[Discuss] Divas Dominate List Of Most Viewed Vevo Videos Of 2013

It looks like our Divas are winning when it comes to Vevo views this year! Taking seven out of the ten places available, the female of the species well and truly dominated 2013's countdown of most viewed videos on the hated video platform. (Note: as far as I am concerned, Britney Spears is what made Scream and Shout such a success, so I consider that song another victory for the Divas)

Who should really be smiling reading this list, though, is Ms. Miley Ray Cyrus, as she takes both the gold and sliver places with singles Wrecking Ball and We Can't stop. Even more impressive than this feat, is that Wrecking ball reached a hundred million views in less than a week after it first premièred. It's since gone on to rack up almost four hundred millions views since its release in September! Yowza!

So were these videos deserving of their placing on the tally? Or did controversy, rather than musical talent, play a prominent role in their charting? Let me know in the comments. Also feel free to link to your favourite video of the year.

Check out the full list, as well as the videos featured, below!

[Discuss] The Grammy Awards Continue To Be Irrelevant With 2014 Nomination List

By now you guys should know how many f***s I give about the Grammy nominations and who goes on to win what on the night. The fact that I love the performances that intersect the show is pretty much the only reason I indulge the annual event.

I'm  just not here for any panel- especially one as shady as the Grammys- telling me what constitutes award winning music. The fact that Roar by Katy Perry made the list for Song and PERFORMANCE of the year, while someone like Janelle Monáe didn't even get a mention, only affirms their irrelevance to me.

But whatever, this list was asked for so I posted it. If your opinion about the importance of the awards is different from mine, that's totally cool. Feel free to discuss your thoughts on the nominations in the comments. I'd love to still read them.

The FULL list can be found here. I've mostly omitted the Classical stuff, but you can reference the missing numbers to see exactly what I excluded.

[Discussion] Lana Del Rey's "Tropico": A Work of Genius or Pretentious Pap?

Lana Del Rey's music and visuals have always been cinematic and dramatic in scope. And she's always worn her obsession for the Golden Age of Hollywood and Americana prominently on her sleeve. So is it any wonder that the singer-songwriter would take these passions a step further and release something more substantial than a four minute promo? Let me help you out: no it is not!  Everyone say "hello" to the Coney Island Queen's short film, Tropico.

But hold up! Before you take that leap into Lana's world, take a read of this Question and Answer session the director of Tropico, Anthony Mandler, had with Time. It should help prepare you for what you're going to see. Below is an extract from it explaining the process of collaborating with Lana and how the film is, at its heart, a love story (as if we couldn't figure that out ourselves!) :

TIME: There’s a lot going on in Tropico. How did Lana first explain the concept to you?
Anthony Mandler: Generally, when we work together, I get these long, written-out character breakdowns and story breakdowns. Some of it is very well-thought out, some of it is kind of stream-of-conscious. So my role has been to come in and shake the tree and realign things and make it do-able. Lana has these really wide, vast landscapes that she lays out, but she definitely has a very strong vision about the world she wants to fill out. It is a very collaborative process, especially on the front end.

Ultimately it’s a love story though, right?

Yes, I think it’s a love story between two people and a love story about loving yourself. It is that classic idea about breaking trust or breaking something sacred and how you find it again. Okay, so they are abolished from the Garden of Eden: now what? How do we push that forward through the modern lens? [We're looking] at this sort of modern hell on earth that people live in: working in a convenience store, stripping for money, not doing much of anything. There’s that moment — and I love it that [Shaun's character] Adam does it — where he goes, “It’s not always going to be this way.” The third act is about moving back to paradise and finding another Eden that’s not on Earth.

Source: Time.com

[Discuss] Lady Gaga Releases "Venus" Audio While Continuing to Mess-Up ArtPop Campaign

What is going on with Lady Gaga's promotional campaign this era? Artpop got off to an unplanned start when its lead single Applause leaked early, causing the campaign to start ahead of schedule. But that doesn't really excuse, or explain, what's been going on since then.

Venus was billed as the follow-up to Applause, and it seemed like control could finally be taken of the bolting horse. That was until preview/buzz track Do What U Want was (stupidly) released- spending all of ten seconds at number one on an Itune chart somewhere- prompting Gaga's team to give it second single status instead of the planned Venus.

Now that's fair enough. The reaction to the R. Kelly duet was good, so I can understand why they'd want to capitalise on a potential hit record. But with it getting the single treatment, why did team Gaga decide to confuse things by now releasing Venus -which is single number three- in its entirety. Surely it would have made sense to keep the public's focus squarely on Do What U Want, and not cannibalise and distract from it with a future single.

With the messy route being taken, the whole project is in danger of loosing the goodwill and anticipation that the months Gaga went AWOL built. I seriously don't understand how such a valuable commodity- to the record label- can be so dreadfully mismanaged, especially at such an important juncture in her career.

As for Venus, I like it. But it won't be replacing Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite as my favourite pop ode to a Goddess of love. Take a listen to it below, and let me know your thoughts on it and the ArtPop era in general.

[Discussion] Celine Dion Speaks About Music Industry And Over Sexualised Young Artists

Celine Dion is clearly a Diva who isn't afraid to give her opinion. Speaking to Access Hollywood on the promotional trail for new single Loved Me Back To Life, the Diva was asked her thoughts on the younger generation of music stars who use controversy to sell their product. But what did she say? Find out below...

[Discuss] Why Did MKS's "Flatline" Flop And What Can Stop Their Comeback suffering A Similar Fate?

MKS performed their first single Flatline live for SBTV in an acoustic fashion- and of course it was amazing. What was so gorgeous about this stripped back performance was how it highlighted how great their voices work together; with the ladies handling the alto, mezzo, and soprano roles of the harmonies without ever losing the individuality of their own voices.

[Discuss] Did Lady Gaga Come Off Worse After Twitter Battle With Perez Hilton?

Gaga is back, so guess what, so is the controversy. After calling for love and peace between all stanbases of the world [exhibit A], the singer-songwriter decided to follow that sentiment with a shot from her avant-garde crossbow at ex-bestie Perez Hilton,  and one-time idol Madonna.  So much for creating harmony amongst fans! [Exhibit B]

[Discuss] Should Rihanna Act More Like A Role Model and Less Like "Pop's Poisonous Princess"?

Rihanna has one again been cussed out in the media, this time for being a "toxic role model for her army of young fans". Citing the Umbrella singer's use of drugs, the rekindling of her relationship with abuser Chris brown, and her dress sense, columnist Liz Jones took to her platform at the Daily Fail Mail to spread her (childless) opinions on why Rihanna is corrupting a generation of kids.

Now, I'm not one to listen to Liz Jones at the best of times- I think she writes to troll- but this article was something else, even by her standards! When a supposedly educated individual can write the sentence, "She (Rihanna) promotes... the sort of fashion sense on stage that surely invites rape at worst, disrespect at least", you have to question if this individual is a sandwich short of a picnic. Since when did rape become the fault of the victim?

But what about some parity. Surely if women should be acting as role models for young girls, then their male counterparts should have the same consideration for the boys of today? Well, according to Liz, they needn't worry about it because, "young women are far more impressionable than young men". Really? That's not how I remember it! So being well behaved and "good" should only be practised by the female entertainers of this world? Sexist much? If these two statements alone don't make you question the sanity of this woman, I recommend you subscribe to her posts because you've found a (rare) friend in Liz!

[Discuss] Are We Liking Iggy Azalea? (Also, Check Out The Orchestral Version Of "Work")

I initially listened to Iggy Azalea's Work and hated it. But now I can't get enough of it! How does that happen? It's not like I kept listening to it over and over until my sense of taste relented. It was more like one second I hated it, the next I LOVED it. Stupid subconscious, always subverting my concious thoughts!!

From the compelling lyrics documenting her far from easy struggle to relevance, to the 1st Down and The Invisible Men trap-pop beat, Work is a tasty piece of pie that is as easy on the ear as it is on the eye- just check out the super hot video! I just wonder why I never noticed all this goodness the first time round. There's no denying there is an abrasive and grubby side to the whole project (and the rapper, herself), but that's something that only puts me further under Azalea's spell. After all there's nothing more boring than a plastic pop/rap/whatever star. 

So what's are your thoughts on Work, and more importantly Iggy Azalea? I know she's been on the scene since 2011 releasing mixtapes, but I honestly haven't paid her any mind until this song. As of now, I'm cautiously excited about her and am currently resisting the urge to dig up everything pre-work (lest I be bitterly disappointed). Instead, I'll wait until this year's Glory EP- which Work is taken from- is released before I come to any firm conclusions about Iggy.

But don't let that stop you guys having your say!

[Discussion] Who Is The Voice Of THIS Generation?

Christina Aguilera has been called the "Voice of a generation" by various media outlets and award ceremonies--but do we know why? It's all well and good giving a title to someone, but I've always felt it to be kind of redundant when no accompanying explanation was ever offered as to why they chose the singer they did.

With that in mind, I've been wanting, for the longest time (seriously, it's been so long in the making that my original title was going to be "Which Diva under 30 is the voice of our generation?"- and that was when Beyonce and Christina fell within that catchment age), to create a post that delved a little deeper into what exactly makes a singer worthy of such a title; all while offering up some other singers as potential contenders for the crown.

[Discuss] Drake Uses Deceased Muse, Aaliyah, on New Song "Enough Said"

Rapper Drake has made no bones about his adulation for deceased singer, Aaliyah. He even recently had a second tattoo dedicated to her- his first being a picture of her face on his back (!)- down the side of his torso.

Being such a prominent source of inspiration on his own career, it's little wonder that he would eventually create a song that featured Aaliyah. I just imagined that when that day came it would involve sampling material that was already out there! Instead, Drake has managed to get his hands on some unheard, unreleased material and created the "duet" Enough Said using it.

[Discuss] Britney Spears and Demi Lovato Join X-Factor Judging Panel.

Okay, I've kind of given up on reality talent shows of late, but I thought the fact that Divas Britney Spears and Demi Lovato had just been revealed to be taking up positions on season two of  X-Factor (US), it was worth posting on.

After jettisoning his own "friend", Cheryl Cole from series one, it was clear from the outset that no one was safe from Simon Cowell's chopping block and his evil quest for ratings and the success of his own talent show format.

Clearly unhappy with the state of things at the end of the first season, Cowell then turned his axe on Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and presenter Steve Jones in a radical move that left two bloodied seats on the panel up for grabs. Seats which Britney Spears- who collects a cool $15 million- and Demi Lovato will now occupy.