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It's unusual to encounter an artist who not only truly cares about her fans, but who is willing to be best friends with them, too. My story with Kara started when our longtime member @Baby V Alex made a thread about her first single, 'Cloud 18'. It wasn't long before my fellow writer @Countess and I conducted an interview with her, and since then our bond has only gotten stronger and stronger. When will your faves, huh? At first, I was completely intimidated. I was just a basic member of a music forum, and she was the person we were discussing. I didn't know what to talk about with her, or if she really cared about talking to me at all. But over time, I become enraptured by her amazing personality. I was pleased to find out that not only is she funny and talented, but her heart is full of love and compassion. Halsey should take notes. Kara's new single 'Like Me Better' launched today, and in celebration of it's release she sat down with us to share ten fun facts about herself. 1. Her party days are long gone. "I was a total party animal in high school! Not anymore. I work seven days a week on fashion and music stuff so I don’t have any energy left to party. I just stay home and watch movies and eat chips, lol. I go out maybe once every one to two months." 2. When asked for just one of her favourite places to visit, she gave us three. Hawaii! I couldn’t believe how magical it was. I was shook! I was driving around the island (my Australian family don’t know how to drive on the other side of the road so they made me drive) and it was completely breathtaking. On one side of the car was the ocean and on the other side was some crazy Jurassic Park forest-style mountain volcano shit with fog on top. It looked fake! That’s how surreal it was. Cloud 18, cos that’s my happy place in my head where me and my adorable fans live. Perth, in Australia. Or wherever my family is. 3. She doesn't play around with homophobes or fuckboys. "I have a few personality traits which I think are very important for me in another person: a kind heart, honesty, AN AMAZING SENSE OF HUMOUR (someone who makes me laugh and also laughs at my hilarious jokes...), loyalty and love. And what kind of people I despise? Hmm...Liars, sexists, racists, and homophobic people are not welcome on Cloud 18." 4. She lives without regrets and wouldn't change a single thing in her life. "I honestly don’t give situations of the past that much thought. For what, you know? I just choose to focus on the lessons I learn from different situations and like to think of how it’s all shaped me to be who I am today. I’m proud of the person I’ve become. I have a lot of wisdom apparently!" 5. She has amazing taste in films. "My favourite movies would be Spice World and Grease. Iconic. Legends only. Don’t @ me." 6. Her biggest dream is surprisingly attainable. "To be ridiculously happy. I don’t give a flying fuck what I’m doing. I just wanna be happy, with family, surrounded by love. My childhood dream used to be to be a huge pop star and fashion icon. So, you know...I still want that but at the end of the day, if that doesn’t end up making me happy it means nothing anyway." 7. When it comes to food, she goes back to her Australian roots. "I love a good Australian meat pie with tomato sauce! Apparently, there are some Australian bakeries in LA that have meat pies but I’ve never been to one. I’m going home for my sister’s wedding in November so I will definitely devour a meat pie then." 8. She stans other artists just as much as we stan her. These are some of the concerts I have attended: Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour - Multiple dates in Australia, 2007: I was still a baby in high school but I saved up and flew around Australia to go to different shows. I met Gwen a bunch of times at airports and concert venues. Total Gwen stan! Lady Gaga's The Monster Ball Tour - Perth, 2010: I waited all day so I could be front row in the pit and I made her a denim jacket/coat thing. I ended up giving it to some security person at the venue so who knows where it ended up - she probably never even received it, hahaha. Britney Spears' The Femme Fatale Tour - Atlanta, 2011: Nicki Minaj played the support. Justin Bieber's The Believe Tour - Atlanta, 2012. Avril Lavigne's Bonez Tour - Perth, circa 2004: I was little, I think it was 2004! I used to looove her! I wanted to be a skater in tomboy clothes and date boys who could skate. Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway Tour - Perth, circa 2005: I think it was 2005. I went with my big sister. She’s so awesome live. 9. Her favourite song she's ever written isn't a surprise. "'Like Me Better' is my current favourite song of mine cos I can fully relate to it (obviously, cos I wrote it), but also because it's a great reminder for me to be an independent queen and not take any bullshit." 10. The meaning behind 'Like Me Better' is deeper than you may think. "I wrote ['Like Me Better'] in 2015 as a reminder to myself that I don’t need anyone else to make me happy. It was something that I could listen to and feel empowered. After going through a breakup it took me a long time to get to the point where I could be happy and fully content alone. For a while, I felt like a lost puppy and I'd forgotten my self-worth. Once I started respecting myself and putting myself first, I was free. So this song is about me finally realising that I’m Gucci solo. Now whenever people or opportunities come and go out of my life, my inner happiness is not affected because my happiness is not tied to anything outside of me." Remember that Kara's new single Like Me Better is out now! Don't forget to buy it on iTunes and stream it on Spotify.

It's hard to believe, but as of September 30th this year living legend Britney Spears will have been driving us crazy, loving rock and roll and seeking Amy for exactly twenty years - and what a wild ride it's been. Apart from all the personal crises (think that Justin Timberlake break-up, the whole K-Fed saga and the infamous umbrella incident), Britney has also consistently wowed us with hit single after hit single, from 'Me Against the Music' to 'Make Me'. But amidst all the brilliant releases (Britney's last single 'Slumber Party' was her forty-first), there was a multitude of songs that didn't quite make the cut. Some of them (like Gaga's 'Telephone') were recorded by Britney before being scrapped at the last minute; while others (like Rihanna's 'Umbrella') were offered to Britney but rejected for recording for one reason or another. While some of these songs would have contributed absolutely nothing to Britney's legacy and are no loss whatsoever, its interesting to see just how many more hits she could have had if she'd played her cards right, especially in the last decade. In this list we'll be looking at twenty-five such songs which Britney decided to pass on. Keep in mind that in this list we're including only tracks that were officially released by an artist in some capacity jthat we're able to listen to, although other confirmed demos for Britney that are still stashed away in the vault (such as ones written by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, Sky Ferreira, Dev Hynes and Danja) would undoubtedly be equally amazing. 25. Lady Gaga - Telephone (Feat. Beyoncé) The story of Britney passing on 'Telephone' is at this point legendary, but just in case you've forgotten about the whole saga we'll give a brief recap here. 'Telephone' was originally written by a pre-fame Gaga alongside a song called 'Quicksand' to be considered for inclusion on Britney's sixth studio album and official comeback, Circus. But while 'Quicksand' was included as a bonus track on the album, 'Telephone' was scrapped due to the presence of another similiarly themed song, the Bloodshy & Avant produced 'Phonography'. Later, the song was reworked as a duet between the two artists; but conflict arose when Gaga wanted the track to be on the tracklist of her re-release The Fame Monster while Britney's team wanted the song on her greatest hits The Singles Collection. Ultimately, Gaga took the song back and replaced Britney's part on the duet with a new verse by Beyoncé, and the Britney version was never released either as a solo song or as a duet. Thankfully, her version went on to leak in 2010 and we got a fan-made version of the duet soon after. 24. The Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up 'When I Grow Up' was the song of the summer back in 2008, and was a huge hit for the newly reformed Pussycat Dolls minus Carmit Bachar. The song was written by Darkchild (who also worked on 'Telephone') and Rock City, but we had no idea it was meant for Britney until a demo sent to her leaked in 2011. When it was originally written for Brit, the lyrics were tailor made to her situation, opening with, "My name is Britney and I don’t care what you say," before continuing "I swear at first that I was flippin'/When they said I looked like Debbie Gibson/And then I tried to dance like Michael Jackson/But people saw me and started laughing." It's unknown why Brit passed on the song that would go on to be a huge hit, but it's interesting to note that she was originally confirmed to have a short cameo appearance in the music video. Originally, Britney was meant to have a blink and you'll miss it appearance in the traffic jam at the beginning of the video, waving at the Dolls before driving away. Like her version of the song, however, the cameo was scrapped for unknown reasons. 23. Charli XCX - Secret (Shh) 'Secret' is one of Charli XCX's more experimental songs, which is why it may be surprising to hear that it was originally intended for the princess of pop herself. The song's co-writer, Jesse Saint John spilled the tea when discussing another song he wrote for Britney's latest album 'Love Me Down'. "I did [a] song for Charli XCX called 'Secret'' that Karen [Kwak, Britney's A&R] really liked, and for a second she thought it could be for Britney Spears." Sadly, Britney never got around to recording the demo and Charli ended up releasing it on her own EP Vroom Vroom, but it was the strength of 'Secret' that allowed Saint John to pitch 'Love Me Down' in the first place. 'Secret' is actually the second Charli song to be considered by Britney, after she wrote a song specifically for the popstar back in 2013; but we're unsure exactly what that song was, or if it has since been released by anyone other than Brit. 22. Girls Aloud - Graffiti My Soul If you don't live in the UK, you may not have heard of Girls Aloud. Manufactured on an English television show called Popstars: The Rivals, the group soon became a mainstay of the UK charts for over a decade until their break up in 2013. While its release as the fifth single from their album What Will The Neighbours Say? was scrapped, the song 'Graffiti My Soul' nevertheless became one of their most well known tracks, with group member Cheryl Cole later stating in 2008 that if she'd had the chance to release she song as a single she would have. Interestingly though, the song was originally written for Britney, who recorded her own version of it for inclusion on In The Zone. "The record company loved it, but Britney's people said 'Where's the chorus? Why are there no repetitive parts?'," said Bryan Higgins, who produced the song as part of Xenomania. While we've never heard even a snippet of Britney's version of the song, we may not be missing out on that much. Whether it's jealousy or honesty, Cole stated that Britney's version was "strange" and that she sang it "in that really strange voice and it freaked me out"; although she later admitted that the source of her nervousness may have come from the fact that the version she heard was unmixed. 21. Enrique Iglesias - Maybe 'Maybe' is a song written by Enrique Iglesias, Steve Morales, Kara DioGuardi and David Siegel which was first released on his Escape album in 2001. The track was later reworked as an uptempo number for the album's reissue and released as the project's fifth single in May of 2002. What's bizarre is that a month prior to the song's single release, Britney started introducing the track under the title 'My Love Was Always There' and performing it live at her Dream Within A Dream Tour shows, even going so far as to say that she wrote the song. 'Maybe' was far from a flop, hitting #12 in the US and #3 in the UK, so it's unknown exactly why Britney thought she could get away with claiming the track as her own. 20. Jennifer Lopez - Brave 'Brave' is the title track of Jennifer Lopez's sixth album, produced by frequent Britney collaborators Bloodshy & Avant and The Clutch. Originally, the song was actually written for Britney's album Blackout, but it was rejected from the final tracklisting before release. That said, I can't say that I'm too disappointed about not hearing Britney's version - while the tracks lyrics stating "I'm not afraid/Because I am brave" definitely fit into Britney's narrative, the song is pretty typically generic R&B and doesn't really offer anything new to the pop music genre like the rest of Blackout did. 19. Momoiro Clover Z - Rock The Boat Momoiro Clover Z released 'Rock The Boat' on the album Hakkin no Yoake in 2016; but as any true Britney stan will know, the track has been in the works for much longer than that. Britney fans first heard the song in late 2011 as part of the semi-annual Britmas leaks tradition, when it was heard under it's working title 'Dangerous'. Recorded for the Circus album, 'Dangerous' has the same songwriters as bonus track 'Rock Me In' of Greg Kurstin and Coco Morier, and apart from the translated lyrics not much changed at all between it's recording and it's reinterpretation as 'Rock The Boat'. 18. LIZ - When I Rule The World LIZ has been open about her love for Britney, from her confession that Brit taught her "how to be a popstar" to her obsession over every stan's favourite unreleased track, 'Mona Lisa'. But she got closer to Britney than she ever could have expected with her PC Music-inspired single 'When I Rule The World'. "I heard she wanted 'When I Rule'," she told The Guardian, apparently astounded that Britney even knew who she was. LIZ was ultimately so attached to the song that she had to fight for it to be her own release; and although the track definitely would have fit in with the 'Pretty Girls' vibe and aesthetic, we can't say we're sad that she won. 17. Kelis - Milkshake Britney fell into step with The Neptunes crew as early as 2001, when they produced Britney stand-outs 'I'm A Slave 4 U' and 'Boys'. Choosing them to produce songs for her next record In The Zone then seemed like a natural choice, and so the group wrote several songs for the project back in 2003 - one of them being a track called 'Milkshake'. Ultimately, the track never made the album and it was sent later that year to an up-and-coming singer named Kelis, who turned it into her biggest hit to date and an endlessly quotable banger. Although there's no proof that Britney ever recorded a demo of this track, a Brit version of 'Milkshake' would definitely be something to behold, and would work brilliantly on an album next to 'Me Against the Music' and 'Early Mornin''. We can practically hear Britney's breathy vocals all over that iconic chorus already. 16. Leah McFall - Home (Feat. will.i.am) Leah McFall was a runner-up on the second series of The Voice UK, where she was mentored by the infamous will.i.am - a man who was at the same time taking Britney under his wing on the other side of the pond. That's why it makes total sense for any record will worked on around that time to have been shopped around to both Brit and Leah, as happened with 'Home'. The track is typical will.i.am, complete with nonsensical lyrics, an overused sample and a tacky lyric video, so we can't say we're sad that Britney never jumped on this one; although with that said it would definitely be an improvement over 'It Should Be Easy'. 13. Jordin Sparks - Shy Boy/14. Jordin Sparks - Young and In Love/15. Jordin Sparks - See My Side It might be hard to imagine winner of the sixth season of American Idol Jordin Sparks and Queen of the Lip Sync Britney Spears being offered the same tracks, but believe it or not it happened back in 2007. 'Shy Boy', 'Young and In Love' & 'See My Side' are a handful of tracks which were originally worked on by production team Bloodshy & Avant for Britney's long-awaited Blackout album; but after they didn't make it onto that album, they were passed on to label-mate Jordin Sparks for her self-titled debut. 'Shy Boy' and 'Young and In Love' aren't much of a loss: they both sound like the typical messy 2007 R&B demo that sprouted up in the wake of Timbaland's success, although undoubtedly they would have been improved by some of Britney's vocal stylings. But 'See My Side', which like 'Piece Of Me' was worked on by pop's fairy godmother Robyn, would have worked nicely alongside 'Why Should I Be Sad?' as a lullaby end to the Blackout album. 12. Jamie Lynn Spears - Follow Me Remember Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's little sister who made a name for herself on Nickelodeon show Zoey 101 before being fired for her unexpected teenage pregnancy? Well, she also sang the theme song for that show, titled 'Follow Me', which just so happened to be written by her big sister Brit and frequent collaborators Bloodshy & Avant. Weirdly the song was never officially released in full on any soundtrack album, although we did get an official instrumental as well as dozens of snippets of the song played throughout the show which has allowed fans to compile their own versions of the song. A demo also leaked in 2014, but it wasn't sung by either Britney or Jamie Lynn which makes Britney's writing credits and the original intent for the song a total mystery. 11. Rachel Stevens - Sweet Dreams My LA Ex A reunion of 'Toxic' producers Bloodshy & Avant and songwriter Cathy Dennis, 'Sweet Dreams My LA Ex' was actually a pretty big hit for English popstar Rachel Stevens back in 2003, hitting #2 in the UK charts and selling 210 000 copies that year. Originally, like 'Everytime', the track was intended to be a response to Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River', which was long rumoured to be about Britney; but when Stevens sang it, it was to break out from her role as a singer in S Club 7. Britney apparently passed on the track because she found the lyrics just a little too obvious, which is a real shame because the western R&B sound in the song would have worked perfectly on In The Zone. 10. f(x) - Chocolate Love/Girls' Generation - Chocolate Love Another K-Pop convert, 'Chocolate Love' was first heard back in 2009 as a dual release for K-Pop supergroups f(x) and Girls' Generation. The song was used to promote the LG Cyon Chcolate phone in commercials, with f(x) jumping on the 'Electronic Pop Version' and Girls' Generation singing the 'Retro Pop Version'. Also worth noting is that f(x) alone recorded an English version of the song entitled 'Topbillin' Love', which was performed live during their international tour in 2010. What's interesting is that this version of 'Topbillin' Love' was actually a throwaway track that had been written years before by Karen Poole as a demo for Britney which got rejected. Poole tried her hand at writing to the instrumental after Cathy Dennis's attempt, called at that point 'Phony Lullaby', was also rejected due to it's inclusion of lyrics Britney apparently found objectionable. Britney even tried her hand at writing to this instrumental alongside Michelle Bell, which resulted in the unreleased track 'Take Off', a song which discussed Brit's anti-war and anti-discrimination views. Cathy Dennis would later reclaim the song and morph it's instrumental into 'Sweet Dreams My LA EX', the Rachel Stevens hit mentioned above; but that didn't stop the K-Pop groups from reusing it's demo years later. 9. BoA - Look Who's Talkin' 'Look Who's Talkin'' is a song originally written by Britney alongside Bloodshy & Avant, Henrik Jonback and Michelle Bell in 2003 during the same sessions that produced songs like 'Chaotic' and 'I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)'. Later, it resurfaced on Korean superstar BoA's debut English album, also titled BoA, as the second single from the R&B-pop project. The Britney demo leaked just a little later on as 'Look Who's Talking Now', and features almost exactly the same lyrics and production; although the words are a little more meaningful coming from a popstar who spent a lot of her early life silenced by her record label or management. Britney's version of the song was probably never strong enough to be a single, but it could have worked well as an an additional track for the Chaotic EP. 8. Pitbull & J Balvin - Hey Ma (Feat. Camila Cabello) 'Hey Ma' was released last year for the The Fate of The Furious soundtrack album as a collaboration between Pitbull, J Balvin and Camila Cabello; but if things had gone differently, the song could have had a twist from the Holy Spearit. When it was originally recorded, 'Hey Ma' featured Romeo Santos and Britney in the Balvin and Cabello parts, with Britney cooing "If you touch me right, I might stay the night" over a Latin-inspired beat. But when the song was pitched for The Fate of The Furious, the producers requested that they be replaced, presumably to appeal to a younger audience and capitalise on the Latin American vibe of the film. While we'd generally cringe at the idea of Pitbull releasing a song with with Britney (or Pitbull releasing any song full stop), we have to admit that 'Hey Ma' featuring Britney is an absolute bop, thanks to the fact that her version was leaked as a Christmas present to the fans. We can only imagine how great this song would have sounded in a mash-up with 'Change Your Mind (No Seas Cortés)' on the Piece of Me shows. 7. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Pulse 'Pulse' was published on the ASCAP registry back during the In The Zone era as a potential candidate for Britney's album, but it didn't end up making the cut there. Instead, it was released in 2010 on the Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark album History of Modern. While we're unsure if anything was changed over that seven year period, we can definitely imagine Britney's vocals on the current version of the track, which has the same breakbeat R&B kind of style she explored on ITZ tracks such as '(I Got That) Boom Boom' and 'Me Against the Music'. 5. Kylie Minogue - Nu-Di-Ty/6. Kylie Minogue - Speakerphone Britney and Kylie have a long history of working with the same producers and thus swapping tracks, with Kylie even turning down the demo that would go on to be a hit for Britney with 'Toxic'. "I wasn't at all angry when it worked for her," she said of the track. "It's like the fish that got away. You just have to accept it." Let's hope the feeling is mutual, because Kylie took two tracks that Britney worked on for Blackout for her own album X, both of which were produced by longtime collaborators Bloodshy & Avant. 'Nu-Di-Ty' is a quirky, fragmented pop song with a hint of R&B and tropicana which plays out like a more light-hearted version of Britney's own 'Freakshow'. While we don't have a Britney version of the track, she definitely did record one as some of her background vocals can be heard in the final version, and are even clearer when filtered out from the other vocals. Then there's 'Speakerphone', a precursor to 'Telephone' with a dreamy Euro-pop production which was definitely an album highlight. We've never heard anything of the Britney version of this one but it's safe to say she would slay it. 4. Kylie Minogue - Get Outta My Way 'Get Outta My Way' is not just one of Kylie Minogue's best songs: it's one of the best pop songs of this decade full-stop. The perfect slice of dance-pop for the summer season, 'Get Outta My Way' was originally shopped around to several artists including Britney, Alexandra Burke and Pixie Lott, and Wynter Gordon also wrote a song to the Cutfather-produced instrumental. But ultimately it was Kylie who nabbed the song, apparently due to the fact that the other potential candidates were too slow to respond. This is one of the few times where we're happy the song went to it's original artist: Britney's version of the track would probably have worked well on Femme Fatale, but Kylie needed the hit desperately and she put way more energy into the choreography than Brit could have at that point. 3. Nelly - Tilt Ya Head Back (Feat. Christina Aguilera) The rivalry between Britney and Christina is basically a tale as old as time at this point, so it's no surprise that they'd both be put up for the same part on Nelly's 'Tilt Ya Head Back', which was a moderate hit when it was released back in 2004. Britney actually recorded vocals for this song, some of which were leaked in 2016; but according to producer Dorian Moore, her label nixed the idea of Britney collaborating with Nelly, finding the song "too urban". Janet Jackson was also considered before XTina took the final spot. It's not entirely surprising given that in 2004 Brit was still fighting for creative control with her record label, leading to the Original Doll saga that would begin her downwards spiral in 2007. 2. Selena Gomez - Whiplash 'Whiplash' is definitely not one of Selena's better known songs, and at the end of the day it is just album filler; but for a non-single track, it's surprisingly fun. Alternating between a silly metaphor-ridden chorus and a bouncy rap part spoken with an English accent, 'Whiplash' was highlighted as a standout track from When The Sun Goes Down and was performed on tour alongside a medley of Britney's own hits. But if things had gone differently, the song may actually have ended up on Brit's comeback vehicle Circus. Britney wrote and recorded the song alongside Coco Morier and Greg Kurstin at the same time as she worked on 'Mmm Papi' and 'Rock Me In', but it failed to make the cut for unknown reasons. So far we haven't heard the demo of the song, which is a shame because I'm dying to know if the English accent was a Selena addition or if it was present in the original version as well. Judging by Englishney's raps in 'Scream & Shout', I wouldn't be surprised if that was something Brit came up with all on her own. 1. Rihanna - Umbrella What more needs to be said about 'Umbrella', the monster hit which launched Rihanna's career properly and transitioned her from Bajan Princess to Bad Girl? Tricky Stewart, who had previously worked on 'Me Against The Music', wrote the track alongside The-Dream intending for it to be a comeback single for the troubled Spears; but when they sent the track to her label, it was rejected without Britney even hearing the track. After Mary J. Blige passed on it too, the song ended up in Rihanna's lap, at which time she utilised her accent to create that signature "ella ella eh eh eh" chorus which made the song such a hit. It's a credit to Rih that her stamp on the song is so huge that we can't even imagine Britney singing this one. Which of these songs would you most like to hear Britney's vocals on? Let us know in the comments down below! Editor's Note: This is an updated version of an article that was originally posted on 04/01/2018.

I first found out about Dress Black from Alexz Johnson, whose brother Brendan Johnson joins Stephane Monten, Colin Mercer and Justin Ross to make up the quartet. An indie-rock band, Dress Black got their start back in 2014 as a group of friends who bonded over a passion for surf rock and Motown, and since then they've gone on to release several singles and a self-titled EP, even picking up a nomination at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. Now Dress Black is preparing to release their debut album, Future Songs, set to drop next month. They took some time out of their busy promotional schedule and tour planning to discuss how they came together as a band, the signifigance of their debut album and where they see themselves heading in the future. Hey guys, thanks for being here! How are you doing today? Hello! Thank you for having us, we’re very excited to be here. Let's go back to the beginning. What led to you all becoming musicians? Has it always been a dream for each of you? I believe we all picked up instruments at a young age and with that comes a love for music. You play along to your idols, learn new songs and get better at playing. It’s a powerful thing to listen to your favourite bands and know that they started by picking up an instrument for the first time too. And you think, "Maybe I can do that." In short, yes, it’s work but the dream is worth it. We all really just want to be rock stars. Who doesn’t? Maybe James Taylor. How did you guys get to know each other? Were you friends or musical collaborators first? Stephane and Brendan were working at the same restaurant when they discovered they had a mutual appreciation for music and songwriting. After a couple of sessions mucking around in the studio, they wrote 'Money', 'Black Dress' and 'When You Gonna Love Me' which are three songs you’ll hear on the upcoming album. From there they asked friends Colin and Justin to jump on board and we’ve been solidly climbing ever since. The band came together pretty quickly, but it’s been three years since you wrote your first song. Where would you like to see yourself in the next three years? That’s a good question. We focus so much on the immediate steps that we forget to ask ourselves that sometimes. We would love to have another record or even two out by that point and be playing in festivals around the world. One of our members is from New Zealand and we would love to play an Australian/New Zealand tour. Your new single ‘Single File Girl’ is a song with a laidback, positive vibe perfect for summer. What inspired the sound for the song? We wrote this song after two weeks of intensively writing new material. We were exhausted of ideas and just lazily put 'Single File Girl' together without thinking it would turn into much. A day later we were inspired by MGMT’s “Kids” which helped finish the melody. We then wrote a story about a young, dysfunctional couple who were addicted to each other for the lyrics and the song came together. If you were to list some of your major inspirations, who would they be and why? We once had a friend describe us as "The Beach Boys for college kids." Some of us are still trying to decipher that one but we do lean towards that 50s surf rock vibe. We were inspired by 70s Motown and 50s surf rock; it was a classic era for a reason. The simple hooky melodies grabbed our attention. We wanted to take that and make it modern. Artists like Foster The People, Prince, Daft Punk and Phoenix make you want to dance. We are finding the blend of that dance/melodic driven sound and we’re excited to see how our sound evolves. Your debut album Future Songs is set to be released next month on August 1st. How would you describe the sound of it? Similar to what we mentioned in our list of inspirations, this album has a modern surf rock vibe. We use dueling guitars and falsetto vocal stylings to deliver a melodic, dance-driven, indie rock sound. You can definitely say that we’re not your stereotypical band set up; we utilize two vocalists that sing the same melody and drift in and out of harmony to give the songs width and dimension. Basically, two lead singers. When writing songs for this album, did you approach the process from the perspective of own experience or from the role of storytellers? It’s a mix of both, some of the songs on the album are based on personal experience and some tell stories. Some of them were written because a certain phrase sounded great phonetically so we wrote it around those words. Do you have any must-haves while recording in the studio? Claps. Lots of claps. Brendan really likes claps. Justin doesn’t like claps, but Brendan doesn’t really care. But seriously, there was a lot of compromise on claps…. And food. Stephane gets really, really hungry. Your last two music videos were directed by Alexz Johnson. What's it like having your sister direct your videos, Brendan? To be honest, Alexz and I have a long history of collaboration so it’s quite easy for us to jump into new projects together. Speaking of music videos, who came up with the idea for the 'Straight Line' music video? Do you mean 'Weekend' or 'So Lovely'? 'Weekend' and 'Single File Girl' were Alexz and Brendan’s brainchild and 'So Lovely' was conceptualized by our very good friend Nick Posthumus of Current Sessions Productions. Alexz is going on tour with her upcoming album A Stranger Time soon and Dress Black will be joining as a support act. How do you guys feel about your first ever nationwide tour? Are you more excited or nervous? We’re very excited about it! This will be our first time playing in the States and we are incredibly grateful that Alexz is giving us some opening slots. Since it is a US tour, which states are you the most excited to perform in? Are there any plans on touring throughout Europe as well? Which European countries would you like to visit the most? We’re still in the early stages of planning and we’re focusing on the east coast for now - New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. I would say we are excited to perform in all of them! Europe is in the cards - that’s in the coming planning stages. We would love to play in Italy, France, Germany, England and Scotland. Brendan, you're well known for your work with Alexz and we already know that you've contributed to her upcoming album. How do you manage to work on two completely different projects with different sounds and viewpoints? Is it hard to seperate your Dress Black Work from your other duties? Not necessarily, it’s quite easy for me to focus on the genre of music I’m working on. Where it gets difficult is time management. Every artist has their own sound and my job is just to accentuate that sound. You and Alexz have released three compilations of the Basement Recordings so far, a series containing demos from throughout her career that didn't make their way officially onto albums. Will you give in to the fan demand for a fourth compilation? It’s hard to say now; Alexz and I have definitely been entertaining the idea. The Basement Recordings is a compilation of old demos and old recordings from our past, so we just need to look back a little further and see what we can put together. I can imagine that over the three years you've been working on the Dress Black album you've recorded quite a few demos yourself. What songs would you put on your own version of The Basement Recordings? 'Rough To The City'… we don’t talk about that song. Are there any collaborations coming up? Who would you like to make a song with the most? Not in the near future. We’re very focused on getting our album out there. Given the style of our record, it would be awesome to write a song with Foster the People or Glass Animals. Thank you so much for chatting with us today! Are there any final words you'd like to say to your fans or people who haven't tuned in yet? Originally, we were considering calling our band Young Sleep. That’s a little easter egg for you. We look forward to sharing more music with you! Don't forget to show your support Dress Black by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Check out their singles on iTunes and Spotify, and don't forget to pick up their debut album Future Songs when it launches on August 1st.

It doesn't come around often, but every now and then a seemingly ordinary musician goes from singing a popular Lady Gaga song at an open mic night to writing, funding and releasing an EP without any label support; from reaching number ten on the UK album charts to selling out her first headline tour within two days; from becoming the best selling independent UK artist of 2012 to surpassing over 100 000 records sold within two years; from beating Adele in the charts to opening for Taylor Swift at one of the biggest musical events of British summertime - and she’s not done yet. As a firm believer in supporting local talent it wasn't too long until the name Lauren Aquilina began cropping up on my radar. From the moment I bought her debut EP Fools I knew I was in for the long ride, and nearly four years and four EPs later I’m finally holding her debut album in my hands. Aquilina's roots hail back to the country of Malta, with her success bringing her a newfound role as a Maltese icon, being asked to represent the small nation in Eurovision multiple times much to her bemusement. However, Aquilina’s stomping ground isn't in a small country fifty kilometers south of Italy: it’s in a British city 3000 kilometers away from Malta. Twenty one year old Lauren Aquilina’s career took its first big step in the city of Bristol in South West England with the release of her debut EP Fools, written fully by Aquilina and pal Daniel Goudie. Fools acted as the first in Aquilina’s three-part EP series, with the remaining two parts, Sinners and Liars coming in the following years. The trilogy told the story of a relationship Aquilina had fallen in and out of, beginning with the groovy titular track ‘Fools’ and ending with the harrowing ‘Broke’, with the final verses throwing the circle back to the beginning. Aquilina’s already impressive body of work wooed the likes of label giants like Island Records, who soon signed her after hearing the final installment to her trilogy and helped kickstart the journey towards a major label debut. The album was preceded by one more release, the enchanting Ocean EP which spawned an emotionally vivid visual for the titular track directed by Weronika Tofilska, who later went on to direct the video for the album’s future lead single. The ‘Ocean’ video features Aquilina in an overturned-furniture laden room with ocean-related imagery being projected upon the artist and the surrounding room in a double-exposure type effect. The bleakness of the composition juxtaposed against the glorious rising instrumental creates an effective and impressive first impression of the new Aquilina, one who has the confidence of the music industry behind her; and finally in August 2016, after two longs years of hard work, it was time for Aquilina to present her first full-length release, the aptly named Isn't It Strange?. The album opens confidently with the spine-tingling fan favorite ‘Midnight Mouths,’ before flowing into my personal favorite from the album, ‘Wicked Game’, a track reminiscent of fellow British singers Foxes and Nina Nesbitt’s more recent work, with a powerful chorus showcasing the pinnacle of the modern British pop scene. Other notable tracks come in the form of the album’s empowering and freeing lead single ‘Kicks’, as well as the equally as poppy ‘Suddenly Strangers’, which explores how quickly the intimacy of a relationship can change. What sets the album apart from many debuts is the maturity in which Aquilina carries her topics, while many others choose to stick to fluffy ways of discussing love and how "oh so hard" it can be. Aquilina doesn’t beat around the bush, launching headfirst into the fray and murk with a heartbreakingly honest depiction of how painful relationships can truly be, with tracks like ‘Thinking About’ keeping the album grounded between pop joints such as ‘Hurt Any Less’. Also included in the album is an updated version of the track that started it all, the ever crafty ‘Fools’, recorded live at the legendary RAK studios, showcasing the degree to which Aquilina’s voice has matured since 2012. Isn’t It Strange? continues on the trend of impressive 2016 debuts, providing a satisfying culmination to the huge anticipation for Aquilina’s first full length album. My only qualms with the album is the ignoring of some of Aquilina’s recent tracks such as ‘Low’, ‘Echoes’, and ‘Out Of Our Depth’, all of which would have been more than at home within the body of work and would've helped the album to maintain that familiarity that it sometimes misses. Despite this, ‘Isn’t It Strange?’ remains a very solid addition to Aquilina’s portfolio, and we’re excited to see what comes next from the Bristolian songstress! Isn’t It Strange? was released on August 26th under Island Records. Buy the album on iTunes now. Photography Credit: Eleanor Hardwick

Fans of bands such as Karamel and The Boom Boom will already be familiar with Kara Lane and Bobby Lo, the Canadian artists who have most recently masterminded the indie-rock band K.I.D. Since they started their career in the music industry playing in Mediterranean restaurants on minimum wage, they have built a huge fanbase with their combination of teen angst lyrics, nostalgic production and instantly catchy hooks, and are now signed to one of the worlds biggest record labels - Columbia Records. For Kara and Bobby, it all started in high school where the pair made fast friends and started creating their own brand of pop music. While Kara is the band's frontwoman and sings on all of their songs solo, Bobby is almost entirely responsible for the lyrics. Their first independently released EP called K.I.D, including the lead single 'I Wish I Was Your Cigarette', was released back in 2015. Two years and hundreds of shots later, they are now preparing to release their second EP Poster Child later this year. K.I.D recently took some time out of their busy schedule creating music and smoking bongs to answer some questions for us. Hey, guys! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk to you. How are you today? We're alright. How are you? Apart from a slight itch and some unexpected redness, we're doing alright. You two have known each other since high school. Do you remember the first song you wrote together? It was called 'Transylvanian Tango' and it was about having sex with a vampire. We watched a lot of Buffy. It's been over two years since you released your first EP K.I.D and we (wait for the shameless self-promotion) wrote our first feature piece on your music. How has your sound evolved since then? Well, we have two extra years of failed diets, sexual frustration and disappointment to write about, so it's all gotten more poignant and more cunty. Sonically we think we've arrived at a sound we describe as "digi-grunge" because it mixes modern day digital elements with more nostalgic feeling 90s/early 2000s band vibes. If you were to describe your sound in three words without cursing, what would they be? Sunday at grandmas. When you write lyrics such as "I've been sitting on a smelly bus", do you take inspiration from your own or others experiences, or are they more like fictional stories? They're all autobiographical stories paired with broad statements we want to make about the social climate. Like 'Errors' and 'Taker' are obviously very personal, but they also speak to the age of anxious and entitled people, respectively, that we live in. If a skeptical person in the YouTube comments section were to say, "Hey, garage pop isn't a new genre. What makes these guys special?", what would you say in return? We probably have more sexually transmitted infections. You crazy kids will be opening for Black Honey in London next month. Are you excited? Yes. Okay. Have you been to London before? What are you planning to do there apart from performing? We've been there a few times. Probably just touching ourselves in the hotel and watching The Weakest Link re-runs. 'Errors' was the first song I was told to listen to from you, and I believe I thought something along the lines of, "This is pretty cool". Tell us about the story behind the song. It's about being trapped in a constant state of lethargy. We were trying to get signed and there was a lot of pressure to write a radio song about being in love or partying. That felt dishonest and pointless because it wasn't our lives at that point. There are more probably as many depressed people as there are people in love. 'Errors' felt more genuine and relatable than any love song we could write. Your latest single 'Taker' has fulfilled all the criteria to be classified as an "absolute bop". What inspired the song and what was the creative process like? What would you like fans and new listeners to take from the track? We're honoured that you've declared it a bop. Bobby wrote it in a bedroom studio in Toronto in like ten minutes. Kara came in after and sprinkled some finishing touches on and it was done pretty quickly. "Taker, when you gonna give a little?", was something we'd wanted to say for a long time just because it's so applicable to so many situations. Hopefully, it just helps our fans get out their teenage rage. Can we expect a music video for 'Taker', or is that too much to ask? Yes, it's coming in March. We're very happy with how it turned out, which is saying a lot because we haven't been happy since '94. Can we get any "world exclusive tea" on a potential third single? You'll hear it (and maybe more) in March. It's unlike anything we've ever done before. With three projects under your metaphorical belt, you have a lot of songs to choose from for your upcoming album. Can we expect to hear any songs older fans may know recycled for the new project? Let me know now so I can organise bragging rights. 'Drunk Enough To Love Me' and maybe 'Dillon'; 'New Emotion' might be a bonus track. It's tough deciding whether or not to use 'Dillon', we're kind of tired of talking about that shit-head. You were recently signed to Columbia Records, joining a roster that includes hip-hop gospel artist "Lecrae". Has signing to a label changed how you write and record your music? We finished the album before we got signed, so no. We've started working on album two now and it's been pretty effortless. We know what we like so we're just trusting our instincts to take us in the right direction. Have your goals changed since signing to a label and achieving the most elusive of all buzz words, "industry support"? Our goals have always been the same: a private jet, and lots of boyfriends with high and firm asses. Oh, and like help to achieve world peace or whatever. As you've risen through the ranks, I've noticed more and more Twitter usernames dedicated to you and more weird Tweets just saying "mum" every day. How has your following changed? We used to have two fans, now we have like seven or eight. It feels great! We're running out of funny and engaging questions to ask you so you can have this one. If you were to collaborate on a song with any artist, who would it be and why? Probably whoever sang the original Pokémon theme song. Just because he seems to deliver a really powerful and emotive vocal. His name is Jason Paige, and he recently re-recorded the Pokémon theme song in support of Republican candidate Ron Paul. If K.I.D were to use their platform to support a politician or political issue, what would it be? Well, we recorded a concept album about mental health, so that's definitely at the forefront for us. We're advocating that treatment be accessible and affordable to everyone, especially since the prominence of mental health issues seems to be increasing as time goes on. Speaking of people with mental health issues, who are you putting your money on for the upcoming season of RuPaul's Drag Race? We have no money. They all look really polished and fire to be honest. We've all had a lot of fun today talking about vampires and Pokémon, but it's time to wrap up. If you could never speak to them again, what last words would you say to your fans or to people who haven't tuned in yet? We love our fans, interacting with them on social media actually makes our existences less bleak. We can't wait to give you guys our EP Poster Child v, v soon. Thanks to K.I.D for a fun interview! Don't forget to subscribe to the band on YouTube, follow them on Twitter, Soundcloud, and Instagram, and like them on Facebook. You can buy their latest single 'Taker' here.

