Greatest Hits of 2015

Attention!!!

2015 was an awesome year for music in terms of quality as well as genre. Although the year was heavily influenced by R&B, compared to the Pop filled 2014, the year produced brilliant hits. There was Reggae, EDM, Minimal House, Rock, Pop, Country, Rap, Doo-Wop and the newbie Trap which made its ascent to the mainstream scene. The titans of the industry Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Adele, Drake and Wiz Khalifa battled head to head for the top position on the charts and boy bands and girl groups also enjoyed commercial success for instance Little Mix, One Direction, Fifth Harmony and 5 Seconds of Summer. 

The year belonged to Taylor Swift with her crossover album 1989 enjoying monumental success with four top 10 hits and two chart toppers during the year. Blank Space which was No.12 last time on the list is No.6 this year. This along with Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud (15-13) are the only singles to be included from 2014. Swift and The Weeknd each have three entries on the list with Justin Bieber accumulating a whopping four entries including his feature on Skrillex & Diplo's Where Are U Now. Bieber has all four hits within the Top 25 while The Weeknd has all three of his hits within the Top 20. Meghan Trainor, Charlie Puth, Jess Glynne and Demi Lovato all have two singles each on the chart.

Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars' record breaking global smash hit Uptown Funk grabs the crown on the year end list with Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth's See You Again off the Furious 7 soundtrack at No.2. Adele's comeback hit Hello is at No.3 and would have surely ended at the top if it was not released so late in the year. Soundtracks were quite successful as can be seen from the Furious 7 theme song and similar success was enjoyed by Fifty Shades of Grey wherein it contained the hits Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding and Earned It by The Weeknd. 

The year was a good year for dance music with Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MO's Lean On becoming a worldwide hit as well as hits by Calvin Harris, Skrillex, Avicii, Diplo and Zedd. We see Trap being incorporated to Rap, EDM as well as Pop. Fetty Wap enjoyed immense commercial and critical acclaim with his Trap Queen enjoying top positions in the charts worldwide. David Guetta has incorporated Trap into his current music. Alternative Rock had hits by Fall Out Boy, Hozier, X Ambassadors, WALK THE MOON and Elle King. After the breakthrough of MAGIC!'s Rude in 2014 we see Reggae becoming a contemporary mainstream genre with OMI's Cheerleader and R.City's Locked Away. 

Teenyboppers such as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas all proved that they are much more than social media icons and celebrities and proved with their new albums that they have the vocals as well as the talent to produce mega hits. New artists such as The Weeknd, Rachel Platten, Jesse Glynne, Years & Years and James Bay blew us away with their awesome songs and their deliverance. So without further ado here are the top 50 greatest hits of 2015:
  1. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – Uptown funk
  2. Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth – See you again
  3. Adele – Hello
  4. The Weeknd – Can’t feel my face
  5. Taylor Swift – Blank space
  6. Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MO – Lean on
  7. Justin Bieber – What do you mean?
  8. OMI – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
  9. Ellie Goulding – Love me like you do
  10. Hozier – Take me to church
  11. Justin Bieber – Sorry
  12. The Weeknd – The hills
  13. Ed Sheeran – Thinking out loud
  14. Fetty Wap – Trap queen
  15. Lost Frequencies – Are you with me
  16. Jason Derulo – Want to want me
  17. Rachel Platten – Fight song
  18. Maroon 5 – Sugar
  19. The Weeknd – Earned it
  20. WALK THE MOON – Shut up and dance
  21. Justin Bieber – Love yourself
  22. Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar – Bad blood
  23. Skrillex & Diplo ft. Justin Bieber – Where are u now
  24. Little Mix – Black magic
  25. Years & Years – King
  26. Jess Glynne – Hold my hand
  27. One Direction – Drag me down
  28. James Bay – Hold back the river
  29. Meghan Trainor – Lips are movin’
  30. David Guetta ft. Bebe Rexha, Nicki Minaj & Afrojack – Hey mama
  31. Silento – Watch me (whip/nae nae)
  32. Calvin Harris with Disciples – How deep is your love
  33. Nick Jonas – Jealous
  34. Natalie La Rose ft. Jeremih – Somebody
  35. Fifth Harmony ft. Kid Ink – Worth it
  36. Flo Rida ft. Sage the Gemini & Lookas – G.D.F.R.
  37. R. City ft. Adam Levine – Locked away
  38. Drake – Hotline bling
  39. Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney – FourFiveSeconds
  40. Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato – Up
  41. Charlie Puth ft. Meghan Trainor – Marvin Gaye
  42. Selena Gomez ft. A$AP Rocky – Good for you
  43. Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes
  44. Taylor Swift – Style
  45. Demi Lovato – Cool for the summer
  46. Sheppard – Geronimo
  47. Carly Rae Jepsen – I really like you
  48. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Downtown  
  49. Tinie Tempah ft. Jess Glynne – Not letting go
  50. LunchMoney Lewis – Bills 
Till next year...

At Ease!!!

Most Popular Christmas Songs of All Time

Attention!!!

Christmas celebrates the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. However, Christmas is no longer traditional as in the recent past it has become extremely commercialized. Christmas Carols are those hymns and songs which are sung during the feast, whose lyrics are based on the incidents surrounding the birth of Christ including the Annunciation, Adoration of the Shepherds, Star of Bethlehem, Visit of the Magi and the Massacre of the Innocents and those involved in the birth such Virgin Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, the Shepherds and the Three Kings. 

Carols must necessarily be related to the birth of Jesus Christ and all others which are not relevant to His birth such as those ones about Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer are Christmas songs which are sung and played during the holiday season. Every year we now have more and more Christmas songs being released and we see less and less of Christmas carols being composed by the contemporary artists. The same old carol is covered time and again by artists instead of taking the effort to produce one on their own. A similar trend is taking place in relation to Christmas songs which are now considered as Christmas classics and even sung at Christmas masses and carol services, for instance Jingle Bells, Little Drummer Boy, Morning Has Broken and Deck the Halls.

