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 - June, 2017

Attention!!!

The 2017 CMT Music Awards were held in June with Keith Urban as the top nominee and taking home the coveted Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for Blue Ain’t Your Colour and Collaborative Video of the Year for The Fighter alongside Carrie Underwood.  Other big wins of the night included:

• Female Video of the Year: Carrie Underwood – Church bells
• Duo Video of the Year: Florida Georgia Line – H.O.L.Y.
• Group Video of the Year: Little Big Town – Better man
• Breakthrough Video of the Year: Lauren Alaina – Road less traveled
• CMT Performance of the Year: Jason Derulo & Luke Bryan – Want to want me

Following the horrific bombing at the Manchester Arena in May, Ariana Grande returned to Manchester but this time to the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in order to pay tribute to her fans who died in the blast. She did not come alone as guest artists included Miley Cyrus, Black Eyed Peas, Justin Bieber, Take That, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Little Mix, Niall Horan, Pharrell Williams, Liam Gallagher and Robbie Williams. Proceeds from the event which exceeded £12 million went to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund established by the Manchester City Council and the British Red Cross. The funds were to help the victims and their families.  

The Summertime Ball returned to the Wembley Stadium in London on June 10, for the eighth consecutive year headlined by Bruno Mars and Little Mix.  All the contemporary megastars took center stage as Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Julia Michaels, Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, Shawn Mendes, Louisa Johnson, Olly Murs, Zara Larsson etc. with guest appearances from Hailee Steinfeld, Craig David, Imani Williams and Ella Eyre. 

Sir Paul McCartney, Emeli Sandé and Ed Sheeran have been recognized in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours’ List which will see the artists receive the prestigious MBE for their contributions to the arts and society. 

It is the end of the Black Eyed Peas as we know it as Fergie has officially left the Hip-Hop group. Although not in the original line-up Fergie’s addition saw the group rising to new heights and making a massive breakthrough into the mainstream Pop, Rap and Hip-Hop industry. Her powerful vocals gave the group the much needed sync with the rapping of will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo. All in all Black Eyed Peas will never be the same, and her last contribution was to the fittingly reworked #WHEREISTHELOVE which is a charity song the proceeds of which was to will.i.am’s non-profit foundation i.am.angel, which funds educational programs and college scholarships.  

Boyzone are to celebrate their 25th anniversary next year with an arena tour. They have also teased about new music, although it is unclear whether they will release a new album with fresh music or a greatest hits compilation with a few new singles. 

Moving onto chart news, in the US, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber’s Despacito continued at the top of the charts throughout the month, with no competition whatsoever. There was hardly any activity at the top of the charts during the month with Miley Cyrus’ Malibu and Post Malone featuring Quavo’s Congratulations being the only two songs to crack the top 10. 

In the UK too, Despacito reigned supreme until the cover of Bridge of Troubled Water by Artists for Grenfell peaked in the final week. The latter song was a charity single released to raise funds for the families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. During the month Liam Payne featuring Quavo’s Strip That Down, Niall Horan’s Slow Hands, David Guetta featuring Justin Bieber’s 2U, Little Mix featuring Stormzy’s Power and Jonas Blue featuring William Singe’s Mama all entered the top 10. 

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild thoughts
2. Katy Perry ft. Nicki Minaj – Swish swish
3. Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane – Down
4. Olly Murs & Louisa Johnson – Unpredictable
5. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
6. Selena Gomez – Bad liar

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - June, 2016

Attention!!!

It's the beginning of the dry season for awards as we only see the 2016 CMT Awards in June. Carrie Underwood and Tim McGraw were the big winners of the night with Underwood grabbing both the Performance of the Year and Female Video of the Year for Smoke Break and McGraw snatching the Video of the Year for Humble and Kind. Other winners include:

• Male Video of the Year: Thomas Rhett - Die a happy man
• Group/Duo Video of the Year: Little Big Town - Girl crush 
• Breakthrough Video of the Year: Chris Stapleton - Fire away
• Social Superstar of the Year: Blake Shelton

The dry season continues for artists in their personal lives as well. Breakup season unfolds as Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris the most powerful/influential/wealthy couple in the music industry part ways (this could possibly lead to another potential hit by Swift). This is followed by the breakup of Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama after a six year long relationship. 

