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!!!

Xposition - June, 2017

Attention!!!

The 2017 CMT Music Awards were held in June with Keith Urban as the top nominee and taking home the coveted Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for Blue Ain’t Your Colour and Collaborative Video of the Year for The Fighter alongside Carrie Underwood.  Other big wins of the night included:

• Female Video of the Year: Carrie Underwood – Church bells
• Duo Video of the Year: Florida Georgia Line – H.O.L.Y.
• Group Video of the Year: Little Big Town – Better man
• Breakthrough Video of the Year: Lauren Alaina – Road less traveled
• CMT Performance of the Year: Jason Derulo & Luke Bryan – Want to want me

Following the horrific bombing at the Manchester Arena in May, Ariana Grande returned to Manchester but this time to the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in order to pay tribute to her fans who died in the blast. She did not come alone as guest artists included Miley Cyrus, Black Eyed Peas, Justin Bieber, Take That, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Little Mix, Niall Horan, Pharrell Williams, Liam Gallagher and Robbie Williams. Proceeds from the event which exceeded £12 million went to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund established by the Manchester City Council and the British Red Cross. The funds were to help the victims and their families.  

The Summertime Ball returned to the Wembley Stadium in London on June 10, for the eighth consecutive year headlined by Bruno Mars and Little Mix.  All the contemporary megastars took center stage as Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Julia Michaels, Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, Shawn Mendes, Louisa Johnson, Olly Murs, Zara Larsson etc. with guest appearances from Hailee Steinfeld, Craig David, Imani Williams and Ella Eyre. 

Sir Paul McCartney, Emeli Sandé and Ed Sheeran have been recognized in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours’ List which will see the artists receive the prestigious MBE for their contributions to the arts and society. 

It is the end of the Black Eyed Peas as we know it as Fergie has officially left the Hip-Hop group. Although not in the original line-up Fergie’s addition saw the group rising to new heights and making a massive breakthrough into the mainstream Pop, Rap and Hip-Hop industry. Her powerful vocals gave the group the much needed sync with the rapping of will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo. All in all Black Eyed Peas will never be the same, and her last contribution was to the fittingly reworked #WHEREISTHELOVE which is a charity song the proceeds of which was to will.i.am’s non-profit foundation i.am.angel, which funds educational programs and college scholarships.  

Boyzone are to celebrate their 25th anniversary next year with an arena tour. They have also teased about new music, although it is unclear whether they will release a new album with fresh music or a greatest hits compilation with a few new singles. 

Moving onto chart news, in the US, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber’s Despacito continued at the top of the charts throughout the month, with no competition whatsoever. There was hardly any activity at the top of the charts during the month with Miley Cyrus’ Malibu and Post Malone featuring Quavo’s Congratulations being the only two songs to crack the top 10. 

In the UK too, Despacito reigned supreme until the cover of Bridge of Troubled Water by Artists for Grenfell peaked in the final week. The latter song was a charity single released to raise funds for the families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. During the month Liam Payne featuring Quavo’s Strip That Down, Niall Horan’s Slow Hands, David Guetta featuring Justin Bieber’s 2U, Little Mix featuring Stormzy’s Power and Jonas Blue featuring William Singe’s Mama all entered the top 10. 

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1. DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller – Wild thoughts
2. Katy Perry ft. Nicki Minaj – Swish swish
3. Fifth Harmony ft. Gucci Mane – Down
4. Olly Murs & Louisa Johnson – Unpredictable
5. Imagine Dragons – Thunder
6. Selena Gomez – Bad liar

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - May, 2017

Attention!!!

The 2017 Billboard Music Awards were held in May with Drake sweeping 13 awards from a whopping 22 nominations for which he was tied with the Chainsmokers. Among his awards were Top Artist, Top Male Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist and Top Rap Artist. The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey’s Closer also received top accolades which were Top Hot 100 Song, Top Collaboration and Top Dance/Electronic Song. Cher who was bestowed with the Icon Award performed a medley of her hits Believe and If I Could Turn Back Time. Other memorable performances of the night were Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, Imagine Dragons’ Believer, Bruno Mars’ Versace on the Floor, Julia Michaels’ Issues and Camila Cabello’s medley of I Have Questions and Crying In the Club. Miley Cyrus also debuted her newest single Malibu, which sees her going back to her roots. Other significant wins of the night include:

·         Top New Artist: Zayn

·         Top Billboard 200 Album: Drake – Views

·         Top Female Artist: Beyonce

·         Top Duo/Group: Twenty One Pilots

·         Top Latin Artist: Juan Gabriel

·         Top Country Song: Florida Georgia Line – H.O.L.Y.

·         Top Rap Song: Desiigner – Panda

·         Top Rock Song: Twenty One Pilots – Heathens

·         Top Touring Artist: Beyonce

Now let’s take a look at the biggest singing competition in the world. The curtains came down on the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with Portugal as the winner for Salvador Sobral’s Amar Pelos Dois. The contest took place in Ukraine after the remarkable victory by Ukraine’s underdog Jamala stole the show with her breathtaking performance of the song 1944. Russia had originally planned to participate, but announced their withdrawal in April 2017, after their representative, Yulia Samoylova, was banned from entering Ukraine by virtue of having traveled directly from Russia to Crimea in 2015, a region that was annexed by Russia in 2014, to give a performance, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.

This was Portugal's first win and first top five placing in 53 years of participation. It was also the first winning song entirely performed in a country's native language since Serbia's Molitva in 2007. The top three countries – Portugal, Bulgaria and Moldova – all achieved the highest position in their Eurovision history, while host country Ukraine received its worst placing to date in a Eurovision final. The song written by Salvador’s sister Luísa Sobral amassed 758 points, setting the record for the most points achieved by a song in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, and topped both the televoting and the jury voting for the first time since Austria's Rise Like a Phoenix in 2014.

Tragedy struck the pop music industry when a bomb was detonated after an Ariana Grande concert. British Muslim Salman Ramadan Abedi made a suicide bomb attack after the show at the Manchester Arena of Grande’s 2017 Dangerous Woman Tour resulting in 22 deaths and 250 injured. The concert was sold out, and 14,200 people attended. Many exiting concert-goers and waiting parents were in the foyer at the time of the explosion. Greater Manchester Police declared the incident a terrorist attack and is the deadliest attack in the UK since July 2005 London bombings. Grande subsequently suspended her tour and flew to her mother's home in Boca Raton, Florida. She later announced that she would host a benefit concert in Manchester for the victims of the attack.

In more sad news, lead vocalist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave Chris Cornell has also died which has been ruled as a suicide. Cornell was found dead in his Detroit hotel room early on the morning of May 18, shortly after performing at a Soundgarden concert the night before. He suffered from depression and substance abuse problems. Gregg Allman, singer-songwriter and rock n’ blues pioneer who founded The Allman Brothers Band has passed away at the age of 69 from complications of liver cancer on May 27.

Moving onto chart news, in the US, the tyrannical reign of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You came to an end with Kendrick Lamar’s Humble taking the rapper to his first number one. Bruno Mars however took the pole position from Lamar in the second week with his That’s What I Like. In the third week DJ Khaled debuted atop the charts with his star studded collaboration I’m the One with Quavo, Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper. This reign only lasted one week, as Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s Despacito soared to the peak as a result of a new remix which features Justin Bieber. With Despacito claiming the throne it becomes the first mostly Spanish language No.1 in more than 20 years since Los Del Rio’s Macarena. This sort of No.1 turnover is the quickest since 1990. Meanwhile, Kendrik Lamar’s DNA debuted at No.4 and Zedd & Alessia Cara’s Stay and Kygo & Selena Gomez’s It Ain’t Me entered the top 10.

In the UK, Sheeran’s Shape of You was toppled by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson’s Symphony. This again proved short lived as DJ Khaled’s I’m The One debuted atop the charts in the UK as well before being replaced by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s Despacito which continued at the top during the remainder of the month. During the month French Montana featuring Swae Lee’s Unforgettable, Jason Derulo featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj and Shawn Mendes’ There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back all entered the top 10.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

1.       Kygo & Ellie Goulding – First time

2.       DNCE ft. Nicki Minaj – Kissing strangers

3.       David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne – Light my body up

4.       Katy Perry ft. Migos – Bon Apetit  

5.       Charlie Puth – Attention

6.       J Hus – Did you see

7.       Disciples – On my mind

8.       Cheat Codes ft. Demi Lovato – No promises

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Most Inspirational Songs of 2016

Attention!!!

This segment of the year-end compilation is here to stay. This is mostly because unlike other decades, each year there are enough and more inspirational songs that are released. Even most movies and animated films include many inspirational songs, which is clearly reflected on this list. While inspirational songs did not chart high worldwide in 2016 like the preceding year, there were some really good songs. Particularly Andra Day's Rise Up is an exceptional song which has now been covered by hundreds of artists. It is also a favorite at auditions in reality contests. At second place is Sia with her Never Give Up from the film Lion and at third is Sucker for Pain by Lil Wayne and a number of artists from the film Suicide Squad. 

Sia is the only artist with two entries while Fergie has two entries as she is also a part of the Black Eyed Peas. The film Trolls also has two songs on the list. Other films include Zootopia, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Star Trek Beyond. Some other interesting facts are that Fifth Harmony's last single as a quintet is on the list as well as the Black Eyed Peas' final song before Fergie's departure; the official song for the UEFA Euro 2016 by David Guetta and the official English song for the Olympics 2016 by Katy Perry are also on the list. So here are the top 25 most inspirational songs of 2016:

1. Andra Day – Rise up
2. Sia – Never give up 
3. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons ft. Logic, Ty Dolla $ign & X Ambassadors – Sucker for pain 
4. Katy Perry – Rise 
5. Shakira – Try everything 
6. Rihanna – Sledgehammer 
7. Charlie Puth – One call away 
8. Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!
9. G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha – Me, myself & I 
10. Selena Gomez – Kill ‘em with kindness 
11. Iggy Azalea – Team 
12. Alan Walker – Alone 
13. Fifth Harmony – That’s my girl
14. Pink – Just like fire 
15. David Guetta ft. Zara Larsson – This one’s for you 
16. Tim McGraw – Humble and kind 
17. Sia ft. Kendrick Lamar – The greatest 
18. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ –  Cold water 
19. Anna Kendrick – Get back up again 
20. Fergie – Life goes on
21. Zedd ft. Kesha – True colors 
22. Dami Im – Fighting for love 
23. Black Eyed Peas ft. The World – #WHEREISTHELOVE 
24. Robbie Williams – Love my life 
25. Beyonce – Formation 

Till the next chord...

At Ease!!!