‘The Hit List’ : Shawn Mendes, Boyz II Men, Post Malone, and more…

Shawn Mendes – “In My Blood”: Canadian singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes has really grown on me lately, and this latest effort “In My Blood” is no different. Written by Geoff Warburton, Scott Harris and produced by Mendes and Teddy Geiger, “In My Blood” details Mendes’ struggle with anxiety disorder and marks the first time the singer has publicly discussed his experiences with the mental health disorder. It’s the first single taken from his forthcoming new album and already has peaked in the top 10 in 17 countries, hitting the number 1 position in Hungary. “In My Blood” is not only personally written, but it’s crafted so well musically being described as “soft and despairing”. On his decision to write the song, Mendes said he wanted to “make something as serious as anxiety tangible where everybody can listen to it and either connect with it or understand it” before adding that “sometimes it lasts two hours, sometimes it lasts a day and sometimes it lasts five minutes. The point of the song is that no matter how long that lasts, you can come out the other end stronger and you come out of the other end always”. “In My Blood” is out now.

Boyz II Men – “Back For Good”: Ok so this is an old song by these guys but yet one that many may not be aware of. Take from the boys “Love” album, this is probably the best cover I’ve heard of this Take That hit. The great thing about this album is you will hear Boyz II Men come right out of their comfort zones, they even cover the Goo Goo Dolls smash hit number 1 single “Iris”. With Boyz II Men fading away from the charts over the years I thought I would bring a little light back onto them, hey this single proves that after all these years Boyz II Men still have it.

Post Malone – “I Fall Apart”: I don’t know if you would call Post Malone a rapper, but for some reason he’s been put under that category. Now I’m not a fan of his but this new single of his is quite catchy and making traction on the charts. It’s become the sixth single released off his debut album after a viral performance on social media. The funny thing about this song is it was actually included on Post Malone’s 2016 album, “Stoney”, and never originally released as a single, but a live performance of the song on September 24 went viral. Video of the performance was posted by a fan on Twitter, and has earned more than 200,000 retweets. It was later uploaded on Facebook, and has tallied more than 7.9 million global views. The music video for the song was actually shot in my home town of Perth, Western Australia.

BLVK JVCK – “Love Me Still (feat. Jessie Reyez)”: This next song will probably be relatively unknown to most of you guys but when I heard it I loved it, catchy and infectious it was perfect for ‘the list’. BLVK JVCK, the L.A./Miami production duo comprised of The Runners, have given us a first taste at the sizzling, scorcher summer could be with the heartfelt, crooning “Love Me Still,” featuring Canada’s own Jessie Reyez. Reyez is on the rise in the music scene in the states after releasing a great EP called “Kiddo” and has been jumping around on track to track from various artists. This song “Love Me Still” is good enough to get both these artists the exposure they deserve.

ROZES & Nicky Romero – “Where Would We Be”:  ROZES is back with a new single “Where Would We Be,” the latest effort from the husky-voiced singer dance fans best known for her vocals on The Chainsmokers’ “Roses,” Galantis’ “Girls and Boys,” and Cash Cash’s “Matches.” Similar in sound and delivery to that of Hailee Steinfeld’s song “Starving” in which she teamed up with ZEDD, “Where Would We Be” takes a look back to simpler times and romances from our school era. This single is bound to flourish on the radio, and expect to hear an EP from ROZES coming soon.

NOTD – “I Wanna Know (feat. Bea Miller)”: Sweden’s very own NOTD have had an impressive last two years, dishing out remixes for big names in the music industry including Ed Sheeran, Sia and none other than Rihanna, they’ve marked themselves out to be a pair to look out for. Their standout new single is one that is a clear radio hit, “I Wanna Know” features the insanely gifted vocalist Bea Miller and they have combined for an uplifting slice of electro pop music. I have to admit one thing there’s no better music in pop then what comes out of Sweden and this is another prime example.

Tinashe – “Faded Love (feat. Future)”: Produced by Stargate this is the lastest effort from RnB singer Tinashe featuring rapper Future.  It was written by Tinashe, Future, Sasha Sloan, Noonie Bao, as well as Tor Erik Hermansen from the song’s production production team Stargate. It was released commercially for digital download via RCA Records and appears on Tinashe’s second studio album “Joyride”. While the single commercially didn’t get as much airplay as I would of expected it to, did manage to peak at 22 on the US Billboard charts and went as high as number 10 in the New Zealand charts. MTV described this single as “promising, and for myself I thought it was quite catchy and the urban vibes and glitchy beat over the hook will have it stuck in your head.

Joyner Lucas – “Frozen”: Right now rap music is average at best and there only seems to be one rapper who is making waves in the genre, he goes by the name of Joyner Lucas and his newest single showcases his brilliant rhyming ability on “Frozen”. The song is a direct hit against reckless driving, through the guise of a young girl’s take on near-death. Lucas has managed to use his musical platform to deliver concise messages, some have caused controversy but you can’t deny the genius of his delivery.

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