Jonas Brothers (9) - Week of May 25th

Hello everyone! I decided to cover the countdown within a month of my last post, which was a bit faster than I had planned. Either way, this will not be a conventional post (when compared to the other blogs) mainly because I don't cover every week. I will post the countdown and then give my thoughts on some 'important' songs starting from the top. I'm not going to cover every song because that would be way too long, but if ever you wish to know my opinion on a song I didn't cover, feel free to ask and I will comment, then I will add it to the post.

Also, check out my colour-coding system over to the right. It varies quite a bit from the other blogs, it is confusing, I admit, but it will always be right there for you :)

45. Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper - Shallow
44. Ally Brooke - Low Key
43. Dan + Shay - Tequila
42. Bebe Rexha - Last Hurrah
41. Billie Eilish - When the Party's Over
40. Lil Peep/ILoveMaKonnen/Fall Out Boy - I've Been Waiting
39. Jordan McGraw - Flexible
38. Ariana Grande - 7 rings
37. Twenty One Pilots - Chlorine
36. Alessia Cara - Out Of Love
35. Panic! At the Disco - Dancing's Not a Crime
34. Khalid - Better
33. Billie Eilish - Bury a Friend (-9; Biggest drop)
32. BTS/Halsey - Boy With Luv
31. Post Malone - Wow
30. Dean Lewis - Be Alright
29. Jennifer Lopez/French Montana - Medicine
28. Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved
27. Ariana Grande - Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored
26. Lauv/Troye Sivan - I'm So Tired...
25. Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
24. Ciara - Thinkin Bout You
23. MAX/Quinn XCII - Love Me Less
22. Lizzo - Juice
21. Dan + Shay - Speechless
20. NOTD/Felix Jaehn/Captain Cuts/Georgia Ku - So Close
19. Lil Nas X/Billie Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road
18. Marshmello/Bastille - Happier
17. Ellie Goulding/Diplo - Close To Me
16. Panic! At the Disco - High Hopes
15. Sam Smith/Normani - Dancing With a Stranger
14. Halsey - Nightmare (DEBUT)
13. Alec Benjamin - Let Me Down Slowly (+7; biggest jump)
12. The Chainsmokers/Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
11. Ed Sheeran/Justin Bieber - I Don't Care
10. Marshmallow/Chvrches - Here With Me
9. P!nk - Walk Me Home
8. Shawn Mendes - If I Can't Have You
7. Imagine Dragons - Bad Liar
6. Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho
5. Panic! At the Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It
4. The Chainsmokers/5SOS - Who Do You Love
3. Taylor Swift/Brendon Urie - ME!
2. Halsey - Without Me

1. Jonas Brothers - Sucker

~The Jonas Brothers continue their reign at #1 and it doesn't seem as if they are going to stop soon. But that's great. It's the best song within range of #1, and somehow seems to hit the mark for everybody. I don't know anyone who doesn't like it. For me, it shows how pop can be engaging and original. The song evolves, and, though repetitive, the slight difference prevent me from ever being annoyed with it. The melody is catchy, and I can get this song stuck in my head just by thinking about it. It's also great to see the Jonas Brothers together again, even though I never knew them together. The whistling could have been so much worse, but it works in ways that songs like Kill Em With Kindness did not understand.

~Halsey hosted this week's countdown, so she is at #2. I don't see any other reason why she would be this high centuries after the release of Without Me. I loved this song at first - I really did! But for some strange reason, the radio loved it and played it at least twice every hour. And even if they did that to other songs I love like Happier (oh wait, they did - more on that later), I would eventually grow out of the song. I've honestly had enough of Without Me and I seriously hope that Nightmare can come in and replace it.

~Brendon Urie has two songs in the top 5, and that makes me really happy. It really is too bad that I can't jam to any of them. ME! makes me cringe at how cheesy the spelling half of the song is. Hey Look Ma, I Made It makes me sad for some reason, and the sounds clash a lot. I still head for the Death of a Bachelor album when I want to listen to some Panic!, but if this is what gets him famous, I hope he continues.

~Sweet But Psycho is such an annoying, repetitive song. I hope it leaves really soon or I will begin to hate on it really hard.

