This week on Limmy’s Hot Take: Friends, it’s absolutely OK to call yourself out for making insensitive jokes about Kanye West‘s mental breakdown. What started as seemingly “standard Kanye” loose cannon behaviour on stage soon escalated to a point beyond lols when the 39-year old man was hospitalised for psychiatric emergency this week.
Alarm bells are ringing. We can’t make light of this struggle and repeat the inhumane cycle of scrutiny, mockery, and callous mistreatment that we’ve seen heaped on Britney, Mariah, Amanda Bynes and countless other celebrities who have gone through very public breakdowns. Definitely not when suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50.
I, for one, checked myself for dismissing Kanye’s rants as light entertainment last week because at the time I thought that was just him being his ‘eccentric’ ‘crazy’ self, but say if that were a friend or colleague behaving in that manner. Would I find it amusing or would I be able to discern and have enough care in my heart to look deeper beneath the surface and reach out to a vulnerable person in need? I sure as hell hope I am the latter.
There has been greater awareness about mental health issues in recent years. We’ve got ribbons, T-shirts, marathons, hashtags, full blown social media campaigns… you name it but, real talk, don’t put up lengthy posts on Facebook saying you’re here “if anyone needs to talk” then turn around and contribute to the cacophonous #KanyeWestIsOverParty mess.
This is not about being overly politically correct. This is about responsibility and recognising that our actions and our words carry weight. They matter. They cause an effect, and we need to look after each other more than you think. This definitely includes our online friends, which I’m sure some of us talk to more than we do our RL friends.
Oh also, if you happened to be called out on Twitter for insensitive and trash opinions? Please don’t delete the original tweet. Let the drag prosper.
In lighter news, I really do think The Veronicas have finally delivered the pop performance I’ve waited years for. Here they are looking deadly, coated in ruby red glitter, slaying The ARIA Awards this week with their banger ‘In My Blood’.
It’s time, Australia. And I could not be happier to see this movement gaining momentum in mainstream media every single day.
Top tunes of the week
Busted ‘Night Driver’
I really wasn’t expecting for Busted to come back after all this time with some neon-lit 80s pop. What on earth is going on here? Why is it so seriously good? Production-wise, ‘Night Driver’ sounds like something from the Off The Wall sessions. I haven’t made my way around their new album of the same name as yet but I’ve heard great things on Twitter.
MAMAMOO ‘Décalcomanie’
Can’t believe this is only the first time I’ve come across K-pop sirens MAMAMOO. They’ve been in the game for a good two years now, making a name for themselves with their candied mix of jazz and R&B.
‘Décalcomanie’ – taken from their fourth mini album MEMORY – is what I imagine Duffy exec producing a K-Pop girlband would sound like.
Ronika ‘Dissolve’
This feels like a new angle for Ronika. Coiled in a loop of stuttering synths before climaxing at a chorus with utterly heavenly vocals, ‘Dissolve’ feels like a cherry-tinted boudoir soundtrack in an 80s French arthouse science fiction film.
Emily Burns ‘Take It or Leave It’
File this under ‘Songs from The Friendzone’ – I know y’all can relate. This gentle, tinkling pop tune from emerging British singer-songwriter Emily Burns would definitely appeal to anyone who likes them a bit of Birdy.
For more of my favourite tunes, check out my NEWEST playlist.
You can find me tweeting about my latest Iceland meal-for-one at @feedlimmy.
This week on Limmy’s Hot Take:Kanye simply living his truth – hashtag no filter – continues to be one of the most entertaining things happening in music right now. It’s so rock and roll.
Yesterday he arrived at his Sacramento show reportedly an hour and a half late, only to scrap the whole thing after performing just two songs. But not before adding some real value to the evening with an epic rant aimed at pals Beyoncé and Jay Z.
As NME reports, he called out Bey over her alleged condition that she would only perform at the MTV Video Music Awards if she was awarded Video of The Year over rivals Kanye and Drake.
He tells the crowd: “Beyoncé, I was hurt! ‘Cause I heard that you said you wouldn’t perform unless you won Video of the Year over me, and over ‘Hotline Bling.’ In my opinion — now, don’t go tryin’ to diss Beyoncé, she is great. Taylor Swift is great. We are all great people, we are all equal. But sometimes, we be playing the politics too much and forgetting who we are — just to win. Fuck winning! Fuck looking cool! Fuck looking cool! Fuck being cool! Fuck all that!”
I mean I do see a few points here that aren’t at the end of a finger. But fuck that, everybody wants to win, everybody wants to be cool. I don’t think Beyoncé’s alleged request is that outrageous, do you? You’d almost expect it. I definitely would if I were her. I mean, you won’t see it come from me via email, text or DM but I’d definitely make sure someone in my team gets on the phone and takes care of that. Also, how you gon’ have Beyoncé bring the kind of elaborate performance she always does to your show and not honour her in some way?
I know she was up for 11 VMAs this year, which by the way is the most amount of nominations she’s ever gotten in a single year, but let’s face it Video of The Year is the one. Also, let’s be real, out of Adele’s ‘Hello’, Bieber’s ‘Sorry’, Kanye’s ‘Famous’ and Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’, ‘Formation’ was surely hands down Video of The Goddamn Year, mate.
Ye’s rant trying to expose Beyoncé as a greedy, game-playing, scheming corporation is not exactly a new angle. And better yet, the reality of that is not something you can change by being mad about it either. There are tons of super talented musicians and entertainers that fall to the wayside. Talent is not enough. You need more to slay in the game. You need great business acumen (thank you Mathew Knowles), power and influence. This empire was not built in a day. And it sure as hell wasn’t built on unprofessionalism and cancelling shows 10 minutes into it. But you know what, they’re both different artists and Kanye has real moments of greatness that is undeniable. What he does have, in place of Video of The Year, is a real candid quality about him. For better or worst he is himself, and that is actually really entertaining and refreshing in a world of heavily media-trained and overly cautious stars.
In other news, M.I.A. has also called out Beyoncé (and other A-listers like Madonna and Rihanna) for stealing from her. According to Idolator, here’s what the British rapper and producer told Q Magazine:
“I’m fine with Madonna or Beyoncé or Rihanna being ‘inspired’ by my work. But I would like them to then go, ‘Yeah, this immigrant who came out of nowhere influenced us, so maybe not all of them are fucking terrible’. They don’t even think like that. They go ‘Yeah, maybe me stealing the stuff says she’s all right. She should be thankful we’re stealing it’. But sometimes you just think, ‘Fuck, I have to pay some bills,’ you know? Beyoncé comes from the school of Michael Jackson-ness. Where the family built an entire world to support you. From when you were a child. I never had that luxury. If you’re working class, music doesn’t belong to you like it used to – it would be really hard for Oasis to happen now. I’m just fodder. A template for pop stars to create more content. We constantly feed the top of the pyramid.”
I’m dead curious to know which tracks she is specifically referring to now. But overall, this is giving me pains circa Kat Deluna when J.Lo hooked up with RedOne and started jacking her sound for the very lucrative, career CPR-ing ‘On The Floor’/Love? era.
We’ve seen this happen over and over again, and it isn’t fair. It must be hard for an artist who is, I suppose, ‘not mainstream’ by nature, with very brilliant and occasional commercial crossovers, to straddle those worlds. It must be soul-crushing to be in those circles and see the money and opportunity, and be on the radar where people are watching, listening and having their creative team pin your shit to Pinterest boards, and you are not getting any recognition for it. It is also shit when you’re repeatedly told you’re ‘underrated’. That shit can take a toll – case in action, aforementioned Kat Deluna and the artist formerly known as Wynter Gordon, now relaunched under her real name Diana Gordon, who I’m very happy is winning now (you should read her interview with Fader).
I know this won’t help pay the bills but I take comfort in knowing that the age of the internet has opened so many more doors for artists. Real talent always shines, and I believe when you’re creating something of great quality that is also truthful to you, there will be an audience there. In a time where genres are breaking down and listeners are more guided by recommendations and artists that sound similar to the ones they like, things like playlists and those ‘Related Artists’ steer our consumption a lot. Perhaps there might be something in fostering a network of like-minded artists on your level that respect your craft and complement your artistry and brand, and pull each other up together. Collaborate! Create cool shit together! Do promo together! Go on tour together! Unite your fanbase! People seem to only be out for themselves now, trying to be the next mononym star. But seriously, come together!
Update: This thread by a songwriter, which came into my periphery after Guyliner retweeted it, is a good read.
I’m genuinely surprised I’ve chosen the new Bruno Mars album over Little Mix‘s. You know I love my pop girl bands. But to be honest, Bruno’s 24K Magic is everything. Nine tracks of hedonistic, solid 90s R&B and funk. I went through a phase of immersing myself in lots of New Jack Swing earlier this year so this couldn’t have come at a better time.
ZAE ‘Letting Go’
If you like Banks, chances are you’re gonna enjoy West London singer ZAE‘s ‘Letting Go’. She told The Line of Best Fit that the song was directly influenced by the singer and was in fact the very first song she wrote. Not a bad place to start, mate. Although that story is almost too good to be true. But what is good and certifiable true though is the intimate music video that comes with it, portraying a two young men in a volatile and emotionally-fraying stage of their relationship.
Kate Miller-Heidke ‘You’ve Underestimated Me, Dude’
I’ve always loved me some Kate Miller-Heidke. Unquestionably, the Professor Dumbledore of what she does, which is cleverly observant and sensitive lyrics and, every now and then when the mood calls for it, a theatrical performance like this one. ‘You’ve Underestimated Me, Dude’ is a nails down the back, bluesy rock clapback at misogyny.
Jhene Aiko ‘Maniac’
The camp-as-tinsel-on-Alan-Carr kid in me immediately thought of the Michael Sembello/Flashdance song but no this is something more of a sexier outing. ‘Maniac’ could have easily been mistaken for a Tinashe banger or a very slick Kelly Rowland comeback single (Sis, take notes!). It doesn’t sound like the Jhene Aiko I know but it’s definitely closer aligned to her joint album with Big Sean as Twenty88. “I’m a low-key freak you don’t know me yet”, she coolly sings over crystalline trap beats. That may be the case.
For more of my favourite tunes, check out my NEWEST playlist.
And finally…
Quite a few tweets this week reminiscing on the great pop songwriting output of Cathy Dennis, who of course, is responsible for Britney‘s ‘Toxic’, Kylie‘s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’, Sugababes ‘About You Now’, and a couple of good Heidi Montag tracks you should not be ashamed to say you like (this is a safe space). So here’s a playlist of songs she has written for other artists and some performed by Cathy herself.
Tweet me your fave pop songwriters over at @feedlimmy.
Lorde is probably one of the most in-demand and untouchable young talents in the music industry right now. The 18-year old alternative-pop savant from New Zealand has been given the honour of curating the new Hunger Games soundtrack and boy, did she turn it the hell out.
Mockingjay Part 1 is the third soundtrack of the popular anthology and is, quite rightly so, the most hyped one yet. Just like the movie, you get a sense that each artist selected for the soundtrack needs to breathe some level of cool, youthful rebellion. Lorde herself would fit the bill quite well but this isn’t a Lorde album in disguise, per se.
Sonically, the album is a cohesive and magnetic mix of hip hop and alternative electro pop. The album opener ‘Meltdown’ is probably the best summary of the different influences at play here. Belgian producer Stromae cuts a mean, strutting electro beat while Q-Tip and Pusha T throw punchy rap verses and Lorde owns the hook with HAIM on backing vocals.
As well as securing in-demand figures in the industry like Kanye West, Charli XCX and others for the project, Lorde has also submitted a new track ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’, produced by Paul Epworth who was behind Adele‘s monumental album 21, and a spine-tingling cover of Bright Eyes‘ ‘Ladder Song’.
You know when your parents start to recognise a internet viral music video that it’s well and truly time for everyone else to move on.
It has been a tremendous week for K-pop sensation PSY‘s ‘Gangnam Style’, not only is it officially the most ‘liked’ video in the history of the internet – the track has also successfully topped the Australian and UK charts to become the first Korean pop single to do so.
Its crossover chart success in the Western market is just mind-blowing, no doubt bringing a whole lot of national pride for South Koreans everywhere.
Elsewhere, it has also been a great week for Pink, Mumford and Sons, Conor Maynard, Brandy and Christina“I think you already know my weight!”Aguilera.
We’ve seen the charts light up like it was Christmas this month, thanks to the heavy flow of new albums taking over the shelves.
For only the second time in history, the entire top six spots on the US Billboard 200 are filled with debut entries. Here in Australia, we have eight new albums scaling our ARIA Top 20, while over in the UK, they have six.
Y’all can obviously expect for it to get even more competitive in the coming months as all the strong sellers come out to play for your seasonal spendings.
This has been a good week for Pink, The Killers, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kanye West and – definitely more than ever – PSY, the K-pop icon responsible for ‘Gangnam Style’.
Reece Mastin‘s ‘Good Night’ has been booted off the #1 spot by previous chart topper LMFAO‘s ‘Sexy and I Know It’. The teen X Factor winner’s been out promoting his mandatory cover’s album so we should see that effortlessly enter our Top 5 next Monday.
Watch them pitch Reece as just a regular rock band front man in the ‘Good Night’ music video:
Pink‘s ‘Bridge of Light’ is the biggest new single in Australia this week, debuting at #26. Just further proof that Aussies will lap up anything Pink these days, however beige and redundant the single may be.
Ricki-Lee‘s ‘Raining Diamonds’ isn’t seeing fortunes turn around after the music video finally dropped. She’s looking flawless as ever but the video has only garnered over 6,200 views in five days. Meanwhile, not that it’s necessarily fair to compare, Reece Mastin‘s video managed over 46,000 views in almost the same amount of time.
‘Raining Diamonds’ picks up to #34 on the ARIA singles chart this week but fails to secure any more radio support. The runaway smash sunk from #25 to #31 on the Aussie airplay charts (between 1 to 7 December).
Listen to ‘Raining Diamonds (Kreap’s Italo Disco Hammer Mix)’ done by Melbourne producer Kreap:
Timomatic‘s ‘Set It Off’ cracks our ARIA Top 50 at #39 this week. The Jason DeRulo-style dance/pop track is also the biggest gainer on our airplay charts (between 1 to 7 December), rising to #35.
Cher Lloyd‘s ‘With Ur Love’ (featuring Mike Posner) finally cracks our ARIA Top 50 at #48 this week. Meanwhile her series mates One Direction‘s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ holds on at #11 and their album Up All Night drops to #10. I wouldn’t have believed it if y’all told me this time last year that we’d have two UK X Factor contestants in our Top 50.
The Potbelleez‘s new single ‘Feed Off Me’ debuts at #42 on our ARIA club charts. Surely this would have to be it from the album, right? Watch the gang’s video for ‘Feed Off Me’:
Adele‘s 21 has now been certified 10x platinum sales in Australia, so that’s over 700,000 copies for those counting on fingers and toes. Her first tour DVD Live at The Royal Albert Hall is #1 on our ARIA Music DVD chart for the second week running.
Over in the US, Live At The Royal Albert Hall is now the best-selling music DVD of 2011, cancelling all its competitors after just one week on the shelves. Live At The Royal Albert Hall managed to sell 96,000 copies in the last week, making it the biggest one-week sales for a music DVD in four years. Coming in next best in this year’s music DVD race is AC/DC‘s Live at River Plate (73,000 copies) and Beyoncé‘s I Am… World Tour (63,000 copies).
Beyoncé‘s Live at Roseland debuts at #4 on our ARIA music DVD chart this week. Meanwhile, Lady Gaga‘s The Monster Ball Tour holds tight at #2, Kylie‘s Aphrodite Les Folies – Live in London drops from #3 to #7 and Britney‘s Femme Fatale Tour fizzes from #8 to #21.
Over in the US, Live at Roseland remains at #2 on the DVD charts while Gaga‘s The Monster Ball slides to #3 and Britney‘s Femme Fatale business dips to #5. Kylie‘s Aphrodite Les Folies has interestingly debuted at #17 to be one of the biggest new music DVDs out in the week.
Watch Kylie slaying ‘Cupid Boy’ with her pack of gays – this should’ve been a single:
Susan Boyle can probably put in a down payment for a private jet now with her album sales steadily climbing in the Christmas buying period. The new album Someone To Watch Over Me sits tight at #3 on our ARIA charts while her first album I Dreamed A Dream climbs back up to #52 and The Gift to #83.
Over in the US, Someone To Watch Over Me moves back up to #16 on the Billboard 200 while its predecessor The Gift leaps from #45 to #29.
Amy Winehouse‘s first posthumous album Lioness: Hidden Treasures debuts at #8 in Australia this week. Further down, Back to Black re-enters at #89. Over in the UK, Lioness enters at #1 to become the fourth biggest debut this year, with 194,966 opening week sales. The project’s new single ‘Our Day Will Come’ debuts at #29.
Glee‘s Glee: The Music Volume 7 debuts at #18 in Australia this week, making this their lowest charting compilation yet of the seven. I am, of course, excluding their Christmas albums and other supplementary records. Over in the UK, Volume 7 debuts at a disappointing #58.
Meanwhile in the States, the Glee gang sent five new entries into the Billboard Hot 100 and it reads as such: ‘Perfect’ (originally by Pink) at #57, ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ at #59, ‘I Kissed A Girl’ at #66, ‘I’m The Only One’ (originally by Melissa Etheridge) at #86 and ‘Constant Craving’ (originally by k.d. lang) at #89. Glee Cast‘s cover of ‘Perfect’ is the most downloaded new song on the digital charts. Check back next Monday to see where Volume 7 lands on the American album charts.
Check out Glee’s cover of ‘Fuckin’ Perfect’:
Kelly Clarkson‘s Stronger bows out of the ARIA Top 20 after seven weeks. Meanwhile over at the singles bar, ‘What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)’ edges up to #41 while ‘Mr Know It All’ plummets to #35.
Elsewhere, Stan Walker‘s Let The Music Play nosedives from #27 to #61 on our ARIA Top 100 in its third week while Sade‘s The Ultimate Collection re-enters at #85 after playing several dates around the country last week.
Lady Gaga‘s ‘Marry The Night’ finally bounces back into our ARIA charts at, well, #100 this week. *Snortcackles* Her massively successful Born This Way album also made a move back up from #71 to #53 this week while the remix album slumps to #79.
Over in the US, ‘Marry The Night’ manages a mighty leap from #59 to #32 in its fourth week in the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile her live Christmas EP – A Very Gaga Holiday – tumbles from #52 to #135 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Born This Way: The Remix sinks to #188.
Listen to ‘Marry The Night (Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Remix)’:
Rebecca Ferguson‘s Heaven made a formidable debut at #3 on the UK charts with 128,458 first week sales. Amazon has revealed that Rebecca‘s album has garnered more pre-orders than any other contestant from the UK X Factor 2010 cast. Heaven beat advance sales of Matt Cardle‘s Letters by 181%, One Direction‘s Up All Night by 11% and Cher Lloyd‘s Stick + Stones by 571%. Bam! Becca, you better werk.
Beyoncé‘s 4 picks up pace in the UK after ITV aired her amazing pre-recorded special: A Night With Beyoncé, sending the album from #49 to #26 with 24,115 copies sold during the week. Further down, I Am… Sasha Fierce also comes bolting back up at #81.
Watch Bey deliver an emotional rendition of ‘I Care’ and ‘I Miss You’ for A Night withBeyoncé *crying and shaking*:
Kelly Rowland‘s Here I Am has thankfully picked up to a new peak of #43 on the UK charts before the end of her X Factor run. The smash single ‘Down For Whatever’ drops to #13 in its third week.
Olly Murs‘ moment of validation is finally here. His new single ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ finally claims the UK #1 slot after being cock blocked by Rihanna and the X Factor charity single in the last two weeks.
Mariah Carey‘s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ makes its annual appearance on the charts, rising to #12 in the UK this week. Further down there are a tonne of other seasonal numbers showing up too. Highlights include: Coldplay‘s ‘Christmas Lights’ entering at #66, Michael Buble‘s ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ shooting up to #99 and Kylie‘s old ‘Santa Baby’ debuting at #100.
Meanwhile, I’ve rewatched this like a thousand times in the last 24 hours. That’s Christmas spirit for ya!
Michael Buble‘s unbeatable Christmas album clocks its second week on top of the US Billboard 200, with overall sales now passing the 1 million mark. It’s now the seventh album to sell over a million copies in the US this year.
Mary J. Blige‘s My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1) [Editor’s note: what a fucking indulgent album title] slides to #6 in its second week, suffering a 54% sales drop. Meanwhile, Mary‘s new singles move up the US R&B/Hip Hop chart: ’25/8’ rises to #39 and ‘Mr Wrong’ (with Drake) edges to #41.
Rihanna‘s Talk That Talk cops a 66% sales drop in its second week in the US. ‘We Found Love’ may still be the #1 single for six weeks running, but the album has slumped from #3 to #7, registering 68,000 second week sales.
‘We Found Love’ is the first song by any artist to stay at #1 for six or more weeks in both the US and UK since ‘Umbrella’. That’s two massive long-staying chart toppers for RiRi in this century. Could she possibly be the biggest singles artist in the Western world?
Meanwhile, ‘You Da One’ rises to #18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 while title track ‘Talk That Talk’ sinks from #31 to #77.
Listen to ‘You Da One (Liam Keegan Remix)’:
Robin Thicke‘s Love After War album should start charting on the US Billboard 200 later this week but if it’s any indication of interest, both its singles are steady rising up the R&B/Hip Hop charts: ‘Love After War’ making #20 and ‘Pretty Lil’ Heart’ featuring Lil Wayne at #70.
Katy Perry‘s ‘The One That Got Away’ drops to #7 this week after peaking at #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Well, show’s over – I guess. Nothing left to see here. But wait, from what I’ve heard, the song has been discounted to 69 cents on the US iTunes store and if you couple this with the increased radio airplay, things should technically improve for ‘The One That Got Away’ in the coming week. Plus, Katy‘s hosting of Saturday Night Live should generate enough publicity to help this single get back its footing.
Listen to ‘The One That Got Away (R3hab Remix)’:
Bruno Mars‘ ‘It Will Rain’ sits at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but goes on to top the digital charts. The ballad, which was featured on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, is the first song from a movie soundtrack to go #1 on the US digital charts since Taylor Swift‘s ‘Today Was A Fairytale’ (which was launched from the Valentine’s Day soundtrack).
Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s ‘Ni**as in Paris’ leaps to #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after 17 weeks on the charts. Impressively, this is now Jay’s 18th US Top 10 hit. His first appearance was all the way back in 1997 as a feature rapper on Foxy Brown‘s I’ll Be’. Where is she now?
T-Pain featuring Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen‘s ‘5 O’Clock’ rises to #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making this Lily Allen‘s first ever appearance in the American Top 10. I mean, it’s not like they don’t know who she is over there – her first album Alright, Still managed to go #20 and 2009’s It’s Not Me, It’s You made #5 on the US Billboard 200.
Watch the music video for ‘5 O’Clock’:
Nicki Minaj‘s buzz single ‘Roman in Moscow’ may be a muhfuggin’ hot mess but it’s managed to debut at a decent #64 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #84 in the UK. This is the first a few new material we can expect on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – the beefy repackaged edition of her hit album that’s due on 14 Febuary.
Will.i.Am‘s ‘T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)’ nosedives from #36 to #90 in its second week on the US Billboard Hot 100. Here in Australia, it falls out of the Top 100 altogether after just a week. Bye, bitch.
Check out the big budget music video for ‘T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)’:
Enrique Iglesias clocks his fourth US #1 Dance/Club play smash from the Euphoria era with ‘I Like How It Feels’ (featuring Pitbull and The WAV.s) ascending to the top. Past club chart toppers include: ‘Dirty Dancer’, ‘Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)’ and ‘I Like It’.
Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Buy My Love’ ascends to #4 on the US Dance/Club play chart. This is now mah gurl’s third top five dance smash following ‘Til Death’s placement at #3 and of course, ‘Dirty Talk”s reign at #1.
Deborah Cox is back, bitches, and her new single ‘If It Wasn’t For Love’ is the biggest new entry on the dance/club play charts this week, entering at #27.
Listen to ‘If It Wasn’t For Love (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Original Mix)’:
Other notable debuts in this neck of the charts include Ultra Nate and Michelle Williams‘ ‘Waiting On You’ (#41). Fuck yeah, Tenitra! Plus, David Guetta and Sia‘s ‘Titanium’ crashing in at #42 while Britney‘s ‘Criminal’ remixes arrive at a lowly #50.
Gotye and Kimbra chalk up their second week on top of the ARIA charts with ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, now certified platinum sales. No prize for guess where his new album will land on next Monday’s charts. Y’all know Gotye‘s Making Mirrors is pretty much set to come out on top, I mean, he’ll at least debut at #2 if he’s unable to mount the gargantuan Adele. Gotyemania is already heating up this week with his last studio album – 2006’s Like Drawing Blood – reaching a new peak of #12.
Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera‘s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ is still surprisingly cock blocked from reaching the top, staggering at #2 in Australia after oh so many weeks of loitering about. ‘Moves Like Jagger’ may be the most downloaded song in America but it’s also stalling similarly at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has already ascended to #1 position in New Zealand last week and over in the UK, it debuts at #3 this week. ‘MVJ’ is the most played song on Australian radios this week. What I find interesting about the airplay charts is that the Top 5 most played songs in every capital and major city is vastly different to each other and sometimes almost estranged from the overall nation-wide tally.
In Sydney, ‘Moves Like Jagger’ is moving out – their most played song this week is Calvin Harris and Kelis‘ ‘Bounce’, incidentally also the #1 club song in Australia. Sydney airwaves have some of the strongest concentration of dance music anywhere in the country. This week, they’re the only city to have Alexandra Stan‘s ‘Mr Saxobeat’, Cobra Starship feat. Sabi‘s ‘You Make Me Feel’ and David Guetta feat. Ludacris and Taio Cruz‘s ‘Little Bad Girl’ in their Top 10. The radio support for the latter two reflected favourably on their overall ARIA chart performance with Cobra Starship debuting at #31 and Guetta et al re-entering the digital charts at #18.
Here in Melbourne, ‘Moves Like Jagger’ dominates the airwaves and unlike the rest of the nation, we’re still keeping Katy Perry‘s ‘Last Friday Night (TGIF)’ and Lady Gaga‘s ‘The Edge of Glory’ on Top 5 rotation.
Brisbane radios love them some Jessica Mauboy ‘Inescapable’ – it’s the second most played song there this week, giving it more priority than any other Australian city. ‘Inescapable’ holds tight to #4 position on the ARIA charts while her Get ‘Em Girls album make a triumphant re-entry this week at #9, thanks to the new beefed up two-disc deluxe edition. It’s a huge feat for Jess once again to still be the nation’s best selling female solo popstar. Just take a look around – there are no other homegrown solo pop artists around the Top 50 mark. Bossbitch.
Eskimo Joe‘s Ghosts of The Past debuts at #3 in Australia to become the highest selling new album this week. The single ‘Love Is A Drug’ starts charting at #38, enjoying the strongest radio support in Perth this last week. Elsewhere, speaking of our fellow countrymen – Shannon Noll‘s comeback single ‘Switch Me On’ may have yet to crack the ARIA Top 50 or even the Australian digital Top 40 but he’s #1 on the Gold Coast airplay charts. Golf claps for Nolly.
I really think it’s time for a video break, there’s been too many texts scrolling down. Eskimo Joe‘s ‘Love Is A Drug’ video, anyone? *slurps drink loudly*
David Guetta and Sia‘s ‘Titanium’ bullets through to #10 in Australia this week – making this Sia‘s first Top 10 entry ever. Good to see that Guetta’s local label is wasting no time with this track, sending it off to radios despite ‘Titanium’ only being initially issued as just an iTunes digital promo to foreshadow his album release.
‘Titanium’ is the third most added new song to Australian radios this week. In the US, the single enters the Billboard Hot 100 at #66. Needless to say this is Sia‘s first time on the chart. She’s had two US Top 40 albums and two Top 30 dance singles but this is shaping up to be a proper mainstream single success, y’all. Over in the UK, ‘Titanium’ tumbles out of the Top 30 after just two weeks. Further down, Guetta’s new digital promo single ‘Lunar’ – an instrumental dance track with Afrojack – debuts at #90.
Jason DeRulo‘s dreadful new single ‘It Girl’ debuts at #16 here and #39 on the US Billboard Hot 100 this week. I’m sorry y’all. Sometimes doing my Monday breakfast radio segment is the only time I experience what most daytime radio listeners have to endure and today when ‘It Girl’ came on – mmph! Let me tell you, it was bleak.
Lady Gaga‘s ‘Yoü and I’ enters at #34 in Australia this week. Over in the US, the single re-enters the US Billboard Hot 100 at #96. Rejoice. Have y’all had the pleasure of line-dancing to this amazing Shania-friendly Mark Taylor remix yet?
Dolly would be proud:
Calvin Harris still rules the Australian club charts with ‘Bounce’ but his follow up single ‘Feels So Close’ is one of the biggest movers there this week, leaping from #34 to #8. Looking further down, there’s a huge selection of new impacting dance tunes on the Australian club scene. Highlights include Denzal Park‘s ‘Militia’ (#26), The Potbelleez‘Midnight Midnight’ (#31), David Guetta/Sia‘s ‘Titanium (#35) and finally, mah gurl Wynter Gordon‘s ‘Buy My Love (Chuckie Remix)’ entering at #47. Yes!
Emeli Sandé‘s superb single ‘Heaven’ debuts at #2 in the UK in what’s evidently been a mad-rush of a week for three strong new releases. The UK Top 3 this week is all taken up by new records with Wretch 32 feat. Josh Kumra‘s ‘Don’t Go’ taking the top spot.
But back to Ms Sandé – her time as a solo artist has been a long time coming. She has appeared on two UK Top 10 smashes – first on Chipmunk‘s ‘Diamond Rings’ and then on Roll Deep‘s ‘Never Be Your Woman’. She has written for the likes of Tinie Tempah, Cheryl Cole, Susan Boyle, Cher Lloyd and Leona Lewis – excelling in soulful compositions. It’s great that she’s such a gifted writer and all, but I really hope she finds success as a recording artist too.
Watch her stunning video for ‘Heaven’:
Joe Jonas‘ new single ‘See No More’ debuts at #53 in the UK this week. Expect this to pick up when he joins Britney on her Femme Fatale tour of Europe in the coming weeks. Back in the States, dude hasn’t bettered his Billboard Hot 100 peak of #92 and he’s just starting to prove to all of us that even the mighty Jonas reputation isn’t always as bankable as it seems.
Nero scores a UK #1 debut with their first album Welcome To Reality intercepting the almighty Amy Winehouse and Adele tandem ruling. Dub step is definitely the flavour of the moment right now and Nero’s the latest success story for the electronica sub genre. Their single ‘Promises’ broke out at #1 last week, making it the second dub step single to ever top the UK charts. The pioneering single only came last month when DJ Fresh‘s ‘Louder’ ascended to the top. It’s no surprise that everyone’s jumping on board and clamouring for a Skrillex remix – or the like – these days. Even young Cher Lloyd‘s in on it with her dub step inflected ‘Swagger Jagger’ remixes and rather blatant follow up single ‘Dub On The Track’ set to impact soon.
Jedward‘s second album Victory enters at #34 in the UK this week. Remember when nobody even wanted to sign them for any more than two singles? Look how times have changed for X Factor‘s stylised Twiddle-dee and Twiddle-dum. The pair were inducted into the Celebrity Big Brother house last week and once again, you gotta hand it to Louis Walsh for making cringeworthy decisions work for these two. Jedward’s Victory contains the singles ‘Lipstick’ and ‘Bad Behaviour’ – and was entirely produced by DEEKAY, the team behind records for Sugababes (circa Change), Joe McElderry and even K-pop bands like TVXQ and Girls’ Generation.
Watch Jedward‘s latest music video ‘Bad Behaviour’ featuring a cameo from Piggy Perez:
Kelly Rowland‘s Here I Am dips on the UK urban charts to #26 this week. It’ll be interesting to see how her album fares on next Monday’s charts – I mean, by the grace of Beysus, it could even crack the UK Top 100! She’s practically new TV royalty there now, if the strong ratings for X Factor‘s season premiere was anything to go by. 12 million people tuned in to watch Kelendria judge, flirt with Gary and sass out a rude contestant on Saturday night. I doubt she’ll be doing very much else in the UK apart from the show because she’s got a tour to hit up with Chris Brown over in the States soon. Back in America, Here I Am falls out of the Top 20 in just three weeks – landing itself at #24.
Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne has entered at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 200 as expected, pulling over 436,000 first week sales. Scanning the globe, the album has also gone #1 in Canada and Norway, and managed to go Top 3 in the UK, Australia, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Evanescence‘s comeback single ‘What You Want’ debuts at #68 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It’s been one hell of a campaign to get these guys back to mainstream attention and it seems like their team’s working the social networking sites to great effect. Billboard reports that during the single’s debut week, Evanescence gained 110,000 Facebook fans and 5,600 Twitter followers. Streaming media from Facebook and Myspace were also factored into their overall comeback success – with ‘What You Want’ garnering over 100,000 plays on Facebook and 10,000 on Myspace.
Britney Spears claims her third consecutive #1 US dance single with ‘I Wanna Go’ leapfrogging Kylie‘s ‘Put Your Hands Up’ to the top spot. Femme Fatale is so far Britney’s second album to ever have all its singles go #1 on the American dance charts. You might’ve guessed that the other was her equally fierce Blackout album. So whatever that fourth Femme Fatale single is, don’t fuck it up.
Elsewhere on the dance charts, major movers include Leona Lewis/Avicii‘s ‘Collide’ (#22), Luciana‘s ‘I’m Still Hot’ (#23) and Jennifer Hudson‘s ‘No One Gonna Love You’ (#33) – all moving at least 10 places up. That’s nice about the J Hud song but really, it’s only gonna clear the dance floor when everybody hears what she’s offering on David Guetta‘s ‘Night of Your Life’ [see above]. The song serves as the French DJ/producer’s third and final digital promo single to precede the release of Nothing But The Beat.
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