Xposition - December, 2017

Attention!!!

While the awards season officially came to a close we had other accolades to be given. These were the year-end coronations. Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You was a no-shocker there as it crowned almost all the major year-end charts worldwide from US and UK to Canada and Australia. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber’s Despacito was a close second as it was released later in the year as a Spanglish remix. In the US, it was a clearly male dominated chart with Halsey being the lone female within the top 10, even that only as a featured role in The Chainsmokers’ Closer. In the UK too it was not too different as there were only two females featured in the top 10: Zara Larsson featured on Clean Bandit’s Symphony and Raye featured on Jax Jones’ You Don’t Know Me. The top 10 for the major markets are as follows:

#	United States	United Kingdom	Australia	Canada
1	Ed Sheeran – Shape of you	Ed Sheeran – Shape of you	Ed Sheeran – Shape of you	Ed Sheeran – Shape of you
2	Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito	Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito	Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito	Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito
3	Bruno Mars – That’s what I like	Ed Sheeran – Castle on the hill	Ed Sheeran – Castle on the hill	The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Closer
4	Kendrick Lamar – Humble.	French Montana ft. Swae Lee – Unforgettable	Ed Sheeran – Perfect	The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something just like this
5	The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something just like this	Ed Sheeran – Galway girl	The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something just like this	French Montana ft. Swae Lee – Unforgettable
6	Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – Bad and boujee	Ed Sheeran – Perfect	Imagine Dragons – Thunder	The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – Starboy
7	The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Closer	Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson – Symphony	Ed Sheeran – Galway girl	Bruno Mars – That’s what I like
8	Sam Hunt – Body like a bad road	Rag ‘n’ Bone Man – Human	Kendrick Lamar – Humble.	Kygo & Selena Gomez – It ain’t me
9	Imagine Dragons – Believer	The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something just like this	Macklemore ft. Skylar Grey – Glorious	Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie - Rockabye
10	Post Malone ft. Quavo – Congratulations	Jax Jones ft. Raye – You don’t know me	Shawn Mendes – There’s nothing holdin’ me back	DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne – I’m the one

Although the BRIT Awards 2018 are to be held in February, as per the norm the winner of the BRITs Critics Choice was announced. Beating competition from Mabel and Stefflon Don, Jorja Smith was announced as the winner of the coveted award. She follows in the footsteps of Adele, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding and most recently Rag ‘n’ Bone Man who proved he indeed has what it takes to be a superstar.

In reality TV news, the X Factor had its grand finale in December where Rak-Su emerged victorious over Grace Davies after an intense last battle. Rak-Su won with their own original song Dimelo which features Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy. Another significance of this victory is that they are only the second group to have won the show after Little Mix and the only boy band to win it. Mentored by Simon Cowell, the foursome managed to win the audience and was a much easier win being the clear favorites unlike the year before.

It was also revealed at the end of the month that The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Bee Gees founder member Barry Gibb had been awarded knighthoods in the Queen’s New Year Honours. Other honorees include grime star Wiley, real name Richard Cowie, who is awarded an MBE for his services to music.

On the other side of the world, the lead singer of K-Pop band SHINee Kim Jong-hyun was found unconscious at his home and dead upon admission to hospital at the age of 27. His death is considered to be ruled as an apparent suicide.   

In the US, Post Malone ft. 21 Savage’s Rockstar continued its reign till the third week until Ed Sheeran’s Perfect took the crown fueled by a duet version with Beyonce and continued at the top for the rest of the month. During the month Migos, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B entered the top 10 with MotorSport and Mariah Carey entered the top 10 with her Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You, which achieved its chart peak 23 years since it was originally released.   

In the UK, Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug’s Havana began the month at the top but was dethroned again by Ed Sheeran’s Perfect. Perfect remained at the top throughout even grabbing the coveted Christmas No.1. During the month Clean Bandit ft. Julia Michaels' I Miss You, MK’s 17 and Eminem ft. Ed Sheeran’s River all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       NF – Let you down

2.       Dua Lipa – IDGAF

3.       Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran & Future – End game

4.       Inna – Nirvana

5.       Camila Cabello – Never be the same

6.       Halsey & G-Eazy – Him & I

7.       Jason Derulo ft. French Montana – Tip toe 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - December, 2016

Attention!!!

