Most Underrated Songs of 2017

Attention!!!

Now that we have skimmed through the overrated hits of yesteryear, it is time to take a glance at those songs that were overlooked. Before moving on to the year-end compilations of 2018, we must finally recognize those undervalued records that were passed over for one reason or the other. Similar to the overrated hits, we have reduced the number of entries to make room for the explanations. However, here too we have the honorable entries. 

It is quite interesting to note that most of the underrated songs on this list are by well-known mainstream artists unlike the compilation last year. Some of the reasons that these tracks did not receive the due recognition was that 2017 was a gargantuan year for pop with heavy weights such as Ed Sheeran maintaining chart dominance and a sudden wave of Spanglish remixes and rap overtaking the industry in the latter part of the year. Lana Del Rey ft. The Weeknd’s Lust for Life takes the crown, with DNCE ft. Nicki Minaj’s Kissing Strangers  in second place. As far as genres are concerned, the entire list is pop with subgenres of electropop, dreampop, synthpop and dancepop in the mix. So here are the 15 most underrated songs of 2017:

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

As far as dreampop goes Del Rey always manages to deliver. Lust for Life sees her collaborating with The Weeknd and hit making producer Max Martin on the title track of the global chart topping album. The sultry production includes a creative music video and is a departure from the melancholic undertones of her other hits achieving the perfect duet. The failure of this song to achieve its chart potential may be Del Rey’s mistake in overlooking this track and releasing Love as the lead single.

2. DNCE ft. Nicki Minaj – Kissing strangers

It is absolutely bewildering how Cake by the Ocean was such a monumental hit and this being equally great failed to even chart. This fast paced dance pop track features Nicki Minaj who delivers a banger of a rap verse. While the charts did not acknowledge its worth, radio stations and dance floors worldwide recognized its value.

3. Lorde ft. Post Malone, Khalid & SZA – Homemade dynamite

It was extremely surprising to see that this did not receive the chart success it deserved considering the current chart darlings featured on the record. While the single version does not give out much oomph, the remix featuring the other trio really adds color to a somewhat somber anthem.  This perfect collaboration fuses R&B with Synthpop and sees the individual artists complementing each other’s genres and presence on the track. 

4. Taylor Swift – Call it what you want

Hailing from the much anticipated album Reputation, this soft pop ballad really outshines all the rest including the lead single Look What You Made Me Do, the edgy starter ….Ready For It? and the radio hit Delicate. However, Swift only released this as a promotional single. It’s a shame since we never even got the chance to witness whether it will have any potential on the charts.

5. Bruno Mars vs. David Guetta – Versace on the floor

Mars’ 24K Magic is not everyone’s kettle of fish as even his sweeping Grammy wins were heavily criticized by those who believed there were other nominees that deserved the wins over him. One thing for sure, out of the singles released from the album this definitely stands out. While the single is good, Guetta’s remix adds more flavour to the song, producing a dance anthem out of the otherwise very slow and laidback record.

6. Nick Jonas – Find you

This pop track featuring an acoustic guitar and an understated electronic beat is better than all of his previous singles combined. Released as the second single off his upcoming fourth studio album, the track was also performed at the American Music Awards last year. While live performances of such caliber usually boost sales and as a result chart movements, it is surprising how badly this single performed.   

7. Ariana Grande ft. Future – Everyday

This electropop and trap record was the fourth single off her third studio album Dangerous Woman. Three hits preceded this track all different from the other. However, this was the edgiest out of all of them with an EDM banger of a chorus and a verse by Future. The reason due to its mediocre performance could be Grande’s continued presence in the charts and radio for over a year leading to fans getting a bit tired of Grande particularly with Side to Side which ruled airplay for quite a while. So this should have been ideally released as the second single after the title lead single. 

