I've had a thought...

I've come to the realisation that although I do find blogging fairly time-consuming, and at times I really have no motivation whatsoever to post, I do actually enjoy it when I blog on items that interest me, such as music, fashion and television. However, I've decided that I need to take my blog to a more professional level.

After browsing through various blogs, I've realised that my blog is nowhere near as professional as it could, or should, be. In terms of presentation my blog is pretty generic. I use a basic theme and customise the colours to suit me, but it doesn't reflect my interests or personality which is something a viral medium should do. I also want my posts to constitute a variety of different forms, such as a magazine article, for example. Rather than my post being a constant ramble, I want the layout to be formatted differently, but in order to do this I need photo editing software, preferably Adobe Fireworks as I have the most experience with this software. I would also LOVE to start 'vlogging' by connecting my YouTube account to my blog. The one problem I have though is I hate watching myself talk, as do most people. But I'm hoping to overcome this obstacle so that my blog operates on a multi-channel platform. In order for this to be successful, I would also need to familiarise myself with video editing software, so that's a challenge in itself.

So basically, I want to completely revamp my blog, and my list of things to do are:

1. Change my entire blog theme, including colour scheme, layout and general presentation. Make more personal and reflective.
2. Purchase photo editing software in order to format my blog posts more professionally.
3. Start vlogging.
4. Overcome the fear of the sound of my own voice.
5. Post more regularly.
6. Take more pride in my blog.

Keep checking back to gradually see these changes take place!

Tulisa featuring Tyga - "Live it Up"

"We should pop more champagne this year, than we did last year"

There is no doubt that Tulisa has been the breakout star of N-Dubz and this has been helped massively by her exposure as a judge on The X Factor. Naturally, her solo music career isn't doing too badly either off the back of her X Factor success and her new single "Live it Up" featuring American rapper Tyga will only continue her mainstream chart success.

I first heard "Live it Up" at Wireless Festival, London in July and I instantly fell in love with it and it sounded AMAAAAZING blasting out of the speakers in Hyde Park! I've always thought Tulisa has a pretty decent voice, although there are many people that would disagree with me.

I love the bashment vibe of the song and it's quite an interesting direction for Tulisa to take her music in, I think, but it totally works for her. I much prefer it to her previous single, "Young". Although it would sound amazing in Ibiza, it was pretty generic and quite predictable for Tulisa to release it as her debut solo single, but it still acheived number one on the UK single charts, which is no mean feat. But I definitely think Tulisa should continue to experiment with her sound and I'm hoping her album will be an eclectic mix of music to cater for all music lovers.

The video for this track is perfect. Tulisa looks incredible, although I have to say I'm really not a fan of her with blonde hair. She looks cheap and her brunette locks definitely added some much needed sassiness to her image. The blonde hair takes her back to the early days of N-Dubz, except she has a stylist now. I think she should definitely bring the brunette back!

Check out the new-look Tulisa in the video below:

Miley's crazed - her hair is gone!

I'm guessing that for anyone who follows Miley on Twitter, they will already be familiar with the teen star's latest image overhaul. In fact, I suspect anyone who reads newspapers or is a celebrity gossip junkie will know that she has indeed chopped her locks off in favour of a short buzz-cut. I won't lie, I love it!

I'm guessing the former teen star's new look has not gone down well with the majority of the world with many news sources suspecting some form of 'breakdown' on Miley's part; so the girl is clearly a little crazed to cut her hair? It has nothing to do with the fact she wanted a changed, right? This assumption riles me.

I hate when people are defined by something as aesthetic as their hair. I also hate when people (i.e. THE PRESS!) then start to fabricate reasons behind such drastic changes. I think one factor that media outlets forget when conjuring their tripe is the fact that Miley is YOUNG. There is no way she was going to stick with the same hair style for the rest of her life. I actually admire her for doing something so bold whilst in the glare of the public eye.

The reason I get so riled up is because I was defined by my hair for many years. When I was REALLY, REALLY young and at secondary school, I had hideous short, spiky hair which I then proceeded to grow as I was a tad tired of people constantly praising my ugly hair faux pas. So I grew it, then cut it, then dyed it a variety of colours from brown with blonde, to red, back to brown and then, finally, and currently, to blonde. I've also had my hair cut into a range of lengths but I'm currently working a shaved buzzcut, very similar to Miley's, which then graduates into lengthy fringe at the front.

