Released in 2000 Reach is one of the best throwback songs ever. When I was little this was my favourite song, and I remember constantly singing it around the house! To this day I still know all of the words, and I can guarantee anyone reading this knows all of the words too, whether they would like to admit it or not! What I love about Reach is that it's such a feel good song that will always cheer you up and make you feel good, because no matter what, you can't help but sing along.
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On Thursday I went to Birmingham to see Ariana live on her Dangerous Woman Tour. I sadly missed out on going to her last tour, so this was my first time seeing her live at her own show! I am a big fan of Ariana and I had seen lots of pictures and videos online of the tour, however I tried to avoid as many spoilers as possible! Now that I've been to the tour, I now realise that all of the pictures and videos on social media did the show no justice, it was even better than I thought it would be!
The show started with a ten minute countdown. When I first heard that the countdown would be ten minutes I thought that it wouldn't work and would drag out, however I was wrong. Instead of just watching the countdown in silence, a playlist of songs still plays in the arena with a video of Ariana in the background - ultimately building up the excitement more and more. Every now and then on the video Ariana would touch her ear, prompting the crowd to scream as loud as they could. I thought that small action was actually a really good touch because it engages the audience for the whole ten minutes, rather than letting them get bored. The countdown went a lot faster than I thought it would, and as soon as it ended Ariana was on stage performing Be Alright. The opening was quite simplistic with her dancers coming on stage first, then followed by Ariana, which was brilliant. Sometimes the more simplistic something is, the more powerful it is. Ariana then went on to perform two of my favourites from the album, Everyday and Bad Decisions. Only three songs into the show and I already knew that this would be one of my favourite concerts - and I've been to quite a lot! The visuals shown on the screen behind her were stunning (as seen in the pictures below). The use of such artistic imagery made me feel like I was actually at a proper show, rather than just watching a singer perform on stage. Not only this, but both Ariana's vocals and dancing were incredible, and the choreography was very impressive. Throughout the entire show you could see both Ariana and her dancers giving it 100%, and at no point did it look like anyone was slacking. Rather than doing lots of talking, Ariana performed every song from the Dangerous Woman album (as well as some older songs) pretty much non-stop. I almost felt tired watching her, but at no point did she ever look like she was slowing down - a true performer. Ideally I would have liked to have seen Ariana talk to the audience a bit more, but at the same time I love the fact that we got to watch every song performed live, and I know that that wouldn't have been possible if Ariana talked more. Towards the end of the show Ariana performs Thinking Bout You, and after this she sometimes performs a song that isn't on the setlist. Even though she skipped this part at my show, I still think that this is an excellent section of the show to have because it keeps everyone on their toes wondering if they're about to get a surprise. I am fortunate enough to be going to the tour again in London on Thursday, and I'm really hoping that she performs a different song on that date instead! To keep things fresh even more, Ariana remixed her older songs Problem and Break Free. The remixes for the tour weren't completely different from the original, however they were made to sound a bit more mature, which I think made them fit into the darker and maturer genre of the Dangerous Woman Tour. Watching this show made me realise just how much thought and effort went into making this tour as good as it can be, and it really paid off. Overall, from what I had seen online, I knew that the show would be good, but I didn't expect it to be as brilliant as it was. Ariana's vocals, dancing, stage presence and setlist didn't disappoint, making the show definitely worth the wait! If Ariana is coming to your city and you haven't got tickets yet, I would highly recommend getting tickets! See below some of my pictures taken on the night: This week saw the release of lots of new songs from a variety of different artists, however how good are they?
Liam Payne - Strip That Down (feat. Quavo) Whenever a member of One Direction releases a new solo song, there is always a lot of hype surrounding its release. When I heard that Liam would be releasing his first solo song I was incredibly curious to know what it would sound like, because I'm not the biggest fan of One Direction and their music. The start of the song sounds quite promising, as Liam seems to have embraced a much maturer sound (although it was quite predictable). However once the song reaches the chorus I feel like I'm listening to a Justin Timberlake wannabe/tribute act. There is no individuality to this song, and while it is quite catchy, there is literally nothing going from it - very disappointing! Rating: 5/10 Katy Perry - Swish Swish (feat. Nicki Minaj) Katy's recent music seems to be constantly missing something. I have always liked her old music, but now I just feel as though she has lost something that made her so successful before. Out of the recent songs that Katy has released, Swish Swish is my favourite, however that doesn't mean that I necessarily like it. I feel like this song had so much potential, but again there was just something missing. The only good part of this song in my opinion is Nicki's verse, which made it a bit more interesting. Other than that, there really isn't much going for this song at all. Rating: 5.5/10 Camila Cabello - Crying in the Club I have never really liked Fifth Harmony, but when I found out that Camila was going solo, I wanted to give her a chance, and I'm glad I did. I was pleasantly surprised by Crying in the Club because it sounds different to the music that Fifth Harmony have released, and I assumed that Camila would release music with a similar sound. I am really impressed with this song, and it has already been downloaded into my music library! Definitely looking forward to what Camila releases in the future! Rating: 8/10 Iggy Azalea - Switch (feat. Anitta) I really like Iggy and her old music, but so far I haven't really liked her comeback (as I didn't like her song Mo Bounce). However I didn't want to let one song put me off listening to the rest of Iggy's new releases, so I wanted to give Switch a chance. I'm happy that I decided to give Switch a chance, as it is so much better than Mo Bounce! This song really reminds me of Iggy's old music, and it is very memorable for all the right reasons. Rating: 7/10 Selena Gomez - Bad Liar I had seen so much hype and build up for this song all over social media, so I was really excited to hear it. However, when I listened to it for the first time I had a mixed reaction. Originally I quite liked some parts, and didn't really like other parts, however now I find it incredibly boring, and halfway through the song I actually want to turn it off. Again with this song I feel like there is something missing from it! I believe it does have the potential to be a lot better than it is, but right now I definitely won't be downloading it. Rating: 4/10 I decided to run some polls on Twitter to see what other people thought of these songs. Overall, people thought that Katy, Camila, Iggy and Selena's new songs were really good, yet people thought that Liam's wasn't great (although his poll was incredibly close!) The polls are still open on Twitter, so head to @Pop_Affairs to cast your vote and let me know what you think! This week's throwback isn't that old as it was only released seven years ago, however it's one of my favourites. Whenever I listen to OMG by Usher, I can't help but think of all the happy memories from around the time this song was released. I always had this song on repeat, and me and my mum would always turn it up full blast whenever it was on the radio, and even to this day I still love it just as much. It's such a harmless song that you can't help but love and sing along to, because no matter how long it's been since it was released, you'll always know the lyrics.
This week's throwback had to be Angels by Robbie Williams. Released in 1997, this song still has such an incredible impact 20 years on. One of the things I really love about Angels is the lyrics, because literally every time I listen to it I want to cry! I feel like everyone knows the lyrics to Angels whether they are a Robbie fan or not, and I therefore think that makes it quite an iconic song! The main reason I love this song though is because it reminds me of being little. I was born a year after Angels was released, and it was played a lot as I was growing up. Therefore whenever this song is played I instantly get transported back to being younger, and I really love that.
I have decided to launch a new weekly segment featuring throwback songs that are still just as brilliant today. Although the posts will be short, there is a Spotify playlist of all the songs that get mentioned, ultimately making the best throwback playlist!
Macy Gray - I Try Whenever I listen to this song I get transported back to when I was a child and being absolutely addicted to Macy Gray. To this day I still remember the lyrics, as well as Macy's gorgeously unique voice. I personally don't believe that there has been a song since I Try that has sounded anything like it, therefore putting it in it's own league of legendary songs. |
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