8. Echosmith – Goodbye

Echosmith first entered the mainstream with their insecurity anthem Cool Kids. However, they have failed to garner any attention since then. Goodbye is a promotional single off their third EP Inside a Dream. It features a catchy guitar riff accompanied by memorable lyrics and a peppy beat. When the song was released accompanied by a music video preceding the album, the record was considered and ideally suited to be the lead single. However, Echosmith too committed the fatal mistake of passing this and selecting Over My Head as the lead single.

9. Niall Horan – Too much to ask

As far as music goes, Horan has far exceeded the expectations of all One Directioners. He turned out to be the most creative in his music surpassing Liam Payne with his mainstream fetish, Harry Styles with his glam rock feel, Zayn Mallik with his tripping sound and Louis Tomlinson with only his fan appeal. His single Too Much to Ask follows in the footsteps of his hit Slow Hands. While it received moderate chart success this slow pop ballad should have fared better.

10. Stargate ft. Pink & Sia – Waterfall

Stargate is a Norwegian production duo behind the biggest hits in the industry ranging from those of Beyonce, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Wiz Khalifa, Selena Gomez, Coldplay, Tinie Tempah and many more. So when they released a track of their own featuring the powerful vocals of Sia and Pink, it was predicted to be a chart success. But this proved to be wrong as the record failed to gain any ground even in their home state, only achieving moderate success in Australia.  

Honorable mentions

11. David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne – Light my body up

12. Olly Murs & Louisa Johnson – Unpredictable

13. Gabrielle Aplin – Love so slow

14. Halsey ft. Lauren Jauregui – Strangers

15. Pixie Lott ft. Stylo G – Won’t forget you

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!

My Favorite Hits of 2017

Attention!!!

2017 was indeed an interesting year. While the greatest hits of the year failed to find a place on this list with the exception of Despacito, I found the average hits more to my liking. In terms of my taste, EDM, Rap and Pop clearly ruled the global charts and also this compilation. Genre wise it is a smorgasbord of sub-genres with a few entries from Latin Pop and Hip-Hop. Several artists have numerous entries, the highest of which is Nicki Minaj with 4 entries as a featured artist followed by Charlie Puth, Taylor Swift, Julia Michaels, Jason Derulo, Niall Horan, Cardi B, Maroon 5, SZA, The Weeknd, Demi Lovato, David Guetta and Bruno Mars each with 2 entries .   

However, my most favorite from all of last year’s releases was Kygo’s EDM smash hit It Ain’t Me containing Selena Gomez’ haunting vocals followed by G-Eazy’s pump anthem No Limit and Rita Ora’s Anywhere. So here are my top 50 favorite hits of 2017 in descending order:  

1. Kygo & Selena Gomez – It ain’t me
2. G-Eazy ft. Cardi B & A$AP Rocky – No limit
3. Rita Ora – Anywhere
4. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – Unforgettable
5. DNCE ft. Nicki Minaj – Kissing strangers
6. Maroon 5 ft. SZA – What lovers do
7. Charlie Puth – How long
8. Julia Michaels – Issues
9. Taylor Swift – Call it what you want
10. Portugal. The Man – Feel it still
11. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
12. Lana Del Rey ft. The Weeknd – Lust for life
13. Martin Jenson – Solo dance
14. Jason Derulo – Tip toe
15. Nick Jonas – Find you
16. Echosmith – Goodbye
17. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – Strip that down
18. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito
19. Demi Lovato ft. Iggy Azalea – Kingdom come
20. Harry Styles – Sign of the times
21. Cardi B – Bodak yellow (money moves)
22. Drake – Passionfruit
23. Maroon 5 ft. Future – Cold
24. Pixie Lott ft. Stylo G – Won’t forget you
25. Taylor Swift – Look what you made me do
26. Niall Horan – Too much to ask
27. Lorde ft. Post Malone, SZA & Khalid – Homemade dynamite
28. Shawn Mendes – There’s nothing holdin’ me back
29. David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne – Light my body up
30. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – I feel it coming
31. Jason Derulo ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign – Swalla
32. Jax Jones ft. Demi Lovato & Stefflon Don – Instruction
33. Dua Lipa – Be the one
34. Ariana Grande – Everyday
35. Halsey ft. Lauren Jauregui – Strangers
36. Stargate ft. Pink & Sia – Waterfall
37. Alesso – Falling
38. Bruno Mars – That’s what I like
39. CNCO ft. Little Mix – Reggaetón lento
40. Olly Murs & Louisa Johnson – Unpredictable
41. Julia Michaels – Uh huh
42. Gabrielle Aplin – Love so slow
43. Zara Larsson – I would like 
44. Charlie Puth – Attention
45. Bruno Mars vs. David Guetta – Versace on the floor
46. Anne Marie – Ciao adios
47. Ed Sheeran – Perfect
48. Rag N’ Bone Man – Human
49. Calvin Harris ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean – Feels
50. Niall Horan – Slow hands

