Rihanna's new single Stay

Rihanna's new single Stay will be available to download on the 7th January 2013, and I have to admit I am loving it. The Barbadian star has not thrilled me in a while - with latest dance track singles such as We Found Love ( high end production and little vocal talent or skill) But, it was did well in the charts and after a few hearings it grew on me too. Unfortunately, after the hundredth time on the radio it began to bore me and like most over played songs, made me want to turn the channel over.

Diamonds,  her other latest single was also hit, and again I liked it. But, it didn't make me want to play it again and again at home whilst I was washing up or instead of doing that long overdue essay. Stay for the first time in a while excited me. It's a slow song, the lyrics actually have meaning, and her vocals are at last shining again.

I especially like these lyrics:

Ohhh the reason I hold on
Ohhh cause I need this hole gone
Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving
Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving

Nice use of rhyme, and the piano riff is simple but effective,. She is stripped back and raw, just like the old says with Unfaithful.

Here is a clip as she sung it on the X Factor finals last Saturday evening on ITV1 followed by We Found Love.  No matter what people say, you cannot deny she is a versatile artist, she sells records and gets the crowds going.

What do you think about her new single?

The Power of James Arthur

X Factor 2012 has brought it's ups and it's downs. But, for me, there has been one continuous great artist who has performed his best week after week. James Arthur.

His performance last night was incredible as he sung the beautiful Power of Love by Gabrielle Aplin. This was his first ballad, and he truly nailed it. He has a tortured way about him as he sungs, always puts maximum emotion into his songs, and always makes me questions if I prefer the original. I love love love the original of this song, but I have to say, his version gives me shivers too!

Here it is:

For the semi- finals, he has done everything he can in my opinion in getting to those much wanted finals. Ella left a few weeks ago and I was devastated. But, seeing this performance today I am happy James stayed. (Not that Ella was amazing and did not deserve to be in the bottom two)


So, there it is. James Arthur to win, please. Jahmene second and please, please, please let Christopher go tonight.

Leona Lewis' Stunning New Single Trouble

Trouble is Leona's second single from album Glassheart

Leona Lewis is probably the best singer to have come from The X Factor, and she continues to create great songs which send shivers down your spine. Her new single Trouble released this month, featuring American entertainer Childish Gambino. It  really inspired me as a singer as she uses a new, higher range of her voice and it pays off. She sang it on X Factor last Sunday, and I immediately loved it. Some minor notes in the song help it be unpredictable but I also love the rhythm that the song manages to keep without the need of much percussion.  The lyrics are also meaningful, and describes perfectly how you can be in a relationship when you know you need to escape it. We've all been there, haven't we?

"You smoked ten now it's twenty, bet you wished you'd never met me, to stick around you must be crazy, go on  let it bleed."

She is an incredible artist, and she gets an A* from me. Keep up the good work Leona - you make me want to write more songs and sing more melodies. Listen to her live on Alan Carr.

X Factor 2012 Returns With More Drama

X Factor 2012 judges: Louis Walsh, Nicole Scherzinger, Tulisa, and Gary Barlow

It's back. X Factor 2012 is on our TV screens every Saturday night and it's riveting us once again. But, is it entertaining us for the right reasons? Last Saturday we saw as Gary Barlow storming off as his act Caroline Poole was the first contestant to be eliminated.  It shocked the nation as Louis Walsh let the decision go to deadlock between Caroline and the controversial Essex contestant  Rylan Clark.

So who did you think should have gone? Caroline Poole was gorgeous and had a country finesse to her voice which made her stand out in the competition, and I think most would agree, she was a definite contender this year. Then we have Rylan. Funny, I think hilarious, Camp, oh definitely, but great singer? Absolutely not. His survival song, One Night Only by the legendary Beyonce, was a disaster.  He could barely reach the higher notes and it was clear, or so we thought, that he would be going. Take a look if you want to go through the pain again.

Caroline then went on to sing There You'll Be by Faith Hill, and she was pitch and performance perfect. So what is happening? My real concern is whether X Factor is really about the talent anymore? We've seen great stars such as Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke and Ollie Murs make a success out of themselves and they all have obvious talent. But the we have also had acts such as Jedward appear on the show and last very close to the end! We still keep watching, I myself still can't wait for the show each week, but it is starting to become more abou entertaining and getting the viewer to laugh more than sit and feel the shivers at the stunning voices before us. What do you turn it on for? Laughter or to see great singers? I think it must be a bit of both, but the public have definitely backed up my point last week. Rylan is in, let's just hope he keeps us laughing, because it can start to become a joke when great acts and talents are then lost.

My favourite acts this X Factor are:





Ella Henderson (although I think she should be called Ella, she is amazing and only 16!)

