Xposition - October, 2016

Attention!!!

Summer has come and gone and Drake’s One Dance clearly ruled the roost. What will be interesting to see is if the gargantuan hit will close 2016 as the year-end No.1. It does seem to have stiff competition from Sia’s Cheap Thrills, Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself, Rihanna’s Work and The Chainsmokers’ Closer.

The Voice UK has announced its judges for the 2017 edition. Fan favorite Sir Tom Jones is back along with new comers lead singer from the rock band Bush Gavin Rossdale and Academy Award winner and American Idol alumni Jennifer Hudson.

The award season is once again upon us as BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards 2016 was held in October. Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, The Vamps and Adele were among the big winners:

·         Most Entertaining Celeb – Taylor Swift

·         Best International Group – 5 Seconds of Summer

·         Best British Group – The Vamps

·         Best British Solo Artist – Adele

·         Best International Solo Artist: Shawn Mendes

·         Best Single: Shawn Mendes – Stitches

The 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards nominations have been released with Beyonce and Justin Bieber leading the pack with five nods each. Rihanna, Adele and Coldplay have four nods each. For best song we have heavyweights Adele’s Hello, Bieber’s Sorry, and Rihanna’s Work against underdogs Lukas Graham’s 7 Years and Mike Posner’s I Took A Pill in Ibiza.

Next up the 2016 American Music Awards nominations were released with Drake breaking a 32-year record for the most number of nominations with 13 nods, beating Michael Jackson’s previous high mark of 11 from 1984. If he wins any of the categories it will make his first win. Rihanna was just behind Drake with 7 nominations followed by Adele and Justin Bieber with 5 nods each.

Lily Allen was at the receiving end of a rampage of social media and mainstream media backlash as she apologized on behalf of UK to a youth refugee from Afghanistan while visiting Calais Jungle camp. Allen who took a break from recording her next album, visited the refugee camp in France and during an interview with a 13-year old broke down and said “We’ve bombed your country, put you in the hands of the Taliban and now put you in danger of risking your life to get into our country. I apologize on behalf of my country. I’m sorry for what we have put you through.” The backlash centered on how she is privileged wealthy and that these are crocodile tears coupled by that she cannot apologize on behalf of UK as she can only represent herself.

At the 11^th Annual Billboard Women in Music Madonna will be felicitated as Billboard’s 2016 Woman of the Year. She achieves this accolade after she extended her record as the highest grossing female touring artist of all time with her recently concluded Rebel Heart tour. She also continues her reign as the best-selling female recording artist of all time.

The 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, the last of the esteemed Nobel Prize to be awarded in the calendar was bestowed on Bob Dylan. This marks the first time the prize has been awarded to someone primarily seen as a musician.

Meanwhile, Selena Gomez cancelled the remaining dates on her Revival tour as she checked into a rehab facility outside Nashville, Tennessee to deal with her anxiety, panic attacks and depression. The singer also suffers from lupus and went into rehab in 2014 to treat her auto immune disease.

Probably the best news of the month came at the end as ABBA, one of the best-selling musical acts of all time have announced a reunion. The quartet is to return in 2018 and according to sources will be a groundbreaking venture using the latest digital and virtual technology.  

Moving onto chart news, in the US the Chainsmokers’ featuring Halsey’s Closer reigned supreme throughout the month accumulating altogether 9 weeks at the top and tying for the highest number of weeks at the top alongside Drake’s One Dance. The duo’s collaboration seems unstoppable as the song topped all three formats of the Billboard Hot 100 – Radio, Sales and Streaming. The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk’s Starboy, DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber’s Let Me Love You, Gnash featuring Olivia O’ Brien’s I Hate U I Love U, Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj’s Side to Side and D.R.A.M. featuring Lil Yachty’s Broccoli all entered the top 10 during the month.

Throughout October people were dancing to the PPAP Song by Pikotaro. This song also known as the Pen Pineapple Apple Pen Song reached monumental viral status as it was trending throughout the month. As a result of the popularity it reached No.77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the shortest song on the chart’s history with a length of only 45 seconds.

In the UK, James Arthur ended The Chainsmokers’ rule with his comeback hit Say You Won’t Let Go which ruled for three weeks before being overthrown by Little Mix’s Shout Out To My Ex, the lead single taken from their newest album Glory Days. Throughout the month, Bruno Mars’ 24K, The Weeknd’s Starboy and Hailee Steinfeld’s Starving and Niall Horan’s This town all entered the top 10.  

