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2018 Recap: A Year in Music

Attention!!!

Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for. It’s time to say goodbye to 2018. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be, and no tears will be left to cry for the past year. It’s a no brainer that it was a fantastic year for music. According to God’s plan all the stars aligned for Rap & Hip-Hop, as if I’m taken back to 2002. I like it how the Spanglish resurgence incorporated Rap and EDM into its fold. I've told you one, two, three, four, five, six thousand times that the recap is always under seven segments: genres, albums, singles, milestones, shockers, talent and obituaries. While we will never be the same after 2018, we have high hopes for 2019; thank u, next:

1. Genres

The most conspicuous changes in the mainstream genres were:

Continuing their reign from last year Rap and Hip-Hop ruled the first half of the year with Cloud Rap being the main subgenre on the charts.
Pop which took a backseat to the new trends in fusion music resurfaced in the latter half of the year.
The next phase of the Latin resurgence was the fusion of the genre with EDM and Rap with some hits and a few epic fails.
Mega collaborations was the order of the day be it any genre.
K-Pop conquered the world with BTS and BLACKPINK leading the fray.
The age of Hard Rock and Metal is definitely over with the few hits from the genre being produced only by mainstream artists.
Country music had a big year with the genre doing well on the charts particularly due to crossover artists.
It was a great year for movie musicals with their soundtracks performing extremely well.

2. Albums

Some of the best albums released in 2018 were:

Migos – Culture II (3rd studio album)
Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods (5th studio album)
George Ezra – Staying at Tamara’s (2nd studio album)
Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour (4th studio album)
CNCO – CNCO (2nd studio album)
Kylie Minogue – Golden (14th studio album)
Charlie Puth – Voicenotes (2nd studio album)
Maluma – F.A.M.E. (3rd studio album)
Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes (3rd studio album)
J Balvin – Vibras (5th studio album)
Marshmello – Joytime II (2nd studio album)
Panic! At the Disco – Pray for the Wicked (6th studio album)
Ariana Grande – Sweetener (4th studio album)
Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys (2nd studio album)
Lily Allen – No Shame (4th studio album)
Jess Glynne – Always in Between (2nd studio album)
Christina Aguilera – Liberation (8th studio album)
Drake – Scorpion (5th studio album)
5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (3rd studio album)
Eminem – Kamikaze (10th studio album)
BTS – Love Yourself: Tear (3rd Korean studio album)
XXXTentacion – ? (2nd studio album)
Nicki Minaj – Queen (4th studio album)
Clean Bandit – What is Love? (2nd studio album)
Rita Ora – Phoenix (2nd studio album)
Little Mix – LM5 (5th studio album)

Most of the anticipated albums in 2018 were debut studio albums:

Camila Cabello – Camila
Sigala – Brighter Days
Bebe Rexha – Expectations
Alan Walker – Different World
Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
Anne-Marie – Speak Your Mind
Calum Scott – Only Human
Jorja Smith – Lost & Found
Mike Shinoda – Post Traumatic

3. Singles

Drake’s God’s Plan topped the charts in 14 countries and entered the top ten in 9 others and ended the year as the most successful single of the year.
Camila Cabello who left the girl band Fifth Harmony in 2016 achieved monumental global fame with her summer smash hit Havana featuring Young Thug.
Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B’s Girls Like You was the most watched music video of 2018 with over 1.5 billion views. Due to this being her third chart topper, Cardi B extended her record in the US for most number ones by a female rapper.
BTS’ Fake Love became the highest charting K-Pop single by a group in the US while BLACKPINK became the highest charting K-Pop female act with Ddu Du Ddu Du.
Ariana Grande revisited the noughties in her Thank U, Next video which became her most successful hit to date and broke the record for most-watched video on YouTube within 24 hours by achieving 55.4 million views passing BTS’ Idol.
With the success of Drake’s In My Feelings boosted by the Kiki Challenge, biggest viral sensation on social media made the artist the rapper with the most number ones in the US.
Little Mix left Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Music over creative differences particularly their hit Woman Like Me featuring Nicki Minaj.
Lady Gaga returned to the top of the charts with Shallow a duet with Bradley Cooper from the soundtrack of their box office hit movie musical A Star is Born.
Lauryn Hill’s 1998-hit Ex-Factor was sampled by Drake and Cardi B in their hits Nice for What and Be Careful respectively.
Panic! At the Disco scored their biggest hit to date with High Hopes surpassing the success of I Write Sins Not Tragedies way back in 2006.
Dad blogger LadBaby claimed the coveted Christmas No.1 with his cover of Starship's We Built This City beating stiff competition from Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next and Ava Max's Sweet But Psycho.
Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You became the first Christmas song in 60 years to enter the top 5 in the US reaching a peak of No.3.
Pinkfong's Baby Shark became a viral hit with over 2 billion views on YouTube and several artists such as BLACKPINK and Girls Generation covering the song and parodies being done on talk shows such as Ellen Degeneres and James Corden and a performance at the X Factor final.
Drake's In My Feelings was the biggest viral sensation of the year with the Kiki Challenge being performed around the world and with its success, Drake became the rapper with the most number one hits in the US.

4. Milestones

Bruno Mars took home the big 3 at the Grammy Awards with Record of the Year for 24K Magic, Album of the Year for 24K Magic and Song of the Year for That’s What I Like
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for Remember Me from Coco
US President Donald Trump awarded the late Elvis Presley, the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Martin Garrix took the No.1 spot on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs for 2018
Ariana Grande was named Billboard Woman of the Year
BTS became the youngest recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit from the South Korean government.
Jess Glynne broke Cheryl Cole’s record for most number ones by a British female artist in the UK with 7 chart toppers.
Billboard Hot 100 celebrated its 60th anniversary in August.
Jennifer Lopez received the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards
Justin Timberlake performed at the Super Bowl LII Halftime Show
Daddy Yankee was awarded the Icon Award for his contribution to Latin Music and Maluma was awarded the Extraordinary Evolution Award at the Latin American Music Awards
Janet Jackson received the Icon Awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and Radio Disney Music Awards
Wolf Alice’s Visions of a Life won the coveted Mercury Prize
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was awarded the Member of the Order of Companions of Honour in the Queen’s 2019 Birthday Honours
Kelly Clarkson was honored with the Icon Award at the Radio Disney Music Awards
Mary Poppins Returns, the sequel to Walt Disney’s beloved musical-fantasy film was released after a lapse of 54 years starring Emily Blunt in the titular role.
Cher, Reba McEntire, Philip Glass and Wayne Shorter were the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Taylor Swift became the most awarded female winner in American Music Awards history with a total of 23 awards, breaking the record held by Whitney Houston.

5. Shockers

Spice Girls excluding Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) announced their much anticipated return with the Spice World 2019 Tour with 13 shows.
Boyzone released their seventh and final album Thank You & Goodnight marking their 25th anniversary and a farewell tour with the same name.
Tulisa won the legal battle against Will.I.Am and Britney Spears for Scream & Shout ensuring a songwriting credit.
The remaining members of Fifth Harmony declared a hiatus to pursue solo endeavors.
The final judgment was delivered in favour of the Marvin Gaye estate in the Blurred Lines copyright suit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams.
Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso confirmed that Swedish House Mafia have reunited and will tour and release new music in 2019.
The rap beef between Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly reached a climax with Not Alike released by Eminem with a response by MGK with Rap Devil and the final cannon shot at MGK by Eminem with Killshot.
In her new memoir, Brutally Honest, Spice Girl Mel B revealed that just before the X Factor UK final in 2014 where she was a judge she had taken 200 aspirin pills in an attempt to end her life due to her difficult marriage to Stephen Belafonte.
6ix9ine was arrested by US police for racketeering and conspiracy murder charges and if found guilty, the rapper may face 32 years to life in prison.
In the Woolsey Fires that burned through California several artists’ homes including that of Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke and Lil Pump were burned to the ground.

6. Talent

Here are the winners of those talent/reality contests which produce some of the best artists:

63rd Eurovision Song Contest – Israel with Netta’s Toy
The X Factor (15th Season) – Dalton Harris mentored by Louis Tomlinson
The Voice (14th Season) – Brynn Cartelli coached by Kelly Clarkson
The Voice UK (7th Season) – Ruti Olajugbagbe coached by Sir Tom Jones
The Voice (15th Season) – Chevel Shepherd coached by Kelly Clarkson
The Four: Battle for Stardom (1st Season) – Evvie McKinney
The Four: Battle for Stardom (2nd Season) – James Graham

7. Obituaries

Ray Thomas of The Moody Blues (29 December 1941 – 04 January 2018)
Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries (06 September 1971 – 15 January 2018)
Mark Salling of former Glee Cast (17 August 1982 – 30 January 2018)
Dennis Edwards of The Temptations (03 February 1943 – 01 February 2018)
Barbara Alston of The Crystals (29 December 1943 – 16 February 2018)
Yvonne Staples of The Staple Singers (23 October 1937 – 10 April 2018)
Avicii (08 September 1989 – 20 April 2018)
XXXTentacion (23 January 1998 – 18 June 2018)
Vinnie Paul of Pantera (11 March 1964 – 22 June 2018)
Aretha Franklin (25 March 1942 – 16 August 2018)
Ed King of Lynrd Skynyrd(14 September 1949 – 22 August 2018)
Mac Miller (19 January 1992 – 07 September 2018)
Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane/Starship (30 January 1942 – 27 September 2018)
Freddie Hart (21 December 1926 – 27 October 2018)
Roy Clark (15 April 1933 – 15 November 2018)
Devin Lima of LFO (18 March 18 1977 – 21 November 2018)

Till next year...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - November, 2018

Attention!!!

2018 MTV Europe Music Awards

The curtains closed on the 2018 MTV Europe Music Awards with fantastic performances from Bebe Rexha, Panic! At the Disco and Nicki Minaj. Camila Cabello took home Best Artist as well as Best US Artist and Best Song and Best Video for Havana (ft. Young Thug). Cardi B was awarded Best New Artist while Janet Jackson was honored with the Global Icon Award. Some of the other winners were:

Best Pop Artist: Dua Lipa

Best Hip Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj

Best Rock Artist: 5 Seconds of Summer

Best Electronic Artist: Marshmello

Best Live Artist: Shawn Mendes

2018 Country Music Association Awards

The 2018 CMA Awards were held in November with Chris Stapleton snagging 3 wins out of five nominations including Male Vocalist of the Year and Single and Song of the Year for Broken Halos. However, the biggest accolade of the night – Entertainer of the Year was awarded to Keith Urban. The other winners were:

Female Vocalist of the Year: Carrie Underwood

Album of the Year: Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour

Music Video of the Year: Thomas Rhett – Marry me

New Artist of the Year: Luke Combs

2018 People’s Choice Awards

The people have voted and the results are in. BTS was the big winner at the ceremony under Music where they were awarded Group of 2018 and the Song and Music Video of 2018 for Idol. Nicki Minaj was close behind with 2 wins for Female Artist of 2018 and Album of 2018 for Queen. The other winners were:

Male Artist of 2018: Shawn Mendes

Country Artist of 2018: Blake Shelton

Latin Artist of 2018: CNCO

Concert Tour of 2018: Taylor Swift – Reputation Stadium Tour

Spice Girls announce reunion

The Spice Girls have announced that they will reunite for a 2019 UK tour. This reunion is without founding member Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice. The Viva 4 Ever tour will see the best-selling female group of all time perform at 6 stadiums. The last time all five reunited was for a one-off performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Ariana Grande is Billboard’s 2018 Woman of the Year

Ariana Grande was named Billboard’s 2018 Woman of the Year. The superstar has had 4 chart topping albums including her latest Sweetener which produced the hits No Tears Left to Cry and God is a Woman. She has raised awareness for mental health, LGBTQ rights and following the Manchester Arena bombing outside her concert last year, she organized the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which raised millions to aid victims and their families.

Woolsey Fire and One Love Malibu Festival

The deadliest wildfires in California (now known as Woolsey Fire) left more than 30 dead and nearly 300,000 were required to evacuate. Several artists’ homes including that of Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke and Lil Pump were burned to the ground and Lady Gaga, Cher and Melissa Etheridge were forced to evacuate from their residences. The One Love Malibu Festival was held to raise funds to assist the victims and rebuild the community. Katy Perry, Chris Martin, Gwen Stefani and Macy Grey are some of the big names who took the stage.

Katy Perry is 2018’s Highest Paid Woman in Music

With earnings over USD 84 million, Katy Perry tops Forbes’ 2018 list of the highest paid women in music. Her massive income is due to her successful Witness Tour and also the staggering fees received for her judging role on American Idol. Close behind her at second place is Taylor Swift while Beyonce, Pink and Lady Gaga complete the top 5.

Bohemian Rhapsody waltzes to the top of the box-office

Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody premiered worldwide and soared to the top of the box-office. Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury, the lead vocalist of the British rock band. Adam Lambert, who is on tour with the real Queen as its frontman for the past 6 years also makes a cameo in the film.

Netflix announces Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings

Netflix has announced it is releasing a series featuring the music career of Dolly Parton titled Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings. The anthology series will consist of 8 episodes each based on one of Parton’s songs. Professional dancer and actress Julianne Hough is set to star as Jolene inspired by the hit of the same name.

Chris Cornell’s Family sues doctor

Chris Cornell’s widow and children are suing the doctor who treated the lead vocalist of the rock band Soundgarden. The lawsuit filed against Dr. Robert Koblin alleges that he and his clinic “negligently and repeatedly” prescribed “dangerous mind-altering controlled substances to Cornell which impaired Cornell’s cognition, clouded his judgment, and caused him to engage in dangerous impulsive behaviors that he was unable to control, costing him his life.”

Late Elvis Presley bestowed with Presidential Medal of Freedom

US President Donald Trump has selected the late Elvis Presley to be the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honour in the country. As an icon of American culture Presley has sold billions of records, won 3 Grammy Awards out of 13 nominations and starred in 31 films.

6ix9ine arrested on Racketeering Charges

6ix9ine was arrested last week by the US police for racketeering, firearms, assault with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy murder charges. The arrest was made after a five-year investigation into the Nine Trey Bloods street gang, of which 6ix9ine is a member. If found guilty, the rapper may face 32 years to life in prison. Due to his arrest his upcoming debut studio album Dummy Boy has been postponed indefinitely.

Jason Derulo joins the star studded cast of Cats Movie Musical

Jason Derulo is the most recent artist to be added to the fold of the Hollywood adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s acclaimed Cats Musical, alongside Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson. The ensemble cast also features Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen.

Chart News

Meanwhile in chart news in the US, Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B’s Girls Like You which retained its crown for the first two weeks was ousted by Ariana Grande’s global hit Thank U, Next which is her first No.1 in the US. She held onto the peak position till the end of the month. During the month Post Malone & Swae Lee’s Sunflower from the soundtrack of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Panic! At the Disco’s High Hopes and Sheck Wes’ Mo Bamba all entered the top 10.

In the UK, Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper’s Shallow from the soundtrack of A Star is Born began the month at the helm. However, like in the US Grande’s Thank U, Next replaced them at the top and remained for the rest of the month. During the month Kodak Black ft. Tyga & Offset’s Zeze, Halsey’s Without Me and Jess Glynne’s Thursday all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1. Black Eyed Peas ft. CL – Dopeness

2. Phantoms ft. Vanessa Hudgens – Lay with me

3. Zara Larsson – Ruin my life

4. Clean Bandit ft. Marina & Luis Fonsi – Baby

5. David Guetta, Bebe Rexha & J Balvin – Say my name

6. CNCO, Meghan Trainor & Sean Paul – Hey DJ

7. Hailee Steinfeld – Back to life

8. Backstreet Boys – Chances

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Ultimate Christmas Party Playlist

Attention!!!

Tis the season to down the eggnog, snog under the mistletoe and of course rock around the Christmas tree to some awesome jingle bell rock. The yuletide brings with it office parties, family lunches and dinners and gatherings of friends. Such parties need uptempo music and not slow carols like Silver Bells, Silent Night and Joy to the World. This compilation provides you with the best Christmas party songs and if the original is too slow the best version for a party.

Taking the crown is Jessica Simpson's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, originally sung by Brenda Lee. At a close second place is A*Teens' I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, originally by Wizzard. The only two carols to make it to the list are Boney M's versions of Mary's Boy Child and Zion's Daughter. While we have the usual songs such as Jingle Bell Rock, Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells and Santa Claus is Coming to Town to the newer ones such as Santa's Coming for Us, Santa Tell Me and Underneath the Tree. So here are the top 40 songs for a Christmas party:

Jessica Simpson – Rockin’ around the Christmas tree
A* Teens – I wish it could be Christmas everyday
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Jingle bell rock
Jane Krakowski – Run run Rudolph
Boney M – Feliz navidad
Mariah Carey – All I want for Christmas is you
Justin Bieber – Santa Claus is coming to town
Britney Spears – My only wish (this year)
Chris Young – Christmas (Baby please come home)
Jane Krakowski – I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
Boney M – Mary’s boy child/Oh my Lord
Elton John – Step into Christmas
Hillary Duff – Sleigh ride
Sia – Santa’s coming for us
Cascada – Last Christmas
Jackson 5 – Frosty the snowman
Kylie Minogue – Christmas isn’t Christmas till you get here
Selena Gomez and the Scene – Winter wonderland
Steps – Merry X-mas everybody
Spice Girls – Christmas wrapping
Shakin’ Stevens – Merry Christmas everyone
Jim Reeves – Merry Christmas polka
Pussycat Dolls – Santa baby
Lady Antebellum – Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Kelly Clarkson – Underneath the tree
Michael Bublé – Jingle Bells
Kylie Minogue – At Christmas
Sia – Ho ho ho
Glee Cast – Here comes Santa Claus
Boney M – Zion’s daughter
Echosmith ft. Hunter Hayes – Happy Xmas (War is over)
Jim Reeves – Dear Senor Santa Claus
NSYNC – Merry Christmas, happy holidays
Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton – You make me feel like Christmas
Leona Lewis – One more sleep
Ariana Grande – Santa tell me
Destiny’s Child – 8 days of Christmas
Mariah Carey – Oh Santa
LeAnne Rimes – Must be Santa
Katy Perry – Every day is a holiday

Till the next carol...

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 - July, 2016

Attention!!!

The summer is in full swing and the awards dry spell continues with only the 2016 Teen Choice Awards being held in July hosted by Victoria Justice and John Cena. While the awards focus on all aspects of entertainment such as music, television, film and sports, we'll stick to the music side of things and also some interesting accolades which artists received at the show. Flo Rida opened the show with a medley of My House, Good Feeling and Wild Ones (with Bebe Rexha) and then went on to perform his newest single Zillionaire. Charlie Puth performed his newest hit We Don't Talk Anymore as a solo version. Justin Bieber received the most nominations with 11 while Justin Timberlake received the inaugural Decade Award. So the major wins of the night included:

Male Artist - Justin Bieber
Female Artist - Selena Gomez
Group - One Direction
Female Single: Ariana Grande - Dangerous woman
Male Single: Justin Bieber - Sorry
International Artist - Little Mix
Summer Song: Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign - Work from home
Party Song: DNCE - Cake by the ocean
Breakout Artist - Zayn Malik

Meanwhile, Christina Grimmie who was tragically shot dead by a fan recently was posthumously bestowed with the Choice Music Web Star but family and fans were in uproar as they expressed their disappointment as Grimmie was not mentioned by Jessica Alba and Ne-Yo during the #StoptheViolence tribute for family members of teens who had died due to violence.

The Official Albums Chart of the UK celebrated its 60th anniversary in July with the first ever chart published on 22nd July 1956 which saw Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swingin' Lovers grab the coveted crown. To mark the historic milestone of the chart the Official Charts Company has released the UK's 60 Biggest Selling Albums of All Time. Queen's Greatest Hits is at No.1 followed by ABBA's Gold Greatest Hits at No.2 The top 10 are:

Queen - Greatest Hits (1981)
ABBA - Gold - Greatest Hits
The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Adele - 21 (2011)
Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory (1995)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)
Michael Jackson - Bad (1987)
Queen - Greatest Hits II (1991)

The month witnessed the launch of the Global Goal's Campaign's #WhatIReallyReallyWant movement which used the Spice Girl's global smash hit Wannabe in its campaign. The girl-power wielding hit was used in the video which stars an array of international artists including Sri Lankan Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, Nigeria's Seyi Shay, South Africa's Gigi Lamayne and Monoea, the United States' Larsen Thompson, the U.K.'s M.O. and Canada's Taylor Hatala. The song is used to shed light on issues affecting young women around the globe such as violence against girls, lack of quality education and child marriage.

More news on the Spice Girls as they celebrate their 20th anniversary of Wannabe. Geri Horner (Halliwell), Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown are to reunite as GEM as Victoria Beckam and Melanie Chrishom have backed out of the reunion. Scary, Baby and Ginger have got together to celebrate this hallmark occasion by staging a show in London's Hyde Park next summer, which insiders now claim the singing trio will pocket $14 million each from the gig - that's over $100,000 (£74,000)-a-minute per person.

We're still not done with 90s news as MTV plans to rebrand VH1 Classic as MTV Classic with a special focus on fan-favorite programmes and series drawn from the 1990s and early 2000s. The switch coming into effect on August 1 commemorates MTV's launch 35 years ago on August 1, 1981.

Katy Perry released a surprise single titled Rise which serves as the official English anthem of the Rio Olympics 2016. This is her first single since 2014's This Is How You Do and she performed it for the first time as a part of a medley with her hit single Roar at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where she endorsed Hilary Clinton for US President.

The Dutchess is back but this time with a dairy flavour as Fergie released her newest single M.I.L.F. $ with a star studded cast in the sultry music video which includes Ciara, Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, Gemma Ward and Amber Valletta. The song serves as the lead single to her second studio album Double Dutchess.

Moving on to chart news, Drake ft. Wizkid and Kyla's titanic hit One Dance reigned throughout the month in the US accumulating a whopping ten non-consecutive week rule. Meanwhile Sia ft. Sean Paul's Cheap Thrills, Kent Jones' Don't Mind, Twenty One Pilots' Ride and Adele's Send My Love (To Your New Lover) all enter the top ten while The Chainsmoker's ft. Daya's Don't Let Me Down reaches a new peak at No.3 and Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna's This Is What You Came For reaches a new peak at No.4 with the rumours that Harris' ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift had a hand at penning the song.

In the UK too Drake reigned supreme with One Dance as he logged his fifteenth week atop the charts during the fourth week of July. This feat places him on level with Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around which spent 15 weeks at the top in 1994. The record holder is Bryan Adam's (Everything I Do) I Do It For You which ruled for 16 weeks at the top in 1991. Other songs which entered the top 10 include Calum Scott's Dancing On My Own, Jonas Blue ft. JB Cooper's Perfect Strangers and Shawn Mendes' Treat You Better.

Other songs which became popular during the month are:

Twenty One Pilots - Heathens
Bastille - Good grief
MØ - Final song
Selena Gomez - Kill 'em with kindness
Kiiara - Gold
Lukas Graham - Mama said

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Mother's Day Playlist: Best Songs About Mothers

Attention!!!

Although everyday should be Mother's Day where we celebrate those special ladies who gave birth to us, the West has made it a tradition to honour their mothers on the second Sunday of May, which has slowly seeped its way to the East. Spice Girls' Mama takes the top spot with its emotive lyrics, mellow beat and a very personal and unique music video which features the super stars' mothers. Their rival boy band Backstreet Boys' The Perfect Fan comes in second place followed by Boyz II Men's A Song for Mama. So these are the top 20 songs about mothers. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers everywhere.

Spice Girls – Mama
Backstreet Boys – The perfect fan
Boyz II Men – A song for mama
Jamie O’ Neal – Somebody’s hero
Christina Aguilera – Oh mother
Carrie Underwood – Mama’s song
Taylor Swift – The best day
The Band Perry – Mother like mine
Mr.T. – Treat your mother right
Good Charlotte – Thank you mom
Kanye West – Hey mama
Elvis Presley – Mama liked the roses
Blake Shelton – The baby
Ashanti – Mother
Girls’ Generation – Dear mom
Dolly Parton – Coat of many colours
Metallica – Mama said
Eminem – Headlights
2 Pac – Dear mama
Justin Bieber – Turn to you

Till the next chord…

At Ease!!!

Most Successful Solo Artists Who Were Once Part of a Band/Group

Attention!!!

There are some bands/groups that consist of certain key performers who outshine the rest. And we all know that most of these bands especially the boy/girl bands do not stay together for long as they disband, split up or go their separate ways due to various reasons such as management disputes, being dropped by labels and more often than not internal strife among members. In certain cases such as Gloria Estefan, Kenny Rogers and Selena Gomez the bands include the name of the key performer or the lead vocalist. However, there are others who leave the band as their talents are not recognized such as Louise from Eternal and Robbie Williams from Take That. Sometimes the face of the band is more or less the lead vocalist and they proceed to launch their solo career such as Gwen Stefani, Rob Thomas, George Michael etc. When one is part of a duo it is also quite easy to become prominent when launching a solo career as in the cases of Cher, Tina Turner, Paul Simon and CeeLo Green.

The King of Pop - Michael Jackson tops the list as his solo career trumped the success of the Jackson 5 by way more than he even anticipated. The Supremes although considered as the best selling Motown act of all time can be overshadowed by the fame earned by Diana Ross during her solo career. However, it is Beyonce and Justin Timberlake who can be considered as being the most influential solo female and male artists of all time in terms of starting their career as being part of a band. This is a compilation of the most successful artists who were once part of a band/group in comparison to the success of the band/group.