Jingle Bells is definitely the most popular Christmas song of all time, followed by We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Deck The Halls coming in at a close third. So here are the 75 Most Popular Christmas Songs of All Time. The song is highlighted in bold, while the best version of the song appears first followed by the writer/composer and the year of origin within the brackets. So Merry Christmas soldiers and have a Happy New Year.
  1. Jingle bells (Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters/James Lord Pierpoint, 1857)
  2. We wish you a merry Christmas (Kenny G/West Country of England, 19th Century)
  3. Deck the halls (SHeDAISY/16th Century, Lyrics by Thomas Oliphant, 1862)
  4. Silver bells (Neil Diamond /Jay Livinston & Ray Evans, 1950)
  5. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer (Gene Autry & The Pinafores/Johnny Marks, 1949)
  6. Winter wonderland (Macy Gray /Felix Bernard & Richard B. Smith, 1934)
  7. Santa Claus is coming to town (The Jackson 5/J.F. Coots & Haven Gillespie, 1934)
  8. Here comes Santa Claus (Elvis Presley/Gene Autry & Oakley Haldeman, 1947)
  9. White Christmas (Bing Crosby /Irving Berlin, 1940)
  10. Sleigh ride (Johnny Mathis/Leroy Andersobn & Mitchell Parish, 1950)
  11. Little drummer boy (David Bowie & Bing Cosby/Bowie & Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman & Alan Kohan, 1982)
  12. Rockin’ around the Christmas tree (Jessica Simpson/Johnny Marks, 1958)
  13. Jingle bell rock (Hilary Duff/Joe Beale & Jim Boothe, 1957)
  14. Feliz Navidad (Boney M/Jose Feliciano, 1970)
  15. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! (Bing Crosby/Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne, 1945)
  16. Blue Christmas (Elvis Presley/Billy Hayes & Jay W. Johnson, 1964)
  17. The twelve days of Christmas (Burl Ives & Percy Faith and his Orchestra/Frederick Austin, 1909)
  18. The Christmas song (Nat King Cole/Robert Wells & Mel Torme, 1944)
  19. Frosty the Snowman (Johnny Mathis/Walter Jack Rollins & Steve Nelson, 1950)
  20. I saw mummy kissing Santa Claus (Jane Krakowski/Tommie Connor, 1952)
  21. O Christmas tree (Boney M/Ernst Anschutz, 1824)
  22. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas (Johnny Mathis/Meredith Wilson, 1951)
  23. Santa Baby (The Pussycat Dolls/Joan Javits & Philip Springer, 1953)
  24. Have yourself a merry little Christmas (Judy Garland/Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane, 1943)
  25. Up on the housetop (Kimberly Locke/Benjamin Hanby, 1864)
  26. I wish it could be Christmas everyday (A*Teens/Roy Wood, 1973)
  27. It’s the most wonderful time of the year (Garth Brooks/Edward Pola & George Wyle, 1963)
  28. Happy Xmas (War is over) (Neil Diamond/John Lennon, 1971)
  29. All I want for Christmas is you (Mariah Carey/Carey & Walter Alfanasieff, 1994)
  30. Last Christmas (Wham!/George Michael, 1983)
  31. Morning has broken (Neil Diamond/Scottish tune, Lyrics by Eleanor Farjean, 1931)
  32. Must be Santa (Tommy Steele/Hal Moore & Bill Fredericks, 1960)
  33. I’ll be home for Christmas (Bing Crosby/Kim Gannon & Walter Kent, 1943)
  34. Parade of the wooden soldiers (Don Janse & The Disneyland Children’s Chorus/Leon Jessel, 1897)
  35. All I want for Christmas (is my two front teeth) (Spike Jones & His City Slickers/Donald Yetter Gardner, 1944)
  36. Wonderful Christmastime (Paul McCartney/McCartney, 1979)
  37. Merry Christmas everyone (Shakin’ Stevens/Bob Heatlie, 1984)
  38. Merry Christmas polka (Jim Reeves/Willie Phelps, 1950)
  39. Grandma got run over by a reindeer (Elmo & Patsy/Randy Brooks, 1979)
  40. Do they know it’s Christmas? (Band Aid/Bob Geldof & Midge Ure, 1984)
  41. Merry Christmas, happy holidays (N’Sync/JC Chasez, Veit Renn, Justin Timberlake, 1998)
  42. Mistletoe and wine (Cliff Richard/ Jeremy Paul, Leslie Stewart & Keith Strachan, 1988)
  43. Fairy tale of New York (The Pogues/Jem Finer & Shane MacGowan, 1987)
  44. The magic of Christmas day (God bless us everyone) (Celine Dion/Dee Snider, 1998)
  45. My only wish (this year) (Britney Spears/Brian Kierulf, Josh Schwartz & Spears, 2000)
  46. Little Saint Nick (The Beach Boys/Brian Wilson & Mike Love, 1963)
  47. River (Barry Manilow/Joni Mitchell, 1971)
  48. Baby, it’s cold outside (Dolly Parton & Rod Stewart/Frank Loesser, 1944)
  49. Run, run, Rudolph (Chuck Berry/Johnny Marks & Marvin Brodie, 1958)
  50. An old Christmas card (Jim Reeves/Vaughn Horton, 1962)
  51. A holly jolly Christmas (Burl Ives/Johnny Marks, 1964)
  52. (There’s no place like) home for the holidays (Perry Como/Al Stillman & Robert Allen, 1954)
  53. As long as there’s Christmas (Paige O’ Hara/Rachel Portman & Don Black, 1997)
  54. You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch (Thurl Ravenscroft/ Albert Hague & Eugene Poddany, 1966)
  55. C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S (Jim Reeves/Eddy Arnold & Jenny Lou Carson, 1949)
  56. Nuttin’ for Christmas (Eartha Kitt/Sid Pepper & Roy C. Bennett, 1955)
  57. I want a hippopotamus for Christmas (Gayla Peevey/John Rox, 1953)
  58. Santa Claus Lane (Hilary Duff/Matthew Gerrard, Charlie Midnight, Bridget Benenate & Jay Landers, 2002)
  59. Senor Santa Claus (Jim Reeves/Lawton Williams, 1962)
  60. Please come home for Christmas (Charles Brown/Brown & Gene Redd, 1960)
  61. Santa tell me (Ariana Grande/Ilya Salmanzadeh, Savan Kotecha & Grande, 2014)
  62. Petit papa noel (Boney M/Raymond Vincy & Henri Martinet, 1946)
  63. (Everybody’s waitin’ for) the man with the bag (Vonda Shepard/Kay Starr, 1950)
  64. Santa Claus got stuck in my chimney (Lisa Nicole Carson/William Hardy & Billy Moore, 1950)
  65. Darkness is falling (Boney M/Fred Jay & Helmut Rulofs, 1978)
  66. Mistletoe (Justin Bieber/Bieber, Nasr Atweh & Adam Messinger, 2011)
  67. 8 days of Christmas (Destiny’s Child/Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland & E.McCalla Jr., 2001)
  68. Merry Xmas everybody (Slade/Noddy Holder & Jim Lea, 1973)
  69. I heard the bells on Christmas day (Bing Crosby/H.W. Longfellow, 1863)
  70. Christmas all over again (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers/Petty, 1992)
  71. Christmas lights (Coldplay/Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, 2010)
  72. Underneath the tree (Kelly Clarkson/Clarkson & Greg Kurstin, 2013)
  73. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas don’t be late) (The Chipmunks/David Seville, 1958)
  74. Pretty Paper (Roy Orbison/Willie Nelson, 1963)
  75. This gift (98 Degrees/1998)
Till the next season...

