Hey everyone!
I'm back with another music video review blog post! As you may have noticed, I have been posting video reviews to my music channel 'BRANDONEXTRA' but I've also decided to write some blog posts for songs that I'm not able to review straightaway, so I can still experience the video and give a brief review on the song and the video!
Zack Knight (ft Simran Kaur) - 'Praay Mein'
The first video that I watched was by Zack Knight and his featured artist. The song was very emotive from beginning to the end and the story was quite easy to understand. Some of the lyrics included 'I want to keep you to myself' suggesting that Zack had potentially found the person for him. He also sings about wearing 'Gucci shoes' suggesting that he has money or wants to spend money on nice gifts. He goes on to say 'show me what's underneath' which would probably involve the more intimate side to their relationship.
Simran was singing her lyrics in Hindi whilst wearing a long red dress and playing the piano very gracefully. The visuals of her scene were really nice, and you could see how clean the environment of the house was that they were filming in. Other shots included Zack standing outside with the skyscrapers behind him, wearing a blue jacket and white top underneath with very serious facial expressions. I really liked the camera panning shots whilst Zack was standing on the bridge. The final shots of the video saw Zack driving in his red car and wearing a Gucci jumper, and it looked like there was a disagreement with the girl at her family house where he almost raises a hand to her which made her upset. In the end, she has a packed suitcase and says goodbye to her parents to meet her boyfriend after a small dispute, and they have an emotional embrace before the video ends
Kiesza & Sugar Jesus - 'Heaven Ain't Calling'
Up next is a song by Kiesza who's 'one hit wonder' Hideaway has follow up singles that are just as good and just as memorable! The song alongside Sugar Jesus shows us that chapter one of this adventure starts with the scandal at the sapphire which are the opening words shown on the screen. Kiesza sings the words 'we've been down this road before and I don't know what to do' maybe suggesting that she has been in this kind of environment before. The entire music video was black and white and it gave it more of a victorian/old fashioned style to the video. Kiesza was wearing a sparkly dress along with some bright red lipstick. She sings the lyrics 'showing up to the party in my red lipstick, spending all their money until there's nothing left' which suggest that she is dressing to impress and that potentially there are a lot of people who have money, attending this event as there seems to be lots of gambling and cards games going on around her.
While Kiesza is dancing on the dance floor with various partners, you can see people adding jewellery and even a live snake to the winners prize on the table, and even a couple who look eachother in the eye as they both seem to be wanting more. Kiesza continues to dance and she sings the line 'I forgot everything I knew and tonight I'm taking you' which almost suggests that when she enters this venue, the outside world disappears and she's a new person when inside. She says the words 'let's get it' a few times which suggests she's ready to have a good night, and you see pairs of people dancing on the dance floor, with Kiesza even having a duet with a hot male dancer wearing a white shirt and black blazer. To finish the video, there are a lot of solo performances, close up shots of the different characters, such as a couple about to kiss, a blonde lady with short hair in a black dress, a snake and a man with a black hat and holding a torch, walking straight past Kiesza who is clearly looking for something suspicious.
Lil Nas X - 'J Christ'
In this music video, Lil Nas X seems to be taking on a modern persona of what some people believed to have been a sacrifice to many in the world. The opening shot shows people in white robes and outfits walking along a grass field. There also seem to be some celebrity look a likes including Drake and Barack Obama for example. Lil Nas sings the lyrics 'damn I'm alright I'm gonna take it higher, I know when I'm out, I'm on a break' which suggests that now that he is feeling better he is going to create music or content that is better than previos work, and if he's taking time away then he will be using it to have a break from the industry for however long he needs to take.
He continues to sing the lyrics 'you know I'm ready for everything, you know how I play, it's all for games' which suggests that he is brave and courageous and will fight any battle that is needed. The video shots here show Lil Nas with his dark long hair wig fighting in an arena which adds a nice visual to the lyrics of playing a game. I think some of the other lyrics he uses, suggest what people might think about him, such as 'is he about to him em with a high note', showing that people know he can sometimes sing in a higher pitch, or 'is he about to go viral', as they know that the music he makes can either be quite controversial or very unique that it takes the online world by storm. At the end of the video you can see him playing with sheep, and wearing a gold outfit with accessories as if he was at a ceremony event, standing on the large set of stairs. There are also some shots of him dancing in the wind and rain, and also you can see him standing on a boat. The final words on the screen include the line 'He is a new creation, the old has passed away' suggesting that the old Lil Nas has disappeared and he is bring a new era of music to the world very soon.
Sam Tompkins - 'Phones in Heaven'
This was quite a simple but also sad song to listen to. The storyline of the song was regarding people who are not supported enough during their difficult times and feel that it's better for them to leave the world rather than asking for help if they feel like this is something they are not able to do. In the video, the colours of the scene are a mix of blue and white and the environment of the video seems to be shot in a small office, with the camera panning down at the beginning of the video. The opening lyrics by Sam include the words 'I wish I didn't delete those texts, those were the one thing I had left', almost suggesting that the friendship won't make anymore memories, but the ones made are deleted and cannot be looked at in order to remember someone. He said it would make me miss you less', suggesting that this person is no longer in the world and it would have been the only physical memory that he would have had of this person.
During the video, we can see the different characters with their name badges 'Hi my name is...' but all of their names are a different emotion, including anger and depression as examples. Sam goes on to sing the words 'so many thoughts and words unsaid' which is a very powerful line, because nobody knows when their last day in the world is going to be, so it's important to say things that you feel and not hide away from the world, otherwise you might regret not saying those things. We see them all leaving the scene in their respective emotion until only Sam is left in the room, and we hear the phone ringing to which Sam quickly goes to answer the phone but we are not sure who would have been on the other side of the line.
Rachel Chinouriri - 'Never Need Me'
This next song seems to be about a girl who has broken up with a boy, but she still wants him to have a good life. In the video the initial lyrics talk about Rachel 'receiving a call in the dead of the night' and 'it's nice to hear your voice again' which show that that it's a surprise to have heard from this individual but it's a good surprise. She seems to be at a girls sleepover at this point with one of her friends in the background trying to listen to what's going on. Rachel explains that 'if you can't change, I doubt I can help you' which explains the reason they broke up was due to this person's behaviour, and if they have not changed their ways then she is still not interested. She says 'I hope you take it easy and I hope that you never need me' which suggests that she cares about this guy but she still wants to keep her distance from him romantically because she knows what he's like.
During the video, Rachel can be seen texting the guy with one of her friends trying to take her phone and make her forget about him, and they have a girly embrace and continue their sleepover. She says 'if you never learn what the hell am I supposed to do' which simply says that if someone isn't able to help themselves, you're not able to help them yourself. They are seen at a large party with lots of young people, drinks and flashing lights and Rachel is seen wearing a white fluffy dress matching her hair clips. Her and a friend walk outside with a cake and notice that this guy is at the party flirting with one of their girlfriends, and the go over and throw the cake in the guy's face - before walking off to enjoy the rest of the party. It seems as if the beginning of the video starts with the end, suggesting that he has come back to the house to either apologise for his actions or try and get a second chance, but looks like that's not going to happen.
HAZ - '10 Months'
Up next is a song by content creator and singer/songwriter HAZ who released this song a few months ago. The opening lyrics include the words 'kiss me in the morning, I would never question a thing' suggesting that there is maybe some bad things happening with the one that she loves, but a kiss would make her feel better again. She adds that 'your smell in on my skin' which shows that they must have some warm embraces as this can only happen if you get super close with somebody. HAZ continues to sing about their changing relationship with the rtods '10 months turned you into a stranger' which explains that over time people will change, and in the space of under a year the lover she once knew was not the lover she knows now. In terms of the visuals, we can see two main video shots here - with a male and female lover in the bed, looking into eachother's eyes, and also a shot of the same couple standing in the living room shouting at eachother.
HAZ explains that 'take my 21s' and 'treat her as a one night stand' are just some of the mistakes that this guy has made, whether it be with her or his previous girlfriends. She explained that she was told 'I can handle it better than you...that's what you told me' and in the video it shows that he in fact does not take something well. Other words include 'how do you break the women and then hate the women' which is also a very powerful lyric, suggesting that he tries to break the girlfriends he has down, both mentally or even emotionally and then he blames them for making him the way that he feels. At the end of the video we see the guy knocking on her door, and the camera shows the back of her head walking towards the door, and when it opens we see a shot of HAZ standing in the hallway wearing her H necklace and holding it in plain sight of the camera, almost explaining to the audience that the story of the girl in the music video was an experience that she had.
K-Trap - 'Heaven or Hell'
In this video, the story of the song is good or bad when it comes to having a relationship, and K-Trap discusses the reasons why he either wants to have a good girl or a bad girl. At the beginning we see a girl speaking to him saying that she thinks he wants a good girl, but he clearly doesn't because the police are outside their house. K-Trap starts the song by rapping the words 'told me to help myself but I need help myself' which suggest that he's been advised to get some help to work out what he wants in a partner but also to sort out his personal issues that he may be dealing with. He says he's had a 'wife sent from Heaven but my girlfriend is from hell' and he keeps going backwards and forwards with the things he wants to get involved with for both his girlfriend and wife or maybe it's his girlfriend who is on the way to becoming his wife, or he's just speaking about the differences for when he does eventually get to that stage of marriage in his life.
He also speaks about his wife having a private page and his girl having an open one, suggesting that maybe the girl he's more loyal with is also more loyal to him, otherwise he might not have married her. He also says to the girlfriend that he's acting fake because he can't stand her ways, and that he wants both a good girl and a bad girl at the same time, which he calls 'rotating girls'. I think this hints at the fact that he's unsure of what he wants from a parnter and even his girlfriend said that he sounds confused as to what he wants. He also says I want the 'cleanest wife but the baddest girl', which again is suggesting that he wants to be in two different relationships at the same time, but he'll have to choose with path to go down.
HRVY - '25'
Up next was kind of a throwback video for HRVY is soon to be turning 25 years old. At the beginning of the video we can see a TV with the black and white loading screen with a DVD of HRVY as a baby being shown on the screen. The opening lyrics include the idea of him moving to live in LA and whether he should stay on the same street as his parents and they can take care of him. I think it's quite an interesting opening line, as he has had a lot of great opportunities in his life so far and has been on various television shows, collaborated with artists in different parts of the world, she he kind of has a big choice to make in terms of where he wants to go next. He also sings the lyrics 'shaved my head to reinvent myself again...maybe I'm the fool for trying' suggesting that he wanted to try something different for the year of 2024 in order to begin a new HRVY era for himself. He is wearing brown dungarees with a dark purple/brown jumper underneath and the scene has been set with a dark green background with balloons as well as a cake with candles in the foreground. He says 'I know I'll be alright because everyone's lost from time to time' - 'quarter life crisis', kind of making himself feel better about feeling a little lost or confused, but adding that this is normal and that he will get back on track when he's ready to.
We see a lot of his old home videos from when he was a young boy, and he sings the lyrics 'I don't know why I'm stressing, something in my chest I can't shake. I think these lyrics explain that you're nervous about the future or what's to come in life, but then everyone will probably have this at some point in their life, as you may have a vision and a path, but life will constantly change that and it's normal to feel this way. HRVY also says that he has some of his friends planning weddings and he makes two or three plans and seems to forget them, so I guess this is his way of questioning whether is ready for any form of commitment, or maybe wondering why his calendar is so empty. To end the song, there are a lot of oh ohh ohh's which then bring us to the television screen after it's been zoomed out, HRVY put's on a birthday hat and sets off a party popper, with the DVD names 'HRVY 25' being removed from the DVD player.
Chenayder - 'For One Last Time'
This is a very different video to some of the others I have reviewed in this post as it's very pink and girly from the very beginning. We can see a large bed and we start with a birds eye view shot of the artist Chenayder standing in the corner of the room. I believe the opening lyrics include the words 'need to get something off my chest...I wish you the best' which sounds like she's saying goodbye to somebody who was once in her life. She explains that 'jealousy is not the case' and she wants this person to say that she'll be on their mind. I like how she had to explain that it's not to do with being jealous of someone so she's made that super clear in her lyrics. We can also see her walking down a dark alley way singing other lyrics and walking towards the camera sayiong 'I know you like mind games, nothing stays the same'. This almost suggests that somebody has tried to play with her mind, but she's a different person to who she was before and she's not affected by it now.
We also move to another location which is simply a white wall with teddy bears, and we can see her in her white jumper and matching hair clips, walking past the camera several times. There are other shots of her sitting in her black jumper sitting on a bed, in the bath and on a white chair either holding a teddy bear or catching one of them which is thrown into shot with butterflies flying around her head. The lyrics here are quite similar to before with the chorus from earlier repeating itself, but it's a really cute and girly style music video, with some shots that look like they have been filmed using a film camera or in the style of the 80's
Jax Jones & Zoe Wees - 'Never Be Lonely'
The final video I will be reviewing in this post is a magical collaboration between Jax Jones and German singer / songwriter Zoe Wees who has blown up over the last few years! This video is a dancy track of 2024 and we can see that it's initially set in a spaceship above Earth which shows a shot of Zoe on stage with an audience cheering and partying when he starts singing. She is wearing a bright silver/purple reflective dress and her long black hair is by her side. The opening lyrics include the words 'tell me that I'll never leave you alone...you'll never be lonely again' which suggest that this is a self confidence type of song now that you've got someone powerful in your life. The collaboration was created alongside Pokemon, and we see a short shot of Pikachu waking up and standing on a piece of grass.
We see many shots of Jax wearing his fluffy hat alongside the female dancers who are on the stage. Zoe sings the words 'is this what dreams are made of, I'm crossing my heart' almost suggesting that she's currently in a good place and she's hoping that good things will keep happing for her and all of those around her. She puts her hands in the air and says 'I will be there on your darkest nights' so it's a song with the powerful message of being brave, confident and having the right people around you. There are also fast paced vocals of the words 'again again, feeling lonely again' before the song comes to a close
I hope you enjoyed my 10 music video reviews here, more to come soon - if there are any new singles or music videos that have come out recently, let me know and I'll review those also....once I've got through my current list! Anyways, see you soon!