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1. Zay Hilfiger & Zayion McCall – Juju on that beat (TZ anthem)
2. Fifth Harmony – That’s my girl 
3. Alessia Cara – Scars to your beautiful 
4. Rihanna – Love on the brain 
5. The Chainsmokers ft. Phoebe Ryan – All we know
6. Shawn Mendes – Mercy 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs About the Rich/Lush Life

Attention!!!

So on my recent trip to Macau, I witnessed firsthand how the rich and powerful in that part of Asia live their lives. Surrounded by the casinos and the glamorous hotels anyone gets carried away with the helipads, private jets, limousines, heated pools, branded showrooms and of course the service staff that is there to attend at your beck and call. The fancy lifestyles of the celebrities and the superficial lives of the elite who thrive on these little first world intricacies have been the subject of particular songs.

The following hits are all about the lush life. Crowning the list is Psy’s Gangnam Style which is one of the biggest hits of the decade and the first video to hit 1 billion views on YouTube (recently it passed 2 billion views). At second place is none other than hip-hop duchess Fergie with her worldwide hit Glamorous followed by Iggy Azalea’s Fancy. No specific genre stands out as it is a mishmash of genres ranging from Hip-Hop, Rap and Pop to Rock, K-Pop and even a song from a James Bond Soundtrack. So here are the top 15 songs about the rich/lush life: 

1. Psy – Gangnam style
2. Fergie ft. Ludacris – Glamorous
3. Iggy Azalea ft. Charlie XCX – Fancy 
4. Gwen Stefani ft. Eve – Rich girl 
5. Rich Gang ft. Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan – Lifestyle
6. Zara Larsson – Lush life 
7. Travie McCoy ft. Bruno – Billionaire 
8. Nickelback – Rockstar
9. Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & Dev – Like a G6
10. Shania Twain – Ka-ching
11. Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone – Ridin’
12. Flo Rida – Zillionaire 
13. Shirley Bassey – Diamonds are forever
14. Sheila E. – The glamorous life
15. Madonna – Material girl

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - September, 2016

Attention!!!

September started off with a surprise gift from the Black Eyed Peas as they released a new version of Where is the love? stylized as #WHEREISTHELOVE featuring The World. Although it is exciting to see the quartet back together, it is not in any way leading to another album. The new release features additional vocals from Justin Timberlake, Jamie Foxx, Ty Dolla $ign, Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Cassie, Andra Day, The Game, Tori Kelly, V. Bozeman, Jessie J, French Montana, DJ Khaled, Usher, Nicole Scherzinger, ASAP Rocky, Jaden Smith and a 40-member children's choir. All proceeds from the song will go to will.i.am's non-profit foundation, i.am.angel., a which charity funds educational programs and college scholarships. 

As summer draws to a close the UK and the US have released their songs of the summer lists, as the figures of streaming, sales and airplay are finalized. Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla’s One Dance takes the top spot in both countries as it flooded the dancefloors, radios and clubs throughout the summer worldwide. The top ten in the UK are as follows:

1. Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla – One Dance
2. Kungs vs. Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This girl
3. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – This is what you came for
4. Drake ft. Rihanna – Too good
5. Calum Scott – Dancing on my own
6. Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!
7. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Don’t let me down
8. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ – Cold water
9. Clean Bandit ft. Louisa Johnson – Tears
10. Jonas Blue ft. JP Cooper – Perfect strangers

Leading the annual Song of the Summer chart in the US from start to finish, Drake grabbed the coveted crown after staying at the top for all 14 weeks. It’s the third song this decade to rule from start to finish, following Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX’s Fancy and Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg’s California Gurls. The top ten in the US are as follows:

1. Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla – One Dance
2. Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!
3. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Don’t let me down
4. Sia ft. Sean Paul – Cheap thrills
5. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – This is what you came for
6. Desiigner – Panda
7. Rihanna – Needed me
8. Twenty One Pilots – Ride 
9. Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – Work from home
10. Adele – Send my love (to your new lover) 

On 7th September 2016 the music video of Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth’s See You Again entered the exclusive 2 billion views club which logically means that more than a quarter of the world’s population has watched it. Taken from the Furious 7 soundtrack it was dedicated as a tribute to Paul Walker who died in a tragic car accident months before the completion of the movie. This video follows K-Pop viral sensation Gangnam Style by PSY which first hit the 2 billion mark back in 2014. 

Moving on to reality TV news, after a drought of four years, a singer has won America’s Got Talent. Twelve year-old singer, songwriter and ukuleleist Grace VanderWaal won the 11th season of AGT beating psychic duo The Clairvoyants and magician Jon Dorenbos. She is the second female and the second child act to win in the show’s history. 