The X Factor UK 2016 confirmed the judging panel for the auditions to kick off later in the month as Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger. Louis and Sharon made up the original X Factor judging panel with Simon 12 years ago - while Nicole has appeared on both the US and UK lineups.

The music industry was shocked as Christina Grimmie was shot dead in Orlando when she was signing autographs after a show at the Plaza Live Theater. Grimmie, 22, a Vlogger with a major fan following on YouTube at first made her mainstream career on sixth season of The Voice US and finished in third place. Her shooter was a deranged fan, who proceeded to shoot himself. The incident brought back the horrific memories of the murder of famous singer Selena in 1995 by an obsessed employee/fan. 

The murder of Grimmie was followed by the mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando where 50 people were killed and more than 50 were injured. The 70th Annual Tony Awards was dedicated to the victims of the horrific massacre. 

Meanwhile, the UEFA Euro 2016 kicked off in style with David Guetta rocking the house down with his newest single and the official song of the football championship - This One's For You featuring Zara Larsson. And more news about official tracks is that Rihanna released Sledgehammer which serves as the title track off the film Star Trek: Beyond. 

Moving on to chart news, in the US Drake ft. Kyla & Wizkid's One Dance once again regained the crown from Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop The Feeling and continued at the top for the rest of the month. The Song of the Summer chart was launched during the third week of June and One Dance crowned the chart in the last two weeks of the month. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya's Don't Let Me Down and Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna's This Is What You Came For both reached new peaks within the Top 10 and Pink's Just Like Fire from the soundtrack of Alice Through The Looking Glass entered the Top 10. 

In the UK, Drake's One Dance accumulated an impressive 12th week at the top and claimed the longest running No.1 in the digital age. Moreover, Drake ft. Rihanna's Too Good also managed to enter the Top 3 during the month. Meanwhile, struggling at No.2 throughout the month was Kungs vs. Cookin' 3 Burners' This Girl which could not overthrow One Dance. Other songs which entered the Top 10 include Clean Bandit ft. Louisa Johnson's Tears, gnash ft. olivia o' brien's i hate u, i love u and Sigala ft. John Newman and Nile Rodgers's Give Me Your Love. 

Some of the other songs which became popular during the month include:

• Ariana Grande - Into you
• Dua Lipa - Hotter than hell
• Jonas Blue ft. JP Cooper - Perfect strangers
• Adele - Send my love (to your new lover) 
• Fifth Harmony ft. Fetty Wap - All in my head (flex)
• Meghan Trainor - Me too
• Calum Scott - Dancing on my own
• Cheat Codes and Kriss Kross Amsterdam - Sex 

Till the next beat...

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Most Successful American Idol Contestants

Attention!!!

Yes, it was the first singing competition that captured our hearts. American Idol during its heyday was one of the most watched reality shows and in general one of the most popular television shows in the world. Before X-Factor and The Voice crept their way into the ratings and stole the audience, American Idol ruled unchallenged. Sometimes the audience were fans of the judges more than the contestants with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson entertaining us for quite sometime with their entertaining remarks during auditions. They may have been replaced during the latter seasons but they along with host Ryan Seacrest compose the beloved American Idol family. Now after 15 seasons American Idol bids farewell to its loyal fans with a grand finale reuniting former judges and contestants on the Idol stage.

Here I have gone into the achievements of the most successful idols and have placed them accordingly. The first Idol takes the first place on this list and Kelly Clarkson has proven over and over again that she is a force to be reckoned with on the mainstream pop stage. Following closely at her heels is the winner of the fourth season and country princess Carrie Underwood, whom Simon predicted during the finale that not only will she win but that she will become the most successful idol of all time (he was right as Underwood is the most successful in the US). At third place we have Chris Daughtry who as part of the band Daughtry has become an immense success on the rock stage. So here are the 10 most successful idols of all time:

1.       Kelly Clarkson

She was the first Idol and the original American Sweetheart. Her coronation single A Moment Like This topped the charts and was also the best-selling single in the US in 2002. Her debut studio album Thankful topped the Billboard 200. Her second studio album Breakaway was a global success making her an international phenomenon charting within the Top 10 in more than 20 countries and was No.29 on the US Decade-End Albums Chart 2000-2009. The album spawned five hit singles four of which were Top 10 global hits – Breakaway, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Because Of You and her signature hit Since U Been Gone (No.47 in the Decade-End Singles Chart 2000-2009). Her third album My December was not as equally successful but was a top 10 album in more than 10 countries and produced the hit single Never Again. Her fourth album All I Ever Wanted was her second chart topper which also gave her a second single atop the US charts as well as first crown in the UK with My Life Would Suck Without You. The album also spawned the hit singles I Do Not Hook Up and Already Gone. Her next album Stronger was also a Top 10 international smash with the titular track Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) reaching the top spot worldwide and also the hit Mr. Know It All. Her seventh studio album Piece By Piece debuted atop the Billboard 200 and was another Top 10 album worldwide. It produced the hits Heartbeat Song and Piece By Piece. Her musical work has gained her numerous accolades, including 3 Grammy Awards, 3 MTV Video Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 4 American Music Awards, and 2 Academy of Country Music Awards. Overall, Clarkson has been nominated for 142 awards out of which she has won 66. In a career spanning over a decade, Clarkson has accumulated 100 Billboard number-one hits over the various charts and sold over 25 million albums worldwide. She is ranked by Billboard as the 14^th best-selling artist of the 2000s.

2.       Carrie Underwood

She won the fourth season of the American Idol and has now become one of the most successful country artists of all time. Her coronation song Inside Your Heaven debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first country artist to ever debut at No.1. Her debut album Some Hearts was the best-selling album in the US in 2006, the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history and the best-selling album by an American Idol alumnus in the US. The album also spawned the No.20 hit Jesus Take The Wheel and the No.8 hit Before He Cheats. Her second album Carnival Ride debuted atop the Billboard 200 and also at the top of the Canadian Albums Chart. The album spawned several hits including So Small, All-American Girl, Last Name and I Told You So (featuring Randy Travis). Her third studio album Play On produced the No.11 hit Cowboy Casanova. She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008 and into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Her fourth album Blown Away debuted atop the Billboard 200 and was a top 20 album worldwide. It produced the hits Good Girl and Blown Away. Her first compilation album Greatest Hits: Decade #1 included two new singles Something In The Water and Little Toy Guns which were both hits in the US and Canada. Her fifth studio album Storyteller peaked at No.2 in the US and has also peaked within the Top 20 of the album charts around the world. She has also had Top 20 hits with Brad Paisley (Remind Me) and Miranda Lambert (Somethin’ Bad). She is the best-selling American Idol contestant of all time and has garnered 7 Grammy Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards, 9 American Music Awards and 5 Country Music Association Awards.

3.       Chris Daughtry

He never won the show and was not even runner-up. He was placed fourth in the fifth season of Idol which crowned Taylor Hicks over Katharine McPhee both of whom failed to make this list. After his elimination he formed the band called Daughtry whose eponymous first studio album reached the top of the Billboard 200 and a top 20 album in Europe. It is the fastest selling rock album in the US, the Year-End No.1 Album for 2007 and No.27 on the Billboard 200 All Time Charts. It spawned four Top 20 hits – What About Now, Over You, Home and It’s Not Over, the latter two peaking within the Top 5 in the US. Their second studio album Leave This Town debuted atop the Billboard 200 with its lead single No Surprise peaking at No.15 in the US and the other two singles Life After You and September peaking within the top 40. Their third album Break The Spell produced the hit Crawling Back To You and the fourth album Baptized spawned the hit Waiting For Superman. Daughtry has won 5 American Music Awards, 6 Billboard Awards and has been nominated 4 times at the Grammy Awards including for Best Rock Song for It’s Not Over and Best Rock Album for Daughtry.