December kicked-off with the highly anticipated 2017 Grammy nominations with Beyonce leading the bill with 9 nods including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Music Video. Drake is close behind with 8 nominations. The nominations for the four big awards are:

1.      Record of the Year

Adele – Hello

Beyonce – Formation

Lukas Graham – 7 Years

Rihanna ft. Drake – Work

Twenty One Pilots – Stressed out

2.      Album of the Year

Adele – 25

Beyonce – Lemonade

Justin Bieber – Purpose

Drake – Views

Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

3.      Song of the Year

Formation (Beyonce)

Hello (Adele)

I Took a Pill in Ibiza (Mike Posner)

Love Yourself (Justin Bieber)

7 Years (Lukas Graham)

4.      Best New Artist

Kelsea Ballerini

The Chainsmokers

Chance the Rapper

Maren Morris

Anderson .Paak

The BBC Music Awards had its second edition this year with the top honours going to Adele. The winners are:

• Song of the Year: Adele – Hello
• BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Performance of the Year: 1975 – What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction Cover)
• Introducing Artist of the Year: Izzy Bizu
• British Artist of the Year: Coldplay
• BBC Radio 2 Album of the Year: Adele – 25

Meanwhile, Rag N’ Bone Man fended off competition from Dua Lipa and Anne Marie to grab the coveted BRIT’s Critics’ Choice Award for 2017. He is the tenth recipient of this award which includes past winners such as Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and Emeli Sande.

December is also the time when the much anticipated year-end charts are revealed. This year Justin Bieber leads the 2016 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 with his mega hit Love Yourself. Adele however rules the Billboard Top Artist as well as the Billboard Year-End 200 with her album 25.  The top 10 are:

1.       Justin Bieber – Love yourself

2.       Justin Bieber – Sorry

3.       Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla – One dance

4.       Rihanna ft. Drake – Work

5.       Twenty One Pilots – Stressed out

6.       Desiigner – Panda

7.       Adele – Hello

8.       The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – Don’t let me down

9.       Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!

10.   The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Closer

The UK also released their year-end list the Official Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2016 with Drake’s One Dance which broke multiple chart records during the year including staying at the top for 15 weeks and tying for the second longest consecutive stay at No.1. The top 10 are:

1.       Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla – One dance

2.       Lukas Graham – 7 Years

3.       Sia – Cheap thrills

4.       Mike Posner – I took a pill in Ibiza

5.       Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – This is what you came for

6.       Zara Larsson – Lush life

7.       The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Closer

8.       Justin Bieber – Love yourself

9.       Rihanna ft. Drake – Work

10.   Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!

The biggest shock of the month was when Camila Cabello from Fifth Harmony left the group to pursue her solo career. In an alleged pre-emptive strike Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane Hansen and Lauren Jauregui informed on twitter that they had been informed by Camila’s representatives that she had decided to leave the group but that they would continue as a foursome. Camila via her twitter account announced that she never meant to leave this way and was unaware of her former bandmates was going to release the statement. As the saga unfolded it was clear that all the signs pointed to Camila’s departure as the pleas of the other four fell on deaf ears as well as her two collaborations as a solo artist with Shawn Mendes and Machine Gun Kelly both becoming big hits.

The X-Factor 2016 crowned Matt Terry as its winner in its 13^th edition mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. This year the competition was stiff where Terry beat runner-up Finnish Saara Alto in an explosive finale. However, the winner’s single When Christmas Comes Around was released after the results were announced and was not performed during the competition. The single penned by Ed Sheeran however, failed to grab the top spot in the UK and only managed to peak at No.3.

Speaking of girl bands, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice is to be made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honour’s List. Even in its final days 2016 managed to take away another pop star from music and this time its George Michael who passed away from heart failure at the age of 53.

Moving onto chart news, in the US Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane’s Black Beatles remained at the top during the whole month fueled by the Mannequin Challenge videos that continued to flood social media. Other songs which entered the top 10 include Zayn & Taylor Swift’s I Don’t Wanna Live Forever taken from the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack and J.Cole’s De Javu.

In the UK, Clean Bandit featuring Anne Marie and Sean Paul’s Rockabye reigned supreme during the month and earned the coveted Christmas No.1. Meanwhile, Little Mix’s Touch peaked at No.4, Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson’s Just Hold On and Rag N’ Bone Man’s Human peaked at No.2 during the month.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Sean Paul ft. Dua Lipa – No lie

2.       Little Mix ft. Charlie Puth – Oops

3.       David Guetta & Cedric Gervais ft. Chris Willis – Would I lie to you 

4.       The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – I feel it coming

5.       Robin Schulz & David Guetta ft. Cheat Codes - Shed a light 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - December, 2015

Attention!!!

December is when the year-end lists are released and fans eagerly wait to see which songs and artists have been successful this year. Of course the top song in almost all the countries around the world is no surprise as Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk is the clear winner. The most anticipated compilation of all is the Billboard Year-End Hot 100. The list was compiled from data for the period from December 6, 2014 to November 28, 2015 for physical, digital, streaming and airplay figures. So here are the top 10:

1. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - Uptown funk
2. Ed Sheeran - Thinking out loud
3. Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See you again
4. Fetty Wap - Trap queen
5. Maroon 5 - Sugar
6. Walk The Moon - Shut up and dance
7. Taylor Swift - Blank space
8. Silento - Watch me
9. The Weeknd - Earned it
10. The Weeknd - The hills 

And from 2014 we still have hits on the list such as:

• Taylor Swift - Shake it off
• Sam Smith - I'm not the only one
• Meghan Trainor - All about that bass
• Sia - Chandelier

However, the UK has not released the year end list which has been delayed due to unknown circumstances. It is definitely clear that Uptown Funk is the song of the year and Pop rules the day with more than 6 songs and one Trap and the others R&B.

The nominations for the 58th Grammy Awards were also announced recently. Kendrick Lamar received the most nominations with 11 while Taylor Swift and The Weeknd have 7 nominations each. LL Cool J will host the show for the fifth consecutive year. For Record of the Year the following have been nominated:

• Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - Uptown funk
• D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Really love
• The Weeknd - Can't feel my face
• Taylor Swift - Blank space
• Ed Sheeran - Thinking out loud

For Album of the Year we have the following nominations:

• The Weeknd - Beauty behind the madness
• Alabama Shakes - Sound & Colour
• Taylor Swift - 1989
• Chris Stapleton - Traveller
• Kendrick Lamar - To pimp a butterfly

For Song of the Year we have the following:

• Taylor Swift - Blank space
• Ed Sheeran - Thinking out loud
• Kendrick Lamar - Alright
• Little Big Town - Girl crush
• Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See you again

Lady Gaga was felicitated as Billboard's Woman of the Year 2015. She was introduced by none other than her mother after which she gave an outstanding performance of her newest single Til It Happens To You. She ended her remarks saying "Because I may not be a lot of things, but I can write songs and I can sing." The other honorees of the night were:

• Chart Topper: Selena Gomez 
• Rising Star: Kelsea Ballerini
• Group of the Year: Fifth Harmony
• Legend: Loretta Lynn
• Powerhouse: Brittany Howard
• Innovator: Missy Elliott
• Breakthrough: Tori Kelly
• Rulebreaker: Demi Lovato
• Trailblazer: Lana Del Rey

December also brings the much anticipated finales of the reality talent shows. The X Factor running on its 12th series saw Rita Ora-mentored Louisa Johnson being crowned the winner over the hip-hop duo Reggie 'n' Bollie with a cover of Bob Dylan's Forever Young. Her single reached No.9 in the UK which is the lowest ever position on entry for a debut single from an X Factor winner. Johnson is notable for not only being the program's youngest ever winner, but also the only winner to never have her winner's song not reach No.1.

The 9th season of The Voice came to a close with Jordan Smith winning the show and with the win Adam Levine became the winning coach for the third time. As opposed to Johnson on X Factor Smith is the highest selling artist ever to compete on The Voice. His finale covers of Queen's Somebody to Love and the Christmas song Mary Did You Know? reached No.21 and No.24 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively.

Yes, for the first time Sri Lanka is also a part of the Xposition, as it made international headlines in relation to music. Of course the controversy surrounds Enrique Iglesias' concert which took place on 20th December as part of his Sex + Love World Tour. As Live Events owned by former Sri Lankan cricket captains, best friends and business partners Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena who are the organizers of the concert failed miserably to deliver on the hyped up event, the failure was significantly heightened and scandalized by a bra being thrown at Iglesias by a concert-goer as well as Iglesias kissing a fan on stage. His Excellency President Maithripala Sirisena at a public event made a statement that such concerts would be henceforth banned in Sri Lanka and the organizers of the event should be whipped by a sting ray's tail. Moreover, the municipalities are alleging tax fraud by the organizers in relation to the concert.

Finally, in a very sad state of events we bid farewell to Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat King Cole who died on 31st December 2015 of congestive heart failure aged 65. She is best known for Unforgettable, a duet with her father.

Moving onto chart news, Adele continued her reign at the top in the US with Hello for the whole of December completing seven weeks at the helm. Justin Bieber's Sorry has been struggling at No.2 since its debut behind Hello. Meanwhile, Justin Bieber's Love Yourself, Alessia Cara's Here and Selena Gomez' Same Old Love all entered the top 10.

In the UK however, Bieber's Sorry managed to dethrone Adele in the last week of November and it remained at the top during the first week of December, after which Bieber managed to replace himself at No.1 with Love Yourself. It remained at the top for two more weeks before being overthrown by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir's A Bridge Over You which claimed the coveted Christmas No.1. There was quite a tussle between Love Yourself and A Bridge Over You after which Bieber pledged his support for the choir which ultimately won the top spot. During the month Grace ft. G-Eazy's You Don't Own Me and Coldplay's Adventure of a Lifetime all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month are:

• PSY ft. CL - Daddy
• Nathan Sykes - Over and over again
• DNCE - Cake by the ocean
• Daya - Hide away
• Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello - I know what you did last summer
• Selena Gomez - Hands to myself 
• twenty one pilots - Stressed out
• The Chainsmokers ft. ROZES - Roses
• Drake & Future - Jumpman 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!