Hello gals and guys,

With the 58th Annual Grammys airing tonight, we get another glimpse into who the industry, or at least those who vote for the awards, think of the music and artist from the past year. Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with eleven nominations (which I think he rightfully deserves). To Pimp a Butterfly was a great album! Take a look at the full nominee list.

Besides tonight, there's so much to look forward to this year in music. We've got tours, new albums, and hopeful wishes that our favorite MIA artists will finally release new music *cough Frank Ocean*.

With that being said, the honor of the first song of the week of this year goes to Panic! at the Disco or as many or calling it "The Brendon Urie show" and his song Death of a Bachelor. The pop rock, once alternative rock, "emo" band was founded in 2004 as a quartet. Brendon is the last remaining member.

Despite the now solo role, Brendon has lost none of the flair that rocketed the lead singer and his band into the hearts of alternative, punk rock, loving teenagers of the mid 2000's, my eighth grade heart included. The newest single sounds a little more pop than rock, but I like it. Some fans would complain that Panic's style has changed too much but some of the other single's, Victorious and Emperor's New Clothes, definitely remind me of the classic Panic! style including very entertaining music videos. It's understandable that Brendon would switch things up from time to time after twelve years.

The song has some big band vibes with the use of horns. It reminds me of a lounge or wedding singer. If the name of the song isn't enough, you'll have to watch the video to understand why it fits.

Panic! at the Disco's fifth album baring the same name as the single, Death of a Bachelor, was released on January 15th. I haven't had a chance to hear the whole album, but I like what I've heard so far. Congrats Brendon!

And for the dedicated Panic! fans out there, what do you think of the single, the new album? Has Brendon changed the sound too much?

JoJo at the 2015 MTV VMA Awards From Getty Images

Another week gone by and another song has caught my eye. The honor this week goes to JoJo and her single When Love Hurts. The single is one of three new songs dubbed the "tringle", her first musical release since 2004. I remember singing my heart out to "Too Little Too Late" and "Leave" when I was in elementary school and knew nothing about relationships or love admittedly. The lyrics aren't my favorite because I'm not a fan of the "true love hurts" ideology, but because it's her comeback I'm more willing to a little bit forgiving.

The song is definitely more Pop than R&B, a combination that was equally balanced the last time we heard from JoJo. With time comes changing music enhancements and software. Auto-tone is seemingly normal in the industry nowadays. Which is why I wasn't surprised to hear some auto-tone during the chorus. I'm glad that she didn't let her legal battle keep her from returning to music, because her voice is amazing. JoJo is now signed with Atlantic Records and I can't wait to see where she goes from here. I suspected she was planning a comeback when she started increasing her social media presence. Now, I'm off to listen to the other two singles!


 

Update: Adele had to go and slay me this morning by dropping her new single Hello this morning. I couldn't NOT mention her. If you haven't already seen the video and thought about calling your ex, check it out below. Her album 25 comes out November 20th.

Anyone who knows me know that I've been in love with the Jonas Brothers since I was in elementary school. I lost my voice when I saw them for the first time at Six Flags when I was 13. That is why it's no far stretch to say that I am a huge fan of Nick Jonas and his solo career. My song of the week is Levels.

While I was expecting him to use another one of his songs from his self-titled album, maybe Teacher. I'm not complaining about new music at all. Levels clearly reflects Nick's love for Funk and R&B music. The bass line is fun and makes it hard not to dance as we can see Nick doing in the video.Who knew the guy could dance? Not super well, but it's still dancing.

The video is fun and sexy, but I could have done without the scantily clad girls. It made it feel like Nick was trying a bit too hard. You're single, Nick. We get it. (slides into his Twitter mentions). You can check it out and judge for yourself.


Honorable mention of the week, How Deep is Your  Love by Calvin Harris and Disciples.

Hey there guys and gals!

The song I've picked for this week is Should Have Been There by Sevyn  ft. B.o.B

I've featured Sevyn in a blog post before, so it should be no surprise that I've been loving another one of her songs. Should Have Been There is the newest single off of Sevyn's upcoming EP Should Have Been There Part One, which features a past favorite, Don't Kill The Fun featuring Chris Brown. In the song Sevyn talks about a salty ex-boyfriend who should have acted better if he wanted to stay in her life. Whoever this guy is, his pride must be hurt, especially sing the song features Sevyn's current beau rapper Bobby Ray, "B.o.B".

The lyrics are catchy and relatable for anyone who's been in a relationship where your significant other doesn't seem to care until you've decided to walk away and do you. The beat is fun and the lyric video is creative with the use of text messages and social media posts. I especially like the cute pictures taken from Sevyn and B.o.B's social media accounts and the acapella moment where Sevyn shows off just a bit. I'm excited to hear the rest of the EP.

 Check out the lyric video and let me know what you think in the comments or even mention me on Twitter (@kiramira_)

This week my pick is Don't Kill the Fun by Sevyn Streeter feat. Chris Brown. The songwriter turned artist continues to release music that I love to put on repeat.The R&B song has an interesting mix of samples and break downs that make me want to roll down my windows and blast it.  My favorite line comes in the chorus. The lyric says, "Let's be undeniable." I will admit when the song first came out I wasn't in love with it, but on my second and third listens I found myself bobbing my head a bit. Now, I can't stop singing it.

There was a bit of confusion when the song came out because Sevyn had not officially released it yet, but some radio stations were already playing it. Sevyn soon took to twitter and posted the version that was meant to be released. I couldn't even tell the difference between the two versions.

Despite the mix up, I think the song is doing pretty good. If you learn one thing about me it's that I'm a major fangirl for certain people. So, I got pretty hyped when Sevyn replied to my tweet after I mentioned the song. Imagine me texting my friends like "OH MY GOD SHE REPLIED!" It was ridiculous. Strangely, Lupe Fiasco retweeted my brother that same week.

Anyways, remember that Chris Brown and Sevyn also collaborated on It Won't Stop so I'm sure they know their way around each other in the studio. It probably doesn't hurt that they're also good friends.

I think this one will be another hit for the pair. Sevyn was a writer on Chris' songs Fine China, Next You, and Strip. She's also credited with writing or at least co-writing The Way, performed by Ariana Grande and New Day, performed by Alicia Keys. I'm excited to see what the rest of Sevyn's album sounds like.Check out the video for Don't Kill the Fun below.

Howdy guys and gals. I've been slacking on posting since I'm settling into my summer class and staying on top of my work. For this week's pick I choose is Sing by Ed Sheeran.

I've been a fan of Sheeran's music since I first heard "A Team" and "Kiss Me". He makes everything sound effortless from his vocals to his guitar work. Those high notes, awesome. So far Ed has done an amazing job of creating songs that tell stories. I will admit when I heard a few of his songs for the first time I teared up just because of the subject matter of the song and the way he weaved them into his music. "Small Bump", which is on his album + (Plus), is one of those songs. Not every artist can do that with their music. "Sing" is the first single off his upcoming album X (Multiply), that's set to be released on June 23. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams so it has a funky vibe that I love because it just works for Ed. The single is also Ed's first song to be number one on the UK Top 40. You can check out his website here.

Check out the video for "Sing":



Bonus Song: Chandelier by Sia. Its popped up on my Pandora a few times this week and I've found myself singing along after a few listens. Sia's voice stands out from the pack.

Hey there everyone! If you're on the East Coast of the U.S. I hope all the rain this week didn't bum you out too much. If so, this week's song of the week might help put a little pep back in your step. My pick for this week is Birthday by Katy Perry.

The song is the latest single off the pop star's album Prism. The upbeat song has an 80's feel that I love. Madonna's influence definitely shines through.The feel of the song reminds me of Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) from Teenage Dream. It's fun and the catchy lyrics makes it easy to sing along. If you've seen any of my other picks you know that I love to dance too. I found this song on YouTube when Katy released the lyric video. The lyric video and official music video are nothing short of fun as Katy sticks to her interesting video themes, costumes, and fun ways of displaying lyrics. It's definitely worth a watch. Let me know what you think of the song and even the video.





Bonus Pick:
If you haven't already heard Ariana Grande's new single "Problem" featuring Iggy Azalea then I suggest you have a listen below. Especially if you're an Ariana fan.




Kira

Happy Monday everyone! My pick for song of the week is Stay With Me by Sam Smith.  If you haven't heard it take a listen below and even if you have, listen again because your ears need more awesomeness.



The first time I heard him sing was on Disclosure's song Latch. I was hooked on that song for a while. When I was on ITunes last week I saw his name again in the new releases and had to check his new album out. I listened to the preview for this song and feel in love.

This week's song is All of Me by John Legend. This song isn't new but it's been my favorite for a while now. I was stuck inside on a snow day yesterday and I just had to have my Pandora app open and playing music. All of Me came on multiple times and I didn't get tired of it. I've even declared that this will be my wedding song. Let's see what my future husband has to say about that.

The song is extremely romantically, especially because Legend wrote it for his wife Christine Teigen. The pair got married in September of 2013. Just like the rest of music the lyrics and the music flow and create R&B magic. Comment with your favorite John Legend song. Ordinary People anyone? Check out the video below.