At Ease!!!

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS ~ King of Latin Pop ~

Attention!!!

All Sri Lankan Latin Pop fans are waiting excitedly for the reigning king to take the stage this December. So it is high time that I do a review of his songs before his arrival. Enrique Iglesias is the most popular best selling artist to perform in Sri Lanka. Although artists such as Bryan Adams, UB40, Sean Paul and Olivia Newton-John have all performed here, none of them trump Iglesias in terms of success. Iglesias has been in the music scene for almost two decades and still going strong. To get down to the nitty-gritty details, Iglesias has released ten studio albums, five compilation albums, forty-six singles, and forty-one music videos. He is one of the best live performers and also one of the most influential artists at present in the world. 
Enrique
Iglesias began his career in Spanish and released three Spanish studio albums - Enrique Iglesias, Vivir and Cosas Del Amor - with immense success in the Latin countries. However, it was Enrique his debut English studio album which launched his international career. It produced the global smash hits Bailamos and Be With You as well as hits such as Rhythm Divine and Could I Have This Kiss Forever a collaboration with Whitney Houston. This album was more or less heavily Latin Pop based with the beat, style and rhythm all corresponding to the genre. 
Escape
Then we have his second English studio album Escape which charted within the top five in most countries, peaking in UK, Canada and Australia while reaching No.2 on the US Billboard 200. Through this Iglesias managed to appeal to a wider audience by inculcating more pop elements. It produced the mega hits Hero and Escape as well as minor hits such as Don't Turn Off The Lights and Love To See You Cry.

Mixing it up, Iglesias next released another Spanish album - Quizás, which won him a Latin Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Album. It produced the Latin hits Mentiroso, Quizás and Para Qué La Vida all of which topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks Chart.
7
Insomniac














Then we see Iglesias' descent in terms of appealing to the mainstream as he failed to produce extremely successful hits from his next two albums - 7 and Insomniac. These were a mishmash of genres with Iglesias attempting to keep up with the changing times and the mainstream music taste by incorporating R&B and Synthpop into his music and failing monumentally. From 7 he released Addicted and Not In Love featuring Kelis and from Insomniac he released Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song) and Tired Of Being Sorry featuring Nadiya and although not commercially successful still fan favourites - Push featuring Lil Wayne and Somebody's Me. Then we have his compilation album - Greatest Hits, which included the new single Takin' Back My Love featuring Ciara which became a minor hit worldwide.
Greatest Hits
Euphoria














Then in 2010, Iglesias finally made his much anticipated comeback with his first bilingual album - Euphoria. For this he collaborated with RedOne, the producer who was behind the success of Lady Gaga, Kat Deluna and so many other artists who produced hit singles in the latter part of the 2000s. I Like It featuring Pitbull was the lead single off the album which was a major hit across the Americas, Europe and Asia. This was followed by Heartbeat featuring Nicole Scherzinger, Dirty Dancer featuring Usher and Lil Wayne and the dance anthem Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You) featuring Ludacris & DJ Frank E. The album was heavily based in Electropop and Dancepop incorporating elements of House. The contrast between the English and Latin singles are quite clear and we see that Iglesias has finally found his niche.
Sex and Love
With his next album Sex and Love which is also bilingual, Iglesias proved that he is quite capable of evolving as well as maintaining his Latin roots. The first single off the album released in 2012, Finally Found You featuring Sammy Adams was a minor hit and this was followed by Turn The Night Up, Heart Attack and I'm A Freak featuring Pitbull which were all minor hits. In this album it was evident that Iglesias had stressed more quality on his Latin tracks and with his next single Bailando featuring Sean Paul, Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona he proved that he is in fact the King of Latin Pop. Bailando reigned for a record breaking 41 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks Chart. It's video went viral and became one of the most watched videos of the year. More recently Iglesias collaborated with Nicky Jam on the hit El Perdon which was also a major Latin Hit.

Some of his other good songs in no particular order include:
  • Ring my bells
  • You're my #1 
  • Dev - Naked (featured)
  • No me degas que no (ft.Wisin & Yandel)
  • Pitbull - Come n' go (featured)
  • I like how it feels (ft.Pitbull & The WAV.s)
  • Beautiful (ft. Kylie Minogue)
  • I have always loved you
  • El Perdedor (ft.Marco Antonio Solis)
Iglesias has sold over 137 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling Latin artists ever. Iglesias has scored over 150 number-one hits across all of the Billboard charts and he has had five Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, including two number-ones, and holds the record for producing 26 number-one Spanish-language singles on the Billboard '​s Hot Latin Tracks. He also holds the record for most number-one hits and the longest running number-one hit on that chart. Iglesias also has 13 number-ones on Billboard's Dance charts, more than any other male artist. He is also the best selling Latin artist in the UK and the best selling international artist in India. He has won about 200 awards from various ceremony including 23 Billboard Music Awards (with 9 times nomination) and 36 Billboard Latin Music Awards (with 45 times nomination), as well as 7 American Music Awards (with 6 times nomination), 1 Grammys (with 3 times nomination), 5 Latin Grammys (with 4 times nomination), 10 World Music Awards (with 2 times nomination) and 6 MTV awards.

And so now we wait for Iglesias to return to the studio and perform his magic and deliver that perfect mix of Latin Pop modernized with EDM, Electropop and Hip-Hop to suit our dance floors. All hail the king!!!
Till the next review...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs About Being Sorry/Ultimate Apology Playlist

Attention!!!

Sorry seems to be the hardest word since no one wants to give in. If you cannot admit that you have wronged a person and cannot express it with words, why not sing about it. There are many songs about forgiveness, some are about apologizing to another, while others are about how a person who has wronged you cannot be forgiven. With the recent emergence of global hits from the likes of Adele, Justin Bieber and Enrique Iglesias, it is definitely time for an ultimate apology playlist. Adele's record breaking smash hit Hello takes the crown, with Justin Bieber's equally titanic single Sorry takes second place. At third place is Evanescence's emotional unreleased single Forgive Me. Pop rules the roost in terms of genre with just a few Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop and R&B songs. So here are the top 30 songs about being sorry:
  1. Adele – Hello
  2. Justin Bieber – Sorry
  3. Evanescence – Forgive me
  4. OneRepublic – Apologize
  5. Bryan Adams – Please forgive me
  6. Willie Nelson – Always on my mind
  7. Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias – El Perdón (forgiveness)
  8. Chicago – Hard to say I’m sorry
  9. Elton John – Sorry seems to be the hardest word
  10. Akon – Sorry, blame it on me
  11. Coldplay – The scientist
  12. Hoobastank – The reason
  13. Taylor Swift – Back to December
  14. The Jackson 5 – Want you back
  15. Madonna – Sorry
  16. Nirvana – All apologies
  17. T.I. ft. Andre 3000 – Sorry
  18. Jason Derulo – Whatcha say
  19. Britney Spears – Everytime
  20. Akcent ft. Sandra N – I’m sorry
  21. Weezer – Butterfly
  22. Sarah McLachlan – Forgiveness
  23. The Corrs – Forgiven not forgotten
  24. Leona Lewis – Forgive me
  25. Shawn Colvin – I’ll say I’m sorry now
  26. Anita Baker – I’m sorry
  27. Feist – So sorry
  28. Ruben Studdard – Sorry 2004
  29. Chris Brown – Apologize
  30. Flyleaf – I’m sorry 
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - November, 2015

Attention!!!

Yes, one more month till the year ends and what a year it has been. While we eagerly await the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015 and the Biggest Songs of 2015 in the UK let's look at what happened in November.

First, we have the coronation of Like Mike & Dmitri Vegas as the world's No.1 DJ. Ending the reign of Hardwell after two years at the helm, the not-so-mainstream duo take over as the EDM world has elected its leader. The winner is chosen after a year long poll on the DJ Mag Top 100. The Top 10 are as follows:
  1. Like Mike & Dmitri Vegas
  2. Hardwell
  3. Martin Garrix
  4. Armin Van Buuren
  5. Tiesto
  6. Davig Guetta
  7. Avicci
  8. Afrojack
  9. Skrillex
  10. Steve Aoki
Next up, we have the 2015 Country Music Association Awards (CMA Awards) which was held on November, 04 2015 at the Bridgestone Arena, Nashville. It was Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town's big night as he won three awards including New Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Traveller and Male Vocalist of the Year and Little Big Town won Single of the Year and Song of the Year for Girl Crush and Vocal Group of the Year. Luke Bryan took away the coveted Entertainer of the Year for the second consecutive time. Other significant wins include:
  • Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert 
  • Best Music Video of the Year: Madde & Tae - Girl in s country song
  • Musical Event of the Year: Keith Urban & Eric Church - Raise 'em up
  • Vocal Duo of the Year: Florida Georgia Line 
More recently, we had the 2015 American Music Awards hosted by Jennifer Lopez. To start the night with a big bang there was a less than mediocre attempt by Jennifer Lopez with a messy medley of the best songs of the year. However, there were awesome performances by The Weekend with The Hills, Selena Gomez with Same Old Love, Meghan Trainor and Charlie Puth with a medley of Like I'm Gonna Lose You and Marvin Gaye and Justin Bieber with a medley of What Do You Mean?, Where Are U Now and Sorry. Taylor Swift was unsurprisingly the big winner of the night with three wins including Song of the Year for Blank Space, Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 1989 and Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist. One Direction took away the Artist of the Year while Sam Hunt won the New Artist of the Year. Other winners include:
  • Collaboration of the Year: Diplo & Skrillex ft. Justin Bieber - Where are u now
  • Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist - Ed Sheeran
  • Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist - Ariana Grande
  • Favorite Pop/Rock Duo or Group - One Direction 
  • Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist - Nicki Minaj
  • Favorite Alternative Rock Artist - Fall Out Boy
  • Favorite Electronic Dance Music Artist - Calvin Harris
  • Top Soundtrack - Pitch Perfect 2  
The BRIT Critics have spoken. Jack Garratt was chosen after he along with Izzy Bisu and Frances were shortlisted from 100 artists for the prestigious award.This award is now one of the surest predictors of commercial success as it has proven time and again with past winners such as Adele, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith, Jessie J and James Bay. 

