My thoughts on episode one of The Voice UK

Popular TV talent show “The Voice” returned to our screens this weekend, bringing with it some new rules and new coaches as well as the return of fan favourites Will I Am and Sir Tom Jones.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this season so I sat down with an open mind. I have to be honest, I was very very underwhelmed with the standard of contestants within this first episode. None of them really got my attention or got me excited, and to be frank, some of them were awful!

There was one contestant that got my attention and made me excited and that was the final contestant “Mo” performing “Iron Sky”. I could just tell that he really wanted a turn and he really deserved it, his passion during his audition was like nothing I’d seen in a while and certainly blew the other contestants out of the water, I predict a bright future for him on the show.

The same can definitely not be said for his friend Max Vickers who performed “You Can Call Me Al”. I use the term performed very loosely.. It sounds harsh but he just couldn’t get ahold of himself or his vocal technique during this performance, he genuinely sounded and looked like he was having a fit on stage! Remarkably, he got a chair turn from of the new coaches Gavin Rossdale.

Over the last few years, the standard of performances on The Voice UK has been shocking, the American’s, Australian’s and all the other countries are blowing the UK out of the water, we don’t have a leg to stand on at the moment and we haven’t for quite some time. The shows should be about showcasing genuine talent, not about sticking someone diabolical in front of millions of people to make good TV, they’ll only end up showing themselves up in the end.

Overall, I am completely disappointed and underwhelmed by the first show, even the coaches performance (bar Jennifer Hudson) was mediocre. I hope that in episode two, things improve drastically.

My biggest issue with The X Factor

The X Factor is probably one of most well known reality TV shows in the world these days. For those of you that don’t know, it is a televised singing competition produced by music mogul Simon Cowell. The aim is of course, to win and then go on to receive a record deal from Simon’s label “SYCO”. Some of the most successful UK X Factor contestants are: Olly Murs, One Direction, Little Mix and recently Louisa Johnson and James Arthur.

Recent X Factor Winner Lousia Johnson Credit: WENN.com

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with this show in particular if I’m honest. I’ve had friends that have competed on the show (and won it) so naturally, I can’t argue that the show doesn’t create that leap to fame that most musicians crave . However, there is one huge thing about the show that I absolutely cannot stand.

That thing, is that the show allows bogus acts through above actual talented people, and it is all in the name of “entertainment”. This is especially the case in this years X Factor. Take “Honey G” for example,  a supposed “rapper” who can’t sing for toffee but is being allowed through to the live shows above actual singers.

Honey G on X Factor live shows  Credit: Metro.co.uk

Some news sites are saying that Honey G is always being put through because her gimmick is “saving The X Factor”. It’s no secret that the ratings for the long running talent show have been at an all time low in recent years, with the possibility of it being cut from our airwaves completely, it is possible that Mr Cowell has decided to go to extreme lengths to give the British public a reason to tune in.

Many industry stars, including Little Mix, have dubbed Honey G a fake and an actress, could this be true? If so, I wonder how much Simon is paying her to make a fool of herself in front of millions? After her Linkedin profile (holding multiple degree qualifications) was un-earthed, the authenticity of the rapper from “South Weezy” has been truly called into question.

Anna Gilford A.KA Honey G on Linkedin Credit: Thesun.co.uk

However, I do believe that if the show focused on actual talent, that people would tune in for that too. I personally would rather watch an hour of exceptional musicians give it their all for a record deal than watch people like Honey G try to rap ( and therefore make me struggle not to scream at the top of my lungs)

As a musician, it really does sicken me to the core that untalented people are being given airtime whilst I know singers that have auditioned this year and got turned away that are on another level, it makes no sense and to me, ruining dreams of hard grafting musicians in favour of bogus acts in order to apparently “keep ratings up” defeats the object of a TALENT competition.

I really hope that Cowell starts to realise that he doesn’t need fake acts in order to create a successful show, before it’s too late and acts like “Honey G” leave a black mark all over his hard work.

 

The BRIT Awards 2016: Who will win what?

The most notable music award is back for another year, and there are more artists looking to get the prestigious BRIT award. I’ve taken the time to list my predictions about who will win what. Here is what this years award will look like:

They look pretty cool, a lovely tribute to the late David Bowie. I will be watching intently and making sure to blog as to wether my predictions are correct. I hope that at least some are correct!

