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Top 10 Naked Music Videos

By | Featured, Music

Whether they have a penchant for nudity, statement making, crowd shocking tendencies, or are simply desperate to shake things up in a revival attempt; these are our top ten naked music videos featuring some of the best known artists in the business. Sex sells, that’s an old cliché if ever there was one, but it still works, add in a little celebrity fairy dust and bingo you’ve got a million hits in one morning. This top ten list has it all when it comes to the nudity stakes – abs, pecs, butts and boobs, some very long tongue action and even some balletic sexual reenactments; enjoy!

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Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball

There’s no better way to reinvent yourself from perfect Disney princess to rebel with one hell of a cause, than to get naked (except for some hob nail boots of course) and swing around on a demolition ball, lick a hammer and shave off most of your hair. Here’s the sweet and innocent Miley Cyrus’ transformative music video Wrecking Ball which does not leave much to the imagination, except why on earth she chose those awful white knickers when she finally did put some clothing on?!

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Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines

Robin Thicke also needed some reinvention and he found it when Blurred Lines topped the charts and became a humungous success all over the world in 2013. He had a little help from his friends, Pharell and T.I., when he launched himself back out of obscurity and made a bomb with this track. The music video of course had its own little part to play in all this…you may not know this but the video that most of the public saw over and over and over again last year was not the only one to be released. The other video was the one that got all the boys talking. So, clever old Thicke hooked the ladies with his dulcet tones, slick suit and shades and lured in the guys with his unrated video of all the models stripped down to their birthday suits (bar a teeny tiny something you could call underwear and some platform trainers), bouncing around cutely between the three singers. Take a look at the previously, temporarily banned adult version of the Blurred Lines music video.

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Lady Gaga – Applause

Lady Gaga is no stranger to getting her kit off, we had plenty of footage to choose from with this young strip fanatic. Lady Gaga, née Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is a woman on a mission. She wanted to hit the big time and she went for it, getting naked is not exactly high on the list of shocking moments in her thus far illustrious career and she certainly is not reticent to baring all. Forget the dress made of meat, forget the McQueen ensembles, forget the masks and ever-changing hair styles (although she manages to squeeze in all of the above anyway) and take a look at Gaga unveiled in Applause. (OK she might not be strictly naked but can you count a bit of string and a couple of shells?=

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Britney Spears – Womanizer

Britney Spears may have had her troubles in the past, and may well again in the future but when it comes to buffing up her body and getting back out there she is a master. The video for Womanizer is a no-holds-barred depiction of a raunchy Britney in her entirety. She gets naked, sweaty, fries an egg in a sexy robe, gives a saucy secretary rendition, a red-headed waiter/waitress (?) and a sexy chauffer-ess who can drive using her 6’ heels in this tongue in cheek (sometimes) performance. The plot is to expose the guy she is seeing who has managed to womanize all of these different versions of her, but Britney wins in the end as she makes her bed without him in it.

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Katy Perry – California Gurls ft. Snoop Dogg

Katy Perry is yet another chameleon when it comes to her appearance, although a lot less Art Pop and more candy pop than Gaga she has had her fair share of costume and hair changes in her career. With a more Alice in Wonderland meets the Care Bears feel to it; California Gurls features Snoop Dogg and also a butt naked Katy Perry laying on a pink fluffy cloud in this sickly sweet video about the girls from the West Coast.


 

Blink-182 – What’s My Age Again

Blink-182 do the naked thing properly in this video, they are stripped bare running through the streets, playing their instruments, playing basketball, and even the odd cartwheel whilst distracting the general public with….their nakedness! Check out the video to What’s My Age Again for some full on Blink-182 which will really make you blink.

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D’Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel)

In keeping with the male theme for a moment, a treat for the ladies is upon us. D’angelo’s Untitled (How Does it Feel) video is basically a close up head shot of the rather stunning (and naked of course) man with a simple black backdrop. The camera pans out to reveal more unveiling the top of his hips (strangely similar to a Ken doll) and then back to a facial close up, then some trickly sweaty ab close ups and an odd nipple grab, a slow spin around to show off the back, a few more pan in and outs, some more warbling and that`s all there is to it in this up close and personal eye candy video; you even get a zoom in on his molars.


