Monday, January 27, 2020

Demi Lovato "Anyone" review

 
Demi Lovato is back with a brand new song titled "Anyone". The track was released as a single on January 26, 2020 through Hollywood and Island Records. The song will also be featured on Lovato's upcoming seventh studio album.
 
Demi first performed "Anyone" live on the 62nd Grammy Awards last night. You can watch the full emotional performance by the singer here:
 
 
 
 
Lovato wrote and recorded "Anyone" on July 20, 2018 in Montana, four days before she suffered a drug overdose.
 
The singer first revealed the title of the song during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music's New Music Daily on January 24, 2020. You can watch the interview here:
 
 
 
Anyone is a piano ballad that talks about Demi's personal struggles and also wanting someone to be there through all of the tough times with her.
 
She sings on the first verse:


I tried to talk to my piano
I tried to talk to my guitar
Talk to my imagination
Confided into alcohol

 
Then, Demi mentions that nobody is listening to her cries for help on the pre-chorus with:
 

A hundred million stories
And a hundred million songs
I feel stupid when I sing
Nobody's listening to me
Nobody's listening

 
 
Lovato can be heard letting out all of her feelings on the chorus with the lyrics:
 

Anyone, please send me anyone
Lord, is there anyone?
I need someone, oh
Anyone, please send me anyone
Lord, is there anyone?
I need someone

 
 
I have to say that Anyone is Demi Lovato's most vulnerable song to date. In 2011, the singer released her comeback single "Skyscraper" to start off the new era for her third studio album Unbroken. That was almost nine years ago.
 
For Demi to be able to come back in the spotlight and to also share her story with her fans, it just absolutely amazing. I am declaring that 2020 will be the year of Demi Lovato. And I can't wait for her to release more music in the following months.
 
 
Buy and stream Anyone on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Google Play, Pandora, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal and Napster:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Halsey - Road To Manic (Episode 1) review



With only one day left until Halsey's third studio album Manic is out, I wanted to introduce you all to the singer's new web series called Road To Manic. The series is available on Halsey's official  YouTube channel with new episodes being added every Thursday.

The first episode was released on November 7, 2019. The video begins with an instrumental version of the singer's third single "clementine". Then, you can see Halsey talking about how excited she is to release Manic but she has some things to do first before her album drops.

In the next scene, we see the singer traveling to Stockholm, Sweden and rehearsing for her performance on Swedish Idol. She can also be seen giving some encouraging words to some contestants on the show as Halsey says to them:

"Don't be nervous. Just have fun. And just know that you're doing what you are supposed to be doing. Be confident in that fact."

After she is finished with Swedish Idol, Halsey flies to Seville, Spain for the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards to sing her hit song "Graveyard".

Before the video ends, Ashley starts talking about what her album will be.

"You heard my album called Manic. And you think that it's going to be like super sad and dark. And it's not. It's like really colorful. Like kinda of funny sometimes. It's scary because it's so much of me. So when people don't like it I feel like they don't like me."

I love that Halsey is doing a web series that not only documents her life around the world, but we also get to hear her talk more about the creative process with her album.

Watch the first episode of Road To Manic for yourself on YouTube now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF2zbKekGkg







 

Selena Gomez "Lose You To Love Me" Alternative Video review


Selena Gomez is getting real when it comes to heartbreak on the alternative video for her hit single "Lose You To Love Me". The singer released the alternative video on her official YouTube channel on January 13, 2020. It was shot on an iPhone Pro just the original black and white video minus the woozy effects.

We see Selena sitting down and playing the song on the piano as she sings:

You promised the world and I fell for it
I put you first and you adored it
Set fires to my forest
And you let it burn
Sang off-key in my chorus
'Cause it wasn't yours

Then, Gomez turns around in the chair and starts facing the camera before belting out the chorus:

I needed to hate you to love me, yeah
To love, love, yeah
To love, love, yeah
To love, yeah
I needed to lose you to love me

I really like the "Lose You To Love Me" alternative video by Selena. Just seeing her play the piano and then how she came out on top towards the end of the video with that mesmerizing voice was just absolutely amazing.

You can watch the official alternative video to "Lose You To Love Me" right here:

 
And don't forget to buy or stream Selena's comeback album Rare, which is available now on all streaming platforms and stores everywhere.



Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Hayley Kiyoko "She" review


She is a song by singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko that was released on January 14, 2020. It is the fifth and final single for Kiyoko's fourth extended play I'm Too Sensitive For This S**t. 

On "She", the singer tells the story of being a closeted teenager with big dreams of becoming a superstar. Hayley opens up on the first verse singing:

She acts like she's in seventh grade
But actually, she's twenty-gay
And she been
Tellin' people she don't date, that it ain't for her
She's been
So in love for a really long time and it ain't her first

Kiyoko is making it clear that she wants to be the girl who stands out on the chorus with the lyrics:

Don't wanna be dreamin', warm in bed
Don't wanna be old with one regret
Gotta be a diva, have respect
Be that girl you can't forget
If you try to make her less
She'll stand up and pound her chest


She by Hayley Kiyoko is such a good song. Every track that the singer has released so far leading up to her latest project "I'm Too Sensitive For This S**t" have been nothing hits from the very start.

Buy and stream I'm Too Sensitive For This S**t on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, Google Play and more:







Watch the official music video for She on YouTube:

 



Sunday, January 12, 2020

Kaskade vs. Tiesto, Swanky Tunes & Dyro - Room For Noise review

 
DJ and EDM producer Kaskade is probably best known for his remixes and mashups of some of your favorite songs like Lana Del Rey's Young & Beautiful, Alicia Keys' In Common, Britney Spears' Womanizer and so on.
 
I didn't know anything about Kaskade at first until a friend of mine sent me a link to his track called Room For Noise (Kaskade EDC Mashup) from SoundCloud.
 
Room For Noise contains a mashup of Skylar Grey's vocals from "Room For Happiness" and Tiesto & Swanky Tunes' "Make Some Noise (Dyro Remix)". It was released on January 30, 2014.
 
After the song's infectious opening, Skylar sings on the first verse with:
 

Sometimes I wish I never felt the influence of you
'Cause now I feel the disconnect, like an open wound
Where you once were, there is a space that runs as deep as hell
But every morning when I wake I tell myself

 
Grey continues on the chorus singing:

Don't be fooled by your emptiness,
There's so much more room for happiness
Don't be fooled by your emptiness,
There's so much more room for happiness
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Then, you can start to hear the beat drop throughout the whole track. I love Room For Noise (Kaskade EDC Mashup) along with the production for it, which is currently off the walls. So, I am really glad that I found this hidden gem thanks to my good friend.
 
Listen to Room For Noise by Kaskade on YouTube and SoundCloud now:
 
 
 
 

Friday, January 10, 2020

Selena Gomez Rare album review



 
Rare is the third studio album by singer Selena Gomez that was released on January 10, 2020, through Interscope Records. This is Gomez's first album in four years following 2015's Revival. She described this album as a diary from the past few years.



 
Rare
 
 Rare is the title track for the singer's album of the same name. The song is a self-empowerment anthem that talks about independence.
 
Selena begins on the first verse with:
 

Baby
You've been so distant from me lately
And lately
Don’t even wanna call you "baby"

 
Then, Gomez sing about loving herself instead of having to seek love from someone else on the chorus with the lyrics:
 

It feels like you don't care
Why don't you recognize I'm so rare?
Always there
You don't do the same for me, that's not fair
I don't have it all
I'm not claiming to
But I know that I’m special (So special), yeah

 
 
 
 
 
Dance Again
 
 On "Dance Again", Selena does not want to wait for happiness. She makes that very clear on the first verse singing:
 

Happiness
Ain't something you sit back and you wait for
Mmm, ah
Confidence
Is throwing your heart through every brick wall

 
And after everything that Gomez has been through in her life, she lets everyone knows on the chorus that it "feels good to dance again" with the lyrics:


Feels so, feels so, feels so good to dance again
Feels so, feels so, feels so good to dance again
With my emotions undressed, I'm going in with everything
To dance again

 
 
Look At Her Now
 
Look At Her Now is an upbeat song that finds the singer becoming a stronger person after a turbulent relationship, which could be a reference to her on and off again romance with Justin Bieber.
 
She sings on the first verse:


It was her first real lover
His too 'til he had another
Oh, God, when she found out
Trust levels went way down

 
Then, Gomez moves into a very catchy chorus on the track with the lyrics:
 

Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm, mm-mm
Look at her now, watch her go
Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm, mm-mm
Wow, look at her now

 
 
 
Lose You to Love Me
 
 Lose You to Love Me is a strong pop ballad that continues on with the theme of self-love for Rare. Selena bares it all on the first verse singing:


You promised the world and I fell for it
I put you first and you adored it
Set fires to my forest
And you let it burn
Sang off-key in my chorus
'Cause it wasn't yours

 
Gomez starts to get very emotional on the chorus of the song with the lyrics:
 

To love, love, yeah
To love, love, yeah
To love, yeah
I needed to lose you to love me, yeah

 
 
 
Ring
 
 Ring is a latin influenced song that talks about Gomez knowing her worth. She has her guy actually where she wants him on the pre-chorus with the lyrics:
 

Obviously, you know, I'm aware of that
I'm breakin' hearts like a heart attack
Got him right where the carats at

Before Gomez makes it known that she wants to keep her lover wrapped around her finger like he is a ring on the chorus with:
 

Wrapped 'round my finger like a ring, ring, ring
They just like puppets on a string, string, string
I put it down, they call me up
They doin' way too much
So I'll just let it ring, ring, ring (Oh-oh)

 
 
Vulnerable
 
Vulnerable is a song where someone is taking advantage of your feelings. In Selena's case, she is unsure of what her lover's intentions are if she opens herself up to them.
 
Selena opens up with the first four lines singing:
 

If I give you every piece of me, I know that you could drop it
Give you the chance, I know that you could take advantage once you got it
If I open up my heart to you, I know that you could lock it
Throw away the key, and keep it there forever in your pocket

 
On the pre-chorus, the singer comes in on a personal note with the lyrics:
 

If I show you all my demons, and we dive into the deep end
Would we crash and burn like every time before?
I would tell you all my secrets, wrap your arms around my weakness
If the only other option's letting go

 
Then, Gomez starting showing off her beautiful vocals on the chorus with:


I'll stay vulnerable, yeah
I'll stay vulnerable, yeah
I'll stay vulnerable

 
 
 
People You Know
 
On the seventh track titled "People You Know", Gomez is telling a story about someone that she loves is drifting away from her.
 
Selena talks about how much of her time was wasted on the pre-chorus with:
 

So many wasted (Wasted)
Nights with (Nights with) you (You)
I still can taste it (Taste it)
I hate it, wish I could take it back 'cause

 
The person that Gomez had loved now is just someone from her past as she sings:


We used to be close, but people can go
From people you know to people you don't
And what hurts the most is people can go

 
 
 
Let Me Get Me
 
On this up-tempo song, Gomez has finally found a sense of freedom from the thoughts that were weighing her down in her head.
 
Selena makes mention about her mental health issues with the lyrics:


Like a prayer surroundin' us, movin' effortlessly
Every word is relief
I'm in dance floor therapy, all my babies and me
But tonight, it's for free
No self-sabotage, no letting my thoughts run
Me and this spiral are done

Then, Gomez lets her listeners know that she is okay on the chorus singing:
 

Don't get me down, I won't let me get me (Ooh)
Don't get me down, I won't let me get me (Ooh)
I'm good right now, I won't let me get me
Take that tired heart and go and turn it inside-out

 
 
Crowded Room featuring 6LACK
 
Crowded Room is about falling head over heels for someone so much that when you're with them, it feels like no one else is in the room.
 
Selena sings on the first verse:
 

Baby, it's just me and you
Just us two
Even in a crowded room
Baby, it's just me and you, yeah

 
Then, 6LACK makes his appearance on the third verse singing:
 

It's just us two in the crowd, we feel alone
I turn every chair that you sit in into a throne
Not too many of 'em put it down like me
I say it humbly, but they don't wear the crown like me
It's all in your eyes, locked, loaded, we were rolling
You make the whole room feel slow-motion
You make me feel like I'm drowning in a potion

 
 
 
Kinda Crazy
 
Kinda Crazy is where you are dating someone and slowly but surely find out that they're "kinda crazy" once they start to show their true colors.
 
