStylist: TigrebiaMake-up: Xi Quan LeHair: Quan LeMake-up assistant: Lam Minh QuanStyling assistants: Nekohiee, Heyiman https://www.papermag.com/tlinh-neu-luc-do-2659491967.html

#Tlinh #Vietnam #K-pop #Vietnamese music #Rap viet #Dan Q. Dao #PAPER

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whatsonmedia · 2 years

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Top 10 Songs Trending on the Music Chart List!

Here, are the top 10 songs currently trending on the music chart list, as selected by the Whatson editorial so that you can add them to your playlist and enjoy your leisure, tune on YouTube or Spotify. 1. As It Was - Harry Styles The lead song from Harry's upcoming third studio album, Harry's House, which will be released on March 20, 2022, is "As It Was," which was released on April 1, 2022. The song's meaning is left up to fans to interpret despite the lyrics' continued cryptic nature (and its secret reference to Olivia Wilde.) https://youtu.be/H5v3kku4y6Q 2. Bad Habit - Steve Lacy The second single from Steve Lacy's second album, Gemini Rights, is titled "Bad Habit." On June 29th, 2022, it was made available along with an official music video. The song is primarily about thinking back on interest in someone and the song is number 2 on the hot list this week. https://youtu.be/VF-FGf_ZZiI 3. Late Night Talking- Harry Styles After the massive success of the album's lead track, "As It Was," a song that we've all had on repeat. Harry Styles launched the summer season in the best possible way with the release of his third studio album, "Late Night Talking," which serves as the album's sophomore single. https://youtu.be/4VaqA-5aQTM 4. Sunroof - Nicky Youre & dazy As the No. 1 single on the Top 40 radio format, "Sunroof" is rounding off the summer. The pop song may have begun as a scratchy voice memo from up-and-coming Nicky Youre, delivered to similarly unseasoned producer Dazy, and later became well-known after taking off on TikTok. https://youtu.be/G5xSLbYMr-I 5. About Damn Time – Lizzo It's About Damn Time, boy bander-turned-pop hegemon Harry Styles has been in charge of Billboard's Hot 100 for 10 of the past 15 weeks with his ethereal tune "As It Was." The song is unmistakably on brand for Lizzo, the current reigning You Go Girl self-empowerment feminism queen of music. https://youtu.be/IXXxciRUMzE 6. I Like You (A Happier Song) - Doja Cat featured by Post Malone Post Malone and Doja Cat dropped the music video for their duet a little over a month after "I Like You (A Happier Song)" reached its peak inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The video begins with Post paints a picture of a woman before he joins Doja to play in a field of flowers. https://youtu.be/7aekxC_monc 7. Super Freaky Girl - Nicki Minaj "Super Freaky Girl," a song by Minaj that samples the 1981 rock anthem "Super Freak" by Rick James, debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Since Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" back in 1998, it is the first solo female rap song to enter the #1 spot on the charts. https://youtu.be/j5uAR9w7LBg 8. I Ain't Worried – OneRepublic OneRepublic's upbeat song "I Ain't Worried" added some vigor to the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack. I Ain't Worried, the band's first track to rank on Billboard's Streaming Songs list since 2014, debuted at No. 43 on the survey released on July 9. https://youtu.be/mNEUkkoUoIA 9. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), an airy yet catchy tune, has only gained in popularity over time. Remembering the lone live performance of "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush with David Gilmour is among the top 15 songs ever written by Kate Bush. https://youtu.be/wp43OdtAAkM 10. You Proof - Morgan Wallen The song itself tells the story of a man who, no matter what he tries, will never be able to move on from his ex. Just days after his first interview following his "indefinite suspension" for uttering a racial slur while intoxicated, Morgan posted a clip of the song on Instagram on July 25, 2021, with the caption "You Proof...Been wanting to put out new music." https://youtu.be/3CkLMG5NwUg Read the full article

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deadcactuswalking · 2 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 30/07/2022 (Central Cee’s "Doja”, Billie Eilish)

How can the UK be LF SYSTEM-phobic? “Afraid to Feel” is at #1 for a fourth week. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

Now, hopefully, this will be a quick one. There’s no “Off the Charts” section this week because there’s not much coming out this week so I figured I’d give myself the leeway with the massive stack of releases I have to cover from last week and during this next month. There’s also not THAT much going on in the charts this week, it’s like a mess of other, separate medium-sized stories rather than one or two big stories so I think I can go by my arbitrary RTC dictionary and declare this a “slow week”. With that aside, let’s start as we always do with the notable drop-outs. These are songs exiting the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40, and we do have a handful this week: “Flowers” by Lauren Spencer-Smith, “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish, “she’s all i wanna be” by Tate McRae (I sense a theme there) and finally, “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa.

Our one returning entry is “Wet Dream” by Wet Leg, but in terms of notable gains, we have “Words” by Alesso featuring Zara Larsson at #62 off of the debut, “Dandelions” by Ruth B. going nowhere at #60, “Big City Life” by Luude and Mattafix at #37, “SNAP” by Rosa Linn granting her the first top 40 hit of her career at #26, “Stay with Me” by Calvin Harris, Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell Williams (in some order) at #22, “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy at #18 and that’s actually pretty much it. I should probably note that “Seventeen Going Under” by Sam Fender is down from #16 last week to #17, meaning that it is indeed 17 going under, but other than that, it really was kind of a cool week.

The top five this week consists of “Last Last” by Burna Boy at #5, “Green Green Grass” by George Ezra at #4, “As it Was” by Harry Styles at #3, “Doja” by Central Cee at #2 (we’ll get to that mess later) and of course, “Afraid to Feel” at the very top.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “KU LO SA” (A COLORS SHOW) – Oxlade

Produced by ???

Now this is interesting. As far as I know, “KU LO SA” as an official recording has not actually been released, but a semi-live performance in the form of “A COLORS SHOW” – a live performance series on YouTube specialising in hip-hop and R&B, who have had artists on such as JPEGMAFIA, Rico Nasty, Doja Cat and Unknown T – has actually charted before the official release. Oxlade is a Nigerian singer and this is pretty much your typical Afrobeats single, with a slick acoustic guitar, sandy tropical percussion and a slightly weedy performance from Oxlade here, who doesn’t fit well into an odd mix that’s likely a result of the live performance setting. Oxlade delivers a pretty simple song about wanting to be closer with a recently-distanced relationship and whilst the lovey-dovey content isn’t particularly gripping, it’s delivered with as much conviction in its falsetto, and I can’t say it’s not a bad, tropical foundation for him to do so. I can see this getting on peoples’ nerves due to his performance alone, but the amount of Auto-Tuned layers kind of make his convicted love a bit more compelling than it would be if taken all that straight so I appreciate this as is. I wonder how the official release will end up sounding – it’s very possible that the label has purposefully planted this performance to gain some kind of feedback on the song, but if the “COLORS SHOW” performance is doing well, you might as well release it now.

#63 – “Under the Influence” – Chris Brown

Produced by Kiddominant

It’s that time again... Piran, Dillon and Jade suggested that instead of me wasting my time with this hack, I listen to “Something About Your Love” by SG Lewis instead. English dance producer SG Lewis has never interested me, especially not after his snoozefest that was a debut album, Times, which had some decent cuts but ultimately kind of grooveless and disposable. It’s safe to say I didn’t exactly come in with high expectations, so I was kind of taken aback by how much I liked this, thanks mostly to that incessant riff that pretty much chugs throughout the whole song, initially starting with as many filters as possible in typical French house fashion before crashing into that hypnotic four-on-the-floor beat. I could do without the vocals from SG Lewis, as he’s no Romanthony, who sounds about as void of personality as possible, whining over the instrumental which really could have survived on its own. That’s actually the opposite to the problem I had with Times so at least he’s finding new ways to squander talent. The little intricacies in this track, like all the drizzling synth cascades, are pretty effective in creating this semi-obnoxiously lovestruck tone... but whilst that might be the most euphoric feeling at that moment, it does start to drag and you’ll look back at it remembering how annoying you were. That’s kind of the vibe I get from this song: it’s decent, definitely well-made and I like it in comparison to what else I have heard from him, but I’m not really grasped by it entirely and I don’t see this five-minute track growing on me given that.

#49 – “Fantasy” – D-Block Europe

Produced by ???

Guys, is it that hard to credit your producer? They don’t even have their tag on here, for God’s sake. Either way... this is not what I expected. When I see a new song from DBE, I fully expect a badly-mixed trap beat, humorous yet weedy singing from Young Adz and a worryingly substance-dependent ramble from Dirtbike LB... not a slice of tropical-house influenced Afrobeats that... kind of works for me? Sure, that lead mess of a loop is kind of scratchy in the intro, but it’s soon drowned out by the basic pianos and the predictable groove that for whatever reason just clicks, especially with how Young Adz barely cares about being on beat when crooning. It’s also just a straight-up love song, as Mr. Adz harmonises with himself about the fantasies he has wanting to live with this woman, and to be fair to him, it’s not just pointless platitudes. He gives out the kind of detail that I like in these kinds of songs: the mundane and the routine, which contrasted with how beautiful he finds her kind of create the sense that it’s only him that finds her THAT beautiful, and she’s not just some model that he would complement on any other song. That chorus is really way too infectious for its own good, and I kind of love the watery drop as the keys twinkle over Adz. Dirtbike LB is here too, I guess, with a verse that splits the difference between cute and condescending like he’s Drake or something, but he doesn’t detract from the song so... yeah, I’m actually pretty happy with this, and I think that this out-of-genre experiment might just pay them off in the long run. I hope it sticks around.

#47 – “Are You Entertained” – Russ featuring Ed Sheeran

Produced by Fred again..

The attempts by Russ to cross the mainstream in the past few years have just been kind of funny to me, but with “BEST ON EARTH” and “Handsomer” he’s actually been mildly successful, so him bringing on Ed Sheeran is just another laugh to add to the pile of mid-level pop-rap that goes directly against Russ’ more pretentiously independent persona that I think he left behind in the late 2010s, for good reason. You know, I actually like Russ’ debut onto the UK charts a decent amount too. The song is pretty much just them flexing, with both men rapping about how they made sure to get their friends with them as they became famous. Sure, the Russell Crowe sample is kind of on-the-nose, and this kind of song has always felt defensive, but the drill-adjacent trap beat goes pretty hard with the warping 808s and skittering percussion. I do think that Russ’ flow was good in the first verse before he meanders into the melodic nonsense, and that really, he’s second in everything here to Ed Sheeran. People forget that Ed can actually rap, and whilst the subject matter isn’t anything to write home about, he flows with way more conviction and hunger than the actual rapper here, and the backing harmonies Ed has mastered as of recent are present both in his verse and the chorus which actually trades off between the two. It’s nothing all that unique, but it’s a decent enough pop-rap single, and considering that I had practically nothing good to say about Russ beforehand, consider that a compliment.

