Most Overrated Hits of 2017

Attention!!!

Two new compilations were added to the year-end lists last year, which I hope to continue. Giving more value and recognition than it deserves is the very definition which we will explore in this list, particularly in the music industry in the yesteryear. Unlike last year, I will give the justification for the songs being classified as overrated. This list takes a closer look where the music industry went wayward in 2017. For a year that was dominated by Pop the genre experienced its highest highs and the lowest lows. Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You takes the crown followed by Demi Lovato’s Sorry Not Sorry and Miley Cyrus’ Malibu. This list like the year itself is dominated by Pop with a few Rap entries. So here are the 10 most overrated hits of 2017 (there are 5 dishonorable mentions included as well):

1. Ed Sheeran – Shape of you

Some of you may wonder why I gave this unpalatable position to the reigning pauper prince of pop; but let me tell you why last year’s global numero uno tops this list. Shape of you may have a catchy tune, but dubious similarities between TLC’s 90s global smash No Scrubs led to Sheeran naming the producers/writers of No Scrubs as songwriters of the song. Moreover, no one can deny that the beat is also very similar to Sia’s Cheap Thrills, the dancehall hit which preceded Shape of You. Given Sheeran’s notorious past with alleged plagiarism with Matt Cardle’s Amazing for his hit Photograph, I’m not loving the shape of this song.

2. Demi Lovato – Sorry not sorry

An annoying peppy girl power anthem released during the summer with a chorus full of repetitive lyrics is bound to be a hit, especially when it is sung by a popular artist whose social media following is through the roof. This braggadocious track is Lovato’s most successful hit to date trumping the likes of Skyscraper and Cool for the Summer, which are some of her better work. Demi I’m sorry, not sorry for dissing this song. 

3. Miley Cyrus – Malibu

Cyrus is a classic case of an early life crisis. After the tiresome perky Hannah Montana days Cyrus proved that she cannot be tamed nor stopped, as the twerking young star went gaga. Crossing over to the dark side, her music changed drastically alongside her persona and wardrobe. So, when she returned to the mainstream with Malibu four years after Wrecking Ball, we were all shocked that it was not shocking. The transition to the hillbilly roots of her father may be as a result of her relationship with Liam Hemsworth, who may have inspired the song. So we will have to leave her in Malibu with her mediocre music, as we won’t fall for another overrated hit from her. 

4. DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper, Quavo and Lil Wayne – I’m the one

When a DJ/producer cannot sing they recruit vocal powerhouses such as Sia, Nicki Minaj or Usher. But what happens when they opt for some of the most popular artists of the time. I’m the One is a result of a mammoth collaboration of the most popular Pop act (Bieber), the most critically acclaimed rapper (Chance), the most popular rapper (Quavo) and of course most hits on Billboard Hot 100 Wayne); even then what we received was a production of varying rap verses tied together loosely by Bieber’s chorus. Oh DJ Khaled! We don’t want another one. 

5. Taylor Swift – Look what you made me do

What do you do, when you break up? Curl up into a ball and cry in bed. But Swift channels her emotion from a breakup into producing a global hit. With the hype surrounding her latest album Reputation, Swift targeted all the celebrities she had ‘bad blood’ with at the time. In addition, she made it seem like her sound had evolved from the previous peppy Pop to that of an edgier and darker version. However, this attempt failed abysmally as the electroclash adopted was a genre fiasco while the usual pettiness of her lyrics remained. I’m sorry but we need the old Taylor back.    

6. Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – Chained to the rhythm

Katy Perry is not new to overrated hits. Her California Gurls, Firework and Teenage Dreams are mediocre Pop songs that have all topped the charts, following the anticipation of their release rather than their quality. This again is evident from the initial success of Chained to the Rhythm which featured the grandson of Bob Marley which was an unpleasant surprise. Due to the mediocrity of the lead single off her album Witness, the later singles suffered as Bon Apetit and Swish Swish failed to obtain any proper success although they were much better than Chained to the Rhythm.  

7. Eminem ft. Beyoncé – Walk on water

Eminem’s last proper hit was The Monster back in 2013 with Rihanna. Thereafter, whatever success he experienced was average at best. So Marshall Mathers explored avenues for his comeback. Reverting to his old sound he recruited the major names in the industry at the time for his Revival album out of which Walk on Water was the lead single featuring Beyonce. Did it achieve hit status because of his much hyped up return or was it due to the biggest diva being featured? We will never know. Expectations were high on this one, but he failed to deliver.  

8. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito

Don’t get me wrong, the original Latin sultry rendition of Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee is something to be praised, but this is about the Bieber Spanglish remix which launched the song into the mainstream. While the song deserves its due as a brilliant production, the hype of it is overrated as the phenomenon that unleashed Latin music into the mainstream is unbelievable. Enrique Iglesias ft. Gente De Zona and Descemer Bueno’s Bailando is a much better production and a better Latin dance song overall. However, Iglesias missed the top of the charts whereas Fonsi ruled the global charts for a while. 

9. Zedd & Alessia Cara – Stay

This is yet another hit which was a result of an unsavory partnership. While I love Zedd’s and Cara’s music individually, this is a collaboration that should never have happened. While Cara’s vocals must be commended, the song itself is mediocre where the tempo and the beat are all off. Zedd’s follow up singles Get Low and Happy Now were much better than Stay while Cara has still been unable to produce a hit as great as her Here. 

10. Kyle ft. Lil Yachty – iSpy

There is a Rap song every year that somehow becomes hyped up due to a catchy beat or lyrics and reaches the higher echelons of the global charts. Last year it was Desiigner’s Panda which went viral due to sampling Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo. This year Kyle managed to achieve this with an annoying beat, coupled with an even more irritating and nonsensical set of lyrics. Recruiting Lil Yachty who had a hit with Broccoli in 2016 also helped him gain chart mileage.  

Dishonorable mentions:
11. Big Sean – Bounce back
12. Halsey – Now or never
13. Khalid – Location
14. Migos – T-shirt
15. Aminé – Caroline

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!

Most Inspirational Songs of 2017

Attention!!!

Now more than ever people need inspiration in their lives. What began as a one-off compilation for 2013, has now become a staple year-end list. 2017 was a year where there were so many tragedies, particularly in the music industry where we witnessed sad suicides, devastating bombings and cold blooded shootings. Ariana Grande's Somewhere Over The Rainbow is a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Manchester Bombings and a whole host of artists in the UK united to raise funds for the families of the victims of those who died in the Grenfell Fire by singing Bridge Over Troubled Water for charity. 

However, in terms of inspiration 2017 belonged to The Greatest Showman soundtrack. Never has a soundtrack been more motivational as more than ninety percent of the songs in the film were inspirational; and this is clearly reflected in the top tier of this compilation with 6 songs from the soundtrack featured on the list. Other significant entries include Kesha's comeback hit which is an empowering anthem on how to get over obstacles in your life. This song may be a reflection of her ongoing legal battle with producer Dr.Luke. 

Imagine Dragons have 3 entries on the list followed by Alessia Cara, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams and Ariana Grande each with 2 entries. Other soundtracks featured on the list include Wonder Woman, Sing and The Fate of the Furious. In terms of genre, Pop rules with almost all the entries with Country, Rap, Alternative Rock and EDM having a few entries. Taking this year's top spot is Oscar Nominee for Best Original Song and winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, This is Me by Keala Settle. This is followed by two songs from the soundtrack Never Enough sung by Voice Season 3 finalist Loren Allred and Come Alive by the ensemble cast. So here are the 30 most inspirational songs of 2017:   

1. Keala Settle – This is me (The Greatest Showman OST)
2. Loren Allred – Never enough (The Greatest Showman OST)
3. Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zendaya, Zac Efron & Daniel Everidge – Come alive (The Greatest Showman OST)
4. Kesha – Praying
5. Ariana Grande – Somewhere over the rainbow
6. Imagine Dragons – Believer
7. Rachel Platten – Broken glass
8. Imagine Dragons – Whatever it takes
9. Shawn Mendes – There’s nothing holdin’ me back
10. Zendaya & Zac Efron – Rewrite the stars (The Greatest Showman OST)
11. Little Mix ft. Stormzy – Power
12. Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams & Ziv Zaifman – Million dreams (The Greatest Showman OST)
13. Michelle Williams – Tightrope (The Greatest Showman OST)
14. Sia ft. Labrinth – To be human
15. Artists for Grenfell – Bridge over troubled water
16. Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – 1-800-273-8255
17. Dua Lipa – New rules
18. Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood – The fighter
19. Auli'i Cravalho – How far I’ll go
20. Imagine Dragaons – Thunder
21. Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki – Just hold on
22. Machin Gun Kelly ft. Hailee Steinfeld – At my best
23. Alessia Cara – Scars to your beautiful
24. Starley – Call on me
25. Bebe Rexha ft. Lil Wayne – The way I are (dance with somebody)
26. Martin Garrix & Troye Sivan – There for you
27. G-Eazy & Kehlani – Good life 
28. Rag ‘n’ Bone Man – Human
29. Miley Cyrus – Inspired
30. Stevie Wonder & Ariana Grande – Faith

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - January, 2018

Attention!!!

Music’s biggest night kicked off things in 2018 as the 60^th Grammy Awards was held in January hosted by James Corden. While Jay-Z was the top nominee with 8 it was Bruno Mars who was the biggest winner of the night earning 6 wins including all three major awards with 24K Magic as the Record of the Year, the album of the same name as the Album of the Year and Song of the Year going to his That’s What I Like. Kendrick Lamar was also a big winner at the Grammys taking 5 awards including Best Rap Album for DAMN., Best Rap Song and Best Music Video for HUMBLE.

Some of the great performances of the night included DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller with Wild Thoughts, Elton John and Miley Cyrus with Tiny Dancer, Kesha with Praying accompanied by Camila Cabello, Cyndi Lauper, Andra Day, Bebe Rexha and Julia Michaels as well as tributes to Tom Petty, Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell as well for the Las Vegas Shooting and Manchester Arena Bombing. Other significant wins included:

·         Best New Artist: Alessia Cara

·         Best Pop Vocal Album: Ed Sheeran - ÷

·         Best Rock Song: Foo Fighter – Run

·         Best Country Song: Christ Stapleton – Broken halos

·         Best Latin Pop Album: Shakira – El Dorado

·         Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Justin Hurwitz – La La Land

·         Best Song Written for Visual Media: Lin-Manuel Miranda – How far I’ll go

·         Producer of the Year, Non-Classical – Greg Kurstin

The 75^th Golden Globe Awards were also held in January hosted by Seth Myers. Alexandre Desplat won for Best Original Score for The Shape of Water whilst the Best Original Song went to This Is Me performed by Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Meanwhile, some highly anticipated nominations were announced during the month. First up we have the coveted 90^th Academy Awards nominees for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

Best Original Score:

·         Dunkirk – Hans Zimmer

·         Phantom Thread – Jonny Greenwood

·         The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat

·         Star Wars: The Last Jedi – John Williams

·         Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Carter Burwell

Best Original Song

·         Mighty River: Mudbound – Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson

·         Mystery of Love: Call Me by Your Name – Sufjan Stevens

·         Remember Me: Coco – Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

·         Stand Up for Something: Marshall – Diane Warren and Common

·         This Is Me: The Greatest Showman – Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Secondly we have the BRIT Awards 2018 nominations with Dua Lipa leading the fray with 5 nods including British Female, British Breakthrough, British Single and British Artist Video of the Year for New Rules, Album of the Year for her self-titled album. She sets a record as the female artist with the highest nominations at the BRIT Awards in one ceremony. Ed Sheeran is also up for 4 awards including British Male, Album of the Year for ÷ and British Single and Video for Shape of You. Breakthrough act last year, Rag N’ Bone Man has 3 nods including British Male and British Single and Album of the Year for Human.

Finally, we have the 5^th iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations. Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, DJ Khaled and Luis Fonsi top the nominations each receiving 5 nods. For song of the year the following go head to head for the coveted title:

·         Despacito – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber

·         Shape of You – Ed Sheeran

·         Something Just Like This – The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

·         That’s What I Like – Bruno Mars

·         Wild Thoughts – DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller

Mary J. Blige adds another accolade under her belt after being nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Mud Bound as well as her contribution to the Best Original Song nominee Mighty River as she received the honor of her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In other accolade news, Sigrid won the BBC Sound of 2018. The 21-year old rose to fame in 2017 through her critically acclaimed debut single Don’t Kill My Vibe. Previous recipients of this coveted title include Adele, Years & Years, Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding.

Ray Thomas, flautist and vocalist for British Rock group The Moody Blues died on January 4, at the age of 76. Although no cause of death was given, Thomas was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013. Alternative Rock suffered another massive blow when Dolores O’Riordan lead singer of The Cranberries died at the age of 46, when she was in London for a recording session on January 15. Although the cause of death was not made public, police ruled out any suspicions.

In the US, Ed Sheeran & Beyonce continued their reign with Perfect for the first 3 weeks of the month before Sheeran was billed as a solo artist in the last week at the top after which Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug’s Havana took the crown.  During the month Dua Lipa’s New Rules, Justin Timberlake’s Filthy and Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B’s Finesse all entered the top 10.  

In the UK, Ed Sheeran’s formidable rule with Perfect fueled by duets with Beyonce and Andrea Bocelli continued at the top until Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran’s River replace the former as the UK No.1 During the month Ramz’s Barking, Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B’s Finesse, Jason Derulo’s Tip Toe and Camila Cabello’s Never Be The Same all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Rita Ora & Liam Payne – For You

2.       Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line – Meant to be

3.       Dua Lipa – IDGAF

4.       Keala Settle – This is me

5.       Kendrick Lamar & SZA – All the stars

6.       Jax Jones ft. Ina Wroldsen – Breathe

7.       Rudimental ft. Macklemore & Jess Glynne – These days

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

2017 Recap: A Year in Music

Attention!!!

Ciao Adios 2017! We were all in love with the shape of 2017 as it gave us some of the best music the industry had to offer. The greatest moments in music were overshadowed by the horrific tragedies which was clearly a sign of the times. But the world moves on another day, another drama and more music. We have a million reasons to love the year but that doesn’t mean we don’t have issues with it, cause you’ve got them too. While we said we won’t let go of 2017, we had to bid farewell. I don't have new rules, so similar to 2016 I will strip 2017 down under seven segments: genres, albums, singles, milestones, shockers, talent and obituaries, and it goes something just like this: 

1. Genres
The most conspicuous changes in some of the mainstream genres included:

• Latin music resurfaced with force in the form of Spanglish remixes and dominated the charts  throughout the year.
• Mainstream Pop gradually reverted to its original form during the year after facing a tropical take over the year before.
• Hip Hop and Rap were forces to be reckoned with new artists introducing their own flavours.
• Dancepop and Electropop were reignited as they seeped through several EDM as well as Pop albums
• Rock and Country once more took a backseat, with the genres becoming almost irrelevant on the charts.  

2. Albums

Some of the most awaited albums were released in 2017:

• Shania Twain – Now (5th studio album – first album in 15 years)
• Fergie – Double Dutchess (2nd studio album – first album in 11 years)
• Steps – Tears on the Dancefloor (5th studio album – first proper album in 17 years)
• Linkin Park – One More Light (7th studio album – Bennington's final album)
• Zara Larsson – So Good (2nd studio album – first to be internationally released)
• Kesha – Rainbow (3rd studio album – first since her legal battle with Dr. Luke)
• Pink – Beautiful Trauma (7th studio album – first album in 5 years)
• Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. (4th studio album – Year-End No.1 in the US)
• Ed Sheeran – ÷ (3rd studio album – Year-End No.1 in the UK)
• Taylor Swift – Reputation (6th studio album)
• Lorde – Melodrama (2nd studio album)
• Jay-Z – 4:44 (13th studio album)
• Shakira – El Dorado (11th studio album)
• Imagine Dragons – Evolve (3rd studio album)
• Lana Del Rey – Lust for Life (5th studio album)
• Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All (2nd studio album)
• Eminem – Revival (9th studio album)

Most of the anticipated albums in 2018 were debut studio albums:
• Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa
• Harry Styles – Harry Styles
• SZA – Ctrl
• The Chainsmokers – Memories…Do Not Open
• Khalid – American Teen
• Rag ‘n’ Bone Man – Human
• Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer
• Niall Horan – Flicker
• Liam Gallagher – As You Were

3. Singles

Here are some interesting trivia regarding the global hits of 2017:

• Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You topped the charts in 44 countries and was conspicuously the most successful song of 2017.
• The music video for Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do broke the record for most-watched video on YouTube within 24 hours by achieving 43.2 million views passing Adele’s Hello.
• Logic ft. Khalid & Alessia Cara’s 1-800-273-8255 is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the US which witnessed a surge of more than 50% of calls to the hotline following its release and eventual popularity.
• Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber’s Despacito tied a 20-year old record held by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men’s One Sweet Day for the longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with 16 weeks.
• Cardi B’s Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) is the second solo Hip-Hop No.1 single by a female in US chart’s history after Lauryn Hill’s Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998 .
• With the release of Liam Payne ft. Quavo’s Strip That Down all of One Direction’s members had made their solo debuts each one having at least one hit entering the Top 10 in the UK during the year, and Harry Styles even topping the chart with Sign of the Times. 
• With Nicki Minaj’s debut of three songs in April on the Billboard Hot 100 (No Frauds, Regrets in Your Tears and Changed It) she passed Aretha Franklin for the most total appearances among women on the chart.
• With Rihanna’s Love on the Brain entering the Hot 100 Top 10, she passed Elvis Presley becoming the artist with the third most top-ten singles in Hot 100 history behind only Madonna and The Beatles.  
• Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic All I Want for Christmas is You achieved a chart peak in the US after 23 years of its release when it peaked at No.9.
• Ed Sheeran’s Perfect grabbed the coveted Christmas No.1 in the UK with its sales being propelled due to duet versions with Beyonce and Andrea Bocelli.  

4. Milestones

Some musicians need to be given the due recognition for their achievements during the year.

• Adele became the first artist in history to win the triple crowns at the ceremony twice with Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Hello and Album of the Year for 25 at the 59th Grammy Awards a feat which she previously achieved in 2012. 
• The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Bee Gees lead vocalist Barry Gibb were knighted in the Queen’s 2017 New Year Honours
• Sir Paul McCartney, Emeli Sande and Ed Sheeran receive the prestigious MBE in the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours List 
• Taylor Swift wins sexual assault case against DJ David Mueller for groping her at a 2013 concert 
• Diana Ross was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 American Music Awards
• Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year was bestowed on Alejandro Sanz at the 2017 Latin Grammy Awards
• Pink received the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards 
• Robbie Williams received the Icon Award at the BRIT Awards 2017 
• Pitbull was awarded the inaugural Dick Clark Achievement Award for his contribution to Latin Music at the 2017 Latin American Music Awards 
• Jay-Z was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and became the first rapper in history to be bestowed with such an honour.
• Selena Gomez was named 2017’s Billboard Woman of the Year 
• U2 received the Global Icon Award at the 2017 MTV European Music Awards 
• Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber’s Despacito became the most watched YouTube video of all time with over 4.7 billion views.
• Lady Gaga’s performance at the 2017 Super Bowl LI Halftime Show was the second most-watched in history and is also among the most critically acclaimed of all time
• Sampha’s Process won the coveted 2017 Mercury Prize
• Afrojack played a record breaking eight sets at Tomorrowland 2017 
• Vera Lynn made history when her album, 100, charted at Number 3 in the UK, making her the first living centenarian to have a Top 10 album
• Cher was bestowed with the Icon Award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards 
• Britney Spears honoured with the Icon Award at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards

5. Shockers

There were amazing moments in 2017 as well as the tragic ones that made up this memorable year.

• 58 people were shot dead and around 851 were injured in a shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival during Jason Aldean’s performance, making this the second deadliest concert shootings in history.  
• Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park hangs himself soon after the release of the band’s 7th studio album 
• A suicide bomb attack after an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena resulted in 22 deaths and left 250 injured.
• Glastonbury to take a year’s break after pulling in a record peak audience of 4.1 million viewers for Ed Sheeran’s headline slot and be replaced with BBC Music’s The Biggest Weekend
• Ed Sheeran privately settles a case of copyright infringement for his single Photograph and  the similarity between Matt Cardle’s Amazing 
• Fergie takes an indefinite break from the Black Eyed Peas 
• Tony Hadley, lead singer of Spandau Ballet formally announces his departure from the band
• Russia withdraws from Eurovision as Ukraine bans their representative Yulia Samoylova  from entering the host country by virtue of having traveled directly from Russia to Crimea in 2015
• Hip-Hop trio Tulisa, Dappy and Fazer indicates a N-Dubz reunion 
• The first ever Asia-Pacific Eurovision Song Contest was announced as Eurovision Asia was formally launched with 20 countries coming together to compete in an annual grand finale.

6. Talent

Here are the winners of those talent/reality contests which produce some of the best artists:

• 62nd Eurovision Song Contest – Portugal with Salvador Sobral’s Amar Pelos Dois
• The X Factor (14th Season) – Rak-Su mentored by Simon Cowell
• The Voice (12th Season) – Chris Blue coached by Alicia Keys
• The Voice (13th Season – Chloe Kohanski coached by Blake Shelton
• The Voice UK (6th Season) – Mo Adeniran coached by Jennifer Hudson
• Britain’s Got Talent (11th Season) – Tokio Myers

7. Obituaries

Finally we remember those who left us in 2017.

• Al Jarreau (12 February 1940 – 12 February 2017)
• Joni Sledge (13 September 1956 – 10 March 2017)
• Chuck Berry (18 October 1926 – 18 March 2017)
• J. Geils (20 February 1946 – 11 April 2017)
• Chris Cornell (20 July 1964 – 18 May 2017)
• Gregg Allman (08 December 1947 – 27 May 2017)
• Chester Bennington (20 March 1976 – 20 July 2017)
• Tom Petty (20 October 1950 – 02 October 2017)
• David Cassidy (12 April 1950 – 21 November 2017)
• Wayne Cochran (10 May 1939 – 21 November 2017)
• Kim Jong-hyun (08 April 1990 – 18 December 2017)

Till next year...

At Ease!!!

Greatest Hits of 2017

Attention!!!

2017 was the year of Ed. With monumental sales for his third studio album Divide (÷) as well as its titanic lead single, Shape of You, Sheeran reignited traditional Pop as a mainstream genre worldwide. The magnitude of this influence was far reaching, as his singles and album redefined pop culture during the year making a massive impact on various global charts and paving the way for other Pop artists to achieve chart success. However, Sheeran was not the only influence in 2017. 

The year also witnessed the resurgence of Latin music which seeped into the mainstream in the form of Spanglish remixes. The foundation of the Latin dance mega hit Bailando, which Enrique Iglesias laid in 2014 was exponentially heightened by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee this year with a Spanglish reworking of their song Despacito with Justin Bieber. This proved to be extremely successful, commercially and critically, breaking many records all over including tying with the 22-year old record held by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men’s One Sweet Day for the longest streak at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and also becoming the most-watched music video in the world.

The year was also marred by death and destruction, tragedy and commotion throughout the industry. As a result several charity songs also achieved chart success although none of which managed to enter here. Apart from Ed Sheeran, several artists who have been in the industry managed to release their biggest hits i.e. Kygo, French Montana, Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled and Demi Lovato and some of the newer artists such as Post Malone, Dua Lipa and Camila Cabello achieved immense success. Moreover, another point to note is that all the former One Direction members (excluding Zayn who already proved that he had potential for a solo career in 2016) released hit singles out of which only Louis Tomlinson failed to achieve enough success to be included in this list.

In terms of genres, Rap and R&B took over the mainstream initially as Reggae Fusion and Dancehall which was popular in 2016 disappeared from the mainstream. Later on Pop and Latin music took over the charts globally and their stronghold could not be swayed as Rock, EDM and Country took the backseat this year. However, mainstream music in general seemed to be influenced with a very tropical flavor, possibly a remnant from the Dancehall of yesteryear as genres ranging from Pop, House and Rap seemed to inculcate the new sultry beats.  

Ed Sheeran, Taylors Swift and Alessia Cara have the highest number of entries with 3 followed by Zayn, The Chainsmokers, DJ Khaled, Quavo, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Beyonce, Lil Uzi Vert, Katy Perry, Clean Bandit, Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd and Daft Punk with 2 each. The list this year was compiled based on worldwide charts alone mainly considering the US and UK charts but also giving weight to the success achieved in the European markets as well as Canada and Oceania. So here are the best 50 songs of 2017:

1. Ed Sheeran – Shape of you 
2. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito 
3. Bruno Mars – That’s what I like
4. DJ Khaled ft. Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper & Quavo – I’m the one 
5. Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – Havana 
6. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – Unforgettable 
7. The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something just like this 
8. Taylor Swift – Look what you made me do 
9. Kendrick Lamar – Humble. 
10. Dua Lipa – New rules
11. Kygo & Selena Gomez – It ain’t me 
12. Shawn Mendes – There’s nothing holdin’ me back
13. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – Bad and boujee 
14. Calvin Harris ft. Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams & Big Sean – Feels 
15. Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – Rockstar 
16. Clean Bandit ft. Anne Marie & Sean Paul – Rockabye 
17. J Balvin & Willy William ft. Beyoncé – Mi gente 
18. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild thoughts 
19. Sam Smith – Too good at goodbyes
20. Pink – What about us 
21. Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé – Perfect 
22. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – I feel it coming 
23. Zayn & Taylor Swift – I don’t wanna live forever 
24. The Chainsmokers – Paris
25. Charlie Puth – Attention 
26. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – Strip  that down
27. Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 
28. Imagine Dragons – Believer 
29. Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson – Symphony
30. Ed Sheeran – Castle on the hill  
31. Zayn ft. Sia – Dusk till dawn 
32. Zedd & Alessia Cara – Stay 
33. Future – Mask off 
34. Harry Styles – Sign of the times 
35. Julia Michaels – Issues 
36. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – Starboy 
37. Imagine Dragons – Thunder 
38. James Arthur – Say you won’t let go
39. Niall Horan – Slow hands 
40. Cardi B – Bodak yellow (money moves)
41. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Closer 
42. Lil Uzi Vert – XO Tour Llif3 
43. Drake – Passionfruit 
44. Demi Lovato – Sorry not sorry 
45. Rag n’ Bone Man – Human 
46. Portugal. The Man – Feel it still 
47. Alessia Cara – Scars to your beautiful 
48. Taylor Swift - …Ready for it? 
49. Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – Chained to the rhythm
50. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – Black Beatles 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - April, 2017

Attention!!!