Dear Mr. Tromp, As webmaster, administrator and content writer of #PopHatesFlops, I am awoken every morning by a flurry of e-mails related to my website which I must attend to. Generally these e-mails are simple acknowledgements of errors that have occurred on the websites; often they are updates offered by our host or system manufacturers; and sometimes they are complaints by users of abuse on the website. Most common of all the e-mails in my inbox are newsletters from various outlets promoting their latest wares; and most rare are those threatening legal action against me and my website. I have been unlucky enough to receive half a dozen or so legal threats over the years since I first started PHF in 2012. When we posted about a Natalia Kills song 'Heart To Break' in 2013, we were sent a cease and desist letter from Ms. Kills' team asking us to take the article down as it was regarding a song that was unlawfully obtained. When the Lana Del Rey track 'Noir' was discussed in 2014 before its leak we were sent a cease and desist letter from Music Rights Australia telling us to erase any reference of the track. Earlier this year, we were admonished with fake claims of illegality from an imposter of the artist Allie X who claimed that we were trading her tracks illegally; it was later revealed that they were in fact just a crazed stan who had taken their obsession too far. And the latest legal advice we've received has been from you. This morning I woke up to receive the following e-mail from you, hastily copy and pasted with the remnants of a long-lost formatting persisting on: As mentioned, we have received many legal threats in the past, but this is by far the most shoddy and unprofessional one yet. From the unprofessional Gmail address to the poorly researched information on defamation which you clearly copied from an article entitled 'How To Delete Things from the Internet', your e-mail was a trainwreck from the greeting to the sign-off. Unfortunately, Jay, unlike you I am well aware of my rights and the protections I have under the law of my home country Australia. Over the past three weeks, I have binge-watched five seasons of CBS's hit show The Good Wife (airing Sunday nights at 9pm) and thus have an understanding of the law only matched by the top district attorneys (probably). You claim that our website's lone post about you was defamatory - and yet judging by your own (plagiarised) definitions of defamation it was nothing of the sort. Firstly, you have been grossly misinformed, as we did not post about you on social media. Secondly, as stated in our Terms & Conditions, all posts on #PopHatesFlops are inherently statements of opinion belonging to the users they are made by and thus are not intended for interpretation as fact. As you yourself copy and pasted, "for celebrities and public figures [...] the statement [must] be maliciously untrue - you knew it was false". As is apparent in a quick perusal of our post, Jay, nothing that any of our members said was in fact false - you have admitted to illegally posting a song by Lady Gaga on iTunes, thus violating intellectual property laws. We did not harm your reputation - you handled that all on your own. It's equally clear that your request for us to remove our content is simply an effort to avoid permanent evidence of your misdoings to be floating around - misdoings that you admitted in your own e-mail to be illegal, and which are thus not protected by the laws of the United States of America. You seem to now be claiming that you never posted the song at all, and that the whole thing was a dream in the over-active imagination of DJ White Shadow. Rest assured that all posts about you on any website (including your own Tumblr, which you have now deleted) have been documented for good on The Way Back Machine. Frankly, the whole attempt at a threatening e-mail was laughable. And possibly the funniest thing about the whole situation is the fact that if you had simply asked me to remove the thread in a polite way without resorting to baseless threats I would have done so. The current trend of threatening legal action against those who frustrate you online - whether it be someone telling the truth about you on a forum post, or a music fan who has just leaked a song you were trading just days ago - is snide, unfair and hypocritical, and must be stopped. As such, I will not follow the lead of other websites like GagaDaily who have removed every post written about you from their website; but will stand by the posts that were made on PHF with the full force of the United States and Australian legal systems at my side. I hope you rethink your attempts at at a power play, and wish you luck restoring your besmirched name. I sympathise with you for facing legal trouble from a huge corporation such as Interscope and wish you luck in your legal battle - hopefully the judge will be lenient on you and you will not face prison time. Thank you for wishing me a nice day, and I pray you have the same. Kind Regards, Mo Update: After conversing further with Mr. Tromp over e-mail, he has publicly and privately apologised for his threats towards us on his Twitter page. In turn, we have agreed to remove the original post as a good-will gesture towards him. We appreciate Mr. Tromp's willingness to sort the situation out. We certainly sympathise with his situation and we wish him all the best in the future. We urge Interscope Records and Lady Gaga's team to forgive him his mistakes as we have done.

Watch the video version of this article here: Over the course of her career, Lady Gaga has often been praised for her relentlessly unique aesthetic and her almost single-handed elevation of the standard four minute film clip into a work of video art. While most popstars opt to put their music at the forefront, with their music videos nothing but stylised afterthoughts, a classic Gaga music video will act as a pop culture event, with the song and the visuals working hand in hand to reflect a grander vision. Standard Gaga videos can often run for over five minutes, feature fully developed plots and character arcs, and present new meanings for what might otherwise constitute typical pop songs. Yet as with so many of her grand ideas, many of Gaga’s music videos have gone unrealised or unreleased. Some, like the infamous ‘Do What U Want’, were completely filmed and edited before being scrapped at the last minute; while others, such as the one for ‘Government Hooker’, remained foggy concepts with no apparent direction; but since she debuted in 2008, Gaga has consistently promised videos to her fans for each era that never went on to eventuate. Today we’ll explore each of these videos in turn, examining why they went unreleased, and just what we could be missing out on. Some of Gaga's videos were filmed, edited and ready for release before being cancelled. The most notorious of all of Gaga’s unreleased music videos, ‘Do What U Want’ was confirmed shortly after the singles announcement at her artRAVE album release party on November 10th 2013. It was here that Gaga confirmed that Terry Richardson would direct, making it the latest in a long line of Gaga and Richardson collaborations which included the Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson coffee table art book, the short music video snippet for ‘Cake Like Lady Gaga’ and the single cover for ‘Do What U Want’. The music video was to be the third in Richardson’s foray into music, leading on from his directorial efforts with Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’ and Beyonce’s ‘XO’. Ten days after the announcement, Gaga tried to make the word "quelped" a thing: A few weeks later, Interscope announced that the video would be released through the file sharing service Bit Torrent and the online publication Vice in December of that year. In an unfortunate comparison, the video followed the same release formula as Madonna’s “secretprojectrevolution”, a seventeen minute short film directed by frequent Gaga collaborator Steven Klein aiming to promote artistic expression. According to Interscope, Gaga’s release was intended to "explore the link between open expression and open technology; providing an inside look at the creative process”, and would include the music video, still photographs, a behind the scenes video and interviews with both Gaga and Richardson. In early December, Gaga explained that the video had been delayed because she wanted to make it “perfect” due to its “very personal” nature. Sadly, December came and went without any release of the music video. In a dramatic post on her social media website LittleMonsters.com, Gaga blamed her former management for the delay, saying that "just like with the 'Applause' video unfortunately, I was given a week to plan and execute it." Despite this, in June of 2014, TMZ posited a different explanation for why the video had gone unreleased, along with some snippets of the video itself. According to them, Gaga “feared blow back since her co-star was once on trial for kiddie porn and her director is in a swirl of controversy over allegedly sexually assaulting or harassing his models”. Allegedly, Gaga had been unaware of R. Kelly’s leaked sex tape in which he urinated on an underage girl; along with the multiple charges of sexual harassment against Terry Richardson. After she learned of the allegations, Gaga scrapped the music video. If the snippets TMZ leaked are anything to go by, it was probably a good call. Along with the obvious PR nightmares that are inherent when somebody convicted of statutory rape is being told to “do what you want with my body”, the video itself seems to feature images of what many would call rape. Gaga lies in a hospital bed with Kelly playing doctor and standing over her as he touches her under the covers and administers her with anaesthetic. Half-naked nurses soon begin to start twerking on top of Gaga’s passed out body, and in another scene Richardson is spotted snapping photos of a half-naked Gaga as she mimes having sex on the floor. The fact that reporters at TMZ have what seems to be a fully edited HQ version of the video suggests that a final cut does exist and has been shared in some circles, but sadly it has yet to be released to fans. Given the controversial nature of the video, it’s unlikely that this one will ever get released, which means that all we can hope for is a leak. Other Gaga videos were set up and ready to film before being scrapped at the last minute. At the BMI Pop Music Awards on May 17th, 2011, Gaga's longtime choreographer and creative partner Laurieann Gibson confirmed that she and Gaga would be filming the ‘The Edge of Glory’ music video soon and that they had a concept for it established, hinting “we’ll be feeling very fishy”. Joseph Kahn, who has worked on videos such as Britney’s ‘Womanizer’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’, was set to direct, making it his third collaboration with Gaga after music videos for 'LoveGame' and 'Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)'. He began casting for the video in May, seeking a Hispanic-looking “badass” love interest, “couture doctors who will wear smocks and black gloves”, an on-air news reporter, and a band of soldiers for scenes involving rifles. Elaborate sets were also created, including one for a hospital, one for Brooklyn Bridge, one underwater set for the Brooklyn River, and the fire escape set which ended up dominating the finished product. Filming began on the fire escape set, with Clarence Clemons appearing alongside Gaga to perform his saxophone solo as Gaga danced around the set. Sadly, the rest of the shoot did not proceed smoothly. According to Chancler Hayes, Kahn’s longtime editor, two days of filming had already been completed when Gaga changed her mind about the entire video concept. Hayes said that Gaga wanted to simplify the music video which Kahn had spent months working on, leading to a disagreement between the two and the ultimate cancellation of the project. Gaga herself later stated in 2017 that her disagreements with Kahn were over "real philosophies about life". Following the videos release, an angry Kahn tweeted “I did NOT direct Lady Gaga’s ‘Edge of Glory’ video. Lady Gaga did — I don’t co-direct. One canvas, one paintbrush. Respect the art. Very simple rule with me.” Gaga did indeed go on to take on the role of director herself, piecing together a music video from the two day of filmings that had already occurred under Kahn’s directorial supervision. During a press conference in Singapore, she confirmed "I had this whole elaborate setup for ‘The Edge of Glory’, but once I got on that fire escape in that one outfit, I realized that it was time to just have a moment of acknowledgement for myself as a 25-year-old who has been working so hard from the bottom up my whole life." While it’s true that fans missed out on what was sure to be an epic video with the Kahn-directed ‘The Edge of Glory’, it may have been a blessing in disguise. According to Hayes, the music video concept was essentially the same as the one she explored on France’s Le Grand Journal TV show, in which she performed as a mermaid in a hospital setting. This mermaid concept was not abandoned entirely but was reused for the ‘You And I’ music video, in which Gaga’s Hispanic love interest was replaced by Taylor Kinney, who went on to propose to her in February of 2015. And other concepts in the music video, such as those “couture doctors” who were meant to be examining Gaga and her tail, were repurposed for the semi-autobiographical ‘Marry the Night’ music video, which Gaga once again directed herself. Finally, if nothing else, the music video cancellation was worth it thanks to the brilliant Tweets we got from Laurieann Gibson, who flew into a rage when Little Monsters accused her of misleading them in her initial hints. There were many Gaga videos that were conceptualised but never officially sent to pre-production. 'Venus' was at one point the second official single from Gaga’s ARTPOP album, but was sidelined due to the overwhelmingly positive reception towards promotional single 'Do What U Want'. Despite this, Gaga confirmed that even as a promotional single the song would still receive its own music video, set to be directed by Ruth Hogben who had recently shot her for her ELLE cover story. Interestingly, the multiple album artworks released for the song were actually shot by Steven Klein, breaking the trend of each ARTPOP single having cover art shot by its video director. Unfortunately, this version of the 'Venus' video ultimately went unfilmed, and it’s unknown how much work was actually done on the concept. The closest we got to a music video for ‘Venus’ was a snippet of the song that was used in the self-directed music video for ‘G.U.Y.’, which was released almost a year later. Following the same trend, ‘A-Yo’ was also intended to be released as the second single from Joanne, but was scrapped due to the positive reception towards promotional single Million Reasons. It’s unknown how much of a video concept, if any, Gaga had come up with for the song. Similiarly, 'Dance in the Dark' was originally chosen by Gaga’s label as the third single from The Fame Monster, and was even sent to radio and released as a fourth single in certain territories. However, Gaga’s own desire to release 'Alejandro' meant that a music video was never filmed. It’s unknown if she ever conceptualised a video for the track. When asked in a Born This Way era interview which track she’d most like to film a music video for, Gaga brought up the fact that she had several ideas for a 'Government Hooker' music video. While we never got the video she teased, it’s possible that some of the ideas went to Gaga’s promotional video for the MTV VMAs which included 'Government Hooker' as a background track. Furthermore, Gaga often mentioned in interviews that she conceptualised ARTPOP as a fully visual album, with music videos for each track. At one point, Gaga even began a competition on LittleMonsters.com asking her fans to send in concepts for music videos, with her favourite idea being turned into a fully funded music video for the album. However, it’s unknown how much work was actually put into developing ideas for what each music video would look like, or if Gaga looked at the contest submissions at all. And, finally, Gaga has teased the existence of a sequel to the ‘Paparazzi’ and ‘Telephone’ videos for years. The ending to the 'Telephone' video features a To Be Continued credit, and Gaga confirmed in a 2013 interview that the song featured in the sequel would be included in her iTunes Festival set to promote ARTPOP. This means that the song chosen must have been 'Aura', 'Manicure', 'ARTPOP', 'Jewels n Drugs', 'Sexxx Dreams', or less likely, 'I Wanna Be With You'. In an interview with KISS FM, Gaga stated that she had already written the treatment along with Jonas Akerlund, saying “to finish the trilogy will be great”. Gaga continued to tease the sequel throughout the ARTPOP era without explicitly saying what song it was for, jokingly telling Andy Cohen “blank will be coming out soon”. But when she was asked whether ‘G.U.Y.’ was the ‘Telephone’ continuation on Twitter, she dismissed the claims with no further information, stating: To this day, no one knows for sure which song was chosen as the 'Telephone' sequel, or what the video may have looked like. And there were several Gaga videos with significant deleted scenes. ‘Paparazzi’ originally featured an entirely new setup showing Gaga on a polka dotted, purple haired horse wearing an aquatic themed outfit. Rumour has it that the scene was cut to avoid criticism from animal rights organisations such as PETA, who have often criticised dying the fur of any animal. ‘Perfect Illusion’ features several unreleased scenes, including some which feature her at a piano - a strange idea given that the track has no piano part in it at all. Gaga teased on social media that ‘Cake Like Lady Gaga’, a Terry Richardson music video snippet which she released in November of 2012, had a full music video, although this went unreleased. The original version of 'G.U.Y.' featured a lookalike of John Lennon being resurrected alongside the lookalikes of Jesus, Michael Jackson and Ghandi, but this was apparently cut due to copyright issues with his estate. Andy Cohen reacted to an early version of the video which still featured Lennon here. And while not quite a deleted scene, there was a fully rendered 3D version of the ‘Telephone’ music video which went unreleased and which was later leaked by iLeaks, solving the riddle of why Gaga included 3D glasses in the super deluxe edition of her The Fame Monster album. Which of Lady Gaga's unreleased music videos do you most want to see? What song do you think would have made the best 'Telephone' sequel? Let us know in the comments down below!

2020 may just be the worst year in living memory, but if there's one consolation in all of the chaos it is, as always, music. Although true concerts have been sorely missed in the madness of this year and many projects have faced significant delays while wide-scale lockdowns sweep the globe, that hasn't stopped certain artists from creating and releasing some masterpieces. Whether they're reflecting the mood of dread, isolation and fear prevalent in society or providing us an escape from the horrors of 2020, these ten songs have been the soundtrack of our year on PHF - and what a year it's been. 10. Little Mix - Holiday Submitted By: @Skinny Legend Despite their undeniable vocal prowess and incredible chemistry, Little Mix has always been a little underwhelming in my books when it comes to song choice. Their back catalogue is sprinkled with a couple of fun tracks ('Power' and 'No More Sad Songs' are both bangers), and the occasional brilliant ballad ('Secret Love Song' and their 'Falling' cover are incredible), but their singles are often cheapened by derivative production or boring rent-a-rappers. All that changed with 'Holiday', the second single from their last album as a four-piece Confetti. Leaning hard into the groups pop origins, the song served up a slice of fun, effortless, summery bubblegum pop that was just what the public needed to hear in 2020, filling a gap in the market that's been gaping open since the onslaught of R&B and indie artists in recent years. Little Mix might not look the same in a post-2020 world, but 'Holiday' will still go down as one of their best, most anthemic singles to date and a game-changer for the group. It's just a shame it didn't get as much attention as it deserved on the charts. 9. ionnalee - MACHINEE Submitted By: @coolaideonfire ionnalee had planned to tour North America in 2020 celebrating 10 years of iamamiwhoami (her audiovisual project launched in December 2009), but after these plans were postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic things changed course. In quarantine she announced the KRONOLOGI playlist, a series of previously unreleased songs and alternate versions to be shared weekly as a soundtrack to our isolation, and true to her iamamiwhoami roots she also played two online concerts in the summer months. One was a lowkey affair filmed in the beautiful surroundings of her garden at home for Sweden's National Day celebrations and the other a highly produced event filmed on a remote Swedish island bearing similarities to IN CONCERT (an ambitious online concert streamed by iamamiwhoami in 2010). KONSERT featured guests such as Imogen Heap, TR/ST and Zola Jesus and culminated in the live premiere of ionnalee's latest single 'MACHINEE' - a brooding electronic number with industrial vibes and my highlight of the year. 8. Pale Waves - She's My Religion Submitted By: @blonde-rebellion Avril Lavigne has been my all-time favorite artist practically since birth. The early 2000s were filled with artists trying to emulate her signature pop-rock sound and punk attitude. Listening to the mainstream radio now, it may seem like that style is gone, but look no further than what the new indie girls are doing for some quality Avril-inspired bops. Artists like Snail Mail and Soccer Mommy have been outspoken about the influence Avril has had on their music, but one of the biggest Avril-influenced artists right now is British indie-pop band, Pale Waves. The second single off their upcoming sophomore album, (Who Am I?, due out in February), 'She’s My Religion' sounds like the best of Under My Skin-era Avril. The gothic pop/rock guitar-driven instrumental fits perfectly with Pale Waves’ signature confessional lyrics. The track is an authentic queer love song (made by actual LGBT artists!) with an insanely catchy chorus that features lyrics - “she’s cold, she’s dark, she’s cynical. She’s forever angry at the world” - that will make you say, "Ugh, she’s literally me". 'She’s My Religion' by Pale Waves is everything a pop-rock fan could want in the year 2020. 7. Given - Winter Story Submitted By: @Vixen Eyes I listened to this since October before watching the anime Given and after reading it's manga predecessor (same story events). I loved everything at first listen and not only that but the anime is my fave animation and fave series ever. The EP has five songs and three instrumental tracks (of the five previous songs). The part where the vocalist in the anime sings 'Winter Story' I C R I E D. No — I fucking S O B B E D. The lyrics are about the vocalist's ex boyfriend's suicide after they had a fight and his last words to his ex were, "Are you willing to die for me then?". Let THAT sink in. 6. Charli XCX - Party 4 U Submitted By: @jesuswasaloser Charli XCX announced on April 6 that she would be creating and conceiving an entire album during quarantine using only the resources she had in her LA home and the help of her fans to choose things such as artworks and lyrics. Six weeks later she released how i'm feeling now, one of her best pieces of work to date. The album was created specially for the time we all spent in quarantine and it has some amazing songs where the singer talks about her moments of love and loneliness, but one song in particular is just something else, and that song is 'party 4 u'. This song was already a fan favourite, since it had been played many times before by A. G. Cook in many of his sets, and fans would always ask Charli to release it officially - but as she said in an interview for Apple Music, "it had never felt right before now". It's a simple song, lyrically, that speaks about how Charli only throws a party for one special person, and she hopes that the person "comes through", and hopes that the person will stick by her side through the hard times too. It's a simplistic premise, but during lockdown, where we all had no other choice but to party by ourselves, the song took a whole new meaning. With simple lyrics and production, this song really was like a present for her fans. I know that when I look back at the time all spent locked inside, this album, and especially this song, will be the first thing I remember. And that's why I consider it one of the best songs, if not the best, from 2020. 5. Melanie C - Who I Am Submitted By: @Whoknowsmehere I loved this song from the first time I heard it. I tend to gravitate towards songs where the message is one that hits me right in the feels. And this song is no exception to that. The message of her no longer worrying about what others think about what she has to say - or, who she is - that is exactly how I feel about myself. She is telling people - this is who I am. Accept me or don't, I don't care. I am going to be me regardless of what others say. I love the music that goes along with the song as well. Excellent arrangement. Very easy to listen to, and still be able to pay attention to the message behind the lyrics. Melanie C came back with an amazing overall album in my opinion. 4. BLACKPINK - Lovesick Girls Submitted By: @Capsule On October 2, 2020, BLACKPINK released the third single from their then-upcoming debut full-length album after four years as a group. The track is the first in the group's history to be co-written by members Jennie and Jisoo, as well as being co-produced by Jennie. The song, although being an overall pop banger, has obvious influences from country, folk and EDM. The song details the feelings of pain and heartbreak after a break up, feeling like you're "born to be alone," but also "still looking for love". It's a subject that can relate to a lot of people - we have all experienced some sort of heartbreak and felt like we would be alone forever. The topic has been done to death, yet the group somehow managed to bring a fresh perspective to the table...that is TALENT. The song was well-received worldwide, and also helped the group to break various records through their album promotion. The single won 6 music show awards during its promotion, including three consecutive wins on Inkigayo, which lead to them receiving the Triple Crown award on that show. With help from this single, the group's album became the highest-charting album by an all-female group in the United States since 2008's Welcome to the Dollhouse by Danity Kane. BLACKPINK have proven this year that that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the K-Pop industry and that they don't plan on stopping their domination any time soon. 3. Dua Lipa - Break My Heart Submitted By: @365MM ‘Sophomore slump’? Not a chance! Back in the oh-so-innocent, pre-pandemic era, Dua Lipa was finally releasing her second album, Future Nostalgia. Great new singles had been dropping over the last few months. Sounded promising. Maybe pick it up when it comes out, I thought. Old news now, but then everything was turned on its head. Crazy times. Seemed like there was only constant; “Break My Heart” was the bop everyone was loving at the same time! It really is an amazing combination of a killer dance beat (acknowledged as similar to INXS’ "Need You Tonight"), sublime vocals, and unbelievably catchy lyrics. Great production too, but personally the writing here edges out. It might be a pop song, but the story here is a very mature. An exploration of vulnerability with heartbreak and strength of wisdom out of unsuccessful relationships while still needing to risk it all again in the pursuit of love. I think we’ve all been there. I just wish we could own it as well as Dua. Arguably the best track on an album that proves to be both ridiculously consistent and infinitely playable. No wonder it broke into the tops of so many charts (including entered at number 6 on the UK Singles and peaking at 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100). Perfect dance-pop! And the video? The colors, the set movement, THAT DANCE? In this year with virtually no live concerts, “Break My Heart” was the performance we needed and deserved. Easily top 20 of 2020. 2. Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande - Rain On Me Submitted By: @Skinny Legend Released at the height of COVID-19 lockdowns across the world in May of 2020, 'Rain On Me' was the forerunner quarantine anthem of the year from the moment of its release, even if it was penned months in advance. The self-empowerment lyrics gained new meaning after the struggles that many faced in 2020, with the concept of embracing darkness and pain harkening back to Gaga's 'Marry the Night' days in a beautiful reminder of how to make it through hard times. It further helps that the song is one of Gaga's most rambunctious and high energy in recent years, making it perfect for many late-night lonesome shower disco's that took place over the year. 'Rain On Me' is an important reminder than not only does everyone go through similar struggles, but that these struggles are a lot harder to face when you can celebrate them as the important life-defining moments they are. 1. Kylie Minogue - Say Something Submitted By: @Cypher Released during the middle of the year and well into the global lockdown, Kylie Minogue dazzled the world with a shimmering, anthemic disco pop track. The song took on a life of its own during the pandemic with the line, "Can we all be as one again?". It would mark the beginning of her Disco era, propelling her to the #1 position in the UK, beating out Little Mix's Confetti (who she also voiced support for). With the album having 55 000 chart sales (the biggest opening week of the year), Minogue became the first female artist to score a #1 on the UK Official Albums Chart in five consecutive decades. Minogue has undeniable talent, name recognition, and a vocal prowess to appeal to multiple generations. If you love catchy bass lines and callbacks from the '70s, the song and album are definitely going to be contenders for your own year-end list! Did your favourite track of 2020 make the list? Sound off in the comments below! And from everyone at PHF, Happy New Years - fingers crossed things can only get better from here on out.

Plenty of todays European acts struggle every day to blow up outside of their mother countries. The main reasons for that are that they tend to sing in their mother tongues or are having issues with promo...or lack thereof. Many such artists follow their dreams in music contests: for singers like Loreen, Måns Zelmerlöw, Conchita Wurst, Elena Paparizou and ABBA participating in Eurovision was the best thing since sliced bread. Nevertheless, there are artists who prefer to earn their fame without cutting corners. Not many artists have been able to attract the attention of international audiences, but one Danish artist has managed to do so. Maria Louise Joensen, better known as Aura Dione, was born in Copenhagen in 1985. Not many people know that this multi-platinum selling artist is of Faroese, Spanish, French and Danish origin. Her talent was a blessing in disguise. She debuted with the song 'Something From Nothing' in 2007. Sadly, the song didn’t have a significant impact on radio stations and wasn’t hugely successful. However, despite poor reception of the first single, Aura knew that every cloud has a silver lining and decided not to leave the building so quickly. Still waiting for her breakout hit, Aura decided to keep pushing the envelope. Record label Music for Dreams released Dione's debut album Columbine in 2008 in Denmark and Island Records re-released it in 2009 in other European countries. Island decided to release 'Song For Sophie' in 2008 as Aura’s second single. The track peaked at #12 in Germany and at #18 in Austria. It also charted within Billboard's European Hot 100 Singles chart at #49. However, it was her third single that gave Aura the most publicity yet: 'I Will Love You Monday'. In Germany, 'I Will Love You Monday (365)' reached #1 in its fourth week on the chart. It hit #2 in Switzerland and Austria and charted within the European Hot 100. After the huge success of 'I Will Love You Monday', Aura started working on her sophomore album called Before The Dinosaurs. It was released in 2011 by Universal Music. The first single off it was 'Geronimo'. The banger peaked at number one in Austria, Denmark, and Germany. The second single from this album is noteworthy. 'Friends' saw Aura working with the American producing duo Rock Mafia, known for working on such hits as Miley Cyrus’s 'Who Owns My Heart' and 'Can’t Be Tamed', Selena Gomez’s 'Naturally', 'Love You Like a Love Song' and 'Kill ‘Em With Kindness' to name just a few. 'Friends' brought Aura the most recognition and success so far. The last single from Before The Dinosaurs was called 'In Love With The World'. The track didn’t have too much impact on radio stations and quickly disappeared from charts. However, it is such an underrated bop and y’all should check it out as well. Right now, the artist has changed her name from Aura Dione to just Aura and is cooking up her third album Can't Steal The Music which is set to drop later this year. She has already released two singles from the project: 'Love Somebody' and 'Indian Giver'. She has also taken to Instagram to post a mysterious photo from behind the scenes of her new music video. We still don't know which song it will be for, but we can't wait! UPDATE! Aura has released a brand new single called "Can't Steal The Music" Get it on iTunes or other stores NOW! You can find Aura on Facebook and Instagram.

In December 2004, a 22 year old Britney Spears walked into the KIIS FM offices in Burbank carrying an unmarked CD to meet radio host Jesse Lozano. The meeting was pre-planned, but only barely; Spears had called about an hour before to ask whether she could play her new song live, a phone call that Lozano had immediately thought was a prank. “Usually, you don’t believe that,” he would later state. In other words: usually, this kind of meeting would have to be cleared by layer upon layer of managers, PR agents and radio executives before it could ever come to fruition. But on that particular day, Britney had gone rogue. Following the worldwide success of her 2003 album In The Zone, Britney had gone on to release Greatest Hits: My Prerogative the month before, and was still promoting the titular Bobby Brown cover as the album’s first single when she showed up at KIIS. But that wasn’t all that had happened in her life recently. In 2004 alone, Britney had joined the religion Kabbalah on recommendation of her friend Madonna; eloped to Vegas with childhood friend Jason Alexander only to annul the marriage 55 hours later; cancelled The Onyx Hotel Tour after breaking her knee and having to go through arthroscopic surgery; married backup dancer Kevin Federline after five months of knowing him; and been writing new material for an album since at least November 2003, when In The Zone was released. Somewhat contradictorily, she had also announced an extremely short-lived career break through her official website in order to start a family. Later, Britney would backtrack from her planned “break” in a letter posted to her official fansite. “I think I should rephrase myself from my previous letters when I was talking about taking a 'break'. What I meant was I am taking a break from being told what to do [...] It's cool when you look at someone and don't know whether they are at work or play since it's all the same to them. The things I've been doing for work lately have been so much fun, because it's not like work to me anymore.” After a year of huge career highs and personal lows, Britney was headed to KIIS to take control of a situation and prove her own independence, despite what her management team may have wanted. The song that Britney played on that day was ‘Mona Lisa’, a strangely introspective and prophetic song which would go on to launch a thousand fan theories. Using da Vinci’s famous artwork as it’s subject, the song discusses a character on the verge of a nervous breakdown. “Now see everyone's watching as she starts to fall/They want her to breakdown, be a legend of her fall,” Britney sings, her voice unusually shaky, sharp and unpolished; before launching into an unexpected hymnal during the bridge. "It definitely has the raw thing going on," Brit mentioned during her radio appearance. "My band, we didn't use ProTools or anything with it. It's all live [...] It will get better — this is a really, really rough mix." Britney’s choice to compare herself to ‘Mona Lisa’ is an interesting one, and one that she would maintain when she directed her next music video for ‘Do Somethin’’ under the pseudonym ‘Mona Lisa’ a few months later. "I kinda think she's like my alter ego whenever I feel like being mean or possibly like bustin' people around to get stuff right," she told TRL at the time. "It's kinda easier to be called 'Mona Lisa' instead of Britney." But as much as Britney stated that Mona Lisa was an alter ego, in many ways it seemed as though that was the real her. da Vinci’s artwork is one of the most well-known images in the world, yet with its with it’s enigmatic smile and mysterious backstory it's also one of the most hotly debated. Moreover, it’s one of the most commonly reproduced artworks in history, with innumerable copies being made for placement on office walls, handbags and phone cases. Britney related to ‘Mona Lisa’ as a public figure who was ready to tear down her reproductions and let people finally see the real her. This interest in “originals” and “copies” was one Britney clearly intended to explore more, as she let slip in a short interview prior to the ‘Mona Lisa’ premiere. "[The album is] probably going to be called Original Doll," Britney told Lozano on air. She hoped to release it by summertime, and had clearly been working on it in earnest given that it was "halfway done". The title of the album - as well as the subject matter of 'Mona Lisa' itself - was a sly dig towards Britney’s management, who at the time was in the process of seeking “Britney Spears types” for an up-and-coming girl group, The Pussycat Dolls. Later, it would be used by fans in dark corners of the Internet as evidence that the “original” Britney had been replaced with an emotionless clone around this time to fulfil the rest of her career duties. But despite the excitement Britney expressed during her impromptu announcement of the album, her record label was adamant that there were no concrete plans to release anything officially. At the time, no one involved in the recording of the song had even been paid yet. “No album is scheduled at the moment, but Britney is in the studio working on some material,” Jive Records said in a statement to Billboard. “There are no plans to service ‘Mona Lisa’ to the radio.” Ultimately, ‘Mona Lisa’ was the only song that was ever officially confirmed for Original Doll, and when that album didn’t come to fruition it was reworked for the Chaotic EP, the soundtrack to Britney and Federline’s short-lived reality show. Also on the EP was 'Chaotic', which was recorded with Bloodshy & Avant, Henrik Jonback and Michelle Bell; and ‘Someday (I Will Understand)’, which Britney wrote herself. Of all the songs that have been speculated to appear on Original Doll, these two are the most likely choices: Henrik Jonback confirmed that he had written with Britney on her German Onyx Hotel Tour bus in 2004, which was around the same time that ‘Mona Lisa’ was recorded, and the Guy Sigsworth-produced ‘Someday’ was written in early 2005 before Spears learned of her first pregnancy, just a month or two after the Original Doll announcement. The EP’s bonus track ‘Over To You Now’, shares a producer with 'Someday' and is another possible inclusion for the album, although many fans speculate that the album was instead an In The Zone outtake due to its sound. It’s also possible that the new recordings on Greatest Hits: My Prerogative had at one point been considered for Original Doll. ‘My Prerogative’ and ‘Do Somethin’’ were both recorded on different legs of the Onyx Hotel Tour, around the same time as ‘Mona Lisa’, and feature a similar percussive R&B style. Some fans have speculated that as both of these songs were produced by Bloodshy & Avant (the producers of 'Mona Lisa'), they were at one point intended to have produced the whole album - in interviews in early 2004, Britney stated that she wanted to work with one producer on her next album, and she worked with them in spring of that year. Another Bloodshy & Avant production 'I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)', which was also on the album, had already been released nine months earlier alongside 'Don't Hang Up', 'The Answer' and 'Girls and Boys' as bonus tracks on Britney's DVD for In The Zone; but as these were all recorded pre-Onyx Hotel they are generally considered to be from a different era. On top of this, there’s several songs which have leaked in recent years which fans attribute to Original Doll, even though in reality they were recorded prior to In The Zone. These songs include ‘Look Who’s Talking’, a song about Britney’s ex Justin Timberlake; ‘Like I’m Fallin’', a country inspired song; ‘Take Off’, an anti-war and pro-gay rights anthem; ‘Money, Love, and Happiness’, produced by a young RedOne; ‘Welcome to Me’, a sex kitten anthem which asks Britney’s lover to "take control"; ‘Peep Show’, which we’ve only heard a snippet of; ‘Ouch’, a song about heartbreak; and ‘Conscience’, known alternatively as ‘Conscious’. While all of these songs in their demo form are quite stripped back and could sit nicely alongside ‘Mona Lisa’, there’s no suggestion that they were ever brought out of the vault to be reworked after In The Zone. With fans eagerly awaiting the 2005 release date of Original Doll, the hot dry summer days seemed so stretch on endlessly with only the announcement of B In The Mix: The Remixes Vol. 1 to keep them satiated. Despite this, Britney continued to write and record songs around this time that matched the Original Doll style, including 'Pulse', which was later repurposed for English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark; 'Sippin' On', which was allegedly originally recorded for In The Zone; 'Welcome To Me', written by Britney alongside her tour choreographer Wade Robson and Carole Bayer Sager; 'State Of Grace', a lush mid-tempo written by Steve Anderson, Lisa Greene and Steve Lee; ‘For My Sister’, a soulful guitar track written entirely by Britney; 'Untitled Lullabye', an eerie ballad written and produced by William Anderson; and 'To Love Let Go', written by Britney, Tom Craskey and Devo Springsteen. While all of these songs explored variations on the R&B genre, most are notable for featuring intensely personal lyrics about love, family and fame. Fan-made album artwork for Original Doll Although all of these songs would have made sense on an album alongside 'Mona Lisa', it's impossible to predict where planning for that project truly ended and recording began to morph into what would ultimately become Britney's next official release, Blackout. The only clue we have to Original Doll being totally scrapped is a comment by 'Everybody' producer J.R. Rotem, who met Britney in March of 2006 and stated in April that she had just begun recording a new album and "doesn't have too much" material for it. Similiarly, it's unknown exactly why Original Doll was cancelled, although some fans speculate that the album became the centre of a dispute with Jive Records, who was unhappy about Britney premiering new unreleased music in the middle of the promotional cycle for Greatest Hits: My Prerogative and who recognised the criticism Britney launched their way with 'Mona Lisa'. This was alluded to in a BBC Entertainment UK article which stated that Jive put the album on hold as punishment for Britney playing the song without permission - a viewpoint shared by KIIS host Clarence Barnes, who stated, "In the back of my mind I’m thinking, 'No signed artist would ever do that because [Jive CEO] Barry Weiss would cut them in half with a cleaver'". According to the BBC, Spears allegedly also backtracked on Original Doll during the TRL interview, stating that there was no album in the works; however, video footage of this can not be found.. Even if Britney was persisting with the album, 'Mona Lisa' was already dead in the water by January 2005, when Britney confirmed that the song would no longer appear on any album but would instead be repurposed for Chaotic. Regardless of the reasoning, by 2007 it seemed as though Britney had officially given up the fight for Original Doll. By this point she had instead turned her full attention to recording Blackout, which had a markedly different sound. While ‘Mona Lisa’ focused on the raw vulnerability in Britney’s voice with percussive, funky production, Blackout cuts like ‘Gimme More’ used Spears’ voice as just another processed instrument to layer atop heavy EDM beats, and their lyrics were for the most part a world away from any of Britney’s earlier more personal cuts. Despite being a revolutionary album, Blackout lacked the emotional connection that Spears had teased two years prior with ‘Mona Lisa’. Of course, Blackout wasn’t the only thing to happen to Spears in 2007. Britney’s mental breakdown is at this point stuff of legend, with images of her shaving her head, wielding an umbrella as she smashes car windshields and crying in a British accent all taking a permanent place in pop culture history. A bald Britney Spears wields an umbrella Looking back at Original Doll retroactively, we can’t help but wonder: would Spears’ breakdown have even happened if she’d been able to release the album of her dreams? Celebrities nowadays have unprecedented allowance to express themselves however they want, with social media like Twitter and Instagram allowing them to speak directly to fans without interference from management. But Britney didn’t have that luxury: the only way she could tell the world how she was feeling was through her music, and, if she was up for the risk, through impromptu KIIS FM interviews. With both of those avenues taken away from her, it seems like it was almost inevitable for Britney to crack under pressure the way she did. With the Britney Spears of 2018 more overprotected and inaccessible than ever, it seems likely that fans yearning for information on Original Doll will only intensify. But it’s not just the music that has them hungry for more; it’s the promise of a Spears who was breaking out of her shell to be exactly who she wanted to be for the first time in her life. In October of 2004, around the time she became engaged to Federline and two months before she premiered ‘Mona Lisa’, Britney wrote a letter to her fansite alluding to the release of Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. It’s charming in a “little girl writes in her diary” kind of way, but it’s also an incredible insight into Britney’s mindset at the time. Editor's Note: This is an updated version of an article that was originally posted on 22/11/2018.

