MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS 2013 -Timberlake sweeps board , Miley strips and Gaga wows , NSync reunite

The MTV Video Music Awards 2013 rocked Brooklyn's Barclay Centre in New York last night. A ceremony steeped in pop history and famed for its controversy and outrageous antics , once again provided many a talking point.
Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke shocked. Gaga paid tribute to past looks. N Sync reunited. Katy Perry performed in a boxing ring. One Direction was roundly booed. Taylor Swift showed her claws. Daft Punk turned up.

And amidst all that chaos , the iconic monument statues were handed out.

Lady Gaga returned to her hometown to open the show in suitably theatrical style with the much maligned Applause.
Gaga brushed off the widespread criticism and Twitter feuds with a fantastic performance. Throughout the frenetic performance, Gaga paid tribute to her past looks and didn't miss a beat.

Justin Timberlake was the big winner of the night picking up the big award of the night for Video of The Year and the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Timberlake delivered the performance of the night with a medley of his solo hits before he was joined on stage by his old band N'Sync

To a rapturous response , the reunited boyband launched into classic hits Girlfriend and Bye Bye Bye. Timberlake rounded off the near 15 minute performance with Suit And Tie and Mirrors.

Miley Cyrus provided the most talked about performance of the night. Performing with her smash hit We Can't Stop , the 20 year old was soon joined by Robin Thicke for a scandalous rendition of Blurred Lines. Cyrus stripped down to a flesh colored two piece and donned a white foam finger. She then preceded to twerk and gyrate against Thicke.
It was a cringeworthy , almost laughable performance that sets Twitter abuzz. Much of the reaction towards Cyrus was mostly negative. Kelly Clarkson waded in tweeting " just saw a couple of performances from the #VMAS...2 words #pitchystrippers "

Taylor Swift , who won another moonman last night for Best Female Video , was spotted allegedly mouthing "shut the fuck up " when One Direction were on stage.
One Direction who won a made up award , were roundly booed upon picking up the award and were stopped backstage by Lady Gaga who told them they deserved their success.

Katy Perry closed out the show under Brooklyn Bridge , dressed as a boxer to sing Roar. It was a sing-along moment to bring the curtain down on a spectacular show.
The other winners on the night included  Bruno Mars , Macklemore and Ryan Lewis , Pink , Selena Gomez . 30 Seconds To Mars and Austin Mahone.

Meanwhile Drake , Kanye West also performed whilst Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were joined by Jennifer Hudson for a spine tingling performance of the anthemic Same Love

The list of winners from the MTV Video Music Awards are shown below

MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS 2013

video of the year -Justin Timberlake "Mirrors "

best male video -Bruno Mars " Locked Out Of Heaven "

best female video -Taylor Swift "I Knew You Were Trouble "

best hip hop video -Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -2Cant Hold Us

best video with a social message -Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -"Same Love "

best rock video -30 Seconds To Mars " Up In The air "

best pop video -Selena Gomez " Come And Get It

best collaboration -Pink feat Nate Ruess " Just Give Me A Reason "

Madonna's 55 Greatest Hits

Fifty five years ago today. In Bay City , Michigan ,  a child was borne unto the world. That child would grow up to be the undisputed Queen Of Pop. That child was Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. The one and only Madonna.
Today , she turns 55 , in the same week her young pretenders Lady Gaga and Katy Perry battle it out.

Thirty years on from her eponymous debut album and the countless accolades , iconic hits , controversies and groundbreaking videos. Madonna is still unrivalled and the ultimate female pop icon.

To mark her glorious 55 years , below I list Madonna's 55 greatest hits. Not an easy task by any means. But have a browse , debate , discuss , and relive the Madonna memories.

• MADONNA'S TOP 55

1. LIKE A PRAYER

2. Into The Groove

3. Vogue

4. Holiday

5. Papa Don't Preach

6. True Blue

7. Express Yourself

8. Live To Tell

9.Ray Of Light

10. Like A Virgin

11. Material Girl

12. Crazy for You

13. Borderline

14.Open Your Heart

15. La Isla Bonita

16. Music

17. Dress You Up

18. Cherish

19. Secret

20. Frozen

21.Take A Bow

22. You'll See

23. The Power Of Goodbye

24. Lucky Star

25. Erotica

26. Burning Up

27. Who's That Girl

28. This Used To Be My Playground

29. Deeper And Deeper

30. Oh Father

31. Human Nature

32. Dont Tell Me

33.Rain

34. Drowned World/Substitute For Love

35. Hung Up

36. You Must Love Me

37. I'll Remember

38. Bad Girl

39. Hollywood

40. Die Another Day

41. Justify My Love

42. 4 Minutes

43. Dear Jessie

44. Dont Cry For Me Argentina

45. Causing A Commotion

46. Sorry

47. Get Together

48. Give It 2 Me

49. Bedtime Stories

50. What It Feels Like For A Girl

51. One More Chance

52.Nothing Really Matters

53. Girl Gone Wild

54. Angel

55. American Life

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