 

Alanis Morissette – Thank U

This one deserves a mention just because it is Alanis Morissette for one thing and also because she is naked for the duration. This is not a ploy for attention or a desperate reach out for viewers, this is an artistic video, it is not crass nor does it appeal to the masses for admiration. The song is about admitting your faults, your flaws, thanking the world for the emotions we experience in a positive way and letting it all out; the video depicts the same thing in the physical sense. It is simple, it touches on the greater sides of humanity and it is, despite Alanis’ fairly odd, quirky delivery, quite beautiful. And it’s a good song – Thank You!

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Sigur Rós – Fjögur Píanó

Sigur Rós features a very different Shia Le Boeuf in Fjögur Píanó, an incredible arthouse video depicting two lovers and their journey through a day in their life via dance and a bit of hallucination. The film starts with the pair discovering their post-coital cuts and bruises and performing a very sensual ballet rendition of their sexual acts. This is quite beautifully choreographed, and many scenes show full nudity. Shia is definitely not shy when it comes to revealing all, yes all. They then go on a seemingly drug induced trip whilst licking some hallucinogenic lollipops, which is all slightly surreal and odd but very entertaining. They then have a huge fight and wake up the following morning in much the same situation; Groundhog Day?

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Robbie Williams – Rock DJ

Robbie Williams’ Rock DJ has to get a mention when it comes to naked videos, because, well he bares more than just his body in this depiction of how to get attention. Assuming this is a reflection of life under the spotlight and how you literally have to bare it all to get ahead in show business, sell your soul if you have to. This gets a rather incredible almost horrific spin as he strips off his clothes initially to raise some interest – when this fails he starts to give more and more of himself to the crowd as he peels of his flesh and launches it at them. The girls go mad for literal pieces of Robbie…warning, this is pretty gruesome.

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Gotye – Someone That I Used To Know ft. Kimba

And who could forget the one hit classic; Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know feat. Kimba. The video depicts Gotye’s naked body being gradually painted from head to toe with abstract shapes as he eventually blends in with the background, and then an also painted, also naked Kimba pops in for her de-painting and verse of the catchy tune that had us all singing along in 2011.

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Band Aid 30 – Do They Know It’s Christmas? (2014)

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Here is the new Band Aid 30 song which is raising funds to stop the Ebola virus. Featuring an all-star lineup of more than 30 artists it premiered last night on the X Factor.

Bob Geldolf introduced the track on the X Factor, describing Ebola as “the most anti-human disease”.

“We can stop it, and we will stop it, and we will support those immensely brave 1,000 NHS workers, those young doctors and nurses who are going down there, those young soldiers… and the governments who are leading the world on this,” he said.

The video shows the stars arriving at the studios and recording the track but preceding this you see 16 seconds of footage that shows aid workers tending to a seriously ill woman. Geldof explained: “We wanted to show you the context in which this was done yesterday. It’s harrowing. It’s not meant for an entertainment show, but we need you to see this…

“We’re going to stop this thing. Buy this song.”

The first version of the song raised £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia and was recorded again in 1989 and 2004. The new version of the song includes updated lyrics to reflect the struggle against Ebola and the utter devastation it is causing in Africa.

The song is available to download from today (Monday November 17) costing 99p (1.29 euros) and a CD version will be released in three weeks, costing £4.

Download now on iTunes – http://po.st/DoTheyKnow
Google Play – http://po.st/DoTheyKnowGp

You can donate here: http://www.bandaid30.com/donate

The physical CD single is available to pre-order here: http://po.st/CDsingle
Or you can pre-order it on Amazon here: http://po.st/DoTheyKnowAm

Full list of participating artists: Midge Ure / Clean Bandit / Sam Smith / One Direction / Ellie Goulding / Sinead O’Connor / Underworld / Roger Taylor / Paul Epworth / Ed Sheeran / Robert Plant / Disclosure / Olly Murs / Jimmy Napes / Elbow / Emeli Sande / Angélique Kidjo / Rita Ora / Paloma Faith / Chris Martin / Bono / Bastille / Jessie Ware / Fuse ODG /Seal and YouTube stars : Zoella, Alfie Deyes and Joe Sugg.

