Showing posts with label Zayn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zayn. Show all posts

Best Love Songs of 2019

Attention!!!

The decade ended with some inspiring yet extremely love-gushing records that are bound to be deemed as classics in the years to come. In the ever expanding genres of the industry, all artists with the certain exceptions of rap and rock have had their attempt at the production of a love song. This compilation takes a closer look at those tunes of love of yesteryear which made us cherish our loved ones and reminisce the endearing memories we have shared with them. 

1. Taylor Swift – Lover
It took Swift almost a decade to perfect another love song after Today was a Fairytale. However, this pop ballad is clearly the best love song of 2019 with perfect vocals and mushy lyrics. It is the title track off her latest album and is clearly the best production out of the record. It is one of those tunes that is gushing with love and is accompanied by a duet with Shawn Mendes as well as a First Dance Remix catered particularly for weddings. Her work was paid off as it received a Song of the Year nomination at the 2020 Grammys.

2. Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber – 10,000 Hours
In one of Bieber’s latest ventures other than marriage, we see the superstar collaborate with country duo Dan + Shay for one of the sappiest tracks of the year. The ballad proved to be extremely commercially and critically successful and is accompanied by a music video featuring the wives of the three vocalists.

3. Backstreet Boys – No place
The third release off the critically acclaimed ninth studio album of BSB is a refreshing and light pop track with a focus on loved ones and family. The boy band makes the production even more wholesome with a music video featuring their respective families.

4. Zayn & Zhavia Ward – A whole new world
We are all familiar with this track where the original from Aladdin by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle won the coveted Best Original Song at the 1993 Academy Awards as well as the Song of the Year at the 1994 Grammys. This Middle Eastern reworked production was well received by critics where Zayn and Zhavia’s vocals complemented each other perfectly to coincide with the ambience of the remake.

5. AJ Mitchell ft. Ava Max – Slow dance 
Two newcomers to the industry have attempted and succeeded in their endeavor to produce an awesome track with just the correct dose of romance. While Mitchell has not yet broke through into the mainstream, this collaboration is a clear stepping stone towards that direction. 

6. Tom Walker – Just you and I 
It is the rerelease of the full production of the track that was only available as an acoustic release in 2017. This slow love song was critically acclaimed and was one of the most successful singles in Europe of 2019. The record marks Walker’s second biggest hit in the mainstream.

7. Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – Señorita 
This sultry Latin pop duet marks the second time the duo has collaborated following I Know What You Did Last Summer in 2015. The record is the biggest hit in this compilation topping the charts in over 35 countries. The steamy track also sparked off a new found romance between Mendes and Cabello.

8. Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber – I don’t care 
This up tempo dancehall-influenced duet served as the lead single off Sheeran’s surprise studio album, No.6 Collaborations Project. This sprightly tune was one of the biggest hits last year and is accompanied by a less than appealing video where the two artists “have fun” in front of the green screen at the viewer’s expense.

9. Westlife – Hello my love 
Of course Westlife’s much anticipated comeback must be a love song. The pop-EDM track was the lead single off the band’s eleventh album, Spectrum, which sees the beloved boy band do what they do best, sing about love.

10. Jonas Brothers – Sucker 
Clearly there is a pattern for the comebacks of boy bands. Shedding their solo careers, the brothers ended their hiatus with their up tempo pop rock production. This edgy earworm dance anthem heralded the successful return of the Jonas Brothers which has led to a multiplatinum album and autobiography. The music video features the three alongside their significant others. 

Till the next ballad...

At Ease!!!

Best Love Songs of 2018

Attention!!!

Happy Valentine's Day Recruits!

Some say that music is the doorway to your heart. Corny as it may sound, music, irrespective of genre can unleash emotions that one may not be even aware of. Valentine’s Day is a commercialized season for the flower vendors and gift services to make a buck. Love songs are now part and parcel of this as whatever said and done, love and music have always been intertwined. Since Valentine’s Day is here, as a staple compilation on this blog, it is time to look at the best love songs of yesteryear.  