#33 – “The 30th” – Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

Billie Eilish released a two-song EP of sorts called Guitar Songs with primarily acoustic tracks that debuted in reverse order this week on the charts. The first one we have is “The 30th”, a song that details – or rather, cryptically refuses detail – an event that happened on November 30, hence the name, which is believed to refer to a car crash in LA. The song is actually pretty devastating as a result, with Eilish’s signature borderline whisper feeling more enunciated than ever as she coos about talking to someone who was hospitalised, with the uncertainty of everything that could have happened to lead to a different result wherein the victim may have not survived serving as much of the thesis for the track. The little observational details perfectly capture that frenzied mind state that one would have in an uncertain, potentially dangerous situation like this. All of those “what-ifs” develop in the bridge and make that final chorus shattering, but kind of reassuring in that the fears were ultimately just “what-ifs”, with that orchestral tension in the bridge accompanied by Eilish’s rapid questioning and the industrial bleeps curating a truly resonant moment before the acoustic guitars come back in, sounding exhausted. Eilish’s falsetto is higher and less controlled, but it’s that out-of-breath relief that makes the song hit as hard as it does. Is the other one just as good?

#23 – “TV” – Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

The answer is no. Sorry, this one might be the more conventional but is just less resonant to me, mostly because of how lacking in specifics it feels in comparison to its B-side. “TV” captures a certain sense of doom that many a young person feels right now, with the common thread being having to “leave your friends behind” because Eilish is “in love”, though I really think that’s the surface level here, as the theme of love is – at least how I see it – probably a metaphor for being generally enraptured too deep into other emotional commitments that you’re unable to actually manage your relationships with others. It makes sense given the content which I understand is topical but is basically a listicle, with some of the pop culture references feeling a bit tired and thrown in (though it’s likely they’ll be considered profound in retrospect). The folksier tone of this one doesn’t really get me as much as the other track, and this is definitely still a decent song, well-recorded and with a great performance from Eilish, but it’s a tougher sell, especially with the crowd recording that will never not feel tacky on a song like this that tries to tap into that sense of universal dread, and it’s especially odd for a song that really feels like it’s not saying much about the cultural references it wants to tie in.

#2 – “Doja” – Central Cee

Produced by LiTek and WhYJay

Do I even have to dignify this one with a review? I mean, come on, it’s a glorified shitpost by an artist who has established his credibility well enough to make it seem like this is just... something he can do, gleefully, with no concern for how it’ll be received because he has the money for a Lyrical Lemonade video and the “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” so it’ll be a worldwide hit regardless. Okay, to get some formalities out of the way, Eve’s original track featuring Gwen Stefani, which is slick and confident as hell, peaked at #4 back in 2001 when it was released, meaning that with just one week, Cee has overtaken the classic with a pretty lazy sample flip. To be fair to his producers, the sped-up loop doesn’t sound awful, and the subtle synth and vocal inflections they add are pretty decent-sounding, but there are two reasons why anyone cares about this. One is the sample being placed under a stiff UK drill beat, and the second is the main reason: whatever Central Cee is saying. This isn’t the first song this year about wanting to have sex with Doja Cat, considering that $NOT and A$AP Rocky did it a couple months ago with a song that’s just as bad – maybe these kinds of songs are always weird, gross and half-assed, who would have thought? The only logical conclusion from Central Cee’s bizarrely defensive chorus is that he’s hiding something, which is the exact opposite of what he was trying to get at here – ignoring the fact that lesbian fetishism and weapon-related wordplay has been used for years in hip hop when it comes to gay punchlines. Through the singular verse in this song that’s less than two minutes, he tops everything off with this sense of paranoia about his status as a “respected figure” which honestly is just embarrassing. I’m not offended by this – it’d be ridiculous to fall into that trap – but I feel like I can’t respond to this with anything but a sigh. It’s a tired shitpost by a rapper who doesn’t care. The fact that it could have hit #1 incriminates the public more than it does the person who created the art in the first place. At least Eve’s getting a cheque out of this.

Conclusion

Worst of the Week should be obvious, right? Central Cee gets that for “Doja”, but I don’t have a Dishonourable Mention here. Instead, we can have a tied Honourable Mention for both “Fantasy” by D-Block Europe and “Are You Entertained” by Russ and Ed Sheeran, with Best of the Week going to – apologies for the predictability – Billie Eilish for “The 30th”. Next week, we’ll see what Beyoncé has to say. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you then!

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wothappenonline · 2 years

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Find all details about the American singer, rapper, and songwriter in Doja Cat Biography

Born as Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini in 1995 in Tarzana, California, the daughter of South African actor, Dumisani Diamini, and painter, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer is renowned globally for her stage name of Doja Cat. This unique name is inspired by cats and weed, wherein the slang for weed or cannabis is Doja. She happens to be the new-era American singer, rapper, record producer, and songwriter and was just a teen when she started creating and releasing music on Sound Cloud.

Besides, in her youthful times, she used to indulge in distinct musical and cultural pursuits, including jazz, ballet, tap and break dancing. Two of her favorite adolescent pastimes were engaging with surfing and skating. In this context, the Doja Cat Biography from Wothappenonline showcases the uneventful musical journey that inspired her to make a successful and bold visual presence and receive several accolades in her musical career.

How Doja Cat Evolve From A Viral Novelty Track Buzz To A Mainstream Musical Heart-Throb?

Early Years

Amala Zandile Dlamini, alias Doja Cat is a renowned American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer who was born on 21st October 1995 into a culturally-bound family in the Tarzana community of Los Angeles, California. Soon after her birth, Doja moved with her mother to New York City, living for five years, and later to Oak Park, California.

She was admitted to ballet, jazz, and tap dancing classes at the age of five. Thereafter, her family relocated to the Sherman Oaks locality in downtown Los Angeles, when she was 11 years old, and resided in an ashram by the Agoura Hills and practiced Hinduism for four years, singing bhajans at temples.

Beginning Of Career (2012 To 2017)

Dropping out of school, and spending days and nights browsing the internet, exploring instrumentals and beats from YouTube, she started to download and create her musical genre. Using GarageBand, she used to rap and sing, and also uploaded music on SoundCloud. She got her unique stage name by being inspired by one of her cats, and also her preferred strain of cannabis addiction.

In 2012, her musical journey began to take shape, releasing her debut album of EP, Purrr, and later on, she featured on the Fox series Empire. Subsequently, in mid-2015, Dojo Cat signed a contract with OG Maco’s brand, OGG. Thereafter, she also signed Maco and associated to produce the song, ‘Monster’, from Maco’s mixtape of Children of The Rage, released in 2017.

Release Of Mooo And Amala (2018 To 2019)

Again in February 2018, Doja Cat released the introductory single of ‘Roll with Us’, following the single music video of ‘Go to Town’, which happens to be the lead single from her debut musical record. Thereafter, in the same month, the second single album, Candy was also released. This musical track went to become viral on TikTok in 2019.

In March 2018, she also released her debut studio musical album of Amala, entailing three solo charts. The musical record later climbed to 138 on the Billboard 200 at the end of 2019. In 2018, Doja Cat was announced as the Milkshake Duck of 2018 by NME. Again in 2019 February, she also released the single video of ‘Tia Tamera’, along with the deluxe edition of Amala.

Quantum Leap with Hot Pink (2019 To Present)

The end of 2019 offered a breakthrough for Doja Cat into the mainstream musical journey. Starting in October 2019, she released her second single musical album of ‘Bottom Bitch.’ Thereafter, she also announced another single album of ‘Rules’, along with a second studio album of Hot Pink, in November 2019. Eventually, Hot Pink ascended to number 9 on the Billboard 200.

Again, the solo version of ‘Say So’ climbed to number 5 on the Hot 100, fetching her first top-10 single spot, where it also became the most podcasted song of 2020 by any female singer in the US. Moreover, Doja Cat also presented the metal representation of ‘Say So’ at the MTV Europe Music Awards function in 2020, where she won the Best New Act accolade. In addition, she also has been awarded The New Artist of 2020 at the 46th People’s Choice Awards.

Final Verdict

Doja Cat has been quite famous for her musical versatility which entails her musical genre flexibility for pop songs, and her intrinsic capability to rap, sing, and produce. Thus, with the Doja Cat Biography furnished by Wothappenonline, she has become the musical heartthrob of this new-age musical industry.

#entertainment news #new #sports #crimereport #Doja Cat Biography

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miaclemeverett · 3 years

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I am legit so excited for Lil Nas X's new album especially after seeing it'll have songs that feature Doja Cat, Elton John and Megan Thee fucking Stallion. If the Lovejoy Ep drops later this month then with Gorillaz dropping an ep a bit ago September is gonna be one of the greatest music months in a while :D - Gorillaz Stannie Anon

DOJA MEGAN AND ELTON!?!?!?! HELLO??? i didnt see that at all OMG...

Listen if we're blessed we'll get Lovejoy, Lil Nas X, AND potentially fingers crossed Prayge maybe even Beyoncé...

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bishreview · 3 years

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Track by Track Review - Hottest 100 2020

Wrote this article a little bit ago just for fun. Decided to post it on here with the thought of maybe getting back to the Bish Review. Also, put an asterix next to my votes (songs that made my top 10). Anyway, here we go:

100. Kool - BENEE

One of the many gems from ‘Hey u x’. Unlucky to hear her biggest hit so early on.

99. Itch - Hockey Dad

I thought ‘Brain Candy’ was a little bit of a disappointment, but Itch was one of the strongest tracks they duo have released.

98. Your Man - Joji

Surprised to hear this track in the countdown. Pretty solid tune though

97. Audacity (feat. Headie One) - Stormzy

He’s still one of the best from the UK rap scene and this track shows why.