On the chorus, Selena sings:


I think you're kind of crazy
And not the good kind, baby
'Cause you're actin' super shady
You know it, you know it
Been dodgin' phone calls lately
But still textin' me, "Baby"
Yeah, I think you're kind of crazy

 
She also talks about being gas lit by her so called lover on the second verse with the lyrics:
 

And now you're treatin' me like I'm insane
You're insane

 
 
Fun
 
Fun is a pop song about seeing a guy who just isn't right for you but you do it because it's so much fun. Selena is making some references to her mental health again like she did in "Let Me Get Me" , but this time, she is doing it in a more flirty kind of way.
 
On the first verse, Gomez sings:


This is just what the doctor ordered (Yeah)
Put a gold star on my disorder
Yeah, we've talked around every corner
If I'm lookin' at you and me, we're on some kind of symmetry

 And then, she goes into the chorus with the lyrics:
 

Can't stop myself, it's true
I like the way you move, uh-huh
Oh, we got somethin' in this room
Can't make that up
You may not be the one, uh-huh
But you look like fun

 
 
Cut You Off
 
Cut You Off is the only explicit track on the album that talks about heartbreak and moving on from a  relationship while also feeling better about yourself. This song is also rumored to be about her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber as Gomez sings on the pre-chorus:
 

The truth is that I think I've had enough
Professionally messin' with my trust
How could I confuse that s*** for love?

 
Selena wants to let go of the thoughts of her former lover on the chorus with:
 

When I'm without you
I don't overthink it, I just carry on, get
You out my head now
I just cut you off

 
 
A Sweeter Place featuring Kid Cudi
 
A Sweeter Place serves as the closing song for Selena's third album. The singer talks about starting a new chapter in her life after going through so much turmoil.
 
Gomez begins singing about wanting to find a place to keep her worries away with the lyrics:
 

Is there a place where I can hide away?
Red lips, french kiss my worries all away
There must be a sweeter place
We can sugarcoat the taste
Sweeter place

 
Then, Kid Cudi exchanges his verse on the track rapping:
 

As I fantasize
So much to see, I'm in paradise, oh, I
Always seems I'm new inside
Deep, deep down in me, I go now, baby, born to fly, oh, I
Now see, how could it be?
We will find our way, we'll find the things we seek, ooh-ee

 

Rare is officially Selena's best album to date in my book. I love the different emotions that she channeled on each song from beginning to end. And the messages of self-acceptance, love and empowerment is a reminder that Gomez is a force to be reckon after coming out of a dark and stepping into the light. This girl absolutely slayed this album. It turns out that Rare was definitely worth the wait after all.
 
Buy and stream Rare on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Deezer, and more:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Halsey "You Should Be Sad" review

 
You Should Be Sad (stylized in sentence case) is a song by singer-songwriter Halsey that was released on January 10, 2020. It is the fourth single from Halsey's upcoming studio album Manic.
 
On this country-influenced track, the singer can be heard pouring out her frustrations about a previous relationship. While also, throwing in some subtle jabs about her ex's character towards her.
 
  She begins to open up on the first verse singing:
 

I wanna start this out and say
I gotta get it off my chest
Got no anger, got no malice
Just a little bit of regret
Know nobody else will tell you
So there's some things I gotta say
Gonna jot it down and then get it out
And then I'll be on my way

Then, Halsey starts giving her ex-boyfriend a piece of her mind on the pre-chorus with:
 

No, you're not half the man you think that you are
And you can't fill the hole inside of you with money, drugs, and cars
I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you
'Cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you

 
On the chorus, the singer is switching courses about how she tried to help her former lover with the lyrics:
 

Oh, I feel so sorry, I feel so sad
I tried to help you, it just made you mad
And I had no warning about who you are
I'm just glad I made it out without breaking down

 
I really like the country approach that Halsey is bringing with this song just like she did in "Finally // Beautiful Stranger". I could never imagine her singing country music until now. And we are just one week away from the release of her Manic album. So, I can't wait to hear all of the other songs that she has in store for us.
 
Buy and stream You Should Be Sad on Google Play, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon Music and more:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 And don't forget to watch the official music video for You Should Be Sad as well:
 
 





Lana Del Rey - Text Book Review

Text Book is a song by singer Lana Del Rey that was released on May 20, 2021. This is the third and final of the surprise release singles fr...