Welcome back Adele is all that we can say for the charts around the world as the British singer's comeback hit which is also the lead single off her new studio album 25 reached the top in 28 countries. Hello's video also achieved several milestones as it broke the Vevo record for most views within 24-hours by accumulating 27.7 million views surpassing the 20.1 million views held by Taylor Swift's Bad Blood.

Whilst The Weeknd's The Hills managed to stay at the helm for the first week of November, Adele ruled the roost for the remainder of the month with Hello. Along with Hello, Justin Bieber's new single Sorry also entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No.2. The following week we see Ariana Grande's new single Focus debuting at No.7. With her newest hit, Grande becomes the first artist to have her debut single from her first three albums to chart within the Top 10. Meanwhile, Meghan Trainor ft. John Legend's Like I'm Gonna Lose You and Elle King's Ex's and Oh's also entered the Top 10.

In the UK, Adele's Hello debuted at the top in the first week and remained there for the first three weeks with record breaking sales. Her comeback became the biggest UK chart-topper in three years, as well as setting a new one-week streaming record, racking up over 7.32 million listens in its first week available. It is also the fastest selling song of the year. Meanwhile, Bieber's Sorry struggled at No.2 for three weeks after which it overthrew Hello in the final week to claim the top spot. Meanwhile, MNEK & Zara Larsson's Never Forget You peaked at No.5 and Fleur East's Sax peaked at No.3 during the month.

Other songs which became popular during the month are:
  • Jess Glynne - Take me home
  • Justin Bieber - I'll show you
  • WSTRN - In2
  • Demi Lovato - Confident
  • Alessia Cara - Here
  • Rudimental ft. Ed Sheeran - Lay it all on me
  • Thomas Rhett - Die a happy man  
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs about Anti-Racism/Non-Discrimination

Attention!!!

Are we not all guilty of racial profiling? In the wake of the terrible rise of ISIS, we see the gradual slow but steady ascension of racism. Discrimination is only skin deep, but not all of us are colour blind. The Holocaust was a horror for all of us, not just the Jews which suffocated in the gas chambers. The massacres and genocide in the name of purifying regions and nations has become a contemporary nightmare around the world, particularly in Africa and Asia. That does not in anyway mean that in the elitist areas of the developed Western world, that bigotry is dead. For those of African descent with dark skin have suffered immense discrimination at the hands of those with white skin, especially in the Americas. 

The root cause of racism is the mistrust among communities and terror outfits such as LTTE and ISIS have paved the way for certain ethnicities being classified and profiled as terrorists. The ugly truth is that the violent separatism advocated by the Tamil Tigers and the incessant Jihadist butchery of the IS militants have lead the world to stereotype these communities. #SayNoToRacism is a slogan popularized by activists, mainstream and social media these days. However, it is relevant to note how much of it has had an actual effect. 

Music has over the years dealt with many issues and non-discrimination is an area which it has touched upon, although there is no significant number. Bob Marley and the Wailers' War takes the crown as the Rastafarian sings bravely about the equal rights for different races. Michael Jackson with his 90s hit Black or White takes second place and the King of Pop is the only one to have two entries on the list. At a close third is Eddy Grant's Gimme Hope Jo'anna which refers to the Apartheid which prevailed in South Africa. There is no typical genre as it varies from pop and rock to reggae and rap. So here are the Top 25 songs about anti-racism and non-discrimination:
  1. Bob Marley and the Wailers – War
  2. Michael Jackson – Black or white
  3. Eddy Grant – Gimme hope Jo’anna
  4. Vanessa Williams – Colours of the wind
  5. Billie Holiday – Strange fruit
  6. Lady Gaga – Born this way
  7. Bob Dylan – Hurricane 
  8. Black Eyed Peas – Where is the love?
  9. John Legend & Common – Glory
  10. John Lennon – Imagine
  11. B.o.B. ft. Taylor Swift – Both of us
  12. Sam Cooke – A change is gonna come
  13. Race Against The Machine – Killing in the name
  14. Boyzone – A different beat
  15. Sly and the Family Stone – Everyday people
  16. Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder – Ebony and ivory
  17. En Vogue – Free your mind
  18. Jay-Z – 99 Problems
  19. Michael Jackson – They don’t care about us
  20. Gwen Stefani – Long way to go
  21. Aerosmith – Livin’ on the edge
  22. Cher – Half-breed
  23. Red Hot Chili Peppers – The power of equality 
  24. 2Pac ft. Pogo – I don’t give a fuck
  25. Scatman John – Scatman’s world 
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - October, 2015

Attention!!!

Country Music's biggest night is just a few days away. The 2015 Country Music Association Awards or CMAs for short is to be held on November 4, 2015 hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley for the eighth consecutive year. Some of the biggest names in the industry have been nominated. Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton and Kelsea Ballerini are vying for the New Artist of the Year. It's a big battle among the contenders for Song of the Year - Kenny Chesney's American Kids, Little Big Town's Girl Crush, Lee Brice's I Don't Dance, Sam Hunt's Take Your Time and Eric Church's Talladega. All the heavyweights in the industry such as Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line, Zac Brown Band, Kacey Musgraves, Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood are all nominated. 

Next up we have the American Music Awards to be held on November 22, 2015 hosted by none other than Jennifer Lopez. Taylor Swift leads the nominations with 6 including Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Song of the Year. Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd have been each nominated 5 times while Nicki Minaj, Meghan Trainor and Sam Smith have been nominated four times. Swift, who has 16 career AMAs to her name (three of which are artist of the year honors), is a sweep away from eclipsing Whitney Houston as the AMAs' most decorated artist. Song of the Year can be anyone's guess as radio favorites like Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's See You Again, Uptown Funk! by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars, Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud and The Weeknd's Can’t Feel My Face and Swift's Blank Space face off. 

Moreover, Swift's Blank Space video has become the most watched video on VEVO surpassing Justin Bieber's Baby which previously held the record having garnered more than 1 billion views. Swift's milestones do not end there as there are whispers and whiffs of the contenders for the 2016 Grammys with Swift leading the way. With the eligibility period for the Grammys (September 30, 2015) behind us, now its going to be all about the Grammys. The contenders for the Album of the Year include Swift's 1989, The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, and Foo Fighters' Sonic Highways. 

For Record of the Year we have so many contenders but which one will get the nod. Uptown Funk!, Thinking Out Loud, Can't Feel My Face, Blank Space and Cheerleader all seem to be favored. For Song of the Year it does not seem to be a different blend since we do not know which song of The Weeknd or Swift will be chosen and what of Thinking Out Loud, Uptown Funk and also Rachel Platten's Fight Song, Lady Gaga's Til It Happens To You and John Legend and Common's Glory. 

Now we come to the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards. With star studded performances by Jason Derulo's Want To Want Me, Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do, James Bay's Hold Back The River, Justin Bieber's What Do You Mean? and a stunning curtain closer with Pharrell Williams' Freedom the show proved to be entertaining. Best Song went to Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar's Bad Blood whilst Best Video went to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Downtown. Some of the other significant winners include:
  • Best Female - Rihanna
  • Best Male - Justin Bieber
  • Best New Act - Shawn Mendes
  • Best Pop - One Direction
  • Best Electronic - Martin Garrix
  • Best Alternative - Lana Del Rey
  • Best Hip-Hop - Nicki Minaj
  • Best Rock - Coldplay
Meanwhile, the most anticipated song of the year debuted at the end of the month although its eligibility for the Grammys falls short. Adele's Hello is supposed to be the fastest selling digital single of 2015 which may break the record achieved by Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do early this year. Hello's performance on the charts are yet to be determined, although it is hyped up to debut at No.1. It's video is the second fastest to reach 100 million views second only to PSY's Gentleman which reached this feat in merely 4 days.

Over to the UK where this year's biggest chart battle, the prestigious Christmas No.1 looks pretty open for grabs. With the X Factor finals being held two weeks prior to Christmas, the crowning song will only debut on the charts the week prior to Christmas, which leaves the slot open. For the past two years the X Factor winner's singles Sam Bailey's cover of Demi Lovato's Skyscraper and Ben Haenow's cover of OneRepublic's Something I Need both debuted atop the charts during the Christmas week. So will it be a charity single, a fan favorite or a Christmas carol/song that takes the crown; we will have to wait and see.

Lady Gaga is to be feted as Billboard's 2015 Woman of the Year, succeeding Taylor Swift, who was bestowed with the honorary title that also celebrated Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Jessie J, Charli XCX and Idina Menzel at the Billboard's annual Women in Music event. She is to be felicitated for her industry leadership, artistry, philanthropy, innovative contribution to music and inspiration to millions. Meanwhile, Selena Gomez who is on a chart topping streak with her newest album Revival and smash hits The Heart Wants What It Wants, Good For You and Same Old Love will be honored with the Chart Topper award at the event, which was given to Iggy Azalea last year.

Moving on to the charts, in the US The Weeknd continued to reign atop the Hot 100 after replacing his Can't Feel My Face with The Hills. The latter gained quite a following after two remixes involving Eminem and Nicki Minaj were released. The Hills remained at the top for the entire month although Drake's Hotline Bling peaked at No.2 during the month attempting to grab the crown. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams and Shawn Mendes' Stitches entered the Top 10 during the month.

In the UK, Justin Bieber continued his reign with his comeback hit What Do You Mean? into the first week of October although it was replaced by Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall during the second week. Writing's On The Wall released from the soundtrack of the newest James Bond film Spectre is the first James Bond theme song to reach the top in the UK. The third week saw Bieber returning to the top with What Do You Mean? and remained at the top for another week accumulating five non-consecutive weeks atop the charts. KDA ft. Tinie Tempah & Katy B's Turn The Music Louder (Rumble) took the crown in the fifth and final week.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:
  • One Direction - Perfect
  • Justin Bieber - Sorry
  • Ellie Goulding - On my mind 
  • Natalie La Rose ft. Fetty Wap - Around the world 
  • Olly Murs - Kiss me 
  • Selena Gomez - Same old love 
  • Naughty Boy ft. Beyonce & Arrow Benjamin - Runnin' (lose it all)
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs About Not Caring What Others Think Or Say

Attention!!!