 

Pink Floyd – Louder Than Words

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Legendary rock group Pink Floyd is on track for their first Nº1 album in nearly 20 years! One of the tracks Louder than Words, the only song on the album that has any lyrics, has a powerful music video filmed in Chernobyl, Ukraine. The song is seen by many as a tribute to the friendship among the members of Pink Floyd. “It’s certainly a strong suggestion that that could be, that it is about the band, but it could also be seen as a couple and their relationship,” band member Nick Mason said.

The video has a strong environmental message as well, filmed around what was once the Aral Sea. In days gone by the Aral Sea was the fourth-largest inland body of water in the world. The diversion of water during Soviet times from Central Asia’s two great rivers — the Syr-Darya and Amu-Darya – into the cotton fields of the region have shrunk the lake to some 10 percent of its original size in less than 100 years. Fishing boats that were once active now lay rusting in the desert many kilometers from where the shores of the lake are now.

Aubrey Powell, the creative director for Pink Floyd (working with the band since 1967) said that it was the surreal quality of the ships that appealed to him visually. Powell said the video is “not so much about the disaster – that’s been written about endlessly – but more about a generational thing, more about what it means to the younger generation, the children of the impoverished and disenfranchised communities around the Aral Sea that have lost fishing and culture.”

The end of the video is dominated by children playing in lost ships in a completely desolate landscape. Powell said, “that’s in part what the film is about and it’s about the fact of their loss and their only knowledge of the sea, and the beauty of that sea, and what it represented to their community, is through their grandparents or their parents, but they [the children] will never know.”

Azealia Banks – Chasing Time

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Azealia Banks has released a trippy music video for her latest single Chasing Time. It has some superb dance sequences, wildly outrageous costumes and surreal digital effects. These days it’s hard to know what’s SFW and what’s NSFW, but suffice it to say that some of the costumes leave very little to the imagination – definitely PG-13.

Directed by Marc Klasfeld, the black and white clip is beautifully minimalistic and reminds you of the sci-fi music video greats like Michael and Janet Jackson’s Scream or TLC’s No Scrubs.

This breezy rap track could easely be mistaken for a romantic relationship that’s gone wrong but actually it was written just before Banks parted company with her former record label Interscope. During a recent show in London Banks talked about the struggles she had with the label: “I remember the first time I handed it in, they called me and they were like, ‘You know Azealia, we really like this music, this is really cool, but there’s nothing we can play on the radio. Can you make something that’s not so cool?’ So I went back into the studio and I made this song called ‘Chasing Time’. I think it’s the one.”

Chasing Time, released as a single a few months ago, is the latest cut from Banks’s long-awaited debut album Broke with Expensive Taste. It comes 3 years after her breakout single 212 and features producers like AraabMuzik and Machinedrum, a guest verse from Theophilus London and a collaboration with Ariel Pink. It’s currently No. 2 on Rap Albums and No. 3 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums on the US Billboard charts.

A magnetic kind of melancholy

By | Featured, Music

This 24-year-old Angelino singer-songwriter mounts enchanting, effortless vocals on a daydreamy backdrop for an entirely timeless yet refreshing new blend of soul & folk music. Predisposed for musical merit, Williams continues the story set in motion by her father David Williams, whose guitar-playing genius lent itself to the likes of Michael Jackson & Whitney Houston.

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Writing her own chapter in the legacy, Williams has cultivated her talent from an early age. In 4th grade, she was selected to perform Hard Knock Life with Jay-Z for a TV special. Cut to today and she is still gaining nods in the hip-hop scene, most recently collaborating with Freddie Gibbs on his single The Hard.

Further proof of her ever broadening appeal can be found on YouTube, where her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams alongside Leighton Meester has acquired over 2 million views.

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Having given fans a teasing taste last year with her debut single, ironically titled, Keep Me Waiting, Williams released her 5-track The Lonely One EP on March 25, 2014. This was followed by national TV exposure on ABC’s Rising Star, which saw her being voted into the final by 4 million viewers!

Earlier this year you released your first EP titled The Lonely One. How would you describe it’s sound / vibe?
I would describe the sound of my first EP as melancholy/dreamy/soul/folk.

Dana Williams – The Lonely One

We love your cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, sung alongside Gossip Girls’ star Leighton Meester. We want to know why there are not more of these videos on YouTube – are there future plans for more poolside sessions?
We have had conflicting schedules over the past few months but plan on releasing more duets together! And, I am not sure if they will be poolside.

Dana Williams and Leighton Meester – Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover)

What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life journey?
At this point, I am just proud that I have been able to continue to make music, share it with others, and follow my dream.

Have you ever leant towards a different career path, or have you always wanted to be a musician?
I always wanted to be a musician, but I have always been incredibly shy, so in college I considered being a poet. I considered just writing poetry and songs for other people and avoid performing my own music. But then I realized that my passion was performing my music for people and it honestly makes me the happiest to perform. Also, I can still write poetry and be a musician! 🙂

Dana Williams – Keep Me Waiting

Not everyone that knows about you, knows that your late father was a guitar player for Michael Jackson. That’s quite a legacy. How has your father’s influence affected the way you view music and the world around you?
Well, since I grew up in a musical family, music comes as second nature to me. It makes it more of a lifestyle. Whereas, when people ask me ‘what else would you want to do?’ there really are no other options, music is a part of my soul and I couldn’t live without it and I think that has a bit to do with the fact that I grew up around it.

When you were on ABC’s show The Rising Star you performed live to millions of people. We got goosebumps ourselves watching your powerful performance. What was going through your head while you were giving it your all on stage?
I was mostly just thinking: ‘everyone is staring at me, and I better not mess up’ because since it’s shot live, if you make a mistake it will be caught on camera and reported in the news and that was the most stressful thing for me. Performing for a live studio audience is weird, because when you play a live show everyone is there to see you and they know your music and they are into it, but for a studio audience, the energy is slow, the audience has to be quiet while we are shooting and everyone is sitting down, so they just sit and stare at you and it’s hard to tell if they’re enjoying it or not.

Dana Williams – Stay (Rising Star 2014 performance)

During your time on the show you were praised endlessly but also you were constantly being judged. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve taken away from the whole experience?
Well, there were some times where the criticism got to me. But at the end of the day you have to do what’s best for yourself. The biggest lesson I learned was that it’s important to connect with the audience (in this case….a camera). I learned a lot about my performance and how to improve upon that.

Give us your top three artists in todays scene that you’d want to work with.
Chance the Rapper, Spooky Black and Shakey Graves.

One reason why your songs are so popular is because real people can really relate to them. With your sound and the raw emotion you project in your lyrics, you manage to create this world that people already know. They get that feeling of ‘This song is about my life’ or even ‘I remember feeling that way, or being in that place.’ How does it feel knowing that you strike this chord in so many others?
It’s nice to know that I strike a chord with so many others. I write about my personal life experiences, finding love and then losing it, and I feel like love is something everyone can relate to. Every person loves. Even dogs love.

Dana Williams – Right Now

You’ve recently performed alongside rapper Freddie Gibbs at the 3rd Annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. How did you and Freddie first meet, and how did you come to feature in his 2012 song The Hard?
I met Freddie through my cousin. He accompanied her to one of my first shows at a restaurant in West Hollywood, like two and a half years ago, and afterwards he said, “I like your vibe, let’s do a song together” and then we did! He pulled a few tracks for me, but the one that ended up being The Hard was the one that I think we both preferred.

Freddie Gibs – The Hard ft. Dana Williams

What would you say draws you in to this kind of real and gritty rap music… What resonates with you?
I’m not sure what draws me into any kind of music really. I just like good music. It doesn’t matter if it’s rap, country, blues, soul, classical, I am just drawn to good music and Freddie is a really talented rapper and that’s what draws me in.

We want to know what you have lined up for 2015?

I have some new videos and music lined up which I am very excited about! I have been writing new stuff, so more content then last year I would hope! And some potential collaborations 🙂

Finally, looking back over 2014, what would you say is the most fun you’ve had?
The most fun I’ve had is probably playing shows with Leighton and singing duets with her. I really appreciate her support, and I love performing my music for live audiences!

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Dana Williams chose our Sunday Sessions this week. Click here for the playlist!

Follow Dana Williams on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or visit her Website.


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Showtime with the hit man!

By | Featured, Music

David Foster is a legendary musician, songwriter and one of the most successful record producers in history, creating albums that have collectively sold in the hundreds of millions. He is the king of pop, the hit man, the No. 1 music producer in the world. In the course of his enviable career, he has worked with just about every star in the business.

Before he became such a legend he received a valuable piece of advice from legendary music impresario Quincy Jones. “He said to me, ‘If something isn’t exactly the way you think it should be, don’t put your name on it,’” Foster recalls. “His words of advice had a great impact on me, and since then I’ve always fought for my artistic vision. I don’t always win, but I know when an artist hires me, it’s my job to push them toward greatness, and to get something out of them they didn’t know was there. My personal motto has become, ‘compromise breeds mediocrity.’”

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This philosophy has shaped the way Foster has approached everything in his more than four decades as a musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, and recording artist. It is the reason why superstars like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Wonder have trusted him with their voices and to help them realize their musical dreams.

Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards (and 45 nominations), including three for Producer of the Year, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and racked up three Oscar nominations for “Best Original Song”. In June 2010, he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame.

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In 2012 Foster entered a new phase in his career, becoming the chairman of Universal’s Verve Music Group. His mission, he says, is to turn the fabled jazz label (founded in 1956 and home to Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, and other jazz luminaires) into the premier label for singing legends and legends in the making. The label’s roster includes Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, and Natalie Cole. Foster recently signed Grammy-winning artist Sarah McLachlan and R&B-soul great Smokey Robinson. Foster also has his eye on the next generation of talent, having signed Malaysian singer Yuna and Swedish YouTube sensations Dirty Loops, a virtuoso trio who blend jazz, rock, pop, and dance music into a unique hybrid all their own. “As a musician, artist, writer and producer, I’ve been on both sides of the glass in the studio,” Foster says. “I feel like I’ve been prepping for this new job for 40 years.”

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Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster began studying piano at age four. As the story goes, his mother was dusting the family piano, hit one of the keys, and was shocked when David correctly called out, “That’s an E!”, thus discovering he had perfect pitch. The son of a maintenance yard superintendent and a homemaker, Foster has chronicled his life in the highly regarded, best-selling autobiography Hit Man. The book is filled with page-turning, eye-opening anecdotes — from Foster joining Chuck Berry’s band at age 16 to sitting in Paul McCartney’s kitchen talking to him about the day The Beatles broke up.

In May last year, Foster received his star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located on Vine Street in front of the iconic Capitol Records building, adjacent to the stars of his musical heroes — John, Paul, George and Ringo — a thrill for the self-described “biggest Beatles fan on the planet.”

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We have compiled a Showtime playlist based on the wildly successful PBS specials, Hit Man: David Foster and Friends, in which Foster plays master of ceremony and also accompanies a staggering lineup of stars.

1 – Chaka Khan – Through the Fire
2 – Earth, Wind & Fire – September / After the Love has Gone
3 – Ne-Yo/Charice/Robert Randolph – Earth Song
4 – Natalie Cole – This Will Be
5 – Lara Fabian & Michael Bolton – The Prayer
6 – Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire (Feat. Kenny G)
7 – Donna Summer – Last Dance
8 – Michael Buble – Save The Last Dance For Me
9 – Earth, Wind & Fire – In The Stone/ September Medley
10 – Babyface (Kenny Edmonds) – I Swear
11 – All-4-One – Medley
12 – Seal / Michael Bolton – hen a Man Loves a Woman / It’s a Man’s World
13 – Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman
14 – Martina McBride – Smile
14 – Eric Benet – Chocolate Legs

Hit Man: David Foster

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Foster has made charitable work his life’s other priority. The David Foster Foundation work to provide financial support to Canadian families with children undergoing life-saving organ transplants. Over the past quarter century, the Foundation has helped more than 700 families and provided millions of dollars in direct support. In addition to easing financial stresses, the Foundation also strives to increase organ donor awareness and registration in Canada and the United States. If you’d like to learn more about the David Foster Foundation or find out how to sign up to be an organ donor, please visit www.davidfosterfoundation.com

Follow David:
Twitter: twitter.com/officialdfoster
Facebook: facebook.com/davidfostermusic
Websites: davidfoster.com / VerveMusicGroup.com / davidfosterfoundation.com/


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Fifty Shades of Grey Official Trailer Nº2

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A second full-length trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey has just been released by Universal Pictures! There’s way more sexual tension and on-screen chemistry this time round. We see much more of Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) developing their romance. Those hoping to see a lot more of Dornan might be disappointed to learn that there are no full-frontal naked scenes in the movie, according to a recent interview with the actor.