Hair can be inventive and I get a bit annoyed by people who conform to the norm, such as long, flowing locks on a girl or a short crew cut on a guy. Switch it up, experiment and have fun; hair does grow back after all! In the meantime, sceptics need to move on and accept that a change in hair style does not mean a change in mental state. Hell, if that was the case, I would've been admitted to a psychiatric ward a looong time ago!

Little Mix - 'Wings'

Ever since Little Mix were formed on The X Factor in 2011, there was something different about them; they possessed qualities that previous girl-bands on the show didn't and ultimately lead to them being crowned The X Factor winner and being crowned the most successful girl-band EVER in the history of the show.

Now the girls are back with their first single since winning the show and the result is "Wings" - an infectious pop song with soulful vocals and a hypnotic melody.

Little Mix's single, "Wings"

The track really is a slice of pop perfection and is guaranteed to be a huge success when it's released later this month. I hope that the track is a roaring success as I am a huge fan of Little Mix and what they represent. It's refreshing to see a successful girl-band thriving in the music industry and they're great role models for young girls; they exemplify hard work and dedication, breaking the stereotype that girls must look a certain way in the music industry to be successful.

I predict a long and healthy career for these girls. Move over, The Saturdays, Little Mix are here to stay.

My Summer Soundtrack

So last week saw the UK embroiled in a heatwave and the weather was heavenly. Seeing as I'm not going on holiday this year, not yet anyway, I fully basked in the glory of the sun and the weather was long overdue! But, true to British form, the cold, miserable weather is now well and truly back and I have had to swap my shorts for jeans. Boo!

With the Olympics now in full swing and random outbursts of sunshine, it is slowly starting to feel like summer and nothing compliments summer as well as a summer soundtrack! The song that makes me feel most summery is a song called "Brokenhearted" by American duo Karmin.

I first heard this catchy pop track on Capital FM about a month ago and I instantly loved it. It's such an uplifting song and makes you want to dance and it was the PERFECT song for me and my friend to dance around in the summer sunshine to last week! 

The song was released last Sunday and debuted at a respectable number 6 in the UK singles chart which is a pretty big achievement given that the song was not promoted at all throughout the UK - no television performances, no press interviews, nothing. One thing us British do is embrace the catchy pop tracks churned out by the Americans. I mean we kept Carly Rae Jepsen at number one with "Call Me Maybe" for four weeks and the song is still riding high in the charts months after its release.

A few other songs that I'm loving at the minute are Wiley featuring Ms D, "Heatwave". I look forward to this song coming on  in a club one night when I'm out and I can imagine this song being a huuuuge hit in Ibiza and the like! I'm also loving Far East Movement featuring Cover Drive, "Turn Up the Love". I really love Cover Drive. Their reggae-influenced tracks are so anthemic. I'd love to see them live.

I am also bracing myself for the release of Rita Ora's debut album, "O.R.A", which is released on 27th August. 

I have a feeling that this album will be the soundtrack to my summer, autumn and winter! I can't wait for when she tours as I will be there!

Rihanna for River Island!

So, fresh off the press, it's been confirmed that Rihanna is launching a clothing range and has chosen to collaborate with high street chain, and one of my favourite outlets, River Island!

I'm so excited for this collaboration! It's going to be interesting to see the tone and style of the range, given that RiRi is famed for her more raunchy outfits. But a clothing range has been a long time coming, especially given the fact that Rihanna is very much involved in the fashion industry at the moment - her Sky Living TV show, Styled to Rock, is due to premiere in August. And now it's official: she's venturing into the designing aspect and has chosen the UK as the country to debut her collection to.

Below is the link to the official press release:

http://www.rihannanow.com/news-article/rihanna-for-river-island/

It really is a great year for the UK!

"Baby, I don't know what you done-done-done" - Misha B - Home Run

After a month or so away from the blogosphere I'm back with plenty to post!

To start with I have a video from X Factor 2011 alumni, Miss Misha B. Last year on The X Factor, Misha was a stand-out act and consistently delivered stellar performances and seemed like a dead cert to clinch the title of X Factor Winner 2011. But it just wasn't meant to be as she was eliminated in the semi-final.

Almost a year later, Misha B is back with her debut solo single, 'Home Run'. It's an infectious club track, with heavy beats and a great bass-line. It showcases what Misha does best. She is so current and relevant and is exactly what the UK music industry needs. The UK doesn't have a home-grown urban Queen, and Misha B is most definitely on her way to gaining that title for herself.

The track is released at midnight on Sunday, 15th July and below is the music video for the track. Enjoy!