96. Germaphobe - Hockey Dad

One of the weaker tracks, I thought, off Brain Candy, but not surprised a lot of Hockey Dad fans liked this one. Definitely plays into their audience’s taste.

95. Loose Ends (feat. G Flip) - Illy

I do not like Aussie Hip Pop. This track is not an exception.

94. Rain (feat. Tay Keith) - Aitch and AJ Tracey

The piano in this is very ‘Humble’ - Kendrick Lamar. Still a banger though.

93. Lemonade (feat. Gunna, Don Toliver and NAV) - Internet Money

Bit of a forgettable track. It’s okay, but feels like there’s a lot better like this out there.

92. These Days - Thelma Plum

First cover of the countdown. Still one of the best Hottest 100 number ones, and Thelma does it justice.

91. Charlie - Bugs

Second cover of the countdown. I do like this but I feel it doesn’t reach the same heights as the original.

90. No Time To Die - Billie Eilish

A little expected from Eilish but still a solid Bond song (the second in history to make it).

89. In Her Eyes - The Jungle Giants

I cannot wait for the new Jungle Giants album. They’ve gotten better and better with each release.

88. Heart Attack (feat. lau.ra) - BRONSON*

I fell deeply in love with this song the second I heard it. It just has this quiet yet strong emotion behind it. The production on it is something else as well.

87. Three Leaf Clover - Teenage Joans

A really solid debut single by the Unearthed High winners. Can’t wait to hear more from them.

86. Laugh Now Cry Now (feat. Lil Durk) - Drake

I still don’t get the hype for Drake. The falsetto “baby” in the chorus also never ceases to make me laugh.

85. Too Tough Terry - Dune Rats

Dunies slow descent from mature stoner pop to edgy tracks for teens has been hard to watch. This song just seems like a parody of the band.

84. Chicken Tenders - Dominic Fike

Has to be the sexiest song about the best thing in the frozen food section at the supermarket. Pity the album didn’t live up to the hype.

83. Down For You - Cosmo’s Midnight and Ruel

I was really keen for this once I heard about the collaboration between the two. Unfortunately it felt a little too much like a Ruel song and it doesn’t really feel like Cosmo’s Midnight had much of a touch on it.

82. The Clap - The Chats

It’s a bit generic for The Chats but I just like hearing them get more popular. Just hilarious dudes.

81. Weightless - Spacey Jane

One of the stronger and more unique tracks on Sunlight. The synth touches really suit the band.

80. Freaks - FISHER

Cannot wait for FISHER to just slowly fade away. His tracks all sound the same and are so basic.

79. my future - Billie Eilish

One of the best tracks Eilish has released. Love how this just turns halfway through from a really soft ballad to a bit of an electro pop song.

78. Lady Marmalade - G Flip

It’s a nice cover. The video of G Flip performing it though is really fun.

77. House Arrest - Sofi Tukker and Gorgon City

This song bangs pretty hard. I like a lot of Sofi Tukker have really been putting out some solid stuff.

76. Baby It’s You - London Grammar

This is a great track, that synth in the chorus is heavenly.

75. Photo ID - Remi Wolf

I do like this song but it reminds me of a track from the 80s or 90s and I can’t put my finger on what that track is.

74. Scream Drive Faster - LAUREL

When I first heard this I thought Ladyhawke was back in the mainstream. Little disappointed it wasn’t, but this slaps.

73. Don’t Need You - Genesis Owusu*

Possibly the best chorus of the year. Owusu has stepped up massively in the Australian Hip Hop scene.

72. Way Down - Ocean Alley

Ocean Alley have plateaued. ‘Lonely Diamond’ just felt like the band had become comfortable.

71. Obey - Bring Me The Horizon and YUNGBLUD

I just can’t take BMTH seriously anymore. They’re music has become so comically edgy.

70. Low - Chet Faker

Hey look, Nick Murphy has become Chet Faker again. Don’t know why he changes between the two when one is just slightly more soulful than the other, but he does release nice tunes.

69. Second - Hope D

I do like this female, Aussie version of Jamie T. It’s a really nice track. Also the number 69 is claimed by Hope D. haha.

68. Lie to Me - Vera Blue

I don’t know what it is exactly, but there’s something about Vera which just puts her on a different level than her counterparts. She’s just that consistently good.

67. Boss Bitch - Doja Cat

This track doesn’t get old for me. It’s so much fun, and Doja Cat owns it. Love it.

66. Fantasising - Skegss

This track really does have a very “Three Leaf Clover” vibe. I have enjoyed Skegss in the past but their new stuff hasn’t captured my attention really. Seems a bit run of the mill.

65. C’MON (feat. Travis Barker) - Amy Shark

I actually don’t mind this song, but why does it feature Travis Barker. It’s a piano ballad featuring a punk drummer, and he really doesn’t do that much. I’m confused, was he jealous of Mark Hoppus?

64. Soak Me In Bleach - The Amity Affliction

The song title reflects my thoughts when I hear that The Amity Affliction have released a new one. There are so many better Aussie metal bands out there.

63. Day & Age - Ball Park Music

BPM have a knack for writing amazing ballads. I wasn’t huge on their latest album, but tracks like this continue me having them in my good books.

62. Run - Joji

One of the best tracks Joji has released. A really mature song for the artist and a step in the right direction for him.

61. Pretty Grim - Ruby Fields

Ruby is good, but I feel she’s starting to release the same song over and over. Need something fresh.

60. Go (feat. Juice WRLD) - The Kid LAROI

Probably the strongest track by The Kid LAROI, but Juice WRLD outshines him just due to his vocal tone. He just sounds better.

59. Gimme Love - Joji

And that’s three for Joji. I really like how this song has two distinct sections and both are solid without overshadowing the other.

58. Fly Away - Tones and I

I still don’t get why Tones and I puts on that fake accent in her songs. It just detracts from what could be a nice pop song.

57. Sobercoaster - Beddy Rays

Really didn’t expect this to get so high. I’m happy though because it’s a really fun song.

56. On The Line - San Cisco

Tracks like this keep me invested in San Cisco. They can really release some brilliant stuff.

55. I Think You’re Great - Alex The Astronaut

The fine line between overly chessy and adorably optimistic is what Alex walks on with every track. I think this falls on the former side sadly.

54. Blue - Eiffel 65 (Flume Remix)

The fact that Flume puts so much of his identity into this remix is why Flume has been one of the most successful Aussie acts this past decade.

53. In Your Eyes - The Weeknd

If The Weeknd release ‘Blinding Lights’ a month later I’d believe that he would take out this countdown. He didn’t though and instead we are left with this solid track in the bottom 50.

52. The Glow - DMA’s

Why? Why did DMA’s have to get so poppy and generic. I loved their first two album, but I struggled to get through the third.

51. Your Love (Déjà Vu) - Glass Animals

Out of the three big hits the band had in 2020, this is the most underrated. There is so much going on here, yet it never feels muddled. Wavey Davey on fire here.

50. Nothing To Love About Love - Peking Duk and The Wombats

Although this is a nice song, there’s been so many 80s electro pop throwbacks recently that have been done better that this collab just fades into the background.

49. Wishing Well - Juice WRLD

This song is so beautiful and heart-breaking. Really shows why Juice WRLD became such a beloved artist so quickly.

48. Ain’t It Different (feat. AJ Tracey and Stormzy) - Headie One

This is a really cool collab. They use the Red Hot Chili Peppers sample so well and really flow so well with it that it feels almost effortless.

47. Animals - Architects

I like a lot about this track, but the chorus really hits another level. Feels cathartic to scream along to.

46. Pretty Lady - Tash Sultana

Was hoping Tash would move into a more psychedelic direction with their newer stuff, but this is still a fine track.

45. as long as you care - Ruel

A pretty by the books Ruel song, but he really does this style so well.

44. You & I - G Flip

Probably G Flips strongest release this year. The chorus has a lot of flavour.

43. together - Ziggy Alberts

Generic acoustic track by generic Byron Bay artist. He really took the cake this year for dumbest comparison, when he compared wearing a face mask to the holocaust. Thought he’d suffer a bit for it, but apparently his fanbase grew stronger.

42. WHATS POPPIN - Jack Harlow

Jack Harlow is just so much fun. He’s killing it, and WHATS POPPIN is proof of that. Keep the bangers coming Harlow.

41. I Still Dream About You - The Smith Street Band

I felt I was growing out of The Smith Street Band, their newer music just not resonating to me. Then they drop this and make me a big fan again.

40. Come & Go (with Marshmello) - Juice WRLD

Just that chorus. It is so enjoyable. He really was going places.

39. Righteous - Juice WRLD

A back to back, and from one of the more exciting songs on the album we get to one of the more sombre tracks. Everything from the guitar, the vocals, those synth notes. . . this track is just a perfect send off for the artist. R.I.P. Juice.

38. Parasite Eve - Bring Me The Horizon

This song is so unironically cringe and edgy that it somehow becomes ironically fun. It does the full circle.

37. SO DONE - The Kid LAROI

I do like The Kid LAROI, but his vocals on this, combined with the lyrics, just make him sound like a child chucking a temper tantrum. It does make me laugh though.

36. forget me too (feat. Halsey) - Machine Gun Kelly

If this song was released in the early 00s (where it belongs), it would’ve faded into oblivion. At least Halsey sounds pretty solid on her verse though.

35. Running Red Lights (feat. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu) - The Avalanches*

My personal number one for the year. This song has that melancholic, nostalgic feel to it that just hits home every time. Also one of Cuomo’s strongest vocal performances.

34. Everybody Rise - Amy Shark

This song is fine. I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it, but it’s fun to sing-a-long to.

33. Breathe Deeper - Tame Impala

One of the best tracks from The Slow Rush. I love that piano motif throughout, and the bass is so funky. That weird bridge section towards the end is also pretty slick.

32. Criminals - DMA’s

The real criminals are the ones who told DMA’s this was a good idea. I just can’t get around their new stuff. I miss ‘Hill’s End’ and ‘For Now’.

31. Reasons - San Cisco

Tracks like this keep me from becoming a full time fan of San Cisco. They can really release some average stuff.

30. Bagi-la-m Bargan (feat. Fred Leone) - Birdz

Powerful. Birdz really took it to another level here.

29. Dribble - Sycco

Although I find there’s a lot of similar stuff out there, I think Sycco does sound like an original voice in the Australian music scene. She’s killing it.

28. Straightfaced - Spacey Jane

Although there was a lot of good stuff on Spacey Jane’s debut album, I found it to be quite repetitive. This track was one of the ones that I found to fade into the background instead of standing out.

27. Under the Thunder - Skegss

I really want to like Skegss, they’ve released some great tunes in the past. But this just doesn’t do it for me. It’s just boring.

26. No Plans To Make Plans - Lime Cordiale

Everything that makes new The Rubens tracks so average is presented here on a Lime Cordiale track. Obnoxiously quirky.

25. Reality Check Please - Lime Cordiale

Hey back to back Lime Cordiale tracks. And another one of their weaker ones. ‘Addicted to the Sunshine’ did this chorus better.

24. Blue World - Mac Miller

Didn’t expect this to make it so high but so well deserved. This song slaps hard but still continues the tragic story that is presented on his posthumous album ‘Circles’.

23. Good News - Mac Miller*

Back to back Mac! To be honest, I am close to tears every time this track plays. If only the lyrics “there's a whole lot more for me waiting/I know maybe I'm too late, I could make it there some other time/Then I'll finally discover/That it ain't that bad” were told to Mac before his passing, because he did have so much more to offer. R.I.P. Mac.

22. Complicated - Eves Karydas

This song is so good. I’ve heard it that many times but it still hasn’t lost its shine. So damn good.

21. Energy - KLP and Stace Cadet

I was really hoping this would crack top 20. Probably the best Dance track of the year. Such a jam.

20. Addicted To The Sunshine - Lime Cordiale

Despite thinking that ‘14 Steps To A Better Living’ didn’t have many new tracks that were that good on it, this one is nice. It’s just a pleasantly nice song.

19. You Should Be Sad - Halsey

I really don’t like Pop Country music but I also find it hilarious that the genre cracked the top 20. ‘09 Taylor Swift would be proud.

18. Tangerine - Glass Animals

With Tik Tok exploding in 2020 I don’t get how this didn’t get adopted by someone on it. It’s so primed to get hyped on it.

17. Is It True - Tame Impala

I think Kevin Parker’s vocals on this are underwhelming, but that might just be because the instrumental slaps that hard. The rhythm section is so tight.

16. Screw Loose - Lime Cordiale

This sound is what Lime Cordiale do best. We need more dub influence and less elevator pop influence.

15. Skin - Spacey Jane

No matter what you think about Spacey Jane, they sure do make some emotional tracks. One of the most powerful songs on Sunlight.

14. Tombstone - Ocean Alley

The verses are average and pretty bland but the chorus is amazing. Just don’t think the album resonated with me too much, and Tombstone is another mixed track off it.

13. Rockstar - Mallrat

Possibly Mallrat’s best song yet. Her laid back, relaxed style mixed with the low-fi production really meshes well.

12. Get on the Beers (feat. Dan Andrews) - Mashd N Kutcher

I’m not going to pretend this is my style, but the way this has resonated with Australians during lockdown last year makes the track way smarter than it deserves to be. It��s both ironically and unironically good.

11. On Our Own - Lime Cordiale

I’m happy the three best new tracks of Lime Cordiale’s debut were the highest placing in this countdown. This really is a nice song.

10. Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish

Not my favourite songs from Billie but she continues to be consistently good. The production on this is immense as well.

9. I’m Good? - Hilltop Hoods

I wish old school Hilltop could hear this so could prevent themselves every going this direction. Aussie Hip Pop is not a good genre. This is one of their worst tracks yet.

8. Sending Me Ur Loving - The Jungle Giants*

This song has so much flavour too it. It’s so funky and fun and the production is so tight. Also the guitar work is underrated here, not doing much but adding that icing on the cake.

7. Hyperfine - G Flip

Every time I hear this track (and I’ve heard it a lot) I completely forget about it a couple minutes later. G Flip is good, but this is forgettable.

6. WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) - Cardi B

I understand if this isn’t your style, but I love it. I don’t think there’s ever been a song with so many quotable moments. Every line makes a statement that will get in your head. My personal favourite? “ I let him taste it, now he diabetic”.

5. Lost In Yesterday - Tame Impala

There’s a lot of songs on ‘The Slow Rush’ I like, but Lost In Yesterday I’ve always found kinda boring. It feels a little uninspired. Surprised that this was the album’s big hit.

4. Cherub - Ball Park Music*

BPM have released some great music over the decade but I think this is their best yet. It’s beautiful, emotional and has a fantastic, cathartic breakdown at the end. I love a good build up.

3. The Difference (feat. Toro y Moi) - Flume*

Everything about this track is why Flume has been so great for so long. This track is great for any situation. If I’m partying, I play it. If I’m relaxing, I play it. If I’m getting pumped up, I play it. If I’m sad, I play it. Flexibility matters.

2. Booster Seat - Spacey Jane

OHHH-OH-OHHHHHHHH AND IT FEELS LIKE THAT AGAIN! One of the best sing-a-long tracks of the year, yet massively emotional. Like damn this song is rough.

1. Heat Waves - Glass Animals*

If I had one word to express how I feel about this winning I would say “deserved”. Not many tracks were as perfect for 2020 as this one. Glass Animals love writing absolute bangers with emotional cores and this one is one of their strongest tracks. Glass Animals just continue to outdo themselves.

That’s it for now, gonna maybe start posting again. I dunno. See how I feel. Ta-ta.

#triple j #triple j hottest 100 #2020 #triple j hottest 100 2020 #Glass Animals #spacey jane #flume #Ball Park Music #tame impala #cardi b #g flip #the jungle giants #hilltop hoods #billie eilish

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oceanlyricss · 4 years

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Nicki Minaj

Hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj rocketed to fame with tracks like "Super Bass," "Starships," and later "Anaconda." She is the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously on the Billboard 100 chart. Who Is Nicki Minaj? Born in the Caribbean, Nicki Minaj moved to New York as a 5-year-old and has overcome a difficult childhood to become a successful hip-hop artist. Her label-mate Lil Wayne calls her “an icon” who has “reached far beyond anything I would have imagined. Nicki will go down as one of the best to do it in the history of music.” Early Life Minaj was born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago, and moved with her family to Queens, New York, when she was 5 years old. Minaj's father was a severe drug addict with a long history of violence. At one point, he set fire to the family's home in a failed attempt to kill Minaj's mother. Those early struggles, Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to rise above the life her parents knew. "I've always had this female-empowerment thing in the back of my mind," she told Details magazine, "because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she couldn't be. I thought, 'If I'm successful, I can change her life.'" To reach that point, the young Minaj developed personas for herself that would allow her to reinvent herself. An early incarnation was "Cookie," then came "Harajuku Barbie" before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. "Fantasy was my reality," she has said. Minaj clearly had a knack for performance. At the age of 12, she authored her first rap, then went on to delve into acting at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, the school that inspired the movie Fame. But her acting career didn’t take off, and she took up a range of steady jobs, including waitressing at Red Lobster, where she was fired for being rude to customers. Early Career Determined to make it in the music business, Minaj took on backup singing roles for local New York City rappers, including Full Force. Soon, she began writing her own material. She was eventually discovered by the Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who came across Minaj's MySpace page, loved what he heard, and signed her to his label. That connection led Minaj to Lil Wayne, who collaborated with her on a series of mixtapes, the first of which, Playtime Is Over, was released in April 2007. This and subsequent mixtapes, including Sucka Free (2008) and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009), showcased Minaj's female swagger and out-front style. She signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money label in August, 2009, becoming its first ever female artist. She solidified her growing rep with appearances on the We Are Young Money compilation album (2009), also collaborating with Mariah Carey and Robin Thicke. Debut Album: 'Pink Friday' By early 2010, anticipation had built up around Minaj's debut album, which was scheduled for release that fall. In April of that year, she released her first single, "Massive Attack," followed by "Your Love." Two months later she won Best Hip Hop Female at the annual BET Awards. She dedicated the award to Lil Wayne. The Pink Friday album dropped that November, with eight singles released to promote it. It went triple platinum, and received generally positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly’s Brad Wete was reminded of “her labelmate Drake — fully aware of how amazing she is, but also how fragile.” Minaj displayed a range of alter-egos on her releases, including Onika, Nicki Lewinsky and Roman Zolanski. 'American Idol' Feud With Mariah Carey In March 2012, Minaj made a guest appearance on the popular television competition American Idol. She told singer Jennifer Lopez, then a judge on the show, to "scoot over a little bit" to make room for her at the judges' table. Rumors then flew of a feud between Minaj and Lopez, which Minaj later dismissed. Later that year, however, Minaj apparently got her wish when she was announced as a judge on American Idol. It didn't take long before the fireworks began between her and fellow judge Mariah Carey. The pair seemed to take an instant dislike to each other and openly feuded during the show's early auditions. Television viewers got to see the two square off once the show's 12th season began airing in early 2013. Minaj and Carey got into an argument during auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Minaj storming off stage. Carey later claimed that Minaj threatened her with physical harm and decided to hire extra security as a result, according to the New York Daily News. Minaj has also been critical of the show, tweeting that American Idol "is NOT a singing competition." 'Roman Reloaded' and 'The Pinkprint' Minaj reached a national audience with her 2012 Super Bowl appearance. She performed alongside Madonna in the game's popular halftime show. A short time later, Minaj released the album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. The record proved to be a smash hit, reaching the top of the pop, R&B and rap charts. The infectious dance song "Starships" was the first breakout single. "Pound the Alarm" soon followed, and as did "Va Va Voom." She went on to perform "Roman Holiday" at the Grammy Awards the same year. Eight more singles were released from her next album, The Pinkprint, which came out on December 12, 2014. The album’s star-studded guest list included Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Ariana Grande and Drake. It went double platinum, and in 2016, she won the Best Female Hip Hop Artist award at the BET Awards for the seventh consecutive time. Film Roles and Other Business Interests Minaj had also been branching out into other areas. She provided the voice of mammoth Steffie in 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift and made her movie debut in 2014’s The Other Woman, opposite Cameron Diaz. She later received a Teen Choice Awards 2016 nomination for her role in Barbershop: The Next Cut. She has fronted a number of endorsement deals and advertising campaigns, including MAC Cosmetics, Adidas Originals and Pepsi, and has her own fragrance line. She is a shareholder in the Tidal streaming service. Her relationship with the rapper Meek Mill ended in early 2017. More Hits and 'Queen' Despite all her other projects, Minaj hasn’t lost her musical focus. She appeared on a slew of singles in 2017, and with the simultaneous release and successes of "No Frauds," "Regret in Your Tears" and "Changed It," she took over the record of most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 by a female artist, a mark previously held by Aretha Franklin. The following April, Minaj dropped two new tracks, "Chun-Li" and "Barbie Tingz." Later that year she unveiled "Rich Sex," featuring Lil Wayne, and "Bed," with Ariana Grande, and joined controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine on the track "FEFE." On August 8, the artist launched her Queen Radio show on Apple Music's Beats 1 station; two days later, her fourth studio album, Queen, debuted at No. 2. In early 2019, Minaj kicked off The Nicki Wrld Tour in Frankfurt, Germany, with rapper Juice Wrld. Along with her many collaborations, the artist dropped her first solo single of the year, "Megatron," in late June. In September, after the release of The Angry Birds Movie 2, in which she had a voice role, Minaj delivered the stunning tweet that she'd decided to retire to "have my family." Although the artist later promised her fans that there was more music to come, she took a step toward fulfilling her family desires by tying the knot with boyfriend Kenneth Petty in October. After kicking off 2020 with the Meghan Trainor collaboration "Nice to Meet Ya," Minaj appeared as a guest judge on the season 12 premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race. She then joined Doja Cat for a remix of "Say So," which became Minaj's first song to reach the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100. Source Read the full article