The first trailer gave us a small glimpse into whether these two relatively new actors would do their characters justice, whereas this trailer explores more of the plot’s key point and shows the great on-screen chemistry between the two. They come off as a really convincing couple and the sexual tension is pretty impressive. Anastasia is worried that he is trying to change her, but “it’s you who’s changing me”, Christian responds.

There’s also more of Beyonce’s sultry voice in Haunted, which adds even more sex appeal. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the supporting cast features Rita Ora, Marcia Gay Harden, Max Martini, Eloise Mumford, Jennifer Ehle, Luke Grimes and Victor Rasuk.

Fifty Shades of Grey will hit theatres on Valentine’s Day 2015.

Nicole Scherzinger – Run

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Nicole Scherzinger shows her softer side in a classy new video for the emotional power ballad Run, about her on/off romance with Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton. During the recording of he video she was brought to tears, “The song is deeply personal to me and it does show another side to me, a vulnerable side that people don’t normally get to see, a more raw side, an authentic side,” Nicole told Rap-Up TV in a recent interview.

This bittersweet ballad, produced by Felix Snow, with its intensely emotional vocal does show off the diva’s powerful voice. The video, set in a beautiful stately home, is very understated and vulnerable – the perfect treatment for the song.

Run is the third single from Scherzinger’s sophomore album Big Fat Lie which features a collaboration with T.I. and production from Tricky Stewart and The-Dream. Scherzinger has cited Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope (1997) and Sade as major influences. She said that the album is “vibey, it’s cool, it’s got a lot of soul and it’s a very personal album to me.” Her short-lived break-up with boyfriend Lewis Hamilton was the main inspiration behind the new album. The 36-year-old star started dating Hamilton in 2007, before breaking up three years later. They briefly got together twice more over the next two years and finally got back together for good in March 2014. She has hinted that marriage could be on the cards in the future.

 

Top 10 music related TED talks

By | Featured, Music

TED runs lectures on all sorts of cultural and scientific issues and is seen as one of the most easily accessible intellectual hubs out there. From looking into how sampling has affected the music industry to eleven year old violinists, here are our Top 10 music related TED talks that are really worth watching.

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Mark Ronson – How sampling transformed music


Mark Ronson, the Brit Award winning musician, DJ, singer and song producer talks about how sampling transformed music. He demonstrates examples of how sampling works during this TED talk using the latest equipment. The English superstar speaks candidly about his obsessions with fiddling about with other people’s music, picking out the bits he likes and using them for his own benefit. The intent of this highly original talk is to explain how much variation and opportunity there is in making music, now that sampling has become commonplace. Take a look and see him in action sampling fifteen different TED talks to make one “audio-visual omelette”.

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Sting – How I Started Writing Songs Again


You may assume that lyrical geniuses have it easy when it comes to churning out lyrics but, in this popular TED talk, Sting explains how he suffered from writers block for many years. To overcome this songwriting drought he utilized his memories of the misery that was his monotonous occupation as a young man working in a shipyard for material. He performs a song from his upcoming musical and also a rendition of Message in A Bottle.


Beardyman – The Polyphonic Me


This is an incredible performance of mimicry and technology alongside an astonishing musical talent. Beardyman struggled with the idea that as a human he could only produce one note at a time and so, being a musical inventor decided to create a machine that could loop and layer sounds he makes with his voice. His ability to copy a whole host of worldly sounds and perfectly imitate almost any musical instrument is remarkable; this piece is one of the most watched musical TED talks going.

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Jennifer Lin – Improvising on piano aged 14


This is a truly incredible young lady, at such a young age her improvisation skills and piano dexterity is something to behold. She is a very talented young girl; she displays here as she comments on the process of creativity and then selects a sequence of random notes which she uses to create an amazing improvised piece of music. And did I mention she is only FOURTEEN?

