Xposition - September, 2017

Attention!!!

The month of September opened with the announcement of the nominations for the 51^st Annual CMA Awards with Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert leading with five nods each competing against each other in 3 categories: Music Video of the Year, Single of the Year and Song of the Year. Little Big Town is close behind with four nods which also helps Taylor Swift garner a nomination at the awards in three years after her transition from County to Pop for her songwriter credits for Better Man. The awards will take place on 08 November hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

The coveted Mercury Prize 2017 was awarded to Sampha’s Process. His win is quite significant as he battled for this award against the short listed fan favorites Ed Sheeran and Stormzy as well as 9 other nominees including Blossoms, J Hus, Kate Tempest and The xx. Actor Idris Elba gave Sampha his £25,000 prize at a ceremony with performances from the shortlisted artists at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London.

The Latin Recording Academy has decided to bestow Lifetime Achievement Awards on the Macarena hit makers Los Del Rio along with Lucecita Benitez, Ilan Chester, Victor Heredia, Guadalupe Pineda, Cuco Valoy and Joao Bosco as a prelude to the 2017 Latin Grammy Awards which will be held in November.

The Corrs announced their much awaited comeback through their seventh studio album Jupiter Calling which shall be preceded with a show at the Royal Albert Hall. The Corrs are not the only ones who had returned to the studio, as Shania Twain announced her fifth studio album Now 14 years after her last album.

Linkin Park announced that a special show in honor of their former member Chester Bennington titled Linkin Park and friends will be held in October to celebrate the life of the 41 year lead vocalist of the band who committed suicide earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Demi Lovato was named a Global Citizen Ambassador at the 2017 Global Citizen Festival. She along with the fund will expansion of a Save the Children pilot program, Healing and Education through the Arts, to violence scarred youth living in Iraq’s Kirkuk and Salah al Din areas.

The latest victims of copyright law suit are Taylor Swift and Mark Ronson. The songwriters behind 3LW’s Playas Gon’ Play Sean Hall and Nathan Butler has sued the female superstar over her hit Shake It Off. This may be a tough one for the songwriters to win as the Copyright Act does not protect short phrases including catchwords, catchphrases, mottoes, slogans or short advertising expressions. Ronson was sued by Lastrada Entertainment Company Ltd, the music publishing house that holds the copyright for Zapp’s More Bounce to the Ounce, which claims that most parts of the 2015 year-end no.1 was copied from Zapp’s 1980 classic. Lastrada is seeking damages of up to USD 150,000 per infringement, a permanent injunction against profiting from the alleged infringement and a jury trial on the matter.

Avril Lavigne has been named the most dangerous person online. Cybersecurity firm McAfee said that Lavigne is the most likely celebrity to land users on websites that carry viruses or malware. Bruno Mars was second on the list followed by Carly Rae Jepsen, Zayn Malik and Celine Dion.

Moving onto chart news, in the US, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber’s Despacito continued its reign at the top accumulating 16 weeks at the top and tying the record of Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s One Sweet Day for the most number of weeks spent at No.1 in the US. Despacito could have broken this record by spending a 17^th week at the top if not for the ascension of Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do, which soared to the top of the charts with huge sales in its second week. It remained at the top for the remainder of the month. During the month Liam Payne featuring Quavo’s Strip That Down, Yo Gotti featuring Nicki Minaj’s Rake It Up and Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid’s 1-800-273-8255 all entered the top 10.

In the UK, Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do started off the month at the top which effectively ended the reign of Dua Lipa’s New Rules. Swift was dethroned in the third week by Sam Smith’s Too Good at Goodbyes which ruled for the next two weeks of the month. During the month Demi Lovato’s Sorry Not Sorry, Zayn & Sia’s Dusk Till Dawn and Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug’s Havana all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Taylor Swift – …Ready for it?

2.       Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – Rockstar

3.       Avicii ft. Rita Ora – Lonely together

4.       Macklemore ft. Kesha – Good old days

5.       Mabel ft. Kojo Funds – Finders keepers

6.       Maroon 5 ft. SZA – What lovers do

7.       Khalid – Young, dumb & broke

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!!!

10 Greatest Contributions of the 90s to Music

Attention!!!

Well we all know that the 90s were definitely the best decade for music (well at least I do). Although I am a fan of the 60s, 70s and the 2000s, nothing can beat the 90s with its plethora of genres branching into further sub-genres and laying the foundation for the future of coming eras. 60s had its Beatles and Elvis etc. 70s had the peak of Disco and the 80s, well there was nothing special about that decade. The 2000s introduced Electro pop, Romanian pop, K-Pop and several genres of rock, hip-hop and house music to the industry. However, the 90s was a memorable decade due to most of its achievements, accomplishments and contributions to the industry.

1.     Influx of Boy Bands and Girl Groups

The 90s witnessed the entrance of a host of boy bands and girl groups in mainstream pop such as the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, 911, Destiny’s Child, TLC, Eternal, All Saints, B*Witched, Cleopatra, Hanson, 3T, Boys II Men, Five, Westlife, New Kids on the Block, Take That, Boyzone, No Mercy, Damage, The Moffats, BBMak, SWV, Wilson Phillips etc.

2.     90s Alternative Rock

Alternative rock music emerged and took over as the most popular genre of rock during the decade. This genre’s distinction from mainstream rock is expressed primarily in a distorted guitar sound, subversive and/or transgressive lyrics and generally a nonchalant, defiant attitude. Legendary bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Creed, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Goo Goo Dolls, Alice in Chains, Third Eye Blind, Green Day, 3 Doors Down, Counting Crows, Hootie and the Blowfish, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, No Doubt etc. had their roots in the 90s.

3.     90s Eurodance

Although it emerged in the latter part of the 80s, eurodance established itself as a clear genre in the 90s. It combines elements of disco, techno and electro music and a chorus rich in melodic vocals and the verses mostly being rapped. Ace of Base, La Bouche, 2 Unlimited, ATC, Culture Beat, Real McCoy, Haddaway, Whigfield, Snap!, Fun Factory, Twenty 4 Seven, Vengaboys, DJ Bobo, Dr.Alban, Cappella, Captain Hollywood Project, Corona, Le Click, Alexia, Centory, Amber, Rozalla, Aqua, Eiffel 65, Mr.President etc. are some who became extremely popular during the decade.

4.     Entrance of Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez

The decade saw the entrance of various artists and bands to the music industry but the entrance of Britney, Enrique, Martin and Lopez was definitely a highlight as the foursome with their hits Baby One More Time, Bailamos, Maria, Genie in a Bottle, I Need to Know and If You Had My Love clearly made an impression worldwide as they have now gone onto become six of the biggest selling artists of all time.

5.     Whitney Houston, Elton John, Janet Jackson and Santana reach their peak

While Whitney, Elton, Janet and Santana were not new names to the music scene in the 90s, the biggest hits of their careers were during the decade. Whitney’s cover of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You became a global sensation. Elton John’s second rendition of Candle in the Wind sung for late Princess Diana is the biggest selling single of the 90s. Janet’s That’s The Way Love Goes and Santana’s Smooth reached the top in almost all the countries they charted.

6.     Make Way for Vocal Heavyweights

The decade undeniably recognized talent and was rich with artists with brilliant vocals and the 90s witnessed the start of singers such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman Michael Bolton, R.Kelly, Seal etc.

7.     Oh! Those Sappy Country Love Songs

While there can be several types of love songs, there are certain slow country types which are extremely sappy and due to their extremely romantic nature are chosen for weddings. The decade witnessed the floodgates being swung open by the likes of Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Lonestar, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride and their hits You’re Still The One, Breathe, It’s Your Love, How Do I Live, Amazed, You Had Me From Hello and I Love You.  

8.     Mixed Pop Bands

While the boy bands and the girl groups were flourishing during the decade we can see that there were bands composed of a mixture of teenage girls and boys sprouting like mushrooms all over the world all based in mainstream pop like Steps, Solid HarmoniE, S Club 7, The Corrs, Ace of Base, ATC, No Doubt, Vengaboys, A*Teens etc.

 

9.     Ladies enter Rap & Hip-Hop

Whilst hip-hop and rap continued to gain mainstream success in the 90s female artists and bands entered the genre, which was heavily dominated by men and managed to gain significant commercial success. Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj can thank Missy Elliot, Salt-N-Pepa, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown etc. for their efforts and attempts in establishing a feminine presence in the genre.

10. The Macarena

This is the Gangnam Style of the 90s and I believe if social media was as popular as it is now, the quirky dance track Macarena by Los Del Rio with its unique dance moves would have achieved even more commercial success and influence at the time. It is considered as the number one dance song of all time by Billboard and is ranked at No.7 on Billboard’s All Time Top 100.

Till the next beat…

At Ease!!!

The Ultimate Wedding Playlist

Attention!!!

Well this is for all those love birds who are going to get hitched or will tie the knot in the future. Wedding songs are those sappy and cheesy love songs which overflow with so much emotion that you tend to drown in the peachy lyrics that accompany the slow rhythms. These are more or less the songs that the betrothed couple use for their first dance and they are mostly about spending their lives together forever and about new beginnings and how much beautiful the bride is on that day. It's sad that no one speaks about how wonderful the bridegroom looks that night, but I guess the wedding is all about the bride. So for all the bridezillas and the groomkongs of this world, hope this list helps: 

1. Anne Murray – Could I have this dance
2. George Jones – Walk through this world with me
3. Lonestar – Amazed
4. Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill – It’s your love
5. Eric Clapton – Wonderful tonight
6. Righteous Brothers – Unchained melody
7. Joshua Kadison – Beautiful in my eyes
8. Elvis Presley – Can’t help falling in love
9. Wet Wet Wet – Love is all around
10. Shania Twain – From this moment
11. Richard Marx & Donna Lewis – At the beginning
12. Christina Perri ft. Steve Kazee – A thousand years Part 2
13. Ed Sheeran – Thinking out loud
14. Elton John – Something about the way you look tonight
15. Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes – Up where we belong
16. Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville – All my life
17. Aerosmith – I don’t want to miss a thing
18. MLTR – Paint my love
19. Bee Gees – To love somebody
20. Lobo – I’d love you to want me
21. Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack – Tonight I celebrate my love
22. Faith Hill – There you’ll be
23. All-4-One – I swear
24. Berlin – Take my breath away
25. Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt – Don’t know much
26. Elvis Presley – Love me tender
27. Elton John – Can you feel the love tonight
28. LeAnn Rimes – How do I live
29. Atlantic Starr – Always
30. Lionel Richie & Diana Ross – Endless love
31. Tina Arena & Marc Anthony – I want to spend my lifetime loving you
32. Boys II Men – I’ll make love to you
33. Edwin McCain – I’ll be
34. Joe Cocker – You are so beautiful (Original by Billy Preston)
35. Diana Ross & Westlife – When you tell me that you love me
36. Tony Bennett – The way you look tonight
37. Barry White – You’re my first, my last, my everything
38. Rod Stewart – Have I told you (Original by Van Morrison)
39. Human Nature – Eternal flame (Original by The Bangles)
40. The Corrs – Runaway
41. Kenny G – Forever in love
42. Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle – A whole new world
43. Vonda Shepard – For once in my life (Original by Jean DuShon)
44. Lady Antebellum – Just a kiss
45. Traci Chapman – Baby can I hold you
46. Foreigner – I want to know what love is
47. Living in a Box – Room in your heart
48. Leo Sayer – When I need you (Original by Albert Hammond)
49. Bryan Adams – When you love someone
50. Engelbert – Help me make it through the night (Original by Kris Kristofferson)
51. REO Speedwagon – Keep on loving you
52. Faith Hill – Breathe
53. Frank Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra – Somethin’ stupid
54. Jon Secada ft. Shanice – If I never knew you  
55. Shania Twain – You’re still the one
56. Ronan Keating – This I promise you
57. Michael Bolton – A love so beautiful
58. Bellamy Brothers – If I said you had a beautiful body
59. Marc Anthony – I need you
60. Savage Garden – Truly madly deeply 
61. Clay Aiken – The way
62. John Paul Young – Love is in the air
63. Peabo Bryson & Kenny G – By the time this night is over
64. Etta James – At last
65. Vonda Shepard – I only want to be with you (Original by Dusty Springfield)
66. Frankie Valli – Can’t take my eyes off you
67. The Heights – How do you talk to an angel
68. The Corrs ft. Bono – When the stars go blue (Original by Ryan Adams)
69. K-Ci & Jojo – All my life
70. Celine Dion – Because you loved me 
71. Lifehouse – Hanging by a moment
72. John Legend – All of me 
73. The Cranberries – Linger
74. John Denver – Annie’s song
75. Westlife – I lay my love on you
76. Bryan Adams – Everything I do (I do it for you)
77. Edwin McCain – I could not ask for more
78. Sonny & Cher – I got you babe
79. Backstreet Boys – Drowning
80. Shania Twain – You’ve got away
81. Percy Sledge – When a man loves a woman
82. REO Speedwagon – Can’t fight this feeling
83. Savage Garden – I knew I loved you
84. 98 Degrees – I do (cherish you)
85. Kelly Clarkson – A moment like this
86. Bon Jovi – Thank you for loving me
87. Norah Jones – Come away with me
88. Bette Midler – Wind beneath my wings
89. Extreme – More than words
90. Peter Frampton – Baby, I love your way
91. George Bensen – Nothing’s gonna change my love for you
92. The Platters – Only you
93. NSync – This I promise you
94. Bruno Mars – Just the way you are
95. Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole – Unforgettable
96. Enrique Iglesias – You’re my #1
97. Celine Dion – The power of love (Original by Jennifer Rush)
98. Take That – Rule the world
99. Lifehouse – You and me
100. Shania Twain – When you kiss me

Til the next chord…

At Ease!!!