~I see my future self slapping my present self in the face for putting Shawn Mendes in green. I would not regret it either way. I like this song right now. Is it closer to a Masterpiece than any of the other green songs. The verses don't have much going for them, but the chorus is so fun! It won't get in my head, but I still enjoy listening to it. The harmony is nice, and finally I could say that Shawn Mendes is a good artist. I won't, by the way.

~I am looking forward to Ed Sheeran's next album with tons of collaborations. Less than most people, but I will still have a listen to a couple songs. If I Don't Care is a symbol of what's coming up, I most likely will not like the album. One or two of this style of song is good, not more. I won't necessarily like a repetitive beat with the same section of lyrics repeated twice by two different people. In this case, the beat is really cool, considering its pop nature. Ed Sheeran sounds amazing, but Justin Bieber does not. The robotic voice at the end sounds so artificial and takes away the casual nature of the song. In all, I will listen to this song, but it won't be first on my playlist.

~It took me a long time to give Let Me Down Slowly a first listen, but I love the vibe, the progression, and Alec Benjamin's innocent voice. It's a good song and I won't grow out of it for a while.

~And now! For the big one this week! Boy am I excited to talk about this song. 2019 has featured a huge amount of debuts in the top 20. It seems like this is going to be a great year for music! I hope that Nightmare can be one of the big hits this year, but I doubt that. I can see very easily how someone could passionately hate it. What I love about it so much is the contrast between the chorus and the verses. I couldn't listen to the chorus non-stop for minutes. I love it, but it is very loud and could (?) get annoying eventually. The verses calm the song down before Halsey takes us right back into the much deserved chorus. Her voice is fantastic, the notes hit the mark and everything about this song felt thought out. Though chaotic, it feels very professional. The production is fabulous. You don't get those kind of sounds all the time. This is how I remember Halsey from Badlands. This was the Halsey who was my favourite female artist once upon a time. I really hope this can reach #1, but not before the Jonas Brothers can break the weeks at #1 record, because I really feel that they deserve it.

~I could have tolerated Dancing With a Stranger if it didn't become such an instant hit. I already have had enough of it. I fear where this is going. I hope, for some strange reason, people just randomly start disliking it so I can never hear it again... That's never going to happen? Okay. I just hope Nightmare gets its fair share of popularity.

~Old Town Road is one of the better trap songs, for a few reasons. First of all, it's so, so short, so I don't see how you could hate on it so much if it's half the length of other songs on the radio. Billy Ray Cyrus has a cool country voice, and without the beat he sounds very solid. The generic rap beat is very bad and ruins the song. If there would have been some real instruments, some more guitar, some more country aspects, I would probably love this song.

~MAX is already at #23, which is more than Lights Down Low can say about its first few weeks of existence. Love Me Less is a fantastic song. I can dance around to it and the beat works very well. The tens of grammar mistakes eventually get annoying, so I enjoy this song the most when I'm doing something else at the same time, such as writing a blog post (yeah I'm listening to this song as I write this).

~Billie Eilish has three songs on the chart. Bad Guy has a great groove, I love the bass. This is an example of a song (like My Boy or Bellyache) that would only work with Billie Eilish's voice and style. The ending isn't bad but it is substantially worse than the cool beginning of the song. In all, Bad Guy is very original and shows that there remains much to be explored. Bury a Friend is a bland song and I'm glad it's dropping because it should be out of here already. The reason I like When the Party's Over a little bit better is because of the lyrics and the pleasant melody combined with that interesting creepy voice I enjoy.

~Ariana Grande released so much over a short period of time that neither of her songs reached their full popularity. That was a strange move on her part. Either way, I wish 7 Rings would have stayed longer in the top 10. Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored seems to be the hit she's keeping out there for the longest period of time, which is fine because it doesn't make me want to punch a wall. 7 Rings, however, is the best song Ariana Grande has released in a bit. Yes, the lyrics are garbage, one hundred percent trash. But I love the production. The sounds are so interesting in the intro and the outro. I know the melody is a rip-off and I hate that. I know that Ariana Grande is changing into a rapper and I hate that as well. But 7 Rings was produced with cool ideas that were not accompanied by a good singer and good lyrics. I listen to a karaoke version once in a while just to hear those sounds, I love them so much. I wish Ariana Grande could take them and make a pleasant song, like she used to do quite a bit.