Calum Scott & Leona Lewis’ You are the Reason takes the crown as the best love song of 2018 followed by James Arthur & Anne-Marie’s cover of Zach Efron & Zendaya’s Rewrite the Stars from The Greatest Showman. At third place is global smasher Meant To Be which was the biggest Country hit of 2018. There are many songs off soundtracks for instance Fifty Shades Freed, The Nutcracker, Aquaman and Hotel Transylvania 3. It is quite conspicuous that most entries on the list are duets. In terms of genre traditional Pop takes the mantle with EDM, Country and R&B also having a few entries. Dua Lipa and James Arthur are the only two artists with 2 entries each, that too the second being on a featured credit. So here are the top 30 love songs of 2018. 
  1. Calum Scott & Leona Lewis – You are the reason
  2. James Arthur & Anne-Marie – Rewrite the stars
  3. Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line – Meant to be
  4. Rita Ora & Liam Payne – For you
  5. Dan + Shay – Speechless
  6. Lukas Graham – Love someone
  7. Bazzi ft. Camila Cabello – Beautiful
  8. Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B – Girls like you
  9. Khalid & Normani – Love lies
  10. Zayn – Let me
  11. Michelle Williams – Tightrope
  12. Dalton Harris ft. James Arthur – The power of love
  13. Skylar Grey – Everything I need
  14. Phantoms ft. Vanessa Hudgens – Lay with me
  15. Anne-Marie – 2002
  16. Andrea Bocelli & Matteo Bocelli – Fall on me
  17. Hailee Steinfeld & BloodPop – Capital letters
  18. Ella Mai – Boo’d up
  19. MAGIC! – Kiss me
  20. Kylie Minogue – Stop me from falling
  21. Silk City & Dua Lipa – Electricity
  22. Troye Sivan ft. Ariana Grande – Dance to this
  23. Kygo & Imagine Dragons – Born to be yours
  24. George Ezra – Paradise
  25. Kane Brown – Lose it
  26. Craig David ft. Yxng Bane – Magic
  27. Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa – One kiss
  28. XXXTentacion & Lil Pump ft. Maluma & Swae Lee – Arms around you
  29. Jonas Blue ft. Joe Jonas – I see love
  30. Why Don’t We – Hooked 
Till the next sonata...

At Ease!!!

Best Love Songs of 2017

Attention!!!

While 2016 was a disappointment in the outpour of love songs, the same cannot be said about 2017. Since 2017 belonged to Ed Sheeran, it should not come as a major surprise that it his duet version of Perfect with Beyonce is what takes the crown on this compilation. His global mega hit Shape of You also appears on the list, although not among the top ranks. At a close second is Lana Del Rey's mesmerizing hit, Love, followed by Brett Young's country hit In Case You Didn't Know. 

In terms of genre we see mostly Pop songs with the likes of veteran crooners such as John Mayer and Michael Buble also making appearances. Rita Ora's comeback is also featured with both her hits Your Song and Anywhere within the top 10. Lana Del Rey has another entry, her other being Lust For Life, a collaboration with The Weeknd, the latter having his hit I Feel It Coming also on the list. G-Eazy and Halsey appear with their Him & I, a sappiness oozing duet between the lovestruck duo. New artists such as Julia Michaels, Lauv and Starley also have entries on the list alongside former One Direction members Zayn, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson and former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello. So hope you enjoy the top 30 love songs of 2017:

  1. Ed Sheeran & Beyonce – Perfect
  2. Lana Del Rey – Love
  3. Brett Young – In case you didn’t know
  4. Rita Ora – Your song
  5. John Mayer – Love on the weekend
  6. Rita Ora – Anywhere
  7. Michael Bublé – I believe in you
  8. Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson – Symphony
  9. Louis Tomlinson ft. Bebe Rexha & Digital Farm Animals – Back to you
  10. Julia Michaels – Issues
  11. Daniel Caesar ft. H.E.R. – Best part
  12. Ed Sheeran – Shape of you
  13. Zayn ft. Sia – Dusk till dawn
  14. Starley – Call on me
  15. G-Eazy & Halsey – Him & I
  16. Echosmith – Get into my car
  17. Lauv – I like me better
  18. HAIM – Want you back
  19. Dua Lipa ft. Miguel – Lost in your light
  20. Lana Del Rey ft. The Weeknd – Lust for life
  21. Harry Styles – Sweet creature
  22. Camila Cabello – Never be the same
  23. Taylor Swift – Call it what you want
  24. Miley Cyrus – Malibu
  25. DJ Snake & Lauv – A different way
  26. Demi Lovato – Tell me you love me
  27. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – I feel it coming
  28. Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari – Love
  29. Lady Gaga – The cure
  30. Selena Gomez & Marshmello – Wolves 
Till the next sonnet...

At Ease!!!

Greatest Hits of 2017

Attention!!!

