This week I discovered Kalpee and his new single, Colourful. I love discovering new artists, and artists like Kalpee are the reason I love it. Kalpee's voice is truly beautiful and has its own unique tone to it, which I think could potentially make him stand out from other artists. His new single, Colourful, is a perfect summer song which could do really well in the charts. The lyrics, vocals and beat are perfectly combined to make a future hit, and I really hope the song gets the success it deserves. The single is also really radio friendly with its style and structure, and I believe it has the potential to really climb the charts if it was played on mainstream radio. The Colourful music video is also great, as it actually matches the song perfectly. This may sound like a strange thing to say, however I've seen plenty of music videos that make absolutely no sense and therefore doing the song no justice. However in Kalpee's case, the music video is perfect. Since his debut single, No One, (released in May) Kalpee has managed to get over 12 million streams! It's clear that the general public love Kalpee and his voice, and I hope that he gets all the success in the future that he deserves. Kalpee is definitely an artist to keep an eye on, as I believe his success with keep on growing and growing. Listen to 'Colourful' on YouTube here:
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Summer is finally here, and something that I think is a big part of summer is the music. For that reason I decided to create a playlist on Spotify of what I think are all the best songs for the summer - new and old!
Music can be a big part of creating memories in the summer, which is why I think it's so important to have a great playlist. The songs I included in this playlist are a mixture of new songs that I'm loving right now, for example Solo by Clean Bandit (feat. Demi Lovato), as well as old songs that are still great to this day, for example Glad You Came by The Wanted. Some of the songs included I also have great summer memories with, so I wanted to share that with you too! Make sure to follow the playlist so you'll know when I've added more songs to it! Enjoy the playlist and have a great summer! Last night I went to Taylor Swift's reputation Stadium Tour at London's Wembley Stadium. I've always really liked Taylor Swift, but it was after the release of her latest album, reputation, that I fell in love with her music all over again. I've seen Taylor live a few times, but never had I ever been to one of her own shows, so I was really excited to see what it would be like. I watched a few clips online and looked at pictures that people had taken from previous shows in the tour, but I was careful not to spoil too much for myself. The show opened with Ready For It...?, which I think was the perfect opener. Not only was Taylor literally asking the crowd if they're 'ready for it', the incredible production of the song set the tone for what the rest of the show would be like. The next song was one of my favourites on the album, I Did Something Bad. I sometimes get a bit worried to see my favourite songs live in case the artist doesn't do them justice, however after last night I love I Did Something Bad even more. To say the production was great is the biggest understatement, it was phenomenal. Taylor used every part of the stadium to make the song truly come to life, with fire coming from the top of the stage and fireworks going off at the top of the stadium in time to the beat of the chorus. I've been to many concerts, but this was one of the first times I've been so impressed that I'm speechless. The show continued and Taylor did some old hits, such as my all time favourite, Love Story. The first interlude came, after which Taylor came out and performed the lead single from reputation, Look What You Made Me Do. Unsurprisingly, the production of this song was again fantastic. During the song the big screen on the left showed Taylor performing, while the big screen on the right showed a snake almost coming at Taylor. The snake on the screen then disappeared and the stage opened to reveal a giant snake behind Taylor that actually moved! The show continued and Taylor didn't disappoint during any of the songs. What I found really surprising about Taylor was how she sounds almost exactly the same live (if not better) as the audio versions of her songs. It was then time to perform another fan favourite, Shake It Off, and what I loved in particular about this performance was how Taylor brought up both of her support acts (Charli XCX and Camila Cabello) to perform the song with her. I thought this was a really nice touch because the support acts' performances actually feel like part of the show and get acknowledgment, rather than the main artist seemingly forgetting about them. Shake It Off was performed on one of the smaller B stages, and Taylor actually flew over the audience to get there. Having Taylor fly over the crowd made the stadium feel much more intimate, and once again showed how well Taylor used the space she was given to not only put on an incredible show, but to feel close and connected with her fans at the same time. The two B stages were really cool, as during Shake It Off a giant moving snake came out of both stages. Having giant snakes appearing, fire, fireworks and Taylor flying over the audience really made you feel like you were watching a high end production, and not just a random concert. Taylor then performed So It Goes, a song from the album that she'd never performed live before. When I first saw the setlist for the tour, I was really annoyed that So It Goes wasn't included, so when Taylor did a surprise performance of it last night I was thrilled! The next songs were to be performed on the second B stage and to get there Taylor walked through the crowd! As she did this she had the biggest smile on her face and touched everyone's hands, and you could see how genuinely happy and grateful she was for her fans, and it was lovely to see. As the show continued and Taylor was back on the main stage, she performed a few songs on the piano. During a gap in the song New Years Day, the crowd began cheering and clapping really loudly. Taylor proceeded to take out her earpieces to hear the audience properly, to which the screams and cheers got louder. As Taylor became more and more in shock at what was happening, the cheers got even louder, and this happened for about four minutes. It was really beautiful to be part of that moment of love and gratitude, both from fans to Taylor and Taylor to her fans. Towards the end of the show Taylor announced that there was a special guest, something that she randomly does on some of her shows. One Direction's Niall Horan then came on stage, and they performed his hit single Slow Hands together. The final songs were then performed, starting with the classic We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and finished with This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things from reputation. The finale was again unsurprisingly amazing as it was finished off with a firework display, something that you don't typically see at the end of a concert. Its become 'cool' now to hate on Taylor, but I honestly don't see how you can. She's insanely talented and comes across as a genuinely nice person who appreciates how lucky she is to be performing at stadiums. So I honestly can't see what there is to dislike about her.
Overall, the reputation Stadium Tour was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Taylor Swift is made to be performing in stadiums, and anything less would be robbing her of her talents. I'm so impressed by the show that I want to go back and watch it all over again. If Taylor is taking the reputation Stadium Tour to a city near you, I definitely recommend buying tickets! Last week The Vamps released their latest single, Just My Type, and I was asked to review it by a fan of The Vamps on Twitter. I've always really liked The Vamps because they're such a harmless band that always manage to release fun hits, and Just My Type is no exception. Just My Type is yet another perfect track for the summer because of the upbeat nature of the song, and I think it deserves to do really well in the charts. While The Vamps may not be for everyone, there is no denying that they're vocally talented and have the ability to constantly produce great music. I've also always loved Brad's voice and I think even if he sang the ABCs, I'd still love it! I'm still waiting for the day that The Vamps release a song that I don't like, but currently I don't think it's possible! If you want a fun hit for the summer, then I would definitely recommend giving Just My Type a listen. If you want Pop Affairs to review something, tweet me at @Pop_Affairs Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande have just released their latest collaboration Bed from Nicki's latest album, Queen. This isn't the first time Minaj and Grande have collaborated, as they've previously teamed up on Bang Bang, Get On Your Knees and Side To Side.
Nicki and Ariana never disappoint when they team up on a track, and Bed is definitely no exception. As this is their fourth collaboration I would expect it to start sounding similar to their previous work, however this talented pair have once again created a song unlike their previous others. The whole song is really catchy and after only a few listens you find yourself singing along to the chorus with Ariana. The fairly slow, yet pop, style of the song also means that it should be very radio friendly, which could lead it to being extremely successful in the charts. What I love about this song is how it's stylistically matured from their first collaboration, Bang Bang (with Jessie J). Bang Bang is a really fun pop song, but Bed definitely shows off Nicki and Ariana as the brilliant and talented artists that they are, with their vocals getting better and better in each collaboration. The fact that their collaborations get better every time demonstrates to me that they should definitely consider doing a joint album in the future, as they obviously have a skill of producing hit after hit with each other! Next week Ariana is releasing her next single from her new album, Sweetener, called The Light is Coming which also features Nicki Minaj. From the snippets that Ariana has already teased, The Light is Coming is expected to be yet another Ariana and Nicki hit! Whether you're a Nicki Minaj and/or Ariana Grande fan or not, I would definitely recommend listening to Bed, as I think it may be the next big hit. Yesterday Troye Sivan dropped his latest single, Dance To This, featuring Ariana Grande. There was a lot of talk about this song and what it would sound like, but because I don't usually listen to Sivan, I didn't really know what to expect. The first thing that struck me after listening to Dance To This was how Ariana and Troye's voices work beautifully together, complimenting each other really well. I think the whole style of the song also matches their vocals really well. If it was any other artist singing it, I don't think the song would work half as well. The soft tones in their voices in combination with the slow yet pop style of the track is stunning and sets them apart from the rest of the songs in the charts at the minute. The first song by Troye I heard was My My My, which I really liked, and now after Dance To This I'm definitely keen to check out the rest of his songs and listen to his new album Bloom (which is out on August 31st). Overall this single is definitely worth listening to, and I really hope to hear more Troye and Ariana collaborations in the future! Listen to 'Dance To This' on YouTube here: I've never been the biggest fan of George Ezra, not because I don't think he's talented, but because his music isn't the sort of music I usually listen to. However, a few days ago I heard Ezra's latest single, Shotgun, for the first time and I instantly fell in love with it from the first listen. The whole vibe to the song is uplifting and happy, making it the perfect soundtrack to the summer. The lyrics are also incredibly catchy and I found myself mouthing the words after the second listen! I also really love this song because no matter what mood I'm in, it manages to cheer me up instantly. George's voice is really unique and I think that's what really sets him apart from everyone else in the music industry. Whether you're a fan of George Ezra or not, I urge you to give Shotgun a listen as I think this could be the song of the summer. Watch the 'Shotgun' Lyric Video on YouTube here: Camila Cabello and Pharrell recently released their collaboration single, Sangria Wine. The first time I heard this song was when I was watching clips of Camila performing it live on her Never Be The Same Tour, and from those clips I really loved the song. Therefore, when it was announced that the single was coming out digitally I was really excited to hear what the audio would sound like. Annoyingly, I was disappointed. I originally found it strange that I really like the live version, yet I can hardly sit through the audio version without turning it off. However, I then realised that the reason I'm not as keen on the audio version is because of Pharrell. Pharrell's verses of the song sound a lot better live than they do recorded, and I don't know why. Obviously this is just my opinion, and lots of people may disagree with me, but personally I think seeing Camila and Pharrell performing together really well on stage is what makes this song good. Camila's vocals on the audio version are just as great as always, but it's just Pharrell's verses that seem to annoy me. I wanted to know if other people agreed with me or not, so I ran a Twitter poll (@Pop_Affairs) to see if people preferred the live version or the audio version. The results were a lot closer than I thought they would be, however 58% of those who voted said that they too prefer the live version of Sangria Wine. With all that being said, Pharrell and Camila's live performances of Sangria Wine are brilliant, as shown by their latest performance of it at the Billboard Music Awards in May. Sangria Wine is a genuinely good song, but I think it can be appreciated much more when it's performed live. Listen here to the audio version and let me know on Twitter which version you prefer! Every so often I like to write a blog post about all the songs that I've been playing non-stop recently. The songs I've had on repeat this month haven't necessarily all been released in May, but they've still been on my playlist this month. What I've noticed about this month's picks is that most of them are very pop, whereas I usually have a bit of alternative or rap in there too. With that being said, I really love all of these songs. There have been so many great releases, so I found it really hard to narrow it down to my top seven songs, but here they are: If You're Over Me - Years & Years: 2002 - Anne-Marie: This Is America - Childish Gambino: Quarter Past Midnight - Bastille: No Tears Left To Cry - Ariana Grande: Nervous - Shawn Mendes: I'll Be There - Jess Glynne: Alternatively, you can listen to May's picks as well as loads of previous favourites on the Pop Affairs' Picks Spotify playlist here:
Yesterday Shawn Mendes released his long-awaited third studio album. The self-titled album's lead singles, In My Blood and Lost In Japan showed off a more maturer sound from Mendes and teased what we could expect to hear on the album.
I liked Shawn's previous two albums, but didn't really listen to them much, and I was expecting to have the same reaction for this album too. However, after my first listen, I'm hooked! The album starts with In My Blood, a really good single and a really strong song to open the whole album with. The next song is Nervous, which I love because of the higher key Shawn sings in. I wouldn't typically imagine Shawn to sing in this key, but it actually makes the song. Where Were You in the Morning is again something that I wouldn't picture Shawn releasing because it's a very different sound from his usual music, but once again I love it. Once I got almost halfway through the album and was listening to Fallin' All in You, I came to the conclusion that this is Shawn's best album to date. The progression he's made as an artist is incredible, both lyrically and in the style of his songs. Shawn has always been a talented artist, and the fact that he is allowing himself to grow as an artist while continuing to make great music that his fans love, is really impressive. As the album continued I found it nice to hear that there is a variety of songs, not just 14 tracks that all sound the same. The darker track, Why, is a nice contrast to the rest of the album and I would love to see it being released as a single (I’d also love to see Nervous released as a single too!). Staying with the theme of contrasts, I also found Queen to also be a great listen because of the upbeat style of the song in combination with the darker lyrics. I really like songs that on the surface seem to be happy and upbeat, but when you actually listen to the lyrics, it actually has a dark side. One of my favourite songs on the album is definitely Youth. I adore Khalid's voice and I think both Khalid and Shawn's voices work together perfectly. The emotional meaning of the lyrics makes this powerful song stand out amongst the rest on the album. Shawn's maturity and growth throughout this album is truly stunning and makes for a really good record. Shawn Mendes making a bad album? It isn't in his blood. |
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