Music has been embedded in my life ever since I was in the womb, my Mum and Dad basically raised me on music, especially POP music! I grew up listening to Madonna, Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, Spice Girls, Britney Spears and even AQUA and I’ve always been obsessed with Eurovison! I love sharing my favourite songs and album every month with the world from Scene HQ!
Feel free to check out my socials here 🙂
Cazzi Opeia – Give My Heart A Break
#JUSTICEFORCAZZIOPEIA should be trending worldwide because Cazzi was robbed at Melodifestivalen! (I do like the one that won too though, in fact it’s in this article too because a bop is a bop but stillllllll).
Swedish pop supreme Cazzi Opeia entered Melfest before in 2022 and she was there last year too but not as a competitor, she was there hanging with Loreen (fun fact: Cazzi co-wrote Tattoo) and so I thought this year would be her third time lucky to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. I think this is her best song yet and she finished second in her heat qualifying for the final where she finished in 4th place which is still fab! I just adore this song, it’s pure pop and deserves your attention.
Marcus & Martinus – Unforgettable
Right so M&M won Melodifestivalen 2024 and are representing Sweden this year! Cazzi (above) was my first choice but this Norwegian duo are unforgettable tbh hehehe and I’m excited to see them perform on the main stage with this banger. Btw they’re kind of a big deal in Norway, they got big when they were only 10 years old when they won the Norwegian show Melodi Grand Prix Junior in 2012. Since then they’ve toured Europe, won a Spellemannprisen (basically a Norwegian Grammy) and in 2022 they won the Swedish version of The Masked Singer.
The boys have released three albums with every one of them going to number 1 in Norway. Oh and they finished in second place in Melodifestivalen last year with the song Air (BOP), just behind Loreen! This song has been streamed 14 million times omg, so yeah, a big deal!
Kate Hudson – Talk About Love
Academy Award-nominated actress and now singer-songwriter Kate Hudson has dropped her musical debut omg-I’ve literally been waiting for this since Almost Famous! Kate did say last year that she wanted to go into music but then Almost Famous happened. “I’ve been caught up writing and witnessing life in songs since I was a child. But it always comes down to the moment, and the ability to make sure you can be there for the music. Finally, for me, that time is now.”
“You only have one first single”, “and I wanted it to be something delicious and sexy and all the things that I believe in. I wanted it to be open and seeking, searching to find something powerful. But I also wanted the music to be the rock, the pop, the dance music and even a bit of the alternative records I love. It was a lot to put into one song, but thankfully, I had some wonderful people working with me. And so, here we are!”
Oh and Kate wrote the song alongside her fiancée Danny Fujikawa and Linda Perry (mostly known for her work with 4 Non Blondes) just so you know.
ZAYN – What I Am
The enigmatic Zayn Malik has dropped a new song taken from his upcoming fourth studio album ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS which comes out in May (not long now).
Zayn said “This is my favourite album that I’ve made to date, mainly because it comes from a place of sheer honesty and vulnerability. I wanted each song to feel as if it was just me sitting beside you telling you how I feel, singing directly to you. It’s raw and stripped back and the type of music I always hoped to make.” and “I think just being where I was at that time, staying away from things and living with my own thoughts inspired me to want to write something from that place. I’ve got to put this out as a whole body of work, it’s something for myself, not even just for the world,”
Tbh I think this is Zayn’s best song yet and he’s…. ZLAYING.
L’Impératrice – Me da igual
Omg I’m so glad my friend Will introduced me to L’impératrice because this song is a bop and they have a big catalogue of bops too which I’m still discovering so hey Will and thanks again Will if you’re reading this!
I j’adore French pop! If only I did French at school instead of German, oh well.
L’Impératrice is a group of six musicians: Charles de Boisseguin, the group’s founder (keyboards), Hagni Gwon (keyboards), David Gaugué (bass guitar), Achille Trocellier (electric guitar), Tom Daveau (drums), and Flore Benguigui (vocals), who joined the band in 2015. Me da igual is basically about not being a stereotype and being happy in your own body. I’m always here for an anthem for self-acceptance and celebrating uniqueness especially when it sounds so good and I can dance to it!
Cascada – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
No need to evacuate the dancefloor, Natalie Horler aka Cascada is back baby!
Cascada’s highly anticipated fifth studio album titled Studio 24 will be released later this year woo, the first album since 2011! Ain’t No Mountain High Enough is the first single (a cover of the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell classic) and it has an unmistakable Cascada flair.
Georgia – Too Much Too Little
I can never get too much or too little of Georgia‘s music! Georgia brought in Mark Ralph who worked on her Mercury Music Prize-shortlisted second album Seeking Thrills to add extra euphoria-ness to this bop.
Georgia said: “It’s so hard at the moment to try and contemplate a balanced life when so much is going on, in the news, on social media, everywhere. I find it hard to sometimes see what’s reality and what’s fantasy.” FACTS. The lyrics defo resonate with anyone navigating the overwhelming noise of our digital age, sometimes a digital detox is NEEDED people.
The Veronicas – Here To Dance
Jessica and Lisa Origliasso aka The Veronicas are Aussie Y2K icons with nearly two decades in the music industry and have returned with a new single, taken from their brand new album Gothic Summer (such a good album btw). This groovy track introduces a vibrant, funk-driven rhythm that makes you want to get on the dance floor. Jess said “This song is about disengaging from drama, whether online or personal, and remaining unbothered,” and “‘I don’t care who’s watching, I’m just here to dance’ is a metaphor and a directive to go where the love is.” <3
Jess said about the album too that “The whole theme of Gothic Summer is that it’s basically exploring social commentary on what we think is reality versus how we create our reality. It’s a very metaphorical album.” Oh and the twins are performing at Mighty Hoopla in London in June! Click HERE for tickets but they’re nearly sold out.
Jacqline – Effortless
Jacqline made her debut at Melodifestivalen this year and Effortless was written by Cazzi Opeia! Jacqline performed this infectious track effortlessly, check it out below.
POP PERFECTION. She was robbed too after being the favourite to represent Sweden but I reckon she’ll be back next year (I hope).
ALBUM OF THE MONTH:
Nabil Harlow – Cœur élégant
Shakira – Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
So for the second time now in my silly little pop music column, I couldn’t choose between 2 albums to be my favourite album of the month so I’ve chosen 2, hopefully no is miffed.
My first album that I’ve had on repeat is Cœur élégant (elegant heart in English) by French-Algerian artist Nabil Harlow (mostly known for his work with Balmain Hair Couture). I can’t remember how I discovered his music but it was last year and Hôtel Paris was the first track I heard and I was like bonjour monsieur! Tbh I got Mylène Farmer vibes instantly, in the best way of course because I j’adore Mylène and seeing her for the second time later this year yasssss.
Back to Nabil-he wrote Hôtel Paris almost 20 years ago when he was only 17 and said “There were already the three verses and the chorus. During confinement, I simply added a musical bridge to tell the story of this need for absolute luxury, this endless quest that makes so many people unhappy.”
Whether you’re sipping wine in a Parisian café or gazing at the stars in the Sahara, this album provides the soundtrack, I promise you it’s bloody good so go stream it and thank me later.
Cœur élégant is Nabil’s debut album and hopefully he’ll continue in music because he’s a super talented singer and song writer. Oh and my favourite tracks are obviously Hôtel Paris, and DZ UP and Le garçon du quartier.
Oh and Claudine, C’est pas vrai.
Pour être un homme, Pute Story, Cœur élégant, L’hérétique, A Vava Inouva, and Transymphonie. C’est l’heure annnnnnnnnd J’aurais aimé.
My second album of the month is Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women No Longer Cry) by Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and international pop star Shakira.
Since 2022, Shakira’s personal life has unfolded like an engrossing telenovela. Her 11-year romance with football player Gerard Piqué ended, and she channelled her emotions and empowerment into this fabulous album.
I just have to say it now, my favourite lyric (probably ever now) is “I work harder than a whore but I fuck less than a priest”. This is my new life motto, thanks Shakira!
“Making this body of work has been an alchemical process. While writing each song I was rebuilding myself. While singing them, my tears transformed into diamonds, and my vulnerability into strength,” and “it’s a conceptual album — but it didn’t happen on purpose. Nobody chooses to go through the kind of life experiencesh that I went through when I was writing and creating this album, you know, life gives you lemons. So what do you do? Make lemonade. So I made songs. But there is a great variety within this album. There’s pop, there’s Afrobeat, there’s reggaeton. There’s some Mexican regionals as well. Rock. But there is a common thread. And that is based off of genuine, authentic life experiences and the process of elaborating those intense emotions and feelings that I’ve been having to deal with during this past couple of years.”
Omg Shakira performed in Times Square in New York this week too after announcing the pop-up show on social media just hours before and it was even live streamed too so we could all watch from around the world (I was watching and she was simply phenomenal-check it out below if you missed it).
Back to the album-Shakira said “This is not a divorce album. It’s an album that gathers many different life experiences, that gathers the transformation of vulnerability into resilience, the empowerment of finding your strength.”
Shakira is a legend and a queen and I love every song on the album especially Puntería with Cardi B, La Fuerte with Bizarrap, Te Felicito with Rauw Alejandro and the iconic Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 with Bizarrap.
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