Moxiie first appeared on the pop music scene back in 2011 with her breakthrough single 'Dancing in Dirt', which proved right off the bat that she wasn't here to play. The single was the first from Moxiie's debut EP Jungle Pop, named after her self-created genre of the same name; and this in turn was followed in 2012 by her first album Savage, which featured A-list producers such as Reo (Beyoncé's 'Hello') and Peter Wade (Kylie Minogue's 'Les Sex'). Following this, Moxiie released a dancehall-inspired EP entitled ScandiRara in 2013, which was followed by several experimental singles in which she explored new sounds and shaped her artistic vision of what she wanted her music to sound like. Now, Moxiie is planning another single release which we're sure will snatch your Brazilian Remy weaves and leave the blogosphere bald. The Haitian-American beauty joined us today to discuss where she's come from, where she's going and the social issues she strives to fight for through her music. Hello, Moxiie! Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to talk to you. How are you today? Thank you for reaching out! I'm feeling good right now. Let's start from the beginning. You released your first album Savage back in 2012. How has your sound evolved since then? Has your opinion on the music industry changed at all? Firstly, thank you for knowing about Savage. That was my second project: before that I did an EP [Jungle Pop]. I've changed so much on a personal level so it's been a pretty organic growth, and that is reflected in the songs I write and the choices I make. I think that during [the recording of] Savage I was still working out a lot of bad people-pleasing habits. Having been so focused on pitching songs in the past, it was a time where I had to break free of thinking so much about what is "hot". Since Savage, you've released several stand-alone singles. Are you enjoying the artistic freedom and lack of responsibility that singles can provide? Or are you working on shaping them together into an EP or album? I put out another EP of dancehall inspired pop songs [ScandiRara] after Savage. Since then, I've been finding my way and developing a sound that truly feels like me. Singles have been a way to still give music in the meantime. I'll definitely release an EP - really excited about getting to that again from where I am now. A lot of our members are Britney Spears fans and many found out about you thanks to your visual cover of her smash hit 'Toxic'. On first listen, however, people may be surprised at how different and innovative your version is from the original song. How did the idea for that cover come together? Thank you. That 'Toxic' cover came together in a rehearsal. I was putting together a new set and felt like it needed a familiar moment to share with the audience. I just started to freestyle a different version of 'Toxic' and Surreal, my producer said, "Okay, you've convinced me." Then we recorded it a few days later. Let's talk about your brand new single 'Don't See You'. Could you tell us about the meaning behind this song for you? What was the songwriting process like? Sure. 'Don't See You' is about just realising where I had lapses in judgment, allowing people and situations into my life that really should have never been that close to me, but also just owning it. I'm basically saying “Hey, you messed up by betraying me and I messed up because secretly, I knew better." You released a music video for 'Don't See You' just a few weeks ago. What was the inspiration behind the video? I was inspired initially by the black and white CK One ads, and that led me to portraits by Michael Avedon and Irving Penn. I wanted to convey intimacy, distance and loneliness almost simultaneously. Has music always been your passion or was it something that emerged later on in your life? If you were to describe your sound to new listeners, which three words would you use? I've had a passion for music my entire life. I'd describe my sound as authentic, experimental, and electronic. Apart from music, a quick perusal of your Instagram page shows that you're passionate about makeup. How do you intertwine those passions? Does music influence your makeup work at all? Makeup is a just another means of expression. That's something that came way later for me, but it's fun. I also love the power of transformation it gives. The only way the two go hand in hand is when it's time to shoot a music video. Then, makeup is a great tool to carry out the vision. Some people describe the anxiety and stress that they experience when performing live, but when I watch videos of your live performances it struck me that the stage is your element. Have you always been such a natural on stage? What were your early performances like? I appreciate that. It's funny, I get anxious when it's time to perform, but it comes from a really intense desire to entertain, connect and basically not screw up, especially when choreography is involved. I think I used to be a little more crazy, but I'm finding a space that feels good right now with performing. I'm really excited to develop that more. Everything before and after performing kind of feels like preparation for performing. Once I'm in it, it feels very right to be there. If you were to list some artists who inspire you the most, who would it be? I'm endlessly inspired by the greats. The usual suspects: Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Madonna and Grace Jones. Lately though I've felt inspired by SZA and Dawn Richard. With SZA it's her honesty and freedom, and with Dawn it's her fiercely independent spirit. Especially as a [woman of color], I seriously appreciate the presence of these women. It's important. You've been hinting on your Instagram that new music is coming. Can you spill the tea on when we can possibly expect your next release and what it might sound like? Haha, I love that you pay attention to details. I'm looking to release something by August. It's definitely more intimate and experimental. At the end of the day, I love pop music so there are elements of pop, but it's different for sure. Demi Lovato put your single 'FVRS' on her Spotify playlist. How did it feel to be recognised by such a huge musical personality? Demi Lovato is such a fighter and an amazing artist. I have massive respect for her and I felt really grateful! That was a cool moment. A gesture like that from such an influential person actually affects the life of an indie artist like me. You are very vocal about the issue of immigration. What's your personal connection to that issue and what would you most like people to know about it? I'm a first generation Haitian-American. While I was born here, I saw first-hand the struggles of building a life in the U.S. It can be very traumatic moving to another country, especially with children and grandchildren, or at least I think so. We're in dangerous territory when the word "immigrant" starts to lose humanity and is even used in a way that wants to encourage xenophobia. I just can't shut up about it. This is too important. Recently you designed an 'Immigrant Daughter' t-shirt which is available online. Bebe Rexha, one of the most successful new acts in the music industry, was seen rocking it on Instagram. How did you come up with the idea for a t-shirt? That was really a special moment for me and I'm so grateful to Bebe for wearing it proudly. I wanted to create merch, but I needed to ground it in something that truly means something to me, and wouldn't end with t-shirts and hats. A conversation started around an issue close to my heart felt right. There was a list of ideas, but I resonated with that one the most. I sent it to my friend Reo, and he designed the text/typography. Part of it was imagining people who don't consider themselves immigrants seeing these t-shirts and maybe appreciating that "those immigrants" are your friends, and their mothers, their fathers, their grandparents. It's about encouraging humanity. Apart from immigration, are there any other issues you would like to spread awareness about? Well, I'm very cautious. At the end of the day, I'm looking to figure out how to use my work to illuminate what I think is special, important, or beautiful. A few things I'd like to work with are: the importance of sisterhood among women and trans [women of color] being safer. I'm also passionate about food, and eventually want to share what I've learned around that. Just the relationship most of us have with it, things some of us do every day that slowly have negative effects. In one of your posts on Instagram, you mentioned fantasising about reading your old journals to your fans. What's the main thing we would learn if we were to read through your old diaries? Oh my god, I was a mess and doubted myself so much. I think I was crying almost every day at one point. So many struggles. Sometimes I read it just to remind myself that things have gotten better. It helps me to feel intense gratitude. I think they would find that we have a lot in common. Coming back to the topic of music, are there any artists you would like to work on a song with? I'm not really sure, to be honest. Energy is such a factor for me, as well as artists that have strong perspectives and identity. Other than that it's really about the vibes and the universe letting me know, "Yes - try this." Then I go from there. Right now is an exciting time, because a lot of people that really care about the music are coming up. I'm open to all possibilities. Let's imagine you're going on a huge world tour now. Which countries would you like to visit the most? South Africa, Haiti, Sweden, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Iceland, Brazil and Germany - Berlin specifically. So many! Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans and people who haven't tuned in yet? Email me! I wanna know who you are - and please excuse typos. Thank you! Don't forget to follow Moxiie on her social medias over at Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and keep up to date with her on her official website! You can stream her latest single 'Don't See You' on Spotify and buy it on iTunes.

You might not know J Sutta's name, but you almost certainly know her songs. Since her big break came in the form of The Pussycat Dolls, the burlesque troupe turned recording sensation which dominated the 2000s music scene with hits like 'Don't Cha', 'Buttons', 'Stickwitu', 'When I Grow Up' and 'Jai Ho!', Sutta - then known simply as Jessica - has travelled around the world spreading her particular brand of self-identity, confidence and love. Her solo career in music started in 2007, when she featured on two #1 dance hits - Paul Van Dyk's 'White Lies' and Dave Audé's 'Make It Last' - but after scatterings of label conflicts and occasional bops such as the hits 'I Wanna Be Bad', 'Show Me' and 'Again', she only truly came into herself last year when she relaunched herself as J Sutta and released the free mixtape Feline Resurrection for her fans. Composed of offcuts from her debut album, Feline Resurrection turned out to be merely the prelude to the main event, I Say Yes, which was released earlier this month to huge levels of hype and excitement from her fans. Backed by her biggest single yet, 'Forever', I Say Yes is a form of self affirmation for Sutta, who describes the album in two words: "determination and faith". Unsurprisingly for a woman who's spent almost two decades in the entertainment industry, Sutta is a master of her craft, something she proves not only on I Say Yes but also during her live shows, where she struts, shimmies and sings her way through a plethora of dancefloor ready hits. More unexpectedly for a girl who once appeared on stage every night singing "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" she's also a total sweetheart, going out of her way to express her gratitude towards her longtime fans and her devotion to fulfilling the promises she made them ever since we first reached out for an interview. In fact, the party girl persona that Sutta's explored in songs such as PCD diss track 'Feline Resurrection' and the breakthrough hit 'Forever' is offset quite beautifully in her responses which are particularly thoughtful, optimistic and kind-hearted, and backed by a sense of spiritual certainty uncommon in Hollywood. Read on to see exactly what we mean. Hey J! How are you today? Where are you chatting to us from? Hey! Thanks so much for having me. I'm here in sunny L.A! Doing great, thanks for asking. Let's start at the beginning. Most of our readers first came to know about you through your involvement in The Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling and most popular girl groups of all time. A few years ago, some of the Dolls started posting photos together on their Instagrams and talking about the possibility of a reunion. Is this something you'd be open to? What would have to change for the group to be functional again? It was such a blessing to be part of such a hugely successful movement. I learned so much from all of the experiences. Right now I am super focused on my solo career and establishing myself as an artist and my goal is to keep growing and getting better as an artist with every release so I can connect with more and more people through my music. It's a really fun process. I'm happy doing what I love and want to stay true to my artistry no matter what. That is what makes me the most happy so I must honor that. Following the disbandment of The Pussycat Dolls, you began working on your first solo album Sutta Pop under Interscope Records, releasing singles such as 'I Wanna Be Bad' and 'Show Me'. A few of our readers want to know what happened with the album, and were wondering if you would ever release it for your fans to enjoy? I'm humbled by the fans everyday. I hugely appreciate the fans who have stuck it out with me from all the way back then. They have witnessed my journey and I love them for their loyalty. They walk with me in every step we take together. The problem is that most of those tracks don't have complete versions and they are dated. They don't represent my best. I have grown so much and I have worked hard to improve my voice and range everyday since then so I wouldn't want anything being released that is not the best representation of who I am today, you know? I also hate letting them down so it's a conundrum! Right now, I hope that they are understanding and enjoy I Say Yes enough to keep them satisfied. I am not where I want to be yet and releasing songs that are not the best of me could create stumbling blocks in my path. I will keep my promise though...one day we will figure it out. You next moved onto Feline Resurrection, a mixtape you released for free online made up of leftover tracks from your debut album. What inspired you to release the album for your fans? Which track was the hardest to leave off the album? I love my fans! I love them for real. Not just in a Hollywood bogus kind of way. I care about them and think about them and want to give to them as much as possible. Making Feline Resurrection was such a self discovery process for me. My team wanted to scrap everything I did and start over right after we recorded 'Forever' but I fought against it and wanted to share my experiences and the experimental sounds of Feline Resurrection with them. To me it was important that they got to know me better and it hurt me that I had to keep delaying the album release so I wanted to at least give them as much music as I could while they continued to support me patiently. After seven years of hard work, your debut album I Say Yes was released earlier this month to rave reviews from your fans. How do you feel now that it's finally out in the world? I am grateful, proud and excited. I know that we took our time to craft something that I can always stand by proudly. There were no compromises and no short cuts. I really wanted to create a narrative of relatable storytelling that makes you feel and makes you dance. Most artists rely on major labels to release albums, and even independent artists often use sites like Kickstarter or IndieGoGo to crowdfund their work. Why was it important to you to do this on your own? What was the most challenging part of releasing the album on a smaller label like Premier League Music? I have freedom and faith (two of my favorite George Michael songs - R.I.P.!) but I am open to partnerships as long as they in no way compromise my integrity. Maintaining that is more important to me than fame or fortune. Being on a small label with a tiny budget means that we can not market the album in the way it deserves. We can not compete with the big machines but we have a product that I believe can compete sonically and artistically. "If you build it, they will come," is one of my favorite quotes. When you do your very best and let go of things beyond your control sometimes you create a space for miracles to happen - people talk and share enough that you might not need the money to push and promote on a big scale. Whatever happens, we are having fun together and doing what we love...the rest is in God's hands. What does the album title and concept represent to you? What would you say is your favourite track on the project? The album title I Say Yes represents never ever quitting. Even when things knock you down, you keep getting up. When doors close you get up and knock again. Once you eventually get through that door it is that much more rewarding and tastes that much more sweet when you get to the other side knowing what you have been through to get there. Determination and faith is what I would sum that title up into in two words. My favorite track changes daily depending on my mood. Honestly, every single one has a special meaning to me. As well as your singing, you're also well known for your amazing choreography which you're very hands on for. Which song from the album are you most looking forward to choreographing and performing live? I can't wait to perform 'Inches Away' with just me and a piano. I've been practicing and learning piano and I'm excited for that as it is new to me. I also can't wait to perform 'Pushed Me'. I think it's going to be a lot of fun with my amazing dancers. The new album has collaborations with the likes of Pitbull, Rico Love and Liam Horne. Who do you feel you had the best artistic chemistry with when recording in the studio? Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with and why? Well Rico and I really got to know one another through this process and I have immense respect for his talent and his principles. He is undeniably a genius. I love Will [Peters] too as we spent a lot of time together and he is a great artist that you should watch out for. Liam is super authentic and has great energy - he is a musical wiz kid! I can't wait to see him put out some great music also. Fuse ODG is already very established as an artist and I love his very positive music. I love the things he stands for too. Of course I was a fan of both Pitbull and Hopsin beforehand so it was amazing to have them guest feature on the album. What can fans expect from you for the rest of the year? Will more singles be released from I Say Yes? Yes. We are working on a repackage with new songs right now so follow my socials for updates! Now that you've ticked releasing your album off your bucket list, what's next for J Sutta? Do you plan on releasing another album anytime soon? An early big break for you came in the form of Ocean Ave., a Swedish soap opera - is acting something you'd want to return to? Anything that I feel nourishes the artist in me and inspires me is on the table. I just want to connect through love and music and art. Are there any last words you'd like to say to your fans? I love each and everyone of you and you mean everything to me. YOU! You keep me going and have made me so strong. I hope I do the same and together we keep rising on this journey in life and keep spreading love. J, thank you so much for a great interview! We're loving your album and can't wait to see what's next in store for you! Thank you so much for having me and for all of your kind support. x J Sutta's debut album I Say Yes can be downloaded by clicking the album cover down below. Don't forget to keep up to date with her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

In a post-Clinton pop world full of strong females such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé and of course, Madonna, it can be hard to get excited over the debut of any male popstar. Between the obsessive fangirls, the predictably dull vocals, the awkward dance moves and the regular female objectification, there's not generally much for pop music stans to get into it when it comes to most dudes, meaning that most of us will only really pay attention when the music is really stellar - see 'Uptown Funk' or 'Where Are Ü Now' for more. Which is why it was a surprise when Jon Bellion showed up on our radar and pop fans started paying attention. Fresh off a co-writing credit on one of the biggest hits of 2013, Eminem and Rihanna's 'The Monster', and features on tracks by the likes of Zedd and B.o.B., Bellion's fame hit a tipping point earlier this year when he released his debut album The Human Condition. The album was released by Capitol Records, a record label which Bellion wooed with the release of four critically acclaimed free mixtapes on his Facebook page and several national tours throughout America. Backed by three promotional singles - 'Guillotine', '80's Films' and 'Maybe IDK' - and his first official single, the Travis Mendes-assisted 'All Time Low', The Human Condition was released on the 10th of June to rave reviews. Impressively, given that he's only had one charting single ('All Time Low' at a position worthy of it's name at #82), the album debuted at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, a testament to Bellion's business savvy and connection with his fanbase. The album was praised for its creators strong personality and sense of sound, which capitalises on the tropical pop movement taking place without ever sounding generic - as well as for its masterful songwriting, which blends strong metaphors with emotional power ("The secrets you tell me I'll take to my grave/There's bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway/And if you have nightmares, we'll dance on the bed/I know that you love me/Even when I lose my head/Guillotine"). And the most impressive thing about Bellion? He has yet to release a video where he walks around shirtless, bites his lip or is twerked on by a girl half his age. Even his album artwork omits his figure, instead featuring drawings from Indonesian artist David Ardinaryas Lojaya, whom Bellion commissioned with $50 000 of his own money. Now all he needs is to avoid reality stars and make sure his fans don't come up with a pet name for his penis - even if Jonaconda does have a ring to it.

Since we started our Member of the Month program early last year, we've been waiting for the perfect moment to introduce the second phase of our MOTM program - member interviews! We love celebrating our amazing #PHFriends and talking to them about their lives, so asking them some frequently asked questions seemed like a great way to get to know them on an even deeper level. And who better to help us introduce this program than @Third Eye? Since they joined PHF back in March of this year, Thirdy (or Ms. Eye if you're nasty) has made a reputation for themselves as one of the nicest and most genuine members on the forum, which they proved last month when they became one of only a few people to hit the Most Popular Contributors list! But how did they first get into pop music? What inspires the Florence obsession? And are they really their fave AURORA in disguise? Along with @Tweener and Thirdy themselves, I set out to answer these questions in our exclusive interview with the queen! Hey @Third Eye! How are you today? Hello! Well, I’m currently sick but it was a really nice day! I hope you are feeling good too. Let's start at the beginning. How did you first find PHF? Why did you join and what were your first thoughts about it? I found PHF thanks to the good sis @LBBH, he introduced me to the forum! I joined to be more in touch with music news, leaks and more. It was my first registration to a forum so it was really cool. The first thing I thought was, "Wow, there are a lot of big users with a lot of likes and contributions..." - I was scared, I was a flop! My opinion has changed a lot, the first users I talked with were so mean and I thought that this wasn’t my place but then I met a lot of wonderful members. What are some of your favourite PHF moments that you've been a part of throughout the years? #PHFHistory I would say...the death of ART DECO! I was shook… Also, the #WeCanHurtTogether thing and when someone called @Tweener a scammer. I remember that time @trayertrash made a topic (jokingly) calling me out and telling people to vote so I could be banned due to the recent fights we had in the forum. Don’t forget about "Cum to brazeel Dennis". How does it feel to be PHF's Member of the Month for October of 2016? I am disgusted...Jokes, y’all know I’m always using that gif. I am really happy to be October’s, it's such an honour! Thank you. How did you first get into pop music? Have your musical tastes changed much since then? Well, the first pop thing I heard was Selena Gomez (of course, I was a kid!). My brother introduced me to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and, well, other artists I don’t remember.. But I was addicted to 'TiK ToK' by Kesha. I only liked pop at that time, but now I like almost every genre. Lady Gaga and Katy Perry are no longer in my Holy Trinity but they are still in my faves. My favourite style now is rock-indie or alternative, but I still love pop. I know you're a huge fan of Florence + The Machine. What makes you love and admire the Ginger Chanteuse so much? She’s my role model, she inspires me to keep going through life and to never give up. Her song 'Shake It Out' - which is my favourite - helped me and rescued me in a really deep and bad moment of my life. I went to see her for the first time ever and I couldn’t stop crying. Watching her singing that song was too much for me, I love her. I can’t thank her enough for all the things she made for me without even knowing it. I will support her all my life and I will follow her everywhere she goes. She’s my hope in humanity. She also helped me meet my boyfriend...one year later we were watching her live! She is always near to her fans, doing everything behind the camera, doing everything for us - not for the money, not for the charts. She just makes what she was born to do and makes people happy. I would write 589374 pages explaining why I adore her but it would be too much, hahaha. Florence means life and happiness to me. Thank you for guiding me to the good way. One of your other faves is Sia. If you had to list your three absolute favourite songs from her, which one would they be and why? This is a hard question but I would say: 'Soon We’ll Be found': I think that song is a must in her career, it’s a wonderful piece of art. It’s pretty similar to the feeling I get when I hear 'Breathe Me' (one of her best too). 'Chandelier': Well, I think it’s her best production ever, I think she won’t ever top that song - the lyrics, the meaning, the video! It inspires me a lot, I love how can I see her whole life through her songs...I think this song is the justice her career deserved. 'Black and Blue': This is a leaked song but it's so powerful and lovely, it hits me every time I play it. I wish this was in one of her albums. This song especially inspires me a lot! Which songs would you say have influenced your life the most? As I said in a previous question, 'Shake It Out' and of course 'Third Eye'. 'Breathe Me' by Sia. This song used to make me so sad but now I can always sing it with happiness knowing that I’m not in that situation anymore. 'Wings' by Birdy. For the same reason as 'Breathe Me', its such an amazing piece of art. 'The Edge of Glory' by Lady Gaga. This song has helped me a lot. It always make me smile, it's beautiful.. I didn't want to leave the interview without saying anything about my third queen AURORA, her whole album All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend influenced me a lot. It's like hearing my life through her songs, I feel sooooo connected to her and her songs. If you could choose two artists to collaborate on a song together, who would it be and why? Well, I would choose Florence and Sia (AURORA too if I could). I don’t really think their voices would match at all, but I can’t imagine the slayage that song would be. My faves working together would be such a privilege… Like Lady Gaga working with Florence, I’m literally dead about this! I can’t wait to hear it. Also I can’t wait to hear the song by Katy Perry with Sia! Which upcoming album releases are you most excited about for the remainder of the year? Sia - This Is Acting (Deluxe) Dami Im - TBA (Buy her new single coming this Friday!) Lady Gaga - Joanne Dora Luna - Selftitled (Dua Lipa, lol.) Bebe Rexha - A.Y.F. (Not coming...) Out of all of your favourite flops, which ones do you feel are most underrated? Which do you think PHF members should learn more about? AURORA! Yes, finally a question where I can promote my girl. She’s amazing. She writes her own songs, the lyrics are amazing, the whole album is beautiful. She only has one album out and it's my new Bible; your faves would take ten albums to top that. I finally see a lot of people loving her, which makes me sooooo happy. I turned a lot of members into fans promoting her to death! I feel so connected to her, it's like we were born to meet each other and be friends! Sounds crazy, right? I love her a lot. PHF should learn about...respect and taste. We should all respect each other no matter what artists we like, it’s a taste thing! Which of your fellow members do you think should be PHF's next Member of the Month? Hard question... The King, aka @Speedoflight. And the good sis @Woodcrest. Are there any last words you'd like to say to your fans on PHF? Of course... #BuyCheapThrillsoniTunes! And please, kids, don’t forget to buy Dami’s new single 'Fighting For Love' this Friday. Thank you so much @Countess for this chance, I loved working on this together a lot. I can't believe I'm the first! I'm glad you liked the idea. And… I can’t leave without saying love you always @Tweener and @Jump Rope!

Watch the video version of this article here: If you're not a fan of Britney Spears (otherwise inexplicably known as a member of the 'Britney Army') or a hissing Illuminati overlord, you may never have heard of 'Rebellion'. The little-known track was never released as a single, never performed live, and never received any critical response from anyone outside of the Britney fanbase. It's not much to listen to, right? And yet, since it was hinted at by Britney way back in 2006, it's been beyond doubt the most anticipated song for release in her back catalogue since that rumoured duet with Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Backed by questionable conspiracy theories regarding the Illuminati as well as certifiably true occurrences that happened during Spears' very public meltdown in early 2007, the song took on a life of it's own, standing in for a Britney on autopilot as a testament to her creativity and artistic integrity. But what lead to the song's initial creation and immense rise to popularity? Read on to find out more! 'Rebellion' was first teased way back in 2006 when Brit posted a short, fifty second snippet of the track on the main page of her website, accompanied by a very 2000's animation of the Princess of Pop transforming into a Bengal Tiger and a cacophony of roars. The snippet came just months after the announcement of Spears new album, intended at that time to be called The Original Doll (the title was a stab at labelmates The Pussycat Dolls), and the debut of what Britney was touting as the lead single without her label's permission, 'Mona Lisa'. Even though fans only heard a minute sample of what the track fully had to offer, it was clear that the song marked a new change of direction for Spears: 2003's masterpiece In The Zone may have introduced a mature, more emotionally in touch Britney, but 'Rebellion' explored the dark side of fame in a way that 'Lucky' had never done. Interestingly, the snippet wasn't the first time fans had heard lyrics to the same effect. Just months before, in May 2006, Britney had posted a poem on her website in a section called ‘Love B: Stream of Consciousness’. A personal diary, 'Love B' was a place for Brit's somewhat sentimental innermost thoughts to be shared with her fans: a typical entry in 2005 stated "Now that the chaos has subsided, I finally feel as though I have the control I've wanted over my own destiny". Titled ‘Remembrance of Who I Am’, the poem appeared beside Spears' diary entries only briefly before being pulled down only shortly after publication. The poem was accompanied by another message: "This is for everyone who thinks they know me..." Some of these lyrics did end up being used word for word in another unreleased Britney song. 'All That She Wants' was recorded in 2006 and leaked in 2008, and samples the Ace of Base song of the same name. But the lyrics regarding "voodoo" and being "fed" either poison or guilt have only been heard in 'Rebellion'. Here's where some snooping comes in. Using Wayback Machine, a website that allows you to view the contents of a website on a specific date, we can see that a full set of lyrics was actually uploaded to AZLyrics on the 24th of June, 2006, alongside an audio track that's no longer available. Looking at these lyrics, we can deduce that the snippet Britney posted was in fact of the second verse of the song, and that the first verse has remained unheard - almost. A low quality snippet of the song's opening can be heard in the following video of Spears cruising around Los Angeles in her car back in 2007, accompanied by boyfriend Isaac Cohen and listening to demos for her upcoming album Blackout. Songs on the tape also include 'State Of Grace', 'To Love Let Go' and 'Baby Boy', all of which leaked after the demo CD was found on eBay a few years ago; but 'Rebellion' has remained conspicuously unheard. Skip to 0:53 for the opening few moments of the track. Working on 'Rebellion' with Britney was three male collaborators: Christopher "Notes" Olsen (who had worked on Spears' husband's Kevin Federline's album Playing With Fire just months before), Scott Storch (who had remixed 'Me Against the Music' a few years prior) and Jeff Dandurand (a relative unknown). When interviewed about the track in 2013, Dandurand claimed that the song was "about the evil forces that pull the strings" and "very obscure in its presentation", going on to say that he and Spears had written lyrics to the track before Notes added melody and Storch polished the overall product. "People connect it with Iluminattis and this could be true," he added. Dandurand's opinion, however nonsensical, is one shared by a multitude of Spears fans. Perceiving 'Rebellion' as a cry for help, fans say that the track was Britney's attempt to expose the Illuminati cult that controlled Hollywood, and that it's failure to be heard represents a stifling of this effort by higher forces. Dandurand claims that he has attempted to purchase and release the track officially, even going so far as to state that he uploaded the entire song to YouTube at one point without fans noticing before being forced to take it down. Furthering this notion according to fans are Spears' increasingly robotic appearances following 2007, as well as the fact that Notes fell to his death in a casino in 2010 and that Storch embarked on a multi-million dollar cocaine binge that almost killed him in 2009. But despite fan thirst, we can't honestly say that we're sure that people would want to hear the full song at this point. Since 2007, a wealth of Blackout demos have leaked sporadically, such as the saccharine bounce 'Sugarfall' or the haunting ballad 'Untitled Lullabye'. Upon it's release, the album went down in history as the best in her catalogue, pushing boundaries sonically and sexually; but the songs on the demo CD that Britney jammed to in her car were all notably absent, as were any others that had been written by the singer herself. Instead, we got an album full of tracks such as 'Gimme More': a groundbreaking jam of a song which nevertheless disappoints when we consider how emotionally open Spears had been in earlier tracks. Amid rumours that Spears' team "destroyed" any copy of the track (one seemingly started by a disgruntled former RCA Records employee) and what fans see as a continued downward spiral in Spears personal life and music, 'Rebellion' could reveal something crucial about the most difficult period in Spears' life; or, even better, inspire her to try her hand at songwriting in the future. On the other hand, it's unlikely that any song released after almost a decade of hype will achieve everything that the fans expect of it. Judging by Spears' shaky vocals in the snippet and the outdated, clumsy R&B production, the song was in incredibly early demo stages when recorded: and even if Dandurand says that the track was remixed by Notes in 2009 and considered for release once more in that year, it's unlikely that any song Spears wrote in the lead up to her breakdown could be updated to align with her current situation. Perhaps it's better off that the full version of 'Rebellion' remains unreleased, and that fans are left only with a small, shaky snippet full of promise and intrigue: a clip unaffected by record labels or the general public which will remain forever as a lasting testament to Spears talent and identity even as the rest of the world turned on her.

Watch the video version of this article here: Unkept promises are hardly a new trend in Lady Gaga's fanbase of Little Monsters. Between cancelled tours such as the co-headlining Fame Kills with Kanye West, scrapped documentaries such as the one promised for ARTPOP, failed collaborations with Britney Spears, Elton John, Cher and Kendrick Lamar, and a variety of random merchandises such as Polaroid photo printers, dog accessories and perfumes, fans have gotten quite used to taking everything Gaga says with a grain of salt and waiting for concrete release dates before they get excited. But it hasn't always been this way. Back in 2012, when Gaga's third studio album ARTPOP was first announced, she confirmed that the album would have two parts to it, with each having a staggered release. ARTPOP was released, but it's sequel, the long-awaited Act II, was nowhere to be found. And every time fans were prepared to give up on their dreams of a sequel, Gaga would string them along for another few months with the vague promise of "soon" in an obscure radio interview. So on the eve of what will surely be a career-defining Super Bowl performance, we've decided to look back at one of Gaga's biggest unkept promises, ARTPOP: Act II, and revel in the little concrete information we know about it. What was ARTPOP: Act II? When Gaga initially envisioned the concept for ARTPOP, it was always as a double album. Originally, side A was to be filled with the more commercial pop sounds she was known for, while side B was intended to feature the songs designated as "experimental". As time went on, however, this seemed less feasible as Gaga realised that separating the album into these two dichotomies was contradicting the very concept of the project which was meant to bring them together. Despite this, there was a huge amount of material that had been recorded during Gaga's fifth album sessions for the public to consume. Writing had started right after the release of Born This Way in May 2011, and by the time the Born This Way Ball tour had come to an unexpectedly early end due to a hip injury, up to fifty songs had been considered for inclusion. Even more songs were written during Gaga's six month recovery time, which meant that by the time ARTPOP was released in November 2013, over ninety tracks in various stages of development had been written for the album. Some of these were to be released on the ill-fated ARTPOP app that accompanied the projects release, but others were special enough to have their own place on a physical album. By the album release date, Gaga had teased that she had plans to release another volume of ARTPOP before its accompanying tour, saying "it could be nice to play both acts on the tour". And ARTPOP: Act II was still a possibility back in March of 2014, when Gaga discussed it in a post-show keynote at the SXSW Festival. "There's many volumes of work over a long period of time that have just not been released to the public because I've chosen to not put it into the system," she said. "Sometimes it's just fun to have records that me and my friends listen to. We love it. We don't care what everybody else thinks. Maybe one day I'll release them. And I have a whole second act of ARTPOP." In April of that year, Gaga stated "there's a strong possibility I will release another volume of ARTPOP". And then: nothing. Radio silence on the subject. Gaga has never spoken about ARTPOP: Act II publicly again. Why did ARTPOP: Act II go unreleased? While we don't know what officially dealt the final blow to ARTPOP: Act II, it's a strong possibility that a mixed reception to the albums predecessor and the perception of it as a "flop" brought an end to any plans Gaga or her label had for a follow up: especially with the low chart positions of the albums last single 'G.U.Y.', which despite a big budget music video hit only #76 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ironically, ARTPOP as an album did relatively well, hitting #1 and going on to become the ninth best-selling album of the year, despite only having two properly marketed singles. In August of 2014, Gaga confirmed that we would never receive any music through the ARTPOP app following months of waiting. Her statement that she had "moved" on from anything to do with her old management bore an ill omen for the album release, too. Gaga went on to reinvent her image with 2014's collaborative jazz album Cheek To Cheek with Tony Bennett, before becoming a country chanteuse with last years Joanne, and ARTPOP: Act II became just another project to add to the list of Gaga's unkept promises. A selection of fan-made covers for the fabled ARTPOP: Act II. What songs could have made the ARTPOP: Act II tracklist? In an interview with KISS 92.5, Gaga stated that she had recorded around ninety songs for the original album, with only fifteen of them making the final cut. This leaves around seventy-five unreleased tracks that we haven't heard, out of which we have concrete titles for thirteen - a full albums worth. The tracks that were considered for Act II include: 'Brooklyn Nights': Co-written by the team of DJ White Shadow, Nick Monson and Dino Zisis that made 'Applause' happen, 'Brooklyn Nights' is a nostalgic ode the love of Gaga's life, most likely Lüc Carl. 'Brooklyn Nights' was a contender for the original ARTPOP album until late in the game, with Gaga teasing it in September of 2013 via a Twitter post and rumours swirling that the track was competing with 'Mary Jane Holland' for a place on the album. Legal documents that leaked in 2020 show that the song was still scheduled to be on the album in early October. Later that month, when asked why the song didn't make the cut, Gaga replied, "I wanted to spend more time on it. It will come out [via] the app sometime during the album cycle". While we were eventually left high and dry with the app, which had no exclusive songs on it, the song was leaked in early 2014. 'Maren': This is a title registered onto Gaga's BMI in November of 2012. It's produced by Gaga newcomers Dreamlab (famous for their work with Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato) and John Nation, and possibly references the picturesque coastal county north of San Francisco. 'Nothin' On But The Radio': 'Nothin' On But The Radio' leaked in 2010, but there was doubt over whether it was really Gaga singing until she was spotted blasting the track out of her car in 2012. While fans were initially unsure which era the song belonged to, legal documents that leaked in 2020 show that the song was at one point in consideration for ARTPOP, further confirming the writers as Gaga, Billy Steinberg, Josh Alexander and Paul Blair. 'Onion Girl': Gaga revealed this title in an interview with KISS 92.5 in November of 2013. Produced by Zedd, this song could possibly a reference to Charles De Lint's 2001 novel The Onion Girl, which is named so for the peeling back of layers that occurs to the main character over the course of the book. 'PARTYNAUSEOUS': 'PARTYNAUSEOUS' was originally conceived as a song by Kendrick Lamar featuring Gaga back in 2012. It was planned to be released as a single from Lamar's album but was cut due to creative differences on which direction the song should take. This slow R&B version of the song leaked in 2015. Later, Gaga reworked the track as an EDM-styled interlude for the ARTPOP Ball tour. The song, from Gaga's perspective, details her efforts to make peace with the country of Indonesia, which banned her from performing during The Born This Way Ball Tour in 2012. 'Princess Die': One of the earliest titles written for ARTPOP, 'Princess Die' was first performed on an Australian date of the Born This Way Ball tour in June of 2012, and later became a mainstay of the show. Writing in January of that year, Vanity Fair had described Gaga playing the song for them during their interview: "Gaga went to the piano to play us [...] a song about fame and celebrity death. Even in its rough stages, it has her trademark catchy chorus, and she sang the sad slightly bitter lyrics in full voice." Gaga later teased that the song would be released through the ARTPOP app, but this did not come to be. 'Ratchet': This was a collaboration recorded with Azealia Banks, but was cut from the original record because Gaga found Banks to have a "bad attitude"; it's possible that it could have been rerecorded as a solo venture. We have a small snippet of Gaga performing it live and an official instrumental released by producer DJ White Shadow. 'Red Flame': This was a collaboration recorded with Azealia Banks, but was cut from the original record because Gaga found Banks to have a "bad attitude"; it's possible that it could have been rerecorded as a solo venture. A watermarked version of this song leaked in 2016. 'Sire': 'Sire' is a song written in 2012 and produced by DJ White Shadow. Gaga sang it backstage for fans at The Born This Way Ball Tour in February of 2013, and mentioned that it was inspired by Michael Jackson, who is possibly the revered "sire" spoken about in the title. 'Tinnitus': Gaga revealed this title in an interview with KISS 92.5 in November of 2013. Produced by EDM producer Madeon, the songs title refers to a condition where one hears ringing in their airs, particularly after hearing loud noises on repeat. 'TEA': Written in 2012, this song was initially confirmed for ARTPOP but failed to make the cut. Gaga teased some lyrics on Twitter which went, "It's been oolong/Since I've had a sip and/I get this feeling I need a green detox/The truth will be the winner tonight." 'Temple': 'Temple' was announced in 2013 and was apparently about her love for then-boyfriend Taylor Kinney. "It's about feeling safe with someone so beautiful on the inside and out. The song is about him being able to love somebody who has a fast pace life, and is always on the road." The song was written solely by Gaga and Zedd, as legal documents that leaked in 2020 showed. 'In Like With You': Gaga revealed this title in an interview with KISS 92.5 in November of 2013. The song was proudced by frequent Gaga collaborator DJ White Shadow, who also worked on songs such as ARTPOP single 'Do What U Want'. There are several other songs recorded during the ARTPOP section which most likely wouldn't make the cut. 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' was another Kendrick Lamar collaboration which Gaga sang the chorus for. After their creative relationship ended, Kendrick released a solo version of the track on his album, while Gaga later leaked her contribution to the song online. 'Cake Like Lady Gaga' is a joking trap track which was produced by DJ White Shadow and released online for fans. 'I Wanna Be With You' was performed once at the iTunes Festival, and is an early version of the ARTPOP track 'Dope' with completely different lyrics. 'Posh Life' was a demo recorded for TLC and produced by Dallas Austin, written for a dancer named Posh! The Prince who played himself during the 2010 dates of Gaga's Monster Ball tour. 'Stache' is a remix of the Zedd instrumental of the same name which Gaga released for free for her fans online. Will we ever hear ARTPOP: Act II? Sadly, given that four years have passed since the release of the original ARTPOP, it's doubtful that we'll ever hear the album as it was initially intended. Thanks to ongoing leaks, we've had enough choice selections released to form a small EP of demos that might have made the cut; but most of the truly intriguing tracks like 'Onion Girl' and 'TEA' have gone unheard of for the most part. Early last year, Gaga mentioned in an interview that she had heard her fans opinions and considered releasing a compilation album of unreleased and rare tracks, but we've heard nothing more about any such project since. All we can hope is that Gaga's team is smart and prepared enough to release anniversary editions of each of her albums, and that we'll receive a special edition of ARTPOP for it's tenth anniversary in 2023. Until then, we'll have to listen to that live 'Ratchet' snippet on repeat and be content with wondering what could have been.

The subject of my third article for PHF is yet another up-and-coming European musician, one which I really hope doesn’t retire days after my article is released (I didn’t know my writing was that bad but I can push through that pain another time). This article is merely an artist profile, something small I wanted to do help spread the word without going into overdrive and writing two thousand words. London-born singer-songwriter Izzy Bizu’s debut album A Moment of Madness was released in early September and quickly flew to the highest reaches of my top albums of 2016 list with its infectious lyrics and breezy production. Bizu’s music is an infused blend of soul, R&B, and pop inspired by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Amy Winehouse, with tracks like 'White Tiger', 'Mad Behaviour', and 'I Know' bringing the album together seamlessly. If you’ve ever heard of Bizu before it’s probably because of the aforementioned hit 'White Tiger', a track taken from her equally as successful debut EP Coolbeanz, released in September 2013. The reception to the EP set Bizu firmly on a path to a debut album, ultimately released on Epic Records and promoted by performances such as a well received return to the iconic Glastonbury Festival, a set I sadly missed due to my desire for a warm shower and relief from the never ending rain. Bizu previously performed in 2014 on the BBC Introducing stage, a program which this year featured a secret set by fellow up and comer Låpsley. The BBC and Bizu recently collaborated once more for a cover of Edith Piaf’s iconic 'La Foule' for the BBC’s coverage of L’Euro 2016, the biggest footballing competition in the Europe. Regarding collaborations, Bizu also borrows a track for A Moment of Madness from fellow British musicians HONNE called 'Someone That Loves You', that Bizu featured on back in May. The visuals for 'Someone That Loves You' see Bizu and HONNE lead vocalist Andy Clutterbuck singing in a karaoke-esque manner in urban Tokyo amongst hazy LED lights. Bizu is set to keep on rising up through the ranks and carries a portfolio bursting at the seams with acclaim, something we can expect to keep growing as Bizu continues to master her craft. Whether or not Bizu decides to release another single to add to the already impressive six is anybody’s game. Tracks such as 'Circles', 'Trees & Fire', and 'I Know' all deserve a bit of the spotlight and are yet more highlights from an album that doesn’t ever seem to slow down. A Moment of Madness is out on iTunes now.

Art, philosophy, and music are engaged in a tumultuous relationship, often stretching each other to their limits. Arguably a new dawn for the pop scene, 2008 saw the introduction of fresh-faced artists like Lady Gaga who were willing to test the boundaries of the commercial music scene and its respective audiences; as well as the reintroduction of artists like Katy Perry and Rihanna, who were once known for their modesty but who were now rebranded into sexy pop icons donning outlandish latex outfits and meter-high heels. Weird and arty became the new cool, and labels capitalized on that. When the mainstream hit a speed hump going one hundred miles per hour and began its nosedive in 2013, a new wave of more authentic young visionaries rose over the heaped corpses of neon catsuits and meat dresses. At the forefront of that charge were artists like Mykki Blanco, Banks, Jenny Hval, and the subject of this article, Parisian nuevo-jazz chanteuse Petite Meller. Artists not afraid to be themselves. Individually, up-and-coming musicians such as these are breaking down preconceptions of image and continuously diversifying the market and industry. Beginning her musical career as the pianist and occasional vocalist for Israeli electro band Terry Poison, the ever joyful Petite Meller branched out on her own in 2012 with a cover of 'Joe La Taxi', her first release under the 'PETITE' project. After releasing several more solo tracks, such as 'PC' and 'Icebear', Meller received moderate commercial success with her single 'Backpack' after it's video, directed by A.T. Mann and Napoleon Habeica, was nominated for 'Best European Music Video' at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Having found a way into the spotlight, Meller featured in a seemingly endless list of magazines and fashion shoots with acclaimed photographers, before returning properly with 'Baby Love' in January 2015. The track went viral due to its vibrant and exotic video, shot in Africa and inspired by Brigitte Bardot’s 1956 film And God Created Woman. Featuring Meller going from kissing giraffes in a stunning mansion to dancing with young village children, the pure joy the 'Baby Love' video radiates put Meller firmly on many radio rotation lists. A year and a half after the video had premiered, it had already amassed eight million views. Meller’s most recent visual for album-opener 'The Flute' is the last she’ll be releasing from Lil Empire and sees the artist and her team venture out to rural Mongolia in the hunt for her “source” in a joyous ode to the 1923 Russian ballet piece The Rite of Spring and the iconic 1965 musical The Sound of Music. Amongst oceans of luscious grassland, Meller dances along with several Northern Nomad community members, notably a child named Tuya with naturally blushed cheeks similar to Meller’s own (albeit that Meller's is the result of makeup). “I remember how as a child I saw a photo of a blushed Mongolian girl and felt a strange connection”, Meller said in an interview with NME. “Filming began after a 13-hour cross-country drive and a horseback ride to reach the Northern Nomads, the girls with natural blush, the sumo guys and the reindeers. We had no Wi-Fi, no phone reception, just beautiful animals and endless grass.” Meller’s signature blushed cheeks originate back to her childhood, where as a young child she suffered harsh burns on her face from exposure to the sun. Years later, Meller has reclaimed that trauma and wears the red blush as a reminder of past struggles and as an artistic statement. Meller’s educational background, however, doesn't fall into art: instead, the 21 year old is a recent graduate of philosophy, drawing inspiration for her music from her philosophical idols and the subjects of her recent graduate thesis Kant and Schiller and often writing the songs for her album during lectures. Lil Empire, affectionately named after her ever-growing global fanbase, sees the synthesis of Meller's past few years of hard work with producers such as Jocke Åhlund and Craigie Dodds, drawing in a melting pot of diverse influences spanning the globe. From the Mongolian flutes in 'The Flute' to the African bongos in 'Baby Love', Lil Empire is a continental voyage guaranteed to leave you feeling refreshed. Highlights include the aforementioned album opener 'The Flute', and the only collaboration on the album 'Lil Love', the musical lovechild of Meller and Australian duo cum Elton John protégés Pnau. 'Lil Love' sees Meller utilise a more aggressive vocal style in comparison to the usual calm yet cheeky verses gently moulded by her moderate French inflections, shouting out an empowering hook and outro. The technique, she says in an interview with the Independent, was suggested to her by Nick Littlemore of Empire of The Sun: "I had a broken foot that day and Nick Littlemore showed me a new technique of writing songs – it was to shout the pain away to the mic, I’ve never shouted so loud in my life then in this song. I’m a bit embarrassed when I hear it, to realise that it’s me. It’s about a forever connection between two people, through time space and infinity, but of a one sided love." Lil Empire is available now on iTunes. Photography Credits: Khasar Sandag

When you hear the name AJR, the first thing that comes to mind is probably 'I'm Ready', the breakout track for this New York-based band consisting of three brothers. But things didn't always come easy to the group: when they started about ten years ago, the only gig they could book was in the streets and parks of New York, and they had to write, record and produce all of their tunes by themselves. AJR released their first LP Living Room three years ago. Even though it wasn't hugely successful, they didn't give up. They came back with a brand new EP called What Everyone’s Thinking, whose brutally honest lyrics indicate that the band has nothing to hide and that they treat music as something more than just income. Now, with their fans highly anticipating their upcoming What Everyone’s Thinking Tour and their second full-length album, AJR talks to us about creating bops and touring with other artists. Hey, guys! I'm so happy to have been given the opportunity to talk with you today. Where are you chatting to us from? Dallas, Texas. For those who don’t know too much about you, let’s give a brief AJR history lesson. What lead you guys to become musicians? Was music a big part of your home life growing up, or was it something you became interested in later on? We were inspired by music of the 50s and 60s and our parents played us their vinyls growing up. From a young age we knew we wanted to go into music. Not many artists can say that reaching out to Sia on Twitter helped them make it big in the music industry. Tell us the story of how you got in touch with her! We made a video for our song 'I'm Ready' and we tweeted it to a bunch of celebrities. Sia responded and invited us to her hotel for brunch. She has been really supportive of the music. You began honing your live performance skills almost ten years ago by busking in Central Park. What did these shows teach you about live performances? Street performing is the most nervous you can possibly be while performing. We don't really get nervous anymore because people are actually showing up to see our music unlike when street performing. Since your early performances on the streets, you’ve opened for huge artists like Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, Lindsey Stirling and The Wanted, and you’re currently on tour with Ingrid Michaelson. How has your current tour been going? The tour is going great! We learn a lot from every artist we tour with. Different people have different quirks so it is really interesting. As well as touring with Ingrid, you also collaborated with her on a new song called ‘The Lotto’. What inspired the song and what was the writing and producing process like? Ingrid invited us to write a song with her and the process was really collaborative. She is a great songwriter and having her in our living room was great. You’ll be launching your own headlining tour, the What Everyone's Thinking Tour, next year. What are you most excited about for the shows? Are there any particular countries or states you’re looking forward to travelling to? We are really excited for the tour. We are planning it now so I don't want to give away anything too crazy. We're looking forward to hitting a bunch of the markets we're playing on this tour. We are making a bunch of new fans and it will be great to see them again. Between the three of you, you write and produce all of your own material in your Chelsea apartment. How do you generally split up the workload? Do you each work on specific areas of the song or is it more of a free for all? Ryan does the production but otherwise its a pretty even split. Would you ever consider working with outside producers or writers? Who would be your dream collaborator to work with? Definitely. When the time is right, we will know. It would be really interesting to work with Kanye. As well as writing and producing, you all each play a variety of instruments as well, including guitar, keyboard, melodica, ukulele, and trumpet. How do you juggle all these instruments on stage? Are there any other instruments you want to learn how to play? We keep switching off on stage. It makes the performing experience really fun. It would be great to learn the cello. If you had to describe the sound of the band to new listeners in three words, which three would you use? Diverse, nomadic, eclectic. Your new single ‘I'm Not Famous’ is an absolute banger. Ironically, the song is one of your biggest hits yet but finds you rejecting a whole bunch of ideas connected to fame which you say you’re lacking. How do you think you would cope if the song hit #1 today and you had to face a sudden wave of fame? I think we would stay exactly the same. The goal is not to embrace the vanity of fame but to maintain the same way of life that we have because that is what influences our music. ‘I’m Not Famous’ is the first release from your new EP, What Everyone’s Thinking. In my opinion, every song deserves to be a single, because they’re all amazing - but which one is each of your favorites? Ryan: Weak. Adam: Come Hang Out. Jack: I'm Not Famous. Just recently, you uploaded the lyric video for ‘Weak’, my personal favorite song off the EP, onto your YouTube channel. Are you planning for ‘Weak’ to be the next single? What would you imagine a music video for the song would look like? 'Weak' is our next single. We're working on the official video now! The concept is going to be really cool! What do you have planned after the release of the EP? Are you working on another full-length album? Our full length album is just about done and should be released in 2017. Your last album, Living Room, was released just a little over a year ago. How did you guys handle the pressure of an album release last time? Has anything changed in your process since then? It is not so much pressure, but excitement. We can't wait for our fans to hear our new music because it keeps growing and changing. Your image has changed a lot since Living Room - how would you say your sound has evolved? Our project is now focused more on lyrics. Previously we focused more on production but now we start with lyrics to make sure they are honest and relatable. Where do you generally find your inspiration? Inspiration comes from all kinds of art. We find emotion in the world around us and try and convey it through music. The fact that you’re all brothers working and living so closely together impresses me so much. What’s the best and worst part of working with your siblings? We are all on the same page regarding the direction of our music. It is actually the best possible scenario for us. Many artists use their celebrity platform to discuss important political issues, such as Lady Gaga with LGBTQ issues, Miley Cyrus with animal rights and pretty much everybody disseminating an anti-Trump agenda. What political issue would you most like to spread awareness about? We are working with a great non profit called It's On Us. It is promoting awareness of the major problem of sexual violence. It is a cause that we are very passionate about supporting. AJR, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with us today! Is there anything else you’d like to say to those who have supported you for a long time, or to people who are just tuning in today? Thanks to the fans who have supported us for so long. We really appreciate it! Thanks to AJR for the interview! Don't forget to keep in touch with the guys on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

After eleven years of waiting, several false starts and countless delays, Fergie's sophomore album Double Dutchess has finally been released. A visual album, the thirteen tracks are accompanied by Seeing Double, a "visual experience" which contains standalone music videos for each of the songs as well as an exclusive interview with Fergie about the project. Of all of the music videos on Seeing Double, 'A Little Work' has to be my favourite. I'm not sure if I have the right words to explain it, but I found it beautiful, sad and intriguing. The video really spoke to me and the story behind it is based on Fergie's past and is mind-blowing! To understand it better, I'd recommend watching Fergie's 2012 interview with Oprah. During her time in the R&B girl group Wild Orchid, Fergie was a crystal meth addict. The drugs made her lose her mind. Fergie felt like she was in some kind of alternate reality and that FBI and SWAT teams were following her. One day, she stumbled across a church and entered it to escape the law enforcement agencies. She had a conversation with God inside this church. According to Fergie, she stated to God: "Alright, if I go out there and the FBI and SWAT Team is not out there, then it's the drugs and I'm stopping." Eventually, she braced herself to leave the church and there was no FBI or SWAT Team, only herself and God. She kept her promise, and from that day forth Fergie didn't touch crystal meth again in her life. The video is a dramatisation of these events. It starts as Fergie walks down the street alone, confused, and frightened. This scene is intercut with scenes of Fergie as a narrator telling us she was seeing "devil faces" and that she was surrounded by creatures who were sending her all kinds of evil messages. Fergie sees a church and walks in, barricading the door behind her. Panicked, Fergie thinks she is surrounded, and kneels down to pray. As the song begins, Fergie lays in a hospital bed in some sort of mental health clinic. Scenes are shown of Fergie in a padded cell wearing a straight jacket and beginning to lose her mind, hallucinating dozens of pills falling around her. Interspersed are scenes of a little girl wandering through a forest: this is Fergie as a child. Fergie as a narrator tells us that she has written journals to herself in which she expresses her feelings, as another version of Fergie dressed as a nurse inspects the patient lying in bed. In later scenes, Fergie plays a mother who takes care of her child. There are too many bills to pay but no money to pay them, and eventually the mother receives an eviction notice. God and Jesus are very important to her. She has a cross with Jesus on the wall and a picture of Mary in her hands. I think these scenes refer to the period of Fergie's life in which she was broke, spending all of her money on drugs. Later in the video, Fergie wakes up in a forest. Fergie as narrator tells us that she keeps having visions. She says she has to work hard to keep these visions and spirits away. Fergie believes that in the holy war of good and evil, the good will always be more powerful. As she says this, a war erupts around Fergie's bed. Soldiers are running all over the place and explosions are seen in the distance. A soldier is standing next to her bed. His last name is Ferguson. Next, yet another version of Fergie appears at a funeral. This is the funeral of her maternal grandfather, Gore. Fergie is devastated that he died because she saw him as her guardian angel. On the battlefield,Fergie joins the war, while in the church her paranoia grows. In her mind, the SWAT team is still outside the church, trying to break in. As the final chorus begins, Fergie wears a beautiful glowing dress; she is radiant and ready to battle her demons. Inside the church, the different incarnations of Fergie watch: Fergie in a straight jacket, Fergie the nurse, Fergie the mother. She is ready for the battle. She walks down the aisle, to the exit of the church, as though she is walking into the light. Then the most inspiring part of the video starts. Fergie opens the door. wearing a dress; but when she walks out the other side, she wears a new outfit together with her son, Axl Jack. This part of the video has so much meaning. The fact that there was no SWAT team out there made Fergie quit the drugs. And because she stopped, she met her husband and together they have a beautiful child, Axl Jack. Together, they walk away from the church, stronger than ever and with each other to live for. For me, this video was incredibly emotional and I found the story behind it very sad, yet beautiful. This was a genius video with a beautiful song to match. I think this is definitely the most fascinating and intriguing video off Double Dutchess: Seeing Double. What are your thoughts?

The Spice Girls' Forever turns twenty years old this month, and two decades after its release there appears to be more nostalgia and appreciation of the albums musical content than ever before. Released in November 2000 after a short break from their whirlwind of success, Forever marked the first (and last, and only) album recorded by the girls as a four-piece following the surprise departure of Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell. With one member down, the four remaining members worked harder than ever to craft an album that would keep them in the spotlight and maintain relevancy with their now maturing fanbase, who had morphed from pre-teen girls into teenage rebels. It was a journey that led to an American producer, a brand new leather-clad image, and an album that shocked, alienated and even disappointed many of their fans. This is the story of Forever. Work on the Spice Girls third album began almost immediately following the completion of Spice World in 1997; and although little time had passed since their last recording sessions, the girls had bountiful inspiration for their new songs. In just twelve months they had filmed and released a feature film, also titled Spice World; fired their manager Simon Fuller (credited by many members of the media as the key to their success) and begun to manage themselves as a five piece; and launched their first world tour, Spiceworld Tour in Europe. Early conceptions of the album were blurry; one road found the girls recording masters for a projected live album including all the songs they were performing live every night, while another found them recording and registering covers that would feature alongside original songs on a brand new album produced by frequent collaborators Richard "Biff" Stannard and Matt Rowe. These covers included The Supreme's 'Where Did Our Love Go', a solo for Emma; Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin's 'Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves', a duet between the two Mel's; and Sister Sledge's 'We Are Family', Kool and the Gang's 'Celebration' and Madonna's 'Holiday', all of which would feature the girls singing once again as a five-piece. The girls wanted to prove that they could hold their own as solo artists, and the fusion of solo songs with collaborative works was meant to introduce the public to the notion that they could come and go from the group every several years while still blending well as a five-piece. 'Goodbye', their future post-Ginger single, was also possibly in consideration for this version of the album; although the song is ostensibly about Geri's well-publicised departure from the group, an early version of the track was actually written by her and Emma while she was still a Spice Girl, and it's possible that the song in it's original incarnation was planned to announce the group's future musical hiatus to the public while the girls worked on solo material. Of course, Geri's shock departure from the group, 54 dates into their 97-date world tour, threw a huge spanner in the works for the third album. Both the live album and the Biff-produced original and cover songs were scrapped, and the girls instead travelled to Nashville in July 1998 in the middle of the American leg of the tour to record a reworked version of 'Goodbye' as a homage to Geri's departure, alongside 'My Strongest Suit', a song for the soundtrack of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida musical. While rumours swirled that the album would not be released until the year 2000, Mel B dismissed this by reassuring fans that a second single would be recorded as soon as she and Victoria had given birth to their first children in early 1999. Ultimately, sessions for the album did not begin in earnest until August of that year, when the girls reunited once again with Biff alongside frequent producer Elliot Kennedy to find a musical direction for the album. With Biff, they recorded 'Treasure', 'Go, Go, Go', 'Too Hot' and fan favourite 'W.O.M.A.N.', which would be performed live on their 1999 Christmas in Spiceworld Tour but which has to do this day not seen an official release. Meanwwhile, sessions with Kennedy a few weeks later produced 'A Day In Your Life', 'Give You What You Want', 'Pain Proof' and 'Right Back At Ya'. Of these, only the latter made it onto the final tracklisting of Forever, and only in remixed form to fit in with the R&B-heavy tracks on its parent album; although all of these Kennedy-produced tracks have since leaked online. While these demos vary in terms of genre, each find the girls experimenting with new sounds while keeping one foot firmly planted in the pop world. 'W.O.M.A.N.' is a brilliant disco throwback that wouldn't sound out of place on a Village People tribute album; 'A Day In Your Life' is a summery, light counterpart to 'Viva Forever' with it's islandy flamenco guitars; 'Give You What You Want' is pure 90s pop that sounds like a female counterpart to any Backstreet Boys song of the era; 'Pain Proof' picks up where 'Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves' left off with it's kiss-off lyrics directed to the media; and the original version of 'Right Back At Ya' is a funky take on R&B not dissimilar to some of the songs on their first album. It wasn't until later that month though, when the girls hooked up with American hitmaker Darkchild in their London studios, that work on the album seemed to really take off. Darkchild had previously crafted smash hits for the likes of J. Lo, Destiny's Child and Whitney Houston, and the girls felt that his particular brand of icy, polished R&B was just the thing to propel their sound into the new millennium. Alongside Darkchild, the girls penned several songs - future single 'Holler', criminally underrated 'If You Wanna Have Some Fun' and smooth ballad 'Oxygen' - before going their seperate ways for several months to work on solo material. Following the success of that year's Christmas in Spiceworld Tour, which featured a soft introduction to the girl's new sound - and possibly the best performances of their career to date - the girls performed 'Holler' live at the Brit Awards in March 2000, although the performance went unaired due to "technical issues". By this point it had been fifteen months since their last single, and with a public (and record label) hungering for new music, the girls were feeling the pressure to finish the album - but scheduling was an issue. With all the girls in the midst of working on and promoting their solo projects internationally, and Darkchild being the in demand producer of the moment, getting everyone in the same room was a struggle. Ultimately, three fourths of the group travelled to Miami in April of 2000 to bunker down on the album, while Melanie C skipped writing sessions to focus on her own burgeoning solo career and added her vocals to 'Tell Me Why', 'Get Down With Me' and 'Time Goes By' at a later date. Two months later, the girls returned to London to wrap up sessions on the album with Darkchild's brother Fred Jerkins on album highlight 'Wasting My Time' (a song that Victoria was unavailable to write on and Melanie B was unavailable to record), as well as to remix Kennedy's 'Right Back At Ya'. All four girls made time to record music videos for 'Holler' and 'Let Love Lead The Way', released as a double A-side in October of 2000, both of which hit #1 in several countries and which were generally regarded as a successful comeback by the media. But with the girls so focused on their own solo careers, little time was left to promote the album, released as Forever a month later. 'Holler' was performed live on a handful of TV shows, but it wasn't long after that the girls split up to tackle different markets, with Melanie C putting in double time promoting her own solo music and Forever throughout Europe, and Melanie B promoting her debut solo single and the Spice Girls album in Asia. Meanwhile, Victoria and Emma seemed the only ones dedicated to just the Spice Girls project, travelling to the US in a half-hearted attempt to push 'Holler' overseas. This splintered off version of the group, first hinted at in the division of recording sessions and later cemented with segmented promotion, is perhaps symbolic of the main problem in Forever. Darkchild's production is, as per usual, near-perfect; and the girls vocals and harmonies were at their peak on this album. But there's a peculiar coldness to their vocals - perhaps because of the fact that they were recorded at different times, or perhaps simply because their hearts weren't really in the Spice Girls as a group anymore - that mars some of the finished product. Gone were the days of crowding into a recording booth to record 'Spice Up Your Life' during hurried breaks in filming for Spice World, or giggling maniacally after a twelve hour work day and two hours of sleep on English late night shows. For a group whose image had been so defined by their friendships, any crack in the veneer of solidarity was detrimental to their image - and the Forever album brought more than a couple of cracks. Although commonly regarded as a flop by fans and the media alike, Forever performed relatively well given how little promotion it received. Pitted against Westlife's Coast To Coast in a well-publicised media battle, the album managed a peak of only #2 on the UK charts, but still mustered worldwide sales of four million and three number one singles in many territories (previous single 'Goodbye' had been tacked on to the end of the album by record label executives as a surefire selling point to fans). With further singles and a tour, the album might even have come a little closer to the 13 million copies sold by predecessor Spice World. But plans for a 2001 worldwide tour were scrapped after the girls chose to focus on their solo careers, and single releases for 'If You Wanna Have Some Fun', 'Tell Me Why' and 'Weekend Love' were cancelled after the perceived flop of the album. It seemed that by the end of the millenium, the message of "friendship never ends" had all but withered away while the girls drifted naturally apart. That's not to say that the Spice Girls didn't give us some great moments during the Forever era. Alongside 'Holler', 'If You Wanna Have Some Fun' and 'Wasting My Time' stand out as fun, slickly produced pop-R&B tracks that all should have been hit singles at some point in time. 'Tell Me Why', a Geri Haliwell diss track, is probably the darkest thing the group has ever released, and hints at some of the anger that was manifesting in the girls during the time. And the ballads, 'Goodbye', 'Time Goes By' and 'Oxygen' - while incredibly cheesy - are sweet in their late 90s vision of love. The 'Holler' music video is debatably even the band's best, bolstered by slick choreography they never could have pulled off in 1996 and some CGI that's actually held up even in 2020. Forever may not have been the album that fans wanted from the girls, and it was certainly marred by a lack of direction and togetherness that most likely never would have happened had one-time bandleader Geri remained in the group. But taken on it's own, notwithstanding the behind-the-scenes conflict and insanely high media expectations, it remains a well-crafted, solid slice of pop from a group of girls that should have had many, many more albums to come. Spice Girls - Forever is now out on vinyl for the first time, available on Amazon.

Watch the video version of this article here! With a voice like Mariah Carey's, one might wonder why she or her label bothers with any kind of imagery at all. It would have been easy to go down the Susan Boyle route and focus exclusively on Mariah's famously breathtaking vocals, to the exclusion of how she looks; and indeed, it may be that very line of reasoning that accounts for the live performances that double as official music videos for tracks like 'I'll Be There', 'Open Eyes' and 'If It's Over'. Luckily for us, Mariah for the most part has gone a different route, appearing to spend as much time on her film clips as she has on the songs themselves. More than showing off her acting chops or developing complex storylines within her music videos, Mariah's clips instead tend to act as a showcase for her image, visually communicating the things that she may have been unable to open up about in interviews. Through her music videos, Mariah has transitioned from an innocent girl next door with wild curly hair in 'Vision of Love' to a chic city girl in 'Anytime You Need A Friend' to a sun-kissed Malibu goddess in 'Honey' and then to an opulent Vegas showgirl in 'Infinity'; and each of these image makeovers has coalesced with pivotal moments in Mariah's life, from her difficult childhood to her abusive marriage to Tommy Mottola to her ultimate escape into adult independence to her childbirth and beyond. With such an emphasis on her image, it's understandable why Mariah and her various labels have displayed a level of perfectionism when it comes to her music video output. From video treatments that got to the final stages of planning before being called off to music videos that were completely filmed and edited before being unceremoniously scrapped, Mariah has had at least thirteen different film clips over the years that have been scrapped. In this list, we'll look at all we know about these videos so far, and just what our chances are of seeing them in the future. 1. Vision of Love Mariah's first music video is ingrained in the minds of many who grew up during her prime - which is why it may be shocking to find out that it wasn't in fact her first. According to Rolling Stone, 'Vision of Love' was first filmed in early 1990 on a budget of $200 000, but after the first take failed to impress record label executives it was scrapped. Columbia Records then spent a further $250 000 on a second music video for the song directed by Bojan Bazelli with a brand new plot and imagery, which was released to huge success and became the classic we all know today. This major amount of overspending on a totally unknown artist didn't go over well internally, however. One Columbia employee called favouritism, stating that, "The special treatment really upset me" - probably not an unjustified claim given the burgeoning relationship between Mariah and Columbia top dog Tommy Mottola. To this day, no information about the original music video has leaked to the public. 2. I Don't Wanna Cry 'I Don't Wanna Cry' was directed by Larry Jordan in 1991 and features Mariah living out her full Tennessee Williams fantasy, exploring a midwestern ranch and running through fields of maize while she broods over her partner. Initially, the video featured several takes in which Mariah's dress creeps dangerously up her thigh, as well as multiple shots of a shirtless male posing seductively in a bed. However, following feedback from the label - who wished to continue to market Mariah as family friendly and innocent - a majority of these scenes were cut, only to be replaced with a sepia-toned setup of Mariah singing in a white dress. Record label interference such as this would later be an instrumental part of Mariah's ultimate divorce from Tommy Mottola and departure from Columbia. The original video went unreleased until eight years later with the release of Mariah's DVD #1's, where it was labelled as the 'Director's Cut'. Mariah herself has expressed her preference for this version, stating in 2015 that the original "really wasn't good" but that "the director's cut is actually a really good video". On the home video release The First Vision, which was released just a day after the single's official release, a shorter alternate video was featured. Despite having a similiar sepia tone to the reshot scenes, this video features all new footage of Mariah singing the song while wearing a black top in a recording studio, and features only a 1:40 portion of the full song. 3. Anytime You Need A Friend Like 'Vision of Love' before it, 'Anytime You Need A Friend' is notable for having two completely different music videos: one which was shot and then scrapped, and another which was reshot and released due to Mariah's teams displeasure with the original. The first music video for 'Anytime You Need A Friend' was directed by Diane Martel, who had previously directed the music video for 'Dreamlover' the year before. Like the released music video, it featured Mariah singing in solo scenes and with a choir; but unlike the finished product, this version features a strong medieval theme, with Mariah wearing a long flowing dress while she sings in front of something she debates is a "castle or a fortress". It is unknown why the original music video was scrapped, but fans have speculated that it may be due to Mariah or Columbia Records displeasure with her image in the clip. On the one hand, Mariah's dress in the original music video is quite revealing, with a low bust and a large slit, something that surely would have piqued Tommy Mottola's interest; but on the other hand, the released version is famous for being the first music video in which Mariah appears with straightened hair, in a subtle step away from her "girl next door" persona (and a behind the scenes look at the original video did feature Mariah joking about her "hideous" curly hair). With this video yet to see the light of day twenty-six years later, we wouldn't be surprised if we never got to see it at all. 4. Underneath the Stars 'Underneath the Stars' was released as the sixth and final single from the Daydream album in 1996, but it's lack of a music video remained a mystery until 2012. In February of that year, Mariah revealed that she had shot an official video for the track in Europe that went unreleased, with no mention of the video's concept or why it had been scrapped. The reasoning behind why Columbia chose not to release the 'Underneath the Stars' music video is unknown, but it's possibly related to a disagreement between the label and Mariah over the single's release at all. This would also explain why the single only received a limited amount of pressings compared to the album's previous five releases. Daydream was Mariah's first album on which she had a modicum of creative control, but the label was still famously reluctant to let her choose her single releases. Controversy over the song would reignite two years later regarding the song's inclusion on Mariah's first greatest hits album - Mariah wanted all of her favourite songs to make an appearance including 'Underneath the Stars', but Columbia only wanted to include the hits, hence their settling on the #1's concept. Mariah would even allude to a disagreement several years later when 'Underneath the Stars' appeared on her second compilation Greatest Hits, with Mariah stating that she "always kind of fought for" the song. 5. Heartbreaker (Feat. Jay-Z) 'Heartbreaker' is one of Mariah's most iconic songs, with many fans remembering it's Brett Ratner-directed music video fondly for it's introduction of her raven-haired alter-ego Bianca. With a complete plot, dance choreography and even fight choreography, the video seems to have everything fans could want from a Mariah clip - everything, that is, except for featured rapper Jay-Z, whose verse on the song is instead accompanied by an animated sequence of Mariah acting out his lyrics. Bizarrely, Jay did actually film a relatively elaborate scene for the music video which featured him bathing in a hot tub inside a luxury mansion while Mariah strutted around behind him. However, it was soon discovered that his part in the video would have to be cut due to a contractual agreement with Epic Records, who stipulated that he would not be allowed to appear in a music video for two weeks after shooting the clip for his track 'Girl's Best Friend'. This led Mariah and and Ratner to scramble to create the animated sequence for the video, which alluded to the drama through Mariah's animated persona holding a sign saying "Jay-Z coming in 2 weeks". This version of the video would later premiere during MTV's Making the Video, and can be found online. 6. Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) 'Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)' was released as the third single from Rainbow in June of 2000, with a video directed by Sanaa Hamri, who had previously worked on music videos for 'Thank God I Found You' and 'CryBaby'. In an early example of the crowdsourced music video, Mariah asked fans to send in clips of themselves discussing their hardships via her website, a handful of which were implemented into the finished product. The first half of the clip began with Carey lounging in front of her television watching her fan's videos, while the second half featured her throwing open the doors in her apartment to sing on her balcony while the rain poured down around her. When the music video was first released, it received immediate criticism from the press. A major complaint was that the captions detailing some of her fans struggles were difficult to read due to their dark colouring against dark backgrounds. Others pointed at the continuity errors in the video's second half, which alternated back and forward between showing Mariah with dry hair and a dry top and showing Mariah with wet hair and a drenched top. As a result of the criticism, Mariah rushed back to New York to reshoot portions of the music video with Hamri. While the majority of the footage in the first half remains the same, changes were made in editing to make the captioned text lighter and easier to read. All of the scenes involving Mariah in the rain were also completely scrapped, to be replaced by scenes in which Mariah dances in front of a closed window while the rain pours down outside. Ironically, this would lead to it's own continuity issues, as while her outfit remains the same the apartment in which Mariah dances in is completely different from the one she watched the TV in. Both versions of the video can be found online. 7. Never Too Far 'Never Too Far' was released as the second single from Mariah's ill-fated Glitter soundtrack, and continued the downward trend of disappointing releases for Mariah after it's parent album suffered from a release date of September 11, 2001. In large part due to the exhausting workload and disappointing response to the Glitter project as a whole, Mariah suffered a "physical and emotional breakdown" in August of 2001, leaving her in a rehabilitation centre for two weeks and unable to film a music video for the track or promote the project in any way. "When I was asked about the video I said, 'I can't do it today'," she would later tell Matt Lauer. "And nobody could accept that answer. And that's when I started to get mad. I was, like, look, I am too fatigued. I'm overly-tired, I can't do it as a human being. And nobody was hearing those last two words — human being. They were used to the Mariah that always says, 'Come on, let's fight, let's go'. They just weren't used to me ever saying no. I never said no before." While no video was filmed for 'Never Too Far' - or for the 'Never Too Far/Hero Medley' which was released as a single the month afterwards - a collection of clips from the film was compiled together to form a makeshift music video for the track. While the original treatment for the 'Never Too Far' music video is unknown, the fact that Mariah said "I can't do it today" possibly suggests that the video had a fully-fledged concept and was ready to be filmed when Mariah pulled the cord. 8. Through The Rain 'Through The Rain' was directed by Dave Meyers and filmed in New York in September and October of 2002. One of Mariah's most personal music videos, the clip is loosely based on Mariah's own parents experiences with racism at the time of her conception. Originally, however, the music video was to have a totally different plot, which according to an interview Mariah gave to MTV was changed just days before the music video was shot. The change to the plot was so last minute that the actress playing Mariah's mother in the video, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, was only asked to appear in the video several days before shooting. "We just got a call a few days ago and they said, 'You know Mariah would like you to play her mom in her video,'" she told MTV. "I was like, 'What? Okay!' Not a phone call you expect to get." It's currently unknown what the original music video was intended to look like, although given how late the change was made it's likely that development for the video was in close to final stages. 9. It's Like That (Feat. Fatman Scoop & Jermaine Dupri) 'It's Like That' was the fourth choice of lead single from 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi. 'Stay the Night' was Mariah's first choice, but that song was shunned in favour of Snoop Dogg and Pharrell collaboration 'Say Somethin'', which in turn was leaked online and briefly replaced by the newly-recorded 'Shake It Off'. Mariah then reverted back to her original decision of Fatman Scoop and Jermaine Dupri collab 'It's Like That', a "special" song that she had a "great feeling" about. By January of 2005 Mariah confirmed to MTV that she hadn't settled on a video treatment for the song yet, but that Paul Hunter - who had previously directed music videos for 'Honey' and 'Honey (Bad Boy Remix)' - was her first choice of director. Ultimately, the music video that was filmed the next month was directed by 'I Still Believe', 'Heartbreaker' and 'Thank God I Found You' director Brett Ratner, who would later go on to direct X-Men: The Last Stand, where he would be accused of sexual harassment. Mariah didn't have to wait long to work with Hunter, however - he would later direct the music videos for 'Don't Forget About Us' and 'Say Somethin'' just months later. 10. Shake It Off After being scrapped as a lead single, 'Shake It Off' was later chosen as the third single from Emancipation, to be followed by 'Say Somethin'' as the fourth. Prior to these releases, 'It's Like That' and 'We Belong Together' had been released as the first two singles from the project, notable for two interconnected music videos directed by Brett Ratner which featured a story involving Mariah's ex-lover played by Wentworth Miller. Both 'Shake It Off' and 'Say Somethin'' were originally meant to be directed by Ratner as well, suggesting that they could have originally been intended as extensions of the 'It's Like That' plot. However, Carey later chose director Jake Nava for 'Shake It Off', coming up with a new plot for 'Shake It Off' disconnected from the Wentworth Miller saga which focused on her calling out a cheating lover. It's unknown how similiar this was to the treatment that Carey had planned to develop with Ratner, who she did not work with again until three years later on 'Touch My Body'. 11. Fly Like A Bird 'Fly Like A Bird' was released as the sixth single from The Emancipation of Mimi in February of 2006, but it was only sent to radio in March of that year, less than twenty days before seventh single 'Say Somethin''. While 'Say Somethin'' was serviced to mainstream pop radio stations, 'Fly Like A Bird' received a more limited release and was only sent to adult contemporary and gospel stations, even with critics like Billboard's Tom Ferguson stating that the song was a "classic" and the superior track. Despite being released as a single before it, the music video for 'Fly Like A Bird' had still not been shot by the time Mariah was in Paris to work on the clip for 'Say Somethin'' in March of 2006, although MTV confirmed that it would be shot later that month in New York. By early April, however, the video had still not been filmed, with Mariah still actively working on a concept which she was "hoping to keep basic with the main guest stars being her pastor and church choir". "We don't have a lot of time to do it," she said at the time. "It's not a big-budget thing. But it doesn't need to be. It just needs to be about the song, capturing the song and the emotion of it." Ultimately, a music video for 'Fly Like A Bird' was never released, and there's no evidence to suggest that any footage for the clip was ever actually filmed. That didn't stop the track from becoming a fan favourite, with Mariah performing it on every concert tour up until 2019's Caution World Tour. 12. Say Somethin' (Feat. Snoop Dogg & Pharrell) 'Say Somethin'' had several false starts as a single before it was ultimately released as the album's seventh in April of 2006. At one point, the track was planned to be released in November of 2004 as the lead single from Emancipation, with planning already having begun on a music video. However, after being postponed to January of 2005, the song leaked around it's original release date of November, and ultimately the entire release was cancelled. Later, 'Say Somethin'' was scheduled to be released as the fourth single from the album. Like 'It's Like That' and 'We Belong Together', it was meant to be shot alongside third single 'Shake It Off' as a double video directed by Brett Ratner. However, Mariah replaced Ratner with Jake Nava for 'Shake It Off' shortly after planning begun, coming up with a concept for the track which involved her leaving Voicemail messages to a cheating lover in front of futuristic, stylised visuals. A treatment for 'Say Somethin'' was also developed, with Mariah saying that the two videos included some "really technical" but "cool concepts". Before shooting began, Mariah also confirmed that like the album's first two singles, these music videos would be linked in some way; and that while she was hoping for a "cohesive narrative storyline", she predicted that the videos might end up "having a 'slight' link that only comes across on a subliminal level". Ultimately, however, the release of 'Say Somethin'' as the fourth single was scrapped. When it was later released as the album's seventh single a year later, the music video was directed by Paul Hunter, and predominantly featured Mariah seducing duet partner Pharrell in different locations throughout Paris, before he ultimately takes her back to his room. While it's possible that this was one of the "double video" treatments Mariah developed alongside 'Shake It Off', the lack of any real "subliminal" connection between these two videos suggests that this was a new concept entirely. It's currently unknown what any of the other three 'Say Somethin'' music videos could have looked like. 13. #Beautiful (Remix) (Feat. Miguel & Young Jeezy) Mariah Carey wearing a cast after her rib and shoulder injury at the premiere of The Butler While it's not uncommon for many of the videos on this list to feature two versions, '#Beautiful' is one of the rare exceptions which has three. The original and most well-known music video for the track was directed by Joseph Kahn on April 21st and 22nd, 2013, and debuted the next month on the Carey-judged American Idol. In June, a totally different music video was filmed for the Spanglish version of the song, which features Mariah and Miguel rollicking around Capri, Italy. The third and most "elusive" of the '#Beautiful' videos was intended to be for the "urban" remix of the track featuring Young Jeezy. Again shot a month later by Carey's husband Nick Cannon, the music video was filmed at Avenue and Artichoke Pizza in Chelsea, New York. Midway through the shoot, Carey suffered an injury which put production of the clip temporarily on hold. "She was in this nice, beautiful gown, heels on and everything, and was kind of on this platform and reached and slipped and fell on her whole side," said Cannon later. "It was pretty serious. Not only did she dislocate her shoulder, she actually cracked a rib, and chipped her shoulder bone". Despite the injury, Mariah continued to shoot the music video.; and even after eventually going to hospital to have her shoulder realigned, she returned to the set early the next morning to complete filming. Despite all the hard work and suffering that went into completing the music video, however, no clip was ever released for the '#Beautiful' remix. Mariah confirmed on the 23rd of July that editing on the video had been completed, so it's likely that a final cut does exist; but there has been no word on the video ever being released, or on why it was scrapped in the first place. Which scrapped music video would you most like to see from Mariah? Let us know in the comments section down below!

Watch the video version of this article here! In theory, Nicole Scherzinger has everything it takes to be the world's biggest popstar. She's undeniably stunning, has a versatile voice that can belt out Whitney just as well as it can lilt over opera or spit out raps, is well known for her provocative dance skills and judging by the sheer volume of reality shows she appears on seems to have a strong work ethic. And yet since her start in the entertainment industry back in 1999, it seems as though Nicole has suffered through setback after setback. From the short-lived girl groups Eden's Crush and The Pussycat Dolls; to the three different attempts at a debut solo album; to the continuous record label contracts signed, scrapped and switched, it seems as though the stars have never quite aligned for her. And yet, Scherzinger seems to be one of those people who has a good name in the industry; for try as they might, she just won't seem to go away. Whether she's popping up on one of her many editions of The X Factor, filling in as musical talent on Neil Patrick Harris's variety show or cameoing in Men In Black, Nicole always finds a way to maintain her public presence even when her record label fails her - and apparently, it does so regularly. For since she's debuted as a solo artist, Scherzy has had at least six hits that we know of that she or her label have let slip through her fingers. Whether she was simply too "busy" to record them, was suffering from endless album delays thanks to her label or because she had crises with her public image, Nicole has regularly passed on tracks only to have them go on to be successful releases at the hands of other artists. Check our list after the jump to see just what we could be missing out on! And keep in mind that excluded from this list are all the hits Nicole could have had if she'd joined The Black Eyed Peas - it goes without saying that her versions of 'My Humps' or 'I Gotta Feeling' would have been amazing. 6. Lady Gaga - Just Dance (Feat. Colby O'Donis) Nicole and Lady Gaga were often linked both through their involvement with Interscope Records and their ongoing work with RedOne, with Gaga even opening for the Pussycat Dolls on their Doll Domination Tour in 2009. But Gaga might not have even made it that far had it not been for the success of her lead single 'Just Dance' which propelled her into worldwide superstardom. Weirdly, the song was originally offered to Nicole and the rest of the Dolls back when it was first written, but was turned down for unknown reasons. While we're sure the Dolls could have slayed the track, the possibility of a Gaga-less world is just too much for us to deal with. 5. Jennifer Lopez - On The Floor (Feat. Pitbull) This one was never officially confirmed by Scherzy herself, but around the time 'On The Floor' was released it was rumoured that it had originally been recorded as a demo by Nicole - not a totally crazy piece of gossip given how regularly she was working with producer RedOne around that time. In a weird twist, it was later rumoured that J. Lo had recorded a version of Nicole's single 'Right There', but that an issue with gaining the rights of the song had stopped her from releasing the track at the last minute. While we can't 100% vouch for the veracity of this missed opportunity, it's safe to say that Nicole could have slayed 'On The Floor' and nailed the chemistry between herself and Pitbull. 4. Christina Aguilera - The Beautiful People (From Burlesque) One song you may not have heard of is Christina Aguilera's 'The Beautiful People', a track recorded for the soundtrack to her film Burlesque back in 2010. The song itself was never released as a single, but it's accompanying soundtrack album did manage to hit #18 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Soundtrack Albums chart, constituting a minor success. Nicole recorded her own version of the song for her debut album which later leaked, but like the rest of that album, it ultimately remained unreleased. It's not all bad, though: Nicole ended up with writing credits on the finished version of the song (along with Ester Dean and Marilyn Manson thanks to a sample oddity), so she at least would have made some coin every time the movie played in theatres or on TV. 3. Dave Audé - I'm Gonna (Feat. J Sutta) 'I'm Gonna' is a cover version of 'I'm Gonna Get You', a 1992 track released by Bizarre Inc alongside vocalist Angie Brown. Nicole recorded her version of the track in 2011 alongside DJ and producer Dave Audé, but the song was never officially released. In a strange turn of events, Audé later reworked his production of the track for release with Nicole's former Pussycat Dolls bandmate J Sutta (known during her time in the group as Jessica). While the song was hardly a commercial success, it did hit #1 on the Hot Dance Club Songs; an ironic feat given that during her time in the group Sutta often played second fiddle to Scherzinger, who later in her career was struggling to even get her album released while Sutta scored #1 hits. 2. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy Possibly the strangest of all the songs Scherzinger has turned down, 'Crazy' was the Gnarls Barkley song which won a Grammy Award in 2007 and which was at one point so successful and overplayed that the band decided to remove the single from music stores so that people would "remember the song fondly and not get sick of it." Nicole was offered the song during sessions with Cee-Lo which also spawned 'Don't Cha', but refused the song for unknown reasons. While the song was a huge hit at Gnarls Barkley's hands, we have to wonder whether a Nicole version would have been as successful: it doesn't quite fit her sex kitten image and we're not quite sure she could pull off the mysterious persona that made the song popular. 1. Rihanna - We Found Love (Feat. Calvin Harris) In an interview with Notion magazine, Nicole confessed the most sinful of all sins: that she'd passed on one of the biggest songs of 2011 and an iconic hit for Rihanna, the Calvin Harris produced 'We Found Love'. "I've got the demo of that song and I was busy at the time [it was sent to me]", she mentioned in the interview. "They'd sent me a few dance tracks and I wasn't able to get to them and I was like, 'Oh there's so much dance and I want to take a break from it.' That was my fault. I slept on it." Of course, she's not entirely alone with her regrets on passing on the track - fellow The X Factor UK star Leona Lewis can keep her company, after she scrapped her recorded version of the song due to a desire to release her Avicii collaboration 'Collide' as the lead single from her Glassheart album instead. It's a shame given just how badly both of these girls needed the hit. Which of these songs do you think Nicole would have slayed the most? Would they even have been as successful if she'd released them as singles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Britney Spears has been all over the news recently, despite - and perhaps because of - a conspicuous absence in the public eye. Whether it's news of her scrapped shows, talk of her father's illness or the leaking of her unreleased music video for 'Make Me', Britney fans have had a lot to talk about - and without Brit herself around to clear the air, rumours have started running wild and the #FreeBritney hashtag has officially gone viral. One particularly interesting story comes from the Britney's Gram podcast, who recently claimed to have been contacted by a lawyer with insider knowledge of Britney's current conservatorship, which apparently reaches as far as forcing her into taking specific drugs and admitting her into a rehab facility against her will. Of course, none of this information has been confirmed by anyone in Britney's team, but Britney's Gram claims to have confirmed their source's legitimacy and his story does seem to add up. This particular story begins on January 5th, when Britney announced that she was putting her Domination Vegas residency on hold for the foreseeable future while she put her "full focus and energy on her family". According to a press statement released by Britney's team, Britney's father Jamie had recently suffered from a spontaneous rupture of the colon and was admitted into surgery, staying in hospital for 28 days. While Jamie was apparently home and expected to make a full recovery, Britney had decided to postpone the tour while she cared for him. Several months later, on April 3rd, it was reported by TMZ that Britney had checked herself into a mental health facility approximately a week prior, and would spend a total of thirty days inside the facility. According to the outlet, Britney was "distraught" over her father's poor health, and needed to take time out to look after herself. Again, Britney alluded to the news in an Instagram post: a strange move considering that most rehab facilities ban personal mobile phones. Britney's alleged visit to a mental health facility became even more difficult to believe when, four days ago, she was spotted out in Los Angeles getting her hair done. While we didn't originally have any proof to confirm that she was out in public, a recent Instagram story from Hannah Kirkelie can officially confirm it. Now, an unnamed source has contacted Britney's Gram to provide the alleged truth behind this story. According to the unnamed source, who until recently worked as a paralegal at a large-scale legal firm dealing with Britney's conservatorship, the public has been lied to since January. According to the source, Britney was looking forward to starting the Domination residency in January, but was stopped short by Jamie when he discovered that she had not been taking her regular medication as prescribed. Britney was taken to her regular psychologist who suggested another type of medication; but when she refused this as well, Jamie gave her an ultimatum. Britney was told that she must either take the medication and continue the residency, or cancel the shows and live medication-free. Britney called his bluff, and the show was cancelled, with Jamie allegedly saying "Blame it on my illness". Several days later, Britney was spotted (for the last time in months) at an In-N-Out drivethrough with her boyfriend Sam Asghari. According to the source, this was significant as driving for Britney is not allowed and is considered a "no no" by her team. Jamie, allegedly colluding with Britney's manager Larry Rudolph, used this as an impetus to send Britney to a mental health facility, with no timeframe specified for when she'll leave. Britney had no influence in the decision, and allegedly told her father she did not want to go. She has been in the facility since January - several months before her team said she had entered. Allegedly, this move was so shocking that a key member of Britney's team resigned as a result of it. Since 2008, Britney's life has been meticulously handled by her conservators: her father Jamie, who makes $150 000 a year in the role, and a lawyer named Andrew Wallet, who apparently made $420 000. Upon learning of Britney's forced entry, Wallet apparently feared disbarment and was confirmed to have resigned as conservator on March 4th, leaving Jamie as the sole person in charge of Britney's mental health. What's even more interesting about Wallet's resignation is the fact that Britney herself filed a motion with the court on the same day: the first time she's done so in the eleven years of her conservatorship. Sadly, because the court records are sealed, we have no idea what was in them. If true, the story paints an incredibly sad picture for what life must be like as Britney Spears. The idea that Britney is being forced to take drugs against her will is tragic, and the fact that she is taken away from her work and family with forced visits to mental health facilities is even more horrible. Still, as someone who's dealt with family members and their mental illnesses before, there is a possibility that this really is all for the best. If Britney truly is totally uncontrollable and manic without her medication, it would make sense that she would be forced by the courts and her carer to take it. Hopefully this is something that will be resolved during the months that Britney has spent at the mental health facility - after all, she should be looked after by trained professionals who will surely know if she requires medication or not. Still, there's a lot we don't know about the case. For one thing, we still have no idea what's being kept in the sealed court documents that Britney herself submitted. For another, if Britney has really been locked up against her will for all this time, how did she sneak out to get her hair done? There's also been rumours she's been in the studio with Danja recording music, and snaps of a hand that many assumed to be hers feeding her boyfriend cake on Instagram for his birthday - how did she get to see him if she was trapped away? Regardless, the fact that this is quickly becoming a hot news story is only a positive thing. Even if this really is a con that the lawyers, judges and psychologists are all in on, they'll be treading a little more carefully now that the media is watching them more closely. Listen to the full episode of the Britney's Gram podcast below, and don't forget to tell us your thoughts in the comments!

This week marks ten years since the release of Britney Spear's indisputable magnum opus Blackout - and while a lot has changed in Britney's life and in pop culture since 2007, one thing that remains is the album's incredible influence and staying power. Ten years on, Blackout remains one of the most pivotal releases in pop music history, ushering in the era of dance-pop that has permeated the airwaves ever since and sounding just as current today as it ever has. Surely some of the credit for this has to go to the album's masterful production, handled mostly by R&B producer Danja and Euro-dance connosieurs Bloodshy & Avant. Blackout struck back in the midst of the R&B revival which furrowed in Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, and somehow it seems that most of the songs crafted during that time have remained completely ahead of the times and edgy; even if 'Break The Ice' were released today, it would still be completely different from anything else on the radio. It says a lot that quite literally all of the songs on the album can still be bopped to in 2017. But part of Blackout's success of course has to go to Britney's public image at the time of release. Back when Britney Jean was in its formative years, Britney's team referred to it as an intended Blackout 2.0; but they missed the fact that recreating Blackout was completely impossible without forcing Britney's personal life into full on meltdown mode. Blackout was believable and impressive as an album because of its stars personal troubles, most of which stemmed from her divorce with Kevin Federline - and while we won't get too far into them here, it's fair to say that everyone remembers the image of Britney with a shaved head splashed onto the front cover of every magazine. The album was a safe haven for Britney to direct her energy into, and a window through which the public could try to understand her by even while her public image jumped from Disney star to mother to drug taker to complete disaster artist. The versions of Britney found on Blackout were similarly variable, but the album maintained consistency thanks to its forward thinking production. Naturally, there's sex kitten Britney, who had previously appeared on songs like 'I'm A Slave 4 U'; although this time she was elevated to a new level of raunch. 'Gimme More' is the most notable example of this, but its also apparent in album tracks such as 'Freakshow', which predicted dubstep years before it hit the mainstream, and 'Get Naked (I Got A Plan)', which has to be Britney's straight up sluttiest song in existence. While Brit had always exhibited a sexy persona, it was always juxtaposed with the girl next door image that she'd cultivated in her Mickey Mouse Club days, which toned it down and put any hints of sexiness under a wedding dress strapped into a chastity belt. But with Blackout, all pretention of the good girl was gone, and naughty Britney was officially here to stay. That's not to say that songs about love were off the table though, and in fact the slower songs on Blackout were among Britney's most vulnerable, lacking the cheesiness of 'Lucky' or 'Sometimes'. 'Heaven on Earth' is a sweetly simplistic love song made interesting thanks to it's synth-laden production; 'Outta This World', a bonus track, is a tender and soft harmonisation with co-writer Keri Hilson; and 'Why Should I Be Sad?' is a candid, and yet defiant ending to the album which holds the promise of change to come. By far the most unique version of Britney on the album, however, has to be the one found in 'Piece of Me', the album's only real hit and the song that would go on to name Britney's ongoing residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Produced by Bloodshy & Avant, the same team who worked on 'Toxic' and 'My Prerogative', and with background vocals courtesy of the incomparable Robyn, the song is Britney's version of MJ's 'Leave Me Alone' - a kiss off to the media forces which try to bring her down and an assertion of the fact that she is in control of her image. It's a side of Brit that had never been expressed artistically before, but had been seen in her numerous run-ins with the paparazzi during which she screamed at them, pushed them or attacked them with umbrellas, and it's timing couldn't have been better. With that one smirk during the final scene of the 'Piece of Me' video, Britney had us convinced that she was not only in on the joke but was also pulling the strings herself in order to come out on top. Of course, the Blackout reign couldn't last forever, and it only took a year for Britney to make her triumphant return with Circus, which was a pretty mixed bag of an album overall. On the one hand, the version of Britney we saw during the Circus era seemed more stable and her performances were much more predictable; but on the other hand, without the pain of her breakup and with the pressures of her conservatorship Britney's work lacked genuinity and edginess. It was only with the release of last year's Glory that that seemed to change, and Britney's personality seemed to be her own to control once again. Even with a true successor to Blackout unobtainable, it's a blessing that the album can still be listened to its entirety without skipping a single track. Listen below, and together we'll celebrate a time in which Britney had so little to live for, and yet during which she turned out one of pop's all-time masterpieces. We love you, Britney!

You may not have heard Dua Lipa's name, but you almost definitely know her songs. With a deep, husky tone that sounds like a less pained Amy Winehouse or a grown up Gabriella Cilmi, Lipa's voice seems custom-made for radio, which explains why her songs have been blowing up all over the airwaves for the past year. And with each single launching her further and further into pop super-stardom, we think it's probably a good idea for everyone to listen back to all her previous single releases and get used to the voice that will likely be in our heads for years to come. Lipa's debut single was the stomping electro-ballad 'New Love', a foray into dark-pop that would define the sound of all her future releases. Produced by Emile Haynie (best known for his fusion of R&B, blue eyed soul and pop on Lana Del Rey's Born To Die album), the track created buzz online but failed to make any impact on the charts. It wasn't until the follow-up single, 'Be the One', that a major label push allowed Lipa to chart internationally, hitting #1 in Belgium, Poland and Slovakia and charting highly throughout Europe, New Zealand and Australia. Using her debut single's formula of spare synth instrumentation, repetitive chorus, and pounding bass, Lipa slurs her way through the song like a drunk Adele, hitting the higher notes with an emotional strain that's perfect to scream at the clubs. 'Last Dance', the next track to be given single treatment, ups the tempo even more with a dance-floor ready beat and a distorted vocal in the post chorus worthy of Major Lazer themselves. But surprisingly, the track emulated 'New Love' in it's failure to chart. Perhaps it was just making way for 'Hotter Than Hell', which will by all accounts be Lipa's breakthrough. "He calls me the devil/I make him wanna sin," she murmurs seductively over a pulsating bassline before leaping into her most radio friendly chorus yet. With it's lighter production and a video that seems to be completely formed from a selection of Tumblr gif sets, it's no surprise that the single has charted at #15 in the UK, making it her first entry on the chart. She may not have too many songs yet, but for a girl of only 20 years old Lipa has already made a huge impact with her somewhat limited output. All four songs are set to be released on Lipa's much-anticipated and often pushed back self-titled debut album due out in February of next year; while the English born, Albanian heritage star will spend the remainder of this year touring throughout England and Europe. And while it's yet to be seen if she has enough strong material to support an entire album's worth of bops, the consistency and steadiness in her releases seems to indicate that she's found her own style, even without a full length project to back it up. What do you think of Lipa? Does she have what it takes to be the next big thing in pop or is she just more of the same? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Singer, songwriter, actress, producer, philanthropist: Alexz Johnson has taken on a multitude of roles in the entertainment industry. Starting her career off as Annie Thelen in the Disney Channel original series So Weird, Alexz won the hearts of many and gained international fame from her role as singer-songwriter Jude Harrison on Canadian television series Instant Star. Following her graduation from the show in 2008, she released her debut album Voodoo in 2010 and her second studio album Let 'Em Eat Cake in 2014. Since then she's been involved in several projects including producing her music video for 'Ruthless Love', composing tracks for the independent short film The Dishwasher and, of course, writing new music for her fans to enjoy. Now, with her fans at the peak of anticipation for her upcoming album, Alexz and I have discussed what inspires her to create music and how she has chosen her latest projects. Many of us first discovered you through Instant Star. Looking back on your work over a decade later, how do you view that period in your life? I have so many fond memories from that time...I was young, and was very blessed to be given so much creative freedom to write and grow into the artist I am today. Would you be interested in participating in an Instant Star reunion or reboot? Do you still talk to any of your former co-stars? Sure! Laura Vandervoort (who played my sister Sadie on Instant Star) was actually in my last music video for 'Ruthless Love'. You produced and composed for the short film The Dishwasher and won the Best Short Movie Award at The Modcon London Film Festival. What new challenges did that experience bring? The experience was incredible. I was approached with the script and loved the content and story. Being in an ever changing industry, you learn different skill sets that can prepare you for future projects…Producing and creating a musical soundscape for The Dishwasher felt very natural for me.. Is producing something you plan on doing more of in the future? What about acting - is that something you'd like to do again? I’m open to whatever the universe brings my way! If I’m passionate about something, it sort of creates itself. You have a lot of fans throughout Europe. Are you planning on touring internationally? I would love to do another European tour...Maybe when I get some new music out there! Do you prefer to perform acoustically or with a full band? Full band! It’s just a nice vibe having some backup on stage. Is there anything special you do to prepare yourself for a show? Not really…Vocal warmups, warm water with honey...It's pretty boring, actually. Your brother Brendan has been working with you for the majority of your career. How was it to be behind the scenes directing the 'Weekend' music video for his band Dress Black? It was maybe one of the most hilarious days of my life! That was also a very natural progression...I love the band and their music and I showed them the treatment and they were in! The tricky part about that video was time coding each person’s “play”, as we called them. The bands interactions had to be on point! There have been several songs you've mentioned over the years that were never officially released. Would you ever consider releasing a compilation of outtakes and demos? Brendan and I have released quite a few through our Basement Recordings releases. You can find a lot of our demo material on iTunes. What do you consider to be your best song? What was the inspiration behind it? That’s a tough one.. I’m not sure I can answer that! What’s your favorite? In April, you released the EP Johnson & McAuley. Many fans commented on the differences between this and your past music. Does this EP suggest the direction you're going musically? Sometimes, it’s fun and refreshing to immerse yourself in something different and outside of your usual approach. Johnson & McAuley serves as an experimental collaboration with someone I look up to musically. I wanted to separate the sound from my solo music, and take people on a different journey. The number one question we’ve gotten from your fans involves your next album. When can we expect a release? Are there any plans in place for an upcoming single? That makes me really happy to hear! I am just starting the writing process for the next album as we speak…I have a lot of new experiences to pull from and I’m really excited about this next musical phase. How has working on this album differed from your past albums? I’m taking my time… What are your current inspirations that drive you to further your career? Shining a light in a world that can be so dark. I want to bring an authenticity to the projects I take on. My main goal is to affect people in a positive way and share with them a true part of myself. With directing, composing, producing, and writing, 2016 has been quite a busy year for you. What are some of your favorite moments so far? What plans do you have for the rest of the year? It has been a very exciting year, personally as well! Collaborating with so many talented people has been a highlight...I plan on continuing to do so! Where do you see yourself in five, ten and twenty years? Hopefully existing in a more loving world.. I hope to continue to be blessed in having the ability to create my work and share it.. If people could take one message from your music, what would it be? Honesty. We all appreciate you taking the time to do this interview. Are there any final things you'd like to say to your fans? Thank you for your support! I'm looking forward to playing live and releasing some new tunes in the near future! x Make sure to follow Alexz on her official social media pages!

@Stoop Kid, a well known member of the LanaBoards community (AKA Vinny Vidi Vici, SUNÐÅNCE KIÐ, SUNDANCEKID, SOFTSERVEKID, Daji and indianlovecall) is a New York born and raised poet. From the age of 11, he's felt a calling towards poetry. Since them, he has spent the past 13 years charming people around the world with his exquisitely crafted words and has recently been a featured poet on AllPoetry. Today I'm here to discover the man behind the Stoop... Let's start at the beginning. What was the first poem you remember writing on your own? Oh, fuck. You know what? I don't remember how it goes, really, but I do remember writing my first poem in third grade for some handbook assignment. For the record, it was a fucking terrible poem. Was there a moment when you realized that writing was something you had the ability to do well? I think I started to notice it when I began role-playing at a literate level on GaiaOnline, honestly. So that was probably back in my Junior year of high school. I didn't have my own account at that time because I had lost access to my older accounts, but I had a friend who also used Gaia that would ask me to keep up with some roleplays she would partake in if she got too busy to follow up with them. I would get involved in a few role-plays with a group of people, and we would all come together and challenge each other to grow as writers while creating stimulating, entertaining stories. I like to look back on a lot of them every once in a while. They were fucking awesome. I had come back into the community since then, though I haven't really found too many roleplays I'd enjoy. Do you carefully choose the next words of your poems or do you let the words flow freely? Do you often edit your poems, or do you keep them in more of a raw state? I have edited only maybe one or two of my poems since I started writing again two years ago. I find that I run into a problem editing where, eventually, I lose touch with the poem because it becomes stripped of its original sentiments. Back in high school, I didn't really have a voice as a poet; I became so focused on trying to fit standard structure and trying to be very Shakespearean-as-fuck with my words, that my poetry was just so false. I only wrote two poems back then, notwithstanding some lyrics that I had written around those years. They sucked. All of it did, haha. So now when I write, I let the words come to me as they do, I feel more honest to my work in that way. Do you have a routine you follow? When I write, I usually try to limit my time on a poem between fifteen-to-thirty minutes. For me, my reaction to the muse is the most raw in that time-frame. I never create the title util after the poem; very seldom will my titles be intended as the beginning of the poem, rather serving as an afterthought. Do you feel that inspiration comes to you naturally or do you seek it out? I never really seek out my inspiration, only because I start to idealize how I'd like to come upon it. So I let it come to me naturally. Sometimes, I'll just experience a stream of consciousness, and a thought or sentiment I am having, will strongly stand out to me. That's often the place where most of my work manifests. I'll throw the line in the first draft, and in no particular order, build the poem around it, letting it fall wherever it seems right for it to. We first met as Lana Del Rey fans. Do you feel her music, or music in general, has impacted your creativity? Absolutely. In music and literature, especially, my creativity has always been really impressionable in regards to the artists and writers that inspire me. Twain, Lana, Nicole Dollanganger, Dear Euphoria, Sucré, Oscar & the Wolf, Mogwai, and Angus Stone, to name a few artists/bands, have helped me find my own voice as a writer. The works of Frank O'Hara, and Robert Plath, especially, impacted me. Robert was actually a student of Allen Ginsberg's, and I took Robert's Creative Writing course in college two years ago. The man's work is fucking phenomenal. Very honest and beautifully unsettling. Had it not been for studying under him, I do not think I would have become so involved in writing again after high school. I am so grateful to know that guy. What do you consider to be your greatest poem? I love and take pride in pretty much all the poems I have written in the past few years, for so many reasons. However, if there is one poem I am the most proud of, it has to be 'Zombies in Snapbacks'. What was the inspiration behind it? I have this friend that I have been fond of for a few years now. Two years ago, he had came over for a Halloween party I was throwing. I dressed him up like a zombie; I went all out with the make-up and fake blood, I even let him wear my favorite Tom & Jerry snapback to add the finishing touch. He looked adorably fucking disgusting. That whole night, I just really couldn't get over him. He is such a calm, easygoing, warm person. Not to mention really fucking handsome. So every time I would look at him, I was just buckling at my fucking knees and hiding my face. It really became apparent to me back then how much I liked him. That was around the same time I was taking Robert's class, and one day, I was just thinking about my friend, and it just struck me on such an emotional level, that I just had to write about him. Next thing I knew, 'Zombies in Snapbacks' happened. That poem is actually the poem that started all of this. I have written about other men in my life from time to time, but he is such an exception from them; he is still one of my greatest muses, though I never told him that, let alone told him how I felt. He still doesn't know this poem exists, and as much as I want to, I don't have the moxie to. Fuck it, though. I had to answer this question honestly, because I don't really talk about that piece as much as I would like to. It deserves to be read. What do you consider to be your greatest failure? I think my greatest failure probably has to be being too timid to challenge the fears that keep me from doing the things I want to most, especially in romance. I was always worried the worst thing could happen, so I found safety in silence. How has that changed your writing? It has made writing become a means to, I suppose, give myself that second chance to redeem myself for my lack of speaking upon my affections. I get to give these untold love stories a shot at being heard. I get to give myself a shot at being heard. Has there been one heartbreak or death that's changed you as, not only a writer, but a person? I mean, there have been many experiences of death and heartbreak that have shaped me as a person. I don't know if I can weigh the significance of one over the other. Both death and heartbreak taught me, to quote a video game I played quite a few years ago, that "it is the impermanence of things that makes them truly beautiful." I have come to accept the mortal nature of our existence, while remembering that the finite things, the finite lovers, are often immortalized as soon as they struck us in such a way that, even after they are long gone, they still pass our minds and stir up that warm feeling again. Why poetry? You know, I never really figured out why I got so invested in painting my world through poetry rather than, say, in memoirs or other forms or literature. It just kind of happened, and before I knew it, I was collecting all these memories and sentiments in more and more poetry. Comparisons to others comes easy, but do you ever compare your new works to past works? Personally, everything I wrote before high school, I try to forget about just because it is all so fucking embarrassing, haha. In that way, I compare my work then-and-now. But as far as the work I have done in the past two years go, I don't really compare them to each other. Even though a lot of them share the same emotions, each poem is as unique as a fingerprint in how they can translate that feeling. What was the most difficult thing you've written - poetry or otherwise? The most difficult thing I have written... Honestly, the roleplays on GaiaOnline have always been the most challenging. When you work with a community of writers with whom you share a level of literary prowess with, especially writers who are much more advanced than you, you challenge yourself to meet that consistency when telling a story while ensuring that you do not forget your own style. In your opinion, what makes a poem "good"? To me, what makes a poem "good," is that the poet sees it as good. When I was in night school my senior year, my class was given a project: to build benches for the courtyard of the school. I forgot his name, but a volunteer artist/carpenter mentored us. I wish I hadn't forgotten his name, because he had been such an influence on me as well. Anyway, our first workshop with him, he said that the first rule of art, is that there are no rules in art. Nothing validates or invalidates the quality of art, because art is subjective. I love all my poems, but I am sure I have made people roll their eyes a few times with my work. Even so, I never think much about my audience when I write. It is amazing and overwhelmingly touching when people relate to my poems and love them strongly, but I write because I have to. Is there creative medium you would like to pursue but haven't tried yet? I have always wanted to get more involved in photography, but I have no idea where to start, haha. One day, I want to develop a video game. I already have a few series in mind, all I need is a team, haha. Describe your writing in three words. Corny and honest. Where do you see your poetry five, ten and twenty years from now? I never was one to think about the future, but if I had to give at least an idea, I'd want my poetry to be in a good place; still honest to who I am as a person. Getting a few books published would be fucking gnarly. Stoop Kid After Dark Here are some questions submitted by PHF users. I am already scared. Top or bottom? OH MY GOD... ... Bottom. How many times do you masturbate in a day? Enough. Where do you like to cum? Wherever requires the least cleaning up. Did you buy Cum Cake on iTunes? iWho? Condom or bareback? Depends on the person. Daddies or twinks? Oh, daddies. Speed Round: This or That? Madonna or Gaga? You can't ask me, "'Like a Virgin' or 'Summerboy'?" I am not a really big fan of either of them, but I do love quite a few of their songs. Shania or Taylor? SHANIA. George Strait or Hank Williams? Hank Williams. Heavy Metal or Blues? Blues. Modern or Classic Country? Depends on the artist. Dolly or Reba? THAT IS NOT A FAIR QUESTION. NOT ANSWERING. Northern or Southern? I do love Southern Hospitality. Sweet Tea or Lemonade? Lemonade, are you kidding? Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset. #PopHatesFlops or Google? The library... Thank you so much for doing this interview. Are there any final words you'd like to say to our readers? Take a bath every once in a while. You are all filthy. Do the best you know how. If you have a beard, call me. For more information on Stoop Kid and to check out his poetry please check out his account on AllPoetry, his Facebook and his Instagram.

Over the course of her sixteen year career, Rihanna certainly hasn't had any trouble making hits. Named by Spotify and Apple as the most streamed female artist of all time, Rih's also earned herself 31 top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, five of her songs - 'Umbrella', 'We Found Love', 'Stay', 'Work' and Eminem collaboration 'Love The Way You Lie' - rank among the world's best selling songs of all time. Her distinct vocals, trend-setting sounds and high-profile romances also make her a songwriter's dream, with many artists imagining her voice layered over the top of their latest works. Sadly, as is true for most artists who rely on others for their songwriting, Rih is unable to record each and every track she's sent, and there's a large selection of songs she's turned down which have gone on to be hits at the hands of other artists. Some of these songs were given to newer artists inspired by her, such as Selena Gomez; while yet others reverted back to their original owners, such as Sia. Regardless, it's fascinating to imagine what these songs would sound like if they'd been sung by Rih, and just how many more millions of dollars she could be raking in if she'd accepted them. 1. Selena Gomez - Come & Get It Ester Dean and Stargate are the dream team of musicians behind a number of Rihanna's dancehall-tinged hits, from 'What's My Name' to 'Rude Boy' - and if they'd had their way, they could have given her another one. Selena Gomez's 'Come & Get It' was submitted for Rih's 2011 album Talk That Talk, but was left off the album possibly due to an over-abundance of up-tempo songs that were already present. While Rihanna's islander vibe would have worked perfectly on 'Come & Get It', we're glad this one went to Selena - after all, without this track she may have been stuck permanently in Disney purgatory, and never have started recording the more adult music we all know and love today. 2. Selena Gomez - Same Old Love Charli XCX was working overtime for Rihanna in 2015, when she was writing songs for both ANTI and the Rihanna-helmed Dreamworks film Home. While none of their collaborations ended up on either project (although Charli did land one of her own songs, 'Red Balloon', a spot on the Home soundtrack), Rihanna did record at least one Charli co-write - 'Same Old Love'. Rih first teased the song in June of 2014 on Twitter, over a year before the public even know it existed. It wasn't until Selena released her version as a single in September of 2015 that fans put the pieces together and deduced that Rihanna had recorded her own version of the song, a theory confirmed in 2018 when a snippet of her version leaked online. While Rih would have done a good job on the track, we understand why she scrapped her version - the song's catchy hook and poppy vibe would have sounded completely out of place on 2016's ANTI. 3. Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop Selena isn't the only ex-Disney star to swoop in one of Rihanna's rejects. Production duo Rock City had originally written their song 'We Can't Stop' with Rihanna in mind, but they decided against offering it to her after hearing her change in musical direction that began with 'Diamonds'. Feeling that "this could be somebody's first single", the group instead offered the song to record producer Mike Will Made It, who passed it onto Cyrus. While Miley's version of the song is a certified bop and exactly what she needed to release at that point in her career, we can't imagine the song fitting into Rihanna's more introspective Unapologetic album, and we're actually glad she never released this one. 4. The Chainsmokers - Don't Let Me Down (Feat. Daya) Everyone's least favourite production duo The Chainsmokers have barely been heard from since their chart-topper 'Closer', but they did have a minor hit with 2016's 'Don't Let Me Down'. The final version of the song ended up featuring then 17 year old singer Daya, but before they called her the group had already reached out to Rihanna for some vocals. Her rejection of the song clearly left the duo feeling a little bitter: in an interview, the group's Alex Pall took the chance to throw some shade when he said that he was happy to have Daya on the song "because young unknown artists have this hunger – they're willing to work really hard". We get the feeling Rihanna was already busy work, work, work, work, work, working on a real hit. 5. Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (Feat. Pitbull) Despite multiple collaborations with his off-siders such as Dr. Luke and Cirkut, Rihanna has never actually worked with pop music's GOAT producer Max Martin. Surprisingly, she turned down the chance back in 2010 when Martin sent 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love' in her direction as one of the over 200 songs which didn't make the cut for Loud. With some help from Pitbull, the song would later go on to become one of Usher's most successful singles, hitting the top ten in over fifteen countries while it competed with Rih's own collab with Eminem, 'Love The Way You Lie'. Although the song would have worked great in Rihanna's hands, we see why she rejected it; it serves essentially the same purpose as 'Only Girl (In The World)', which was the first song recorded for Loud and which was always intended to be the first single. 6. Drake - Find Your Love Rihanna and Drake have had major success with the majority of their collaborations, from 'What's My Name' to 'Take Care' to 'Work' - but long before any of these tracks were released, a relatively unknown Drake was already pitching some of his first hits to Rihanna. 'Find Your Love', the second single from Drake's debut album, was originally pitched to Rihanna due to Drake's belief that the song was "extremely vulnerable". "It's actually a huge risk," he would later state. "It almost feels like the song should be performed by a woman. I'm just hoping that men really hear the song and they're honest with themselves. I know a lot of men feel that way." Ultimately, the risk paid off for Drake who had a hit with the song, and whose own vulnerability and sensitivity would later go on to become a point of distinction and mockery in later years. 7. Rita Ora - R.I.P. Rita Ora has been compared to Rihanna again and again over the course of her career, and it's not hard to see why. With her ethnic beauty, emotive vocals, and career trajectory from Roc Nation-approved R&B to Calvin Harris produced pop, it would be easy to think of Ora as Europe's own answer to the Bajan beauty. It's a comparison made even stronger by the fact that Rita's breakthrough single, 'R.I.P.', was initially written for Rihanna. 'R.I.P.' was another Drake-penned track that originally appeared on his The Gift Without a Curse mixtape with the name 'I'm Ready For You'. Ora's version retained the Nneka and Chase & Status sample of Drake's original song while adding a fresh coat of production paint courtesy of frequent Rihanna collaborators Stargate. Although we're sure that Rih could slay this track, it's a testament to Rita's talent that we can't imagine anyone performing it as well as she does, and we're glad that she got the chance to shine with such a bop for her first release. 8. Justin Bieber - Love Yourself 'Love Yourself' was a hit for Justin Bieber in 2015, but the track had a long journey to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was originally written by Ed Sheeran for his album ÷, and back then it had a very different, R-rated chorus of "If you like the way you look that much/Baby, you should go and fuck yourself". Realising that he didn't have the "swag" to pull off such a line, Sheeran initially considered pitching the song to Rih. "Rihanna could get away with saying 'you should go and f--k yourself,' in my mind anyway," he would later state. Ed never got around to sending the song Rihanna's way, but when talking to Bieber near the end of his recording for Purpose he realised that Justin would be able to pull off a more G-rated version. "It kind of came at a zeitgeist time for his career, where he had fallen out of grace with the public, and he had this comeback song that was quite grown up," he would later say. Although there's no guarantee Rih would have recorded the song, it would definitely be interesting to see what she could do with the track. Some of her more interesting songs have experimented with acoustic instruments, such as 'FourFiveSeconds' and 'Stay', and 'Love Yourself' (or 'Fuck Yourself') would definitely have been a nice addition to that series. 9. Ed Sheeran - Shape of You Rihanna must be running through Ed Sheeran's mind a lot, because 'Love Yourself' wasn't the only song he wrote with her in mind. Ed's own hit 'Shape of You' was initially conceived as a duet between Rih and the UK band Rudimental, but a combination of his record label head persuading him to keep the song for himself and his own personalised lyrics made him rethink the decision. "We were writing this song and I was like 'this would really work for Rihanna,'" he would explain later. "And then I started singing lyrics like 'putting Van the Man on the jukebox' and I was like 'well she's not really going to sing that, is she?' And then we sort of decided halfway through that we were just going to make it for me." Although the song's tropical flair would have suited Rihanna well, there's something distinctly masculine about the lyrics of loving someone's body which we just can't imagine her singing. Then again, who is Rihanna to let something like gender stop her? 10. Sia - Cheap Thrills Upon it's release, 'Shape of You' was compared unfavourably to another tropically-minded song which had been released months earlier: Sia's 'Cheap Thrills'. Like all of the other songs on her This Is Acting album, 'Cheap Thrills' was a song that Sia had originally written for another artist before reclaiming it for herself, and in this case it was once again Rihanna who had turned down the track. Ultimately, this ended up being for the better: the super-poppy 'Cheap Thrills' wouldn't have worked at all on ANTI, but it did go on to become Sia's first #1 in the US and probably paid for her fifth vacation home. 11. Sia - Alive 'Alive' was another This Is Acting cut that had been intended for multiple artists before it's release. Sia co-wrote the song with Adele "in Adele's perspective" for her album 25, but the song was rejected from the album at the last minute. "I said to [Adele], 'Do you mind if I pitch it to, let's say, Rihanna?'", Sia would later recount. "She said, 'Yeah, but can you take my vocal off it because I don't want my vocal floating around out there on a demo?'" Sia ultimately recorded her own take on the song to pitch to Rihanna, where it was rejected for a second time. Despite this, Sia's collaborators encouraged her to keep the song for herself. "Everybody in my life was like, 'You can't give this away to anybody'," she explained, which inspired her to release the song as the first single from her own album. As far as 'Alive' goes, we can take it or leave it: Rihanna would probably have done as good a job as Adele or Sia did on the song, but there's nothing particularly special about the generic self-empowerment lyrics of the song, which is probably the reason why it stalled so low on the charts. 12. Sia - Reaper 'Reaper' was another This Is Acting album track, and the third song on the album that had originally been hand-crafted with Rihanna in mind. 'Reaper' was written by Sia and her frequent collaborator Jesse Shatkin alongside Kanye West and his team of 88-Keys and Dom $olo for ANTI - however, the track was scrapped when the album underwent a last-minute change in direction. 'Reaper' was for the version of ANTI pre-'Work' which also featured 'FourFiveSeconds', 'Bitch Better Have My Money' and 'American Oxygen', which existed back when Kanye was executive producing the album. After a falling out between him and Rih, she retooled the album without their collaborations, making it the hit record we know today. As for our thoughts on the song, Sia summed them up pretty nicely herself when she said, "I don't care about the song. I know in print that will look bad, but what I mean is I'm not emotionally attached to it. I thought it was a fun song. I think it's a good, fun song, but I didn't anticipate it being on the record." 'Reaper' is fun and catchy, but it seems like a throwaway track for Sia and more like something we'd expect from Rihanna's fifth album than her eighth. 13. Beyoncé - Pretty Hurts 'Pretty Hurts' is often regarded as the standout from Beyoncé's self-titled 2013 album, and even it's lead songwriter Sia considers it to be her "best song". As such, it makes some sense that the track was in demand by multiple musicians before Bey finally snagged it for herself. The track was originally written by Sia alongside producer Ammo on the same day as she recorded 'Titanium' for David Guetta in 2011, and as with 'Titanium' first dibs for the song went to Katy Perry. Somehow, Katy ended up missing the e-mail that 'Pretty Hurts' was attached to, and the track was instead passed onto Rihanna's team. Rihanna, who was at the time recording for Talk That Talk, showed interest in the song and placed it on hold; but after she failed to pay the track's fee for a whopping eight months, Sia continued to shop it around once more. While 'Pretty Hurts' remained in limbo, Beyoncé heard it and labelled it as "my song". She would later go on to state, "The second I heard the song, I'm like, 'I have to sing this song, I don't care how hard I have to fight for this song!'". Ultimately, she paid the fee to make the song hers and stole the track right out from under Rihanna's nose. Given that 'Pretty Hurts' originally had a very different composition from the version that Bey released, it's hard to say how Rihanna's vocals would have worked on the track; although given that the song is a statement on the beauty industrial complex, we can't imagine that her Fenty Beauty company would have gone on to great success after she recorded it. 14. Jordin Sparks - Battlefield 2009 was the year of Ryan Tedder, with the English-born songwriter penning hits for balladeers ranging from Beyoncé to Kelly Clarkson: and if things had played out differently, he may just have added Rihanna to that list. 'Battlefield', which was ultimately released by Jordin Sparks as the first single from her album of the same name, was initially written with the intention of pitching it to Christina Aguilera. After a demo was recorded it was then considered as a duet for Rihanna and Chris Brown, but after news of Brown's physical assault broke these plans were scrapped. Instead, Sparks went on to nab the song and turn it into a moderate success, with the song hitting #10 on the US charts. 15. Jessie J - Do It Like A Dude Jessie J had success with writing on Miley Cyrus's 'Party In The U.S.A.', and it didn't take long before she tried to replicate the hit when she wrote 'Do It Like A Dude' for Rihanna. Jessie had Rihanna on the mind at the time due to the prominence of 'Rude Boy' on the radio, and she thought that the "tongue-in-cheek" and "empowering" nature of 'Dude' would be perfect for Rih to embody. After her completion of the song, Jessie sent it to both Rih's management and her own record label Island Records; and while she received no response from the former, an enthusiastic review from the latter encouraged her to release the song as her first single. Although Rih would have undoubtedly improved the song just by her very presence, we're kind of glad she didn't lend her vocals to this one; I'm pretty sure even Rihanna couldn't have saved this tryhard mess of a song. 16. Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman 'Dangerous Woman' is a favourite among not only Ariana Grande fans, but also the popstar herself, who liked the track so much that she ended up scrapping her original lead single 'Focus' in it's favour and reworking her entire album to fit it's theme. Despite this, writers Johan Carlsson and Ross Golan had a very different artist in mind when they penned the song. Initially, the song was written with the intention of sending it to Carrie Underwood, who passed; and following this, it was also sent to Alicia Keys. Rihanna was third on the list of artists who were sent the song, and it was only after she rejected it that Grande got sloppy...fourths? While it would have been cool to hear Rih do her thing on this thumping mid-tempo, we're honestly more interested to hear what Carrie Underwood could have done with the song. She's never headed in such an R&B direction before, and it could definitely be an interesting change of pace for the country singer. 17. Major Lazer & DJ Snake - Lean On (Feat. MØ) 'Lean On' was one of the biggest songs of 2015, and one of the largest hits of the streaming era. Despite only peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song reached #1 in nine other countries, and went on to become the most streamed song of all time, as well as selling over 13 million copies worldwide. Surprisingly though, the track was offered to multiple artists who turned it down before it became the smash we know it as today. Major Lazer and MØ wrote the track together as a slower reggae song, pitching it to Nicki Minaj who turned it down. Later, they reworked the track into a more upbeat version with the help of DJ Snake, and went on to pitch this version to Rihanna. "I played her 'Lean On,'" Diplo would later recount. "She was like, 'I don't do house music.' I face-palmed so hard on that one." Weirdly enough though, despite the song's tropical influences, we think MØ is way more suited for the track than Rihanna would ever be. Ultimately, this track went to just the singer who needed it most. 18. Pitbull - Timber (Feat. Ke$ha) Out of all of the songs that Rihanna turned down, this has to be the one we're most happy to see her let go of. Although Pitbull was always (unfortunately) intended to rap over the 'Timber' beat, he had initially wanted Rihanna to sing the chorus later made famous by Kesha. Fortunately, due to Rihanna's focus on her Shakira duet 'Can't Remember To Forget You', she was unable to find time to record vocals for the song. This was a positive thing for two reasons: one, because Rih didn't have to besmirch her good name by working with a rent-a-rapper like Pitbull; and two, because Kesha's southern roots and party girl image were perfect for the chorus of 'Timber', which gave her a greatly-needed hit at the perfect moment in time. We just wish she'd been given the chance to rap the verses herself. Which of these songs would you most like to hear Rihanna's vocals on? Let us know in the comments down below!

Every year, PHF publishes it's annual list of the best albums of the year; and every year, it becomes a little harder to scrape together enough albums to fill out the list. Over the past decade, the music industry has undergone a period of intense change, thanks in large to the trend of illegal downloads blowing up more than anyone could ever have imagined. Thanks to illegal downloads, as well as streaming services like Spotify, music lovers can now pick and choose the songs they want to listen to without committing to a full album. And with an entire world of music at their fingertips that they must consume, most listeners are now less likely to listen to albums as they are watch music videos and digest tours. Still, there's always gems if you know where to look for them, and this list has five of the best. Special mentions have to go to Charli XCX's Number #1 Angel and Pop 2, which aside from being mixtapes are just a little too messy and experimental to be included on this list; as well as Aly & AJ's Ten Years EP, which just isn't long enough to be considered an album. Without any further ado, let's go through our list! 5. Demi Lovato - Tell Me You Love Me/Miley Cyrus - Younger Now This is the first time we've had a tie in one of our Album of the Year lists, and it speaks to the lack of visionary albums that we suffered from in 2017. This year, singles reigned supreme while most artists struggled to create enough pop anthems to form an engaging album experience. Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus both suffered from this plague in different ways; both had clean, cohesive albums with strong visions, and yet the shtick of each sound wore out after only a few tracks, and neither had any real standouts to allow the albums to rise their albums to legendary status. That's not to say that either of them are entirely bad. In fact, these are the best complete works you'll hear from Demi and Miley, with the former finally finding a blue eyed soul sound that she can channel naturally and clearly, and the latter rejecting the shock tactics of yesteryear for a loving ode to her country roots. What they're missing is, for lack of a better word, that 'X Factor' - that air of spontaneity that can make a good album a great one. Far be it from me to suggest a jazz interlude or a dub-step drop in these traditional-leaning albums, but both could use a little pepping up by a master producer like Max Martin. 4. Kelela - Take Me Apart Kelela is an artist who has yet to quite hit her stride in terms of public recognition, but it's basically a given at this point that within the next twelve months she'll be well and truly mainstream. It's a feat that's all the more impressive given Kelela's artist bio - the 34 year old singer, who co-wrote all the songs on her debut album Take Me Apart, slaved away for years singing jazz at small cafes before building online hype through her remixes of tracks from the predominantly EDM Fade to Mind and Night Slug labels. Jazz and dance do play a big part in her album, but the most obvious reference in the album is by and large Janet Jackson's The Velvet Rope, which is evoked through the unique fusion of experimental R&B danceable sounds and vibey, emotive vocals. Even if not a total revelation, the album is at the very least a much-needed second coming of the synthy R&B sound popularised in the 90s, and we get the feeling that Kelela will have a lot more to offer in her future endeavours. 3. Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life Lana Del Rey's first album Born To Die was every hipster's dream for about a week after it was released - but it's follow ups (the too-short Paradise, the inconsistent Ultraviolence and the homogenous Honeymoon) had many wondering whether she would ever recapture the magic she explored on that debut. Thankfully, after years of waiting Del Rey managed to come through with Lust For Life, which borrows from all of her past projects in sound while exploring new territory courtesy of guest artists like The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Stevie Nicks and Sean Ono Lennon. The result is somewhat of a mixed bag, as the album jumps around in style between pretty much every track - but it also leads to a great deal of variety and keeps the listener guessing at every turn. Most interestingly, Del Rey also manages to move away from her "sad girl" persona into something somewhat more lively and optimistic, showing real growth in her character and music. We can't wait to see what her next album has in store for us. 2. Lorde - Melodrama I have to confess that I was never the biggest fan of Lorde when she first broke onto the scene with 2013's Pure Heroine. To me, it seemed as though the public was excusing her lack of ability to craft a decent melody with her age, while simultaneously placing her on a misguided pedestal for her youth. Thankfully, Lorde seems to have grown up quite a bit since 2013, and her music has evolved too. Despite the title, Lorde keeps the overly poetic metaphors and strained vocal snarls to a minimum on Melodrama, opting instead for bizarrely vulnerable anecdotes ("She thinks you love the beach, you're such a damn liar"), anthemic, joyful bursts of confidence ('Green Light') and heavier, simplistically beautiful journal entries ('Liability'). There's still a little too much posturing for my tastes (case in point: where she damns her entire generation in 'Loveless' - "We're L-O-V-E-L-E-S-S Generation" - but Melodrama is a real step in the right direction for the 20 year old, and a long-awaited expression of the potential we've been promised by her record label for years. 1. Kesha - Rainbow Prior to Rainbow, Kesha hadn't released an album since 2012's Warrior, thanks in large part to an all-consuming lawsuit with her producer and manager Dr. Luke. Even as a fan, I have to confess that I wasn't sure if she'd ever get an album out again at all, if anyone would care when she did, and if it would be as brilliant without the influence of hitmaker Luke. Thankfully, Kesha managed to prove me wrong on all counts - Rainbow doesn't just exist: it's Kesha's best album yet, encompassing all that we love about her poppy party girl persona while also throwing back to her Nashville country roots. Drawing on her very personal experiences with abuse, Kesha explores trauma (the anthemic 'Praying'), forgiveness ('Learn To Let Go') and a reclamation of her own power ('Woman'), with plenty of the fun good time songs she's known for ('Boots') thrown in there for good measure. It's this perfectly struck balance of honouring her past music and persona while still striking forward with a newfound outlook on life which makes Rainbow such an authentic and genuinely affecting album. Rainbow proves that Kesha can do bad all on her own, and that she was right to pursue her long-awaited dreams of making a rockabilly album all along - it just took the rest of the world a little while longer to see it. What was your favourite album of 2017? Let us know in the comments below! And for a trip down memory lane, check out the best albums of 2016 and 2015.

If 2018's list of the best songs of the year shows us anything, it's that the ability to define pop music in the 21st century is becoming increasingly more difficult. Gone are the days when record label executives and radio DJ's defined the sound of the summer in highly organised meetings; nowadays, listeners are willing and able to seek out their own finds, creating intimate emotional bonds with their favourite discoveries that last long after their songs end. Our list of 2018's greatest albums reinforces that idea, bouncing between rock, hip-hop, R&B and dance effortlessly. What's somewhat more inexplicable is the list's focus on comebacks from female artists who haven't had hits in years. In 2018, each of these women managed to reinvent themselves for a generation that's impossible to pin down, and prove that life doesn't end for a singer once they leave the Forbes Hottest 30 Under 30 list or vanish from the cover of US Weekly. It just goes to show that while there's more choice and diversity than ever in pop music, a familiar face is sometimes all an audience wants to see in their Spotify library. Enjoy our picks for 2018's best albums down below, and for a walk down memory lane don't forget to check out our lists from 2017, 2016 and 2015! Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born A Star Is Born was the cinematic event of 2018, and with it's Academy Award hype and meme-worthy publicity stunting it's also been the unexpected project that made one-time sensation Lady Gaga cool again. The film's soundtrack had a lot to do with that, hitting the refresh button on Gaga's career while making a would-be star out of Bradley Cooper: for as difficult as it is to believe, there was still some uncultured people who were unaware of Gaga's talent, and who needed her singing over some rock instrumentals to believe it. Let's leave that in 2018, shall we? The soundtrack's success is ironic given the fact that it's probably Gaga's least impressive project overall thanks to a collection of factors. Even when you take out the dialogue tracks, the album is an impressive nineteen tracks long, but sadly it feels as though around half of the songs were just thrown onto the album as gifts for her fans who had waited so long rather than for the impeccable quality we've come to expect from Gaga. 'Heal Me', 'Before I Cry' and 'Music To My Eyes' have some of the worst lyricism we've heard all year, while the electronic duo of 'Hair Body Face' and 'Why Did You Do That' - while bops in a semi-ironic fashion - only make sense in the context of the film and seem incredibly awkward on the country-tinged album. Despite that, there's enough truly great songs on here for an EP of classics, particularly Cooper's touching 'Maybe It's Time', the rock duets 'Shallow', 'Diggin' My Grave' and 'I Don't Know What Love Is' and the holy trinity of Gaga power ballads 'Always Remember Us This Way', 'Is That Alright' and 'I'll Never Love Again'. It may not entirely work on it's own, but in tandem with it's accompanying film the A Star Is Born soundtrack hits all the marks you'd want it to. Nicki Minaj - Queen Nicki Minaj had a false start - or three - in 2017 with her trio of singles 'Changed It', 'No Frauds' and 'Regret In Your Tears', but in 2018 she proved that she was ready for her official comeback. Queen plays out exactly like Nicki's three past albums have - with a section for hard-hitting hip-hop rhymes like 'Barbie Dreams' and 'Good Form', a section for potential crossover hits like 'Bed' with Ariana Grande and 'Thought I Knew You' with The Weeknd, a section for vulnerable slow-jams with 'Ganja Burn' and 'Run & Hide', and a whole lot of random filler thrown in for good measure. And even if her schizophrenic style of putting together albums may be losing it's charm, that's not to say that there aren't any masterpieces to be found among the rubble. Both 'Chun-Li' and 'Good Form' have a frenetic energy pulsing through their beats that's physically hard not to dance to, while the Labrinth and Eminem assisted 'Majesty' and 'LLC' are both aided by the kind of rapping we wish Nicki could bring us all the time. Like all of Minaj's albums, Queen has it's ups and downs, but that doesn't stop it from highlighting her unique talents. All she needs to do now is learn to direct those talents into a cohesive project for once. Christina Aguilera - Liberation Following the commercial failure of Bionic and the generic blandness of Lotus, Christina Aguilera fans would be forgiven for thinking that the 90s queen would never release another great album again. Thankfully, she managed to prove them wrong with this year's Liberation, which successfully propelled XTincta into the mainstream even while not quite matching the brilliance of some of her past reinventions. He may have had his ups and downs in recent years, but Kanye West has to at least be given some credit for his production roles in the album's two best songs: the fiesty, kinetic lead single 'Accelerate' and the album's true opener 'Maria'. A further shoutout has to go to Demi Lovato who lends her vocals to second single 'Fall In Line'; although XTina seems perfectly capable of holding her own on classic power ballad 'Twice'. The rest of the album seems to be built around these four pillars, with high-octane danceable tracks blending with softcore R&B and retro flashbacks in a fashion that's distinctively XTina. This is the album's biggest drawback: it's four standouts are outweighed by some very interchangeable filler, when it could really use one or more two surefire hits (why is no one calling Bonnie McKee nowadays?). Even so, Liberation makes for a great listen for any XTina fan and a promising return to form for her career. Rita Ora - Phoenix Rita Ora's second album Phoenix may have been a long time in the making, but she's never been one to disappoint. Following the release of her impressive debut ORA back in 2012, Rita embarked on a Homeric odyssey for her second album, with the project undergoing at least three different variations before it's ultimate release. One version was recorded with 'I Will Never Let You Down' as the lead single under the guidance of her boyfriend Calvin Harris, but scrapped when they broke up; another was recorded with 'Poison' as the lead single, but scrapped when she left Roc Nation; and the third was recorded throughout one month in 2017 and released in November to little hype. The songs themselves reflect that odyssey, transversing Rita's current EDM bops like the song of 2016 'Anywhere' and the annoyingly catchy 'Let You Love Me', as well as collaborations with the late Avicii on 'Lonely Together', Liam Payne on Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack cut 'For You' and Rudimental on surefire hit 'Summer Love'. Like her first album, Phoenix also has a few outliers: lead single 'Your Song' is a little more poppy, controversial track 'Girls' is pure bubblegum and 'First Time High' was a misstep that should have been kept on someone's external hard drive. But even with these outliers, Phoenix has enough excellent tracks to appeal to any pop music lover, backed up by Ora's commendable vocals and winning personality. Ora has all the elements of a superstar: all she needs is for the world outside of Europe to realise it. Mariah Carey - Caution It's safe to say that Caution was one of the world's least hyped albums in 2018. Following her disastrous New Year's Eve performance back in 2016, an ill-advised reality show and the false start that was 'I Don't', even Mariah's most diehard fans were wary to see what she had up her sleeve for her fifteenth studio album. Luckily, Mariah seemed quick to snap to her senses and managed to release an album that made the world fall in love with her again. From start to finish, Caution manages to simultaneously encapsulate the 90s image of Mariah that is well known and well loved, while still sounding fresh and current. Take our first taste of the album 'GTFO', which by all accounts should have been a tryhard mess that wouldn't be astray on Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse. But don't let the title fool you; 'GTFO' is a down-tempo, moody heartbreak song, which is only slightly offset by it's alternatively angsty or comedic chorus. 'GTFO' wasn't a hit for Mariah, but it did reach meme status, which is a step up for her in 2018; and we wouldn't be surprised if future hit 'A No No' managed to to the same. Even if she doesn't quite achieve that, Mariah has still gifted her fans with a handful of her famed heartbreak ballads to enjoy: from stirring lead single 'With You' to the intensely vulnerable 'Portrait'. Caution may not have been a smash album, but if nothing else it did what might have once been considered impossible: it changed the public's perception of one of the most misunderstood singers in music history, and set her up for future wins. Let's hope it doesn't take another four years for Mariah to bask in them. What was your favourite album of 2018? Let us know in the comments down below!

Watch the video version of this article here! There are some popstars who seem to simply go from strength to strength, to the point where it seems as though the sky is the limit for the amount of talent and commercial success they can achieve in a lifetime. Some, like Justin Bieber, may have started from a particularly low base in which they repeat the word "baby" two hundred times in succession; while others, like Beyoncé, take the time to break out as solo stars, free from girl group politics or the dark shadows of their husbands empires. But then there are others who, try as they might, never seem to be able to match the success of their very first single. Such is the case for Leona Lewis, the X Factor UK winner who stunned the United Kingdom with her amazing vocals and the world with her debut single 'Bleeding Love', but who has failed to make as huge of an impact with each successive follow up to the song. Sure, she's had 'Run', the UK #1 which still gives listeners goosebumps every time it's performed live; and 'One More Sleep', the best holiday themed single since 'All I Want For Christmas Is You!'. And there's a plethora of under-appreciated tracks which could have done great on radio, such as the Guetta-esque 'Can't Fight It' or the DJ Poet collaboration 'Catch Me When I Fall'. But nothing has ever captured the imagination of the public quite like 'Bleeding Love', the hit first single which topped charts worldwide and soundtracked the lives of many teens going through their first heartbreaks. But that's not to say that Leona hasn't had the chance. For over the course of her career, there's been at least nine tracks which we know of that she's turned down which have gone on to be hits for other artists ranging from John Legend to Christina Aguilera. Some of them were timed poorly, while others were victims of internal record label drama; but almost all of them would have sounded brilliant had they been sung by Leona. Read on to find out more! 9. Rihanna - We Found Love (Feat. Calvin Harris) Like Nicole Scherzinger before her, Leona was also offered 'We Found Love', one of the biggest hits of 2011 and the song which made a bonafide star out of Calvin Harris on the international scene. Leona even recorded her own version of the track, which was finalised and set for release along with the rest of her dance-oriented Glassheart album, and which apparently sounded identical in production to the final released version. However, she wanted to release 'Trouble', her collaboration with Childish Gambino, as the first single from the project; while Harris wanted 'We Found Love' to be the lead. Ultimately, when Harris went on tour with Rihanna she recorded her own version of the song, which she was happy to release as the first single from her own album Talk That Talk, and Leona's finalised version was left to rot on Calvin's enviable external hard drive full of unheard hits. 8. John Legend - All of Me John Legend's 'All of Me' was the sleeper hit of 2014, spending 59 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 chart since it's release in August 2013 and going on to become the second best selling song of the year in the US and the third best selling song in the UK. And weirdly enough, the original version of the track was actually a duet between Legend and Lewis. We had no idea about the collaboration until a superfan posted about it online after hearing the original version for themselves. "This version was recorded before the original JL version but Syco and US label couldn't get their shit together and released the solo version," they said, adding, "One of the reasons Leona left Syco, lots of opportunities wasted, Leona picked all her songs for the album but were rejected". Sadly, the duet has never been heard, but we do have this fan-made version of the track which combines Legend's finalised version with a short live cover Leona filmed in her car. 7. Shontelle - Impossible Shontelle's 'Impossible' was a minor hit when it was first released back in 2010, hitting #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the UK; but it only really blew up a couple of years later when The X Factor winner James Arthur released his cover version of the song, which went straight to the top of the UK charts. The track could have been an earlier hit for an X Factor contestant if Leona had recorded it back in 2010 though, when it was originally sent to her by her 'Come Alive' and 'My Hands' collaborator Ina Wroldsen. "I don't know what her reasons were - maybe she couldn't relate to it at the time," opined Shontelle when asked about Lewis's refusal to record the track, before going on to thank her for the hit. "I was like, 'Wow! I'm glad you turned it down, because I got to sing it!'" 6. Christina Aguilera - Blank Page When a snippet of Sia's demo for 'Blank Page' first leaked in 2012, it was labelled as a demo for Leona Lewis; a charge Sia later rebuked on her official Twitter account, where she stated it was intended for another artist entirely. But a version of the song sung by Leona definitely does exist, as it was confirmed before the snippet leaked to be a contender for the final tracklisting of Glassheart. Sadly, Lewis received a mediocre reception to the first single off the album 'Collide', and the entire project was delayed from an expected release date of November 2011 to November 2012. In the meantime, the demo was shopped around to other artists for a quicker release, and Christina jumped on the track to add her trademark touch of strain to the vocals. While we leaked the Sia demo several years ago, we've heard nothing more about the Leona version of the track since it was initially confirmed; and given that it's already been released by someone else, it's unlikely we ever will. 5. Ellie Goulding - Burn A collaboration of songwriting between frequent Lewis collaborators Ryan Tedder and Greg Kurstin, 'Burn' could have been the perfect track for Leona during the Glassheart era to keep her true to her roots while still progressing her sound further into the dance-pop realm. While she did record a version of the track that went on to leak in 2013, the song ultimately didn't make the cut for her album and was instead passed on to fellow Brit Ellie Goulding. Goulding's version lit up the charts worldwide, hitting #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the UK and Scotland; while the lead single from Glassheart, 'Trouble', hit #7 in the UK and failed to chart in the US. Choices. 4. Emeli Sandé - Mountains It was hardly a hit and was never even released as a single, but 'Mountains', the heartfelt ballad released on Emeli Sandé's debut album Our Version of Events, was originally recorded by Lewis for her Glassheart album. The song was actually written three years before its ultimate release in 2012, but when Sandé began working with Leona for her album on tracks such as 'I To You', she revived it once again for an appearance on Glassheart. Sadly, during the period of delay that the album experienced, Sandé decided to reclaim the track and release it on her own project; one that debuted at #1 on the UK charts and ultimately went double platinum. It's not all bad, though: the same sessions which brought to fruition the Leona version of 'Mountains' also brought us 'Trouble', Leona's lead single, which ended up hitting a pretty decent #7 on the UK charts. 3. Kelly Clarkson - What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) 'What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)' is well known as the comeback single which sent American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson back to the top of the charts, but it could easily have gone to another singing reality show competition winner. According to songwriter Ali Tamposi, the track was initially offered to Lewis before Clarkson's label even knew of it's existence, but the songstress turned it down without a second thought. But before you get too excited about the thought of Leona rocking out to the pop-rock anthem, remember this: the song at this point was in early stages and had a completely different tempo, beat, chord progression and vibe. It wasn't until frequent Sia producer Greg Kurstin stepped in to tailor make the song for Clarkson that it took on the stadium rock quality it now has. 2. Beyoncé - I Was Here A cult hit from a cult album, 'I Was Here' is a song from Beyoncé's 4 album which, despite never being released as a single, managed to chart in the top twenty in Hungary and Belgium thanks to a well publicised and much viewed music video in support of the United Nations' World Humanitarian Day efforts. And while it may not have been such a hit in Lewis's capable hands, it almost certainly would have tugged at the heartstrings just as well if she had chosen to record it. Diane Warren, who would later go on to work with Lewis on the animal rights charity single '(We All Are) Looking for Home' in 2016, sent the track to both Jay-Z and Simon Cowell back when it was first demoed for consideration by both Bey and Leona. But while Bey jumped at the chance to record the track, halting production on her album just to record the vocals, Cowell's office rejected the song, apparently telling Warren "This song just doesn’t go all the way for us." According to Warren, she responded via e-mail to Cowell with the ultimate comeback saying, "That’s okay. I’m in the studio with the biggest artist on the planet and it kind of went all the way for her. All good." 1. Beyoncé - Halo Probably the most infamous of all of Leona's unrealised songs, 'Halo' caused a scandal when it's co-writer Ryan Tedder was accused of penning similiar songs for Lewis, Beyoncé and Clarkson all in the space of a few months. Some of this scandal could have been averted, of course, if Leona had snagged 'Halo' when she had the chance. According to Tedder, the song was always intended for Beyoncé as an ode to her marriage with Jay-Z, but it spent a long time on hold while Bey waited to record it in between albums. While she slept on the song, it somehow found its way into the inbox of Syco Entertainment, the record label owned by Simon Cowell which manages Leona; but due to her tight schedule she was unable record the song immediately. By the time Lewis had gotten around to wanting to record the song, Bey had taken it back and released it as the iconic power ballad we all know and love today. Looks like this was a case of bad timing. Which of these songs do you think Leona would have slayed the most? Would they even have been as successful if she'd released them as singles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Hi, guys! It's time for the new PHF Song of the Week! I know how excited you are! This week I have been thinking about a lot of stuff - mostly reflecting on my life. I've recalled all of the bad things that happened and all the good times. One day I finally realized that I am at a good place right now. But then I started thinking about other people. We read the news every day. Sometimes it's about Korea threatening the USA and sometimes it's about Selena Gomez hitting x number of likes on her new photo on Instagram. One day, I was scrolling down my Facebook feed because I was bored and I bumped into an article about Venezuela. If you aren't familiar with what's going on there right now, let me tell you. There was a so called Venezuelan Constituent Assembly election in which the Venezuelan government chose to take a step closer to dictatorship. What does it mean for poor Venezuelans? The country will become fully communist. The government will have total control of international and national media. Even internet access will be regulated by the government. Furthermore, the new president Nicolás Maduro will stay in control of the country until the day he dies or selects a successor. Finally, the government will take over all private properties. From stores and businesses to people's own homes. It seems like an abstraction for us, inhabitants of civilized, democratic countries. However, that stuff really happens on Earth. Nevertheless, we don't really have to look that far to see examples of a person trying to take control of their nation. Let's not forget who the president of the USA is. Donald Trump has been signaling his authoritarianism for some time now in various ways - ranging from his fear-mongering demagogy on immigration and crime, to the ways in which he praised Putin as a more effective President than Obama. And what about all of the recent terrorist attacks? ISIS tries to spread fear among us when they launch their attacks. They want us to believe that we can't be safe anywhere. That they are stronger and much more powerful than we are. Seeing the ways in which the media speculate about new probable attacks, ISIS continues to achieve their goal. Here comes a question: should we actually fold under the pressure? Should we allow the fear to take over our brains and make us afraid of being shot or persecuted? Considering all these facts and trying to find the answers to these questions, I had one one song in mind. Not even the whole song, but a verse. It goes like this: "Tell me what we're fighting for. I don't wanna fight your war right now." Alexz Johnson in her new song 'Right Now' seems to give us the answers. She strongly opposes the "superiors" who try to rule over us. She says, "I never knew the situation. Didn't think that it was one of those kinds. From a different generation, you can't deny this is a stranger time." Just like me, Alexz seems to be lost somewhere in this world. When I was a child I never paid too much attention to what was going on in the world. The world seemed to be a much more joyful place where I always felt safe. That's why, now that I am older, it strikes me how much cruelty, hatred, and hostility we can encounter on a daily basis. It is no longer Arcadia - the land of luck and happiness. That utopian vision turned into chaos at some point. Later, Alexz mentions an issue which she can personally relate to which is immigration. The singer is a Canadian native who is currently living in the US. She sings: "You think you're safe behind a passport. You were shaking in the airport line. Telling stories you were hearing. You can't deny someone could lose their mind." She gives us a taste of how uncertain an immigrant's life must be in a world that builds up borders. Then, in the chorus, she says she doesn't want to play somebody else's games. She is a human being and not a counter. The song is truly poignant and relatable to the days ahead of us. The song itself perfectly showcases Alexz's soft crooning. Her voice is not filled with anger as we might have expected from an antagonistic song. It is rather melancholic and soulful. What really amazes me in Alexz' music is her astounding ability to express certain emotions through her voice. Whether she sings a powerful break-up song (like 'Skipping Stone') or a broad love song (like 'Back Of The Room'), you don't have to even pay attention to the lyrics to know what emotions she wants to convey. Noteworthy is the fact that she is also a genius songwriter. Her lyricism is something which has touched my heart since the first day I heard any of her songs. Alexz Johnson's new album A Stranger Time is out this Friday! Buy a physical copy in her official store or pick it up on iTunes!

2017 has been a great year for pop music. With new releases from Miley Cyrus, Sia and Taylor Swift, and comebacks from the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Kesha and P!nk, there's been plenty of new and interesting music to keep us busy throughout the year, and plenty of new trends to keep the songs fresh. That said, it's human nature to always look for the next thing to get excited about, and the ever-changing world of pop music is absolutely no different. In a world in which new albums are teased on social media from their very inception and right up until their release date, there's little room to pause and enjoy the moment before we start anticipating what will happen next. In this list, we'll be looking at the top five albums to look forward to in 2018. Interestingly, all of these albums have actually been in progress for several years, reflecting how slow the release schedule is in the modern age. Lily Allen - The 4th Wall Lily Allen's 2014 comeback album Sheezus may not have been quite as amazing as we hoped for, but that hasn't stopped the English potty mouth from continuing to work on new music. Since that album was released, she's been working on her aptly titled fourth album The 4th Wall, which has taken her to places as far reaching as London (to work with Mark Ronson), Los Angeles (to work with Greg Kurstin) and Jamaica (to work with Sean Paul). So far, the album sounds to be classic Lily - saccharine pop which is just a little left of centre, this time with a trip hop and dancehall vibe - although it's hard to know as up until recently the only song we'd heard was the low quality leak of 'Family Man'. Thankfully, Lily finally released her first official song in years recently, entitled 'Trigger Bang' - although it took an early leak of the track to force her to actually get the song out there. Lily is known to be an incredibly political and observant artist, and given how momentous 2017 has been in terms of politics we're sure she'd have a lot to say, so let's hope that 2018 is finally her year. Christina Aguilera - CA8 (TBA) Forget the Justice League movie - Christina Aguilera's album was actually the biggest disappointment of 2017. After 2012's ill-fated Lotus, Aguilera went back to the drawing board, and even took time off from The Voice back in 2015 to work on her new album with fellow judge Pharrell and 'Beautiful' co-writer Linda Perry. She allegedly worked with Kanye West and PARTYNEXTDOOR on the album, suggesting a hip-hop route for the upcoming work. More importantly, she also recorded 'Telepathy' for the soundtrack for The Get Down, one of her best songs in years. Later in 2016, Aguilera released a charity single dedicated to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting and Christina Grimmie's family called 'Change', and from the looks of it the single was meant to double as a promotional single from her album. The album artwork style for 'Change' was replicated in posts on Aguilera's social media, and she continuously mentioned the musical "surprise" she had prepared for us. Sadly, nothing came of the promotion, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that after her well received Whitney Houston tribute at the AMA's she'll have the public support she needs to finally get the album out there. Nicki Minaj - NM4 (TBA) Nicki Minaj released three singles simultaneously back in March - 'Changed It', 'Regret In Your Tears' and 'No Frauds' - but since then we've heard not a peep about her upcoming album. Instead, Nicki has featured on tracks from the likes of Jason Derulo, Katy Perry, David Guetta, Yo Gotti and Migos to keep her name out in the public's eye. At this point, the album has been so delayed that we're starting to question whether there's some internal drama ala Lil Wayne and Birdman which is causing it to not be released, or if Nicki is just searching for that next #1 single that will define the era like 'Superbass', 'Starships' and 'Anaconda' did in the past. That said, Nicki apparently has a sound and album title already decided on, so it hopefully won't be long before we hear more from her about the project. Selena Gomez - SG3 (TBA) Selena Gomez's last album, Revival, was our favourite back when it was released in 2015, but the star has remained relatively quiet since then - at least on the music front. Between producing Thirteen Reasons Why, a very public battle with lupus and her on-again-off-again relationship with Justin Bieber, Selena hasn't had much time to focus on her music career, but we've heard a few snippets here and there of what her upcoming album might sound like. Gomez first started work on her next album while touring for Revival, which is when she wrote 'Feel Me', which would later leak; this lead to the suggestion of a Revival re-release, although this went unrealised presumably due to her health issues. Following this, Selena seemed primed and ready to release a new album in May of this year when she released the funky 'Bad Liar' and the R&B tinged 'Fetish' with rapper Gucci Mane; but since then, she seems to have gone back to the drawing board, delving more into the EDM world by releasing 'It Ain't Me' with Kygo and 'Wolves' with Marshmello. She's also worked with producers like The Futuristics, Jonas Jeberg and Ryan Tedder, and reunited with writers Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Charli XCX and Jacob Kasher. Gomez's last televised performance for the latter song at the AMA's was pretty heavily panned for her lip syncing, so we wouldn't be surprised if we have a little while to wait before Selena saves her image and this album comes out. Lady Gaga - LG6 (TBA) You never quite know what you're going to get next with Gaga's music, and that same element of surprise seems to hold for her release structures. Gaga is constantly working on music which means that LG6 was in the works immediately after the release of Gaga's last album Joanne, but she seems to have put it off to work on not only her impressive Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, but also her upcoming starring role in the musical feature film A Star Is Born. The soundtrack for that film should be out in around May of next year, and so far seems to be carrying on the same country-pop vibe that Joanne introduced to Gaga's fans with production from the likes of Mark Ronson and Lukas Nelson; but in the meantime, Gaga has also been working on her own music without the limitations of a character to write for. Gaga released 'The Cure' as a single earlier this year, but it was implied that the track did not serve as the lead single for any particular project: that said, Gaga has been pictured in the studio frequently with the producer of that song, DJ White Shadow, along with engineer Benjamin Rice. Last month during a backstage meet and greet, Gaga also played fans a new song called 'Frankenstein' which was apparently about "putting the pieces of your heart back together" in a Shelley-esque manner. Fans speculated that Gaga might perform the new single at the AMA's last month, but sadly it was not to be. Fans shouldn't have long to wait though: according to Gaga collaborator Mark Nilan, "2018 radio is ours!". Special thanks to @jlnsgr for inspiring this article with his list of upcoming albums in 2018. Which album are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments down below!

Katy Perry is one of the biggest names in pop music in the last ten years, with her sudden rise to fame from being a mere Christian gospel singer who would often sing in her local church, to being a global success story with five number one singles from just one album. Katy has proven her ability to accelerate up the charts numerous times, earning records that only the King of Pop Michael Jackson has to his name...but the question is, how many of these things have been achieved with her latest era, Witness? With the release of her fourth studio album Witness, Katy has gone through some major changes that have left most fans of the Teenage Dream Katy confused and rather upset. Let's take a look at how her previous albums and eras have ranked compared to her latest. Kathryn Perry, an innocent and sweet Christian gospel singer debuted with her brand new and evolved image as the punk-rock "Katy Perry" with the release of her first studio album One Of The Boys in 2008. She gained a sizeable fanbase and loyal listeners during this era, catching the general publics and critics eyes. In April of 2008, she released her first single from the album, 'I Kissed A Girl'. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 scoring Katy her first number one, and is now 5x platinum in the United States, with the album being certified Platinum as well. Five years after her debut studio album, Katy released what is now one of her most successful and iconic albums, Teenage Dream. The bubblegum pop album was critically acclaimed and loved by the general public. The album gained a Grammy nomination from the #1, now diamond certified song 'Firework' which has become a global hit and a defining moment of Katy's career. In total the album gained five number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, which set many records as Katy was compared to Michael Jackson in the media. She released multiple music videos which have become some of Katy's signature pieces, such as the videos for 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)' and 'California Gurls'. Teenage Dream has been certified 3x platinum in the United States as of 2017, and has since been celebrated with a re-release of the album featuring new tracks along with a tour and feature film, Katy Perry: Part of Me. Shortly after, Miss Perry released her third studio album Prism in which she released more of her defining singles such as 'Dark Horse' and 'Roar'. Both singles were released alongside two iconic music videos which have gone down in history as some of Katy's greatest. Both singles also went number one on the Billboard chart, scoring Katy a whopping eight number one singles. Not only did she score two number one singles, but she also performed at the 49th Super Bowl Half Time Show in 2014, where thousands of people watched her perform many of her career defining songs. Now...last but certainly least, in 2017 Katy released her fourth studio album Witness which was debuted with the lead single, 'Chained To The Rhythm'. The song introduced a new side of Katy: a politically charged chameleon which fans were indecisive on whether they liked or not. The song landed at number four on the Billboard 100, which while impressive is also the lowest chart placement for one of her lead singles. Shortly after the release of the first single, she released 'Bon Appetit' which landed at #59 on the Hot 100, even with multiple performances and an expensive-looking music video. 'Bon Appetit' is now her worst charting single to date, and lowest charting second single throughout her entire career. Katy has not only failed commercially but has also been critiqued on her horrendous performances with Migos where she was lousy, boring and racist with her mimicking of the rap groups dance moves. During this era Katy has been hit with multiple accusations of bigotry with her insensitive Obama jokes. This leads me onto my second question, and the most important one of all. How exactly can Katy come back from this horrific era, if it's possible at all?

Halloween is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world, even if its presence isn't marked on any calendar. Some of its appeal definitely has to do with the fact that its mostly polytheistic - although it started out as a Wiccan holiday, Halloween is essentially now atheist and up to be enjoyed by anyone. But its also one of the thematically strongest and widest, and one of the funnest, as it gets people off church pews and into their local communities and brings back the childhood joy of playing dress up. But despite all that, there's relatively few songs that have been released especially for All Hallow's Eve. Unlike Christmas, which gets half a dozen high-profile holiday-themed albums dedicated to it every year (thanks, Mariah), Halloween has never had it's moment to shine on the pop charts, with partygoers and trick or treaters having to deal with whatever spooky remnants they can scratch out of the rest of the years hits. In this list, we'll be looking at ten of the best songs to play at this year's Halloween bash - and though few of them are specifically Halloween themed, all of them are bound to go over a treat with whatever riff-raff you'll have knocking at your door on Halloween night. 10. Ministry - Everyday Is Halloween The most explicitly "Halloween-ish" themed song on the list, Ministry's 'Everyday Is Halloween' has been a staple of Halloween parties for decades, ever since it was released in 1984. Moreover, it has been adopted by the Gothic community as a kind of mantra to live by every day, thanks to its lyrics of disenfranchisement and isolation. It may not be the most well-known track at your party, but the new wave jam is sure to turn more than a few heads and makes some good background music for your session of "pin the bandage on the mummy". 9. Britney Spears - Toxic It might not be the most logical song to include on a Halloween collection, but Britney's 'Toxic' is actually perfect for any spooky themed party. Not only does the song discuss a dangerous kind of love with a poisonous twist, but the music video pretty much perfectly captures the Halloween vibe with the multiple outfit changes and Britney dressing up as various versions of herself to seek revenge on an ex-lover. Otherwise, if you want more of a literal twist on the holiday, check out her under-appreciated bop 'Scary' here. 8. Rihanna - Disturbia Rihanna's 'Disturbia' is probably one of the most overlooked bops of her career, even though it was a pretty big hit when it was first released back in, 2008, hitting #1 in the US and even being nominated for a Grammy. It's a shame, because the song's refrain of "bum bum be dum, bum bum be dum dum" is insanely catchy and sure to make everyone hit the floor. The video is also one of Rihanna's best, featuring some of her most iconic looks and some truly unsettling scenes of her being restrained and covered in spiders, or chained down in a narrow alcove. 'Disturbia' is definitely Rih's spookiest song, but if you're just here to play dress-up then don't forget about 'S&M', and if you need some filler tracks for your playlist then don't forget about 2009's Rated R album, especially it's lead single 'Russian Roulette'. 7. Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time If you're sick of the poppy, dancey hits straight from the charts and just looking for a track to roll a blunt to, look no further than Sky Ferreira's 'Night Time, My Time'. The title track from her debut album, the song's title is inspired by a phrase uttered in the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, which explains a lot about it's vibe. The song drips of Lynchian influence with it's beat (consisting of just a heavy drum and strings) and the vocal style Ferreira uses to deliver it which is essentially a breathy whisper. Definitely not a club banger, but it's a nice change of pace from the more up-tempo songs. 6. The Cranberries - Zombie 'Zombie' is the perfect Halloween song just for the name alone, but it's catchy chorus only makes things better. Really, the only reason this isn't higher on the list is because of the real subject matter behind the metaphor: according to lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, 'Zombie' is actually about a series of IRA bombings in 1993 that led to the deaths of two children, which makes it a little hard to dance to willingly. Still, it's the perfect track for late in the night when the drinks have stopped flowing and everyone's getting sleepy. 5. Eminem - The Monster (Feat. Rihanna) I wasn't the biggest fan of Eminem's 'The Monster' when it was first released, but I'll admit that after hearing dozens of spins on the radio that "ooh, ooh" post chorus really started getting to me. It might not be the easiest song to dance to, but everyone's bound to sing (or even rap) along and the psychological horror themed lyrics are perfect for any spooky celebration. For a more mellow listening experience, try out the songwriter Bebe Rexha's original demo for 'The Monster'. 4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll Possibly the most little known song on this list, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs nevertheless have one of the catchiest Halloween themed songs with 'Heads Will Roll'. Released in 2009, the song was apparently written from the perspective of Alice in Wonderland's Queen of Hearts, which explains the chorus of 'Off, off, off with your head'. The stylish music video even makes allusions to 'Thriller', with a dancing werewolf in red shoes making his way through each member of the band as they play the tune. To get the party even more "lit", consider spinning A-Trak's remix of the song as well. 3. Sharon Needles - Call Me On The Ouija Board Pretty much every song from Sharon Needle's discography can culminate into a Halloween playlist, but there's none quite as catchy as the stellar 'Call Me On The Ouija Board'. Released on the spooky cooky Hallowooky drag queen's first album PG-13, the song alternates between shameless pop jam and horror movie parody in a way only Needles can, but its amazing chorus puts it up there with some of the best songs from Britney or Gaga. Bonus points goes to the music video, which finds Sharon recreating the best horror films of the past fifty years. 2. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance Its title might allude to a romance film, but 'Bad Romance' really slips much more heavily into the realm of horror thanks to its creepy lyrics, which range from endless Hitchcock references to lines like "I want your horror/I want your disease". The music video takes things to the next level, featuring a Dracula-esque harpsichord, a collection of coffins that backup dancers awake from, and razor blade sunglasses. Honorary mentions must also go to Gaga's 'Dance In The Dark', 'Monster' and 'Bloody Mary', all of which feature a twisted, dark Halloween vibe in their productions. 1. Michael Jackson - Thriller Everyone probably saw this one coming from a mile away, but there's really no other song that deserves to take the top spot so much as the King of Pop's incredible 'Thriller'. Released at the height of his popularity in 1983, the song became an instant hit, and its creepy sound effects (think ominous thunder, booming footsteps and dogs howling) as well as its introduction courtesy of Vincent Price make it perfect for Halloween. Moreover, the song's groundbreaking music video is often thought of as the best to ever be made, and revolutionised the medium for years to come. Play the song on it's own and try your best to re-enact the iconic choreography; or, for a more complete experience, break out 'Bad', 'Scream' and 'Ghosts' and dance the night away to MJ's greatest scary hits.

I would like to introduce you to the second PHF Song of The Week with a little quotation: "The weight of this sad time we must obey. Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most. We that are young Shall never see so much, nor live so long." - William Shakespeare, King Lear For those who didn't keep abreast of the events that happened in Charlottesville, here's a little recap. The city became a place where American racists rallied. The majority of them were white men with extreme right-wing views. The pretext for the rally was to save a monument that was to be removed in the centre of the city of a confederate general commanding the Civil War in the 19th century opposed to the abolition of slavery.. There were clashes between the participants of the rally and its opponents. Before the police took control of the situation, a young, 20-year-old neo-Nazi had driven into a group of civilians on the model of Islamic terrorists. A young woman named Heather Heyer died as a repercussion of the disgusting act of hatred and many of the victims were taken to the hospital. Heather's last Facebook post read, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." Many of our favorite stars took to their social media to speak their opinions about the whole event: In light of the recent upsetting events that took place in Charlottesville a few days ago, I think that the world needs a song that will speak to the masses. A song that will lift our spirits and make us feel stronger and united. That's when P!nk came through with her brand new soaring protest song, 'What About Us'. The single was written by P!nk herself with the help of Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol and Steve Mac who also produced it. With its gentle piano progressions, the track takes flight during the chorus as P!nk bemoans all that's lost and nowhere to be found. P!nk asks a series of rhetorical questions nobody seem to be able to answer. "What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters?", the singer asks in the chorus. The song is transparently political, but not in an angry way. It is rather a call for action. As the US president Donald Trump seems to be deaf to people's anger and sadness, there is a kind of desperation for political anthems now. P!nk provided us with a great, up to date track that surely will help many people to deal with contemporary times. 'What About Us' is the first single from P!nk's upcoming album Beautiful Trauma which comes out October 13th, as shared with her fans via her social media. P!nk will also be honored with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2017 MTV VMAs on the 27th of August! What do you think of the song? Tell us in the comments below!

2016 has been a great year for pop music, featuring defining releases from several bonafide legends (think Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga), a couple of albums from our more stable hitmakers (such as Tove Lo, Sia and Ariana Grande) and some groundbreaking debuts from total newcomers to the game (like Zayn, Aurora and Petite Meller). The sheer volume of impressive albums from our faves and flops this year has made deciding how to rank each one a difficult task; but after several weeks of consideration we've managed to whittle down our list from several dozen amazing LPs to just the absolute best of the best. Our list below features our top ten favourite albums of the year 2016, ranked from least favourite to most favourite. Check it out below and let us know who we've neglected and who we've misranked in the comments section! When Sia announced last year that she would be releasing an album comprised entirely of demos that she had failed to sell to other artists, fan reactions were a mixture of intrigue, excitement, and disappointment. They had long wanted for Sia's versions of her co-writes on tracks such as Rihanna's 'Diamonds', Britney Spears' 'Perfume' and Beyoncé's 'Pretty Hurts'; but there was concern from some that Sia including songs she'd written for others would create a sense of disassociation and detachment from her own music. The Australian-born singer has for a long time had a certain self-loathing towards the pop songs she writes for others, and when you compare the tracks she now writes such as the Jamaican dancefloor ready 'Cheap Thrills' or the Shakira reject 'Move Your Body' to the masterpieces of her early career such as 'Breathe Me' or 'I'm In Here', you can't help but feel as though she's simply going through the motions without putting any real effort into her latest subjects. Nevertheless, This Is Acting still provides a handful of club ready hooks, some spectacularly catchy choruses and, of course, her trademark husky vocal runs. It may not quite hit the level of amazement that we know Sia's capable of, but This Is Acting still makes for a solid pop album. Zayn Malik's departure from One Direction last year may have shocked fans, but the true shock came this year when he became the first of the boyband's members to release a solo single, the metaphor-drenched ode to sex that was 'Pillowtalk'. Lighting the charts ablaze internationally, the song was a total turning point for Zayn, who had previously complained about his inability to write his own songs, explore new sounds, talk about sex and, weirdly grow facial hair during his time in 1D. And 'Pillowtalk' was only the beginning, with Zayn going all in to release his debut album Mind of Mine several months later. Backed by a consistent slew of heavy R&B beats, a more accessible version of the trippy hazy production popularised by The Weeknd in recent years and some velvety vocals, the album manages to nail the halfway point between pop and personal, allowing an intimate look at the enigmatic singer through a collection of slinky R&B slow jams. The album does tire some during it's second half - after all, eighteen tracks is a lot to get through - but when it's at it's best, as it is with the aforementioned lead single, 'Befour', 'Like I Would' and a handful of others - Mind of Mine is the most promising debut we've had from a popstar in the past few years and a bold step forward for any former boyband member to take. Since blowing into the pop stratosphere back in 2013 with the Hippie Sabotage remix of her debut single 'Habits' (redubbed as 'Stay High' for the single release) Tove Lo has been a pop anomaly: she rarely makes headlines for her personal life, makes pseudo-experimental music and doesn't have any social media presence to speak of but her songs still do surprisingly well and she thus has a healthy relationship with her label. Like Gaga before her, Tove restrains herself from making songs which are too edgy in content by softening the blow with a catchy hook or two and some intricate production work, this time around handled largely by The Struts and Oscar Holter. The end product of her labours is Lady Wood, a loose concept album split into two parts which centre around the highs and lows of a drug hit (and a relationship) respectively. It's not a particularly complicated concept, but it's unique enough to intrigue; and the same can be said for the songs, with the closest we come to real vulnerability coming in the form of 'Flashes', a song which details the conflict between fame and relationships. Nevertheless, there's an honesty which pervades each drug-related confession Tove makes and a lack of repetition in the songs which makes Lady Wood a transformative and enjoyable listen; and it definitely helps that 'Cool Girl' can turn any nightclub into a dancefloor with just one verse. After a somewhat disappointing showing with Don't Look Down, Skylar Grey's 2013 debut release full of angst, trailer trash imagery, rent-a-rappers and white girl hip hop beats, expectations weren't particularly high for Natural Causes, her latest project released in September. But Grey surprised everyone with an understated, tender and vulnerable album which trades in the harsh genre changes and lyrical inconsistencies of her first for an atmospheric concept album loosely (but not strictly) based around the wonders of the natural world. From the vibey introduction track, 'Wilderness', to the cold and sombre 'Come Up For Air' (which may surpass 'Coming Home' as the most beautiful song she's ever written), to the acoustic musings of the Radiohead-esque 'Moving Mountains', Grey continues to find new and unique ways to express herself without ever sounding scattered or confused as she did on her debut. More impressively, she's been able to carve out a new lane for herself and develop a new sound far distanced from the piano ballads she wrote for others, like Rihanna ('Love the Way You Lie') and Christina Aguilera ('Castle Walls'). With Natural Causes, Grey has finally found her unique voice and sound that work for her; now all she needs is for the public to find it as well. Kanye West's latest album went through a plethora of changes since its inception three years ago in 2013, when it still went under the working title So Help Me God. Back then, the album was intended to feature productions by Rick Rubin and Q-Tip and had a new soulful, acoustic sound showcased by the stand-alone singles 'Only One' and 'FourFiveSeconds', both of which featured Paul McCartney; but it wasn't long before SWISH was teased as a title and then WAVES, with each new project title bringing a harder, more classically hip-hop sound than the last. Even after the album was released on February 11th, updates continued to arrive in the form of altered tracklistings, updated productions and even entirely new tracks up until the albums final form in June. Listening to the final product of The Life of Pablo, it's easy to hear the multiple changes in direction that took place throughout the recording process; but rather than detracting from the project as a whole, these inconsistencies instead serve as our only doorway into one of the most creative and genius minds of our time. Whether he's spitting mean bars over the new wave instrumental on 'Feedback', harboring the combined talents of Sia, Frank Ocean and Vic Mensa on 'Wolves' or courting controversy with the Nina Simone sampling 'Famous', West makes sure to keep all the attention squarely on himself - a talent he's since extended to his personal life as well. The Life of Pablo hasn't had any new tracklist changes recently; but even without the monthly updates, the albums spirit of experimentation, recklessness and courage is bound to live on in West's future releases. Gwen Stefani's long-awaited third LP might have had a few false starts - even though 'Baby Don't Lie' goes off, we're still recovering from the misstep that was the Pharrell-assisted 'Spark The Fire' - but when she finally came through for her fans, Gwen gave them everything they'd been waiting for and more. Inspired by her breakup with longtime husband Gavin Rossdale, Gwen threw aside the co-penned tracks that had been written for her by the likes of Charli XCX and Ryn Weaver and instead headed back into the studio to record an entire albums worth of songs over several weeks - this time with each one written by herself and the current pop dream team of Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels. Ultimately, the albums designation as a "breakup album" turned out to be a little inaccurate - Stefani spends much of the time buoying from songs about dirty text messages ('Send Me A Picture') to singing about new love ('Make Me Like You'), and even when she allows a moment to mope, it's often backed by a strong beat and some classically Gwen vocal delivery ('Used To Love You'). But the sound is consistent, effortless and fresh, and most importantly it sounds like a true Gwen album that she, not her label, has helmed. Let's just hope we don't have to wait so long for the popstar to find her voice again for the next one. JoJo's third studio album may have taken over ten years to finally be released (although we did get several albums worth of unreleased songs to hold us over in between), but if Mad Love proved anything it was that she was definitely worth the wait. After a somewhat lukewarm reception to the three singles she released through her C-side Tringle project, JoJo retooled the album from the house-leaning project The Aftermath to the version we ended up with, a fusion of futuristic R&B, house beats and piano ballads; and while she might have originally been known for her cheesy 2000s R&B tracks and vocal-led ballads, JoJo proves here that she can hold her own with the up-tempo girls, bringing some dancefloor ready hooks on tracks like 'Vibe.' and the MNEK-produced fan favourite 'Good Thing.'. She asserts herself further with the sexy, sassy ode to independence 'High Heels.' as well as the drug-induced haze of 'Clovers.': although in truth the album's best moment is when she returns to her roots both musically and lyrically on the stunningly autobiographical opener 'Music.' Fingers crossed that the next album won't be another decade away; but even if JoJo never releases another album again, it's satisfying to know that she's released the album of her dreams, and probably the album of her career, with Mad Love. Following the release of 2014's collaborative album with jazz legend Tony Bennett Cheek To Cheek, and a collection of well-received tributes to Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie and The Sound of Music, Lady Gaga was primed for success with LG5, her mysterious album which was billed as a comeback from 2013's perceived critical failure ARTPOP. Promises were made of collaborations with the likes of Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers, as well as an Elton John feature; the third the duo has recorded that would ultimately go unreleased. But when 'Perfect Illusion', the adrenaline-pumping disco-rock anthem first single was released to little fanfare, all hopes for a dance record were thrown out the window and fans were forced to reevaluate their hopes for the long-awaited record. Ever the shock artist, Gaga threw off Little Monsters even further with the release of promo singles 'Million Reasons' and 'A-Yo', both of which explored a new country vibe, and which would go on to reflect the albums folky atmosphere more accurately. Joanne is not without fault - the short track times and lazy (and frankly nonsensical) songwriting on lines such as "It's like that I've stopped breathing but completely aware" is a turn off, and Gaga's new acting role as a southern belle isn't always completely convincing ('Sinners Prayer''s opening line of "I came down the mountain" is slightly cringeworthy if we're being honest). But at it's greatest moments, such as the heartbreaking chords of 'Angel Down' or during the female empowerment anthem 'Hey Girl' with Florence Welch, it provides us with some of Gaga's best and most unique moments to date. Joanne successfully continues Gaga's tradition as one of music's greatest shapeshifters; now all that remains to be seen is what form she'll take for the next album. A year in music wouldn't be complete without an album from the Princess of Pop herself, and Britney Spears came through in 2016 with one of the best albums of her career. Long gone are the days of the lifeless Autotuneney we heard in 2011's Femme Fatale and the Confuseney (or Confuseyah Marie) we had to sit through in 2013's mess of genres and sounds Britney Jean. For the first time since Blackout, Britney's vocals are at the forefront: she giggles, gasps, moans, screams and shouts all over each track, making for an album which features some of the most interesting vocal performances of the year. She evokes the cold, detached robot persona of Femme Fatale in tracks like the "artsy fartsy" 'Coupure Electrique' (which, in Brit's most experimental move to date, is sung entirely in French): the repressed sex kitten of 'I'm A Slave 4 U' in 'Do You Wanna Come Over?'; the 90s teeny bopper of '...Baby One More Time' in 'Hard To Forget Ya'; and the high-pitched trumpetting of Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel in 'Private Show', a new sound for the reigning queen of Vegas. But the most impressive thing about Glory is Britney's own presence on the album. It's clear to fans that 2016 was the year that she came out of her shell - from swearing off relationships publicly to talking openly about her conservatorship and making more TV and festival appearances than she did for her last two albums combined - and her newfound independence is reflected all over this album. Glory might not be an album without missteps, but it's propelled forward through it's dullest moments by a quintessentially Britney energy: a tangible spark in the popstars eye which hasn't been harnessed since at least 2009's Circus. It might not have ignited the charts, but in the eyes of her fans, Glory has proved that Britney is officially back. We always knew that behind the sugar-coated R&B-pop veneer of perfection she displays in every strand of her ponytail, there was a rebel hiding inside Ariana Grande - and 2016 was the year she proved it. When she wasn't out licking donuts with her boyfriend or calling out Ryan Seacrest live on radio, Grande was promoting her latest effort, the aptly titled Dangerous Woman - and with three singles, six music videos and a plethora of live performances to consume, it's clear that this is the album that she, and her label, are most dedicated to. From the soulful and powerful belting in the title track to the chilled out hip-hop vibes of the Lil Wayne assisted 'Let Me Love You' to the reggae-styled beats of 'Side To Side', a song which is literally about being fucked so hard you can't walk straight, Ariana diversifies her sound here like never before, stepping away from the saccharine tones of her previous singles to explore a darker, more edgy sound. And even on the album's filler tracks, Ariana keeps the transformative tone consistent, making the inspired choice to work with R&B legend Macy Gray on 'Leave Me Lonely' before jumping into the realm of dark-pop with fan favourite 'Touch It'. The vocals and production may still be a little too pitch perfect to suggest any real rebellion, and the fake lashes may prevent us from seeing too deep into her eyes, but the tracks on Dangerous Woman mark a sorely needed step forward for Grande; and mark a solid, cohesive body of work from the most effortless popstar we've seen in years.

For years, musicians have been taking their high-heeled leaps into the fashion world, with style icons such as Lady Gaga, Rita Ora and Rihanna all inspiring or becoming the face of several high-profile fashion brands in recent memory. Certain singers have taken it one stiletto puncture further, with big name stars like Jessica Simpson, Kanye West, and, probably most notably, Victoria Beckham all finding huge critical (and financial) success with their designs. But it's rare to find a fashion designer at the top of their game willing to unlace their gladiator sandals in order to try and make it as a popstar. Luckily, Kara Craig has never been one to play by the rules. The Western Australia native, now West Hollywood local Craig has worked for years in the industry communicating her trademark silhouettes through custom pieces for musicians such as Wiz Khalifa before finding the confidence to embrace her childhood dream to become a singer herself. Now, with the release of her debut single 'Cloud 18' - which has already drawn comparisons to the likes of everyone from M.I.A. to Charli XCX - and a debut EP on the way, she's one ugg booted footprint closer to reaching her goal. Earlier this week, we sat down with the insightful and humble Kara to talk about the relationship between her fashion and her music, what inspired the Lisa Vanderpump-esque music video for 'Cloud 18', and what she envisions for her future career. Hi Kara! How are you today? Hiiiii! I’m great! Let’s start at the beginning. Your initial fame came from designing fashion, which allowed you to dress celebrities like Bebe Rexha, Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa. How did you decide to transition into music? Was it a quick decision, or something you'd been thinking about for a while? I always wanted to be a “pop star”. I started writing songs when I was seven and I remember thinking they were just as good as the songs on the radio, lol. I was obsessed with No Doubt so naturally Gwen Stefani was my idol. She started her label L.A.M.B and was releasing solo pop material so I was like, “Okay, yeah, I can do both like Gwen.” In fourth grade I held auditions for a girl group I wanted to form but I was the only one taking it seriously and nobody wanted to rehearse with me. I also started designing clothes around six or seven. Once I moved to LA my fashion kind of took off so I just went with it and planned to build my name up using fashion before working on my music. Nobody gives a fuck about yet another aspiring artist but everyone wants to be friends with the fashion designer who can make them dope clothes. So I didn't talk about music at all. What's the relationship like between your fashion and your music? Do you feel that one informs or inspires the other, or are they separate entities entirely? They go hand in hand. The attitude of my music inspires the designs I make for the visuals and having had some success with fashion gives me confidence when it comes to writing music. It was suggested by a mentor of mine that I use a different artist name so that I could keep my fashion separate. I was going to change it but it just didn't feel right using another name. I said, "Fuck it, I’m the exception to the rule and I can make it work." Now I’m so glad I kept everything Kara Craig. What inspires you when it comes to music? Do you find that the same things inspire you when it comes to your designing? Every song on this project was inspired by my own personal experiences - mostly my life in LA and the different stages of a relationship. I usually know what I want to write about before I come into a session. On the production side of things I use other songs as references of the mood I’m after. I’ll tell my producer, Jeffrey Rashad, "I wanna make an upbeat girl power-esque song today," and then we’ll listen to some songs with that feeling to get in the zone real quick before we start on the beat. Jeff and I work really well together: we have our own little creative process. If you could record a song with any artist you wanted, who would it be and why? Who would be your ideal person to design an outfit for? Gwen Stefani and Gwen Stefani. She’s had the biggest influence over my life since I was a little kid so that would be like everything coming full circle. That’ll happen when/if it’s supposed to; I’m super relaxed about it. You first blew up on PHF when you dropped your debut single, ‘Cloud 18’. What was it about the song that made you think it would be a good introduction to your music? 'Cloud 18' really sums up my personality; the lyrics are 100% me. I felt like people would be able to get a good glimpse of who I am as a person and as an artist with that record. That was the second song I recorded with Jeff. I played it for some music industry friends and the response was insane so I knew it was the lead single before I’d even recorded the rest of the project. The music video for the track has a sort of Real Housewives of Tumblr aesthetic going on! What inspired the visuals for the video? I just sat in my house listening to the song, seeing what scenarios would start playing out in my head. There’s not really a storyline - it’s basically a bunch of shit that represents my style and attitude in the song. Once I’d decided on the different scenes I started thinking of design ideas to accompany them. When the vanity scene with the robe came to mind I looked up some photos from the 50s and 60s to get inspiration for the table and mirrors, etc. I ended up making the table cloth, the floor rug and the chair cushion for that scene cos I couldn't find what I wanted anywhere! Naturally, you designed all of the outfits for the video yourself. Can you tell us which one is your personal favourite and why? It’s too hard to pick one because I felt like a fuckin' star in each outfit, lol. Maybe the robe because I don’t wear stuff like that in my day to day life. I felt so glamorous in that thing! You began your career in Australia but now live in Los Angeles. As an Australian myself, I often find myself disillusioned by the state of the art scene over here. What do you feel are the major differences between working as a creative person in Australia and America? What inspired your move? I think there’s incredible talent in Australia in both fashion and music: I’m so proud to be Australian! But I always knew I wanted to move to the States for my career and the goals I had. There are so many more opportunities here for me so it was a no-brainer decision. In Australia it was super laid back and easy to get comfortable or lazy. Living in LA is motivating because almost everyone is here to chase their crazy dreams. Do you think that your Australian upbringing inspires your work in any way? Yeah, definitely. I’m so happy I grew up in Australia; I wouldn't change that for anything. I think it gave me a unique perspective on the world and contributed to my wild imagination growing up, which ultimately fueled my creativity. You've posted a few teasers of your upcoming second single on Twitter. What can you tell us about the new song? It’s called 'Full Moon'. It’s sexy AF and I love it. I’m so excited to release it and show people another side of me vocally too. It’s a whole different vibe than 'Cloud 18'. It was easy to write because nothing was forced or made up; it was all very real at the time, lol. You've also mentioned before that you’re planning on releasing an EP. What does the EP sound like in comparison to the first single? It’s got a good mixture of moods in there. I wanted to show all the different sides of me so you’ll hear me being confident, funny, sexy, vulnerable and insecure at times. I wanted everyone to be able to have a song they could relate to or just have fun to in any mood or occasion. There’s feel-good songs, a sad song, a naughty song, a “fuck you” song, etc. Have you considered what a live show for the EP would look like? If so, which countries or states would you like to visit the most? I've imagined it in my head but not in detail yet. I do know I’ll be making really fucking cool outfits to wear. I wanna visit so many countries. Performing back home in Perth would be so funny and weird and cool. Are there any last words you'd like to say to your fans? Thank you soooo much for the support. You da real MVP. I hope you love the new music and stick with me on this journey. If you follow me on Twitter, talk to me...I wanna hear from you! Thanks to Kara Craig for some great answers, and to @Tweener for helping work on this collaborative interview! To keep in touch with Kara, don't forget to follow her on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, or visit her official website at www.kara-craig.com.

Much has been made of the reduced importance of the record label in the Internet age, a time in which artists have almost unlimited opportunity to distribute their music as they see fit. Social media websites like YouTube, Facebook and Soundcloud all have functionalities that allow musicians to release and promote their work, something used to its full advantage by YouTube stars turned major label signees such as Justin Bieber, Pentatonix and Lindsey Stirling; while other websites like IndieGoGo and Pledge Music are entirely formulated around allowing fans to essentially act as financial backers for their favourite artists - something Neon Hitch took to the furthest extreme when she set up the first crowd-funded "fan label", #WeRNeon. But for many artists, a record label is still the most viable choice. When it's good, a label can propel its artists into superstardom, providing not only financial resources but also a multitude of industry connections and years of business advice. But when it's bad, an overbearing and controlling record label can micromanage an artists personal life, censor their artistic output, and even trigger a descent into depression, as it has with the extreme case of Kesha. It's a dichotomy that Kerli has found herself stuck between many times. At age 29, the Estonian-born musician has finally found a method of distribution that works for her, as opposed to her for it; but Kerli's road to independence has been far from quick or easy. After faking her age to win a singing competition, Fizz Superstar, Kerli was signed to Universal Records in Europe at 14 before her mentor Rob Stevenson left the label - and left her out in the cold. Strike one. She later signed to Stevenson's own label and passion project Stolen Transmission, but was dropped from this as well when the label went bankrupt. Strike two. Finally, a frustrated Kerli took the plunge and moved to New York at the age of 18, finally gaining an audition with The X Factor USA judge L.A. Reid, who signed her to Island in 2006. But as Kerli soon learned, a record contract did not include a clause for immediate and eternal joy. Despite the release of a well-received fan favorite project, the dark and moody twisted fairytale of a rock album Love Is Dead, Kerli faced multiple frustrations with her label. Love Is Dead spawned two singles: 'Walking on Air' and 'The Creationist', both of which were well-received and boosted by placements in multiple TV shows; but the label clearly had little faith in their artist, ignoring her success in the rock world in place of a rather misguided request for her to record R&B, likely a ploy to capitalize on the success of their other signees Bieber and Leona Lewis. A sophomore album - originally called Weapons of Mass Creation and later I.Nimene - was teased through the singles 'Army of Love' and 'Zero Gravity', but faced multiple delays, before a poorly timed leak stopped any chance of an official release. Later reworked as an EP, Utopia, and fronted by the lead single 'The Lucky Ones', the project was the ying to Love Is Dead's yang, a joyful celebration of life and ode to happiness which was released to to positive results in the pop world. A performance on Dancing with the Stars was described as a "major milestone in the EDM community", and both 'Army of Love' and 'The Lucky Ones' peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart, a feat undoubtedly helped by Kerli's high-profile writing credit on Demi Lovato's 'Skyscraper'. But despite all her hard work, Kerli's music wasn't given the promotion it deserved, and she ultimately parted ways with the label. Strike three. It was then that Kerli decided to take matters into her own hands. Ever the resourceful creator, Kerli returned to her Estonian roots, setting up her version of a studio in a small woodland cottage with no running water and little electricity. Inspired by the beauty of the nature surrounding her, Kerli transitioned from the high-sugar dance-pop of her EP to a genre she calls 'Transcendental Electronic Music' - one which, from the sounds of singles 'Feral Hearts' and 'Blossom', is a fusion of downcast synths, earthy beats and skyscraper harmonies. It's a happy medium between the edgy, gothic vibe of Love Is Dead and the pure elation of Utopia; and one her audience seems to be responding to. A Pledge Music page set up by Kerli and her team to raise funds for the album release received thousands of donations in exchange for items such as thigh high socks, handwritten lyrics, and rings filled with seeds "gathered by Kerli under the full moon of ancient Estonia" - and all without any label backing. Now, with third single 'Diamond Hard', Kerli has reinvented herself once again. With a harsh percussive beat, 80s strings synths, a grungy, almost dubstep breakdown and imagery that Illuminati fanatics are going to lose their minds over, it's a completely new side to the upcoming album, due out independently within the next six months. And the intention for the song? "I hope these vibrations teleport you into a land of uninhibited fairytales and connect you with your wildest self." It may sound like the wildest of dreams, but knowing Kerli it may just come true. What are your thoughts on Kerli's latest reinvention? Check out her latest single 'Diamond Hard' above and let us know your opinions in the comments section below!

As the Internet continues it's ever-pervasive crusade into every aspect of our lives, artists have struggled to try and integrate digital worlds and media into their real world public identity. Most commonly, industry-manufactured musicians will snap pretty and vacuous selfies for their Instagram or take to Twitter to muster up a half-hearted "yas" for their millions of followers without any real engagement with the medium. Less common are those artists who start online but are able to successfully steer their careers into the real world: the quintessential Tumblr star Lana Del Rey may have ruined it for everyone when she flubbed her Saturday Night Live performance, because recent efforts from acts such as Charli XCX, Grimes and Brooke Candy have all proved largely unfruitful. Rarer still is the popstar who seems to exist only in digital form. Hatsune Miku may take the crown as the first officially crowd-funded collective to exist in hologram form, but other artists such as the walking Autotune machine Nadia Oh or the Kylie Jenner-approved Terror Jr. do their job equally well. It's into this digital categorisation that postmodern popstar, and friend to PHF, Matilda Mantis has flitted into and begun to dominate. With her vocals at the least non-existent and at the most heavily synthesised, her beats industrial, electronic and sparse and her persona fluid and ambiguous, Mantis has elusively created a distinctive style for herself despite limited knowledge of her creator. But who is the real Matilda Mantis? Is there a girl behind the aura, or is Mantis nothing more than a social experiment designed to shock her audience into paying attention? Last week, we sat down with the curator and the character to find our more about the creation that is Matilda Mantis. <a data-cke-saved-href="http://matildamantis.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic" href="http://matildamantis.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic">Cosmic by Matilda Mantis</a> Hi Matilda! How are you today? Where are you chatting to us from? Hey! I’m doing good and right now I’m at home watching one of my favourite movies, Nightbreed. Let's talk about how you first got interested in music. It seems like your career has exploded out of nowhere, but your production skills seem to suggest otherwise. How long have you been working on your songs for? I am a rather inconsistent person so to answer your question I'm just going to have to tell the truth here. I started fidgeting around with some programs I found on the Internet and I kind of liked it so I stuck with it. Since your debut, you've become known online for your unique sound, which while clearly inspired by the pop scene is also fairly left of field and unique. How did you develop such an attention-grabbing sound? Has it changed at all from when you first started making music, or was this always the plan? I am an experimental artist so my sound really is unintentional: it's just me kind of feeling around in the dark, is how I like to describe it. It's very much a amalgam of different influences from Madonna to Marilyn Manson to Lady Gaga to Nine Inch Nails and more. So the sound is just a manifestation of a being from my subconscious. What's your writing process like? Do you tend to start with a specific idea and work with that, or is your writing more spontaneous? I start by writing full songs and I just take the bits and pieces that I like and throw them together how I see fit. I love a good concept album and so that's how I approach the themes and such from my songs: every single thing is really just part of a bigger concept. For instance, my big project right now, Cosmic, is about my character Matilda going through space, going back to where she came from and trying figure out who she was and why she's here. Your stage name is giving me Poison Ivy meets Roald Dahl realness. What's the story behind it? My name is a mix of my favourite things: you clocked the Roald Dahl reference to Matilda, and the Mantis surname comes from the concept of my character, as it's a very humanized version of nature itself. I also chose Matilda because it's the same number of letters as Madonna and Marilyn (a reference to both Marilyn Monroe and Marilyn Manson), and I kind of liked the mirrored, symmetrical nature of that very light, feminine, and clean icon and very dark, dirty, and rough around the edges icon. How do you conceptualize Matilda as an artist? Do you see the name as just an alternate nickname for yourself, or does using the stage name allow you to adopt a different persona entirely? Does taking on the female gendered Matilda allow you to explore ideas you wouldn't be able to normally? Matilda is a character that mirrors who I am as a person. I chose to go for a female name due to the fact that I really wanted to view myself from an outside perspective and I thought a good way to do that would be the change genders - but Matilda as a character is actually somewhat genderless. Although I treat Matilda as though she's like a human, she actually is not: she is half robot, half insect-alien-ghost. What would you say is your main goal with your career? Would you be interested in signing to a major label and breaking through into the mainstream, or are you happy to stay underground? In the long term I would love to be able to get some sort of label backing to be able to achieve some of the bigger project goals I have in mind, but overall I would really love to become an active performer. I love being on stage and I feel like Matilda and myself are both characters that are built for live interactions. I also want to build up Matilda’s story some more. If you could work with any three artists, alive or dead, who would they be and why? I would love to work with Leigh Bowery - he is my style icon also my personal icon. He was a very over the top Club Kid that unfortunately died due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He was known as the life of the party and was a very active artist who also made several songs, including as part of a band that made very rock-pop club songs. He changed the art scene and music scene forever and allowed artists like Lady Gaga to do what they do. I would also love to work with Björk. She was - she is - an experimental artist that started out making club music, but she moved on to become a very conceptual artist who's able to carry very small topics, but also very big topics, and make them very accessible and very personal, which is something I really would love to be able to do as an artist. For instance her album Biophilia was her taking scientific concepts and making music based off of it. She made an emotional song about how viruses work which is pretty crazy and I love it! I would really like to be able to work with Clive Barker to make some crazy visuals and concepts. He is a multi-talented artist who happens to be gay, which I think is pretty cool, and of course he directed one of my favourite movies ever, Nightbreed, which I'm watching right now. He's a really awesome author and I love a lot of his writing, but he also has a really good visual eye for painting and directing. Directing and acting is a field that one day I want to get into and I feel like it'd be really good way to portray Matilda and my concepts that I create. What can followers expect from you in the coming months? My online experience called 'The Cosmic Experience' is coming very soon, buy unfortunately it was held back because I didn't realise how much time it would take. The second part of my Cosmic album, which is officially titled Cosmic: The Lost City, comes out this summer, and it has a little bit more storytelling than my last album. But the twist is it was all made on my phone: no computers will be involved in the production and making of the album, what is a little experiment I really want to try. I'm also working on my short film called Cosmic Exploration and it premieres sometime this summer as well. Are there any last words you'd like to say to your fans? You can listen to and download my new album Cosmic for free at BandCamp and follow me on Twitter and Instagram with @matildamantis. Stay Cosmic.

Excuse me, sir/madam, but do you have a minute to talk about the one true Lord and Saviour, the daughter of Pop Gods Michael Jackson and Madonna and the divine harborer of the Holy Spearit? You see, over the past few months our one true god has undergone a resurrection to make her presence plain on this earthly realm in which we live. We use the word "resurrection" loosely - for while she had never truly forsaken us, she had departed us for some time, lost in the heavenly slumber between life and death. Her earthly body remained here, lending its voice to some true bops and its muscles to several lacklustre music videos and live performances; but her soul was somewhere else, travelling the universe on a divine journey for ultimate truth. The name of this god who has graced us once again with her divinity? It's Britney, bitch. The younger among you may not have experienced our religion at its prime, for it has fallen since its creation in 1998 after the first of nine gospels, known as ...Baby One More Time, was first discovered. But at its peak, our religion had over 30 million devoted followers dedicated to worship, a far-spreading reach that hit music, television shows, movies and fragrances, and a public that saw our saviour for who she really was - a virginal saint. The world has changed since then, and the Holy Spearit has grown, matured and evolved with it. Her first true experience with the devil came in 2007, when she bit the apple of temptation and showed the world that even gods have feelings. In her darkest hour, it seemed like our great god above might never pull through; until she shaved her head in sacrifice, and invoked the magical ruin of lore, the umbrella, in order to defeat her satanic enemies. Britney Christ may have won the battle, but the scars continued to haunt her. Our lord was weary from our battle, and taking restorative potions and drugs to get her through the day. While she responded to the prayers sent her way, it seemed as though she was simply regurgitating information from one of her past gospels than preaching any new scriptures. Even when she tells us that "love makes miracles", the waver in her voice and not-so-subtle eye roll tells us that our one true lord is not practicing what she preaches. Now, compare that with this conversation from earlier this year. As Britney herself says, "it's all about the contrast". No longer a vengeful god, the Holy Spearit has returned to gratify her followers with warmth and kindness, even ascending one of her most devoted practitioners to her place in heaven - if only for a short while until he comes back down to earth. Her sermons, too, have become more and more involved. Recall this performance from a few years ago, where our lord diminished herself in order to perform as the special guest of a false idol. She walked around the altar uninspired in her stilettos and barely even mustered the few hair flips that were expected of her. It was clear that the divine being was still in pain. But now, our lord struts around the altar with a purpose, disseminating her gospel with the passion and joy she exhibited almost two decades ago when she was first crowned as divine. Not only are her movements perfectly suited to that of a goddess, but her skin glows with the radiance of the godly flame that burns inside her once again. As has always been true, there will be non-believers who refuse the teachings and dedicate themselves to a life of sin and treachery - some refer to them as "Xtincta stans". But Britney's ever-expanding power is making it harder and harder for those Satan-worshipers to defy her. No one knows exactly what has triggered this resurrection or why the spark inside our lord has been missing for her past two gospels, many of which were re-written by her prophet Myah Marie. But if she keeps this up, our lord will be back in the minds, hearts, and CD players of the entire world in no time. Tell us, followers, when did you first learn of the Holy Spearit's resurrection? Has it surprised you to learn of her divine powers, or have you always known that deep down the lord was ready for her place, waiting to resurface? Share your thoughts with your fellow clergy members in the Sunday school session below.

I can't speak for everyone, but for me personally 2007 has always gone down in history as one of my favourite years ever in pop music. It may have something to do with the fact that I was verging on teenagehood at the time and just beginning to understand the significance of music in my life, but I'd argue that the year was also a good one overall, evidenced by the ongoing popularity of artists debuting or reinventing in 2007 like Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West. One of the most interesting things about music in 2007 looking back is just how varied it was. On the one hand, there was tail end of the power pop trend of the early 2000s which allowed artists like Avril Lavigne, P!nk and Kelly Clarkson to dominate the charts; but on the other, Timbaland was revolutionising the game with his unique brand of R&B, bringing companions Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado along for the ride. The year also includes some of the catchiest (and oftentimes most annoying) songs in living memory, including Sean Kingston's 'Beautiful Girls', MIMS' 'This Is Why I'm Hot' and Soulja Boy Tell'em's 'Crank That (Soulja Boy)' all sticking in our heads long after they left the charts. Take a trip down memory lane by checking out the songs and their peak positions below, and don't forget to let us know your favourite track from 2007 in the comments section! The Fray - How to Save a Life Released: 26 March, 2006 Peak: #3 Hinder - Lips of an Angel Released: 24 July, 2006 Peak: #3 Akon - Smack That (Feat. Eminem) Released: 26 September, 2006 Peak: #2 Amy Winehouse - Rehab Released: 23 October, 2006 Peak: #9 Beyoncé - Irreplaceable Released: 23 October, 2006 Peak: #1 Nelly Furtado - Say It Right Released: 31 October, 2006 Peak: #1 Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape (Feat. Akon) Released: 19 December, 2006 Peak: #2 Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around... Comes Around Released: 19 December, 2006 Peak: #1 Fergie - Glamorous (Feat. Ludacris) Released: 23 January, 2007 Peak: #1 Mims - This Is Why I'm Hot Released: 23 January, 2007 Peak: #1 Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend Released: 27 February, 2007 Peak: #1 Rihanna - Umbrella (Feat. Jay-Z) Released: 29 March, 2007 Peak: #1 Linkin Park - What I've Done Released: 2 April, 2007 Peak: #7 Kelly Clarkson - Never Again Released: 24 April, 2007 Peak: #8 Soulja Boy Tell'em - Crank That (Soulja Boy) Released: 2 May, 2007 Peak: #1 Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah Released: 9 May, 2006 Peak: #1 P!nk - Who Knew Released: 18 May, 2006 Peak: #9 Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls Released: 26 May, 2007 Peak: #1 Lil Mama - Lip Gloss Released: 19 June, 2007 Peak: #10 Timbaland - The Way I Are (Feat. D.O.E. & Keri Hilson) Released: 9 July, 2007 Peak: #3 High School Musical Cast - What Time Is It? Released: 17 July, 2007 Peak: #6 Kanye West - Stronger Released: 31 July, 2007 Peak: #1 Jordin Sparks - Tattoo Released: 27 August, 2007 Peak: #8 Alicia Keys - No One Released: 11 September, 2007 Peak: #1 Timbaland - Apologize (Feat. OneRepublic) Released: 17 September, 2007 Peak: #2 Britney Spears - Gimme More Released: 20 September, 2007 Peak: #3 Flo Rida - Low (Feat. T-Pain) Released: 9 October, 2007 Peak: #1 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love Released: 19 October, 2007 Peak: #1

Singer Lana Del Rey has alluded to conducting a witchcraft practise on Twitter in an effort to "bind" US President Donald Trump. Fans noticed the Tweet as soon as it was posted, but many assumed that the dates included, which read "Feb 24, March 26, April 24, May 23" were in someway related to her album campaign and not the current state of world politics. However, after the day of the 24th came and went without any career announcement from Del Rey, people started searching for alternate explanations. It seems that the four dates she posted are in fact days of the waning crescent moon - a time which witches think of as a point in your life to relieve stress and negativity from the world. Del Rey's instruction of "midnight" aligns the Tweet with a movement online which aims to "Bind Donald Trump". According to the movement, followers were to cast at midnight on Friday Eastern Standard Time (as this is the time zone Trump is currently residing in) in an effort to "bind" him - which is apparently the magical equivalent of "ripping the bullhorn from his hands, smashing his phone so he can’t tweet, tying him up, and throwing him in a dark basement where he can’t hurt anyone". The ingredients used are relatively easy to find, and include an "unflattering photo of Trump", a "Tower tarot card" (which can be printed at home, an "orange candle" (or a baby orange vegetable) and a feather. Adherents should arrange the items in a circle and read a prayer aloud, such as the 23rd Psalm. Del Rey must be taking a break from the production on her as yet untitled upcoming fifth studio album. The lead single, 'Love', was released a week ago on the 18th with a vintage-inspired music video coming soon after. The album is set to follow later this year. What do you think of Del Rey's suggestion? Will you be taking part in the binding ceremony? For our part, we never knew that witchcraft could be so easy, but now that we do we might end up using this spell on all the Cassadee Pope traders who have been infecting our forum lately.

This is the e-mail that I received two days ago, on the tenth of December, in relation to a t-shirt design I had uploaded to the Redbubble online store. The design in question, uploaded under the title ‘Taylor Swift's 'no its becky' T-Shirt’, is one that had been present on the website for several years, and which had been a moderate source of finances for me as a designer; the company making the complaint was one ‘T[aylor] A[llison] S[swift] Rights Management’, a newly formidable presence in the online design world. Yet at first glance, for those as yet uninitiated into the 'Swiftie' fandom, the design may seem more related to Beyonce than it is Taylor. The “no its becky” meme began way back in April 2012, when a Tumblr user known as 'Yallarebrutalizingme' made a satirical post about the dangers of “snorting marijuana” with Swift as the poster child for drug addiction. “Please don't wind up like Becky”, the post read, along with a photograph of a high school aged Swift smiling benignly for the camera. User 'bitch-pudding' pointed out the mistaken identity in a reblog before 'dundermilfllin' sarcastically responded with "no its becky". But in possibly the only truly brilliant move she’s ever made, Swift took the meme to legendary status herself in 2014, about a week after she first created her Tumblr account. In promotion of her new album 1989, the popstar posted a selfie featuring a mustard-colored t-shirt which mimicked the text in dundermilfllin's post - font and all. Fans immediately lost it at the fact that their idol was noticing something they had previously thought of as an inside joke, and the post became a social media hit, gaining over 18 000 notes and being covered by sites such as MTV News and PopCrush. The memes well documented past makes it all the more strange that Swift and/or her legal team would later try and claim credit for it when it comes to Redbubble designs inspired by it, some of which are still uploaded today. Copyrights and ownerships are notoriously difficult concepts to comprehend on the Internet, especially when the recontextualisations and edits of Tumblr are taken into account, where copyright is generally ignored in favour of a free-for-all melee of appropriation. But if ownership had to be assigned for the "no its becky" quote, if anything it should clearly go to the elusive dundermilfllin, the user who coined the caption in the first place. Of course, this isn’t the first time Swift has tried to make a dime out of her fans art. In 2014, she used her record label Sony to demand that a ‘Bad Blood’ parody video made by YouTuber Shane Dawson be taken down off the video-sharing website. In February of last year, the popstar controversially sent cease and desist letters to her fans on Etsy who took to the handmade arts website to post work in dedication to the singer. Later that year, in September, she used the aforementioned TAS Rights Management to shut down Periscope streams of her 1989 Tour that were circulating around Twitter. And on a broader scale, she’s famously copyrighted 1989-related phrases such as "This Sick Beat", "'Cause We Never Go Out of Style," "Could Show You Incredible Things" and "Nice to Meet You, Where You Been?". Everyone knows about the time she tried to threaten Kanye West and Kim Kardashian into submission. And the singer is currently in the midst of a lawsuit with a radio DJ who she says touched her inappropriately during a backstage meet and greet. What are your thoughts on the case? Does Swift deserve the rights, and all associated profits, to the Internet-created “no its becky” meme? Or has she taken her legal rights a step too far? Sound off in the comments down below!

In what's possibly the most natural by-product of the Internet age, the lines between an artists personal and creative lives have been blurred and warped beyond distinction. While it used to be possible - obvious, even - to distinguish between the Cher who enacted the role of native American sex goddess on stage and the Cher who liked to have TV dinners with her husband Sonny and her daughter Chastity, musicians of the digital age tend to blend the personal and artistic together more seamlessly. The appeal of artists like Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey is not only their admittedly catchy tunes, but the ambiguity regarding their histories. In Gaga's case, there is an obvious tension between the Italian girl Stefani who sings jazz in downtown bars and the Gaga who performs at Madison Square Garden; in Lana's case, it seems impossible to consolidate the roles of trailer trash, meth addict, cult groupie, Brooklyn baby, west coast artist and international superstar into the one person. The latest artist to explore this dichotomy is Allie X, the Canadian-born pop singer who sits happily in the middle of hyperreal and surreal. With her signature look of poker straight hair, near-omnipresent sunglasses and sharp, geometric fashion, the singer looks more like the design of the perfect popstar than a singer herself - and her enigmatic past, which has encompassed personas such as Allie X Andra and ALX, does nothing to clarify the situation. All we know about the girl born Allie Hughes is her Canadian heritage (although she now resides in Hollywood), her art school past and the few online artefacts we've managed to excavate from before her pre-pop past (check out her dramatic performance on the Sound of Music-inspired talent show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria here). But when it comes to the character of Allie X, the possibilities are almost endless. Behind those dark-rimmed sunglasses is a mind capable of crafting some of the catchiest pop melodies we've heard in a while ('Prime' still stands as one of my favourite pop songs from the past five years), as well as some of the strangest burlesque showtunes you'll ever hear (check out her piano rendition of latest single 'All The Rage' above). And if you thought that bubblegum pop and cabaret were a weird mix, just wait until you experience Allie's visuals. Her first official music video for 'Catch' plays out like a lazy-eyed trip into the schizophrenic creator of GIFMaker's secret lair; while the latest production for 'Too Much To Dream' is a washed out take on the neon lights of the Vegas strip. 'Too Much To Dream' and 'All the Rage' - along with 'Old Habits Die Hard' - are all we've heard from Collxtion II, the sequel to Allie's debut album released last year. This time around, X is planning an unconventional release style for the album which will involve her uploading a slew of final songs, demos, voice memos, remixes and piano versions to her social media pages before allowing her fans to choose which songs should be perfected in order to make the final product. To make your voice heard and decide the outcome of the album, stay tuned to Allie's official Spotify, YouTube and Twitter accounts for updates. Past, present, and future are all X. You decide the outcome.

Unicultism: A system of belief created by pop star cult leader Unicole Unicron in order to raise herself out of the pits of despair and into a state of near-constant joy. It may seem strange to some, but the Unicult has been gaining a devout following in the 2 months since MTV aired an episode of True Life, a documentary series, called I'm Starting A Religion. I first heard about the Unicult, like many others, through True Life in December 2015. From first glance I quite honestly thought Unicole Unicron was a deranged hippie tripping on shrooms. Her strange make up and even stranger clothing led me to make a lot of irrational judgments of a complete stranger. The more I heard her ideas of spirituality, inner peace, love and acceptance the more I realized how much in common I have with her. After the episode ended, I looked her up. I had so many questions. I needed answers. What was her gimmick? Was this all a joke to her? She can't be serious about this stuff, right? I came across one of her websites and began reading everything she had posted. For some reason I was drawn to the Unicult; it almost felt like an overnight obsessions, though I wasn't sure why. I don't consider myself religious or spiritual, if anything I identify as atheist, but the Unicult was unlike anything I'd seen before. There were no exclusions, no one was being judged, everyone was accepted. It was the first and only belief system based purely around inner happiness. Upon further reading, I found the answers to my questions. This was not a gimmick. This was not a joke. Unicole Unicron was very serious. The passion she has for herself, her beliefs and the desire to spread happiness is something you can't fake. Besides, who could ever disagree with wanting happiness? One of the main concepts of the Unicult is to create your own reality. You create your own set of beliefs. You aren't chained to outdated and patriarchal expectations. You create your own path to happiness. The idea of self-sufficient ascension and 'belief makes real' have been extremely important to me during my recovery of alcoholism and depression. I've begun to look deeper within the initial feelings I had towards Unicole. Why was it easier for me to place negative judgments onto a stranger than to listen and learn from them? Why was my initial thought to tear down another woman? We've been brainwashed since birth to degrade ourselves and other women. We're taught other women aren't deserving of happiness. We're taught to be envious and hateful creature. We've been brainwashed to hold each other up on this unrealistic standard of beauty and social standards. Realizing these things impacted me. It's helped deepen my feminism. It's helped me become a more conscious thinker. Several weeks ago I made the conscious decision to follow through the Unicult's brainwashing program. I know, brainwashing? Is she serious? Believe me, I had the same initial reactions as you do. But within a week I began to view the world in way I didn't think was possible. The constant negativity, shame and envy I felt was a valid and normal aspect to the human experience began to leaving my body. My initial thoughts turned from judgments to curiosity. I could feel myself becoming a better version of myself. Today, I have been gift with the opportunity to interview someone I admire deeply. Someone who has challenged me to become a better person. Someone who has strengthened by sense of well being. Someone I hope you find inspiration in, Unicult founder Unicole Unicron. Since being on True Life, how has your life changed? Has the exposure impacted the Unicult in anyway? The opportunity I was given by being on MTV helped a lot of my dreams become true! I have finally started reaching a large number of people with my messages which has always been my intent. I was able to quit my job in tech and dedicate myself 100% to my video healing services, online store UNICULT Supply Co, and strengthening the materials of UNICULT to benefit the members. What would you consider the biggest misconceptions about you and the Unicult? It's difficult for me to even know how people are understanding what I'm putting out. The only miscommunication I ever see are when people don't give the ideology the attention it deserves and assume, based on the name "UNICULT" that we're "evil" or something. I'm not really sure how you could think that after learning about UNICULT for more than 5 minutes though. You describe yourself as a Pop Star Cult Leader; what musicians have impacted you the most? Who was the first pop star you admired? Has your connection to them changed over the years? I was a preteen when Britney Spears first came on the scene and her whole trajectory has been deeply inspirational to me. The walls of my room growing up were always plastered with celebrity pictures cut out from magazines. I adore celebrities. I couldn't be my true self and get the respect I have if Lady Gaga didn't exist. I owe so much to Lady Gaga for paving the way for me and setting everything up perfectly just as she has Madonna to thank. My life-long idolization has recently turned into a pure colleague energy with these people as I have become truly empowered and see no one above or below me. Recently you released a self-made, self-edited and self-staring pornographic film entitled Uniporn. What lead you to chose this form of expression? It's based on my understanding of Pavlovian response in humans. Repetitive pleasure reward with violent, detrimental, or shame-inducing media deeply, deeply affects our psyche. UNIPORN uses the power of sexuality, which is absolutely holy, and pairs it with ascension rather than shame. Below are a few questions asked by PopHatesFlops members: Will you buy Crybaby by Melanie Martinez on iTunes? Ha! I just wrote her a letter yesterday. I have really high hopes for MM and I hope she takes her power back in the public eye. Favorite flavor of tea? Gypsy Cold Care is the bomb! I also grow my own chamomile and drink it a lot for its healing properties. Star Wars or Star Trek Trek probably but I haven't spent too long with either. Lana Del Rey or Halsey? How could you compare two people? But I am totally obsessed with Lana. She's way more magical than people realize. You can tell it kind of annoys her and I sympathize. Do you feel that sex is an acceptable way to gain success? Would you consider, as one member worded it, fuck your way up to the top? There's a difference between trying to sleep with the right people and using your sexuality to gain attention. Both are holy but for me, the latter is more empowering. I see clearly how much potential there is for sexual healing for us all and when we are able to do that society will reflect it. More authentic sexual expression is hugely important for this. There's nothing "wrong" with sexuality and it's funny that you can get famous through it, as we all have it. What can we look forward to in the upcoming months? Now that I'm done with UNIPORN, I'm glad to dedicate myself to providing next-level video healing, making fairy tale ASMR videos, and working on my music project Outside Time and Space with Jeremy Garner. We'll be touring with our new album AbrAcAdAbrA later this year. For more information regarding Unicole and the Unicult please watch this the intriguing tale of the Unicult's birth told by Unicole Unicron or check out her social media accounts.

It's a sad fact that cultural appropriation is everywhere in our society today. From everyday people on the streets copying the clothing of other cultures with no understanding of their true meaning (such as the white male chauvinist racist pigs who wear native American headdresses) to musicians stealing the styles, genres and techniques developed by minority groups (such as Paris Hilton making a mockery of the traditional European genre EDM), this disgusting form of racism has pervaded every aspect of our corrupt western culture so neatly that it's sometimes hard to even realise when it's happening! In case you blinked and missed these disgusting microaggressions towards POC's (that's People Of Colour for those uncultured Facebook users among you), we've set up this list so that you can stop protesting the legalised murdering of homosexuals in Nigeria and direct your rage towards the people who really deserve it - celebrities! Check below for the six most shocking cultural appropriations ever in the history of our world, but be warned - this material may be triggering to some. 6. Lady Gaga's Sinful 'Alejandro' The first entry on our shocking list is a three in one song and video combo. 'Alejandro', released in 2009 by Lady Gaga (or Lady Racist as we like to call her) immediately appropriates several cultures in the lyrics alone. "You know that I love you boy/Hot like Mexico, rejoice," Gaga says, perpetuating the stereotype of all Mexicans as attractive. Disgusting! The worst part of this is that she is not only stereotypes our Hispanic allies in Trump-like fashion, but she does so through an attempt at rap music, the traditional music of the African American diaspora born out of tribal influences and the pain and suffering of slavery. Yes, you heard right - yet another privileged cis straight white woman is appropriating from the black community in an attempt to look "cool". Gross! To top it all off, the music video even appropriates the clothing of other cultures. While it's okay that Gaga as a white person is making clearly mocking nuns clothing and the symbols of the privileged religion Christianity, the appropriation of Nazism, a strong culture with its own values and traditions, is frankly horrible. We can't wait to see the downfall of Lady GrossGross! 5. Emma Watson Wears Jeans Because her name is often mentioned in the same sentence as the UN, you might have been fooled into thinking that Harry Potter star Emma Watson was a good person. But if anything, the UN should really be placing a ban on Emma Watson and all her other magical friends! Not only does she flaunt her magic-wielding abilities in everyone's faces, but she's also contributing to one of the worst cultural appropriation trends in recent history by wearing jeans again and again and again! As everyone knows, Watson is an English actress who now lives in America - but as is common knowledge, jeans are not an English creation, meaning Watson has no right to appropriate them. Those intelligent enough to actually research culture know that jeans were created in Genoa, Italy, which is where their name comes from! By the seventeenth century, jeans were basically the public uniform of the people all over northern Italy. Emma Watson, who judging by her nose has no Italian heritage, clearly has no right to wear jeans and profit off the hard work of many hard working designers. Next we'll see her eating pizza! 4. Beyoncé Stars in Carmen: A Hip Hopera While we all know it's absolutely impossible for black people to be racist against white people, and that to criticise Beyoncé even in a minor way is to criticise the entire feminist movement, we have new proof that Beyoncé is racist that will likely shock you! The reason for this? Beyoncé isn't actually black! Just look in the above commercial for her feature film debut, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, which was made in 2001 when Beyoncé was still starting out in her career and which her team has tried to hide the existence of! You'll see a huge difference between the true Bey in this video and the Queen B we all know today. In the commercial, you'll see that Beyoncé has natural blonde hair and speaks perfect American - even though now she has black hair and speaks only in African American Vernacular and French. Shockingly, Beyoncé is actually a white woman who is trying her best to pass as African American! She dyed her hair black in order to fit in with the true Queens of Colored People, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Poor Kelly and Michelle! 3. Katy Perry Tries Transracialism Katy Perry's appropriation is so innocuous that we didn't even realize how disgustingly racist she was for years. Our first tip off should have come from the fact that this rich white Christian lady chooses to dye her naturally brown hair black to mimic African American people, and that she changed her last name from 'Hudson' to 'Perry' to copy the amazing African American film auteur Tyler Perry! But we didn't put the dots together until Perry appeared in this clip for 'Part of Me', which is an exercise in pro-American propaganda and the suppression of people of colour. As you can see, Perry is clearly using the camoflauge look in this video, which to her may be a fashion trend but which to it's traditional users was a sign of resistance! Camoflauge was started by the French military in 1915 as they fought the evils of America: and as all French people are black, Perry is clearly copying their style for her own materialistic benefits. I, personally, am disgusted, and I have no idea why Perry hasn't been sent to prison yet. 2. Angelina Jolie Is the Spokeswoman for White Privilege Just the sight of privileged scum like Angelina Jolie looking so scornfully on poor disabled Syrian refugees makes me absolutely sick. I'm sure I don't have to point out the ridiculous hypocrisy in Jolie appropriating the traditional Syrian headscarf for her own fashion choice - culture is not an outfit, people! But the worst part is the rumours we heard of Jolie blatantly stealing culture while in Syria by actually attempting to speak Syrianese. I'm horrified. The idea that a privileged white woman would swoop into another persons country and actually try to communicate with them using a language that they created sickens me. I bet she didn't even give credit to the original creators of the language, the Syrianese people! The cherry on top is that even Jolie's first name is racist - Angelina is actually a Greek name! Rise up, Greek brothers and sisters, and let's take back what's ours! Let's ban Jolie from America and show her what it's like to really be a refugee! 1. Iggy Azalea's 'Fancy' Music Video Iggy Azalea is a rapper well-known for her hits like 'Fancy', 'Black Widow' and 'Flexin' & Finessin' (Feat. Juicy J)', but there's a dark side to every blonde Australian who spells her name out letter by letter. While Azeala's rapping skills cannot be matched even by blacks like Tupac, her videos are a different matter. Take the above clip for 'Fancy', in which Iggy struts around a high school setting wearing a series of provocative outfits. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong! Open your eyes, sheeple. Azalea has confirmed that 'Fancy' is a tribute to the 1995 teen drama film Clueless, which in itself is an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma. The problem here is that Jane Austen is from England, a country historically discriminated against by both Australian and American people! Azalea is clearly appropriating her story from the downcast British and silencing the voices of her paler, tea-drinking brothers and sisters. The fact that British star Charli XCX is willing to collaborate on this song and has clearly internalized racism against her own country makes the entire situation even more saddening. What is the worst cultural appropriation you have seen lately? Do the people on this list deserve to rot in hell like we believe, or is it enough to simply strip them of their entire careers and livelihoods and send them back to where they came from? Let us know in the comments section down below!

Laura Bettinson, born in England, coined the stage name FEMME in 2013 after performing in night clubs and small venues; and less than a year later she got picked up by Perez Hilton. In a routine wave to find new, interesting artists for his mixtape albums Perez Hilton Presents Pop Up!, he came across the video for 'Fever Boy' and she took off. Releasing six singles paired with six respective videos in the span of just over a year, FEMME was simultaneously working on her debut album - and thus Debutante was born. Only three of these already released, familiar tracks are seen on her upcoming album, which makes it even more fresh - although devoted fans may have tracked down deleted SoundCloud tracks and live versions of many of the other songs on the project. The Debutante experience explores a very 80s sound. It's something you'd expect to play in a cheesy remake of some old movie where a lovestruck girl sneaks away with a grimy boy during prom to make out under the bleachers. I say this in the best way possible. It's very back and forth but somehow manages to stay cohesive. FEMME's team describes the album as pop, but it sounds more like experimental punk with pop influences, with features of hard drums, guitars, and shimmering synths throughout many of its tracks. Following a mostly instrumental fifty second introduction called 'Your Poptarts Are Ready', the record opens with the already released promotional single 'Fever Boy'. With lazy vocals and difficult to follow lyrics, it wasn't the best choice for an album opener, following a fifty second climactic intro. You think you're getting something explosive, but once a familiar kick drum beat comes in, you're kind of let down. It would definitely turn some people off. But by the same token, the song on it's own isn't too bad - just not a highlight track, and not a good (technically) first track, either. Track six is the first official single 'Light Me Up', which was released on February 4th. This song gives a much better idea of what the album sounds like - a glittery and clean production with distorted vocals, interesting lyrics and a big shimmering chorus. "Tell me it's gonna get easier, don't let me take each step on my own. But if I'm coming home to you, you gotta just light me up,” FEMME sings over an 8-bit esque production. For sure one of the highlight tracks on Debutante, and a great choice for the lead single. One of the other highlights of the album is 'Double Trouble'. Already released, the song showcases FEMME's ability to produce a catchy melody. It seems like she has mastered the perfect pop recipe. A change from the buzzing drums seen on the previous tracks, and the closest thing you get to a ballad on this record. The strings-based and touching 'Calling All Stars' comes close as well, but due to it's short duration of only a minute and fifteen seconds, we don't really see it as a true album track. 'Dumb Blonde' is one of those rare percussion-based slow-tempos, backed by the contrast of some video game type sound effects and a morbid cello synth. "You treat me like a right dumb blonde, but I'm gonna show you how it's gonna be done," FEMME croons in an experimental spoken-sung style that Goldfrapp or Uffie would no doubt place their stamp of approval on. My personal favourite is the last track, titled 'Sirens'. It explores a sort of Bollywood Hawaii hip-hop sound. “Sirens sound ‘cuz I think you found me,” she sighs over the track. Based on where we see this in the albums tracklisting, it could hint at the next ones direction. But given how much of a perfectionist FEMME seems to be, I wouldn't get your hopes up for that one too soon. Debutante is out April 15th.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's disappointing about All I Need, the sophomore release from English singer and songwriter Foxes (due out February 5th). It's definitely not her voice, whose slight but distinctive rasp shines through every track as a unifying factor between sounds. It would be unfair to criticise the songs, which are all cohesively produced, well polished and perfectly commercial - word on the street is that 'Wicked Love' will be the next single released from the project, but if we're honest pretty much any song from the album could be released to moderate success, from the EDM-tinged 'Shoot Me Down' to the 21st century power ballad 'Scar'. And to blame it on the singer herself seems cruel, given that her utterly gorgeous face seems only to be matched by the sweetness of her personality. What's really missing in this album is - and we hate to use what tends to be a somewhat undefinable word - edge. As a songwriter, Foxes tends to rely on a rather formulaic structure of detail-oriented verse, repetitive and catchy chorus (often with a couple of singable "ooh's" in there for good measure) and breakdown which throws back to the first verse. And the production, as perfectly executed as it is, tends only to flit backwards and forwards between EDM-inspired Europop and inspiring orchestral pieces (with a little bit of R&B thrown in there for good measure). The effect is a lingering sense that despite all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together perfectly, the finished image is somewhat of a let down, forsaking anything interesting or gripping for safety. That said, it would be incorrect to call the album a bad one, and it's easy listening vibes would be perfect as background music for a trip to the beach. Check out our track by track review of the album below to learn more! Rise Up (Intro) Judging from some Tweets she made while recording the album, Foxes was pretty jazzed about using a live orchestra for instrumentation on some tracks, a choice that clearly paid off on choice cut 'If You Leave Me Now'. But on 'Rise Up', the album's opener, the orchestra overwhelms the singer entirely for a fifty second long instrumental introduction, followed by some baby talk from what we'll presume is a young Foxes. Even though there's a nice build up here and the melody itself is quite pretty, the track seems redundant given the lack of transition into 'Better Love', which we'll be considering the real album opener. It probably would have made more sense to just incorporate this performance into an extended version of it's reprise. Better Love With a co-writing credit and some backing vocals from Bastille's Dan Smith, the album's second single 'Better Love' was widely anticipated before it's release last September, and the track didn't fail to impress. Foxes is in her element here, rewriting the majority of her first album Glorious with one of her famously repetitive inspirational choruses, backed by some dancable drums and pushed forward by her ever-impressive vocals. Body Talk The album's first single promised a new direction for Foxes. With a supremely laidback 80s synth-pop vibe and an unexpectedly grungy image, Foxes seemed to be moving away from the uber-pop wholesomeness that permeated her debut - and even if that's a promise that isn't kept on the rest of the album, the track itself is still a jam and a nice step away from the usual on an otherwise somewhat formulaic album. Cruel 'Cruel' is situated right next to 'Body Talk' on the album, and for good reason - they're both outliers. With an electronically fused vocal sample and a Caribbean-inspired beat that wouldn't sound strange on a Gwen Stefani track, the track leaves behind the epicness of other songs like 'Amazing' for a chilled out refrain of "Baby you're so cool, you're so cruel/Cos you got me bound to you/This love I can't undo". 'Cruel' actually makes for a pretty nice listen, even if it's placement on the album seems somewhat random - it has that kind of mid-tempo, underproduced vibe that seems to dictate it should be pushed to the end of the album alongside 'Brown Eyes', 'Why Should I Be Sad' or 'California King Bed'. If You Leave Me Now One of the more raw, acoustic songs on the album, 'If You Leave Me Now' was always kind of a weird choice for a promo single given the big pop songs that Foxes is known for. Backed by a live orchestra, the song avoids total power ballad territory by implementing some vaguely Indian sounding chants, but that doesn't make it a whole lot more interesting. It's admittedly catchy, but the track still sounds like an unfinished reject from The Notebook, and the absolutely nonsensical lyrics in the chorus ("Oh no/Please don't go/If you leave me now/But you stay") still sound like a drunk girl's failed attempts at texting her ex on a Saturday night. Amazing 'Amazing' is classic Foxes, fusing the key ingredients of a fun piano riff, some thumping tribal drums and a stupidly catchy post-chorus of "Do what you wanna" to make one of the most easily danceable and fun tracks of the last year. If Foxes isn't offering anything new on 'Amazing', it can be forgiven due to the sheer joy that comes from experiencing the song and its accompanying video for the first time. Devil Side "It's almost like slow motion suicide/Watching your devil side come between you and me" sings Foxes - a charming line, if having a "devil side" was actually a thing. If this track had been sped up a little and produced with more of a rock edge, it could have made a great mimicry of Kelly Clarkson, but as it is the song labours under the weight of it's overly slow grand piano and somewhat rather annoying premise. Feet Don’t Fail Me Now 'Feet Don't Fail Me Now' is one of the slightly more soul and R&B based songs on the album, which immediately makes it a standout compared to the formulaity of the dance-pop tracks. Foxes makes Duffy proud with a 'Rain On Your Parade'-esque throwback, which was produced by One Direction collaborator Jesse Shatkin. We would have been happy with the stomping rhythm of the build-up even if it never took off anywhere, but the song's explosion into even higher levels of passion towards it's end seals the deal for this one. Wicked Love 'Wicked Love' is touted as the fourth single from the album - a somewhat surprising choice given the presence of more radio-friendly songs like 'Shoot Me Down', but it will undoubtedly still achieve some success. The track shows hints of some Childish Gambino-inspired drum and bass beats during the chorus, which we wish had been played up a little more, because as it is the refrain is a pretty dull repetition of the phrase "wicked love" four times over. Seriously, she sings that phrase thirty six times in the song, and each time it becomes more and more grating. There's a surprise harp riff which comes in towards the end of the song to keep things interesting, but again it's not really highlighted enough to make the track particularly interesting. Scar "We were banging on the doors of heaven but we didn't have a chance in hell" begins 'Scar', one of the slower tempo tracks on the album. We're not sure if this track was written exclusively for a pitch, but if not then someone needs to call Shonda Rhimes immediately, because with it's Emeli Sandé inspired combo of heartfelt lyrics and rousing strings, this track is perfect for a closing song in Grey's Anatomy. Foxes vocals are on full display here, but despite their impressiveness they don't quite live up to the levels of Mariah Carey ad-libs we need from this song, which climaxes a little too briefly in it's last chorus. Despite this, we can definitely see commercial success along the lines of 'Say Something' down the road for this song. Money We were quite excited for 'Money', which promised a disregard of Foxes default songwriting settings of 'irritated ex' and 'inspired party animal' for something a little more interesting. It turns out the song doesn't quite live up to this promise, still relying on the jilted lover trope established by the rest of the album, but at least the metaphor here is somewhat fresher. "She's got you good, got you spending your time/Dancing round all the signs" croons Foxes in the second verse, before launching into a full on attack with "Money can't love you/Money can't hold you/Money can't love you back" for the chorus. The somewhat questionable choice of a children's choir distracts a little from the bridge, but it still makes for one of the more interesting tracks on the album. On My Way The only true ballad on the album, 'On My Way' is one of those sweetly inoffensive tracks which are perfect for closing out an album - which it succeeds at doing for the standard edition. The piano-driven track shows signs of breaking out into one of her classic Europop tracks, but some vocal and musical restraint keeps the tension built up for the majority of the piece. Sadly, the song is let down by the chorus, which is again the weakest part of Foxes' songwriting, consisting this time of just the words "Baby I was on my way/I was on my way/I was on my way" repeated again and again. Shoot Me Down "The silence is so deafening/Feel my body dancing within/When it's violent my heart wants to sing". One of the most EDM tinged tracks on the album, 'Shoot Me Down' is backed by a pulsing line of synths and a heavy beat that wouldn't sound totally out of place on a David Guetta album. It's trancey production could have been accentuated a little more for maximum effect, and Foxes' vocals could have been roughened up a little to keep the darkness level turned up, but this is still one of the more interesting tracks on the album, not least because she seems to be shaking up the good girl image she's cultivated. Lose My Cool Reading like a homebrand version of 'Amazing', 'Lose My Cool' nevertheless has a few good points to it. The falsetto note Foxes hits every time she sings "lose my cool" is pretty fun, and you already know that any title ending in an 'o' sound will have endless opportunities for a fun post-chorus. "I'm caught on this dangerous ride/What are we gonna do?/Am I alone this time?" Foxes muses during the second verse. Ultimately though, this is another track on the album that's pretty unremarkable. All I Need The choruses have gotten progressively worse throughout the album, to the extent that title track 'All I Need' just repeats the line "You're all I need" six times over. With the addition of ad-libs and the outro, that brings the total count by the end of the track to thirty repetitions. Sigh. Other than that, this track is somewhat decent, drawing on the same drum and bass inspirations as 'Wicked Love', and featuring a pretty line of strings behind the beat. If it didn't share it's name with the album title, however, we would have recommended cutting this track. Rise Up (Reprise) Remember 'Rise Up', that instrumental track that opened the entire album? That melody makes a return to round the album out - but this time, the song implements some classic Foxes piano riffs and vocals from the songstress herself. With an inspirational refrain of "rise up right now, rise up right now, rise up", the song is basically the orchestral equivalent of 'Amazing'. The only shame about this track is it's length - clocking in at just a little over two and a half minutes, the song forsakes a second verse for a shorter running time, which is a real shame given how strong the build up is. An orchestral, or even Europoppy, second verse could have made this one of the greatest songs on the album. Don't forget to check back here on February 5th for the full album! Let us know your thoughts of the already released songs below.