My Top Songs Of 2017

Hello and welcome to my last post of the year! 2017 has been a whirlwind of emotions and I feel honoured to have been able to have shared it with you. For this last post of 2017, I shall be repeating what I did last year with "My Top Songs Of 2017". However, instead of 10 songs, I shall be showing you twenty songs, all from my Spotify (excluding those which I have frequently listened to for education purposes or those who have been listened to other people). I shall be simply listing 20 - 11 before going into more detail in 10 - 6 and adding videos for 5 - 1. I shall also be finishing off the post with a list of my top 10 albums of this year (excluding EP's) in the place of my "Song Of The Week". I hope you enjoy!

My Top 20 Songs Of 2017 :
20. Sarah Close - Call Me Out
19. Descendants Cast - Ways To Be Wicked
18. Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry
17. Rag'n'Bone Man - Human
16. Kehlani - Distraction
15. Sam Smith - Pray
14. Camila Cabello - Crying In The Club
13. Louisa Johnson - Best Behaviour
12. Kehlani - CRZY
11. Shawn Mendes - Bad Reputation

10. Demi Lovato - Tell Me You Love Me
Starting off the top ten, we have Demi Lovato who I have been absolutely in love with this year. I am not surprised at all that she has two songs in the top 20 as her "Tell Me You Love Me" album has honestly been on repeat since the day it was released (more from that later). In particular, "Tell Me You Love Me" is such an empowering track that shows all of the soul and passion that Demi can express through her voice, making me fall in absolute love with it!

9. Frank Ocean - Ivy
If I am being honest, I don't think there is one bad thing I can say about Frank Ocean except from the fact that he does not release music frequently enough. His voice is phenomenal, his songs are phenomenal, his albums as a whole are phenomenal, there is not much that he can't do! One song that stuck out in particular to me was "Ivy" as the song is so raw and emotional, especially when he sang it back in July when I saw him live (still the best concert I have been to after Beyonce). If you haven't yet, get listening to Frank Ocean and his fantasticalness!

8. Sonny - Princess
If you have read this blog at any point during 2017, you should know that I have not stopped raving about Sonny and in particular "Princess". I am genuinely flabbergasted at how this is not higher up as I have not been able to stop listening to it this year! Considering he is only 17 (two years older than me), his voice is so soulful, incredible and unlike anything else that I have heard this year. If you somehow haven't listened to Sonny yet after hearing my continuous begging throughout the year for you to do so, please just give in and give this amazing artist a listen.

7. Sam Smith - Too Good At Goodbyes
In number seven we have Sam Smith who could possibly be my favourite artist to have released music this year, I cannot get enough of him (I cannot wait to see him at The O2 in April). To be completely honest, I think the only reason that "Too Good At Goodbyes" and the rest of "The Thrill Of It All" are not higher up in the chart is the fact that they were released so late into the year; if it was released any earlier than October, I think it could have easily been in the top three. "Too Good At Goodbyes" is so incredible and I just love the fact that Sam Smith is back and better than ever!

6. Sarah Close - Caught Up
Just missing out on the top five we have Sarah Close who I haven't gotten enough of this year. I have been a fan of hers for years now and the "Caught Up EP" (her first original offering) has been the soundtrack to my year. If I didn't have other people listening to my Spotify, I even think this song could've taken the top spot. "Caught Up" has been mentioned on my blog multiple times and when I met Sarah at her gig in September, my love for the song grew even stronger! If you have still never heard Sarah Close, please go over to her YouTube channel and listen to some of her stuff.

5. Anderson .Paak - Come Down
"Come Down" was featured in a "7 Songs You Should Listen To" post way back in February and I have loved the song ever since. When I saw Anderson Paak at Bruno Mars' concert back in April, he was phenomenal, especially for a support act. Anyways, the song is so upbeat and empowering and makes me want to dance whenever I listen to it just like the rest of his "Malibu" album, you should really give this song a listen and see whether you agree with me. The video is down below...

4. 5 After Midnight - Up In Here

In fourth place we have last year's X Factor exports 5 After Midnight with their debut single "Up In Here". The three boys were my favourite act throughout the entirety of last year's series and I am so happy they have released some amazing music (including a great EP which you should check out by the way). "Up In Here" is such an infectious song that just makes me want to sing and dance along whenever I listen and I really hope it gives off the same vibe to you when you hear it; you can do so by listening below; you will not regret it!

3. Camila Cabello Ft. Young Thug - Havana

With no surprise to be whatsoever, in bronze position we have Camila Cabello with the infectious "Havana". Ever since this song was released, I have not stopped listening to it, and neither has the rest of the UK by the looks of the song's five week reign at number one. The song is so catchy and was absolutely incredible live at the Radio 1 Teen Awards (home to Gemma Collins' amazing fall) where she headlined. If you have somehow not heard this song, listen to it below as I can guarantee you that you will thoroughly enjoy it.

2. Shawn Mendes - No Promises

In second place we have Shawn Mendes whose career has absolutely blossomed this year, winning awards all across the globe. I saw him live back in June and one of his best performances has to have been "No Promises"! The track is so upbeat and features not only great vocals but great guitar and piano playing from Shawn Mendes, making him differ from all of the other musicians this year. If you want a new album to listen to, I would highly recommend "Illuminate" as it features a range of different songs that tell a great story together. Please listen to "No Promises" below for a little taste of the album and all of its greatness.

1. Kehlani - In My Feelings

So in number one we have Kehlani with "In My Feelings" which, I am not going to lie, I am a little surprised to see in number one but then I think, the album containing the song ("SweetSexySavage") was released way back in January, meaning I had pretty much the whole year to listen to the track, and the rest of the album in fact. In particular, "In My Feelings" is a great song with some great vocals and easily one of my favourites from the album. If you feel like listening to something very different to the majority of mainstream music these days, listen to this song (down below) and the rest of Kehlani's "SweetSexySavage" album!

My Top 10 Albums Of 2017 :

10. American Teen by Khalid

9. Harry Styles by Harry Styles

8. Dua Lipa by Dua Lipa

7. Human by Rag'n'Bone Man

6. Mura Masa by Mura Masa

5. Melodrama by Lorde

4. SweetSexySavage by Kehlani

3. Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1 by Calvin Harris

2. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato

1. The Thrill Of It All by Sam Smith

So I hoped you enjoyed this year on this blog! Check back next year (aka the biggest year of my life) for bigger and better posts than you have ever seen before on this blog!

Little Mix's Glory Days Tour ~ 25/11/17

Hello and welcome to another blogpost! Today I shall be reviewing my time at Little Mix's latest tour which (spoiler alert) was incredible so I hope you enjoy!

On the 25th of November, I travelled down to The O2 in London to go and see Little Mix at their sold-out gig. As I was seated, there was luckily no queue meaning there was no rushing or chaos, creating a bizarre and tranquil experience. Even though I may have been seated on Level 4 (the highest tier at the arena), my seat was very good as I was directly opposite the stage and got a beautiful view of the entire arena and it's flashing lights.

After an hour or two of average support acts and waiting, it was finally time for Little Mix to come on to the stage and they were not disappointing at all. I brought the tickets to the concert a long time ago and the wait was unbearable but that did not bother me in the slightest as the four girls put on such a show that not only amazed me but the rest of the 20,000 people sharing the experience with me. All of their hour-and-a-half set was phenomenal and I just wish I could go back now.

Like I previously said, as I brought the tickets so long ago, I had hardly heard much of their "Glory Days" album live meaning I was chuffed to finally experience it live. In particular, I loved their opening song "Power" (which you all should know), "F.U." and "Reggaeton Lento" as they are all so different for the girls and really show how diverse they are trying to make their music. I can't really say any of the songs were unsettling though as each of their voices are so amazing and professional nowadays if you think back to when they were on X Factor.

One thing that was particularly special about the concert was the outfits that Little Mix donned throughout the gig. The concert started off with the four girls in black leather outfits of all kinds, showing their slim figures whilst leaving them not overheated on the stage which can get extremely hot. The girls then came on in some truly extraordinary colourful outfits (to your right) which you can only describe as a western/angelic crossover. This was easily my favourite outfit set of the night. After this, for their final outfits, the girls came out in some hauntingly beautiful skull-inspired outfits. These outfits even had bandanas covering their mouths, giving them a eery yet beautiful feel.

Furthermore, another great thing about the concert was how I managed to get some brilliant photos (as you have already seen), however, the picture to your right in particular is my favourite as I love how fierce the girls are in front of the almost-symmetrical fire, giving me empowering vibes; the picture is also my current lock screen on my phone. Referring back to the earlier paragraph, another great thing about the many outfit changes was that I got to capture several different great photos of the girls looking completely different to before, making me fall in love with the gig even more!

So overall, the concert was incredible and possibly the best of Little Mix's tours I have ever been to (and I have been to every single one). Even though I may have been high up in the arena, it kind of ended up giving me a more atmospheric feel as I could take in all of the sights. If you ever have the chance, please go and see Little Mix on their upcoming tour as I promise you will have the time of your life and will certainly not regret it, I have not once regretted seeing Little Mix and I don't think I will ever do so in the future.

Song Of The Week :
Today my "Song Of The Week" is by an artist who I have been loving for a long time now: her name is Jorja Smith and the song is "Teenage Fantasy". Jorja recently won 2018's BRITs Critics Choice Award and she is honestly so deserving of it, her smooth jazzy vocals are so desirable and the fact that every one of her songs is incredibly catchy is a real achievement. Please go and check her out as soon as you can alongside this song.
So I hope you enjoyed this blogpost, check back tomorrow where I shall be uploading a post consisting of all of my best songs of 2017, I hope you will enjoy that post too!

7 Songs You Should Listen To : The Return

Hello and welcome to a very exciting blogpost. This month I shall be uploading the 'best' of my blog (excluding "Artist Showcase") and to start it off, we are returning with arguably the best ex-series of this blog's : "7 Songs You Should Listen To". Today I will be showing you seven songs that I cannot get enough of recently in the hope that you will enjoy them (this means there is no "Song Of The Week") so I hope you enjoy!

Billy Carr - Soldier
This is very bizarre to say but we are starting today's post with a song of my own. I am a keen songwriter and I tend to control my emotions through my songs. "Soldier" is such a personal song about grief and moving on from grief and it feels so liberating and touching to have my own song out there for anyone to see. The song may not be out on iTunes or Spotify yet (hopefully it will be one day), but it is on Soundcloud so I cannot tell you how humbled and grateful I would be if you checked it out here. The song is completely a capella and I cannot describe how much work I have put into it; please give it a listen!

Mahalia Feat. Buddy - Hold On
Next up we have an artist that has been featured on this blog a number of times. "Hold On" has been out for a while now but I have somehow never mentioned it before even though I have been obsessed with it for so long. The song is so catchy and Mahalia's voice is just so raspy, incredible and unlike any other voice I know. As well as making sure you listen to this song before, please check out Mahalia's other stuff (an "Artist Showcase" on her may be coming soon). So don't forget to listen on spotify/youtube (I cannot attach it below) as this is a song I seriously think you are missing out on.

Jessie J - Queen
By now you should all know that I am a big Jessie J fan as I look up to her so much as an artist, so I was obviously ecstatic when I found out she was returning to the music world with "Queen". It is fair to say that the single did not disappoint as the song's message all about loving yourself is so empowering and Jessie's voice is just undeniably brilliant. I cannot wait for her fourth album "R.O.S.E." to be released next year and I can promise you a review shall be coming! For the meantime, lets just cherish "Queen" in all it's glory as it is a truly phenomenal song; please listen to the track below...

Fall Out Boy - The Last Of The Real Ones

The fourth song is quite vastly different to any other song in this post as it goes down a more rock/alternative route. I think I have mentioned this on this blog before but one thing to know about me is that I am a Fall Out Boy fan, showing my diverse music taste. One of their latest offerings from their upcoming album "Mania", "The Last Of The Real Ones" is such a good track as not only does it have some lovely husky vocals, the instrumentals are amazing, in particular, the guitar riffs. If you are trying to venture into another genre with your musical taste and fancy something different, try listening to Fall Out Boy as they are really great and different. 

Sam Smith - One Last Song

Honestly, I can't really remember the last time I did a blogpost and did not mention Sam Smith; I am just loving him so much lately and his album has been playing on repeat! The song I am sharing with you today is "One Last Song", Sam's second single from the album (which he has just released a music video to) and what attracts me to the song is the gospel-vibes that the song brings me. As we all know, Sam Smith loves writing from heartbreak and this song is a prime example of that as this song is utterly brilliant! Like always, Sam Smith's vocals are on point and the song is so upbeat even though it is about a subject that isn't typically so happy. Heres a video of him singing the track live...

Next Town Down - Man On The Loose

Penultimately, we have Next Town Down, a band which have been featured on this blog a number of times before with there second single "Man On The Loose". I have been loving the band recently and it was honestly so hard to choose between this and their third single "Feeling Myself" as they are both phenomenal, however, I chose this track because the song is so catchy and all of the boys' vocals are crazily good! If you want a new band and a new song to fall in love with, I would certainly recommend Next Town Down as they are fresh, current and so underrated and this song is unlike any other that I've heard recently; you need to hear it.

Little Mix - Is Your Love Enough?

Last but not least we have some of my four favourite girls Little Mix who I recently saw on their "Glory Days Tour" (review post coming next week) and during this tour of their's, they released the 'platinum' edition of the "Glory Days" featuring three new brilliant songs of which I wish were all in here. However, "Is Your Love Enough?" has to troop the others as not only is the song catchy, each of the girl's vocals are some of their best. Even if you may not be a massive Little Mix fan, please give this song a try as it is very different for them yet classic Little Mix. A taster of the song is down below...

So I hoped you enjoyed today's post. Next week, like I previously stated, I shall be uploading a post on my time at Little Mix's "Glory Days" Tour which was a fun time so I hope you are all as excited as I am.