Till the next favs...

At Ease!!!

My Favorite Hits of 2016

Attention!!!

2016 was a year which definitely catered to my taste. From EDM and Reggae Fusion to Pop and Alternative Rock there were awesome hits galore. One thing is for sure the songs of 2016 were much better than 2014 and were on an equal level with 2015. Although there was only a lone floorfiller last year in the form of Sia’s Cheap Thrills there were a few mind-blowing EDM hits. Alan Walker rules this list with his global hit Faded. The slow and relaxing beats of the tune are accompanied by the uncredited soothing vocals of Iselin Solheim. At second place is Stressed Out the Alternative Rock hit for the duo Twenty One Pilots followed by Swedish newcomer Zara Larsson's Lush Life at third place. 

Genre wise EDM has numerous entries followed by Pop, Reggae and Rap. Alan Walker, Dua Lipa, Sean Paul and Zara Larsson lead the list with three entries each followed by Twenty One Pilots, Clean Bandit, Anne Marie, Zedd, Hailee Steinfeld, DNCE, Justin Bieber, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Rihanna, Jonas Blue, Ariana Grande and Louisa Johnson all have two entries each, either as a lead or featured artist. So here are my 50 favorites hits of 2016:  

1. Alan Walker – Faded
2. Twenty One Pilots – Stressed out
3. Zara Larsson – Lush life
4. RedOne ft. Enrique Iglesias, R.City, Shaggy & Serayah – Don’t you need somebody
5. Dua Lipa – Hotter than hell
6. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – Starboy
7. Rihanna – Love on the brain
8. Tinie Tempah ft. Zara Larsson – Girls like
9. Twenty One Pilots – Heathens
10. David Guetta ft. Zara Larsson – This one’s for you
11. Pitbull ft. Enrique Iglesias – Messin’ around
12. Halsey – Castle
13. Sia ft. Sean Paul – Cheap thrills
14. Dua Lipa – Blow your mind (mwah)
15. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ – Cold water
16. Sean Paul ft. Dua Lipa – No lie
17. Olly Murs – You don’t know love
18. Zedd ft. Kesha – True colors
19. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – This is what you came for
20. The Veronicas – In my blood
21. Kungs vs. Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This girl
22. Hailee Steinfeld ft. DNCE – Rock bottom
23. Clean Bandit ft. Anne Marie & Sean Paul – Rockabye
24. Thomas Rhett – Die a happy man
25. Troye Sivan – Youth
26. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – Don’t let me down
27. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – Let me love you
28. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons ft. Logic, Ty Dolla $ign & X Ambassadors – Sucker for pain
29. Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – I know what you did last summer
30. Ariana Grande – Into you
31. Years & Years – Worship
32. Alan Walker – Alone
33. Anne Marie – Alarm
34. Flo Rida – My house
35. Ellie Goulding – Something in the way you move
36. Clean Bandit ft. Louisa Johnson – Tears
37. Mike Posner – I took a pill in Ibiza (SeeB Remix)
38. G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha – Me, myself & I
39. Jonas Blue ft. JB Cooper – Perfect strangers
40. James Arthur – Say you won’t let go
41. Pitbull – Freedom
42. Alan Walker – Sing me to sleep
43. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – Side to side
44. Selena Gomez – Kill ‘em with kindness
45. Pink – Just like fire
46. Coldplay – Hymn for the weekend
47. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd – Starving
48. Jonas Blue ft. Dakota – Fast car
49. Louisa Johnson – So good
50. DNCE – Body moves 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

2016 Recap: A Year in Music

Attention!!!

For the first time in this blog I’m going to do a recap of the past year. Music is a peculiar industry, you have the ups and the downs as well as the breakups and the reunions. Some overdose and some fall off bridges while others are knighted and break chart records. Whatever said and done the industry survives and thrives because musicians commit to produce that we love and some we love to hate. I have recapped the year in seven segments: genres, albums, singles, milestones, shockers, talent and obituaries. 

1. Genres

Some of the most evident changes in the mainstream genres were:

• Dancehall resurfaced from the late 2000s surging up the charts with significant force and reigniting Reggae which has now become a fusion genre.
• Mainstream Pop became heavily tropical with the infusion of Reggae beats.
• EDM mellowed down significantly with Synthpop seeping into the genre while Progressive House took a backseat.
• Alternative Rock made rapid gains on the charts combined with Rap and Funk.
• Rap and R&B also fared very well as the two genres were heavily influenced by the newly emerged Dancehall and Reggae as well as Trap which took the charts by storm back in 2015
• Country put on a rather poor performance compared to the awesome hits of 2015.

2. Albums

Some of the most anticipated albums were released in 2016:

• Gwen Stefani – This is What It Feels Like (first solo album in 10 years)
• David Bowie – Black Star (final album released two days before his death)
• Rihanna – Anti (8^th studio album released 4 years after Unapologetic)
• JoJo – Mad Love (first album in 10 years)  
• Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman (3^rd studio album)
• Beyonce – Lemonade (6^th studio album)
• Kanye West – The Life of Pablo (7^th studio album)
• The Weeknd – Starboy (3^rd studio album)
• Lady Gaga – Joanne (5^th studio album)
• Britney Spears – Glory (9^th studio album)
• Blink-182 – California (7^th studio album)
• Green Day – Revolution Radio (12^th studio album)
• Bruno Mars – 24K Magic (3^rd studio album)
• Shawn Mendes – Illuminate (2^nd studio album)
• Zayn – Mind of Mine (debut studio album)
• All Saints – Red Flag (first album in 10 years)
• Alexandra Stan – Alesta (3^rd studio album)
• Meghan Trainor – Thank You (2^nd studio album)
• Fifth Harmony – 7/27(2^nd studio album)
• James Arthur – Back from the Edge (2^nd studio album)
• DNCE – DNCE (debut studio album)
• Little Mix – Glory Days (4^th studio album)

3. Singles

Here are some interesting facts about the global hits this year:

• Rihanna ft. Drake’s Work became the first Dancehall song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Sean Paul’s Temperature 10 years ago
• Sia became the first female artist over 40 years to top the Billboard Hot 100 with Cheap Thrills a feat which was achieved after 16 years since Madonna’s Music in 2000  
• Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself spent 23 consecutive weeks in the Billboard Hot 100's top 10, breaking the record for the most consecutive weeks logged in the top 10 from a song's debut therein
• Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla’s One Dance topped the UK Singles Chart for 15 consecutive weeks making it the second longest reign at the top alongside Wet Wet Wet’s Love is All Around. Additionally it was also crowned the song of the summer worldwide
• The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey’s Closer was the longest reigning No.1 in the US with 12 consecutive weeks
• Zayn’s Pillowtalk made him the first UK artist to debut at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a debut single
• With Dangerous Woman debuting at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, Ariana Grande became the first artist to debut within the top 10 with every lead single of all of her studio albums
• Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign’s Work From Home became the first top 5 single by a girl group in 10 years since Pussycat Doll ft. Snoop Dogg’s Buttons
• Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne Marie’s Rockabye claimed the coveted UK Christmas No.1 and was the first song in history to do so after already logging 6 weeks at the top
• Luke Graham’s 7 Years became the first No.1 single by a Danish act in the UK since Aqua’s Turn Back Time and with 5 weeks at the top it became the longest reigning No.1 by a Danish act
• Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling! from Trolls is the first No.1 song from an animated movie since Pharrell Williams’ Happy from Despicable Me 2  
• Pikotaro’s Pen Pineapple Apple Song (PPAP Song) became the shortest song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 with a length of only 45 seconds

4. Milestones

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

• Taylor Swift wins Album of the Year for the second time for her album 1989 at the 58^th Grammy Awards becoming the first woman to do so
• BRITS Icon Award bestowed posthumously on David Bowie at the 36^th Brit Awards
• Britney Spears is honoured with the Millennium Award at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards
• Rod Stewart is knighted in Queen Elizabeth II’s 2016 Birthday Honours
• Rihanna is bestowed with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards
• Madonna is named as the 2016 Billboard Woman of the Year
• Dolly Parton received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 Country Muisc Association Awards 
• Bob Dylan received the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature
• Victoria Beckham is bestowed with the Office of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honour’s List
• Marc Anthony is honoured with the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year at the 17^th Annual Latin Grammy Awards
• Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign’s Work From Home became the most watched music video of 2016 with over 1 billion views.
• The videos of Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth’s See You Again, Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk and Justin Bieber’s Sorry all passed 2 billion views

5. Shockers

There were many jaw dropping moments in 2016 and here are some of them:

• ABBA reunites and reveals an upcoming digital entertainment experience
• Camila Cabello leaves Fifth Harmony to pursue her solo career 
• Avicii retires from music citing health reasons
• Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown reunite as Spice Girls – GEM
• One Direction announces indefinite hiatus
• Bill Medley reforms The Righteous Brothers with singer Bucky Heard
• The Eagles dissolves following the death of Glenn Frey, their founding member
• All four members of Viola Beach die in a tragic car crash
• Kesha denied an injunction by Supreme Court of New York to allow her to record outside Dr.Luke’s label
• Neil Amin Smith leaves Clean Bandit and the band continues as a trio
• Minzy leaves 2NE1 and the group disbands
• Founding member Pete Burns of Dead or Alive died effectively ending the band
• Christina Grimmie, former contestant on The Voice shot dead by a fan
• G.R.L. reformed as a trio with new member Jazzy Mejia
• 4Minute disbands over different opinions of members

6. Talent

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

• 61^st Eurovision Song Contest – Ukraine wins with Jamala’s 1944
• The X Factor (13^th Season) – Matt Terry wins mentored by Nicole Scherzinger
• The Voice (10^th Season) – Alison Porter wins coached by Christina Aguilera
• The Voice (11^th Season) – Sundance Head wins coached by Blake Shelton
• The Voice UK (05^th Season) – Former Liberty X member Kevin Simm wins coached by Ricky Wilson
• America’s Got Talent – Singer/Songwriter Grace VanderWaal wins
• American Idol ends after 15 seasons crowing Trent Harmon as the final idol

7. Obituaries

Last but not least let us remember those legends to whom we bade farewell in 2016.

• David Bowie (08 January 1947 – 10 January 2016)
• René Angélil (16 January 1942 – 14 January 2016)
• Glenn Frey (06 November 1948 – 18 January 2016)
• Signe Toly Anderson (15 September 1941 – 28 January 2016)
• Maurice White (19 December 1941 – 04 February 2016)
• George Martin (03 January 1926 – 08 March 2016)
• Prince (07 June 1958 – 21 April 2016)
• Pete Burns (05 August 1959 – 23 October 2016)
• W.D. Amaradeva (05 December 1927 – 03 November 2016)
• Leonard Cohen (21 September 1934 – 07 November 2016)
• George Michael (25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016)

Till next year...

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!!!

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!!!

Xposition - March, 2016

Attention!!!

While February was quite eventful, March was relatively quiet with only a few movements on the charts. In early March, Sir George Martin, the legendary record producer who propelled The Beatles to fame also referred to as the fifth Beatle passed away at the age of 90. It was in 1962 that he signed on the Fab Four and thereafter made them a worldwide phenomenon with 30 No.1 hits in UK alone. 

The 29th Annual Kids' Choice Awards was also held in March with Blake Shelton hosting the event. Out of the three performances only DNCE's Cake By The Ocean stood apart as being good. The Favorite Music Group was awarded to Fifth Harmony while Adele took away the coveted Favorite Song of the Year for Hello. The other awards for music included:

• Favorite Male Singer: Justin Bieber
• Favorite Female Singer: Ariana Grande
• Favorite New Artist: Shawn Mendes
• Favorite Collaboration: Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See You Again

The Box Plus Network have released the Pop Powerlist for 2016 wherein Justin Bieber unsurprisingly has been ranked 1. No doubt the current Prince of Pop is No.1 as he managed to score three back to back No.1 hits in the UK from his latest album Purpose. Closely behind Bieber we have Adele whose album 25 and worldwide smash Hello was enough for her to make that titanic comeback. The top 10 are:

1. Justin Bieber
2. Adele
3. One Direction
4. Rihanna
5. Coldplay
6. Taylor Swift
7. The Weeknd
8. ZAYN
9. Little Mix
10. Ed Sheeran

Fall Out Boy and Biffy Clyro have been announced as the final headliners for the Reading and Leeds Festivals 2016. Disclosure and Foals were already announced as headliners with the fifth and final headliner being Red Hot Chili Peppers who return to the festival after nine years. Also confirmed to perform are HAIM, Chvrches and The Vaccines. 

Moving onto chart news, in the US, Rihanna ft. Drake's Work took over the crown from Justin Bieber's Love Yourself on the first week of March itself and continued her reign throughout the month. Work is Rihanna's 14th No.1 and now she moves up the ladder passing Michael Jackson as the artist with the third highest number of chart toppers behind The Beatles with 20 and Mariah Carey with 18. Work is also the ninth Hot 100 No.1 by a non-US born act with the final week of March witnessing 36 straight weeks of non-US born acts ruling the roost. During the month DNCE's Cake By The Ocean, Flo Rida's My House, Lukas Graham's 7 Years, Mike Posner's I Took A Pill In Ibiza (SeeB Remix) all entered the top 10 along with Kelly Clarkson's Piece By Piece which soared into the top 10 after an emotional performance during an episode of the final season of the American Idol. 

In the UK, Lukas Graham's 7 Years had a strong presence at the top with the global hit remaining on at the summit for the first three weeks and completing 5 consecutive weeks atop the UK Charts and surpassing Whigfield and Aqua as the most successful Danish act in the UK in terms of chart position. This reign came to an end as Mike Posner's I Took A Pill In Ibiza (SeeB Remix) overthrew 7 Years and stayed at the top for the final two weeks of the month. During the month Zara Larsson's Lush Life achieved a peak of No.3 and Rihanna ft. Drake's Work crept up to No.2 while Major Lazer ft. Fuse ODG and Nyla's Light It Up reached No.7.

Some of the hits that became popular during the month are:

• Coldplay - Hymn for the weekend
• Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dollar $ign - Work from home
• Sigala ft. Imani & DJ Fresh - Say you do
• Sia ft. Sean Paul - Cheap thrills 
• Tinie Tempah ft. Zara Larsson - Girls like
• Meghan Trainor - No
• Alan Walker - Faded

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!! 

Best Dance Hits of 2015

Attention!!!

It was an unbelievable year for dance music, especially EDM. 2015 was a year where almost all genres contributed to the development of dance music ranging from House, Pop, Hip-Hop, Latin Pop and R&B to Rap, Trap, Romanian Pop, Reggae Fusion and K-Pop. Unsurprisingly, EDM rules the list with so many entries with Avicii, Zedd, Calvin Harris and David Guetta having several entries. 

The top spot this time goes to Major Lazer and DJ Snake's Moombahton global smash Lean On which features the vocals of Danish singer MØ. Major Lazer's hit was the most played track in the world at one time in 2015 and it is the trio's biggest hit to date. The song is accompanied by an awesome music video which also features a very quirky dance step for the addictive song. DJ Snake marks his second consecutive time at the top spot after topping the chart in 2014 for his Turn Down For What alongside Lil Jon. At a close second is David Guetta's Hey Mama which mixes House and Trap music while featuring Bebe Rexha, Nicki Minaj and Afrojack.

Among the new DJs we have Kygo, Deorro, Dillon Francis, Lost Frequencies and Galantis making an appearance on the list. Chris Brown leads with four entries on the list with David Guetta, DJ Snake and Meghan Trainor have three entries each followed by Zedd, Calvin Harris, Avicii, Flo Rida, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Alexandra Stan, Inna, Major Lazer, Fetty Wap, Justin Bieber, Afrojack, Usher, OMI and Jeremih all have two entries each. New floorfillers such as DNCE's  Cake By The Ocean and Maroon 5's Sugar were produced as well. So here are the 60 best dance hits of 2015 (yes we have 60 this time):

1. Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ – Lean on
2. David Guetta ft. Bebe Rexha, Nicki Minaj & Afrojack – Hey mama
3. Justin Bieber – Sorry
4. Silento – Watch me
5. DNCE – Cake by the ocean
6. Calvin Harris with Disciples – How deep is your love
7. Zedd ft. Jon Bellion – Beautiful now
8. Deorro & Chris Brown – Five more hours
9. Avicii – Waiting for love
10. Flo Rida ft. Sage the Gemini & Lookas – G.D.F.R.
11. Pitbull ft. Wisin & Mohombi – Baddest girl in town
12. Alexandra Stan & Inna ft. Daddy Yankee – We wanna 
13. Fifth Harmony ft. Kid Ink – Worth it
14. Zedd ft. Selena Gomez – I want you to know
15. Skrillex & Diplo ft. Justin Bieber – Where are u now
16. Dev – Parade
17. Robin Schulz ft. Francesco Yates – Sugar
18. Dillon Francis with DJ Snake – Get low
19. The Weeknd – Can’t feel my face
20. Missy Elliot ft. Pharrell Williams – WTF (Where They From)
21. Kygo – Firestone
22. Maroon 5 – Sugar
23. Major Lazer ft. Elliphant & Jovi Rockwell – Too original
24. Andreea D – It’s your birthday
25. Galantis – Runaway (U and I)
26. OMI – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
27. Martin Garrix ft. Usher – Don’t look down
28. Rihanna – Bitch better have my money
29. Lost Frequencies – Are you with me
30. PSY ft. CL – Daddy
31. Omarion ft. Jhene Aiko & Chris Brown – Post to be
32. Ariana Grande – Focus
33. David Guetta ft. Sia & Fetty Wap – Bang my head
34. Natalie La Rose ft. Jeremih – Somebody
35. Flo Rida ft. Robin Thicke & Verdine White – I don’t like it, I love it
36. Pitbull & Ne-Yo – Time of our lives
37. Alexandra Stan – Vanilla chocolat
38. Icona Pop – Emergency
39. DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge – You know you like it
40. Fetty Wap – Trap queen
41. Hardwell ft. Jason Derulo – Follow me
42. David Guetta ft. Emeli Sande – What I did for love
43. OMI – Hula hoop
44. Inna ft. Eric Turner – Bop bop
45. Meghan Trainor – Dear future husband
46. Carly Rae Jepsen – I really like you
47. Calvin Harris ft. HAIM – Pray to God
48. Avicii – The nights
49. Krept & Konan ft. Jeremih – Freak of the week
50. KDA ft. Tinie Tempah & Katy B – Turn the music louder (rumble)
51. Afrojack ft. Mike Taylor – SummerThing
52. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – Fun
53. Meghan Trainor – Lips are movin’
54. Pia Mia ft. Chris Brown & Tyga – Do it again
55. Ricky Martin – La mordidita
56. Nicki Minaj – The night is still young
57. Usher ft. Juicy J – I don’t mind
58. Walk the Moon – Shut up and dance
59. Hilary Duff – Sparks
60. Meghan Trainor – Better when I’m dancin’

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!

My Favorite Hits of 2015

Attention!!!

It was an awesome year for music, particularly for my taste as we had a mishmash of EDM, Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop and R&B. Once again the top three greatest hits of the year - Uptown Funk, See You Again and Hello do not make this list. Of course although my taste is mostly mainstreamish, it is quite evident that my preferences are different than the charts. DNCE's Cake By The Ocean is definitely my most favorite from last year although it is only climbing up the charts now. It is my ringtone as well as the most played song on my iPod. This list is quite easy to compile as it is only a matter of checking the number of plays on my iPod and which songs from 2015 have the most. At second place is Major Lazer's Lean On which is my second favorite with its quirky dance and it was also the most heard/played/streamed song worldwide last year. 

Major Lazer has the most number of entries with three followed by David Guetta, Zedd, Calvin Harris, Sheppard, Chris Brown and Justin Bieber each with two entries. EDM and Pop rule this list with a few entries from Rock, Trap, Rap, R&B, Hip-Hop, Latin Pop and even Country. We have so many debut hits on this list by artists such as DNCE, Jess Glynne, Years & Years, Sheppard, Alessia Cara, Fetty Wap and X Ambassadors. So without further ado here are my top 50 favorite hits of 2015:    

1. DNCE – Cake by the ocean
2. Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MØ – Lean on
3. David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack – Hey mama
4. The Weeknd – Can’t feel my face
5. Ruelle – Up in flames
6. Justin Bieber – Sorry
7. Lana Del Rey – High by the beach
8. Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato – Up
9. Calvin Harris ft. HAIM – Pray to God
10. Omarion ft. Chris Brown & Jheine Aiko – Post to be
11. Major Lazer ft. Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley – Powerful
12. Sheppard – Geronimo
13. AronChupa – I’m an Albatraoz
14. Charlotte Lawrence – Ever after
15. Jess Glynne – Hold my hand
16. Zedd ft. Jon Bellion – Beautiful now
17. Selena Gomez – Same old love  
18. Years and Years – King
19. Dev – Parade
20. Kygo ft. Conrad Sewell – Firestone
21. Little Mix – Black magic
22. Fall Out Boy – Immortals
23. Taylor Swift – Style
24. Lost Frequencies – Are you with me
25. Alessia Cara – Here
26. Alexandra Stan & Inna ft. Daddy Yankee – We wanna
27. Calvin Harris & Disciples – How deep is your love
28. KDA ft. Tinie Tempah & Katy B – Turn the music louder (rumble)
29. Krept & Konan ft. Jeremih – Freak of the week
30. Prince Royce ft. Jennifer Lopez & Pitbull – Back it up
31. Martin Garrix ft. Usher – Don’t look down
32. Deorro & Chris Brown – Five more hours
33. David Guetta ft. Fetty Wap & Sia – Bang my head
34. Little Big Town – Girl crush
35. Pitbull ft. Wisin & Mohombi – Baddest girl in town
36. R. City ft. Adam Levine – Locked away
37. X Ambassadors – Renegades
38. Fetty Wap – Trap queen
39. Zedd ft. Selena Gomez – I want you to know
40. Sheppard – Let me down easy
41. One Direction – Night changes
42. Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias – El perdon
43. Sam Hunt – House party
44. Justin Bieber – Love yourself
45. Fifth Harmony – I’m in love with a monster
46. Nick Jonas – Jealous
47. Charlie Puth ft. Meghan Trainor – Marvin Gaye
48. Rihanna – Bitch better have my money
49. Major Lazer ft. Elliphant & Jovi Rockwell – Too Original
50. Flo Rida ft. Robin Thicke & Verdine White – I don’t like it, I love it 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!