#anaconda #angrybirds #artist #billboard #female #lyrics #movie #newyork #NickiMinaj #oceanlyric #pinkfriday #starships

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morganbelarus · 6 years

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The Best Albums of the Summer Were Exercises in Reinvention

Summer is a time of intense polarities, of feverish abandon and earned languor. There’s heat and purpose waiting to be seized in those unexpected, life-altering summer nights: on the dancefloor, at the bar, among friends. There’s equal chill, though, in the loss and grief that surface: historically, fatalities spike during hotter months.

Yet summer, at its glowing core, is a time of auspicious breakthroughs, and the best albums released across June, July, and August rattled with justifiable discovery. Excavating personal triumphs and public traumas, kindling love and sexuality, contending with struggle both emotional and economic. Discovering, ultimately, what it means, to shape yourself.

This year has been an especially promising moment in music, a reminder that the gold rush of creativity from artists as varied as Sunflower Bean, Nipsey Hussle, Young Fathers and others won’t soon let up. It’s also a year marked by pure volatility. Artists no longer hew to industry conventions; fall no longer heralds the most attention-commanding records. Pop giants like Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Kanye West all issued albums this summer. Drake and Cardi B were the two most-streamed artists on Spotify, with nearly 1 billion spins between them. And the ascendant California artist Doja Cat released the summer’s surprise viral hit, with “Mooo!”; amassing more than 10 million views on YouTube since dropping just three weeks ago (she later came under fire after defending past homophobic language in a tweet).

And in such transformative times, these six albums are perhaps the truest anomalies marking an era of Peak Music.

The Internet, Hive Mind

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Steve Lacy is one of this generation’s most adept experimentalists—his SoundCloud-released teen-rock psalm “4Real” was one of 2017’s more gutsy propositions—and his work on The Internet’s fourth full-length, Hive Mind, is infused with the same daredevil spirit. Alongside prodigious frontwoman Syd and producer Matt Martians, Lacy helps the R&B collective innovate on the static, laid-back funk they’ve made their signature sound by simplifying their form into an even more cohesive symphony of earnest soul.

The album doesn’t squirm as much as its predecessor, the Grammy-nominated Ego Death, but that’s actually a treat: track by track, the melodies coalesce into a groovy sum. “Come Over” is a lurching, bass-heavy slow burner about a cat-and-mouse game of love, while “Next Time/Humble Pie” and “It Gets Better (With Time)” writhe with subdued righteousness (they’re perhaps the two standout tracks on an otherwise standout album). Today, a smattering of on-the-rise artists, particularly on SoundCloud, have built an aesthetic on fragmentation—piecing together dark disparate sounds, doing away with neat genre formulations—but The Internet are proof that reinvention need not be predicated on novelty or risk, but can simply be a matter of honing what you do best.

Ariana Grande, Sweetener

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Last May at Manchester Arena in England, 22 people were killed when a terrorist detonated a bomb during an Ariana Grande concert. The singer’s just-released fourth album blossoms, resilient and rising, from the horror of that day. With production from Pharrell and longtime collaborator Max Martin, and guest features from Missy Elliott and Nicki Minaj, Grande soars, fashioning an album heavy on uplift and love. “When life deals us cards, makes everything taste like it is salt,” she sings on the title track. “Then you come through like the sweetener you are to bring the bitter taste to a halt.” A meld of plinking keys, dense synths, and candied hooks, the album derails where her three previous kept right on track: it’s still decidedly empowerment pop, but it feels less manufactured for radio play thanks to Pharrell’s spaced-out ruses (particularly on “Borderline” and “R.E.M.”) and the somber, passion-sick “Better Off.” Grande fittingly bookends the album with eulogies to the Manchester victims, and in doing so, delivers her most vulnerable record to date.

Buddy, Harlan & Alondra

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There’s a boom happening out west. California is quickly developing some of music’s most promising young talent. Los Angeles’ Top Dawg Entertainment alone has a chokehold on the charts thanks to Kendrick Lamar’s triumphant reign with DAMN.—which won him a Pulitzer Prize; the first for a rapper—the Black Panther soundtrack, and Jay Rock’s unrepentant Redemption. There’s also the aforementioned soul-collective The Internet and gangsta rap traditionalist Nipsey Hussle, whose album Victory Lap is easily one of 2018’s best. Add the bang and boogie of YG (LA), Mozzy (Sacramento), Kamaiyah (Oakland), SOB x RBE (Vallejo), and Nef the Pharaoh (also Vallejo) with the R&B brilliance of Miguel and Ty Dolla Sign and you’ve got a new age renaissance on your hands. Then there’s quasi-newcomer Buddy, the 24-year-old Compton emcee whose debut, Harlan & Alondra, bumps, shakes, bounces with regional pride.

With unapologetic zeal, Buddy pays homage to black LA, past and present, through a stew of g-funk, soul, and breezy rap hymns (“Find Me 2” and “Shine” carry the force and grace of gospel songs). The album’s most politically charged paean, the ASAP Ferg-featuring “Black,” summons the ghost of Trayvon Martin and the Black Panther Party into a message of true urgency. “Just another black man trying to stay out the casket,” he raps. But it’s the album’s insistence on locality—its title is a homage to the two streets Buddy lived on for a time—that is paramount to its success. In doing so, the young rapper is attempting to reorient our gaze, from down South, the unofficial epicenter of hip-hop, back west, where the genre’s being injected with new life.

Jorja Smith, Lost & Found

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London export Jorja Smith first came to international renown via More Life, Drake’s 2017 project of diasporic synthesis. But, really, the 21-year-old R&B prodigy is much more than the two features she was allotted on the rapper’s wobbly experiment. Smith is a true descendant of Amy Winehouse, with the swagger of Miseducation-era Lauryn Hill, and her cauldron of deep soul on Lost & Found, the singer’s beyond sensational debut, is obvious and expansive. Across 12 tracks, Smith swings her powerful, satiny falsetto like a hammer. The thematic landscape she traverses is just as impressive, spanning heartbreak (“Tomorrow”), state-enacted persecution (“Blue Lights”), juvenile abandon (“Teenage Fantasy”), and self-worth (“On Our Own”). For an album of such calculated beauty, Smith never once oversteps her boundaries, coloring within them with the radiant gloss and confidence of contemporaries like Rihanna, H.E.R., and SZA.

Blood Orange, Negro Swan

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The polydirectional artist Dev Hynes—he’s a singer, multi-instrumentalist, director, and producer—understands the gravity of now better than most. The burden of the moment, if you’re black or queer or a woman or poor or any other identifier that white supremacy needs to smash out for its own survival, is a constant one. Hynes, working under the title Blood Orange, has faced these worries and injustices all his life, growing up in East London, and being exposed to them as a black queer person who moves through a world that does not always understand his body, his intention, or his work.

The work on Negro Swan, though, continues Hynes’s career-long expedition into the communities that have built him, and cushion him. The album’s skeletal core deals with how one manages trauma, and one of its smarter plays is to cocoon songs with audio from author, TV writer, and activist Janet Mock, who speaks in short bursts about family, the power of images, and the importance of “showing up.” One early track, “Jewelry,” finds Mock flipping an insult—telling someone they are “doing the most”—on its head, asking: “But why would we want to do the least?” Negro Swan is Hynes’ sixth album, his fourth as Blood Orange, and it unfolds as mostly minimalist, downtempo fare. It’s a quiet, curious thing that answers as many questions as it asks. It’s a record about healing and getting through the day, about hope and defeat and trying to figure it out even when you don’t know where to begin. In this sense, it may end up being the year’s most vital, even if most don’t realize it yet.

Nicki Minaj, Queen

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Breakthrough and reinvention are what Nicki Minaj has aimed for steadily throughout her career. And while the summer’s top albums are linked by the very same pursuits, perhaps with conflicting results, Minaj’s is perhaps the most stark—and the most surprising for where it ended up.

For years, despite being one the most gifted rappers in the game, she was considered second-rate by some (mostly male) veterans. Still, the awards, the nominations, and the praise flooded in. The Barbz, her faithful online fanbase, held her down, often to the scorn of public approval. And Minaj’s stature grew; she became a solar system unto herself—a certified hitmaker, a trusted collaborator, and an unforgiving shit-stirrer. Queen, her fourth studio album, reckons with all of this. Which is to say, it’s an album about the drama of being, and what that brings with it.

Of all the albums on this list, Queen is the least impressive—though “Barbie Dreams,” “LLC,” and lead single “Chun-Li” are soaked with characteristic Nicki wit—but, it’s what the album symbolizes in the abstract that lends it extra weight. Both the lead-up to its release and its fallout were sullied by social media theatrics and a shady promo run. The occurrences helped to expose another side of the star: she didn’t just play the role of villain anymore, she was the villain. What, then, does it mean to use your identity as an instrument of persuasion, for harm or actual good or even your own means? It’s a question that requires tough truths. The pursuit of breakthrough is not a guarantee, either. Much of the harsh criticism that surrounds Queen is born of our own failed expectations for Minaj, and how we hoped she would mature creatively. But Queen, as a whole, represents Minaj’s evolution into who she wants to be—someone who, whether we approve of it or not, does things just as she sees fit.