We all judge others and are judged in return. While most of us can take the criticism and the convoluted rumours and stories, some of us find it difficult to cope with public opinion, peer pressure, and blatant judgment. It's all about the reputation and image. What others think and say of us sometimes has a greater impact than we might ever comprehend. So what better way to deal with this than music. Several feel good and inspirational songs deal with this particular issue. David Guetta's Titanium backed by Sia's powerful vocals takes the crown followed by Taylor Swift's crossover smash hit Shake It Off which took the world by storm for its straightforward theme of merely shaking off what others think or say. Simply no one has double entries and its an entire mishmash of genres ranging from Pop and Hip-Hop to EDM and Rap. So here are the Top 25 of the Best Songs About Not Caring What Others Think or Say:
  1. David Guetta ft. Sia – Titanium
  2. Taylor Swift – Shake it off
  3. Tinie Tempah ft. Eric Turner – Written in the stars
  4. Chipmunk ft. Chris Brown – Champion
  5. Emeli Sande – Read all about it Part III
  6. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – Bad reputation
  7. Lady Gaga ft. R. Kelly – Do what u want
  8. Pink – So what
  9. Eminem – The way I am
  10. Demi Lovato – Skyscraper
  11. Muse – Invincible
  12. Nelly Furtado – Powerless (Say what you want)
  13. Lindsey Lohan – Rumours
  14. Phil Collins – I don’t care anymore
  15. S Club 7 – Bring it all back
  16. Cheryl Cole – I don’t care
  17. Glee Cast – Loser like me
  18. Ben Harper – I’ll rise
  19. Havana Brown – Warrior
  20. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Jay Dalton – Can’t hold us
  21. Nico & Vinz – Am I wrong
  22. Little Mix – Wings
  23. Britney Spears – My prerogative
  24. Kelly Clarkson – Catch my breath
  25. Mary Lambert – Secrets  
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!


Best Reggae Fusion Hits of All Time

Attention!!!

We are all a bit Rastafari at heart. We may not be Rastafarian to the point of doctrinal values but as far as the attitude and practices go, most of us adhere to their carefree ways of life. Reggae was born in the trenches of Jamaica. Jamaican musicians, many of them Rastas, soon blended traditional Jamaican folk music and drumming with American R&B, and jazz into ska, that later developed into reggae under the influence of soul. During the 60s and 70s, Reggae entered the mainstream music industry and flourished until pop and alternative rock took over in the 80s and the 90s. 

While Reggae has never been at the helm of the music industry, nevertheless it has always had a presence through various forms. One such form is Reggae Fusion. Reggae Fusion is a fusion genre of Reggae that mixes Reggae or Dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, R&B, jazz & drum and bass. While Reggae Fusion was experimented in the 80s, it was in the 90s that the first wave of Reggae Fusion stormed the charts and this commenced in Europe. Eurodance fused with Reggae produced smash hits which became increasingly popular leading acts such as Mr.President, Dr. Alban, E-Rotic and Vengaboys to fuse their styles with Reggae as well. 

Ace of Base takes the crown as well as second place because they were instrumental in laying the foundation for Reggae Fusion with their first global hit All That She Wants which was followed by the massive hit The sign. I believe the next wave of Reggae Fusion is upon us with the likes of OMI, MAGIC! and R.City gaining international success. So here are the 75 of the Greatest Reggae Fusion Hits of All Time:
  1. Ace of Base – All that she wants
  2. Ace of Base – The sign
  3. OMI – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
  4. MAGIC! – Rude
  5. Shaggy ft. Rikrok – It wasn’t me
  6. Sean Paul – Get busy
  7. Snow – Informer
  8. Jessie J ft. B.o.B. – Price tag
  9. Ini Kamoze – Here comes the hotstepper
  10. Sean Kingston – Beautiful girls
  11. Diana King – Shy guy
  12. No Doubt ft. Bounty Killer – Hey baby
  13. Shaggy ft. Rayvon – Angel
  14. Iyaz – Replay
  15. Akon – Don’t matter
  16. Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars – Billionaire
  17. Gwen Stefani – Rich girl
  18. R.City ft. Adam Levine – Locked away
  19. Lily Allen – Smile
  20. Alexandra Burke ft. Elephant Man – Start without you
  21. Vengaboys – We’re going to Ibiza
  22. No Doubt ft. Lady Saw – Underneath it all
  23. Nina Sky ft. Jabba – Move ya body
  24. Ace of Base – Don’t turn around
  25. Inner Circle – Sweat (A la, la, la, la long)
  26. Sugar Ray – Fly
  27. Shaggy ft. Rayvon – In the summertime
  28. Paris Hilton – Stars are blind
  29. K’Naan – Wavin’ flag
  30. Heavy D & the Boyz – Now that we found love
  31. Sean Paul – Gimme the light
  32. Mohombi – Bumpy ride
  33. Aswad – Shine
  34. Vitamin C ft. Lady Saw – Smile
  35. Mr. President – Coco jamboo
  36. Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber – Eenie meenie
  37. Dr. Alban – It’s my life
  38. Bridgit Mendler – Ready or not
  39. Wayne Wonder – No letting go
  40. Michael Franti & Spearhead ft. Cherine Anderson – Say hey (I love you)
  41. Sean Paul – She doesn’t mind
  42. All Saints – Rock steady
  43. T-Spoon – Sex on the beach
  44. Ace of Base – Living in danger
  45. Alexandra Stan – Lemonade
  46. Che’Nelle ft. Baby Cham – I fell in love with the DJ
  47. Gyptian – Hold you
  48. Sean Kingston – Take you there
  49. Cover Drive – Explode
  50. Iyaz – Solo
  51. Bob Sinclar & Cutee B ft. Gary Pine & Dollarman – Sound of freedom
  52. Santana ft. Sean Paul & Joss Stone – Cry baby cry
  53. Vengaboys – Uncle John from Jamaica
  54. Suggs ft. Louichie Lou & Michie One – Cecilia
  55. Bruno Mars – Count on me
  56. Diana King – I say a little prayer
  57. Sean Kingston – Me love
  58. Sean Paul – We be burnin’
  59. No Doubt – Settle down
  60. Rihanna – Man down
  61. Beenie Man ft. Mya – Girls dem sugar
  62. Sean Kingston – Letting go (Dutty love)
  63. Wayne Wonder – Bounce along
  64. Ace of Base – Happy nation
  65. Diana King – L-l-lies
  66. ENUR ft. Natasja – Calabria 2007
  67. Yasmin ft. Shy FX & Ms.Dynamite – Light up (the world)
  68. Shaggy ft. Eve – Girls just want to have fun
  69. Gwen Stefani – Baby don’t lie
  70. Bridgit Mendler – Hurricane
  71. Snoop Lion ft. Miley Cyrus – Ashtrays and heartbreaks
  72. 311 – Amber
  73. MAGIC! – Let your hair down
  74. Bruno Mars ft. Damian Marley – Liquor store blues
  75. Tami Chynn ft. Akon – Frozen 
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Mixed Bands of All Time

Attention!!!

We all know about the boy bands and the girl groups which have stormed the mainstream pop industry. But there are also mixed bands, an assorted motley of boys and girls which have formed bands as well. Most of them have their designated lead singer but the others also play significant roles in the group. Some of these bands have become extremely successful and popular and among these is ABBA which is one of the best selling bands of all time followed by Fleetwood Mac and Black Eyed Peas. Most of these bands have also lead the way for solo careers for their lead vocalists such as will.i.am, Fergie, Stevie Nicks, Gwen Stefani, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill. So here are the best 30 mixed bands of all time:
  1. ABBA
  2. Fleetwood Mac
  3. Black Eyed Peas
  4. Ace of Base
  5. Boney M.
  6. Blondie
  7. No Doubt
  8. The Human League
  9. Heart
  10. S Club 7
  11. Aqua
  12. Lady Antebellum
  13. Fugees
  14. Steps
  15. The Pretenders
  16. The Corrs
  17. Vengaboys
  18. The B-52s
  19. Liberty X
  20. The Mamas & the Papas
  21. The Velvet Underground
  22. Little Big Town
  23. Talking Heads
  24. A* Teens
  25. Cover Drive
  26. The Band Perry
  27. N-Dubz
  28. Alcazar
  29. ATC
  30. Scandal'us
Till the next ensemble...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - September 2015

Attention!!!

September was not such an interesting month. In the wake of the aftermath of the MTV Video Music Awards 2015 where hell always breaks lose, September proved to be quite somber. The month kicked off with the announcement that Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger are separating after two years of marriage. 

Yes, the summer is over and it is time to check the anticipated Songs of Summer. The coveted crown in the US went to OMI's Cheerleader beating Wiz Khalifa's See You Again in the final week of the tally. Taylor Swift's Bad Blood came in at No.3 followed by The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face and Silento's Watch Me. In the UK, the Biggest Selling Songs of Summer 2015 were revealed with Jason Derulo's Want To Want Me. At second place was Lost Frequencies' Are You With Me followed by OMI's Cheerleader and Tinie Tempah's Not Letting Go. 

September also revealed the next artist who will sing the next James Bond. The title has gone to Sam Smith. The announcement ended months of speculation in which the likes of Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Adele, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Noel Gallagher and even Radiohead were tipped as candidates to helm the new Bond song. Smith's Writing On The Wall is to be featured in the film Spectre.

Taylor Swift's conquests continues as she leads the nominations in this year's MTV Europe Music Awards. The singer has nine nominations including Best Song, Best Pop Artist, Best Female Artist and Best Live Act. Alongside Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar's Bad Blood the following have also been nominated for Best Song:
Ellie Goulding: Love Me Like You Do
Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ: Lean On
Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars: Uptown Funk
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth: See You Again

Meanwhile, the UK has compiled the lists for the Top 40 Biggest Albums of 2015 So Far and the Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2015 so Far. Ed Sheeran's x leads the albums list followed by Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour and Taylor Swift's 1989. The 5 biggest songs so far are:
  1. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - Uptown funk
  2. OMI - Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Mix)
  3. Hozier - Take Me To Church
  4. Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do
  5. Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See You Again 

September also witnessed Sam Smith's debut record In The Lonely Hour notch up a record-breaking 67 consecutive weeks in the Official Albums Chart Top 10 – the longest unbroken run ever for a debut album. The LP hasn’t left the Top 10 since its release in May 2014, where it debuted at Number 1. The chart record was previously held by Emeli Sande, whose debut Our Version Of Events tallied 66 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 between February 2012 and May 2013. Prior to Emeli, the record was held for almost 50 years by The Beatles’ Please Please Me (62 weeks).

In chart news, in the US, OMI's Cheerleader stayed atop the charts during the first week and was replaced once again by The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face which replaced it earlier in August. However, this proved short lived as Justin Bieber's global smash hit What Do You Mean? debuted at No.1 the following week. But The Weeknd did manage to grab the top spot in the final week. By this feat The Weeknd became the first solo male to top the Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 in the same week as his album Beauty Behind The Madness had topped the album chart as well. Only one other act had achieved the same feat earlier and it was Taylor Swift with her Shake It Off at No.1 on the Hot 100 and 1989 at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and herself at the helm of the Artist 100. Meanwhile, Fetty Wap ft. Remy Boyz' 679, Ed Sheeran's Photograph and R.City ft. Adam Levine's Locked Away all entered the Top 10 during the month. 

In the UK, Rachel Platten opened the month with her debut hit Fight Song at the top. This was replaced by Bieber's What Do You Mean? which was replaced by Sigala's Easy Lover in the third week only to be overthrown by Bieber in the fourth week and he remained at the top during the final week. Demi Lovato's Cool For The Summer, Galantis' Peanut Butter Jelly and Felix Jaehn ft. Jasmine Thompson's Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better) all entered the Top 10 during the month. 

Some of the other popular hits during the month were:
  • Taylor Swift - Wildest dreams
  • Sam Hunt - House party
  • Lana Del Rey - High by the beach
  • Pia Mia ft. Chris Brown & Tyga - Do it again
  • Nick Jonas - Levels  
  • Alessia Cara - Here
  • Disclosure ft. Sam Smith - Omen 
  • Rita Ora ft. Chris Brown - Body on me 
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Ultimate Quarantine Playlist

It has indeed been sometime since I took some time off to create a playlist. This time, I had a lot of time on my hands, considering I had 1...