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Eric Whitacre – A Virtual Choir 2000 Voices Strong


This is an innovative and astounding visual and audio performance. Eric Whitacre, the Grammy-winning American composer and conductor, known for his choral, orchestral and wind ensemble music, has been involved in many “virtual choir” assemblies, however, this is the first time he has done it live and simultaneously. His usual method is to cut and splice different singers from different countries to create his pieces. This time he is working in real time as he utilizes the technology of Skype to bring together 32 singers from around the globe to join an onstage choir performing his Cloudburst based on a poem by Octavio Paz. The conductor and composer excels himself with this performance which has inspired millions.

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Clayton Cameron – A-rhythm-etic


Jazz, funk, hip hop, pop, latin, R&B, Clayton Cameron can drum the beats to all these musical genres. In this TED talk he speaks about how all beats have one thing in common, mathematics. This is what the drummer calls a-ryhtm-etic. He breaks down and explains the equations behind the beat whilst playing them out on the drum using his famous brushes. He gets the audience involved while he delivers this interesting talk which has over a million views.

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Sleepy Man Banjo Boys – Bluegrass Virtuosity from New Jersey


These boys are just incredible. They are all under the age of sixteen but can play a Bluegrass tune like the best of them. Having grown up in New Jersey, not famous at all for its Bluegrass music, these kids have been covering and writing songs since a very young age. They are amazingly talented and will have your toes a-twitching while you watch them perform three marvelous songs on the banjo and guitar; truly awe-inspiring stuff that has almost two million views!


Sirena Huang – An 11 year old’s magical violin


This is another incredible performance. This 11 year old girl is a fiercely talented musician as she displays here in this TED piece. She gives a charming introduction where she praises the design of her instrument as timeless. Sirena is a beautiful violinist; this is one not to be missed, nearly achieving two million TED views.

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Preston Reed & Usman Riaz – A Young Guitarist Meets His Hero


Usman Riaz is a self taught percussive guitarist and is pretty amazing. He spent many years watching YouTube videos of famous musicians playing the instrument in order to learn how to play. He performs an incredible piece in this TED clip. If that wasn’t inspiring enough along comes one of the best in the field, Preston Reed who will blow you away with his performance. This is followed up by an incredible improvised piece by both artists combined.


David Pogue – The Music Wars


David Pogue is an American technology writer and TV science presenter. Pogue has written, or co-written, seven books in the For Dummies series (including Mac computers, magic, opera, and classical music). The Yahoo tech columnist discusses downloading issues during this “satirical mini-medley”. This is a very clever piece which features Sonny & Cher and The Village People.

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Marina and the Diamonds – Froot

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Marina and The Diamonds goes femme fatal in her new Froot music video. This gorgeous retro visual is stuffed full of old Hollywood style and is a luxuriously hazy sight to behold. Directed by Chino Moya the video is reminiscent of Madonna’s Vogue – fashion aficionados will love it for the old school outfits alone!

Froot is the first single from Marina and the Diamonds upcoming third album of the same name and will be released on April 3, 2015. The last album was Electra Heart (2012), and it went straight to Nº1 on the UK charts as soon as it was released.

Marina Diamandis describes the new album as ‘reflective’. She recently spoke about her struggles with depression and how this affected the process of making the album: “It was almost like I had been burdened by something my whole life and then suddenly that went away… I can’t even describe how amazing it is… you suddenly realise why people are happy and why people enjoy things. I think I used to believe that being depressed was part of my personality or that I was born like that, but it’s quite shocking to realise that perhaps that isn’t the case.”

Diamandis continued: “I think this new album is much more reflective. It’s also centred around extremely different things; half of the album is about a relationship that I had to end. It’s not something I feel good about, and it’s not something I’d really addressed before in my songwriting. In pop music in general it’s always this spurned ex-lover type of thing, but this time it wasn’t that at all. It was more like the guilt that you have to deal with that comes from hurting someone else. It’s just as hard as being rejected or dumped.”

The album is now available for pre order on iTunes. Diamandis surprised her fans by posting the official track listing on Twitter a few days ago. Refreshingly, nearly all the titles are just one word: