Presidential Election Playlist

Attention!!!

Sri Lanka has voted and by later today our nation would know its first citizen who will lead this country for the next five years. The new President will have a major task; he can either start afresh on a clean slate or commit the same sins of his predecessors. As the results keep coming in from all over the provinces and districts, here’s a playlist for everyone to listen to catered particularly for this Presidential Election: 

1. Dixie Chicks – Not ready to make nice  

A powerful country record by the group who received a major backlash following their dissenting comments regarding former US President George W. Bush’s and his invasion of Iraq. The song is so personal and the evocative lyrics are relevant to the party politics in this country and how the politicians cannot tolerate criticism of any sort. It is their biggest hit to date and won the coveted Record and Song of the Year at the 49th Grammy Awards.

2. Scorpions – Wind of change  

Who can forget the flat whistle intro of this rock ballad. Produced at the height of perestroika (restructuring and reforming the Soviet political and economic system) the lyrics celebrate glasnost (openness and transparency) in the Soviet Union. The track became a global hit after the failed coup to oust Soviet Union President and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.

3. Pink – Dear Mr.President  

Only Pink would be fearless enough to sing to the US President directly. Accompanied by the Indigo Girls this soft acoustic rock track addresses former US President George W. Bush and his shortcomings and failures in policy. This record’s relevance to Sri Lanka is undeniable as the artist is pleading to the leader of the nation to understand the issues of a normal citizen and try to walk in their shoes.

4. Black Eyed Peas – Where is the love? 

BEP’s breakthrough hit is one of the most meaningful productions in the noughties covering issues such as terrorism, government hypocrisy, racism and war. The track was co-written by Justin Timberlake and is the first song to feature Fergie. This record is relevant now more than ever for our country particularly following the Easter Sunday tragedy and the resulting fallout and distrust between communities.

5. John Mayer – Waiting on the world to change  

Dealing with his first politically-tinged tune, Mayer addresses the lack of the power of the citizenry to act and that the reason for this is that the present generation is waiting for the world to change. The jazz rock track with a blues and soul vibe won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards. This track is meaningful to Sri Lanka as the new generation of voters can shed the ugly party politics lines and vote for the most suitable candidate.

6. Lily Allen – F**k you  

Don’t let the uptempo comical arrangement of this track fool you, Allen is clearly dissing the actions of the former US President, George W. Bush. It was her third international single which was monumentally successful in Europe, particularly due to the catchy nature of the lyrics. Since then she has maintained that the song is universally applicable to all depraved leaders of this world.

7. Captain Ska – Liar liar GE2017  

This ska track is a remake of the 2010-original released just before the 2017 UK elections, rewritten as a protest song against UK’s former Prime Minister Theresa May. The previous version was against Prime Minister David Cameron. The song’s success and influence can be evaluated by the fact that it charted without radio airplay, since radio stations were afraid of running afoul election regulations.

8. The Cranberries – Zombie  

This rock classic and its memorable guitar riff reverberated throughout all households across the globe in the 90s accompanied by the unique vocals of lead Dolores O’ Riordan. Although written about the 1993 IRA Bombing in Warrington, the song’s sentiments of anti-conflict is clear. This was The Cranberries biggest hit and won Best Song at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

9. Joni Mitchell – Big yellow taxi  

While not overtly a politically relevant song, its connotations of environmental conservation makes it relevant for this year’s Presidential Election. Mitchell’s third solo single speaks about the sad state of the loss of greenery in the place of development. Protection of the environment has been at the top of the promises of all candidates this year and so balancing this social cause with the exercise of their franchise will be at the voter’s discretion.

10. Tracy Chapman – Talkin’ bout a revolution  

Chapman’s folk rock successor to her debut hit Fast Car is a political anthem regarding the inequality in society and how the disempowered will rise up to claim their due share. While a staple at political campaigns and rallies in the US, the song’s relevance to Sri Lanka, is that it speaks to the disparity of wealth in our society and is definitely a trump card used by all candidates at this election.  

Till the next swan song...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - February, 2019

Attention!!!

61^st Annual Grammy Awards

Childish Gambino was the big winner of the night where he won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Rap/Sung Performance for his hit This is America. It was a historical moment for Rap as This is America was the first from the genre to win Record of the Year. Kacey Musgraves was also a big winner as she won Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Golden Hour, Best Country Song for Space Cowboy and Best Country Solo Performance for Butterflies. The coveted Best New Artist award went to Dua Lipa who also won Best Dance Recording alongside Silk City (Mark Ronson & Diplo).

Camila Cabello opened the ceremony with her hit Havana which was then joined by Ricky Martin and J Balvin to perform their hits Pégate and Mi Gente. Post Malone was joined on stage by rock legends Red Hot Chili Peppers to perform a medley of Stay, Rockstar and Dark Necessities. Curtains closed on the show with Fantasia, Andra Day and Yolanda Adams paying tribute to Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin with a performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Jennifer Lopez, Smokey Robinson and Ne-Yo celebrated the 60^th anniversary of Motown Records with a medley of the greatest hits released under the label such as ABC, Do You Love Me, Please Mr. Postman and Dancing in the Street. Other notable winners were:

·         Best Pop Vocal Album: Ariana Grande – Sweetener

·         Best Rock Album: Greta Van Fleet – From the Fires

·         Best Rap Album: Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy

·         Best Rap Song: Drake – God’s Plan

·         Best R&B Song: Ella Mai – Boo’d Up

·         Best Pop Solo Performance: Lady Gaga – Joanne (Where do you think you’re goin’?)

·         Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media – The Greatest Showman

·      Best Song Written for Visual Media: Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow (A Star is Born)

2019 BRIT Awards

The 1975 and Calvin Harris were the big winners of British music’s most prestigious night. The curtains opened with a performance of The Greatest Show by Hugh Jackman from The Greatest Showman soundtrack. Calvin Harris who performed a medley of his hits Giant, Promises and One Kiss took home Producer of the Year and Single of the Year for One Kiss (with Dua Lipa). The 1975 won British Group and Album of the Year for A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. Little Mix who performed their latest hit Woman Like Me assisted by Ms Banks won Video of the Year. The other winners were:

·         British Male Solo Artist – George Ezra

·         British Female Solo Artist – Jorja Smith

·         British Breakthrough Act – Tom Walker

·         International Male Solo Artist – Drake

·         International Female Solo Artist – Ariana Grande

·         International Group – The Carters

·         Global Success Award – Ed Sheeran

91^st Academy Awards

Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody won big at the Oscars with 4 wins including Best Actor for Rami Malek for his portrayal of the band’s lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury along with Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. The coveted Best Original Song went to Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt for Shallow from A Star is Born. Ludwig Göransson took home Best Original Score for Black Panther.

2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards Nominations

In a historic feat Ozuna has scored a record 23 nominations across 15 categories including Artist of the Year and two nods each in the Hot Latin Song of the Year for Taki Taki and Te Bote and Top Latin Album of the Year for Aura and Odisea. Far behind him with 13 nods each are J Balvin and Nicky Jam followed by Bad Bunny with 12 nominations. The awards, which honor top performers in Latin music cover 34 categories and will be held on 25 April 2019 in Las Vegas.

Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show

This year’s show was marred by controversy even before it began. Pink and Rihanna allegedly declined to headline the show which left the organizers with the safe pick of Maroon 5 with guest stars Travis Scott and Big Boi. Cardi B announced that she turned down an opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl LIII alongside Maroon 5. Her reason for doing so is in support of ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick who knelt during the national anthem in 2016 to raise awareness to police brutality, racial inequality and other social issues.

Maroon 5’s lackluster performance was attributed to them performing their commercially successful hits such as Sugar and Moves Like Jagger in place of fan favorites such as One More Night, Payphone and Animals. Lead vocalist Adam Levine received backlash over taking his shirt off during the last portion, as the same was compared to how Janet Jackson’s career took a downfall due to her wardrobe mishap in 2004, just because she was a woman.

Pink receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Pink was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame where her husband Carey Hart and two children joined for the special occasion. Soon after the event, she announced that she will be releasing a new single titled Walk Me Home this month, followed by a studio album, Hurts 2B Human in April. The BRIT Awards also announced that she would receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award this year, making her the first non-British artist to receive the prize.

R.Kelly jailed for sexual abuse

R&B superstar R.Kelly was arrested on 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Kelly turned himself in to the Chicago police on the day the charges were announced. Bail was set at USD 1 million by the judge who also ordered Kelly not to have any contact with a minor or an alleged victim.

Celine Dion biopic in the works

French studio Gaumont announced the production of “The Power of Love”, a biopic based on the life of pop superstar Celine Dion to be released in 2020. Valerie Lemercier will direct the primarily French film and star as the Canadian singer.

James Ingram passes away at the age of 66

Two time Grammy winner and Oscar nominee James Ingram passed away at the age of 66 from brain cancer. Ingram was a critically acclaimed R&B singer and songwriter scoring hits such as Baby Come to Me (with Patti Austin), Somewhere Out There (with Linda Ronstadt), I Don't Have the Heart and Yah Mo Be There (with Michael McDonald).

6ix9ine pleads guilty to nine crimes
The Brooklyn rapper pleaded guilty to nine crimes including helping the Nine Trey Blood Gang of which he was a member to kill a rival gang member. By cooperating with the prosecution, the 23-year old will gain some leniency during sentencing, which is scheduled for 23 January 2020. Till then he will remain in an undisclosed federal prison for safety reasons.

21 Savage released on bond by US Immigration

UK born rapper 21 Savage (real name Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) was released on bond by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after nine days in detention for violation of US immigration laws. He was charged with overstaying in the country since his visa expired in the US. His expedited deportation hearing is scheduled for 11 April 2019. He was scheduled to perform at the recently held Grammy Awards where his Post Malone collaboration Rockstar was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance. 

Michael Jackson Estate sues HBO over Documentary 

Optimum Productions and the co-executors of Jackson’s estate are suing HBO and parent company, Time Warner over the upcoming documentary Leaving Neverland, which alleges sexual abuse on the part of the King of Pop. The MJ estate is relying on a non-disparagement provision in a 1992 agreement between Jackson and HBO and the lawsuit if won by the estate could exceed USD 100 million in damages.

UN issues Guidelines for Audio Devices

The World Health Organization and International Telecommunications Union have presented new standards for the manufacture and use of personal audio devices. The agencies state half of all people aged 12-35 or 1.1 billion people are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and exposure to loud sounds. The recommendations say the devices should include software to track exposure to sound and methods to limit volume.

Chart News

In the US, Ariana Grande’s brand new single 7 Rings debuted atop the charts during the first week and kept its throne for the remainder of the month. During the month Grande released another single Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored, the third single off her latest album, interpolating NSYNC’s It Makes Me Ill, which debuted at No.2 just missing the top spot because of her own hit. With this hit she equaled a record set by The Beatles in 1964 to occupy the top 3 spots (with Thank U, Next at No.3) on the chart and the first solo artist to do so.     

In the UK, Grande continued her reign with 7 Rings for the first two weeks of the month. In the third week she replaced herself at the top with Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored, and became the first female artist in UK history to replace herself at No.1. She then once again replaced herself at the top, with 7 Rings returning to the top in the fourth week. During the month, Mabel’s Don’t Call Me Up, Billie Ellish’s Bury a Friend and Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved, all entered the top 10 during the month.

Hot New Picks of the Month

1.       Galantis ft. OneRepublic – Bones

2.       Little Mix ft. Ty Dolla $ign – Think about us

3.       Yungblud & Halsey ft. Travis Barker – 11 minutes

4.       Khalid & Kane Brown – Saturday nights

5.       Julia Michaels ft. Selena Gomez – Anxiety

6.       Daddy Yankee ft. Snow – Con calma 

7.       Troye Sivan & Lauv – I’m so tired

8.       Ally Brooke – Low key

9.       Zedd & Katy Perry – 365

10.  J. Cole – Middle Child 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

LINKIN PARK ~ Rap Rock Royalty ~

Attention!!!

It is one thing to master one genre of music, but it is yet another to master two, mash them up and develop an entirely new unique sound. This is exactly what Linkin Park did in the early 2000s when they entered the mainstream music industry. Taking Alternative Rock to new heights with the incorporation of Rap, EDM and Nu Metal, Linkin Park turned the industry as a whole towards a new era of radio friendly rock music. With multi-platinum selling albums alongside global smash hits and awards and accolades from the Grammys to UN Global Leadership Awards, Linkin Park became the best-selling band of the 21st century and one of the best-selling artists in the world. 

While we commemorate the first year death anniversary of lead vocalist Chester Bennington, let's look back at this band who left their mark on the Rock music scene as well as becoming pop/rock cultural icons of the new millennium.

Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson were high school friends who after their graduation recruited Dave Farrell and Joe Hahn to form a band, then called Xero. Initially recording and producing in Shinoda's bedroom studio, the band failed to make headway in terms of a record deal. In 1999, the band recruited Chester Bennington whose vocals complemented those of Shinoda's. In rebranding their name, the band chose the name Lincoln Park and opted to "Linkin Park" in order to obtain the internet domain name - linkinpark.com. With the new sound and new name the band finally landed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records through which they released their debut studio album Hybrid Theory.

It is no secret that the late nineties and the early noughties belonged to Pop. On one end there were the boy/girl bands such as Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Boyzone, All Saints etc. creating a cultural phenomenon in the music world, while on the other end there were the solo Pop stars such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez who were gaining ground in the industry.

During the release of Hybrid Theory in 2000, Alternative Rock was not a new genre to the charts. We had the likes of Lifehouse, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Matchbox Twenty and The Calling with Creed and Nickelback even topping the charts. The initial releases off of the album - One Step Closer, Crawling and Papercut were well received globally and the critics loved the sound, with Crawling going on to win the Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

But the final release In The End was the hit that cemented the band's reckoning force in the music industry. The hit reached the top tiers in the global charts and is now considered their signature song. With a prominent piano riff alongside Shinoda's rapping the verse and Bennington's vocals climaxing on the chorus, the song achieved a perfect balance of their hybrid theory of rap rock. Hybrid Theory went on to become the best selling debut album by a band in the 21st century and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2002 Grammy Awards wherein the band was also nominated for Best New Artist (losing to Alicia Keys).

In 2003, the band released their second studio album Meteora which experienced instant commercial success. The band continued with their amalgamation of rap rock, nu metal and alternative rock into the album easily reflected in the hits Somewhere I Belong and Numb. In a collaboration effort with Jay-Z the band mashed his Encore with their Numb which earned them the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Although I believe that nothing can beat the original track. Faint and Breaking the Habit were also memorable songs from the album.

Their third studio album Minutes to Midnight (2007) reached the top in almost all the countries it started and produced their most commercially successful hit What I've Done. The album deviated a little from their nu metal sound and focused more on alternative rock which had taken over the Rock music industry at the time. The album also spawned the singles Bleed It Out and Shadow of the Day which achieved moderate success.

Following in the footsteps of Evanescence (Dare Devil) and Chad Kroeger (Spiderman) Linkin Park recorded New Divide, the main theme for the soundtrack of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The song was an instant hit as it had incorporated elements of electronic music, which alongside the popularity of Electropop and the emergence of EDM enabled the band to keep up with the changing times.

Keeping up with the times to be relevant proved fatal to the band in their fourth studio album A Thousand Suns (2010). In a significant departure from their usual sound the band chose to adopt more electronic and progressive rock forgetting their alternative and rap rock roots. Only The Catalyst proved to be successful from the album with Waiting for the End and Iridescent achieving average success as they should.

In their next album Living Things (2012), the band got the genre mix right with just the right amount of electronic music incorporated into their core alternative and rap rock. Burn it Down was the lead single off the album which experienced commercial and chart success more than any single off the previous album. Castle of Glass is the first song of the band which merged more electronic music into the song and one of the few songs that they got right with this unorthodox mix.

The success for the band with electronic music was followed up with Recharged (2013) an entire album of remixes out of which the track A Light that Never Comes, a collaboration with EDM artist Steve Aoki proved to be a commercial as well as a critical success. This hit cemented the fact that Linkin Park can be adaptable to any era and successful with the new trends and genres emerging in the industry.

The band released their sixth studio album A Hunting Party in 2014 and attempted at a return to their original sound. The record was to be entirely composed of alternative rock with their signature nu metal and rap rock flavour although the band took it further by making the sound more aligned with hard rock. However, the album did not prove to be as successful as the preceding albums, owing mostly to the mainstream being engulfed by EDM and Pop with little to no room for Rock or any other genre for that matter. None of the songs from the album were memorable with the exception of Final Masquerade and received only lukewarm reception from the fans.

Their final album with Chester Bennington - One More Light was released in 2017 which deviated completely from their sound entirely producing a pop rock album incorporating electropop into the record. The lead track Heavy was a collaboration with Pop and R&B artist Kiiara which received polarizing reviews from critics and mixed reception from fans. The album seemed like an attempt to keep up with the era of Ed Sheeran and Adele and failing miserably on the mainstream front. While the album received moderate success, the singles failed to meet the mark. Two months after the release of the album, Bennington took his own life, that shook the entire music industry. One More Light, a slow acoustic single, the title track from the album was released as the last single which received heavy radio airplay due to the lead vocalist's death.

Following the tragedy that befell the band, the members have indicated every intention of continuing with the band. What the outcome of such statements are yet to be seen. The final album's marked difference in terms of genre and the death of Bennington lead many questions as to the future of the band.

However, one thing is for sure, the legacy of Linkin Park, whether this is the end for them or not will live on as a reckoning force in Rock music. Their contribution to Alternative Rock, Nu Metal and Rap Rock will be remembered for generations as their hits In the End, Somewhere I Belong and Numb are now more or less inducted into the hall of fame of rock. Their collision of rap and rock and amalgamating genres will be carried into the future by the likes of inspired artists such as Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots. But most of all Linkin Park shall remain forever in the hearts of those struggling teenagers who grew up in the noughties, because in the end they did matter.  

Till the next review...

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!!!

Xposition - February, 2017

Attention!!!

It was all about the Grammys in February as the most esteemed awards ceremony in music took place at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, California. The 59^th Annual Grammy Awards kicked off with Beyonce leading the fray with 9 nominations. However, Adele was the biggest winner of the night grabbing 5 awards including the coveted triple crowns for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for Hello and the Album of the Year for 25. Adele also became the first artist in history to win all three general field awards in the same ceremony twice, previously winning all three categories in 2012. She was followed by David Bowie and Greg Kurstin with four trophies.

The ceremony kicked off with a stellar performance of Hello by Adele followed by other great performances by Ed Sheeran with his global hit Shape of You and Bruno Mars’s That’s What I Like. The ceremony had three tributes wherein Adele sang George Michael’s Fastlove, Demi Lovato, Tori Kelly, Little Big Town and Andra Day collaborating for a Bee Gees tribute medley, and Bruno Mars and The Time collaborating for a Prince medley. The other significant wins of the night include:

·         Best New Artist: Chance the Rapper

·         Best Music Video: Beyonce – Formation

·         Best Dance Recording: The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – Don’t let me down

·         Best Dance/Electronic Album: Flume – Skin

·         Best Rock Song: David Bowie – Blackstar

·         Best Urban Contemporary Album: Beyonce – Lemonade

·         Best Rap Song: Drake – Hotline bling

·         Best Country Song: Tim McGraw – Humble and kind

·         Best Country Album: Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

·         Best Song Written for Visual Media: Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!

Next up we have the 37^th BRIT Awards. Little Mix opened the show with their hit Shout Out To My Ex which went on to win the British Single of Year. Other great performances included Emeli Sande’s Hurt, an extremely politically controversial yet good performance of Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley’s Chained to the Rhythm and also Ed Sheeran with a medley of Castle on the Hill and Shape of You featuring a guest appearance by Stormzy. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay collaborated on stage to deliver their surprise new single Something Just Like This. David Bowie was posthumously awarded both the British Male Solo Artist as well as the British Album of the Year for Blackstar. The Icon Award was bestowed on Robbie Williams while the Global Success went to Adele. The other award winners were:

·         British Female Artist: Emeli Sande

·         British Group: The 1975

·         International Group: A Tribe Called Quest

·         British Breakthrough Act: Rag ‘n’ Bone Man

·         International Male Solo Artist: Drake

·         International Female Solo Artist: Beyonce

·         British Video: One Direction – History

La La Land was the winner of all the music related awards at the 89^th Annual Academy Awards where Justin Hurwitz won for Best Original Score for the film and Best Original Song for City of Stars which was performed by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in the film.

Apart from the awards, we have the jaw-dropping halftime performance by Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl LI. She started off with a mash up of God Bless America and Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land before teasing the audience with the first line of the chorus of her hit Edge of Glory. This leads to a medley of her greatest hits starting off with her biggest hit Poker Face and going on to sing Born This Way, Telephone and Just Dance. She then mellows it down with her latest single Million Reasons for which there was pin drop silence in the stadium. Then she finishes it off with her second biggest hit Bad Romance. With an intense and astutely choreographed production, her performance is now ranked among the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time. 

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has released the biggest music acts in the world for 2016 and Drake tops the list. Drake achieves this position for the huge success of his fourth album, Views and the multiplatinum hit One Dance featuring WizKid and Kyla. At second place is David Bowie who posthumously witnessed monumental success for his final album Blackstar. The full top 10 are:

1.       Drake

2.       David Bowie

3.       Coldplay

4.       Adele

5.       Justin Bieber

6.       Twenty One Pilots

7.       Beyonce

8.       Rihanna

9.       Prince

10.   The Weeknd

In festival news, Lady Gaga has officially replaced Beyonce as a headliner of Coachella 2017 where the latter was advised by doctors to stay away from the stage due to her pregnancy. It was a no brainer for the organizers of this massive concert to invite Gaga after her acclaimed performance at the Super Bowl. Eminem has been announced as the third headliner for the Reading and Leeds Festival 2017 alongside Muse and Kasabian.

Jay-Z has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and became the first rapper in history to be bestowed with such an honour. Alongside Jay-Z will see Max Martin and the duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis also inducted. Madonna and George Michael were both nominated but did not make the cut.

Moving onto chart news, in the US Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert’s Bad and Boujee was replaced in the second week by Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You returning to the top backed by his Grammy performance. Meanwhile, The Chainsmokers’ Paris debuted within the Top 10 and Lady Gaga’s Million Reasons soared to No.4 propelled by her performance at the Super Bowl and Alessia Cara’s Scars To Your Beautiful also entered the top 10.

In the UK, Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You remained at the top aided by performances at both the Grammy Awards and BRIT Awards accumulating six consecutive weeks at the top. Also during the month Sean Paul featuring Dua Lipa’s No Lie, Dua Lipa’s Be The One, Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley’s Chained to the Rhythm and Taylor Swift & Zayn’s I Don’t Wanna Live Forever entered the top 10.   

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Big Sean – Bounce back

2.       Julia Michaels – Issues

3.       Train – Play that song

4.       Major Lazer ft. Nicki Minaj & PARTYNEXTDOOR – Run up

5.       Martin Garrix & Dua Lipa – Scared to be lonely

6.       Stormzy – Big for your boots 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - February, 2016

Attention!!!

We got a whiff of the awards season in January as the nominations of most major awards ceremonies were released and the 73rd Golden Globe Awards was also held. In February we enter the award season in full swing. 

First we have the 58th Grammy Awards started off by Taylor Swift with her new release Out Of The Woods. Kendrick Lamar led the fray with 11 nominations followed by Taylor Swift and The Weeknd with 7 nominations each. The 3 major awards were totally divided with Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars taking the Record of the Year for Uptown Funk, Taylor Swift grabbing the Album of the Year for 1989 and Ed Sheeran winning Song of the Year for Thinking Out Loud. There were tributes to so many artists who passed away such as Glenn Frey, Maurice White, B.B. King with a spectacular tribute by Lady Gaga to David Bowie. There was also a homage to Lionel Richie who received the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year. Some other good performances of the night include Little Big Town's Girl Crush and James Bay and Tori Kelly doing a medley of Hollow and Let It Go. Other major awards include:

• Best New Artist: Meghan Trainor
• Best Dance Recording: Diplo & Skrillex ft. Justin Bieber - Where are u now
• Best Rock Song: Alabama Shakes - Don't wanna fight
• Best Rock Album: Muse - Drones
• Best Urban Contemporary Album: The Weeknd - Beauty behind the madness
• Best R&B Song: D Angelo & The Vanguard - Really love
• Best Rap Song: Kendrick Lamar - Alright
• Best Country Song: Little Big Town - Girl crush 
• Best Song Written for Visual Media:Common & John Legend - Glory
• Best Music Video: Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar - Bad blood

Next we have the 2016 Brit Awards. Almost all the performances were top notch with Coldplay's Hymn For The Weekend, Justin Bieber and James Bay with Love Yourself & Sorry, Jess Glynne doing a medley of her hits Ain't Got Far To Go, Don't Be So Hard On Yourself and Hold My Hand, Adele's When We Were Young, Little Mix's Black Magic and a tribute to David Bowie by Lorde backed by Bowie's band. Adele was the big winner of the night grabbing the two big wins for Album of the Year for 25 and Single of the Year for Hello and also British Female Solo Artist and BRITs Global Success. Bowie was posthumously bestowed with the BRITs Icon Award. Other winners of the night include:

• British Male Solo Artist: James Bay
• British Group: Coldplay
• International Group: Tame Impala
• International Male Solo Artist: Justin Bieber
• International Female Solo Artist: Björk
• British Video: One Direction - Drag Me Down

The month ended with the much anticipated 88th Academy Awards and Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall from the James Bond film Spectre predictably winning the coveted Best Original Song. The Best Original Score went to Ennio Morricone for his work on The Hateful Eight. 

Meanwhile the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has released the 10 biggest music acts in the world right now. Adele takes the top spot with over 15 million copies of her latest album 25 being sold worldwide. The full list is as follows:

1. Adele
2. Ed Sheeran
3. Taylor Swift
4. Justin Bieber
5. One Direction
6. Coldplay
7. Maroon 5
8. Sam Smith
9. Drake 
10. The Weeknd

In a rather disappointing state of affairs, Kesha was denied an injunction in a highly contentious issue against songwriter-producer Dr.Luke, whom she alleges drugged and raped her a decade ago and has committed ongoing abuse. Through this suit she has been pushing for a preliminary injunction that would allow her to record outside of Dr. Luke's purview. Justice Shirley Kornreich of the Supreme Court of New York was skeptical about the matter and stated that Kesha is asking court to set aside a highly negotiated contract which was typical for the industry, that Dr.Luke had invested over USD 60 million in her career and that he had already agreed to allow her to record without his involvement which decimates her argument. 

The #FreeKesha Movement has gained momentum throughout the month with female artists rallying around the embattled Tik Tok hit maker and fans protesting outside Sony's New York City headquarters in order to get it to intervene. Sony meanwhile released a statement that it is only a distributor and that the main agreement is between Kesha and Dr.Luke's company Kasz Money. Taylor Swift has donated USD 250,000 to Kesha, while Adele voiced her support for Kesha on stage at the Brit Awards and Lady Gaga urged Sony to drop Dr.Luke and tweeted "Do what is right and not what is better for business".

Members of the Indie Rock band Viola Beach passed away in a tragic car crash in Stockholm, Sweden while the band was on tour. With a monumental fan-led campaign the band's final single to be released Swings and Waterslides peaked at No.11 in the UK in the following week. 

In an attempt to keep up with the mainstream music, the UK launched a Trending Chart which highlights how the hottest new tracks are making an impact in the UK. The first No.1 on the chart was Zara Larsson's global hit Lush Life. 

Justin Bieber and Rihana have been announced as this year's headliner's for this summer's V Festival which will be held for the 21st time on the weekend of 21 and 22 August in Weston Park, Staffordshire and Hylands Park, Chelmsford. Also on the billed to perform are Sia, David Guetta, Jess Glynne, Little Mix, Bastille and John Newman as well as sets from Kaiser Chiefs, Rita Ora, Years & Years, Tinie Tempah, Example and Katy B, plus appearances from Halsey, Troye Sivan, Foxes, All Saints and Fleur East.

Now moving on to chart news, there is proper mayhem at the top in the US. Justin Bieber's Sorry managed to stay at the helm during the first week before he replaced himself at No.1 with Love Yourself. This was overthrown by Zayn's surprise hit Pillowtalk which debuted at No.1. Former One Direction member Zayn Malik's debut hit marks his first time at the top as One Direction is yet to claim the throne in the US coming close only once with their Best Song Ever reaching No.2 in 2013. Zayn's Pillowtalk slipped to No.7 in the following week as Love Yourself reclaimed the top spot.

There was also proper movement within the top 10 as so many contenders for the Song of the Summer are now entering the vicinity. The Chainsmokers ft. ROZES's Roses, Flo Rida's My House, Selena Gomez's Hands To Myself, G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha's Me, Myself & I entered the top 10 while Rihanna ft. Drake's Work and Drake's Summer Sixteen debuted within the top 10 during the month.

In the UK, Shawn Mendes' Stitches reigned for one week after which Zayn's Pillowtalk claimed the top spot during the second week just like in the US. Pillowtalk was ousted by Lukas Graham's 7 Years which remained at the top during the fourth week. During the month Jonas Blue ft. Dakota's Fast Car, Rihanna ft. Drake's Work and Zara Larsson's Lush Life all entered the top 10.

Some other hits that became popular during the month were:

• Little Mix ft. Jason Derulo - Secret love song
• Craig David & Big Narstie - When the bassline drops
• Adele - When we were young
• Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj - Down in the DM
• Mike Posner - I took a pill in Ibiza
• Ellie Goulding - Army

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

(All images used in the posts unless otherwise mentioned are drawn from https://images.google.com/ and the author does not hold copyright over the photos used.)