The 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards 2017 was held in March where Fifth Harmony and Kelsea Ballerini were the big winners. Song of the Year however went to Shawn Mendes’ Treat You Better while Britney Spears was honored with the first Icon Award for her contribution to music. Some of the best performances of the night included Hailee Steinfeld’s medley of Most Girls and Starving, Train’s Play That Song, Julia Michaels’ Issues and of course the Spears’ tribute where a medley of Oops!... I Did It Again, Circus, …Baby One More Time and Till The World Ends were sung by Kelsea Ballerini, Sofia Carson, Hailee Steinfeld and Jamie Lynn Spears. The other significant winners of the night were:

·         Best Female Artist: Ariana Grande

·         Best Male Artist: Niall Horan

·         Best Group: Fifth Harmony

·         Best Band: DNCE

·         Breakout Artist of the Year: Alessia Cara

·         Best New Artist: Grace VanderWaal

·         Best Collaboration: Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello – Bad things

·         Fiercest Fans: Harmonizers

·         Country Favorite Artist: Kelsea Ballerini

·         Country Favorite Song: Kelsea Ballerini – Peter Pan

Next up we have the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards where Nicky Jam made a massive comeback winning 6 awards where his song Hasta El Amanecer won the Hot Latin Song of the Year as well as Digital, Streaming and Latin Rhythm Song of the year. Artist of the Year was won by Late Juan Gabriel who also won the Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year – Male, Latin Pop Albums Artist of the Year – Solo and his album Los Duo 2 won Top Latin and Latin Pop Album of the Year. Enrique Iglesias took away 4 awards including Latin Pop Songs Artist of the Year – Solo and Latin Pop Song of the Year for his collaboration with Wisin on Duele El Corazon. Other winners of the night include:

·         Artist of the Year: New – CNCO

·         Tour of the Year: Marc Anthony

·         Social Artist of the Year: Jennifer Lopez

·         Hot Latin Song Artist of the Year: Female – Shakira

·         Hot Latin Songs Label of the Year: Sony Music Latin

2017 Academy of Country Music Awards was also held in April where Jason Aldean was awarded Entertainer of the Year. Meanwhile, ACM Song of the Year went to Thomas Rhett’s Die A Happy Man and Album of the Year was awarded to Miranda Lambert’s The Weight of these Wings. The other winners of the night were:

·         Male Vocalist of the Year: Thomas Rhett

·         Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert

·         Vocal Group of the Year: Little Big Town

·         Songwriter of the Year: Lori McKenna

·         Single Record of the Year: Florida Georgia Line – H.O.L.Y

·         Video of the Year: Artists of Then, Now & Forever – Forever country

The world’s apparent greatest songwriter, Ed Sheeran has privately settled a case against him which was lodged last year. In 2016, Sheeran was sued by songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, writers of Matt Cardle's 2011 single Amazing, for USD 20 million for copyright infringement. US judge James Selna confirmed Ed’s case had been dismissed last month after the Suffolk born star reached an agreement with the writers, with no admission of guilt. Details of the settlement have not been made public. Following this saga, his titanic global hit Shape of You also came under fire as critiques alleged plagiarism from TLC’s legendary 90’s smash hit No Scrubs. Since then Sheeran has added both Kandi Burruss and Tameka Cottle who penned the R&B track as co-writers alongside the song's producer Kevin Briggs.

Glastonbury Festival 2017 has announced its full line-up where along with its headlining acts – Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters and Radiohead, a number of other high profile artists such as Lorde, Shaggy, Katy Perry, Clean Bandit, Birdy and Stormzy are to perform. Glastonbury will take place at Worthy Farm, Somerset from June 23-25.

Good news for N-Dubz fans as the Hip-Hop trio have indicated that they will reunite in the near future. Fazer confirmed that the group was anyway only on a hiatus and that he along with Dappy and Tulisa will return to the studio to produce new music. When that will exactly be God only knows.

Moving onto chart news, in the US Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You remained unmoved at the top during the entire month accumulating 12 non-consecutive weeks at No.1. Meanwhile, Drake’s Passionfruit, Kendrick Lamar’s Humble and Harry Style’s debut single Sign of the Times all debuted in the top 10. Future’s Mask Off and Sam Hunt’s Body Like a Back Road also entered the top 10.  

In the UK, Sheeran’s reign with Shape of You was only interrupted when Harry Styles debuted atop the charts with his Sign of the Times.  During the month Julia Michaels’ Issues, Zedd & Alessia Cara’s Stay and Kendrick Lamar’s Humble all entered the top 10.  

Other songs which became popular during the month were: 

1.       Drake ft. Travis Scott & Quavo – Portland

2.       Future ft. Rihanna – Selfish

3.       Kyle ft. Lil Yachty – iSpy

4.       Zayn ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR – Still got time

5.       Stargate ft. Pink & Sia – Waterfall

6.       Lana Del Rey ft. The Weeknd – Lust for life 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best New Artists of 2016

Attention!!!

This is the first of the year-end lists as we start the count down to the Greatest Hits of 2016. This year we witnessed a drove of immense talent flooding the industry. With varied genres and vocal ranges the acts ranged from solo artists to duos and groups. We have former reality/talent show contestants, former boy band members as well as social media enthusiasts. 

Taking the crown are Rock duo Twenty One Pilots who dominated the charts with their unique Alternative/Rap fusion style. They are followed by vocal powerhouse Zara Larsson whose songs went onto become global smash hits. At No.3 we have Shawn Mendes who is turning out to be the male counterpart of Taylor Swift with a gargantuan fan following. I have excluded the Chainsmokers from this list as they had their first hit #Selfie three years ago. So here are the Top 20 New Artists of 2016:   

1. Twenty One Pilots

They are an Alternative Rock duo that captured our hearts with Stressed Out and went onto score other popular hits such as Ride and Heathens.

2. Zara Larsson

She is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry as her hits Never Forget You, Lush Life, Ain’t My Fault and I Would Like were all global smash hits and she even collaborated with David Guetta and Tinie Tempah.

3. Shawn Mendes

This Canadian heartthrob speaks to prepubescents through his whiny and cheesy lyrics and he has had hits such as Stitches, Treat You Better and Mercy and also collaborations with Camila Cabello and The Vamps.

4. DNCE

Definitely the best Pop Rock band of this decade so far, their global smash Cake By The Ocean is now an anthem on the dancefloor and they have had hits such as Toothbrush and Body Moves.

5. Alan Walker

One of the most unique DJs of this decade who released his global chart topper Faded followed by Sing Me To Sleep and more recently Alone.

6. Daya

The Hideaway hit maker did not stop there, she collaborated with the Chainsmokers’ on their worldwide hit Don’t Let Me Down and again returned to the charts with Sit Still and Look Pretty.

7. Alessia Cara

Her anti-social hymn Here became a party hit over night and she went on to score with Wild Things and Scars To Your Beautiful.

8. G-Eazy

He’s the new white kid on the block, but his style of rapping is distinctive and his collaboration Me Myself & I with Bebe Rexha was a global hit and he has gone onto collaborate with Britney Spears and Grace.

9. Bebe Rexha

With powerful vocals she can sing as well as rap. Her single Me Myself & I alongside G-Eazy was a worldwide hit and she also spawned hits such as No Broken Hearts and I Got You.

10. MØ

Her Danish Indie Pop style doesn’t go unnoticed. Entering the mainstream from Major Lazer’s Lean On, she has now released hits such as Final Song, Kamikaze and Drum and also collaborating with Major Lazer again on Cold Water.

11. Zayn

This former One Directioner proved that he can stand on his own as he topped the charts with his debut single Pillowtalk and has also had hits such as Like I Would and It’s You.

12. Dua Lipa

As a vocal powerhouse she entered the mainstream with Be The One and Hotter Than Hell and then went on to score with Blow Your Mind (Mwah) and being featured on Sean Paul’s No Lie.

13. Troye Sivan

As a social media titan, Sivan’s followers will swallow anything and everything that he spews out; although his singles are good and Youth, Wild and Talk Me Down went onto become hits.

14. Louisa Johnson

She won the X Factor last year and entered the charts covering Bob Dylan’s Forever Young. She then collaborated with the Clean Bandit on their hit Tears and also her own hit So Good.  

15. Lukas Graham

They may be hyped up but their 7 Years was a mega hit around the world which they followed up with Mama Said and You’re Not There.

16. Anne Marie

Her hit Alarm took the charts by storm after which her collaboration with Clean Bandit and Sean Paul on Rockabye reached the summit worldwide.

17. Halsey

Her New Americana, Colours and Castle were all moderately successful but it was Closer, her collaboration with the Chainsmokers that propelled her to No.1 world over.

18. Calum Scott

He finished sixth on the ninth series of Britain’s Got Talent and released his audition song cover of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own which became a worldwide hit. 

19. Kiiara

Her bass heavy, trap style, rap became very popular through her hit Gold which was used by Apple to promote their Apple Watch. 

20. Nathan Sykes

He may have not earned the same popularity as his former band The Wanted but he did gain chart success with Over and Over Again, Give It Up and Famous. 

Till the next ensemble...

At Ease!!!