4.       Jordin Sparks

She was the winner of the sixth season and the youngest winner in the series’ history. Her coronation single This Is My Now reached No.15 in the US. Her self-titled debut album reached No.10 in the US, No.12 in Canada and No.17 in both the UK and Australia. The album spawned the hits Tattoo, One Step At A Time and No Air (with Chris Brown) the latter which propelled to the Top 5 on charts around the world and ended up at No.6 on the Year-End US Billboard Hot 100 for 2008. Her second album Battlefield peaked at No.7 in the US and No.11 in the UK and produced the singles Battlefield which became her third Top 10 hit in the US and S.O.S (Let The Music Play) which peaked at No.13 in the UK. She was featured on Guy Sebastian’s hit Art of Love which reached No.8 in the Australia and also a part of the charity single We Are The World 25 For Haiti. She has also branched out into Broadway and musical films such as In the Heights and the remake of Sparkle. After a brief hiatus from music she released her third studio album Right Here, Right Now. She has been nominated for several Teen Choice and People’s Choice Awards as well as a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration for No Air.

5.       Jennifer Hudson

She was placed seventh on the third season of Idol which saw Fantasia Barino win the crown. She is the lowest ranked contestant on this compilation and enter this list over 12 winners, all 15 runners-up and over 50 contestants who placed 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th on the show throughout the years. Her first entrance to the music scene was when she was cast as Effie White on the film adaptation of the music drama film Dreamgirls alongside Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. Her role in the film was acclaimed by critics and garnered her the award for Best Supporting Actress at several award shows including the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Her titular song from the film And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going was a big hit in the US and the UK. Her rendition of Love You I Do was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and won the Grammy Award for the Best Song for a Written for a Motion Picture. Her self-titled debut studio album peaked at No.2 on the Billboard 200 and No.21 in the UK. It spawned the hits If This Isn’t Love and Spotlight. Her second studio album I Remember Me peaked at No.2 on the Billboard 200 and No.20 in the UK. Her third studio album JHUD reached No.10 in the US. She was a part of the charity single We Are the World 25 For Haiti and has collaborated on hit single with David Guetta (Night of Your Life), Iggy Azalea (Trouble), Gorgon City (Go All Night) and Ne-Yo (Think Like A Man). She has been nominated for several Grammy Awards out of which she won for Best R&B Album for Jennifer Hudson and has also been nominated for several BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, Peoples’ Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards.

6.       Adam Lambert

He was the runner-up of the eighth season but clearly more successful than the winner, Kris Allen. His cover of Tears For Fears’ Mad World reached No.19 in the US even before he became runner-up on the show. His debut studio album For Your Entertainment was a global top ten smash reaching No.3 in the US. It produced hits such as For Your Entertainment, If I Had You and Whataya Want From Me, the last of which reached No.10 in the US and also peaked within the top 10 of fifteen other countries. His second studio album Trespassing debuted atop the Billboard 200 and also charted within the Top 20 in more than ten countries including UK, Canada and Australia. It spawned the hits Better Than I Know Myself and Never Close Our Eyes. His third studio album The Original High was a global hit peaking within the Top 10 worldwide and spawned the global hit Ghost Town. Other than for his solo career he has been part of the cast of the hit music television series Glee and also collaborated with the remaining members of the rock band Queen as the lead vocalist where they were renamed as Queen + Adam Lambert and experienced immense critical and commercial success during their world tour from 2014-2015. He has been nominated for several Peoples’ Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, MuchMusic Video Awards and also a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Whataya Want From Me.

7.       Clay Aiken

He was the runner-up on the second season of Idol and is more successful than the winner Ruben Studdard. Aiken managed to grab the No.1 spot in the US soon after the finals week with his single This Is The Night and prevented Studdard’s coronation single Westlife cover Flying Without Wings from gaining the top spot. His debut studio album Measure of a Man debuted atop the charts and also reached No.2 in Canada. The album spawned the hits Invisible, The Way and Solitaire. His second studio album Merry Christmas With Love is a holiday classic debuting at No.4 on the Billboard 200 and is the fastest-selling holiday album in the SoundScan era. His third, fourth and fifth studio albums A Thousand Different Ways, On My Way Here and Tried and True all peaked within the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. He made his Broadway debut playing the role of Sir Robyn in Monty Python’s Spamalot in 2008. He authored a New York Times best seller Learning To Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life.

8.      Fantasia Barrino

She was the winner of the third season of Idol. Her coronation single I Believer debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and her debut studio album Free Yourself peaked at No.8 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the hits Truth Is, Baby Mama and Free Yourself. Her self-titled second studio album reached No.19 on the Billboard 200 and produced her second biggest hit When I See U. Her third and fourth studio albums Back To Me and Side Effects Of You both managed to peak at No.2 on the Billboard 200. She has also collaborated with the likes of Michelle Williams, Lyfe Jennings, Missy Elliot and Kelly Rowland. Venturing into Broadway she played Celie in The Colour Purple and was a part of After Midnight. She has been nominated for 8 Grammy Awards including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Free Yourself and When I See U, 3 American Music Awards and has won both Billboard Music Awards she was nominated for in 2004.

9.       Ruben Studdard

He was the winner of the second season of Idol and the only winner to be born outside the US. He began his career with his coronation single Westlife cover Flying Without Wings peaking at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 behind runner up Clay Aiken’s This Is The Night. His debut studio album Soulful debuted atop the Billboard 200 and produced the hits Superstar and Sorry 2004, the latter peaking at No.9 on the Billboard Hot 100. He has since released 5 studio albums I Need An Angel, The Return, Love Is, The Return, Letters From Birmingham and Unconditional Love, the first two which peaked at No.20 and No.8 respectively. He has been nominated for several times at the Billboard Awards, American Music Awards and BET Awards and even a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for Superstar.

10.   David Cook

He was the winner of the seventh season. His coronation single reached No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100 but was a hit in the Western hemisphere. His self-titled first major label album reached No.3 on the Billboard 200 and No.11 on the Canada Albums Chart. The album spawned the hits Light On and Come Back To Me. Then he released a charity single Permanent which reached No.24 in the US. His second major label album This Loud Morning reached No.7 in the US and produced the hit The Last Goodbye and Fade Into Me. His third major label album Digital Vein reached No.35 on the Billboard 200.

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best of Modern Mainstream Christian/Gospel Songs

Attention!!!

As we come to the end of the season of Lent and approach Easter Sunday let's not forget that it is the most important day for Christianity. On Good Friday we commemorate how our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. Moreover, let's not forget that God sent his only Son to show us our salvation. And on the third day he rose again from the dead and now sits on the right hand of the Father. So this Easter let's make it a point to thank God for all that he has bestowed on us. What better way to praise him than singing songs to praise His name. This list is not about the hymns or songs of praise and worship but those songs by famous artists which entered the mainstream recently.

Creed's With Arms Wide Open takes the top spot followed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey's duet When You Believe from the original soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt. In terms of genre it is mostly Rock, Pop, Country and a few R&B hits. Creed and MercyMe have the most number of entries with 4 each followed by Casting Crowns and TobyMac with 3 entries each and Third Day, Carrie Underwood, Whitney Houston, Jeremy Camp, Matthew West and Flyleaf with 2 entries each. So here are the 50 best mainstream Christian songs of today:

1. Creed – With arms wide open
2. Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey – When you believe (The Prince of Egypt OST)
3. Eternal ft. BeBe Winans – I wanna be the only one
4. The Calling – Wherever you will go
5. Mary Mary – Shackles (praise you)
6. Rufus Wainwright – Hallelujah (Original by Leonard Cohen)
7. Creed – My sacrifice
8. Carrie Underwood – Something in the water
9. Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli – The prayer
10. MercyMe – I can only imagine
11. Third Day – Cry out to Jesus
12. Joan Osbourne – One of us
13. Josh Groban – You raise me up (Original by Secret Garden)
14. Creed – Higher
15. Hillsong United – Oceans (where feet may fail)
16. Whitney Houston ft. CeCe Winans – Count on me
17. MercyMe – Word of God speak
18. Third Day – Call my name
19. Carrie Underwood – Jesus take the wheel
20. Casting Crowns – Until the whole world hears
21. Chris Tomlin – How great is our God
22. TobyMac – City on our knees
23. Brenden Heath – Give me your eyes
24. Matthew West – The motions
25. Boyzone – Isn’t it a wonder
26. Mandisa – Overcomer
27. Creed – One last breath
28. Leigh Nash with Dan Haseltine – With every breath
29. Jeremy Camp – Take you back  
30. Chris Tomlin – Whom shall I fear (God of angel armies)
31. Shania Twain – God bless the child
32. Flyleaf – Again
33. Boyz II Men – I will get there
34. Casting Crowns – East to west
35. Yolanda Adams – Open my heart
36. TobyMac – Made to love
37. Matthew West – Hello, my name is
38. Sixpence None the Richer – Breathe your name
39. MercyMe – All of creation
40. Casting Crowns – Voice of truth
41. Aaron Schust – My savior my God
42. Hilary Duff – Jericho
43. Flyleaf – All around me
44. Jeremy Camp – There will be a day
45. Chris Tomlin – Made to worship  
46. MercyMe – Here with me
47. TobyMac – Me without you
48. Casting Crowns – Lifesong
49. Matt Redman – 10,000 reasons (Bless the Lord)
50. Tenth Avenue North – By your side 

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - June 2014

Attention!!!

Well June kicked off with several awards ceremonies. Miranda Lambert, her husband Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood won big at the 2014 CMT Awards on 4 June 2014 at the Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. Carrie Underwood snatched the Video of the Year for See You Again while Miranda Lambert was awarded the Female Video of the Year for Automatic and Blake Shelton was awarded the Male Video of the Year for Doin' What She Likes. The other winners were:

• Group Video of the Year: The Band Perry - Done.
• Duo Video of the Year: Florida Georgia Line - Round Here
• Collaborative Video of the Year: Florida Georgia Line ft. Luke Bryan - This is How We Roll

The Much Music Awards Video Awards was held on 15 June 2014 in Canada. Hedley won the Video of the Year as well as Pop Video of the Year for Anything. International Video of the Year - Artist went to Lorde's Royals and International Video of the Year - Group went to Imagine Dragons' Demons. Other awards included:

• International Video of the Year by a Canadian: Drake ft. Majid Jordan - Hold on, we're going home
• Fave Video: Hedley - Anything
• Fave Artist - Justin Bieber 
• Fave International Artist - Selena Gomez

The BET Awards 2014 kicked off at the Nokia Theatre LA on 29 June 2014. Beyonce lead the nominations with 6 followed by Jay-Z with 5. Performances included Jhene Aiko's The Worst, Nicki Minaj's Pills N Potions, Trey Songz's Na Na, Chris Brown's Loyal and Beyonce's Partition. However, surprisingly there were performances by Iggy Azalea and Robin Thicke as well. The big awards included:

• Best Female R&B/Pop Artist: Beyonce
• Best Male R&B/Pop Artist: Pharrell Williams
• Best Group: Young Money
• Best Collaboration: Beyonce ft. Jay-Z - Drunk in Love
• Video of the Year: Pharrell Williams - Happy
• Best New Artist: August Alsina
• Best Actress: Lupira Nyong'o
• Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor
• Best Movie: 12 Years a Slave

Pharrell Williams' Happy was overthrown by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX's Fancy during the first week of June and continued at its peak uncontested for the entire month. Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea's Problem peaked at number 2 and was also consistent throughout the month. With these two hits Azalea has the distinction of being the first act since The Beatles to have hits at No.1 and 2 at the same time. Magic!'s Rude and Calvin Harris' Summer are both still rising in the charts which could mean they could prove to be the ones to dethrone Azalea from her throne. 

In the UK SecondCity's I Wanna Feel was the first No.1 for the month which was then superseded by Ed Sheeran's Sing. Ella Henderson who finished 6th place at the The X Factor 9 in 2012 peaked with her hit Ghost which stayed at the top for two weeks. The last numero uno for the month of June was Oliver Heldens & Becky Hill's Gecko (Overdrive). 

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

• Sam Smith - Stay with me
• Tiesto ft. Matthew Koma - Wasted
• Little Mix - Salute
• 5 Seconds of Summer - Don't Stop
• Usher - Good Kisser
• Ellie Goulding - Beating Heart

Til the next beat…

At Ease!!!