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The transition from member of a beloved pop group to solo career is notoriously tricky, but Normani is handling it just fine. On her new single, "Motivation," which is arguably her first real solo release — since all of her other new music featured collaborations with other artists — the still-emerging pop star proves that she knows how and when to drop a career-defining hit, even if hers is still just getting started.
The first great strategic element of "Motivation" is that it moves Normani even further away from her past as a Harmonizer, and aligns her more directly with Ariana Grande, who is arguably the most powerful force in pop right now (or in the middle of her imperial phase, if you will). Ariana co-wrote the song, which is her first time writing a song for another artist, as Joan Grande so generously and excitedly pointed out on Twitter when the track dropped last week.
Aside from the sonics, the music video accompanying the track is another huge part of its successful launch. In a video directed by Dave Meyers, who has worked with everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Taylor Swift to Billie Eilish to Travis Scott, the clip plays into the rising nostalgia for 2000s pop, while also bringing it squarely into the present moment. The swaggering, effortless street dancing that Normani and her all-Black crew engage in throughout the clip is preceded by her past, younger self watching 106 & Park and daydreaming of making a video worthy of the show. This creates the perfect tie-in for a video geared toward nostalgia, while also emphasizing the importance of representation.
-- Caitlin White, UPROXX Pop Critic on the glow up of Normani, a former Fifth Harmony member ready to break out on her own in a big way |
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| Last week I predicted that perhaps Lizzo and her swaggering, blockbuster single "Truth Hurts" might be the song to oust Lil Nas X and "Old Town Road" from its record-breaking reign in the No. 1 slot. But no, instead it was Billie Eilish’s primitive, instinctual, sexual and aggressive hit "Bad Guy" that catapulted up to the top. I’ve been wanting this for her — and for us — for weeks now . Then, just a week later, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes' steamy duet “Senorita” came for the top spot as well! Keep in mind, dear friends, that "Truth Hurts" stayed rock steady at No. 4 when Billie was on top, when "Old Town Road" fell to No. 3, and then rose to the No. 3 spot this week. There might still be a milestone in the making for Lizzo this summer. |
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| Puerto Rican/Cuban songwriter Sabrina Claudio is about to be the biggest thing in mainstream R&B, so get to know her before she breaks. After an independent EP and a 2017 mixtape both made their way to the echelons of Billboard’s various charts, Claudio got signed by Atlantic Records and has been releasing a stream of sultry, sophisticated singles about devotion and desire ever since. Her latest string of singles culminated in last week’s suspicion-laden "On My Shoulders," but my favorite is still " Holding The Gun," a song that tells of a love that goes beyond loyalty and all the way into eternity. The video starts off with a Nietzsche quote — I’m in for life. If you’re in LA during September, check out one of her three shows in the area. |
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHANIA TWAIN! |
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| This week is the birthday of one of the most important women in country-pop — the one and only Shania Twain. On August 28, 1965, the world welcomed a very Virgo future star to life in Windsor, Canada, and Shania grew up in the nearby city of Timmons before eventually breaking out as a global star in the mid-90s, selling over 100 million records and becoming one of the best-selling artists of all time. Whatever you do, don’t forget to celebrate Shania this week by blasting some classic country-pop tunes. Since it is just a couple days after Taylor Swift’s latest album entered the world, I’ll conclude by saying without Shania, there’s no Taylor. |
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| Listen, I don’t really care how you feel about Miley’s divorce from Liam, her bisexuality (personally, I stan), or her sorta miss of a new EP, She Is Coming. Whatever your take might be on the celebrity missteps and power moves that surround this enigmatic young star, her new single “Slide Away” is hands down one of the best breakup anthems I can ever remember (always remember). Smeary synths, a heartbreaking call-and-response chorus, and Miley’s signature, sooty alto bring a depth to this gorgeous one-off song. Miley, more songs like this, less Twitter meltdowns, k? |
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| Warner Music Group 1633 Broadway New York, NY 10019 USA |
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