The Latin Grammys 2016 nominations are in and leading the way with four nods each are Colombian star Fonseca nominated for two albums: Conexion up for Album of the Year and Homanje (A La Musica De Diomedes Diaz) up for Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album along with Mexican duo Jesse & Joy, Brazilian singer/songwriter Djavan, sound engineer Ricardo Lopez Lalinde and producer/engineer Julio Reyes Copello (the last two for their work with Fonseca, Andres Cepeda and Diego Torres). Marc Anthony has been named the 2016 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year who will be honoured during Latin Grammy week on November 16, the night before the awards ceremony in Las Vegas. 

Selena Gomez has been accumulating her fan base on a monumental scale as she becomes the first person to reach 100 million Instagram followers. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga released her latest single Perfect Illusion accompanied by a less than mediocre video, as the lead single off her highly anticipated upcoming fifth studio album Joanne. The Weeknd who’s last album Beauty Behind The Madness, which has been certified multi-platinum worldwide, announced that his next album will be called Starboy.

Omarion and DJ Mustard have been sued by BMG Rights Management for intellectual property rights infringement for a whopping USD 300,000. Back in 2014, Jon Redwine penned a song called Came To Do for Chris Brown and assigned 50% of the rights to BMG which was produced by Nic Nac. BMG alleges that Omarion’s most successful hit to date Post To Be, a collaboration with Chris Brown and Jheine Aiko is a sampling of the music from Came To Do. The lawsuit is not only seeking damages but BMG is also seeking an injunction to prevent Omarion from performing the song and preventing any sales and/or airplay. 

Moving on to chart news, in the US, the reign of Sia ft. Sean Paul’s Cheap Thrills came to an end as The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey’s Closer took over and remained at the top for the rest of the month. The Chainsmokers succeed on their fourth attempt to reach the top after #Selfie in 2013 and Roses in 2015 and Don’t Let Me Down in 2016. Meanwhile, they are the first duo to reach the top since Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in 2013 and also the first EDM song to top the chart since Baauer’s Harlem Shake in 2013. During the month Twenty One Pilots’ Heathens rose to a peak of No.2 and Ride ascended to No.5. Moreover, Shawn Mendes’ Treat You Better and Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez’s We Don’t Talk Anymore entered the top 10. In addition Drake’s One Dance ended its monumental run at the top and inside the top 10 as it exited the top 10 during the month, ending Drake’s streak of 51 consecutive weeks in the Top 10. With this feat Drake becomes the best streak ever by a male artist to remain within the top 10, second among all acts only to Katy Perry’s 69-week run in 2010-2011. 

In the UK, Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ’s Cold Water continued its stay at the top extending its reign to five weeks but The Chainsmoker’s Closer grabbed the top spot in the UK as well and remained there for the rest of the month. During the month Martin Garrix ft. Bebe Rexha’s In The Name Of Love, Sia ft. Kendrick Lamar’s The Greatest, Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj’s Side To Side and James Arthur’s Say You Won’t Let Go all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1. Calvin Harris – My way
2. Zara Larsson – Ain’t my fault 
3. Dua Lipa – Blow your mind (mwah)
4. D.R.A.M. ft. Lil Yachty – Broccoli
5. Hailee Steinfeld ft. Grey & Zedd – Starving 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best of Today’s First Dance Songs for Weddings

Attention!!!

Weddings are hectic, chaotic and extremely stressful. However, there are moments during this joyous occasion that are romantic and one such instance is the First Dance. The first dance is a precious moment that the couple shares at a wedding sometimes to their song but mostly to trending love songs that are about holding each other for the rest of eternity or loving some one with their whole heart and soul. The following ten songs are handpicked from this decade as the most popular ones on the dance floor by most newly betrothed and out of that Christina Perri's A Thousand Years is the most hyped up and loved by all. More recently we have Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud storming the dance floors at weddings. Only One Direction has two entries on the list. So here are the top 10 of today's best first dance songs for weddings:  

1. Christina Perri ft. Steve Kazee – A thousand years part 2

This sappy yet romantic love song was initially written as a solo version for the fourth installment of the vampire love fest movie series – Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. Perri re-recorded the song as a duet along with her husband Steve Kazee for the fifth installment of the series – Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. While her solo version fared better on the charts, it is the duet version that is ideally cheesy for weddings.

Pick of the Lyrics: “I have loved you for a thousand years, I’ll love you for a thousand more.”

