MUSIC

A Decade of Kesha: The Pop Star We Don't Deserve

The singer's debut album Animal is ten years old this week.

In 2008, an unknown singer by the name of Kesha Sebert was summoned to sing the brief female hook for what would become a No. 1 hit.

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MUSIC

14 Most Anticipated Albums of 2020

Halsey, Dua Lipa, Tame Impala, and more.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

While it's plenty fun to revisit music of the last year (or decade), it's equally exciting to point our focus to future releases.

2020 is coming soon, with no shortage of both indie and major-label releases in the early months to keep our ears busy. Below, we've picked just a few that we can't wait to hear.

The 1975: Notes On A Conditional Form (Interscope/Dirty Hit, 2/21)

After dropping their acclaimed A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships late last year, the modern indie pop legends return this year with their fourth studio album. They've released three songs from it so far, including opener "The 1975," featuring teen climate activist (turned Matty Healy's friend) Greta Thunberg.

The 1975 - People (Official Video)www.youtube.com


Grimes: Miss Anthropocene (4AD, 2/21)

The follow-up to Grimes' 2015 magnum opus, Art Angels is "a concept album about the anthropomorphic goddess of climate change." She's released five singles, most recently "4ÆM."

Grimes – 4ÆMwww.youtube.com


Georgia: Seeking Thrills (Domino, 1/10)

British producer Georgia Barnes' second album is due at the beginning of the year. If '80s-indebted synth-pop is up your alley, check out her fantastic single "About Work the Dancefloor."

Georgia - About Work The Dancefloor (Official Video)www.youtube.com


Frances Quinlan: Likewise (Saddle Creek, 1/31)

Frances Quinlan is best known as the lead singer of Philadelphia indie rockers Hop Along, but her inimitable voice still packs a punch as a solo act. Her first album under her own name comes out next month. Check out a single from it, "Now That I'm Back."

Frances Quinlan - Now That I'm Backwww.youtube.com


Tame Impala: The Slow Rush (Interscope, 2/14)

The Slow Rush is Kevin Parker and company's first album since 2015's instant-classic, Currents. The Australian band has released three singles so far: "Borderline," "It Might Be Time," and "Posthumous Forgiveness."

Tame Impala - Borderline (Audio)www.youtube.com


Halsey: Manic (Capitol, 1/17)

Manic is Halsey's third album. It includes her No. 1 hit "Without Me," as well as features from Alanis Morrisette, Dominic Fike, and Min Yoon-gi of BTS.

Halsey - Without Mewww.youtube.com


Beach Slang: The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City (Bridge Nine, 1/10)

Last year, James Alex released the mellowed-out, acoustic-focused Everything Matters But No One Is Listening as Quiet Slang. Now he's back with his full punk band, Beach Slang, with their third studio album. It features Tommy Stinson of the Replacements on bass.'

Beach Slang - Bam Rang Rangwww.youtube.com


Kesha: High Road (Kemosabe, 1/10)

After the stream of empowerment anthems that comprised 2017's Rainbow, Kesha is returning to her party-pop roots for her fourth album. Singles "Raising Hell," "My Own Dance," and "Resentment" are out now.

Kesha - Raising Hell (Official Video) ft. Big Freediawww.youtube.com


Mura Masa: Raw Youth Collage (Polydor, 1/17)

Grammy-winning British producer Mura Masa's second record is on the horizon. It features guest vocals from pop darling Clairo, idiosyncratic rapper slowthai, lo-fi R&B upstart Tirzah, and more.

Mura Masa, Clairo - I Don't Think I Can Do This Again (Official Video)www.youtube.com


Bombay Bicycle Club: Everything Else Has Gone Wrong (Island, 1/17)

After taking some time off, London indie pop band Bombay Bicycle Club are back with their first new album since 2013. So far, you can hear "Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)," "Racing Stripes," and the album's title track. Read our interview with bassist Ed Nash about the band's return.

Bombay Bicycle Club - Racing Stripeswww.youtube.com


Okay Kaya: Watch This Liquid Pour Itself (Jagjaguwar, 1/24)

Norweigan singer-songwriter Okay Kaya's second album is out soon, intertwining her themes of melancholy and anxiety into dark, eerie pop. She's released three singles so far: "Ascend and Try Again," "Baby Little Tween," and "Asexual Wellbeing."