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deadcactuswalking · 3 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27/03/2021 (Justin Bieber’s ‘Justice’, Griff, Lil Tjay/Polo G/Fivio Foreign)

You might think that since I can take time out of my schedule to ramble about charts every week, that I have a lot of time on my hands and this may or may not be true but even I do not have enough time or energy to listen to – or even care about – new releases from both Justin Bieber and Lana Del Rey. So, of course, they make the most impact on the chart this week, even if said impact is still pretty muted. Our #1 is, for a second week, “Wellerman” by Nathan Evans and remixed by 220 KID and Billen Ted, and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

It may not make any sense to you that “Anyone” by Justin Bieber has dropped out of the UK Top 75 – which I cover – on the week of the album’s release, but UK chart rules stipulate that only the three best-performing songs from an artist can chart at any time, which is pretty stupid all things considered but I’m not complaining since it gives me less of a workload... or more, I don’t know. With more album tracks from Justin, I’m sure they would cancel at least some of the other, lower new entries out. This isn’t the Hot 100, however, this is the UK Singles Chart, and hence we follow their rules, which means that we also have the notable drop-outs of “Bluuwuu” by Digga D, “Regardless” by RAYE and Rudimental, “Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)” by Jason Derulo and Nuka, “Afterglow” by Ed Sheeran, “Prisoner” by Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa, and finally, “Lemonade” by Internet Money and Gunna featuring Don Toliver and NAV. It seems like this week in particular is pushing out old hits to make way for the new, and that’s a great thing as far as I’m concerned.

In terms of notable fallers, there are a few as expected from having a lot of action at the top, as we have “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd at #20, “Bringing it Back” by Digga D and AJ Tracey at #41, “Money Talks” by Fredo and Dave at #45, “Best Friend” by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat at #46, “telepatía” by Kali Uchis at #47, “You’re Mines Still” by Yung Bleu featuring Drake on the remix at #57, “Addicted” to Jorja Smith at #61 off of the debut, “DAYWALKER!” by Machine Gun Kelly featuring CORPSE not disappearing fast enough at #63, “Anxious” by AJ Tracey at #65, “34+35” by Ariana Grande at #71, “Good Days” by SZA at #72, “Heat” by Paul Woodford and Digga D at #74 and finally, “Toxic” by Digga D at #75. That’s before we take into account our album impacts from the last few weeks, as well, as for Central Cee, “Commitment Issues” is at #11, “6 for 6” is at #26 and “Day in the Life” is at #56. As for Drake, “What’s Next” is at #32, “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” featuring Rick Ross is at #33 and “Wants and Needs” featuring Lil Baby is at #44.

So, what’s filling in the cracks? Well, our one returning entry is the title track, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club”, from Lana Del Rey’s newest record back at #62. “Tulsa Jesus Freak” did actually chart below the top 75, so this and the debut for “White Dress” later on is all we’ll see from Lana this week. In terms of our notable gains, well, there’s not much to speak of other than the surge for Majestic’s remix of “Rasputin” by Boney M. up to #49 off of the debut, other than “Didn’t Know” by Tom Zanetti at #48, “Medicine” by James Arthur at #43, “Ferrari Horse” by D-Block Europe and RAYE at #30 and the expected album boost for “Hold On” by Justin Bieber up to #10. With all that said, we won’t be hearing from Justin for a while as we get onto our new arrivals for this week, so let’s start from the bottom.

NEW ARRIVALS

#68 – “Track Star” – Mooski

Produced by Woodpecker

Okay, so this is a song from last year from complete nobody rapper Mooski that got big in the US on TikTok a couple months ago so, no surprise, we get it sometime later. Well, at least this Mooski guy seems to at least want to tell a story here, as the song doesn’t stray far away from the topic of a woman with commitment issues who doesn’t stay with him when times get hard. For what it’s worth, content-wise, at least it’s a narrative, even if lyrics like, “Leave a trail of heartbreak and heartache like, it’s cool” sound closer to emo-rap whining than he probably intended. Not that it needed a narrative, because barely any songs can actually affectively tell them, but there’s got to be sometimes to distract from this squeaky, strained vocal loop and all of the janky melodies surrounding it, not to mention the downright awful 808s and percussion that reminds me more of the Afroswing we got on the charts back in 2018 than any trap-rap. Mooski himself is a complete non-presence, especially when he starts stuttering on the bridge, to the point where I can’t distinguish whether it’s totally embarrassing or subtly endearing. Either way, I can’t see myself listening to this like... ever outside of the context of this episode, especially considering how undeservedly long it is for a song like this.

#66 – “Beautiful Mistakes” – Maroon 5 featuring Megan Thee Stallion

Produced by Andrew Goldstein and blackbear

Adam Levine recently said that he misses the “bands” in pop music – you know, people who play all of their instruments and stuff like that. Then he continued to release a song under the name of his band where he swaps out more than half of his band with blackbear and Megan Thee Stallion. Of course. Well, you can tell it’s written by blackbear since Adam Levine directly imitates his staccato, monotonous flow in the first verse and the generally very awkward writing throughout... which is fine, I guess, because at least Levine isn’t stretching himself out into his falsetto much here, and Megan on auto-pilot can still carry her verse off of charisma alone, and her singing in the bridge sounds better than it ever has, so I’m not going to complain about her part here. The main issue in this song, I feel, is just lack of detail. The song’s about the lengths Adam and Megan would go for their significant others but I feel like only Megan attempts to describe what’s going on in these relationships as Adam plays word association with the concept. Adam, you can time-travel back to the Kara’s Flowers era any time now. Pop-punk is making a comeback, and I know you’d hate to not be a part of that, especially if you’re longing for new bands in pop music.

#59 – “Know You” – wewaintwraiths

Produced by Oath

I mean, I suppose I’ve heard worse names than “wewantwraiths” although after he buys a new car with the check his label gives him for the chart success of this song, he might want to change it. Maybe “nowwegotawraith”. That’s besides the point, though, as just as you’d expect, we have another week and hence another UK drill track that leaves little to no impact. This guy actually kind of makes himself out like a British Mooski, with his longing, Auto-Tuned flow that I don’t think he even tried to make sound good, especially considering how janky and unstructured the whole thing is. This drill beat is pretty worthless too, as whilst I don’t mind the mesh of vocal samples and the 808 slides, I cannot stand how this is mixed so that the hi-hats are louder than Mr. Wraiths himself. I don’t mind the content, to be honest, as it depicts him finding a girl and the eventual breakup in a lot of detail. By the end, he’s harmonising with the background vocals and there are a couple of cool synth riffs, but it’s way too little, too late to start caring about detail, especially if for the majority of the song, the percussion and vocals sound this bad.

#58 – “Dimension” – JAE5 featuring Skepta and Rema

Produced by JAE5

If you know JAE5, you probably know him for his production as for years, he has been blending genres for some of the most interesting and best British rap, most notably in how he fuses drill, R&B and Afrobeats as J Hus’ primary beat-maker. He also produced songs for Dave, Shakka and Burna Boy, which got him a Grammy win, as well as “Options” by NSG, one of the biggest ever British rap songs and still one of the most infectious. Now he’s embarking on a solo career less like a DJ Khaled and more like a Metro Boomin, bringing along legendary British rapper Skepta along for the ride, as well as an appearance from Nigerian singer Rema, whose wonderful nasal tone really stands out alongside all of the synth ambiance in this production, as well as the stuttering hi-hats and those gorgeous falsetto vocal samples. Skepta sounds pretty checked-out over a beat probably too smooth for him, which shifts over to some staccato piano, as well as some intricacies in this production that sound great, especially the jazzier touches that accentuate the already great groove with some Latin-flavoured guitar and strings. Oh, yeah and the subtle brass on Rema’s verse is excellent, even if Rema isn’t saying much of anything – in fact, content-wise is probably the only place where this song kind of flounders, as Skeppy zig-zags from socially conscious lyrics about Pan-Africanism and the plight that many Africans on and outside of the continent in day to day life, to “Girls sellin’ the coochie for Gucci”. Ah, well, ultimately, the song sounds incredible and I really should check out more of Rema’s stuff if it’s at this same level of detail. I’m pretty excited for that JAE5 album now, whenever that’s coming.

#51 – “White Dress” – Lana Del Rey

Produced by Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff

And from Afropop to the whitest singer currently charting this side of Taylor Swift, here’s what I suppose is the next single push from that Lana Del Rey that I practically avoided entirely. I understand that a lot of people are loving this but frankly, I’ve never been a fan so I’ve given up trying. If Norman Fricking Rockwell! couldn’t convert me, I don’t think her subsequent releases will, in fact, I can place a bet that listening to this whole album will make her music sour on me even more. Well, this song is about... being disillusioned with the music industry and public fame. I see. The implications that come with that aside, I have no reason to care about Lana once again breathily cooing over an ambiance that refuses to effectively create an atmosphere that really clicks with the nostalgia tone Lana’s lyrics take here, instead just meandering through this snooze of piano-based blend, only elevating itself through clashing percussion that ends up fading itself out of view way too quickly. Also, shouting out Kings of Leon feels both completely in character and unintentionally hilarious. At least as far as I’m aware, neither they nor the White Stripes, also name-dropped in the song, are blatantly racist on social media... I hope, at least.

#40 – “Headshot” – Lil Tjay, Polo G and Fivio Foreign

Produced by Bordeaux, Non Native, TnTXD, Tahj Money, Dmac and 101 Slide

So this really needs six producers, huh? For a song that’s barely two minutes? Okay, well, after the success of “Calling My Phone”, it only makes sense that Lil Tjay will follow up an R&B crooner with a harder rap cut, and here it is, and it kicks a lot of ass – or at least as much ass that can be kicked with the nasal, unconvincing tones all of these guys have. The main loop of the intimidating strings here, accentuated by that staccato piano melody, is the perfect backing for a hard-hitting trap beat that I almost wish had some more bombast outside of its badly-mastered 808 bass. That said, Polo G kills it regardless, with some of the most energy he’s ever given and the most lyrical detail out of any of the guys on the song, as his fast-paced flow is genuinely menacing... and now I understand why the song needs six producers, because as smoothly as possible, that cacophonous Pop Smoke-esque gunshot percussion comes in and it soon becomes an intense New York drill track more befitting for Fivio Foreign’s verse, who may not have any of the lyrical dexterity but he fills in the blanks with his ad-libs and still carrying the drill beat pretty well, before Lil Tjay comes in as intense as he ever has on a beat that reverts to the trap knock again, very smoothly. I do find it pretty odd that of all people here, Fivio has the longest verse, but I guess his verse is more of a bridge to act as a gap between two overwhelmingly gun-fire verses, both of which have content that can pretty much be summed up as gunplay and flexing, but with some of the bluntest, most deathly lyrics I’ve heard in rap, especially when Lil Tjay just pretty explicitly says he kills anyone he even dares to disrespect them. I’m now thinking I should delete the episode where I gave “Calling My Phone” Worst of the Week. Speaking of that song, this song is so much better it’s almost confusing. Maybe this high-energy gangsta-rap stuff is somehow a more convincing lane for an auto-crooner like Lil Tjay than alternative R&B.

#39 – “Black Hole” – Griff

Produced by LOSTBOY

Again, in stark contrast, Disney pop. Okay, maybe calling it Disney pop is misleading but the main reason Griff is succeeding now is that Disney Christmas advert, which gave her “Love is a Compass”, her first charting song – and a pretty bad one at that. This single, released this January, is a lot more upbeat than that drone of a ballad and hence fits Griff’s limited vocal capabilities a lot better, as she does a good Selena Gomez impression – almost good enough to forget that she’s now whispering over reggaeton so Griff will basically be her replacement in the UK – over some pretty indie-pop that decides to produce itself out of common sense... if that makes sense. The quirky strings and bass start the song before the percussion comes in and it makes sense as it rises pretty regularly, until this one dissonant, chamber-echo bassline comes in and morphs the entire song, only for it to disappear for the first chorus, but given how anti-climactic that first chorus is, there’s no build-up that makes that cathartic, at all... before it comes back in just to disturb the peace for the second chorus and verse. Not that the song’s mixed badly, particularly, I mean, “DAYWALKER!” had a similar discrepancy last week and did it much worse. In fact, I think this production being so awkward makes the song a lot more endearing as it just represent that “black hole” in the content that’s being left where Griff’s heart used to be – because, of course. I wish that chorus made a lot more of an impact though because as is, it feels very much lacking in stakes, both sonically and lyrically, especially since the song doesn’t really go into any detail about how she tries to fill the gap, which I think would be a lot more interesting. As is, I mean, it’s listenable but I don’t know for how long before this becomes grating. Regardless, it’s looking to become a hit so we’ll see how this goes. Maybe mindless bubblegum-indie-pop is what the nation needs right now. Who knows?

#24 – “As I Am” – Justin Bieber featuring Khalid

Produced by Skrillex, Ido Zmishiany, Josh Gudwin and The Monsters & Strangerz

Now we here. These two tracks that debuted are basically the most I’m hearing from this Justice record past the singles, so I was kind of hoping the tracks with Skrillex and Lil Uzi Vert would chart out of morbid curiosity, but it’s seemingly the more R&B-adjacent cuts that are debuting the highest, as Bieber teams up with Khalid for a piano ballad, as Bieber talk-sings over some overly processed instrumental that pretty much goes off the rails as soon as the guitars come in and suddenly, it’s not so much of a ballad as much as it is a janky EDM track. In fact, everything about this is janky, from the non-build-up that leads to a really ugly, almost future bass-like drop that’s just kind of funny in how those distorted synths career in the mix like accordions. Then Khalid comes in pretending to be British as always, and despite his worst efforts, he can’t really harmonise with someone as digitally processed as Bieber when he’s a genuinely soulful and damn good singer. At some point, Bieber just goes insane in the bridge and Khalid’s there to bring him back down to Earth, doing so by forcefully stripping the future bass away and rescuing themselves both back to the safety of a clipping piano instrumental. Yeah, this is ridiculously bad – almost in the way that it makes me want to hear the rest of the album – but I wouldn’t go as far to say it’s so bad it’s good, mostly because I’m pretty aware it’s a fluke in an album that’s otherwise pretty boring, at least going by the singles. Of course, speak of the Devil...

#3 – “Peaches” – Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon

Produced by Shndo and HARV

Finally, electroclash legend Peaches released her comeback single and it debuted at #3 on the UK Singles Chart – or, in reality, Justin Bieber’s milquetoast R&B imitation with two genuinely pretty good alternative R&B singers Justin coasts off of the skill and talent of, debuts at #3 because we’ve got nothing else to do as a country but sit, complain and stream sea shanties. I watched the video for this when it came out, again mostly out of morbid curiosity, and it’s kind of a comedic gem as Justin’s clearly the only one trying (because he doesn’t understand the concept of smooth, low-key R&B), making him feel so out of place when stuck between Caesar and Giveon. It’s like Hailey Bieber knew Justin was going to be lonely on his birthday so she paid the coolest kids in school to humour him for a couple minutes. In fact, that’s pretty much the song as they all croon pretty effortlessly over a smooth, pretty organic drum groove as well as this subtle synth blend... except Justin Bieber, of course, who tries his best to be a presence on a track where he’s literally supposed to be in the background. Thankfully, that’s not necessarily a complaint as this is Bieber’s best vocal performance in years, maybe ever, even if he’s immediately outshined by Caesar harmonising pretty excellently with his own multi-tracking, channelling the kind of neo-soul that people like Tyler, The Creator and Kali Uchis were making together half a decade ago. Giveon is here, also, but I’m not sure if he fits as well as synth-funk as he does on the moodier stuff. I know for damn sure that Sampha wouldn’t feature on a Bieber track, even if this is the most respectable Bieber’s been in forever. Admittedly, by the final chorus, it’s absolutely infectious – even if the lyrics are beyond stupid. The verses are about intimacy with their respective significant others, written in the most inoffensive, lovey-dovey way possible, but the chorus is about getting peaches from Georgia, weed from California, and bringing them alongside your wife to Canada to see the Northern Lights. Sure. If that final synth solo in the outro proves anything, it’s that this song should be great and just kind of falls flat due to lack of focus. That’s not to say the song isn’t good though, because I’ll be singing that chorus quietly to myself without realising it for the next week or so. Good job, Bieber.

Conclusion

Best of the Week is actually going to Justin Bieber for “Peaches” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, if only to balance out the fact that he also gets Worst of the Week for “As I Am” featuring Khalid, what a trainwreck. Honourable Mention in that case pretty easily goes to “Headshot” by Lil Tjay, Polo G and Fivio Foreign, but even in a mixed bag week like this, Dishonourable Mention is kind of tough. There’s not a lot to outright dislike here, but I’ll give it to Mooski’s “Track Star” by default. With that said, here’s our top 10:

I can’t really make much prediction for next week other than the drowning out of all of this, although I can see “Peaches” absolutely having some legs. I can safely say Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato will end up here but I’m not as 100% on songs from 24kGoldn or Rod Wave’s albums landing. If the United Kingdom, currently collapsing under our feet, decides to make AJR’s new album chart, I say the Prime Minister gives permission for Scotland to leave while it’s still safe. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week.

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deadcactuswalking · 4 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS 2020: 17/01

I don’t really have an intro for this one so: REVIEWING THE CHARTS 2020. Let’s get into it.

Top 10

At number-one, for the third week in a row, is “Own It” by Stormzy featuring Burna Boy and Ed Sheeran, and honestly I don’t really see a foreseeable threat to this song’s throne, but much like all songs in January, it’s a pretty weak stance and could easily fall to an unexpected climber.

Lewis Capaldi’s “Before You Go” is once again stalling at the runner-up spot.

At number-three, we have a surprise debut from an artist I didn’t think would ever peak this high in the UK, Future, who has partnered with Drake for “Life is Good”, a collaboration that is clenching the top spots on a bunch of charts, I’d imagine, mostly because of Drake. God knows how many top 10 or top 40 singles he has at this point, I’m not going to even bother counting them. Future, on the other hand, has had his highest ever charting song on the UK Singles Chart this week, and his third UK Top 40 single (His first hit in the top 10 ever). Congratulations, I suppose, but we’ll talk about the song a bit later.

Due to the sudden debut, most of the top 10 is falling this week. First of all, “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa is down a spot to number-four.

“The Box” by Roddy Ricch seems to immediately abolish that trend as it has rocketed up 11 spaces in the chart to number-five, perhaps highlighting a possible #1 candidate in the coming weeks. It’s Roddy’s first top 10 hit in the UK.

“ROXANNE” by Arizona Zervas is down two spaces to number-six.

Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” is stable at number-seven for some God forsaken reason.

The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is up two spots to number-eight and with the video release, I could see this peaking even higher.

Justin Bieber’s “Yummy” falls hard off of the debut, being nearly pushed out of the top 10, losing four spaces to number-nine.

Finally, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I is down four spots to #10. Sure.

Climbers

We have a rare week where there are no notable climbers at all outside of the top 10, which is emblematic of a certain period on the chart.

Fallers

In January, popular music repeats itself and the chart regurgitates the biggest hits of the year for a brief month where nothing can seemingly actually make a spin for the top spot or become a smash hit, and everything somehow collapses, and every debut goes nowhere, only to be gone by March. It should be the month where the smash hit songs appear on the charts for the first time, and it usually is, but it definitely never seems like that, as the chart is so dry and after the influx of 2019’s greatest hits, we seem to have reached a new equilibrium, so we can start waving goodbye to our fallers and drop-outs; I doubt we’ll see many of them again. “Ride It” by Regard featuring Jay Sean is down six spots to #16, “South of the Border” by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B is down seven spaces to #24, as is “Gangsta” by Darkoo and One Acen at #26, “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” by Travis Scott and remixed by ROSALIA and Lil Baby is down five to #30, “Senorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello is down five to #35, and finally, “Lights Up” by Harry Styles is down eight positions to #40.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

There aren’t any returning entries, after all, we seldom have too many re-entries to the chart, but there is a handful of dropouts from the chart. First of all, we have the three-songs-per-artist rule coming into effect for the first notable time in a while, as since there’s a new Stormzy song, “Audacity” featuring Headie One is out from #26 and I’m going to predict it’s definitely back next week. Also out is the promising new arrival “Savage” by MIST out off of the debut at #35, non-starter, “Into the Unknown” by Idina Menzel and AURORA from the Frozen II soundtrack, out from #37, and “Heartless” by the Weeknd, out from #38.

Before we get into the new arrivals, here are some songs in the top 75 that have a trajectory seemingly aiming for the top 40, that I’d like to see get there. Not all of these songs are good but they are all healthy predictions. We have “Good News” by the late Mac Miller at #49, “Power Over Me” by Dermot Kennedy at #60, “Say So�� by Doja Cat at #65, “SUGAR” by BROCKHAMPTON at #66, “Eleven” by Khalid at #70, and “Roses” by Saint Jhn at #72. I’d bet money on most of these eventually making the top 40. Anyway, here’s the main attraction:

NEW ARRIVALS

#37 – “You should be sad” – Halsey

Produced by Greg Kurstin

It should be no surprise that I’m not the biggest fan of Halsey. Part of her alternative-pop-girl image was really pretentious and turned me off initially but once she fully embraced she was a pop singer, whilst I respect her more, I still found her lacking, arguably more so, as a singer and songwriter. This song, however, is pretty unique, and it comes from her album Manic, which I’ve yet to listen to. It’s a country song, funnily enough right next to the only other country song that made a big splash in the UK last year, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, which is at #36. It’s not a common occurrence for country songs to appear on the UK Singles Chart, for obvious reasons, but I’ll take a Shania Twain-influenced country pop song dependent on more neo-traditional 90s pedal-steel—Listen, I know little to nothing about country, and I’m throwing all these random key terms around... I’m not necessarily the best person to speak on this, and I know that, but I guess I’ll see if I myself prefer Halsey’s ninth UK top 40 hit. For what it’s worth, the guitar line here is really sweet, but Halsey’s voice with an additional country twang and drowned in reverb, just sounds kind of gross and ugly? I guess that’s the best way to say it, and even though sometimes it works, she seems way too downbeat and subtle for a vengeful kiss-off... until the entire flow of the verse obstructs for the chorus, which is introduced by a really dodgy, awkward wave of distorted strings that just sound awful. Whatever tone, genre, style or mood this song attempts to build up is immediately broken by that, and whilst some of these lyrics are really specific and genuinely pretty good, I’m tuned out until that killer electric guitar riff comes in and steals the show... before it just goes again. It’s not like there’s build-up to the riff either, or that it’s a break from the momentum because everything just keeps happening in the background. It’s not a drop because there’s no climax or catharsis to it, it’s just a cool riff that’s... there. Yeah, this is wasted potential, and that’s not even including the questionable at best mixing and whatever the hell that bridge is. This song might actually be broken, like what happened in the mediating process, guys? Who leant on seven wrong buttons at the same time? God, what a hot mess of a song.

#28 – “Rare” – Selena Gomez

Produced by Sir Nolan and Simon Says

Selena Gomez has a new album. It’s where “Lose You to Love Me” comes from. It’s probably pretty mediocre. I do not care for Selena Gomez. She makes robot pop music. It is about as standard and droning as these sentences. This is her 16th solo UK top 40 hit, or without “the Scene” if you prefer—that clause alone gives me more character than a Selena Gomez album. Sometimes with good songwriters, she can get something decent out of her limited range and bland production, and with Madison Love as a songwriter and Charli XCX involved as the person originally handed the song, I actually have somewhat high expectations for this, and you know what? It’s promising. The lo-fi bass groove and steady funk/soul groove in the intro is pretty sweet, but then the whole 2019 pop schtick comes in, and some of the soul is lost, but it has a pretty quirky, fun string instrumental with nice, bubbly synths and seemingly randomly-placed hi-hats. Here, Gomez actually works pretty well as she stays calm until the chorus, and she doesn’t sound too bad there, even if she’s desperately filling up the meter with nonsense, because it does sound like a child’s nursery rhyme. Hence, she fits in perfectly with the petty lyrics and cute instrumental. The guitar in the post-chorus/bridge sounds really great too. Perhaps it is over-long though, as three minutes and 40 seconds does make the chorus wear off, although it really could not have been as good as a song without that bridge, as the slow sense of dread is keeping up in the pre-chorus, with that intense bass groove and what seem to be airplane crash sound effects, only to propel itself back into a really cute chorus, with kind of an 80s sound I’m just noticing. Yeah, this is pretty good, and it has Charli XCX kind of written all over it. I’d like to hear a remix if that’s fine with you, Selena. You’ve impressed me with this one.

#21 – “STILL DISAPPOINTED” – Stormzy

Produced by Mikey J

This is Stormzy’s 22nd UK Top 40 hit and Christ, there’s a lot to unpack with this one. Okay, so this is the 2019-2020 Grime War, or at least that’s what r/grime is calling it. There have been 32 rappers or MCs involved in the war so far, including Ed Sheeran, but most are just mentioned in diss tracks, or “dubs” as the grime scene calls them, without responding. Basically, JAY1, who has been on this show before, didn’t pay Dot Rotten for producing the song “Million Bucks”, which was credited to Steel Banglez (It’s actually a great beat, by the way, I’d want credit too), so Dot Rotten released three dubs, one of which was copyright-claimed by JAY1, thus in response Dot released another song called “Copyright Claim This, P***y”. Classy. Then two of the most desperate-for-attention people in the grime scene find themselves dissing each other: Dot Rotten and Wiley. Within four days, Dot Rotten releases eight dubs. There’s this whole mess with Wiley, Dot and Jaykae, but then finally, a fan asks if he will be dissing Jaykae. Wiley says, “Never, he’s with Ed and Stormzy now”. Hence, Wiley and Stormzy go back and forth for a while on Twitter, and the beef escalates, with Wiley posting a Stormzy dub called “Eeydiat Skengman”, which is just okay, but has a pretty killer beat. Stormzy responds with “DISAPPOINTED”, but the reception is lukewarm. Sure, the Brexit joke was funny, but he had mostly weak bars and he also called himself the King of Grime over a drill beat. In fact, might as well cover all the Wiley tracks: they all sound the same. The beef has mostly stopped for now, but it’s still going on in the lower echelon. I would argue it probably stopped because of Stormzy’s final dub, “STILL DISAPPOINTED”, which is hilarious, and actually on a grime beat, in fact it’s on an iconic beat from the first Lord of the Mics in 2004, “Mic Check 1-2” by Kano. It starts out pretty okay, Stormzy just saying that he’s a real G and all... but then:

So why you love to talk about mums so much?

The entire diss track is about Wiley’s mother, and that when Wiley’s house was threatened by bricks and guns during gang violence, he (supposedly) sent her to Cyprus instead of trying to rescue her and improving her quality of life. He then says that his mother is pregnant because Wiley is fraud (Huh?), that Stormzy will have sex with his mother, and that she is a whore, but it’s not her fault that she had to move to Cyprus, but he will still have sex with his mother and become the man of the house. He takes only a few bars to relax and stop going on this tangent detailing Wiley’s mother’s move to Cyprus, but then comes back to the topic again, and whilst some of the bars make seemingly no sense at least to me, the dub is cruel and so oddly specific that I’d be incredibly offended. I’d probably want to fight Stormzy after this, honestly, and the song isn’t even that great. It’s a diss track, so I can’t really critique it as a song and not a personal attack, but Stormzy’s flow and charisma is definitely there and this was a funny listen.

Also, this line had me cackling:

I never wanna hear you say, "Free the mandem" (Yeah) / Let's go Cyprus and go free your mumzy

#3 – “Life is Good” – Future and Drake

Produced by OZ and D. Hill

It is so weird to see Future here. Drake not so much obviously, but this song peaked at #2 in the US, nearly giving Future his first #1, all thanks to Drake. Without Drake, the song would still be entirely coherent but it wouldn’t chart at all. That’s because this is not a collaboration in any sense of the word. It wouldn’t even fit under the guise of their little collaborative effort, What a Time to be Alive. It’s a Drake song, and then a Future song. Hold on, let me change this.

#3 – “Life is Good” – Drake, then Future

Produced by OZ and D. Hill

I don’t mind guest artists having solo sections of songs, hell, Drake had one on Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE” a year back, but there’s a beat switch in the middle that completely separates both performances. Drake has a chorus, as does Future. Drake has a verse, Future has two—under two completely separate beats. At least on “SICKO MODE”, Travis joined in with Drake and Tay Keith for a verse and a couple ad-libs under the same beat. Sigh, I guess it doesn’t matter in the end, even though Future cheated a chart placement; it’s not as obviously fraudulent as Ellie Goulding’s efforts, or John Legend’s. I’m surprised that a plain and simple trap-rap song charted this high in the first place, even if it was just Drake (And for most people who skip after the first two minutes, it might as well be). I don’t know why I’m complaining honestly, because the song is honestly pretty good. I would have usually dismissed this as dark trap-rap nonsense with no redeemable qualities, but this is one of those songs with such a lack of energy it’s almost eerie, and those creepy synths in Drake’s part are fantastic in making it sound like that. Repeating inflections from “Mob Ties” aside, Drake’s performance is pretty good, with a couple funny lines, although I’m not sure how intentionally funny they were.

Haven’t done my taxes, I’m too turnt up

[Gnarly dude]s caught me slippin’ once, okay, so what?

I think Pusha T’s diss track about you hiding a child was a bit more than being caught slipping once, Aubrey. Anyway, after a voice memo interlude from Future, we have a pretty great beat, with an admittedly stiff but still impressive trap groove, and while Future is less on beat than Drake and arguably less interesting, he rides the beat well enough, and the synths are really quiet, for whatever reason. Regardless, this is a pretty cool song with great flows from both rappers and an eerie, cool beat from OZ.

I’m trying to avoid nonsense, get Osama spray in this b****, woo!

HUH

Conclusion

This was actually a pretty great week, with the obvious Worst of the Week going to Halsey’s “You should be sad”, and a surprising Best of the Week for “Rare” by Selena Gomez. In fact, I’m going to give a tied Honourable Mention instead of any Dishonourable Mentions, so it’s going to Stormzy’s “STILL DISAPPOINTED” and Drake’s, then Future’s, “Life is Good”. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank, I’ll see you next week.

REVIEWING THE CHARTS 2020

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