2. Ed Sheeran – Thinking out loud

A fan favorite at weddings and is indeed Sheeran’s legacy as an artist. This global smasher is taken from his album x, and has gone on to break chart records as well as earning the Song of the Year at the 58th Grammy Awards. It is one of the best-selling singles of all time and is now a clichéd first dance song at weddings

Pick of the Lyrics: “Maybe we found love right where we are”

3. Birdy – Wings

This is definitely the best song on the list and one of my favorites of all time. The haunting yet melodious vocals of Birdy can take the bride and groom to the most romantic atmosphere possible. This song describes a precious moment between a couple and what moment is better than the first dance at a wedding.

Pick of the Lyrics: “We’d remember tonight. For the rest of our lives”

4. Rihanna – Diamonds

This powerful love ballad is now one of the best-selling singles of all time. Penned by Sia Furler the song captures the essence of the backdrop needed for the first dance and this coupled by Rihanna’s vocals can take any grinch to a romantic place. 

Pick of the Lyrics: “So shine bright tonight, you and I, we're beautiful like diamonds in the sky”

5. One Direction – Night changes

This moderately successful hit for One Direction was the last featuring Zayn Malik who left the band to pursue a solo career few months later. A very mellow and slow paced track which sets the romantic mood perfectly for the first dance. 

Pick of the Lyrics: “Even when the night changes, it will never change me and you”

6. John Legend – All of me

This extremely whiny yet somewhat romantic song was a dedication by Legend to his wife Chrissy Teigen. It has goo-goo-gaga all over it and a note of caution as barfing from an overdose of love-sickening madness may be the result at the end of it. 

Pick of the Lyrics: “Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you, you're my end and my beginning”

7. Lindsey Stirling ft. Alisha Popat – We found love

Although the original is an uptempo EDM dance collaboration by Rihanna and Calvin Harris, Stirling managed to produce this masterful string cover with an African flavor. Stirling’s violin interludes are brilliant and provides the perfect rhythm for the first dance. 

Pick of the Lyrics: “We found love in a whole new place”

8. Thomas Rhett – Die a happy man

This is Rhett’s biggest hit to date. With a hint of Country flavor backing the track, the song does not go overboard with any hillbilly antics. With an almost acoustic feel to the song, Rhett’s calm and cool vocals is what all couples want to destress them during that first awkward dance.

Pick of the Lyrics: “Oh, if all I got is your hand in my hand, baby, I could die a happy man”

9. Ellie Goulding – Love me like you do

If you want a song that is gushing barfworthy lyrics throughout, then this is the first dance song you want. Taken from the controversial Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, it is Goulding’s best-selling single to date. 

Pick of the Lyrics: “I'll let you set the pace, cause I'm not thinking straight, my head's spinning around I can't see clear no more”

10. One Direction – Perfect

This is one of the more mature songs by One Direction released as a quartet after Malik’s departure. Commercially it enjoyed moderate success but won critical acclaim. The song is reminiscent of a love song from the 90s or 2000s such as those from Edwin McCain.

Pick of the Lyrics: “If you like to do whatever you've been dreaming about, then baby, you're perfect”

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - August, 2016

Attention!!!

August began with the announcement by Event Craft Productions that Hardwell would be making a stop in Sri Lanka in his highly anticipated Go Hardwell or Go Home Tour on September 30, 2016. However, this was a bust as later in the month the event managers released a disappointing statement that the concert has been cancelled - "due to an enormous number of obligations including some from local authorities given the genre and the magnitude of the event."  

Moreover, August also witnessed probably the most boring and uncontroversial MTV Video Music Awards in the history of the ceremony. There was no twerking, making out on stage or announcements for candidacy for US Presidency. The night belonged to Rihanna and Beyonce. Beyonce led the nominations with 11 and winning 8 and with a total of 24 VMAs, it makes her the artist with the most wins at the VMAs passing Madonna's 20. 

Rihanna was the recipient of the coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and she opened with a stellar performance of a medley of Don't Stop The Music, Only Girl (In The World), We Found Love and Where Have You Been. Ri-Ri also had three other performances which she aced all of which were medleys of her biggest hits except Umbrella. 

Britney Spears returned to the VMA stage after 9 years since her disastrous 2007 performance of Gimme More which led to her very public meltdown. She clearly redeemed herself with a steamy take of Make Me... featuring G-Eazy plus singing the part of Bebe Rexha in Me, Myself & I. Other awesome performances of the night included Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj's newest single Side to Side, Nick Jonas ft. Ty Dolla $ign's Bacon and the pre-show performance of Alessia Cara and Troye Sivan singing a medley of Wild Things, Wild and Scars Beneath Your Beautiful. 

Disaster hit the VMA stage when The Chainsmokers and Halsey performed their newest hit Closer. There's nothing much to say about this performance except that Andrew Taggart (one half of the Chainsmokers) should stick to the background music and not pull a Calvin Harris, because not every DJ can sing. This was evident as Taggart found it difficult to keep up with the powerful vocals of Halsey during the EDM duet. 

Enough about the performances, take a look at the most significant wins of the night:

• Video of the Year: Beyonce - Formation
• Best Male Video: Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna - This is what you came for
• Best Female Video: Beyonce - Hold Up
• Best New Artist: DNCE
• Best Pop Video: Beyonce - Formation
• Best Rock Video: Twenty One Pilots - Heathens  
• Best Hip-Hop Video: Drake - Hotline Bling
• Best Electronic Video: Calvin Harris & Disciples - How deep is your love 
• Best Direction: Beyonce - Formation (Director - Melina Matsoukas) 

The lineup for the Apple Music Festival - previously known as the iTunes Festival - has been finally revealed. The festival now in its tenth year, is famous for drawing in huge acts to perform at London's intimate Roundhouse in Camden. This year's full lineup is as follows:

18 September: Elton John

19 September: The 1975

20 September: Alicia Keys

21 September: OneRepublic

23 September: Calvin Harris

25 September: Robbie Williams

26 September: Bastille

27 September: Britney

28 September: Michael Bublé

30 September: Chance the Rapper

It is with so much joy that I move on to chart news as the reign of Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla's One Dance is finally over. In the US, Sia ft. Sean Paul's Cheap Thrills dethroned One Dance from the first week itself and held on to the top spot for the entire month. Sia becomes the first female over 40 to reach the top since Madonna reigned with Music in 2000. Meanwhile, by the fourth week of August Drake has accumulated a whopping 48 consecutive week in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 tying with Ace of Base for the second longest consecutive streak among all acts, second only to Katy Perry. Meanwhile, Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ's Cold Water debuted at No.2 and The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey's Closer and Twenty One Pilots' Heathens both entered the Top 10. 

In the UK, Drake's dreams were muddied by Cold Water the gargantuan collaboration of Major Lazer, Justin Bieber and MØ, which ended One Dance's hold over the crown. The trio reigned for the remainder of the month. The Chainsmokers' Closer, Twenty One Pilos' Heathens and DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber's Let Me Love You all entered the Top 10 during the month.

Other songs which became popular during the month are:

• Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez - We don't talk anymore
• Olly Murs - You don't know love
• Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons - Sucker for pain
• Digital Farm Animals ft. Cash Cash - Millionaire
• Mike Perry ft. Shy Martin - The ocean
• Martin Garrix ft. Bebe Rexha - In the name of love 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Artists that Laid the Foundation for the 2010s

Attention!!!

The 2010s have proven to be a smorgasbord of genres as well as producing some great artists who have clearly proven that they are a force to be reckoned with in the industry. The 2000s were an awesome decade where Pop and Alternative music flourished uninhibited alongside Rap, Electropop, Dancepop and Hip-Hop music. Eurodance had become virtually non-existent at that time and had paved the way for the more successful Europop and its sub-genre Romanian Pop. However, the trends of the 2000s have come and gone and now that we are 7 years into the 2010s, it is quite conspicuous that it has developed its own unique identity clearly different from any of the preceding decades. 

The decade will be known for producing tweaked and synthesized versions of the by-gone genres such as Doo-Wop and Reggae as well as giving rise to modernized genres such as Dancehall, Trap and an all-encompassing Electronic Dance Music, more popularly known as EDM. Sampling old hits is also a trend in the 2010s where only certain artists come up with their original hits and even the great Queen Bey is guilty of sampling Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor in her Run the World (Girls).

Certain artists helped lay the foundation for this decade which has now produced some of the most iconic and successful global smash hits such as Happy, Someone Like You, Uptown Funk, One Dance and Party Rock Anthem. However, there are a set of artists who initially laid the foundation for this decade and then helped mold and shape into what the decade has become. Here are the 10 artists which clearly laid that foundation:

1. Lady Gaga

Mother Monster began her run at fame in 2008 with her debut studio album, The Fame, which produced the titan hits Just Dance and Poker Face. Her second studio album, The Fame Monster, produced the global number one Bad Romance which proved that she was not just a one-album wonder. Her creativity and her unique blend of Art and Pop made her an instant celebrity. The showcasing of her bizarre originality made her extremely influential and the fact that she catered to the growing demand of Pop with significant contributions to Electropop and Dancepop makes her the most prominent pillar of this decade. 

2. Pitbull

Mr.Worldwide began his career in 2004, way before his mainstream success kicked off in 2009 with I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho). His style of rapping synced brilliantly with his up-tempo Latin and Electropop beats. He introduced into Dancepop the concept of featuring major artists in his songs, which instantly led them to the top of the charts such as Give Me Everything, International Love and Feel This Moment. He became and is the most wanted artist to be featured in Pop songs during the decade with ongoing collaborations with Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez.

3. David Guetta

Guetta is the father of mainstream House music and the only DJ to be featured on this list. He was in the House scene throughout the 2000s but it was his hit When Love Takes Over that brought him into the mainstream limelight. He is the DJ that began collaborating with the bigtime mainstream artists at the time. He targeted the trends in EDM and adapted accordingly and his albums One Love and Nothing But The Beat are evidence of this, as the former is distinctive of the House music in the latter stages of the 2000s while the latter left a monumental mark in the Progressive House scene with Titanium, Without You and She Wolf. 

4. Nicki Minaj

Roman Zolanski, the self-styled Queen of Rap first came into the scene as part of the Young Money crew singing BedRock. Her awesome talent is coupled with a robust personality. This includes different alter egos with varying rapping styles. In the early 2010s she became the most wanted female rapper to be featured (and overall second only to Rihanna). Her mainstream debut as a lead artist proved to be even more successful with Your Love, Super Bass and Starships each one reaching positions in the charts. She revolutionized female rapping and contributed immensely to Dancepop.     

5. Bruno Mars

Mars was a breath of fresh air in 2010, as his Pop music was reminiscent of the retro and classic styles of the yesteryears. He brought in elements from Disco, Doo-Wop and retro R&B popular during the 70s and 80s. With flair similar to Michael Jackson and a style similar to Boney-M, pop culture was got a revamped look. Focusing on the genre of Pop as it was back in the day, Mars ensured that his introduction of the bygone elements would be incorporated into the decade as it unfolded.   

6. Katy Perry

She started off as a rebel with I Kissed A Girl storming the charts in 2008. Her second studio album Teenage Dream spawned 5 No.1 hits – California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Firework, E.T. and Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.). Her predominance over the global charts in the early 2010s paved the way for a heavily Pop-influenced decade. She ensured that the pure essence of Pop as it had developed up to that point with its up-tempo, upbeat and light style survived the manipulation of the genre by other artists. 

7. Tinie Tempah 

He is the Prince of Grime with his own unique style of rapping. His debut single Pass Out was an overnight No.1 hit followed by back to back hits such as Written In The Stars, Wonderman and Frisky. He is the most wanted rapper by EDM artists be it House, Progressive House or Hip House. He has the credit for bringing rapping on EDM songs into the mainstream as his collaboration with Swedish House Mafia on Miami 2 Ibiza became an international hit and proved that it is not only powerful vocals that is needed to accompany EDM.  

8. Taylor Swift

Before the reigning Princess of Pop made her strategic genre switch, she was ruling the Country music scene. Her debut studio album Taylor Swift was pure Country while her second album Fearless proved that she was ambitious and was aiming for a much bigger audience. Fearless spawned the hits Love Story and You Belong With Me while her third album Speak Now also produced hits such as Mean, Back to December and Mine. Her dominance over the Country charts encouraged and paved the way for young female musicians to inspire to break into the mainstream from whatever genre. 

9. Adele

As the Queen of Soul, she introduced Blues and Soul into mainstream Pop. She proved to the industry that depth can still remain in music while everything else is changing and that slow music still has more than a niche market in the mainstream. She achieved success with her debut studio album 19 in the latter stages of the 2000s. However, with her second album 21 made it a point that Soul is here to stay and will form part of the major genres of the decade. Her hit single Rolling In The Deep in 2010 is one of the best-selling singles of all time breaking multiple records at the time. 

10. Flo Rida

He is the King of Hip-Hop especially when it comes to dance music. His 2008 megahit Low made the relatively unknown rapper, instantly famous. His big follow up to Low was Right Round which cemented his presence in the industry. He has shown time and time again that his music is extremely versatile and that his adaptation skills are even better. At the initial stages of the 2010s he too shifted like Pitbull and featured major artists in his songs and then began venturing into Dancepop and EDM to solidify the dance music genre of the decade. 

Some may wonder why certain artists missed the top 10. The reason to exclude particular artists is due to the fact that they were extremely popular during the 2000s and were established artists from the early 2000s and more or less had defined their genres by that time. These include artists such as Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Shakira, Eminem, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé and Kanye West and the groups such as Maroon 5, Black Eyed Peas and OneRepublic. Then there are those who had their peak in the 2000s but are still in the industry in the 2010s such as Sean Paul, Jay Sean, Sean Kingston, Nelly Furtado, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and Akon.

Then there are the artists who entered the mainstream at the beginning of the decade but never made a significant impact to the genre from the inception like those listed above such as Avicii, Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Drake, Jason Derulo and Justin Bieber. Then we have artists like Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Meghan Trainor, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, One Direction, Fifth Harmony and Little Mix who entered the industry too late to make it to the list.

P.S. – One artist who did make a huge impact at the beginning of the decade was Kesha (formerly known as Ke$ha). However, since her legal battle with Dr. Luke she has all but disappeared from the industry and the ones on the list are those who are still in the industry. If she does sort out her issues and do make a comeback (as we all hope) then she will definitely be added on to this compilation (and most probably within the top tier).

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - July, 2016

Attention!!!

The summer is in full swing and the awards dry spell continues with only the 2016 Teen Choice Awards being held in July hosted by Victoria Justice and John Cena. While the awards focus on all aspects of entertainment such as music, television, film and sports, we'll stick to the music side of things and also some interesting accolades which artists received at the show. Flo Rida opened the show with a medley of My House, Good Feeling and Wild Ones (with Bebe Rexha) and then went on to perform his newest single Zillionaire. Charlie Puth performed his newest hit We Don't Talk Anymore as a solo version. Justin Bieber received the most nominations with 11 while Justin Timberlake received the inaugural Decade Award. So the major wins of the night included:

• Male Artist - Justin Bieber
• Female Artist - Selena Gomez
• Group - One Direction
• Female Single: Ariana Grande - Dangerous woman
• Male Single: Justin Bieber - Sorry
• International Artist - Little Mix
• Summer Song: Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign - Work from home
• Party Song: DNCE - Cake by the ocean
• Breakout Artist - Zayn Malik

Meanwhile, Christina Grimmie who was tragically shot dead by a fan recently was posthumously bestowed with the Choice Music Web Star but family and fans were in uproar as they expressed their disappointment as Grimmie was not mentioned by Jessica Alba and Ne-Yo during the #StoptheViolence tribute for family members of teens who had died due to violence. 

The Official Albums Chart of the UK celebrated its 60th anniversary in July with the first ever chart published on 22nd July 1956 which saw Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swingin' Lovers grab the coveted crown. To mark the historic milestone of the chart the Official Charts Company has released the UK's 60 Biggest Selling Albums of All Time. Queen's Greatest Hits is at No.1 followed by ABBA's Gold Greatest Hits at No.2 The top 10 are: 

1. Queen - Greatest Hits (1981)
2. ABBA - Gold - Greatest Hits
3. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
4. Adele - 21 (2011)
5. Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory (1995)
6. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
7. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) 
8. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)
9. Michael Jackson - Bad (1987)
10. Queen - Greatest Hits II (1991)

The month witnessed the launch of the Global Goal's Campaign's #WhatIReallyReallyWant movement which used the Spice Girl's global smash hit Wannabe in its campaign. The girl-power wielding hit was used in the video which stars an array of international artists including Sri Lankan Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, Nigeria's Seyi Shay, South Africa's Gigi Lamayne and Monoea, the United States' Larsen Thompson, the U.K.'s M.O. and Canada's Taylor Hatala. The song is used to shed light on issues affecting young women around the globe such as violence against girls, lack of quality education and child marriage.

More news on the Spice Girls as they celebrate their 20th anniversary of Wannabe. Geri Horner (Halliwell), Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown are to reunite as GEM as Victoria Beckam and Melanie Chrishom have backed out of the reunion. Scary, Baby and Ginger have got together to celebrate this hallmark occasion by staging a show in London's Hyde Park next summer, which insiders now claim the singing trio will pocket $14 million each from the gig - that's over $100,000 (£74,000)-a-minute per person. 

We're still not done with 90s news as MTV plans to rebrand VH1 Classic as MTV Classic with a special focus on fan-favorite programmes and series drawn from the 1990s and early 2000s. The switch coming into effect on August 1 commemorates MTV's launch 35 years ago on August 1, 1981.

Katy Perry released a surprise single titled Rise which serves as the official English anthem of the Rio Olympics 2016. This is her first single since 2014's This Is How You Do and she performed it for the first time as a part of a medley with her hit single Roar at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where she endorsed Hilary Clinton for US President. 

The Dutchess is back but this time with a dairy flavour as Fergie released her newest single M.I.L.F. $ with a star studded cast in the sultry music video which includes Ciara, Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, Gemma Ward and Amber Valletta. The song serves as the lead single to her second studio album Double Dutchess. 

Moving on to chart news, Drake ft. Wizkid and Kyla's titanic hit One Dance reigned throughout the month in the US accumulating a whopping ten non-consecutive week rule. Meanwhile Sia ft. Sean Paul's Cheap Thrills, Kent Jones' Don't Mind, Twenty One Pilots' Ride and Adele's Send My Love (To Your New Lover) all enter the top ten while The Chainsmoker's ft. Daya's Don't Let Me Down reaches a new peak at No.3 and Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna's This Is What You Came For reaches a new peak at No.4 with the rumours that Harris' ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift had a hand at penning the song. 

In the UK too Drake reigned supreme with One Dance as he logged his fifteenth week atop the charts during the fourth week of July. This feat places him on level with Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around which spent 15 weeks at the top in 1994. The record holder is Bryan Adam's (Everything I Do) I Do It For You which ruled for 16 weeks at the top in 1991. Other songs which entered the top 10 include Calum Scott's Dancing On My Own, Jonas Blue ft. JB Cooper's Perfect Strangers and Shawn Mendes' Treat You Better. 

Other songs which became popular during the month are:

• Twenty One Pilots - Heathens
• Bastille - Good grief
• MØ - Final song
• Selena Gomez - Kill 'em with kindness
• Kiiara - Gold
• Lukas Graham - Mama said 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Greatest Official Olympic Songs/Themes

Attention!!!

The Olympics is the largest and greatest international sporting event with almost all the nations of the world coming together forgetting their petty differences and conflicts with each other. Rio 2016 kicks off today as tens of thousands of athletes compete in over 300 events in 28 sports. To coincide with the opening ceremony, Katy Perry releases the video for her newest single Rise which serves as the official English theme for the Games this year. Music has always played a significant role in the opening and closing ceremonies of this global sporting phenomenon, as host nations highlight their folk music and mainstream artists release inspirational anthems while the International Olympic Committee handpick official songs for the Games out of several nominees. 

Just like the official emblems and mascots which changes each time, there are official songs also for each Olympics. Some songs have gone on to become chart toppers while others have received numerous accolades including Grammys. Whitney Houston's One Moment In Time takes the crown as the most successful Olympic theme worldwide, followed by Vangelis' Chariots Of Fire, which oozes motivation from the first chord. Composer John Williams and vocal powerhouse Sarah Brightman are the only one with double entries. There are also two songs each from the 1984 Winter Olympics, 1988 Summer Olympics, 1996 Summer Olympics and 2006 Winter Olympics. 

This list does not include the Olympic Hymn, the chorul cantata composed by Spyridon Samaras and lyrics by Greek poet Kostis Palamas as after its inception at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, it became part and parcel of the Games and was declared as the official Olympic Anthem by the International Olympic Committee in 1958 at the 54th Session of the IOC in Tokyo, Japan. Since 1960, it has been played at each Olympic Games: during the opening ceremony when the Olympic flag is hoisted, and during the closing ceremony when the Olympic flag is lowered, adjusted by the hosting nations to suit there cultural compositions. Therefore, this is now part of the Olympics and does not vary each year. The following are the 18 best official Olympic songs arranged according to their chart performance and accolades received. 

1. Whitney Houston – One moment in time (1988 Summer Olympics – Seoul, South Korea)
2. Vangelis – Chariots of fire (1984 Winter Olympics – Sarajevo, Yugoslavia)
3. Gloria Estefan – Reach (1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta, United States)
4. Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona (1992 Summer Olympics – Barcelona, Spain)
5. Katy Perry – Rise (2016 Summer Olympics – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
6. Muse – Survival (2012 Summer Olympics – London, United Kingdom)
7. Celine Dion – The power of the dream (1996 Summer Olympics – Atlanta, United States)
8. Björk – Oceania (2004 Summer Olympics – Athens, Greece)
9. Koreana – Hand in hand (1988 Summer Olympics – Seoul, South Korea)
10. John Williams – Olympic fanfare and theme (1984 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles, United States)
11. Sarah Brightman & José Carreras – Amigos para siempre (1992 Summer Olympics – Barcelona, Spain)
12. Andrea Bocelli – Because we believe (2006 Winter Olympics – Turin, Italy)
13. Richard Strauss – Olympische hymn (1936 Summer Olympics – Berlin, Germany)
14. Flipsyde – Someday (2006 Winter Olympics – Turin, Italy)
15. Liu Huan & Sarah Brightman – You and me (2008 Summer Olympics – Beijing, China)
16. Bryan Adams & Nelly Furtado – Bang the drum (2010 Winter Olympics – Vancouver, Canada)
17. Nikki Webster – We’ll be one (2000 Summer Olympics – Sydney, Australia)
18. John Williams – Call of the champions (2002 Winter Olympics – Salt Lake City, United States)

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!