Jade Ellis

James Arthur












Jahmene Douglas (please Louis pronounce his name correctly)







I think these have the most versatility and can definitely win the show.  Bring on tonight for more drama, laughter and hopefully more great talent.

Jessie J revealed as a lesbian in biography

Jessie J and her group of ten on the The Voice UK

Jessie J, artist and current judge on The Voice UK, has been outed as a lesbian in her latest book 'Jessie J: Who's Laughing Now, an unauthorised biography by Chloe Govan.

Chloe Govan, a British journalist/ writer has also written a revealing biography of Katy Perry, in a biography called Katy Perry: A Life of Fireworks, where she also discusses her sexuality, relationship with Russell Brand and other personnel information. This was released 4th September 2011.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Katy-Perry-A-Life-Fireworks/dp/1780380747

I came across her blog: this seems an old blog which she started in 2009 - did I mention it has no followers? Is this even the real Chloe Govan that is currently in the media because of her contraveral revelations in her latest work?
http://chloegovan.blogspot.co.uk/

Jessie J, along with Will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones,  and Danny O'Donoghue (The Script) are all judges on the latest TV hit, The Voice UK on BBC1. The show is already a success, as it has been competing with ITV's Britain's Got Talent. The show is a new take on a talent contest, where all judges cannot see the contestants when they sing. If they like their voices, then they turn around as their chair flashes 'I want you'. The contestant, if they have more than one judge who has turned around, can then choose who they want as a mentor.

It's a simple but successful idea, and Jessie J is definitely, as always, is in the spotlight. Week by week she entertains the viewers with her wit, rivalry against the other judges, and now and again she belts out a line or two showing off her strong and unique vocals. She has always been known as a bisexual, and the biography just released has revealed this was all a cover up, as the record label were afraidI  it would deter people. How silly.

Jessie J has a great voice, and a great image. Last March, she confessed to fancying Rihanna, but who doesn't? She recently tweeted how she has sold 12 million copies of her album ,Who You Are. She also has tweeted several times about her illness which was also revealed in the biography.

"Every interview I did when I 1st bought my music out I was asked how I pulled through&kept;going through the health problems I had when I was young & I always said 'Because I wanted to prove you can"

She suffered from Wolff - Parkinson - white syndrome, which speeds up her heart four times faster than normal. She had a stroke at eighteen, and had to be put on beta blockers. 

It;s hard being a writer; I know. You want, and need to make stories that are interesting to the public, but often it means having to delve deep into a particular aspect of someone's life. If it is true, and Jessie J and her label have been hiding her sexuality, then I think it's a good thing it has all come out in the open. It doesn't make me like her more or less. It's just the truth.

Here's her new single. I Haven't decided whether I like it yet or not:

Nicki Minaj: New album and provocative video

Nicki Minaj has released her latest single Beez In The Trap which has stirred up some attention with Minaj yet again displaying her curves and bouncing her very round bottom.

Born Onika Tanya  Maraj, in 1984, her career was first launched when she was discovered by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, leading to hip hop artist Lil Wayne taking an interest in the young and fresh sound of her song writing.  He collaborated with her on her first releases including Playtime Is Over in 2007 with Dirty Money Records, and then she began writing her own material. There were rumours of the Nicki and Lil Wayne being romantically involved, and also that she may even be bisexual. I think she enjoys surrounding herself with ambiguity, which inevitably creates interest and intrigue.

Nicki Minaj created an alter ego, 'Roman Zolanski', which she says comes out when she is angry and therefore can often he heard in her songs. She grew up with an abusive, drug addicted father, who tried to kill her mother by burning down their house. With such aggression at a young age, it has bound to have an affect on her - but she seems to put her energy into her music, which although I don't always like, I respect.

Her videos and performances are mostly con-traversal, with her extravagant dress sense, frequent colourful hair changes and rumoured body alterations such as breast and buttock implants. She definitely makes an impression.

She released Pink Friday in November 2010, releasing Your Love as her debut single. She has just released her latest album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded on April 3 2012. Her debut single Starships was a success, as well as her single with Chris Brown Right By My Side.

Her latest single Beez In The Trap feat 2 Chainz, which I have to say does nothing for my musical ear, shows Nicki in her usual form, flaunting her curves (fake or not) in a skimpy bikini.

Read more here

Here is the video: WARNING: it is explicit

You can tell she has had even more plastic surgery, as she is starting to look more and more like a plastic doll.

She has a big fan base, even on little girls who want to be just like her. This is worrying, but I had to put this clip on here because it is hilarious. Nicki Minaj was a guest on American chat show, The Ellen Degenerous Show and two little girls sing Superbass.

Rhianna and Ashton Kutcher fling?

New hot couple?

Rihanna has been spotted entering Ashton's house around 12am and leaving around 4am. It is rumoured that they have had an 'eight week fling'. The Sun have revealed a 'source', saying that she think Ashton is 'Funny and cute' Hmm, not too sure if this is true, but it doesn't surprise me, I think they made quite a good couple, even f he is still married to Demi Moore.

34 year old Ashton Kutcher cheated on Demi Moore, and she filed for a divorce November 2011, after nearly six years of marriage. Demi was hospitalized in January, when she collapsed in her home. I am not sure if this is a 'close friendship' that has formed between 24 year old singer and two and a half men actor, or whether love is blossoming?

Read more here

Rebecca Ferguson Too Good To Lose

Rebecca Ferguson's new single Too Good To Lose once again shows off her stunning vocals. This is her second single from her debut album, Heaven. The 25 year old X Factor runner up wrote the songs herself as is a true example of REAL talent that has come from The X Factor.  Not only beautiful, her lyrics and melodies are really likable and catchy. Here is the new single, sung live, which was released last week

Click here for a review of her album, Heaven: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/q2wx

Heaven was released 5th December 2011

Rihanna's Raunchy performance on Jonathan Ross Show

Rhianna gave a steamy performance of Talk That Talk last Saturday on ITV The Jonathan Ross Show. Dressed head to toe in 'BOY' a London collection brand.  Her interview was amusing as she tried to teach Jonathan how to speak Bajan. Rihanna quoted her homeland in Barbados as "paradise" and says it will always be her home. As Ross called her a "sex pot", Rihanna said her dancing was a cultural thing. This is so true. Us reserved Brits aren't brought up with natural rhythm and the provocative moves that are learnt from birth in the Carribean.

Rihanna is also starring in a movie this year, which is called Battleship. The star is stripped of makeup (well, let's just say she looks very different!) and her hair is au-naturel, and very short.

Rihanna in 2012's Battleship movie

Click here if you want to know more.

At the end of the show, as promised earlier by Ross himself (not for the faint hearted) Rihanna sang whilst swaying her hips in a short skirt, and then proceeded to dance in front of Jonathon Ross down stage whilst Ross covered his eyes.

Watch the clip:

Another artist on the show, was soul legand Lionel Richie, who also gave a live performance. Lionel, who was full of energy and as always charismatic, performed the classic hit, Easy. In his interview he talks about his upcoming duet album, Tuskegee, where he has collaborated with country artists such as Kenny Rogers, and even Shania Twain on his original tracks. This will be released on the 26th March.

Watch the clip:

If you are a fan of Lionel (who isn't?) and you love a bit of country like me, go to his website: http://lionelrichie.com/ where you can pre-order the album.

Lana Del Rey Born to Die

Lana Del Rey, born Elizabeth Grant, aged 25 was born in New York. She grew up in Lake Placid and when she was eighteen her uncle taught her "six basic chords" on the guitar.

"I realised I could write a million songs with those six chords- so I moved to New York and took a couple of years to write whatever I wanted."

She is an upcoming and much welcomed artist  who has been in the charts lately. Her debut single, Video Games is a great track, but was at first rejected by almost every record company. It was only until she put the video on youtube, and after twenty two million views she was signed to a major label. and a contract with NEXT model management.

If you want to read more about Lana, click here

Lana's most recent single, Born to die features her unique and soft vocals which at times can be dark, but her melodies are spine tingling.  You definitely have to be in a certain mood to listen to her songs- but its worth it.

Check out her website for her latest video, to browse her gallery and her latest tweets: http://www.lanadelrey.com/

Her album, Born to Die was released January 2012, and most of it was written in the UK. The album went straight to number one in the UK charts, as 117,000 copies were sold within the first week.

Here is the video for Video Games; it's raw, low budget and a refreshing change to the big production sexual music videos that seem to circulate these days. Lana stuck vintage clips she found on youtube together, and was actually sued. Still, she has a great voice, and it's a great video.

Gotye still number one with 'Somebody That I used To Know'

Somebody that I used to know single cover

Gotye's single Somebody that I used to know  Featuring Kimbre is still number one after two weeks.

The singer songwriter,  his real name Wouter "Wally" De Backer, is Australian/Belgium and has released three studio albums and is in The Basics, a Melbourne based  trio band. Kimbre, who features towards the end of the song is also based in Melbourne, Australia and is originally from New Zealand.

I was drawn to his song not only because of the catchy 80s style chorus, and simple yet effective introduction, but the contrast of his dark lyrics of a failed relationship against the upbeat and quite childlike instrumentation. The video, which now has nearly 100 million views is strange, as he stands whilst the painted walls cover his naked body and then Kimbre's also. It is artistic, as is the cover (I always love anything to do with hearts) for his latest album, Making Mirrors, which was released last August 2011 in Australia.

Here is the video, if you haven't already seen it! Do you think it's creative or creepy? He is rather strange looking, but obviously talented.

Lil Wayne and Bruno Mars release 'Mirror'

Lil Wayne and Bruno Mars have collaborated on the new single, 'Mirror'. The single is on Lil Wayne's ninth album Tha Carter IV.

Their haunting music video features Lil Wayne throwing black and red paint on a wall. This turns out to be a rather satanic image of himself drawn in red, and looks like blood and Jesus on the cross. It's rather dark, but I like it. It's arty, and creative and their voices blend perfectly. Bruno Mars never disappoints with his chilling vocals and Lil Wayne gives the girls some eye candy with his toned abs and tattoo collection. The lyrics, "Man in the mirror" also remind us of the late Michael Jackson, which I am sure was done on purpose. Great song, great artists.

Check out the video:

Jennifer Hudson's Tribute to Whitney Houston at Grammy's

The Beautiful Jennifer Judson sang I Will Always Love You at The Grammy Awards in memory of the late Whitney Houston. It was beautiful, even bringing a tear to her eye as she ended the song "Whitney we love, we love you."


Adele picked up a total of six Grammy's including Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. Her voice finally in a stable state, she came back with a vengeance, singing the hit Rolling in the Deep.

Foo Fighter also picked up five awards, and performances were given from Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift (who won best country song award) Katy Perry, David Guetta, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, and Maroon 5. 

Whitney Houston Dies in Hotel Room

Whitney Houston died today at the age of 48 in her Hotel room in Beverley Hills, the cause of death unknown.

Read more here

The legendary singer, known for her classic hits such as I Will Always Love  You  and selling 170 million records worldwide has passed away her bodyguard finding her in the bathtub, with several prescription bottles found nearby. There was no sign of illegal substances or the consumption of alcohol.

Whitney is one of my all time favourite artists. No one could top her - she is truly one of the greatest female artists.

Born on the 9th August 1963, in Newark, New Jersey Whitney Houston was born into a musical family. Her mother was a gospel singer, and her cousins and Godmother, Aretha Franklin, introduced her to musical genres such as the blues, gospel,  soul and rhythm and blues. At the age of 11, Houston performed for the first time in her baptist church choir, and began to play the piano.

Whitney has starred in many films, and made a lot of records. She dated Eddy Murphy, but met R & B singer Bobby Brown, whom she met at the 1989 Soul Train Music awards.

She famously starred in The Bodyguard where she plays herself along side actor Kevin Costner. This is a clip of the singing the Dolly Parton's classic, I Will Always Love You which was the best selling single by a female artist of all time.

Whitney Houston became known for her addiction to drugs, introduced by Bobby Brown. Her involvement with crack made her spiral out of control as she lost weight, missed interviews and cancelled concerts. Their relationship was a public one, with domestic abuse rumours circulating, and Bobby charged with misdemeanor battery in 2003 after he apparently struck Houston. Whitney gave birth to a daughter - Bobbi Kristina and the pair divorced in 2007.

Whitney performed Million Dollar Bill on The X Factor 2010, where she unfortunately received some bad reviews, her dress came loose and her performance wasn't the best. The latest album released was in 2009 I Look At You.

She had her ups and she had her downs. She won a total of six Grammy awards and sold millions upon millions of records. She will be remembered for her incredible loud and powerful voice, moments of scandel but overall true beauty. RIP Whitney Houston.

Emeli Sande Wins Brit Award

Emeli Sande won the Brits Critic's choice award this week after prevous winners included Adele, Jessie J and Florence and the machine. Hard to beat, but she did it.

The Scottish 24 year old singer, whose full name is Adele Emily Sande gave up four years in Medical school to focus on her music.

I really like her. I think she's quirky, pretty and has a great raw voice which s different and fresh to the music industry. She is also a talented song writer as she wrote the hook for a Chipmunks Song, Diamond Rings and sang as a guest vocalist. This single was released and became top ten. It was then she was discovered by EMI and received a published deal.

When she left University, she made money by writing songs for Cher Loyd, Cheryl Cole and Susan Boyle. Who knew?

Emeli released her debut single, Heaven last August which was a r'n'b song with good old 90's dance beats 90's behind it. It's such a great song, it really was one of my favourites over the summer; definitely on my iphone. She will be releasing her debut album Our Version Of Events on 13th Febuary.

Here is a clip of her last night on the Graham Norton's Show singing Next to Me: