With 2013 quickly approaching, it’s time for me to share my third annual “Top 50 Songs of…” list. And the Top 50 Songs of 2012, according to yours truly, are…
1. “Sweet Nothing” – Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch
2. “Scream & Shout” – will.i.am featuring Britney Spears
3. “One More Night” – Maroon 5
4. “Die Young” – Ke$ha
5. “Synthesizer” – The Cataracs
6. “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen
7. “I Will Wait” – Mumford & Sons
8. “Some Nights” – Fun.
9. “Dirty Bass” – Far East Movement featuring Tyga
10. “Locked Out of Heaven” – Bruno Mars
11. “Home” – Phillip Phillips
12. “Pound the Alarm” – Nicki Minaj
13. “Don’t Wake Me Up” – Chris Brown
14. “What Makes You Beautiful” – One Direction
15. “The Night Out” (A-Trak Remix) – Martin Solveig
16. “Let’s Have a Kiki” – Scissor Sisters
17. “Starships” – Nicki Minaj
18. “Alcohol” – The Cataracs
19. “Chasing the Sun” – The Wanted
20. “Bright Lights Bigger City/Magic” – The Treblemakers
21. “Let’s Go” – Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo
22. “Right Round” – The Treblemakers featuring My Name Is Kay
23. “Back in Time” – Pitbull
24. “The Sign/Eternal Flame/Turn the Beat Around” – The Barden Bellas
25. “I Need Your Love” – Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding
26. “Don’t You Worry Child” – Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin
27. “It’s Time” – Imagine Dragons
28. “Diamonds” – Rihanna
29. “Payphone” – Maroon 5
30. “Make It Nasty” – Tyga
31. “Feel So Close” – Calvin Harris
32. “We Are Young” – Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe
33. “Too Close” – Alex Clare
34. “Gangnam Style” – PSY
35. “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)” – Ne-Yo
36. “Here I Am Alive” – Yellowcard
37. “Respect” – Melanie Amaro
38. “I Don’t Like You” – Eva Simons
39. “Mercy” – Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz
40. “Don’t Stop the Party” – Pitbull featuring TJR
41. “Beez in the Trap” – Nicki Minaj
42. “All Around the World” – Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris
43. “Scream” – Usher
44. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” – Taylor Swift
45. “In My Trunk” – Dev
46. “Ho Hey” – The Lumineers
47. “Live My Life” – Far East Movement featuring Justin Bieber
48. “Set It Off” – Timomatic
49. “Somebody That I Used to Know” – Goyte
50. Dance Again” – Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
I always have a few songs that just miss the cut. Honorable mentions this year include: “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men, “I Cry” by Flo Rida, “Greyhound” by Swedish House Mafia, “Earthquakey People” by Steve Aoki featuring Rivers Cuomo, and ”I’m On a Roll” by Stefano featuring New Boyz & Rock Mafia.
Last year, I was all about David Guetta. This year, I’m really diggin’ Calvin Harris (below). Not only did “Sweet Nothing” featuring Florence Welch snag the #1 spot, but I also included a number of his other songs from “18 Months.” Those songs are: “Feel So Close,” “Let’s Go” featuring Ne-Yo, and “I Need Your Love” featuring Ellie Goulding. In addition to “18 Months,” some of my other favorite albums from 2012 are: “Overexposed” by Maroon 5, “Some Nights” by Fun., and ”Gordo Taqueria” by The Cataracs. Speaking of The Cataracs, I was really upset to hear they broke up, but Niles is gonna hold down the fort, thankfully. As long as he’s producing beats, I’ll be jamming to them!
Image Source: SFGate.com
On top of Calvin Harris, I’ve also taken a liking to Ellie Goulding (below) and Mumford & Sons. I really think Ellie Goulding’s gonna blow up in 2013. I’ve been listening to her 2011 album, “Lights“, nonstop and I absolutely love it. I don’t know why I haven’t listened to her new album, Halcyon, yet, but if it’s half as good as “Lights,” then I know I’ll love it. Now, I know Mumford & Sons has been around for awhile, but I’ve been hearing more and more of them lately. I’ve somewhat recently become obsessed with their song, “I Will Wait,” which made my Top 10. I’ve been listening to their new album, Babel, and I really like it. I’ve gotta dig through the archives and start listening to some of Mumford’s older stuff, too.
Image Source: Mixmag.net
As a first for my “Top 50 Songs of…” list, three songs from a movie soundtrack made the cut. What makes this different is that the songs were actually sung by the actors/actresses in the movie. They’re not just “theme” songs that appear on the soundtrack. If you couldn’t guess by now, the movie I’m talking about is Pitch Perfect, one of my favorite movies from 2012. All of the songs are covers/mashups and they’re sung by a capella groups — The Treblemakers and The Barden Bellas. I honestly enjoy some of the covers (i.e. “Bright Lights Bigger City”) better than the original songs. I think The Treblemakers and The Barden Bellas need to become a reality because, let’s be serious, I’d listen to their music and I know a lot of other people who would, too. At least give us a sequel, please.
Photo Source: E! Online
Quick shout out to Britney Spears and Ke$ha (above), who both placed in my Top 5. Happy to see/hear they both have new songs out. Ke$ha recently released a new album, “Warrior,” and Britney Spears is “working hard” on a new album, according to MTV.com. They’ve been favorites of mine over the years and they never disappoint.
Happy New Year, everyone! Whether you’re going out or having a kiki, be safe and have fun! As I do every year, I’ve made many memories to numerous songs in 2012 and I’m excited to make more memories to new songs in 2013, starting tonight!
What were your favorite songs/artists of 2012? Were there any songs you think should’ve made the list, but didn’t? Who do you think we should be watching out for in 2013? Feel free to leave your comments below!
It’s that time of the year… DJ Earworm (more formally known as Jordan Roseman) has released his annual “United State of Pop” mashup. This year’s mashup is titled “Shine Brighter” and it already has over two million views on YouTube.
“Shine Brighter” features artists, like: Taylor Swift, Ke$ha, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Fun., Maroon 5, Rihanna, One Direction, Alex Clare, Carly Rae Jepsen, Gotye, Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Ellie Goulding, The Wanted, PSY, Kelly Clarkson, Adele, and Phillip Phillips.
And yes, for those of you wondering, “Gangnam Style” and “Call Me Maybe” made the cut. I mean, it wouldn’t have been 2012 without them, right? See the video below.
In terms of the process, DJ Earworm tells ChicagoMag.com that he does “about a month of solid work, two weeks of super hard work on the audio then two weeks for the video.” Well, DJ Earworm, I think your hours of hard work always pay off. This year’s mashup was awesome, as was the video.
What did you think of “Shine Brighter”? Any songs left out that you think should’ve been included?
After being featured in “Like A G6” by Far East Movement, I was intrigued by Dev and I needed to see what she was all about. Since then, I’ve become a big fan of hers with songs like “Bass Down Low” and “Booty Bounce,” and more recently, “In The Dark” and “Naked.” When my friend, Justin, told me that Dev was performing at The Gramercy Theatre, I was sold. I looked for tickets online and discovered that Outasight and Wynter Gordon were opening for her… is it possible to be sold twice? Well, I was. For me, it’s rare to find a concert where you know/like each artist who’s performing… I was on this like white on rice. I bought tickets in a heartbeat (literally within minutes after I found out about it).
After waiting a bit, the DJ finally appeared on stage, getting ready to announce the first performer. I was getting ready to see Wynter Gordon or Outasight pop out, but instead… there stood Nina Sky. Whaaat? Remember them? I mean, I wasn’t complaining. Apparently, they’re releasing a new EP, “The Other Side,” and they graced us with a little preview. They were a nice surprise/warmup to the concert. Plus, they played their popular song, “Move Ya Body,” which was a nice blast from the past. They also played a cover of “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child.
After Nina Sky, there were no more surprises (well, performers wise). Next up was Wynter Gordon. When she came out, not only did she look amazing, but she sounded amazing, too! My friend and I couldn’t get over how excellent she sounded… it was like I was listening to her on my iTunes. She started her set with “Til Death,” which was awesome, and then she went on to perform “Dirty Talk,” which is probably her best-known song. I died a little (in a good way). She sang some covers, too. She started singing an acoustic-like version of Rihanna‘s “We Found Love,” but she quickly kicked it up a notch and things got bumpin’. I loved it… there was great energy (from her and the audience). She also sang a cover of No Doubt‘s “Just A Girl.” She ended with this beautiful song in another language, but I can’t remember the name of it. Overall, Wynter Gordon was simply amazing. She’s beautiful, she has an amazing voice, she had a fun/sweet personality, and she was so grateful. Oh, and her mother was at the show… I wanted to tell her that she has a wonderful daughter.
Next up was Outasight. I’ve been obsessed with one of his (yes, ‘his,’ not ‘their’) songs, “Figure 8,” for awhile now. He played it and I was lovin’ every second of it. I’m also a huge fan of his song “Tonight Is The Night,” probably his best-known song. It’s on the radio so everyone went wild when this one came on. He played a handful of other songs, too. Man, can this guy spit rhymes. Props.
Now, for the main act… Dev! She came out on stage and she looked great (especially after having a baby somewhat recently). The setlist went as follows (with a few surprises in between): “Getaway,” “Bass Down Low,” “Kiss My Lips,” “Booty Bounce,” “Don’t Hurt It,” “Me,” “Lightspeed,” “Perfect Match,” “Take Her From You,” “Shadows,” “Naked,” “Breathe,” and last, but certainly not least, “In The Dark.” Since her new CD, “The Night The Sun Came Up,” debuted the day before the concert, I only had a chance to preview the songs. From the new CD, I was really feelin’ “Kiss My Lips,” and “Breathe.” “In My Trunk” is another good one, but she didn’t perform that one. Overall, she sounded really great, whether she was singing or rapping… or just standing there. In addition to her songs, she’s featured in many songs, such as “Like A G6″ by Far East Movement and “Backseat” by New Boyz, which were two more songs she performed. As you might know, “Like A G6″ is my JAM. I went a bit crazy when she started singing this. I thought she was just gonna preview it a little since it’s Far East Movement’s song, but she definitely did it justice and I love her even more for that. She also did a fun, little cameo performance of “Dance (A$$)” by Big Sean featuring Nicki Minaj. Finally, she wrapped up with “In The Dark” and it was amazing. Dev’s on-stage presecene was perfect and it just added to her overall pleasurable performance. When she was doing her thing on stage, she really looked like she was enjoying herself, which in turn, makes the audience enjoy themselves. Dev makes me smile.
Overall, Dev is a great performer and I’d highly recommend going to see her on tour if she’s visiting a city near you (check out her new CD, too)! Same goes for Wynter Gordon and Outasight… great show all around! 5/5 stars for this concert. It’s one of those shows that you enter liking the performers, but you leave liking them 10 times more. I’m definitely a bigger fan of these three amazing artists.
Get out your bread and peanut butter because it’s been awhile since my last iPod Update and I’ve got some JAMs for you. See what I did there? Here we go…
“Sunrise” – Dev featuring The Cataracs
“Wild Boy” – MGK featuring Wacka Flocka
“Naked” – Dev featuring Enrique Iglesias
“The Motto” – Drake featuring Lil Wayne
“Levels” – Avicii
“Blackout” – Breathe Carolina
“Bang Bang” – 3OH!3
“Heartbeat” – The Fray
“Party On Fifth Ave” – Mac Miller
“Fade Into Darkness” – Avicii
“Rock n Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain) – SKRILLEX
“Star” – Christopher S featuring Max Urban
“Freak” – Klaas featuring Bobybangers
“Tonight Is The Night” – Outasight
“Rolling In The Deep (Remix)” – Lil Wayne
“Wild Ones” – Flo Rida featuring Sia
“Don’t Stop (TheFatRat Remix)” – Foster The People
“Not Over” – Bag Raiders
“Bring Night” – Sia
“Still Getting Younger” – Wynter Gordon
“Given Up” – Linkin Park
“Watching Him Watch You” – Eric Hutchinson
“Latinos In Paris” – Pitbull & Sensato featuring Jay-Z & Kanye West
“Ass Back Home” – Gym Class Heroes featuring Neon Hitch
“La Boquilla (Remix)” – Bomba Estereo
“Howlin’ For You” – The Black Keys
“Want U Back” – Cher Lloyd featuring Astro
“I’m On You” – Timati featuring P. Diddy, DJ Antoine & Dirty Money
“Prutataaa” – Afrojack & R3hab
“Synthesizer” – The Cataracs
“So Much Love” – Fedde Le Grande
“Antidote” – Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party
“Stupid Hoe” – Nicki Minaj
“Rock The Boat” – Bob Sinclair featuring Pitbull, Dragonfly & Fatman Scoop
“Earthquakey People” – Steve Aoki featuring Rivers Cuomo
“Troublemaker” – Taio Cruz
“Rack City” – Tyga
“Bad Girls” – M.I.A.
“I Am Not Drunk” – Benny Benassi
“Show Me Your Rage” – Afrojack
“Colors” – April Smith & The Great Picture Show
“Booty Swing” – Parov Stelar
“In My Trunk” – Dev
“Starships” – Nicki Minaj
“OOOYEA” – The Cataracs
“We Run The Night” – Havana Brown featuring Pitbull
“Mr. Mister” – Sato Goldschlag featuring Wynter Gordon
“Live My Life” – Far East Movement featuring Justin Bieber
“Ladi Dadi” – Steve Aoki featuring Wynter Gordon
“Feel So Close” – Calvin Harris
“Set It Off” – Timomatic
“Respect” – Melanie Amaro
Told you it’s been awhile, hence the long list.
As per usual, I’m loving new songs by Dev and The Cataracs (I always feel the need to mention them together). “Sunrise” is a good one by Dev and The Cataracs, but I assure you they’re just as good by themselves. Dev’s “In My Trunk” is a recent jam of mine and so is The Cataracs’ “Synthesizer.” On the topic of Dev, I’m going to see her live later this month with Wynter Gordon and Outasight! These three are some of my favorite musical artists, actually, and I’m so pumped to see them all together. With that said, I found two new songs by Wynter that I really liked: “Mr. Mister” with Sato Goldschlag and “Ladi Dadi” with Steve Aoki. As for Outasight, “Tonight Is The Night” is a really great song.
What’s one of these posts without mentioning Far East Movement? They just released a new song, “Live My Life,” featuring The Biebs. I’m super excited for FEM’s new CD, Dirty Bass, which should be coming out soon. I foresee a bunch of fun collaborations. In addition to Dev, Wynter Gordon, and Outasight, I’m also seeing Far East Movement in concert with LMFAO in June! I’ve seen LMFAO in concert before (with Ke$ha) and they were awesome. I can only imagine how amazing this concert’s gonna be since these two groups are definitely in my Top 5 list.
I also have to give a shot out to Nicki Minaj for her new single, “Starships.” This’ll definitely be a good springtime jam. I’m also really diggin’ her controversial song, “Stupid Hoe.” I mean, it’s repetitive, so I like it. She never ceases to amaze me everyone. You can hate, but I still love her.
The other day, I was reading an article on Mashable with the following headline: “Use YouTube As a Music Player With Tubalr.” What’s Tubalr, you ask? I asked myself the same thing.
