Xposition - January, 2017

Attention!!!

January kicked off after reeling from the hangover of an awesome 2016. The charts were settling down after the impact of Justin Bieber, Sia, Rihanna, Clean Bandit and of course Drake. Moreover, the buzz was all about the Grammys to be held in February as the heavyweights in the industry as Beyonce and Adele were up against each other for the major grabs. 

We start off the year with US President-elect Donald Trump frantically searching for artists and bands to perform at his inauguration. With snubs from the likes of Elton John, Celine Dion, The Beach Boys, Charlotte Church, 2 Chainz and Rebecca Ferguson the final line up of artists included 3 Doors Down, Toby Keith, Tony Orlando, The Piano Guys and Sam Moore. This is definitely a step down from the star-studded inauguration of Barack Obama’s second term which included Alicia Keys, fun., Brad Paisley, Glee Cast, John Legend and Stevie Wonder. 

Meanwhile, most of the stars were to be seen at the Women’s March on Washington following the inauguration to advocate policies and laws regarding human rights, racial equality, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, freedom of religion etc. Artists such as Alicia Keys, Cher, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Madonna, John Legend, Rihanna etc. were seen at the march. Meanwhile, following Madonna’s remarks at the march HITS 105 in Texas even went to the extent of banning Madonna’s songs from airplay. 

The headlining acts of Coachella 2017 were announced as the annual event takes place for the 18th time in April. Beyonce, Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar have been announced as headliners this year. It will be the third time Radiohead will be headlining while Beyonce will become only the second female headliner since Björk. The full lineup also includes Lorde, Bon Iver, Mac Miller, New Order, DJ Khaled, Schoolboy Q and composer Hans Zimmer.     

The 74th Golden Globes were held in January where La La Land outshone all others while sweeping all 7 awards that it was nominated for. Justin Hurwitz won for Best Original Score and the film’s lead single City of Stars penned by Hurwitz and Pasek & Paul and performed by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone won Best Original Song. 

Meanwhile, edging out competition from Rag N’ Bone Man and Raye, R&B singer Ray BLK won the BBC Music’s Sound of 2017. Alumni of this honour include Adele, Mika, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and Years & Years. 

Little Mix, Skepta and Rihanna lead this year’s 2017 BRIT Awards nominations with three nods apiece. Little Mix who is now the longest reigning girl band with their fourth album Glory Days since the Spice Girls’ Spice with five non-consecutive weeks at the top is nominated for Best British Group, Best British Single for Shout Out To My Ex and Video of the Year for Hair. Skepta who scooped the 2016 Mercury Music Prize for his fourth album Konnichiwa is up for British Male Artist, British Breakthrough Act and Album of the Year. Rihanna has been nominated for International Female as well as for her featured hit Calvin Harris’ This Is What You Came For in both Best British Single and Video of the Year. 

Moving onto chart news, in the US Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane’s Black Beatles was replaced by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk’s Starboy after struggling 8 non-consecutive weeks at No.2. However, Black Beatles replaced Starboy in the second week only to be overthrown by Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert’s Bad and Boujee. In the fourth week, Ed Sheeran’s surprise single Shape of You from his upcoming album ÷ topped the chart, thus leading to four different singles at the top during the month. Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran’s Castle On The Hill debuted at No.6 on the chart. 

In the UK, Clean Bandit featuring Anne Marie and Sean Paul’s Rockabye began the year at the top and remained there for two weeks before being replaced by Ed Sheeran’s mammoth hit Shape of You which stayed at the top during the last week. Close behind Shape of You, Sheeran’s Castle On The Hill debuted at No.2 and Zara Larsson’s I Would Like and Jax Jones featuring Raye’s You Don’t Know Me peaked at No.2 and No.3 respectively during the month. 

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1. Sia - Move your body 
2. The Chainsmokers - Paris 
3. JP Cooper - September song
4. Starley - Call on me 
5. Snakehips & MØ - Don't leave 
6. Tinie Tempah ft. Tinashe - Text from your ex

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!!!

Xposition - October, 2016

Attention!!!

Summer has come and gone and Drake’s One Dance clearly ruled the roost. What will be interesting to see is if the gargantuan hit will close 2016 as the year-end No.1. It does seem to have stiff competition from Sia’s Cheap Thrills, Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself, Rihanna’s Work and The Chainsmokers’ Closer.

The Voice UK has announced its judges for the 2017 edition. Fan favorite Sir Tom Jones is back along with new comers lead singer from the rock band Bush Gavin Rossdale and Academy Award winner and American Idol alumni Jennifer Hudson.

The award season is once again upon us as BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards 2016 was held in October. Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, The Vamps and Adele were among the big winners:

·         Most Entertaining Celeb – Taylor Swift

·         Best International Group – 5 Seconds of Summer

·         Best British Group – The Vamps

·         Best British Solo Artist – Adele

·         Best International Solo Artist: Shawn Mendes

·         Best Single: Shawn Mendes – Stitches

The 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards nominations have been released with Beyonce and Justin Bieber leading the pack with five nods each. Rihanna, Adele and Coldplay have four nods each. For best song we have heavyweights Adele’s Hello, Bieber’s Sorry, and Rihanna’s Work against underdogs Lukas Graham’s 7 Years and Mike Posner’s I Took A Pill in Ibiza.

Next up the 2016 American Music Awards nominations were released with Drake breaking a 32-year record for the most number of nominations with 13 nods, beating Michael Jackson’s previous high mark of 11 from 1984. If he wins any of the categories it will make his first win. Rihanna was just behind Drake with 7 nominations followed by Adele and Justin Bieber with 5 nods each.

Lily Allen was at the receiving end of a rampage of social media and mainstream media backlash as she apologized on behalf of UK to a youth refugee from Afghanistan while visiting Calais Jungle camp. Allen who took a break from recording her next album, visited the refugee camp in France and during an interview with a 13-year old broke down and said “We’ve bombed your country, put you in the hands of the Taliban and now put you in danger of risking your life to get into our country. I apologize on behalf of my country. I’m sorry for what we have put you through.” The backlash centered on how she is privileged wealthy and that these are crocodile tears coupled by that she cannot apologize on behalf of UK as she can only represent herself.

At the 11^th Annual Billboard Women in Music Madonna will be felicitated as Billboard’s 2016 Woman of the Year. She achieves this accolade after she extended her record as the highest grossing female touring artist of all time with her recently concluded Rebel Heart tour. She also continues her reign as the best-selling female recording artist of all time.

The 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, the last of the esteemed Nobel Prize to be awarded in the calendar was bestowed on Bob Dylan. This marks the first time the prize has been awarded to someone primarily seen as a musician.

Meanwhile, Selena Gomez cancelled the remaining dates on her Revival tour as she checked into a rehab facility outside Nashville, Tennessee to deal with her anxiety, panic attacks and depression. The singer also suffers from lupus and went into rehab in 2014 to treat her auto immune disease.

Probably the best news of the month came at the end as ABBA, one of the best-selling musical acts of all time have announced a reunion. The quartet is to return in 2018 and according to sources will be a groundbreaking venture using the latest digital and virtual technology.  

Moving onto chart news, in the US the Chainsmokers’ featuring Halsey’s Closer reigned supreme throughout the month accumulating altogether 9 weeks at the top and tying for the highest number of weeks at the top alongside Drake’s One Dance. The duo’s collaboration seems unstoppable as the song topped all three formats of the Billboard Hot 100 – Radio, Sales and Streaming. The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk’s Starboy, DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber’s Let Me Love You, Gnash featuring Olivia O’ Brien’s I Hate U I Love U, Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj’s Side to Side and D.R.A.M. featuring Lil Yachty’s Broccoli all entered the top 10 during the month.

Throughout October people were dancing to the PPAP Song by Pikotaro. This song also known as the Pen Pineapple Apple Pen Song reached monumental viral status as it was trending throughout the month. As a result of the popularity it reached No.77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the shortest song on the chart’s history with a length of only 45 seconds.

In the UK, James Arthur ended The Chainsmokers’ rule with his comeback hit Say You Won’t Let Go which ruled for three weeks before being overthrown by Little Mix’s Shout Out To My Ex, the lead single taken from their newest album Glory Days. Throughout the month, Bruno Mars’ 24K, The Weeknd’s Starboy and Hailee Steinfeld’s Starving and Niall Horan’s This town all entered the top 10.  

