THE VERDICT - Lady Gaga "Applause "

Hype , fanfare , polarizing opinions , controversy and the rabid devotion of Little Monsters. These are just some of the certainties that come when Lady Gaga releases a brand new single.
Born This Way is now but a distant memory and the ARTPOP era is upon us. And like everything that is Gaga , an interesting , brilliantly bizarre pop odyssey awaits. For love or loathe her , everybody talks about Gaga. As loved as she is derided. And shes taken quite the pummelling this week.

So to Applause , the rush released single thats been out a few days now and has again split pop fans right down the middle. It's no Bad Romance. But then was it ever going to be ?
Instead , we get a narcissistic , frenetic , glampop stomper that is thrilling but takes a few listens to hook you in.
The panto villain vocals on the verse are underwhelming. The bridge of " I live for the applause , applause , applause " with its hand claps is glorious. the indecipherable chorus is fast and frantic , and utterly catchy.

It's a brash , confident return from the best popstar in the world. Yes I said it. But , lets be honest , Applause does lack something. There does feel like there is something missing. And no way is it one of her strongest singles.
But when you've produced some bona fide classic pop songs such as Poker Face , Bad Romance , Edge Of Glory , Paparazzi and Marry the Night , what do you expect.

Gaga has exceeded expectations as much as she has failed to match them in her short but blistering pop career. She doesn't help herself either with her overhyping and narcissism towards every new project. It irritates and alienates people.
In her defence though , I would rather a popstar like Gaga. Her over the top fashion , epic award show performances and try hard but still entertaining eccentricity.

Michael Jackson has passed away. Madonna is in the twilight of her career. We need popstars like Gaga. We need artists like Gaga. She IS the greatest thing to happen to pop music in the 21st century, whether you like her or not. The backlash against her was inevitable. The fanwars is tedious and pointless.


Applause is not a solid start to the ARTPOP era. But nor is it the failure her detractors are positively baying for. Until November when ARTPOP is finally unleashed , will we judge whether there is something rotten in the Haus of Gaga.
Love her. Hate her. Ignore her. But write her off at your peril.


Applause is available now on iTunes.

Watch the lyric video for Lady Gaga's " Applause " below

THE VERDICT -Katy Perry " Roar "

First off , I'll be honest. Katy Perry has always been a popstar I've had a love/hate relationship with. Yes, she's had phenomenally brilliant pop songs and videos. Indeed , there is much I admire about her. The Teenage Dream campaign was beautifully orchestrated.
An incredible run of hits and the videos were some of the best pop promos of recent years. When Perry first burst onto the scene in summer 2008 with I Kissed A Girl , I was instantly smitten. Reinforced by the excellent Hot n Cold and the still brilliant romp Waking Up In Vegas.

What grated me about Perry though was her voice. Forgive me, but even to this day , it always seems like Perry had something straining in her vocal chords. Watching her sing live on awards shows was somewhat painful. I'm not saying she cant sing. In fact , her voice is distinctive , sounds better to me on ballads and acoustic versions of her big hits. I've never attended a Katy Perry live show , so I can't fully judge her live credentials.
And in a nutshell , I've always found her completely overrated. And I will admit that I would have loved my preferred female artists like Pink and indeed Gaga to have had the chart success the singles from Teenage Dream had.

I admire Perry and her record company for milking that album and giving us some incredible pop videos. Why stop at 4 or 5 singles? Who makes these rules. She saw an opportunity and grabbed it , and I applaud her for it.

And so , after the runaway success of the Teenage Dream era , laid to rest in one of the new promos, Perry now finds herself as a bona fide pop behemoth. Up there with Gaga , Beyonce  and Rihanna. Judging by the hype around Roar , she may very well wipe the floor with the lot of them commercially when Prism drops in October.

The much hyped Roar leaked in full on Soundcloud yesterday. And once again , Perry has plucked another worldwide smash and another Billboard chart topper. It's anthemic , empowering pop with a fist in the air chorus.
Theres the Its A Hard Knock Life aping beats , and then the song really comes to life when Perry reaches the " I've got the eye of the tiger " part. And that chorus is irresistible. The song is nothing spectacular , nor is it a disappointment.
Perry plays it safe , in effect Roar is business as usual. The perfect opening salvo for the post -Teenage Dream era.
Expect Roar to top iTunes charts worldwide this week. No doubt , you're gonna hear Katy roar.

Katy Perry teases "Roar " single

Katy Perry has revealed a 30 second teaser video for forthcoming single Roar. The clip shows Perry emerging from the darkness and setting fire to her famous baby blue wig , made famous in her California Gurls video.
A statement of intent to kick off her Prism album campaign, the video suggests Perry is shedding her bubblegum pop image of Teenage Dream , and opting for a more  mature , edgy direction.

Roar will premiere on August 12th , Prism will follow on  October 22nd.

Mutya Keisha Siobhan wow in live comeback

Mutya Keisha Siobhan made their eagerly anticipated live coomeback at London's Scala last night to a rapturous reception. It marked their first live gig in 12 years and fans and critics alike were not disappointed.

The girls performed new material such as forthcoming single Flatline , new songs Boys and No Regrets.

They also performed the old Sugababes classics such as Overload , Stronger , Freak Like Me , Run For Cover and Push The Button , to wild applause.

The girls headline Birmingham Pride this weekend and that much anticipated album is now set for early 2014 release.

Listen to Flatline below

Calvin Harris to achieve chart record

Calvin Harris , who co-headlines Ireland's Oxegen festival this weekend , is on course for more chart glory. Harris is practically sneezing out the hits these days. Having already broken a Michael Jackson chart record , he is set to become the first artist to have NINE UK Top 10 singles from just ONE album.

The Scottish hitmaker's latest cut from the massive 19 Months , the Ayah Marar assisted Thinking Bout You , is currently set for a Top 10 placing on Sunday ,  cementing Harris in the history books. It's a massive achievement for the ever popular DJ.

His run of Top 10 singles stretches back to June 2011 with Bounce , followed by Feels So Close , We Found Love , Let's Go , We'll be Coming Back , Sweet Nothing , Drinking From The Bottle and I Need Your Love. 

Calvin Harris headlines the main stage of the Oxegen festival in Ireland tomorrow night. Watch the video for Thinking Bout You below

Lana's Summertime smash

Lana Del Rey is set to claim her biggest hit this weekend. A Cedric Gervais remix of her already sublime Summertime Sadness , has stormed the iTunes charts putting her on course for a Top 5 smash. The track continues to gather momentum and dont bet against it giving her the first Number 1 single of her career.

Del Rey's previous chart best was Number 9 with both Video Games and Born To Die , but Summertime Sadness is set to eclipse both.

Listen to the Cedric Gervais remix of Lana Del Rey's Summertime Sadness below

Christianoshi reveals " Gays Love Beyonce " mixtape

You'll remember I featured the fantastic London electropop king in waiting Christianoshi a few months ago here on The Playlist.
Well , his debut album is imminent as he told me recently - "I am happy to announce my 10 track electro-pop debut album is almost ready for release. But as soon seems a longer than usual concept in todays pop climate , so i won't pretend to know exactly when its out "

Good news as I've tipped his hedonistic , sexy electro-pop to soundtrack many a Saturday night or late night booty call. In the meantime though , Christianoshi has created a blistering mixtape , brilliantly titled Gays Love Beyonce.
" It's a collection of urban tinged tunes I feel accompany heatwave days , including Kylie and M.I.A's latest noisy pop songs , classic gems in remix form or otherwise , a smidgeon of underground pop including a brand new song from me called Baby. Some obligatory AlunaGeorge, and a Nicola Roberts instrumental to boot.
And in the absence of an as yet decent Flatline remix , I have mashed Mutya Keisha Siobhan up with some Tensnake to justify its rightful place towards the banging outro "


Gays Love Beyonce perfectly illustrates Christianoshi's gloriously eclectic musical tastes and leanings. Everyone from Major Lazar ,  R&B queens Brownstone , Fischerspooner and Cassie rub shoulders. It's a corker and brilliantly thought out and put together. His new track Baby , which features during this sensory riot sounds extremely promising.

So , head on over to https://soundcloud.com/christianoshi/gays-love-beyonce-mixtape and download it for yourself. And while you're there please do check out Christianoshi. You won't regret it. Gays may love Beyonce , but pretty soon hey'll be head over heels for Christianoshi