Xposition - December, 2018

Attention!!!

Hip-Hop rules 2019 Grammy Awards Nominees

Kendrick Lamar and Drake lead the Grammy Awards nominees with the two receiving 8 and 7 nods respectively. Lamar’s All the Stars with SZA is nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media, while the original soundtrack of the film, Black Panther wherein he is featured is nominated for Album of the Year. Drake’s God’s Plan is also nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rap Song while his Scorpion in nominated for Album of the Year. Cardi B and Childish Gambino have also garnered 5 nominations each.

Musicals lead the 2019 Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globe nominations were announced last week with the musicals leading the way. A Star is Born has 5 nods including Best Picture, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Lady Gaga and Best Original Song for Shallow. Mary Poppins Returns has been nominated 4 times followed by Queen-biopic Bohemian Rhapsody with 2 nods. Shallow goes up against stiff competition like Black Panther’s All the Stars by Kendrick Lamar & SZA and Boy Erased’s Revelation by Troye Sivan.

Billboard releases its 2018 Year-End Lists

Billboard has released its most anticipated year-end lists for the US with Drake named as the Top Artist, Top Male Artist and claiming the biggest single of the year with God’s Plan. The biggest album of 2018 was Taylor Swift’s Reputation with her being named as Top Female Artist as well. Cardi B is the Top New Artist while Imagine Dragons topped the Artists – Duo/Group category and BTS was dubbed the Top Social Artist.  

Final Judgment in ‘Blurred Lines’ Suit 

US District Judge John Kronstadt delivered the final judgment in the Blurred Lines copyright lawsuit wherein Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Williams’ publishing company, More Water From Nazareth Publishing Inc. was ordered to pay the Marvin Gaye estate over USD 4.9 million. The lawsuit which began in 2013 was filed by Gaye’s estate over copyright infringement of his 1977 hit Got to Give It Up. Gaye's family was also rewarded 50% of the song's future royalties.

Spotify Settles a USD 1.6 Billion Claim Over Songwriter’s Rights

Music streaming giant Spotify has settled a USD 1.6 billion claim over songwriter and publishing rights for an undisclosed amount. The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by Wixen Music Publishing over the alleged use of more than 10,000 songs without a license or compensation. Wixen looks after compositions of many high profile artists including Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Rivers Cuomo and the late Tom Petty.

Ariana Grande breaks record with Thank U, Next video

Ariana Grande premiered the music video for her biggest hit to date, Thank U, Next, breaking the record for most-watched video in YouTube within 24 hours, achieving over 50.3 million views surpassing the views for BTS’ Idol. The video is inspired by iconic 2000s flicks Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Bring It On and 13 Going On 30.

Artists face backlash over imminent performances in Saudi Arabia

The Black Eyed Peas, Enrique Iglesias, Jason Derulo, OneRepublic and David Guetta are to headline the Saudi Ad Diriyah E-Prix, an auto racing series and multi-day music festival. The Human Rights Foundation has called for the cancellation of their performances due to the human rights violations by Saudi Arabia and its crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mary Poppins Returns with new tracks

The sequel to Walt Disney’s beloved musical-fantasy film is coming to cinemas this December after a lapse of 54 years. The soundtrack featuring 27 songs out of which 9 are brand new was released last week. Songs are performed by Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Angela Lansbury and Dick Van Dyke.

Brexit Poses Threat to UK’s Music Industry

The recently formed Music4EU initiative in an open letter warned of how Brexit represented a significant threat to UK’s music industry. The letter was signed by over 550 industry representatives including musicians such as Annie Lennox, Paloma Faith, Chrissie Hynde and Nick Mason. Post-Brexit, the UK artists will find it more expensive to reach consumers and fans, and international markets will be harder to access. Moreover they will be unable to benefit from EU’s proposed copyright reforms.

Cher Announces Memoir and Biopic

Cher announced on Twitter that she will be releasing a memoir in 2020 which would be followed by a biopic. Prior to this, Cher released a collection of essays titled The First Time covering major events of her life in 1998.

Aretha Franklin Tribute Concert

A tribute concert for the late superstar has been announced to be held on 13 January 2019 by the Recording Academy, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and CBS titled Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration For The Queen Of Soul. Performing songs from Franklin’s repertoire are Grammy winners Alessia Cara, Kelly Clarkson, Common, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Patti LaBelle, and BeBe Winans as well as current Grammy nominees Brandi Carlile, H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, and SZA.

Shakira Charged With Tax Evasion

Colombian singer Shakira has been charged with tax evasion in Spain. The singer is alleged to have avoided Euros 14.5 million in tax by claiming she lived in the Bahamas, whereas she actually resided in Catalonia, Spain. It will be left to a judge now to decide if there is enough evidence for her to face trial.

Chris Brown Charged Over Exotic Pet Monkey 

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has charged Chris Brown with two counts of owning a restricted species without a permit for his exotic pet capuchin monkey, Fiji. The maximum sentence for the offence is 6 months in jail. They had obtained a search warrant for his home, but he voluntarily agreed to hand over the monkey before his property was raided.

Chart News

In the US, Ariana Grande continued her reign into the month of December with Thank, U Next which was dethroned by Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode, but Grande returned with force and held on to the crown for the remainder of the month. During the month Meek Mill ft. Drake’s Going Bad and Andy Williams’ Christmas classic It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year entered the top 10.

In the UK, Grande continued her reign with Thank U, Next as well, although she missed out on the coveted Christmas No.1 which went to LadBaby’s comic version of Starship’s We Built this City. During the month Ava Max’s Sweet But Psycho, Mark Ronson ft. Miley Cyrus’ Nothing Breaks like a Heart, Ariana Grande’s Imagine and the X Factor UK winner Dalton Harris coronation single, a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s The Power of Love featuring James Arthur, all entered the top 10 during the month.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Cardi B – Money

2.       Stephen Puth – Sexual vibe

3.       Marc E. Bassy ft. G-Eazy – Love her too

4.       Ariana Grande – Breathin’

5.       Alan Walker ft. Sofia Carson, K-391 & CORSAK – Different world

6.       Rita Ora – Falling to pieces

7.       Bebe Rexha – Knees

8.       Skylar Grey – Everything I need

9.       Post Malone & Swae Lee – Sunflower

10.   Gucci Mane, Bruno Mars & Kodak Black – Wake up in the sky 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

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!!!