~I do want to punch a wall, though, when Dean Lewis is still on the countdown. It's #1 on my radio station! For the first time! I don't know how late everyone is, but this Ed Sheeran mimic is so boring. I can't even concentrate when I listen to it, and I can't fall asleep to it either, because of how annoying the lyrics and the production is. Next week, it has to fall off the countdown and into the archives nobody remembers. My aunt's favourite song is Ed Sheeran's Perfect and even she called it boring. I don't know how I survived hearing this song since well into last year.

~It's nice to see that Halsey has made Sirius XM realize that BTS exists. Boy With Luv is good, but I only wish MIC Drop or Airplane Pt.2 could have made it here first. Boy With Luv makes me laugh because it is the opposite of an 'American's type of song'.

~Chlorine was the most successful song off of Trench, which is nice because it is my favourite. I have no clue how it lasted this long, but boy am I happy about it!

Top 5:
1. Nightmare
2. Last Hurrah
3. Sucker
4. Love Me Less
5. Chlorine

Bottom 5:
1. Be Alright
2. Dancing With a Stranger
3. Shallow
4. Sweet But Psycho
5. Juice

Thanks for staying with me and until next time!!!

~Sasha

2019 Billboard Awards - Performances Review

Hello everybody! Welcome back to my blog!! Today, I decided to talk a bit about the Billboard Awards which aired last night. I am very sick so I am not going anywhere, plus all my classmates have a three hour writing exam today. I figured it would be only fair if I did some writing myself!

This year, Kelly Clarkson hosted the awards, as she did last year. Though I cannot stand some of her music, she is a remarkable host. I had a great time watching her act, sing, and introduce.

I definitely rushed that introduction, but I just could not wait to talk about some of the great performances I saw last night.

Taylor Swift/Panic! At the Disco - ME!

~This was one of two performances I was really excited to see before the show started. It was great that this was the opener because it got the show to a very lively start. The set was so colourful, so many people were involved. It was very fun to watch. You could see that both singers were having a blast. The performance was awesome. However, the song has problems, although I like it much more than I thought I would. The line 'Spelling is fun!' and almost everything after that is so unoriginal and make me cringe, big time. I was so happy, then, when these lyrics were replaced with 'Vegas is fun!'. That made me smile. Overall, this was an amazing opener to the show and it made me like the song more.

8/10

Kelly Clarkson - Medley

~The wonderful host gave a performance of 12 songs in a span of about four minutes, all of them being written by audience members. I hear many people saying how amazing her voice is. I say that her style of singing is not my favourite but it will definitely get the job done well, provided the song is good. A whole lot of clips she sang were better than the original, especially Boo'd Up, which I managed to listen to with pleasure, somehow. She sang well, but it reminded me a bit of Maroon 5's halftime show earlier this year, where the singing was perfect and the songs sounded great, but there was nothing memorable enough for me to think 'man, that show was amazing'. She came back for more later...

6/10

Halsey - Without Me

~I am not quite sure what went on here. This was one of those performances where my dead grandmother could have done better. The singing was atrocious. The dancing was very strange and some parts looked like an assault... I liked the song a while ago and it still does not disturb me - provided it remains in the dusty archives of 2018 music and resurfaces once in a while. I don't know why Halsey had to perform twice. She could have stuck with one performance and gone home on a high note. She knows this song is hated. She should have at least put some effort into performing for the audience, too. The whole thing was for the camera. I am glad I wasn't there because that would have made me mad. She is performing live, and the only was to get the 'best' out of the performance is to look at the screen... I understand Halsey can't quite make a set like Swift and Urie's, but, honestly, if she would have stood alone with a mic and sung the performance would have been ten times better.

1/10

Ciara - Thinkin Bout You

~This is what I call an elegant performance. It was simple, but effective. There's not much to say about it - Ciara got up, sang right on pitch, wandered through the audience, and danced a bit near the end. Nothing crazy, nothing psycho, and if I liked the song the performance would have been perfect. I do not, I find the high pitch very annoying and the song is repetitive. However, all fans of this song must have liked the performance because there was nothing wrong with it.

4/10

Dan + Shay/Tori Kelly - Speechless

~This was one of the humblest performances I have ever seen. Don't get me wrong - the song is solid and their voices were spot-on perfection. It was just too simple. I know I said this is what Halsey should have done, but she had such a hard song to perform. This performance could have had a background, some movement... This should have been the closer, the sort of song that brings you down from the climax of the night and saying 'alright everybody, time to go home to your friends and family whom you love and cherish'. I guess everybody wants to exit a concert feeling happy, not in love. Oh well. Anyways, props to Dan + Shay, who make some of the best country music right now, and to Tori Kelly who added a lot to this song while performing. By the way, if you want to see an epic performance have a look at this one from the AMC Awards whose background is unprecedented in beauty.

7/10

Jonas Brothers - Medley

~This, simple put, was amazing. This was my personal favourite performance of the night. It started off with Nick Jonas alone singing Jealous... Which I consider decent as a song. In the performance, it was good, mainly due to Joe Jonas taking over quickly with his great voice. Cake by the Ocean followed suit, and that was extremely fun to watch. I still enjoy the song because it is so catchy and I have not heard it in a while. It disturbed me at the beginning that Kevin Jonas was not anywhere considering that he does so much for the band, but all concerns disappeared with that epic entrance, those flames, that guitar riff, which transitioned perfectly into a performance of Sucker, which is one of my favourite songs of the year. The performance was amazing. You can't go wrong with fire, as The Weeknd knew very well, for example, when he performed The Hills a while ago. I have so much more respect for Jonas Brothers than for other pop bands out there, especially because their wives feature in the video instead of other women. It was so nice to see them cheer on their husbands... It's so nice to see the Jonas Brothers back together again. They know what they are doing. They can perform. They don't need any modernisation. Everything about Sucker and this performance goes completely against the musical timeline, but it works, because the Jonas Brothers show that the easiest way to make your audience have fun is to have fun yourself.

10/10

Khalid - Talk/Better

~This guy makes me laugh. This performance was just so bad it's funny. You just can't insult this guy. He's so happy when he performs his signature music that makes you depressed. He wasn't singing for much of Talk, which made the performance awkward. Better was better... I just don't see the appeal of hearing this kind of voice live. I hear him interviewed on the radio sometimes and he is just the most innocent guy. He reminds me of my cat who enjoys jumping inside the aquarium when we clean it, or inside the freezer. You want to tell him he's going places where he definitely should not be, but he ends up just making you smile. Congratulations on making it, Khalid, but, please, I don't want to ever see you live again.

3/10

Ariana Grande - 7 Rings

~Sorry, um... What? What did I just see? Billboard decided to show Ariana Grande pre-recorded from Vancouver. Why? I don't know. But what the viewers experienced instead was a performance of 7 Rings by the lively crowd of Rogers Arena. I'll bet they sang more often than Ariana Grande. It is very annoying when people point the mic to the crowd that much and play the recorded song at the same time. Either way, the song is good. I know many bloggers disagree with me and I'm going to have some job explaining why, but right now I'm writing about the performance. I don't know what happened. I guess I was spoiled seeing Panic! and OneRepublic live in concert, but Ariana Grande doesn't seem to have what it takes to be interesting live. There are a lot of people doing I don't know what around her as she sings dances (and she isn't that good, even compared to her background dancers). Overall, I will gladly forget this performance. Thank you, next.

2/10

Madonna/Maluma - Medellin

~Next up we have the re-return of Madonna with Maluma. Two very big names... I expected more. The song is very basic, from the beat, to the melody, to the '1, 2, cha cha cha', everything has been seen before. The only thing I can praise is Madonna's voice which is still unique and pleasant to listen to. Maluma was great in Chantaje but it seems he isn't suited for anything else. The song is bad, but if you look at my rating, it's very high. Did you see that performance??? WOW! It was so interesting, so captivating, so magical... It left you in complete awe. It's one of those performances where your least favourite song of all time would still be interesting. The holograms were so cool. Who needs backup dancers on set when you can have magic figures that disappear in a flutter of gold dust? It's so original. I will probably remember this performance for the rest of my life. If only the song were interesting by itself...

9/10

Lauren Daigle - You Say

~Who needs a set, who needs dancers, live effects, extravagant costumes, who needs anything except for a piano and three rare background voices when you are Lauren Daigle? It is so, so, so hard to do what she did that night. Her voice is so good! She sings her soul into her songs. She is incredible. I admire anybody bold enough to perform to millions with that little support. The fact that Daigle is capable of doing it with grace and style is astounding. This artist has talent. Of all the sad performances at the Billboard Awards, this one was the best. The only thing is that this didn't help keep me awake, but who cares? This was one of the greatest performances ever. I respect Daigle so much for succeeding at such hard a task.

10/10

Mariah Carey - Medley

~I never was one to love Mariah Carey. Her Christmas song is so annoying and I hate that it keeps making millions every holiday season. Nevertheless, what she has accomplished in terms of success and popularity is undoubtedly worthy of the 'Billboard Icon Award'. I just do not like her music. So when she came up and did a simple performance of singing songs I did not like, I was not impressed. I acknowledge that her lifetime of achievements is admirable, but I just cannot stand her squeaking high notes. It sounds like problems with the mic or with puberty. Her songs are all laid back and old fashioned. If Mariah Carey would stop everything I would still have a bit of respect for her, but she is the last person who should be back for more from the music industry.

3/10

Panic! At the Disco - Hey Look Ma, I Made It

~I have grown on this song after hating it when I first heard it. It remains the worst song on the album, and the second-worst song by Panic! At the Disco I know, behind I Write Sins Not Tragedies. Whereas the latter is bad, this one is okay. I just expect more from Panic! after High Hopes, Victorious, Emperor's New Clothes, Let's Kill Tonight... The music in this song is depressing and the chorus gets old very fast. Anyways, the performance was great. I love Brendon Urie's stage style. His concert is the best I have ever seen and will ever see for the rest of my life, I have no doubt. This guy was just born to perform. He makes me so happy every time I listen to his music, every time I see him sing... The authenticity and talent of the instruments makes Panic! At the Disco the perfect band. If only they performed King of the Clouds, Roaring 20s, or something better than this song... Yeah, I don't appreciate Panic! enough. They are amazing. This performance was amazing. I am so glad he is getting truly famous because he deserves it more than anyone else.

7/10

Kelly Clarkson - Broken & Beautiful

~I have mentioned how I trivially dislike Kelly Clarkson and that hasn't changed since a couple of pictures ago. I struggle to find anything to say about this performance - it is nice that there were kids, it's for UglyDolls, which makes sense, and the lyrics have a ring to them that is very clever but that I have heard in many songs before. Kelly Clarkson sings much better than in other songs that make me cringe just by typing the title. If the song would have underwent a few more weeks of production the beat would have been fixed, the bridge would have been more powerful, the music would have felt less like a 4$ keyboard and more like a professional song. But that is just my opinion. Otherwise, Kelly Clarkson is very similar live compared to recordings.

5/10

BTS/Halsey - Boy With Luv

~This was supposed to be the high point of the night, and, boy, did it live up to its hype. It always astounds me how BTS can survive all the popularity and anticipation created by all of the fans. There is no way I would be able to sing in front of all those screaming people. To add to this pressure, they dance! And, you bet, they can dance. They are seriously amazing dancers. Halsey somehow managed to keep up with the amazing performers she accompanied, without seeming too much out of place. The song is above average. I will gladly listen to it and the chorus gets stuck in your head, and when that happens, I don't want to get it out. The performance was just amazing. I felt like I was watching the finals of a dance show (with a guest host way past her time). I consider myself a fan of BTS, not as crazy as the real fans, but a fan nonetheless. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these guys and I did not regret staying up sick until 10:30 just to watch them along with everyone else. I am glad they are finally getting recognised in North America.

9/10

Paula Abdul - Medley

~The last performance of the night was worthy of closing things off. It was good. The first performer who sung with backup dancers (I think?) stole the spotlight and showed everyone how it's done. It was simply good - I don't see anything wrong with it. It was fun, the songs were good and the dancing was better than all the other performances, except of course BTS. It was fun to watch, but it was long, and the auto tune got annoying, especially when she said 'thank you'... That was a bit sad.

8/10

Top 3:
1. Jonas Brothers
2. Lauren Daigle
3. BTS/Halsey

Bottom 3:
1. Halsey
2. Ariana Grande
3. Khalid

Well that's it for now! Thanks for checking in. I might do a weekend countdown post in the next month or two, so keep an eye out for that. Until later, thank you for viewing!!!!