Xposition - October, 2018

Attention!!!

This October, Taylor Swift broke the record for most AMAs won by a woman at the 2018 American Music Awards. After a brilliant performance of her unreleased I Did Something Bad from her album Reputation she took home Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year, Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock and Favorite Album – Pop/Rock for Reputation. Camila Cabello matched Swift’s count taking New Artist of the Year and Video of the Year, Collaboration of the Year and Favorite Song – Pop/Rock for Havana featuring Young Thug. Other great performances of the night included Cardi B, J Balvin & Bad Bunny with I Like It, Camila Cabello with Consequences and Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans with a tribute to Aretha Franklin. Some of the other significant wins were:

·         Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock: Post Malone

·         Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock: Migos

·         Favorite Artist – Latin: Daddy Yankee

·         Favorite Artist – EDM: Marshmello

·         Favorite Social Artist: BTS

·         Favorite Soundtrack: Black Panther  

CNCO and Ozuna were the big winners at the 2018 Latin American Music Awards. CNCO took home Favorite Duo or Group, Favorite Pop Artist and Favorite Pop Album for CNCO while Ozuna was awarded the Album of the Year and Favorite Urban Album for Odisea and Favorite Urban Artist. Other major wins were:

·         Artist of the Year: Bad Bunny

·         New Artist of the Year: Sebastian Yatra

·         Song of the Year: Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato - Échame La Culpa

·         Favorite Male Artist: Daddy Yankee

·         Favorite Female Artist: Becky G

·         Favorite Video: Anitta: Medicina

·         Icon Award: Daddy Yankee

·         Extraordinary Evolution Award: Maluma

Martin Garrix took the No.1 spot at the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs for 2018. In the annual poll Garrix is followed by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Hardwell, Armin Van Buuren and David Guetta who complete the top 5. Avicii gets a posthumous ranking of No.15 as his fans made sure the beloved DJ was not forgotten.

In more EDM news, Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso have confirmed that Swedish House Mafia have reunited and will tour and release new music in 2019.  The trio split during the peak of their success in 2012 after their smash hit Don’t You Worry Child, and have been releasing music as solo artists.  

The year continues to witness the success of soundtrack albums, the latest is A Star is Born from the film of the same name starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The album has already topped numerous charts with critics praising the musical styles, lyrics and Gaga’s vocals. Country music icon Willie Nelson’s son Lukas Nelson and artists such as Mark Ronson and Julia Michaels also contributed to the album. The album’s lead single Shallow performed by Gaga and Cooper is also climbing the charts worldwide.

Michael Bublé fans were in for a shock as the artist in an apparent “final interview” told the Daily Mail that he will be retiring from music. Since his tenth studio album Love is due in November, it appeared that the record would be his last. The news was not a surprise, as the industry knew that Bublé’s son, Noah was in recovery from liver cancer which caused him severe emotional trauma. However, since then his representatives have dismissed the claims and clarified that Bublé is “absolutely not retiring”.

Following the release of their newest single Woman Like Me featuring Nicki Minaj, Little Mix have announced that they have written a new song about the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment campaign. Moreover, they have announced that their fifth studio album titled LM5 will be out this November.

The Prince Estate has requested US President Donald Trump from playing the late rock star’s Purple Rain in his campaign rallies. Prince’s half-brother Omarr Baker has requested Trump and the White House to cease the use of the artist’s music immediately as no prior approval had been obtained.

Music lost two more legends from the industry in October. First Marty Balin, the lead vocalist and guitarist of Jefferson Airplane died at the age of 76 through unknown causes. Next, classic country singer Freddie Hart passed away at the age of 91 as result of pneumonia.

In chart news in the US, Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B’s Girls Like You which ended the reign of Drake continued at its helm for the entirety of the month. During the month Lil Wayne’s Mona Lisa, Bad Bunny ft. Drake’s Mia, Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper’s Shallow and Lil Baby & Gunna’s Drip Too Hard all entered the top 10.  

In the UK, Calvin Harris & Sam Smith’s Promises sustained its reign for the first two weeks of the month before being overthrown by Dave ft. Fredo’s Funky Friday. However, this was short lived as Promises regained its crown in the final week of the month. During the month Freya Ridings’ Lost Without You, Little Mix ft. Nicki Minaj’s Woman Like Me, Rita Ora’s Let You Love Me and Jess Glynne’s All I Am all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Eminem – Venom

2.       DJ Snake ft. Cardi B, Ozuna & Selena Gomez – Taki taki

3.       Sigala ft. Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor & French Montana – Just got paid

4.       Jonas Blue, Liam Payne & Lennon Stella – Polaroid

5.       Jason Derulo & David Guetta ft. Willy William & Nicki Minaj – Goodbye

6.       Dean Lewis – Be alright

7.       Avril Lavigne – Head above water

8.       Charli XCX & Troye Sivan – 1999 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - September, 2018

Attention!!!

First up in September we have the prestigious Mercury Prize 2018. Wolf Alice won the prestigious award bestowed on the best of UK and Irish music for their album Visions of a Life. The group saw stiff competition from fan favorites Lily Allen, Florence + The Machine and Arctic Monkeys.

Next up we have two award ceremonies which announced their nominations. Drake and Cardi B led the nominations at the 2018 American Music Awards with 8 nods each. Drake will face off against Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons and Post Malone for Artist of the Year while Cardi B was up against Camila Cabello, Khalid, Dua Lipa and posthumously XXXTentacion for New Artist of the Year.

The Latin American Music Awards 2018 also announced their list of nominees with Ozuna and J Balvin leading the tally with 9 nominations each. Both are up for Artist of the Year as well as Favorite Male Artist and Album of the Year for Odisea (Ozuna) and Vibras (J Balvin). In addition, J Balvin is up for two nods in the Song of the Year for X with Nicky Jam and Mi Gente with Willy William ft. Beyonce and Ozuna for being featured on Wisin’s Escapate Commigo. Close behind is Nicky Jam with 8 nods who is also up for Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist and Album of the Year for Fenix.

The devastating deaths in the music industry continue as rapper Mac Miller died of an apparent overdose at the age of 26. Miller was found dead in his San Fernando Valley home. Prior to this Miller admitted he had been struggling with drugs and addiction issues.

In more morbid news, a coroner’s report has confirmed the cause of death of the lead vocalist of The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan. The singer who passed away in January evidently died by drowning due to alcohol intoxication.

The latest rap beef is Eminem vs. Machine Gun Kelly. The bad blood between the two was due to MGK derogatory remarks about Eminem’s daughter Hailie on Twitter. Thereafter, MGK accused Eminem of blackballed him from major record labels. The beef escalated to a war when Eminem released his Not Alike from his surprise new album Kamikaze. This led to MGK’s retort with Rap Devil a direct reference to Eminem’s Rap God. Eminem fired his final torpedo with a brilliant track – Killshot – which demolished MGK and literally put to rest the warfare with Eminem as the victor.

As a part of Global Sound’s initiative to bring the best of EDM to Sri Lanka, Alan Walker performed live as the headline artist of a set which included Lost Stories and Ella Rose. At the venue he performed his latest unreleased single Diamond Hearts ft. Sophia Somajo.

In chart news in the US, Drake continued at the top with In My Feelings throughout the month which was however overthrown by Maroon 5 & Cardi B’s Girls Like You in the last week. During the month Ariana Grande’s God is a Woman, Khalid & Normani’s Love Lies and Eminem’s Killshot all entered the top 10.  

In the UK, Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid’s Eastside began the month at the top, which was however short lived as Calvin Harris & Sam Smith’s Promises stormed to No.1 in the second week and remained at the top for the rest of the month. During the month Marshmello & Bastille’s Happier, Kanye West & Lil Pump’s I Love It and Juice Wrld’s Lucid Dreams all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Dean Lewis – Be alright

2.       Silk City & Dua Lipa – Electricity   

3.       BLACKPINK – Ddu-du ddu-du

4.       Jason Derulo & David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj & Willy William – Goodbye

5.       LSD – Thunderclouds

6.       Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino – In my mind 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - October, 2017

Attention!!!

The month of October commenced with a tragedy where 58 people were shot dead and around 546 injured in a shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival. The shooting took place when headliner Jason Aldean was performing and the death toll makes this the largest mass shooting in US history passing the 49 killed in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. The perpetrator Stephen Paddock was a former auditor and real estate businessman who was gunned down during the shooting.

In more tragic news, US musician Tom Petty passed away at the age of 66. He was found in full cardiac arrest at his Malibu home, but could not be revived at the hospital. Petty was the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was also a co-founder of the Traveling Wilburys in the late 1980s.

The BET Hip Hop Awards 2017 took place in October where Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled and Cardi B were all leading the nomination with 9 nods each. However, the show’s most memorable moment was when Eminem dissed President Donald Trump in a freestyle rap calling out the leader for focusing on the NFL players’ protest during the national anthem instead of Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The big wins of the night include:

·         Best Hip Hop Video: Kendrick Lamar – Humble.

·         Best Collab: DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild thoughts

·         Lyricist of the Year: Kendrick Lamar

·         DJ of the Year: DJ Khaled

·         Single of the Year: J. White Did It – Bodak Yellow (Cardi B)

·         Album of the Year: Kendrick Lamar – Damn.

·         Best New Hip Hop Artist: Cardi B

·         Impact Track: Jay-Z – The story of O.J.

The BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards 2017 winners were also held in October with brilliant performances by Dua Lipa, James Arthur, Liam Payne, Rita Ora and Camila Cabello. Dua Lipa took the coveted Best British Single for New Rules while Ed Sheeran was honoured as the Best British Solo Artist. Among the other winners were:

·         Most Entertaining Celeb: Stormzy

·         Best International Group: The Chainsmokers

·         Best British Group: Little Mix

·         Best International Solo Artist: Ariana Grande

The big winners of the night at the 2017 Latin American Music Awards were Enrique Iglesias, Prince Royce and new boy band CNCO. There were incredible performances by Camila Cabello with her new hit Havana and Pitbull and Fifth Harmony took to the stage to perform their new collab Por Favor. Pitbull was honoured with the first ever Dick Clark Achievement Award for his contribution to the Latin music industry. Other winners of the night were:

·         Artist of the Year: Enrique Iglesias

·         Song of the Year: Prince Royce & Shakira – Déjà vu

·         Album of the Year: CNCO – Primera Cita

·      Favorite Collaboration: Enrique Iglesias ft. Descemer Bueno, Zion & Lennox – Súbeme La Radio

·         Favorite Artist-Urban: J Balvin

·         Favorite Song-Pop/Rock: CNCO – Reggaeton Lento (Bailemos)

·         Favorite Crossover Artist: Selena Gomez

Taylor Swift leads the nominations for the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards with six nods followed by Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes. Rita Ora is to host the event this year and will be performing one or more of her latest hits. Swift who scored her first No.1 in the UK with Look What You Made Me Do is up for Best US Act, Best Artist, Best Look, Best Pop, Biggest Fans and Best Video.

Nominations for the 45^th annual American Music Awards were also released with Bruno Mars leading the nominations with 8 followed by Drake, Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar and the Weeknd. Diana Ross former lead singer of The Supremes and Motown legacy with a monumental solo career after her girl band days will be bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the end of the ceremony.

It was confirmed by Justin Timberlake on his Twitter account that he will in fact be headlining the Super Bowl LII halftime show in 2018. JT will literally have big boots to fill after the critically acclaimed powerful performance of Lady Gaga at the 2017 halftime show. However, this is not the first time JT will be at the Super Bowl as he was the culprit of the infamous Nipplegate. This was when during his stint with Janet Jackson in 2004 (who headlined the show), JT accidentally ripped Janet’s outfit to expose her breast.

In the US, Cardi B opened the month at the top with her debut hit Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) which removed Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Do from the helm. It continued its reign for 2 more weeks before being replaced by Post Malone ft. 21 Savage’s Rockstar. During the month Demi Lovato’s Sorry Not Sorry entered the top which became her highest charting single in the US peaking at No.6 and she was joined in the top 10 by Portugal. The Man’s Feel It Still, Imagine Dragons’ Thunder and J Balvin & Willy William ft. Beyonce’s Mi Gente.  

In the UK, Sam Smith’s Too Good at Goodbye’s continued its reign into the first week of October after which Post Malone dethroned Smith with his global hit Rockstar which remained at the top for the rest of the month. During the month Logic ft. Alessa Cara & Khalid’s 1-800-273-8255, Mabel ft. Kojo Funds’ Finders Keepers, Marshmello ft. Khaild’s Silence and Stefflon Don ft. French Montana’s Hurtin’ Me all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Rita Ora – Anywhere

2.       Charlie Puth – How long

3.       Liam Payne – Bedroom floor

4.       Louis Tomlinson – Just like you

5.       Taylor Swift – Gorgeous

6.       Maroon 5 ft. ASAP Rocky – Whiskey

7.    RedOne ft. French Montana, Daddy Yankee & Dinah Jane – Boom boom 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!