Here are the nominations and my predictions for the winners:

British artist video

This award goes to the artist with the best music video, the nominations are:

Adele – Hello

Calvin Harris & Disciples – How Deep Is Your Love

Ed Sheeran – Photograph

Jessie J – Flashlight

Little Mix – Black Magic

Naughty Boy Ft. Beyonce & Arrow Benjamin – Runnin’

One Direction – Drag Me Down

Sam Smith – Writings On The Wall

I predict that the winner will be Adele with Hello. The song itself is amazing, the way it is relatable to so many people is what really strikes me in not only this song but in all of Adele’s music. Not to mention her vocals are still incredible! The video also compliments the track and was very well done by the producers.

 

British Breakthrough Act

This award is given to the act that is thought that have made a significant impact within their own career, the nominations are:

James Bay

Catfish & The Bottlemen

Jess Glynne

Wolf Alice

Years and Years

I predict that the winner of this award will be James Bay. He has certainly made an impact on the UK Music scene this past year and more than deserves this award.

British Male Solo Artist

The clue is in the name for this one, this award is given to the best male solo artist of the past year. The nominations are:

Aphex Twin

Calvin Harris

Jamie XX

Mark Ronson

My prediction is: Calvin Harris

British Female solo artist

This award is the female version of the male solo, the nominations are:

Adele

Amy Winehouse

Florence + The Machine

Jess Glyyne

Laura Marling

I think this one is rather obvious, I predict that the winner will be Adele.

British Group

This award is given to the best British group, the nominations are:

Blur

Coldplay

Years and Years

One Direction

Foals

I predict that the winner will be: Coldplay. With the release of their latest single, they have made quite an impression on me, I’m liking their new found direction.

British Producer Of The Year

This award is given to the best British producer, the nominations are:

Charlie Andrew

Mark Ronson

Mike Crossey

Tom Dalgety

I predict the winner will be Mark Ronson, notable for his collaboration with Bruno Mars with Uptown Funk.

British Single

Adele – Hello

Ed Sheeran & Rudimental = Bloodstream

Elle Goulding – Love Me Like You Do

James Bay – Hold Back The River

Jess Glynne – Hold My Hand

Little Mix – Black Magic

Olly Murs Ft. Demi Lovato – Up

Phillip George – Wish You Were Mine

Years & Years – King

I predict the winner will no doubt be Adele with her return single “Hello”. A stunning track as has already been said.

Mastercard Album Of The Year

The Mastercard album of the year goes to the artist with the best album. The nominations are:

Adele – 25

Coldplay – A Head Full Of Dreams

Florence + The Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

James Bay – Chaos and The Calm

Jamie XX – In Colour

Again, my winner would definitely be Adele! She’s made a stunning comeback since having her baby and operation, I’m certainly glad to see fresh work from her!

International Male Solo Artist

This award is given to male solo artists from other countries such as America. The nominations are:

Justin Bieber

Drake

Father John Misty

Kendrick Lamar

The Weeknd

My predicted winner is Justin Bieber. With a fresh new album out this year with a more mature sound and attitude, his catching the attention of people who at first, hated him and his music. He has really turned his career around.

International Female Solo Artist

This one was slightly harder to choose, I’ll admit. The nominations are:

Ariana Grande

Bjork

Lana Del Ray

Courtney Barnett

Meghan Trainor

My predicted winner is: Meghan Trainor, she’s certainly written some catchy songs this year so she seems a likely candidate for winner.

International Group

This is the final award on the list, I had to do some research into this one because some of the groups I hadn’t heard of before. The nominations are:

Alabama Shakes

Eagles Of Death Metal

U2

Major Lazer

Tame Impala

My final prediction is that the winners of this award will be U1. These guys have been around forever and certainly deserve to win this one!

Those are your predictions from me for the upcoming BRIT Awards 2016! The will air on ITV 2 on 2th February! Be sure to tune in and root for your favourite artist! Also make sure you come back here on Friday as I will be posting my round up of the awards, giving my opinions on performances and wether I think the awards winners deserved their wins!