2017 was the year of Ed. With monumental sales for his third studio album Divide (÷) as well as its titanic lead single, Shape of You, Sheeran reignited traditional Pop as a mainstream genre worldwide. The magnitude of this influence was far reaching, as his singles and album redefined pop culture during the year making a massive impact on various global charts and paving the way for other Pop artists to achieve chart success. However, Sheeran was not the only influence in 2017. 

The year also witnessed the resurgence of Latin music which seeped into the mainstream in the form of Spanglish remixes. The foundation of the Latin dance mega hit Bailando, which Enrique Iglesias laid in 2014 was exponentially heightened by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee this year with a Spanglish reworking of their song Despacito with Justin Bieber. This proved to be extremely successful, commercially and critically, breaking many records all over including tying with the 22-year old record held by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men’s One Sweet Day for the longest streak at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and also becoming the most-watched music video in the world.

The year was also marred by death and destruction, tragedy and commotion throughout the industry. As a result several charity songs also achieved chart success although none of which managed to enter here. Apart from Ed Sheeran, several artists who have been in the industry managed to release their biggest hits i.e. Kygo, French Montana, Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled and Demi Lovato and some of the newer artists such as Post Malone, Dua Lipa and Camila Cabello achieved immense success. Moreover, another point to note is that all the former One Direction members (excluding Zayn who already proved that he had potential for a solo career in 2016) released hit singles out of which only Louis Tomlinson failed to achieve enough success to be included in this list.

In terms of genres, Rap and R&B took over the mainstream initially as Reggae Fusion and Dancehall which was popular in 2016 disappeared from the mainstream. Later on Pop and Latin music took over the charts globally and their stronghold could not be swayed as Rock, EDM and Country took the backseat this year. However, mainstream music in general seemed to be influenced with a very tropical flavor, possibly a remnant from the Dancehall of yesteryear as genres ranging from Pop, House and Rap seemed to inculcate the new sultry beats.  

Ed Sheeran, Taylors Swift and Alessia Cara have the highest number of entries with 3 followed by Zayn, The Chainsmokers, DJ Khaled, Quavo, Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Beyonce, Lil Uzi Vert, Katy Perry, Clean Bandit, Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd and Daft Punk with 2 each. The list this year was compiled based on worldwide charts alone mainly considering the US and UK charts but also giving weight to the success achieved in the European markets as well as Canada and Oceania. So here are the best 50 songs of 2017:
  1. Ed Sheeran – Shape of you 
  2. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – Despacito 
  3. Bruno Mars – That’s what I like
  4. DJ Khaled ft. Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper & Quavo – I’m the one 
  5. Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – Havana 
  6. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – Unforgettable 
  7. The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – Something just like this 
  8. Taylor Swift – Look what you made me do 
  9. Kendrick Lamar – Humble. 
  10. Dua Lipa – New rules
  11. Kygo & Selena Gomez – It ain’t me 
  12. Shawn Mendes – There’s nothing holdin’ me back
  13. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – Bad and boujee 
  14. Calvin Harris ft. Katy Perry, Pharrell Williams & Big Sean – Feels 
  15. Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – Rockstar 
  16. Clean Bandit ft. Anne Marie & Sean Paul – Rockabye 
  17. J Balvin & Willy William ft. Beyoncé – Mi gente 
  18. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild thoughts 
  19. Sam Smith – Too good at goodbyes
  20. Pink – What about us 
  21. Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé – Perfect 
  22. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – I feel it coming 
  23. Zayn & Taylor Swift – I don’t wanna live forever 
  24. The Chainsmokers – Paris
  25. Charlie Puth – Attention 
  26. Liam Payne ft. Quavo – Strip  that down
  27. Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid – 1-800-273-8255 
  28. Imagine Dragons – Believer 
  29. Clean Bandit ft. Zara Larsson – Symphony
  30. Ed Sheeran – Castle on the hill  
  31. Zayn ft. Sia – Dusk till dawn 
  32. Zedd & Alessia Cara – Stay 
  33. Future – Mask off 
  34. Harry Styles – Sign of the times 
  35. Julia Michaels – Issues 
  36. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – Starboy 
  37. Imagine Dragons – Thunder 
  38. James Arthur – Say you won’t let go
  39. Niall Horan – Slow hands 
  40. Cardi B – Bodak yellow (money moves)
  41. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Closer 
  42. Lil Uzi Vert – XO Tour Llif3 
  43. Drake – Passionfruit 
  44. Demi Lovato – Sorry not sorry 
  45. Rag n’ Bone Man – Human 
  46. Portugal. The Man – Feel it still 
  47. Alessia Cara – Scars to your beautiful 
  48. Taylor Swift - …Ready for it? 
  49. Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley – Chained to the rhythm
  50. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – Black Beatles 
Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best Music Videos of 2016

Attention!!!

This is a long overdue post, but nevertheless one that is required to complete the year-end lists which would finally include the Most Successful Artists of 2016. Although 2015 produced a wide array of remarkable videos, 2016 could not match the predecessor in terms of visual aesthetics. Nevertheless, the directors and choreographers were not lethargic last year, as there were some beautiful videos that were produced.  

Coldplay of course takes the top spot with Up & up with its awesome and bizarre visual with the entire sequence being engulfed in top notch animation. Next we have Sia who teamed up with Maddie Zeigler once again for a perfectly choreographed video. Down the list we have one more where the two team up for Sia's Cheap Thrills (although released as a video this is life performance). In third place we have PUP's Sleep in heat, which sees Stranger Things cast member Finn Wolfhard putting on emotional performance with a dog. 

Leading the fray with two entries each are Coldplay, Sia, Kanye West, Beyonce, Clean Bandit and Bebe Rexha. However, Bey's uncredited appearance in Coldplay's Hymn for the Weekend accumulates her entries to three as she appears in the video. 2016 covered a wide range of genres from Pop, Rock and EDM to Rap, Trap and Reggae Fusion which is a mishmash of the best kind. Some of the biggest hits of the year such as The Weeknd's Starboy, Jutsin Timberlake's Can't Stop the Feeling and Clean Bandit's Rockabye are all featured here because of their awesome videos. However, The Chainsmokers' Closer and Lukas Graham's 7 Years are not here because they are not great videos. So here are the 50 best music videos of 2016:
  1. Coldplay – Up & up
  2. Sia ft. Kendrick Lamar – The greatest
  3. PUP – Sleep in heat 
  4. Kaytranada – Lite spots
  5. Clean Bandit ft. Louisa Johnson – Tears
  6. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – Starboy
  7. Beyonce – Formation
  8. Radiohead – Burn the witch
  9. ZAYN – Pillowtalk
  10. Martin Garrix ft. Bebe Rexha – In the name of love
  11. David Guetta ft. Zara Larsson – This one’s for you
  12. DJ Shadow ft. Run the Jewels - Nobody speak
  13. Andra Day – Rise up (Inspiration Version)
  14. Coldplay – Hymn for the weekend
  15. Mike Posner – I took a pill in Ibiza (SeeB Remix)
  16. Sia – Cheap thrills (Performance Edit)
  17. Jenny Hval – Conceptual romance
  18. Alan Walker – Faded
  19. Tame Impala – The less I know the better
  20. Kanye West – Famous
  21. Beyonce – Hold up
  22. Clean Bandit ft. Anne Marie & Sean Paul – Rockabye
  23. Nick Jonas ft. Tove Lo – Close
  24. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – This is what you came for
  25. Fergie – M.I.L.F. $
  26. Pink – Just like fire 
  27. Black Eyed Peas ft. The World – #WHEREISTHELOVE
  28. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – Side to side
  29. DJ Snake ft. Bipolar Sunshine – Middle 
  30. Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall – Juju on that beat (TZ Anthem)
  31. Selena Gomez – Kill ‘em with kindness
  32. Alessia Cara – Wild things
  33. Twenty One Pilots – Heathens
  34. AronChupa ft. Lil Sis Nora – Little swing
  35. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – Don’t let me down
  36. Major Lazer ft. Nyla & Fuse ODG – Light it up
  37. Flo Rida – My house
  38. Taylor Swift – Out of the woods
  39. Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!
  40. Kanye West – Fade
  41. Bebe Rexha ft. Nicki Minaj – No broken hearts
  42. Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – Work from home
  43. Solange – Cranes in the sky
  44. Galantis – No money
  45. Bruno Mars – 24K magic
  46. Fall Out Boy ft. Demi Lovato – Irresistible 
  47. Anohni – Drone bomb me
  48. The Veronicas – In my blood
  49. Thomas Rhett – Die a happy man
  50. Jennifer Lopez – Ain’t your mama
Till the next stream...

At Ease!!!

Ultimate Quarantine Playlist

It has indeed been sometime since I took some time off to create a playlist. This time, I had a lot of time on my hands, considering I had 1...