Okay Kaya - Ascend and Try Againwww.youtube.com


Wolf Parade: Thin Mind (Sub Pop, 1/24)

Indie rock stalwarts Wolf Parade are back with their fifth album, their first since departure of multi-instrumentalist Dante DeCaro. They've already released two songs from it, "Forest Green" and "Against the Day."

Wolf Parade - Forest Green [LYRIC VIDEO]www.youtube.com


Andy Shauf: The Neon Skyline (Anti-, 1/24)

Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf is soon releasing his sixth solo album. The singles "Things I Do" and "Try Again" are out now.

Andy Shauf - "Try Again"www.youtube.com


Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia (Warner, TBA)

Dua Lipa's second studio album doesn't have a set release date, but we know it's coming in early 2020. If the two lead singles so far—"Don't Start Now" and "Future Nostalgia"—are any indication, it won't be a disappointment.

Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now (Official Music Video)www.youtube.com

MUSIC

From Lizzo's Tiny Purse to Selena Gomez's Shaky Return: The Internet's Hottest AMA Takes

In terms of memes, the AMAs didn't disappoint. In other respects, of course it disappointed. It's the AMAs.

Billie and Dua Lipa at the AMAs 2019 #billieeilish #dualipa #shorts

As we know, the Internet is the world's most accurate and knowledgeable arbiter of talent, and Twitter users and entertainment bloggers are the definitive arbiters of taste and quality.

Also, the AMAs are notorious for selecting top-tier talent, never catering to the whims of the music industry and their own moneyed interests, but rather elevating the voices of artists who deserve to be honored...That said, here's what the Internet had to say about the AMAs.

1. Selena Gomez's performance was off-key—but it wasn't her fault

After nearly two years away from the stage, Selena Gomez returned to perform her new song "Lose You to Love Me." The Internet immediately responded with harsh criticism, calling her performance off-key, but many leapt to her defense, arguing that nerves and her long absence from performing played a role.

Apparently, the performance was plagued by technical difficulties from start to finish, and Gomez also had a "panic attack" before the show, according to E! News. Fortunately, Gomez seemed to be doing well later in the night, and, after hearing about the technical difficulties, fans have swarmed to her defense.

2. Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello gave us more of the same

Heterosexual icons Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello are milking their "Señorita" success for all it's worth, and they brought the same recipe to the AMAs. Unfortunately, the repetition caused fans to actually listen to the song instead of being mesmerized by Cabello's hair and Mendes' biceps, which caused some confusion and doubts.


3. Lizzo's purse was the best part of the entire show

Lizzo's tiny purse made headlines in TIME magazine, CNN, Harper's Bazaar, Jezebel, Buzzfeed, and many other major news sources, many of which argued that the purse was "the best part of the entire show," so if anything, that ought to tell you something about the show. It also inspired a flurry of delicious memes.

Admittedly, the purse was pretty iconic. Maybe we can all resolve to belch extra-tiny amounts of fossil fuels into the atmosphere next.


4. Taylor Swift "avoided controversy"

Taylor Swift won Artist of the Decade at the AMAs and, after asking the entire Internet for help and gaining sympathy and support from everyone from Elizabeth Warren to Cher, it turned out that she was able to triumph over adversity in order to perform her old hits. She also won all five of the awards she was nominated for and became the most awarded artist in the history of the AMAs.

5. Post Malone is adorable

Post Malone won the award for Favorite Rap/Hip Hop album for Hollywood's Bleeding, but he also won the award for king of good vibes when the camera caught him dancing along to Shania Twain's medley.

All in all, Posty had a great night. He performed with Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott, and during his album acceptance speech, he solidified his place in awards show history with a peculiar closing line. Just as he was finishing up, he said, "We love you very much and I love grapes."

This sparked a flurry of speculation about the meaning of that cryptic phrase and also caused the Internet to conclude that Post Malone is someone who would be really fun to have a beer with. Maybe we should just elect Post Malone for president; after all, the mark of a great elected official is how fun they'd be to have a beer with. Right?



6. BTS won big, and the ARMY can sleep well tonight

The K-pop powerhouse group won all three of the categories they were nominated in, taking home the awards for Favorite Social Artist, Tour of the Year, and Favorite Duo or Group. Fans were ecstatic, especially since BTS has been slighted by awards shows (cough, the Grammys) in the past.



7. Kesha, Green Day, and Shania Twain returned

The AMAs provided plenty of nostalgia to tug on the heartstrings of their older viewers. Kesha returned to blow everyone away with her hit "Tik Tok"; Green Day celebrated the 25th anniversary of the release of their album Dookie and reinvigorated emo with their performance; and Shania Twain blew everyone (most of all Post Malone) out of the water.9. Halsey threw shade at the Grammys

We all know that the AMAs are just a somehow more watered-down Grammys, and Halsey reminded us that though she won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Song for her smash hit "Without Me," she's bitter over her Grammys snub and disillusioned with the trappings of fame and awards on the whole.

In spite of her speech, most people were impressed with her performance.

8.Lil Nas X made everyone emotional

Despite being 20 years old and set for life thanks to the success of his very first single, the wunderkind (clad in an instantly iconic neon green suit) reminded everyone that it's never too late to shine.


9. Ciara and Megan Thee Stallion invented knees

Ciara hosted, performed her new single "Melanin," rocked every one of her looks, received her first platinum plaque as a music label owner, twerked with Megan Thee Stallion (who also delivered some priceless moments), and cemented her place as an eternal star and a person entirely immune to the passage of time.





10. Billie Eilish is really scary and very talented—but she's not alt-rock

I don't think I'm alone in saying Billie Eilish is the embodiment of everything that terrifies and amazes me about Gen Z teen girls. During her first awards show performance, she literally lit the stage on fire.

Despite her talent, viewers were quick to criticize the category she won in (alt-rock).

Then again, music is perpetually changing, genre is just about as real as gender (which is to say it's not real and was created by capitalism), and all of us old folk who don't understand how Billie Eilish won for alt-rock will be dead soon or relegated to the dusty attics of "Ok Boomer" land soon enough anyway.


11. We're all going to be telling our kids about this someday

Apparently nobody's sticking to their vow not to have kids until we stop the climate crisis, because almost every performance in the AMAs become the subject of a "gonna tell my kids" meme. Poor kids.








MUSIC

#WomanCrushWednesday | Priscilla Renea

On Writing Music, The Industry's Challenges, and More!

"I've separated myself from all preconceived notions of how a woman should behave. It's about the art. Make great art...nothing else matters."

Women are killing it in the music industry, and song lovers couldn't be happier! In our column, #WomenCrushWednesday, each week, we'll feature an awesome lady whose tunes are blowing up our playlists and ask them about their musical journey.

With the release of her latest album, Coloured, this summer, Priscilla Renea solidified her position as a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter. She has written some of your favorite songs and you likely are not even aware of it. We spoke with Priscilla about how she comes up with all of these killer song ideas, what her experience has been in the industry, and everything she has coming up in a very bright future.

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Arts

Kesha's 10 Best Music Videos

From "Animal" to "Learn to Let Go," the Pop Singer Has an Incredible Visual Aesthetic.

Olivia Bee

From party girl to truth seeker, Kesha is one of the greatest of our time.

Kesha has been taken for granted. Years before her big comeback with 2017's Rainbow album, she was a saucy rockstar whose voice was only masked by thick layers of distortion, glitter-synths, and chewy Top 40 melodies. She has always displayed a ferocious appetite for bold visuals, often stretching what is real vs. fiction, often beckoning the viewer into a trippy landscape worthy of Alice in Wonderland, where things aren't always as they seem. Through several studio records and hit singles, she has injected mainstream pop with a healthy dose of fearlessness. Despite utilizing a vast array of directors, her music videos never lose that unique, incredibly odd Kesha signature, always feeling quirky and off-kilter without alienating potential fans.

Below, we've compiled our picks for 10 Best Kesha Music Videos. Take a look:


"C'Mon"

Directed by: Darren Craig

After quitting her tired day job at a local diner, cheekily called "Awful House," Kesha mounts a psychedelic adventure with life-sized versions of a cat, an owl, a rabbit, and a bear (oh my!) and other woodland creatures. They hop into a passenger van, in true Scooby Doo fashion, and go on a trip of shenanigans, which include, but are not limited to, robbing a few stores, stealing some delectable pastries and vibing hard in the grocery store. It's a simple concept but one which will get your blood pumping.

"Praying"

Directed by: Jonas Åkerlund

Kesha doesn't hold back in her first music video in nearly five years. Piano-based, the song chronicles her journey from darkness into the light. Instead of holding onto the misery and anger, she lets it go, and learns to not only fight for herself but forgive her abuser. The visual is stunningly vibrant, scrawled in neon reds and cool blues, as Kesha plods through the desert, bearing her cross and eventually coming to remarkable salvation. The strength was lost deep within her, and when she shed her tragic past, she regained an essential part of herself. She would never be the same again, but she reemerged more self-possessed and confident.

"Die Young"

Directed by: Darren Craig

On the run from the popo, the singer lives life on the very edge, uninhibited by the possibility of consequences. She's a wild child, unapologetically. Taking refuge in a secluded church, flanked by her trusty sidekicks and backup dancers, Kesha acts on impulse. The images flicker between slick dance movies, sensual poses, and an orgy-in-progress. It's sex-positive and evocative, and pretty on-brand for the then-burgeoning pop giant.

"Blow"

Directed by: Chris Marrs Piliero

"No mythical creatures were harmed in the making of this video," reads the title card, words splashed across a black background. Cut to: the singer having champagne with two unicorns dressed in suits -- telling a story about how she was elected to Parliament of Uzbekistan. She's a goofball; that's understood, as you'll see in much of her videography. She pushes the boundaries of reality and fantasy, blurring what is tangible before us and what is lurking in the shadows of our imaginations. Also, bonus points for a cameo from James Van Der Beek.

"Learn to Let Go"

Directed by: Isaac Ravishankara and Pebe Sebert

If there is one thing we all can learn from Kesha's monstrous comeback last summer, it's that we have control over whether we allow the past to haunt us and make us bitter and cynical. In "Learn to Let Go," the pop juggernaut revisits pivotal moments in her childhood as a way to reclaim that innocence before it was tragically stolen from her. "Choose redemption / Your happiness is up to you," she sings, wailing and dancing over a hearty drum-driven arrangement. She makes her way through the woods, tip-toeing and pulling memories out from her closet. It's as liberating as it is charming.

"Take It Off"

Directed by: Paul Hunter and Dori Oskowitz

Set in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world, Kesha and her vampire babe friends, as she so aptly describes, break into an abandoned hotel. As they begin to lose their inhibitions, not their clothes, they literally combust into rainbow-colored body dust, rolling around in an empty swimming pool. The star dust serves as a metaphor as one learns to embrace their freakish nature and live as their most authentic self.

"Your Love is My Drug"

Directed by: Honey

Kesha loves nature. Almost like doing peyote in the desert, her visual for "Your Love is My Drug" bends reality, from cartoon waves popping up out of nowhere to the nighttime ritual involving glowing neon body paint. The video eventually culminates in a classically psychedelic '70s hallucinatory mind-trip around the campfire ⎯⎯ the animated visage of the pop singer is a vibrant moment inspired by The Beatles. What could go wrong?

"Woman"

Directed by: Kesha and Lagan Sebert

Following comeback single "Praying," a searing ballad about her rise out of darkness, Kesha proved her signature no-fucks style hadn't gone completely away. She just updated with big brassy horns, thanks to The Dap-Kings Horns (known for working with the late Sharon Jones), and let her freak flag fly. "Woman" doesn't hold back, a song she wrote about President Trump's pussy-grabbing comments, a fearless anthem about what it means to be an independent woman in today's age. The visual is stunning, rich in throwback rock images and set in a dive bar flowing with glitter.

"Animal"

Directed by: Skinny

An intergalactic warrior, Kesha shoots to the end of the world in the gorgeous and spacey visual for "Animal," the titular cut of her 2010 debut album. The play of colors and exposures, against a back drop of planetary orbs, is striking, as she joined by an army of mask-donning dancers. The images spin at the speed of light, as she so commandingly declares over a feverish burst of club glitter, seemingly on the surface of the sun, yellow rays piercing the camera.

"Dirty Love"

Directed by: Kesha

"Death by glitter," writes Kesha in the description box of her "Dirty Love" video, which stages a burlesque-like explosion of sexual energy. She uncages her most animalistic urges onscreen, inhabiting the space between escape and lust. Bookended with VHS-style filter, the clip is grainy and taps into liberating primal instincts.


Jason Scott is a freelance music journalist with bylines in B-Sides & Badlands, Billboard, PopCrush, Ladygunn, Greatist, AXS, Uproxx, Paste and many others. Follow him on Twitter.


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