After reading the article, I learned that Tublar is a web application, created by Cody Stewart, which allows you to use YouTube as your own personal DJ in a way. Simply go to www.tubalr.com and type in the name of any artist. After doing so, the app will create a playlist made up of the top YouTube videos for that particular artist. Not only do you get to listen to the top songs by your favorite artists, but you get to watch the music videos, too (if you want). Additionally, there’s a “similar” button that you can press. When you press this button after entering an artist into the search bar, the app will compile a playlist of YouTube videos by the artist you typed in and related artists. For example, I typed in “Far East Movement,” pressed the “similar” button and my playlist included videos by The Cataracs, Flo Rida, New Boyz, Dev and more. Spot on, if you ask me. I also saw a number of artists that I had never heard of before, which I actually really liked. I think this might be one of my new favorite tools to find new jams.
Cody Stewart, the founder and crafter of Tubalr, was awesome enough to answer some questions I had for him. See blow!
What made you choose the name “Tubalr” for this particular web application?
The name came from a play off the words tubular (surfer slang for rad/cool/awesome) and tuba (the instrument). I kinda just mashed the two words together and liked it. People find it hard to pronounce, but I simply think of it as “tuba-ler”.
What was your inspiration behind Tubalr?
I was getting closer to graduating undergrad and I really didnt have much to show off, as far as experience. I remember my mentors telling me to start coding and get something working and showable. That was the big motivation behind Tubalr. The idea for the app itself was inspired by watching a few HD music videos on Facebook one day; I thought it would be rad to have those play back-to-back while doing other things.
Have you thought about bringing Tubalr to mobile devices?
It would take a good bit of time to port it over to a native iOS device. If the time presents itself to learn a new language, I might give it a shot. For now, though, the app “kinda” works on iOS devices via Safari. I use it daily when riding the train to work.
Name some of the artists/bands you have in your “My Favs” section.
Tool, Nine Inch Nails, How to Destroy Angels, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Iron and Wine, Band of Horses, John Frusciante and Nirvana.
Do you have any plans to add new features to Tubalr in the future?
There are tons of things I’d love to add to Tubalr, which I’ll hopefully get around to at some point. I’d like to give users the ability to “ban” videos from ever playing once they’re logged in. I’d maybe even like to customize their logged in experience with custom backgrounds and colors. Sharing single videos is something I’d like to add in as well, and think it would open up more sharing in general.
Do you have plans to create additional applications in the future?
I’m always trying to think of apps that would be fun to make, not sure if I’ll ever stop. For now, though, I plan on devoting as much time as I can to Tubalr to make sure its users are happy. I’m also working on an app called Soloqueue, a resource for League of Legends players. It’s another fun project that I get use out of, being a player myself.
Thanks again to Cody for stopping by Far Eric Movement!
Be sure to follow @tubalr on Twitter and “like” it on Facebook. Be sure to follow @codyjackstewart on Twitter, too!
Lastly, be sure to register here in order to save playlists and whatnot.
Yet another year has gone by and my favorite way to remember all the good times I’ve had is to attach those memories with the songs I’ve grown to love along the way (i.e. “Party Rock Anthem” = Boardy Barn, ”We Found Love” = moving to Hoboken, etc.).
2. “We Found Love” – Rihanna
3. “Till The World Ends” – Britney Spears
4. “Turn Me On” – David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj
5. “In The Dark” – Dev
6. “Jello” – Far East Movement
7. “I Wanna Go” – Britney Spears
8. “Moves Like Jagger” – Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
9. “Give Me Everything” – Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer
10. “Sexy And I Know It” – LMFAO
11. “You Make Me Feel…” – Cobra Starship featuring Sabi
12. “Where Have You Been” – Rihanna
13. “Good Feeling” – Flo Rida
14. “N*ggas In Paris” – Jay-Z & Kanye West
15. “Backseat” – New Boyz featuring The Cataracs & Dev
16. “Took My Love” – Pitbull featuring Red Foo, Vein & David Rush
17. “Levels” – Avicii
18. “Pause” – Pitbull
19. “Little Bad Girl” – David Guetta featuring Taio Cruz
20. “Where Them Girls At” – David Guetta featuring Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj
21. “Night Of Your Life” – David Guetta featuring Jennifer Hudson
22. “Beautiful People” – Chris Brown featuring Benny Benassi
23. “On The Floor” – Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
24. “Champagne Showers” – LMFAO
25. “Glad You Came” – The Wanted
26. “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” – Britney Spears featuring Sabi
27. “The Motto” – Drake featuring Lil Wayne
28. “Look At Me Now” – Chris Brown featuring Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne
29. “S&M” (Remix) – Rihanna featuring Britney Spears
30. “Pass At Me” – Timbaland featuring Pitbull & David Guetta
31. “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)” – will.i.am featuring Jennifer Lopez & Mick Jagger
32. “Stereo Hearts” – Gym Class Heroes featuring Adam Levine
33. “Did It On’em” – Nicki Minaj
34. “I Can Only Imagine” – David Guetta featuring Chris Brown & Lil Wayne
35. “Tonight Is The Night” – Outasight
36. “Drop It Low” – Kat Deluna
37. “If I Was You (OMG)” – Far East Movement featuring Snoop Dogg
38. “What You Want” – Evanescence
39. “Mr. Saxobeat” – Alexandra Stan
40. “Big Fat Bass” – Britney Spears featuring will.i.am
41. “Dance A$$” (Remix) – Big Sean featuring Nicki Minaj
42. “Champion” (Matt Nash & Dave Silcox Remix) – Chipmunk featuring Chris Brown
43. “Figure 8″ – Outasight
44. “Super Bass” – Nicki Minaj
45. “Pumped Up Kicks” – Foster The People
46. “Don’t Wanna Go Home” – Jason Derulo
47. “Hit The Lights” – Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
48. “Sweat” – David Guetta featuring Snoop Dogg
49. “Don’t Stop The Party” – Black Eyed Peas
50. “Someone Like You” – Adele
Honorable mentions include: “It Will Rain” and “The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars, “Cheers” by Rihanna featuring Avril Lavigne, “Headlines” by Drake, “Save The World” by Swedish House Mafia, “Man Down” by Rihanna, “Rise Above” by Reeve Carney featuring Bono & The Edge, “Suave (Kiss Me) by Nayer and “On Display” by Melissa Gorga (I had to).
My favorite album of the year was definitely “Nothing But The Beat” by David Guetta, closely followed by “Femme Fatale” by Britney Spears. Can we expect more hits from these two music moguls in 2012? I really hope so. These two artists have really become favorites of mine this year.
Time for some other shout outs. I was particularly happy for Dev this year with her debut album, “The Night The Sun Came Up,” which features “In the Dark.” Also, congratulations to her on becoming a mom just recently! I think we’ll be seeing more of her in 2012, along with her collaboration buddies, The Cataracs, who will be coming out with a new album in 2012 (obviously very excited about that). I was also super pumped to hear Far East Movement’s new single, “Jello,” which is a great sign of what’s to come in their second studio album, “Dirty Bass,” which we can also expect in 2012. Rihanna made an awesome comeback, in my opinion, with songs like “We Found Love,” “Where Have You Been” “Cheers (Drink To That),” “Man Down” and “Talk That Talk.” As always, I love Pitbull… he can do no wrong, which is why he’s featured multiple times on my list.
I think Maroon 5 and Cobra Starship came out with some pretty catchy/different music this year. I’m interested to see if they have anything else up their sleeves for 2012.
Now, for some more 2012 predictions. I think Outasight will become more popular 2012. I love their songs, “Figure 8” and “Tonight Is The Night.” I hope to see more of them. I know Avicii‘s already decently popular, but he really caught my attention this year for some reason. I think he’ll be one of the DJs to look out for in 2012. I think Sabi might be an artist to watch out for as well. She’s been featured in Britney Spears’ “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” and Cobra Starship’s “You Make Me Feel…,” but I’ve heard some of her solo songs, like “Goodnight” and “Wild Heart,” and she’s got it goin’ on. Lastly, Pitbull’s righthand woman, Nayer, seems to be coming out of the woodwork, especially with the release of her single, “Suave (Kiss Me).”
What were some of your favorite songs, albums and artists in 2011? Any songs you think I missed? Let me know! As you should know, I love new music suggestions.
It’s been about two months since my last iPod Update. Unacceptable. To make up for it, I assure you that there are some real gems in this batch.
“Rumour Has It” – Adele
“I Like How It Feels” – Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull
“No Beef” – Afrojack
“Carry Out The Rude Boy” – Timbaland & Justin Timberlake vs. Rihanna
“Dance (A$$) (Remix)” – Big Sean featuring Nicki Minaj
“Domino” – Jessie J.
“Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites” – SKRILLEX
“Goodnight” – Sabi
“Hangover” – Taio Cruz
“Jello” – Far East Movement featuring Rye Rye
“Where Have You Been” – Rihanna
“Talk That Talk” – Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
“F***ing Best Song Ever” – Wallpaper
“Where You Wanna Go” – Mischa Daniels featuring J-Son
“T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever) – will.i.am featuring Jennifer Lopez & Mick Jagger
“All Night Disco Party” – Brakes
“Next 2 You” – Chris Brown featuring Justin Bieber
“I Like It Like That” – Hot Chelle Rae
After watching the performance of “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)” by will.i.am, Jennifer Lopez and (virtual) Mick Jagger during the American Music Awards, this song definitely caught my ear. It slowly made its way onto my iPod and, now, I have it playing on repeat.
Another song I’ve been playing on repeat is “Jello” by Far East Movement featuring Rye Rye. It’s their newest song and I’m loving it. I’m definitely excited for their second studio album, which better be coming out sooner than later. It looks like the group is on tour overseas through March, but I’m hoping they’ll come back to the US for some more shows in the spring!
I thought “We Found Love” by Rihanna was an awesome song, but then I heard ”Where Have You Been.” Don’t get me wrong, I still love “We Found Love,” but I actually think I might like “Where Have You Been” more. It has a really sick beat that’s sure to bob your head.
Here’s a handful of great, new jams, many of which I can thank Spotify for!
“We Found Love” – Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
“Someone Like You” – Adele
“Sexy And I Know It” – LMFAO
“Relax” – Das Racist
“Pass At Me” – Timbaland featuring Pitbull & David Guetta
“Frontal” – Afrojack
“Cars, Money and Fame” – Timeflies
“Who’s That Boy?” – Demi Lovato featuring Dev
“All Night Long” – Demi Lovato featuring Missy Elliott & Timbaland
“Pumped Up Kids” – Foster the People
“Cheers (Drink to That)” – Rihanna
“Good Feeling” – Flo Rida
“Maximal Crazy” – Tiesto
My favorite song on this list would definitely have to be “We Found Love” by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Rihanna’s not-as-good slower-paced songs recently, but the old RiRi definitely came back for this new single. If this is any indication of Rihanna’s next CD, I’m excited.
Another great song is “Pass At Me” by Timbaland featuring Pitbull & David Guetta. This is an all-star collaboration right here… legitimately three of my favorite artists in one song. Yes, it’s as good as you’d think it’d be. Check out the video. More collaborations in the future, please?
Last shout out goes to LMFAO and their music video for “Sexy And I Know It.” It’s quite entertaining, as usual. I mean, c’mon, it’s LMFAO… what else would you expect from them? They’re never a letdown.
In the video, E!’s Michael Yo interviews Far East Movement, which includes some talk about the group’s second studio album. Their first studio album, Free Wired, is amazing and I’m really excited to see what Far East Movement has in store for the (near) future. In the interview, the group mentions that they’ve been in the studio with David Guetta, they’ve been talking to Lil Wayne and they’re huge Pitbull fans. If all three of these artists make the cut for FEM’s second album, I could only imagine the amazingness that will come from it.
Starting in November, Far East Movement will be on tour with LMFAO and other guests… unfortunately (for me), the tour is in Canada. Lucky Canadians! I can only hope that they’ll be going on tour in the US sometime soon, especially with their new album on the horizon. I think it would be so cool to see them on tour with The Cataracs and Dev. It would be epic. I can’t imagine seeing all of them perform “Like a G6” live. I’d die.
Back in July, my friend, Emma, bought us (our friend, Emily, and I) tickets to go see Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias in the 2011 Euphoria Tour… definitely one of the best Birthday presents ever. After much waiting, we finally made our way to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night and we couldn’t be more excited. The three of us are huge Pitbull fans, which was basically the driving force behind getting these tickets.
The concert started really late, but Prince Royce finally took the stage at around 8:15-8:30pm, when the concert was supposed to start at 7pm. Prince Royce was the opener and he was OK… not really my cup of tea. I didn’t really know who he was, but I could get down with a few of his songs. He did his thing and that was that. Then, it was time to get ready for Pitbull. Dale!
After grabbing a drink at the Fire Lounge, it was time for Pitbull to shut it down. When he did, I was in all my glory. He performed so many songs, such as: “Culo,” “Shut It Down,” “Shake,” “I Know You Want Me,” “Move, Shake, Drop,” “Hotel Room Service,” “DJ Got Us Falling In Love,” “Bon Bon,” “Hey Baby,” “On the Floor,” “Give Me Everything,” “Mr. Right Now,” “Pause” and “Rain Over Me.” Pitbull does so many collaborations, so it was cool to see him perform a lot of those songs even though the other artists weren’t present. At one point, Pitbull brought Nayer on stage and she performed her new single, “Suave.” She also came back out to perform her part in “Give Me Everything” with Pitbull. It was a nice (surprise) guest appearance. Also, during “Pause,” some people from Zumba came out on stage to dance.
Pitbull has such a great stage presence… he’s a ball of energy. He definitely got everyone hyped up and man can he move. I saw Pitbull previously at Space in Florence, Italy, which was one of the best nights of my life. It’s safe to say that Pitbull has contributed yet another night to my “Best Night Ever” list after last Saturday’s concert. Honestly, I can’t wait to see him again next time he’s on tour. He’s gotta be one of my top five favorite musical artists. Just like LMFAO in the Get $leazy Tour, I could’ve happily left after seeing Pitbull, but there was no question that I was staying to see Enrique, of course.
When it was time for Enrique to perform, he started out with “Tonight” and “Dirty Dancer,” which was the perfect way to begin, in my opinion. Throughout his set, he pulled out some throwbacks, like “Bailamos,” “Be With You” and “Hero.” It was quite the blast from the past and I really enjoyed that he did that, especially since I was afraid that I wouldn’t know many of his songs. He played some slower Spanish songs too, which I didn’t know, but they were decent (also, a good opportunity to sit down and relax for a bit). The last song before his encore was “I Like It,” where Pitbull joined him on stage, which was one of the best parts of the concert. They had great chemistry… I wish they did more songs together, actually. Inflatable balls were bouncing around the arena at this point, along with confetti floating everywhere. It was quite the sight. For his encore, he performed “Tonight” again.
Enrique seemed like a really chill, down to Earth guy. At two points during the concert, he brought fans on stage. The first time, he brought a man on stage, letting him take the mic and perform a song of his choice in front of the entire crowd. For the second time, he brought a girl on stage and sang “Hero” to her. They started slow-dancing and at one point, she totally copped a feel. Enrique didn’t even care… it was hilarious. You can tell that he’s very appreciative of his fans and everything he’s been given. I’ll admit that my friends and I weren’t the biggest Enrique fans going into this concert, but after last night, we certainly are.
Overall, this concert was a blast… definitely one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. Like I said, Pitbull and Enrique had great energy on stage, both together and separately… they definitely knew how to keep the crowed pumped up and engaged. It was also my first time at Prudenital Center and I really enjoyed the location. I think it says a lot when someone can turn you into a fan after seeing them live, so I think this tour is 100% worth going to see.