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1. Zay Hilfiger & Zayion McCall – Juju on that beat (TZ anthem)
2. Fifth Harmony – That’s my girl 
3. Alessia Cara – Scars to your beautiful 
4. Rihanna – Love on the brain 
5. The Chainsmokers ft. Phoebe Ryan – All we know
6. Shawn Mendes – Mercy 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs About the Rich/Lush Life

Attention!!!

So on my recent trip to Macau, I witnessed firsthand how the rich and powerful in that part of Asia live their lives. Surrounded by the casinos and the glamorous hotels anyone gets carried away with the helipads, private jets, limousines, heated pools, branded showrooms and of course the service staff that is there to attend at your beck and call. The fancy lifestyles of the celebrities and the superficial lives of the elite who thrive on these little first world intricacies have been the subject of particular songs.

The following hits are all about the lush life. Crowning the list is Psy’s Gangnam Style which is one of the biggest hits of the decade and the first video to hit 1 billion views on YouTube (recently it passed 2 billion views). At second place is none other than hip-hop duchess Fergie with her worldwide hit Glamorous followed by Iggy Azalea’s Fancy. No specific genre stands out as it is a mishmash of genres ranging from Hip-Hop, Rap and Pop to Rock, K-Pop and even a song from a James Bond Soundtrack. So here are the top 15 songs about the rich/lush life: 

1. Psy – Gangnam style
2. Fergie ft. Ludacris – Glamorous
3. Iggy Azalea ft. Charlie XCX – Fancy 
4. Gwen Stefani ft. Eve – Rich girl 
5. Rich Gang ft. Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan – Lifestyle
6. Zara Larsson – Lush life 
7. Travie McCoy ft. Bruno – Billionaire 
8. Nickelback – Rockstar
9. Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & Dev – Like a G6
10. Shania Twain – Ka-ching
11. Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone – Ridin’
12. Flo Rida – Zillionaire 
13. Shirley Bassey – Diamonds are forever
14. Sheila E. – The glamorous life
15. Madonna – Material girl

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!

Best Dance Hits of the 2000s

Attention!!!

The best years of those born in the 80s were during the 2000s when they would be in the latter ages of their teens. The 2000s may also prove to be the last vestiges of Alternative Rock and Hard Rock as the 2010s have massacred the genres to the point of no return. Eurodance was dead and in its place Europop was building itself as a genre with a significant contribution from Romanian Pop. As far as dance music goes Rap, Dancepop and Hip-Hop ruled the dance floors with the likes of Flo Rida, Black Eyed Peas, 50 Cent, Sean Paul, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Pitbull shaping the industry as they took over the mainstream charts. With an immense stress on beat and rhythm rather than lyrics, the dance music of the 2000s is unique. 

Those artists that began their careers in the 90s such as Britney Spears, Eminem, Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias have become superstars with several dance hits and some like Shakira, Pitbull, Rihanna, Sean Paul and David Guetta have entered the mainstream with several dance hits. With his debut dance anthem Low, Flo Rida entered the hearts and minds of the party people during the 2000s and claims the top spot on this compilation. At No.2 we have Usher's Yeah in which he collaborated with veteran rappers Ludacris and Lil Jon. With a different flavour at No.3 we have Shakira's Hips Don't Lie where former Fugees member Wyclef Jean is featured. With the highest number of entries we have Black Eyed Peas with 8 whopping entries followed by Sean Paul with 7, 50 Cent and Jennifer Lopez with 6 each, Timbaland, Akon, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake with 5 each, Flo Rida, Britney Spears, Madonna, Shakira, Bob Sinclar, Pitbull, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Inna with 4 each, David Guetta, Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Missy Elliot, Ludacris, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Eve, Pink, Destiny's Child and Cascada with 3 each. So here are the best dance hits from 2000-2009: 

1. Flo Rida ft. T-Pain – Low
2. Usher ft. Ludacris & Lil Jon – Yeah
3. Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean – Hips don’t lie
4. Pitbull – I know you want me (Calle ocho)
5. Sean Paul – Get busy
6. Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg & Kurupt – The next episode
7. 50 Cent – In da club
8. Nelly – Hot in herre
9. Flo Rida ft. Kesha – Right round
10. Black Eyed Peas – I gotta feeling
11. Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & D.O.E – The way I are
12. Bon Jovi – It’s my life
13. Rihanna – Don’t stop the music
14. Lady Gaga ft. Colby O’Donis – Just dance
15. David Guetta ft. Akon – Sexy bitch
16. Eve – Tambourine
17. Justin Timberlake – Sexyback
18. Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland – 4 minutes
19. Vengaboys – Shalala lala
20. 50 Cent ft. Olivia – Candy shop
21. Kelis – Milkshake
22. Black Eyed Peas – Let’s get it started
23. Bob Sinclar ft. Gary Pine – Love generation
24. Sean Paul – Temperature
25. Missy Elliot – Get ur freak on
26. Black Eyed Peas – Hey mama
27. David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland – When love takes over
28. Daft Punk – One more time
29. Eminem – The real Slim Shady
30. Black Eyed Peas – Boom boom pow
31. Yves Larock – Rise up
32. Las Ketchup – The ketchup song (Asereje)
33. DMX – Party up (Up in here)
34. Jennifer Lopez – Let’s get loud
35. Black Eyed Peas – Pump it
36. Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes – Don’t cha
37. 50 Cent ft. Snoop Dogg, Lloyd Banks & Young Buck – P.I.M.P.
38. Baha Men – Who let the dogs out?
39. *NSYNC – Bye bye bye
40. Destiny’s Child – Jumpin’ jumpin
41. Sean Kingston – Fire burning
42. Spiller ft. Sophie Ellis Baxtor – Groovejet (If this ain’t love)
43. Alex Gaudino ft. Crystal Waters – Destination Calabria
44. Lady Gaga – Poker face
45. Benny Benassi – Satisfaction
46. Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne – Down
47. Daddy Yankee – Gasolina
48. Atomic Kitten – The tide is high (Get the feeling)
49. Chamillionaire ft. Slick Rick – Hip hop police
50. Steve Angello & Laidback Luke ft. Robin S. – Show me love
51. Cascada – Evacuate the dancefloor
52. LMFAO – I’m in Miami bitch
53. Shakira – Whenever wherever
54. Gwen Stefani ft. Eve – Rich girl
55. No Doubt ft. Bounty Killer – Hey baby
56. Eve ft. Gwen Stefani – Let me blow ya mind
57. Modjo – Lady (Hear me tonight)
58. Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell – Drop it like it’s hot
59. Basshunter – Now you’re gone
60. Edward Maya ft. Vika Jigulina – Stereo love
61. Eric Prydz – Call on me
62. Fergie – London bridge
63. 50 Cent – Just a lil bit
64. Kevin Lyttle – Turn me on
65. Britney Spears – Toxic
66. Rihanna – Disturbia
67. Guru Josh Project – Infinity 2008
68. R.Kelly ft. Wisin & Yandel – Burn it up
69. Pink – Get the party started
70. Crazy Town – Butterfly
71. Timbaland ft. Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado – Give it to me
72. Nelly ft. City Spud – Ride wit me
73. Puddle of Mudd – She hates me
74. Outkast – Hey ya!
75. Jennifer Lopez ft. Jadakiss & Styles – Jenny from the block  
76. Black Eyed Peas – Don’t phunk with my heart
77. Beyonce ft. Jay-Z – Crazy in love
78. Kat DeLuna ft. Elephant Man – Whine up
79. Counting Crows – Accidentally in love
80. Beyonce – Single ladies (Put a ring on it)
81. Nelly Furtado – Maneater
82. Eminem – Just do it
83. Soulja Boy – Crank that
84. Sugababes – Round round
85. Bomfunk MC’s – Freestyler
86. Junior Senior – Move your feet
87. Britney Spears – 3
88. Blue – All rise
89. Fragma – Toca’s miracle
90. Shaggy ft. Rikrok – It wasn’t me
91. Mary J. Blige – Family affair
92. S Club 7 – Don’t stop movin’
93. Nicole Scherzinger ft. T.I. – Whatever u like
94. Smash Mouth – I’m a believer
95. Chris Brown ft. Juelz Santana – Run it!
96. Jennifer Lopez – Play
97. Missy Elliot – Work it
98. Inna – Hot
99. Bob Sinclar with Cutee B ft. Dollarman, Big Ali  & Makedah – Rock this party (Everybody dance now)
100. Britney Spears – Gimme more
101. Madonna – Hung up
102. Axwell ft. Steve Edwards – Watch the sunrise
103. Eminem – Without me
104. Pussycat Dolls – When I grow up
105. Truth Hurts ft. Rakim – Addictive
106. Britney Spears – Circus
107. LL Cool J ft. Jennifer Lopez – Control myself
108. Inna – Amazing
109. Sugababes – Get sexy
110. R. Kelly – Ignition (Remix)
111. Teriyaki Boyz – Tokyo drift
112. Akcent – Jokero
113. Michael Buble – Save the last dance for me
114. Terror Squad ft. Fat Joe & Remy Ma – Lean back
115. Destiny’s Child – Bootylicious
116. Cascada – Everytime we touch
117. Basshunter – All I ever wanted
118. Jamelia – Superstar
119. Flo Rida ft. Nelly Furtado – Jump
120. Nina Sky ft. Jabba – Move ya body
121. Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Swiss Beatz – I can transform ya
122. DJ Sammy & Yanou ft. Do – Heaven
123. Pitbull – Hotel room service
124. Shakira – Objection (Tango)
125. Kylie Minogue – Love at first sight
126. Sean Paul – Gimme the light
127. Andreea Banica ft. Dony – Samba
128. Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland – Promiscuous
129. Crazy Frog – Axel F
130. Rihanna – SOS
131. Panjabi MC – Mundian to bach ke
132. Ashley Tisdale – Crank it up
133. Pink, Christina Aguilera, Mya & Lil’ Kim – Lady Marmalade
134. Nelly Furtado – Say it right
135. Bob Sinclar ft. Steve Edwards – World, hold on (Children of the sky)
136. DJ Laz ft. Flo Rida, Pitbull & Casely – Move shake drop  
137. Destiny’s Child – Lose my breath
138. Sidney Samson – Riverside
139. Lumidee – Never leave you (Uh oooh, uh ooh)
140. Sugababes – About a girl
141. Beyonce ft. Slim Thug – Check on it
142. Dizzee Rascal ft. Armand van Helden – Bonkers
143. Pussycat Dolls ft. Timbaland – Wait a minute
144. Black Eyed Peas – Shut up
145. Bob Sinclar with Cutee B ft. Gary Pine & Dollarman – Sound of freedom
146. Pussycat Dolls ft. Snoop Dogg – Buttons
147. Akon ft. Eminem – Smack that
148. Justin Timberlake – Rock your body
149. Anastacia – I’m outta love
150. iiO – Rapture
151. Rihanna ft. Sean Paul – Break it off
152. Madonna – Music
153. Ludacris – How low
154. Sean Paul – Like glue
155. Kylie Minogue – Can’t get you out of my head
156. O-Zone – Dragostea din tei
157. Pink – So what
158. Inna – Love
159. Katy Perry – I kissed a girl
160. DJ Otzi – Hey baby (Uhh, ahh)
161. Holly Valance – Kiss kiss
162. Jennifer Lopez – Ain’t it funny
163. Madonna – Sorry
164. Daniel Bedingfield – Gotta get thru this
165. Pitbull ft. Akon – Shut it down
166. Fergie ft. will.i.am – Fergalicious
167. Rihanna – Pon de replay
168. Fatman Scoop – Be faithful
169. Enrique Iglesias – Be with you
170. Tinchy Stryder ft. N-Dubz – Number 1
171. Shakira – She wolf
172. The Offspring – Pretty fly (For a white a guy)
173. 50 Cent ft. Ne-Yo – Baby by me
174. Mr.C The Slide Man – Cha-cha slide
175. Cascada – What hurts the most
176. Sean Paul – We be burnin’
177. Jennifer Lopez – Love don’t cost a thing
178. Sophie Ellis-Bexter – Murder on the  dancefloor 
179. Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester – Good girls go bad
180. David Guetta ft. Estelle – One love
181. Kylie Minogue – In your eyes
182. Ludacris ft. Shawnna – Stand up
183. Akon – Belly dancer (bananza)
184. Black Eyed Peas – My humps
185. Michael Buble – Sway
186. Cupid – Cupid shuffle
187. DJ Bobo with Irene Cara – What a feeling
188. Blu Cantrell ft. Sean Paul – Breathe
189. Gwen Stefani ft. Akon – The sweet escape
190. Mika – Grace Kelly
191. Missy Elliot ft. Ciara & Fatman Scoop – Lose control
192. Inna – Deja vu
193. 50 Cent ft. Justin Timberlake – Ayo technology
194. A.R. Rahman & Pussycat Dolls ft. Nicole Scherzinger – Jai ho! (You are my destiny)
195. David Deejay ft. Dony – Sexy thing
196. Mary Mary – Shackles (Praise you)
197. JLS – Beat again
198. Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone – Ridin’
199. Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend
200. Chayanne – Boom boom  

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs about Female Empowerment/Top Girl Power Anthems

Attention!!!

Happy Women's Day. This year the theme for the International Women's Day is "Be Bold For Change". Surprise, surprise, we have songs about female empowerment and here I have compiled a list of the top girl power anthems which address themes such as female empowerment, equality, independence of women etc. In terms of genre we have mostly Pop, Hip-Hop and R&B. Beyonce aka Queen Bey leads the fray with her Run The World (Girls) and she also has two other entries on the list along with two more entries as part of Destiny's Child. Aretha Franklin's classic hit Respect is at No.2 with Destiny's Child's global smash Independent Women Part 1 at No.3. So without much further ado, here are the 28 top girl power anthems of all time. 

1. Beyonce – Run the world (girls)
2. Aretha Franklin – Respect 
3. Destiny’s Child – Independent women part 1
4. Little Mix – Salute
5. Lily Allen – Hard out here
6. Madonna – Express yourself
7. Gloria Gaynor – I will survive
8. Fifth Harmony – That;s my girl 
9. Pussycat Dolls – I don’t need a man
10. Rihanna – Only girl (in the world)
11. Girls Aloud – Something new
12. Cher – Woman’s world
13. Pink – So what
14. Fifth Harmony – Bo$$
15. Demi Lovato – Confident
16. Daya – Sit still, look pretty 
17. Ciara – Goodies
18. Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (what doesn’t kill you)
19. Beyonce – Single ladies (put a ring on it)
20. Katy Perry – Roar
21. Destiny’s Child – Survivor
22. The Band Perry – Done.
23. Beyonce – Irreplaceable
24. Idina Menzel – Let it go
25. Charli XCX – Body of my own
26. Shania Twain – Man! I feel like a woman
27. Katy Perry – Part of me 
28. Meghan Trainor – No

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Most Inspirational Songs of 2015

Attention!!!

And so the saga of the inspirational hits continue as the 2010s seem to spew more positive attitude than all of the preceding decades combined. While in 2014 the inspirational songs took a dip, in 2015 they returned with a vengeance and topped the charts worldwide. One distinct thing that can be noticed is that these songs are not about getting over breakups and how strong you are after a broken heart, they are purely about inner strength and provides the motivation we need these days to get by. Taking the crown this time is Rachel Platten with her global smash hit Fight Song which topped the charts in the UK and entered the top 10 in over ten countries including Australia, Canada and the US. At second place is Eminem ft. Gwen Stefani's Kings Never Die from the soundtrack of Southpaw. Pop rules as a genre this time although there are Rap, EDM, Dancepop and R&B. Rachel Platten, Jessie J, Rihanna, John Legend and Jess Glynne have two entries each. So here are the 25 most inspirational songs of 2015: 

1. Rachel Platten – Fight song
2. Eminem ft. Gwen Stefani – Kings never die
3. Demi Lovato – Confident
4. Kendrick Lamar – Alright
5. Jess Glynne – Don’t be so hard on yourself
6. One Direction – Drag me down
7. Big Sean ft. Kanye West & John Legend – One man can change the world
8. Jessie J – Flashlight
9. Hailee Steinfeld – Love myself
10. Sia – Alive
11. Zedd ft. Jon Bellion – Beautiful now
12. Jess Glynne – Hold my hand 
13. Martin Garrix ft. Usher – Don’t look down
14. Common & John Legend – Glory
15. Alesso ft. Tove Lo – Heroes (we could be)
16. Jessie J – Masterpiece
17. Kelly Clarkson – Invincible
18. Rachel Platten – Stand by you
19. Rihanna – American oxygen
20. Jennifer Lopez – Feel the light
21. Meghan Trainor – Better when I’m dancin’
22. Nicki Minaj – The night is still young
23. Madonna – Living for love
24. Clean Bandit – Stronger
25. Rihanna – Towards the sun

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!