The song I choose as my favorite of this week is The Worst by Jhené Aiko. This week every time I was in the car this song came on. Jhené's voice has this light airy feel that makes her songs mesmerizing. The chorus of this song has been on a loop in my head. The beat is simple and smooth. I started following her on Instagram recently and I will admit that she is so pretty has the most adorable daughter. Aiko is on the list of artist to preform in April at Coachella. It would be awesome to go and see her along with others like Outkast, Muse, City and Colour, and Zedd. Unfortunately, tickets are sold out already. For more of Jhené check out her EP Sail Out. She's also featured on the song Beware with Big Sean. Check out the video for The Worst below.

Hello lovely people!

This week's song of the week is Stay The Night by Zedd featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore. Thanks to two of my friends from home this song is stuck in my head. This is a nice follow up for Zedd after Clarity. I'm in love with Hayley's voice. I'm so excited to see Paramore in November. I usually don't like a video as much as I like a song but this time that wasn't the case. I love dance, so the choreography in this video was everything for me. Everything was beautifully shot and the effects fit the video What was your favorite song this week? Any music recommendations for me?

Hello lovely people. Here's another look at the music I love! My two songs for this week are Ain't It Fun by Paramore and Harlem by New Politics.
I've been fan of Paramore for a long time. People always complain about bands and artist changing their sound but in my mind that's apart of being in the music industry. Styles and the vibe of every album is never going to be the same. Paramore is still the same Paramore to me even with their new self-titled album. Jeremy, Hayley, and Taylor are the perfect trio in my eyes. Check out Ain't It Fun and the rest of their album which includes Part II, which is what it sounds like; a continuation of We Are Broken from their 2007 album RIOT!. The album also features Still Into You, which you've probably heard on the radio or Pandora.

My second song is Harlem by New Politics. I first heard this song on Pandora and it had me dancing around my room in a dance party of one. I love the fun beat. I'm not too familiar with New Politics but this song makes me want to hear some of their other music.

I'm sure Hip Hop fans have been listening to Control by Big Sean to hear Kendrick Lamar's verse that mentioned a number of rappers including Big Sean himself, Drake, Wale, and A.S.A.P Rocky. Everyone's on the lookout for response tracks. Some are coming out from rappers who weren't even mentioned in the song. The gifs and memes that have been coming out are hilarious too. Don't judge me solely on my picks for songs of the week! I do listen to rap just not as much as other genres. Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend.

Hey lovely people! This week I'm going to share the songs that have been stuck in my head last week and this week. First up is Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. I know the song isn't new because it's from the Great Gatsby Soundtrack, but it's been growing on me. I'm not a huge Lana Del Rey fan but I like this song.

My next pick is Without Me by Fantasia featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott. This song is a huge comeback for Fantasia. It's been a while since any of her music has really made it big. Came across this song when the video(Below) came out on VEVO. The ladies killed this song. I've been jamming to this for two weeks now.

Here's the video!

My last pick for this week is Holy Grail by Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake. These two have done it once again but in reverse. I find myself continuously singing Justin's part of the song even when I'm not thinking about it. The song is off of Jay's new album Magana Carter Holy Grail so you know the title song had to be hot and Jay did not disappoint.

That's all folks! Let me know what you think of these songs and what you've been listening to on repeat this week.

Music lovers rejoice! So many albums came out from some great artist like Kelly Rowland, J.Cole, Mac Miller, and Kanye West. I suggest checking out these albums if you haven't already. My songs of the week are Dirty Laundry by Kelly Rowland and Crooked Smile by J.Cole featuring TLC.
Miss Rowland went deep with this song. She really aired out all her emotions and "dirty laundry". Kelly talks about dark times where Beyonce' was doing well for herself on stage while Kelly was struggling with an abusive relationship.

My next pick is Crooked Smile. This song features Chili and T.Boz of TLC. The song is real and talks about loving yourself no matter what you look like and other issues. This song is accompanied by some amazing songs on Cole's album Born Sinner.

Just to make up for my lack of posting my favorite songs I'm going to give you three! My first song for this week is A Litte Party Never Killed Nobody from The Great Gatsby Soundtrack. The song features Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, Q-Tip and GoonRock. The song has a fun beat that had me hooked from the first listen. This song really makes you want to dance until you drop. That may be just me because I love to dance so much.

My second pick for this week is Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams. I've always been a fan of Daft Punk. My brother is an even bigger fan than me. He's been blasting their new album Random Access Memories every time he gets in the car. I had the pleasure of joining in on a trip to the mall and from then on the song was stuck in my head.

And last but not least, my third pick for this week is Treasure by Bruno Mars. I love this man and his music. He just has a swagger that I love. He's always releasing songs that have me belting the lyrics whenever I get the chance. He performed Treasure at the Billboard Music Awards not to long ago and his performance was entertaining. The song has a bit of disco feel that makes you want to dance. I'm a fan of funk music so this one hit the target. I hoping to get tickets to see him when he comes to D.C. next month.