Hey everyone,
Another month of lockdown, another blog of what music you should be listening to! Here's another collection of songs that I saw recommended to me on my YouTube channel and a short review of what to expect from the song and the music video!
Ingrid Michaelson & ZAYN 'To Begin Again' - (15th April 2021)
The first song on the list is a collaboration from Ingrid & ZAYN and I must say that the song is absolutely gorgeous! The entire music video seems to show what a town looks like when it's quiet, with various shots of people walking around in their day to day life. One of the interesting lyrics that Ingrid sings includes '...but then the Sun came right back, and the birds sang as if nothing had happened...we will get another day to begin again' which are lyrics to suggest that somebody bad must have happened in this city, and it could also be referring to the coronavirus pandemic and how people have been too scared to come outside. It shows lots of ordinary people and businesses seeming to struggle, or not being able to mix with one another. There are video transitions and close up shots of people in different environments; such as a guy holding a basketball, a lady and her shop in China Town and towards the end of the video you feel a sense of community coming together, with smiles, laughter, dancing and shots of Ingrid & ZAYN writing music in their studios. I think it's a positive song to suggest that the good times of socialising will be coming soon!
AJ Tracey 'Little More Love' - (15th April 2021)
This track was in loving memory of DMX, an American Rapper who died earlier this month. It was set at nighttime initially with a billboard announcing that AJ had signed a deal with 'Revenge Athletic'. You can see throughout the music video that he means business, as he steps out of a white car and makes his way into a nightclub. Some of his lyrics include 'my soul's getting tired always running from the law', which could explain that he's had enough of being involved with the police or any form of criminal activity, and he goes on to say that all his brothers are doing alright, which suggests that his little group of friends have all changed their ways. In the video, you can see that the nightclub has a blue vibe and AJ is also wearing matching contact lenses whilst spitting relatable lyrics to do with his thoughts. There are shots of his performing in a hotel room, saying the words 'if you love me how you love me, then love me a little more' suggesting that he's in a happy relationship with somebody, but just wants to have a little more love. He also is seen having an interview with fans taking pictures and videos of him from the other side of the glass, and he says the words 'I changed how we do it, went Platinum with no deal'. This suggests to me that he's not been signed by a label or company and by releasing music by himself, he's still able to create tracks that become globally certified.
Conor Maynard 'Crowded Room' - (16th April 2021)
This emotional music video directed by Conor himself shows an initial shot of a pair of glasses and an alarm clock with makes a loud noise, which gets an older man out of bed and downstairs into his kitchen. The music video was made on his 50th anniversary and there are scenes where he is opening a cupboard and seeing the 'his and her' mugs, holding flowers and revisiting the venue that he got married at 50 years earlier. Conor sings the lyrics that include ...'crowded room, but it doesn't change that all I see if you' which is something you would expect from a married individual, which shows that she is the only person in the room he might have fallen for, and he would only be looking at other people in jealousy for what he doesn't already have He goes on to sing 'I swear that you're perfect, I don't deserve this night with you' which suggest that Conor might be speaking about a future partner or that eventually when he is celebrating his 50 years of being with somebody, he is as happy as the guy in the music video.
Bebe Rexha 'Sabotage' - (16th April 2021)
Another great music video on this list by 31-year old Bebe Rexha (she looks incredible for her age!) and with a song called 'Sabotage'. She clearly explains in the song that anything she is involved with is often ruined by herself, with the initial lyrics being 'why do I sabotage everything I love...it's always beautiful until I mess it up'. One of the things with self sabotage is that people will work too hard for something that they end up stressing themselves out and making themselves angry for no reason, so by overthinking, you can sometimes ruin any hard work you have put into anything. Bebe is seen sitting in a bed of roses and flowers explaining that 'I'm my own worst enemy...' which suggests that she thinks it's always her fault when something goes wrong, and she is the only one to blame when things go wrong.. In the music video there is a transition to her sitting on a living room sofa in a black dress, and through the chorus' of the song, items begin exploding which includes photo frames, mirrors, glass and books from the bookshelf. At the end of the video there is an extremely close up shot of her holding a lit match, dropping it to the floor and watching an entire hours set on fire...and again it could be that she loved this particular house or had a lot of memories there, but it's something that she has self sabotaged!
Hannah Grae 'Letting You Down' - (18th April 2021)
The next song on the list is from Hannah Grae who I discovered on YouTube, and before the video even started there were some breathing noises to introduce the video. This music video seems to be a throwback video showcasing a variety of memories and archived footage. She sings the words 'there's no point in lying now' and from some of the other lyrics it seems to be a song about her love for somebody. She explains how she could turn off her phone 'when I see that you're smiling...you're find without me now' and goes on to sing the words 'why don't we just kiss, that doesn't make sense', almost doubting her own intentions. At the end of the song, she explains that the reason her and this lover are no longer together is because of something she's done, as she sings the words '...and it's my fault for letting you down' which is the title of the song. It's an emotional song to listen to, but it's quite interesting as we never get to see who she is singing about, and have no other context apart from the fact that she was in some form of relationship or future relationship with somebody, and it ended because she 'let someone down'.
Orla Gartland 'Zombie' - (22nd April 2021)
Compared to some of the other music videos I have watched, this was quite entertaining but also quite comedic at the same time. From beginning to the end this song is incrediblt fast paced and set in the countryside. Her opening lyrics include the words 'when all of your body's burning up' which suggests a lot of action, walking or running (as she seemed to be running around whenever she was singing those particular lyrics). In the video, Orla reminds me of a kind of detective who is on the lookout for boys. There's a shot of about 5 boys walking towards her, with her questioning who is this monster on the phone? - it's almost like real life Tinder, trying to work out which guy is she currently messaging. There are different scenes throughout the video which allow Orla to collect human tears from sme of the boys (such as a singing performance which makes one of the other cry) and then puts all the tears into a tube. She uses a water gun to shoot all of the guys (which I believe is filled with the teardrops produced by the boys), and they all fall to the ground and wake up as ordinary guys aain - without the zombie contact lenses, walks or staring eyes.
Fivio Foreign 'Unruly' - (23rd April 2021)
Up next is a song called 'Unruly' by Fivio Foreign. At the beginning of the music video it's clear to see that he's being called by his security to go to a venue, and some of his friends help him get dressed as he is coming out of a coach. He is flashed by three female fans and sings the lyrics 'you don't wanna go to war with us', which I'm guessing is in terms of rapping and performing, not necessarily a war. He explains that 'everywhere I go, a movie..every girl I meet, a groupie' which suggests that he's quite popular wherever he goes, and he tries to make friends with whoever he can. The majority of the video can see him and his friends throwing money around the venue, and there is a transition to a new location towards the end of the music video. Fivio and a small group of male and female dancers are performing in a small room with bright lights and light grey walls, driving trolleys and kicking money around on the floor. I wish I was able to 'throw money' on the floor, but I'd need to earn some first!
Ben Platt 'Imagine' - (24th April 2021)
The next song is called 'Imagine' by Ben Platt, an American Actor and now singer apparently. At the begining of the music video I like how his name and the title of the song were written in capital yellow block letters, and there was an instant panning shot into his bedroom which saw him laying on his bed with a white t shirt on. Some of the opening lyrics include 'if I ever lost you, I would fall to my knees' which are lyrics that suggest this song is about a lover who he cannot live without, and maybe because of the pandemic he is unable to meet them. One of the other shots sees Ben sitting in the back of his truck saying that 'I didn't know what I needed until I felt your hand holding mine', suggesting again that he wasn't looking for love, but when he found it, it was natural rather than forced. Towards the end of the music video, he is seen dancing and singing around the local neighbourhood and there is a night purple light that reflects on his face during some of the scene. At the end of the video, he can be seen lying in bed holding a piece of paper (which must have the mysterious lover on it) and he can be seen looking out of his blinds which has flashes of light, which could be a sign that they have realised how much Ben misses them!
Destiny Rogers (feat Coi Leray) 'Tomboy' - (28th April 2021)
Up next is 21 year old American singer Destiny Rogers with Coi Leray as the featuring artist. This song was released 2 years ago, but clearly this is an updated version of the song. The opening of the video sees Destiny pulling up to the scene in a blue car, wearing a red and black shirt. She is seen dancing around a boxing room which is filled with punchbags, and explains that she is always told when is she going to find a rich man, admitting she is the rich man. She goes on to sing 'how this girl get so fine...I do what you doing boy, doing it like a tomboy' hinting at the fact that it doesn't matter that she's a female, she's still able to do the same things as any other guy, and at age 21 she's clearly proved all her childhood and school bullies wrong - especially with her 400k+ YouTube subcribers and successful music career this far! Coi's lyrics include the words 'don't need to take my clothes off for them to just f*ck with me' suggesting that she's not one of those girls to just sleep around and get taken advantage of, but instead she wants to keep her clothes on and almost tease the boys that are wanting her. The final scene of the music video shows both Destiny and Coi in a dark room with only a pink circular shape on the background, bringing out natural shadows and lighting, helping them to create unique shots and transitions to wrap up the video. They both jump in Destiny's car and drive off out of shot!
Boys World 'Relapse' - (30th April 2021)
The final music video on today's list is by a girl group called Boys World with their song 'Relapse'. I know that this word means to achieve something but then go back into a bad state which could be related to this song about being in love. At the beginning of the video, all 5 of the girls in the band (Elana Caceres; Lillian Kay; Queenie Mae Villaluz; Makhyli Simpson and Olivia Ruby) are introduced to us one at a time with their different coloured backgrounds and unique makeup looks. One of the girls sings the lyrics 'I'm losing my grip and I think I'm gonna slip at any moment' which could suggest that she's still in love with somebody and although she's managed to stay away for so long, something is drawing her back. One of the other girls sings the lyrics 'crystals in your eyes, they get me so hypnotised' which also suggest that she could have easily stayed away, but again something continues to draw her back to this individual. I've never heard of this girl group before but they were formed in Los Angeles back in 2019 when they were all approached individually on social media, and are apparently TikTok's favourite girl group at the moment, but let's see what future music is released by them!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and I'll be back again with some more great music in the near future! Have a good day whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you're doing!
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