Pretty Girls Music Review

BRITNEY'S BACK! Anyone who knows me knows that Britney is my favorite female pop star ever!! With that said, I was a little disappointed with the angle taken with Britney Jean (her last album) but from the sounds (and looks) her latest era will make up for that!

Britney just released the first single to her upcoming legendary era and it's with none other than Iggy Azalea. This was a good call in my book being that Iggy is one of the hottest females in music right now. Not only was it a good look to collaborate with Iggy but the song is a straight up girls summer anthem! It's perfect for this time of year.

The song has an old school funk/r&b beat and I completely approve. It sounds like old Britney is surfacing and it's exactly what fans and the public has wanted for so long. Britney has her classic whiny, sort of nasally, smooth yet coy vocals on the song. This is what every Britney fan has been waiting for!

Pretty Girls is bound to be a hit nationwide and possibly worldwide. If this is the official introduction to her new era, I'm excited and I will have to say, for lack of a better word, it will SLAY! It's been a while since Britney's team came up with a well put together promotional plan but this may be the one to save her career and show the world why she's the queen. Now let's wait for the music video and see her slay those dance moves...

I give Pretty Girls a 4.5/5 star rating. Can't wait for the next one!

Buy Pretty Girls on iTunes here.

Lyrics:

[Intro/Chorus: Both]
All around the world, pretty girls
Wipe the floor with all the boys
Pour the drinks, bring the noise
(It's Iggy-Iggs!)
We're just so pretty!
All around the world, pretty girls
Jump the line, to the front
Do what we like, get what we want
(Where you at, Brit?)
We're just so pretty!

[Verse 1: Britney Spears]
Hey, don't you know that it's always the same?
From Australia 'round to LA
You can betcha', wherever the girls go, boys follow
We be keeping them up on their toes
They can laugh, but they don't get the jokes
Just you watch, they're so predictable
(Some things don't change...)

[Pre-Chorus: Both]
(The girls roll up)
Windows roll down
(Eyes on us)
Jaws on the ground
(Watch them go)
It's just so funny
(Like bees to the honey!)

[Chorus: Both]
All around the world, pretty girls
Wipe the floor with all the boys
Pour the drinks, bring the noise
We're just so pretty!
All around the world, pretty girls
Jump the line, to the front
Do what we like, get what we want
We're just so pretty!

[Verse 2: Britney Spears]
Tell me, is it true that these men are from Mars?
Is that why they be acting bizarre?
Every time I walk out of my house it's like, "Hey, baby!"
They don't see me rolling my eyes
They buzzing around me like flies
They got one thing on their minds
(Some things don't change...)

[Pre-Chorus: Both] + [Chorus: Both]

[Bridge: Iggy Azalea]
Damn, still killing them softly
I would spend time with you but that'd cost me
They pray that Iggy-Iggy give 'em one more chance
But busy Iggy wouldn't even give 'em one more glance
See, it's a thin line between the beauty and the beast
Slim waist, thick cake, the whole world want a piece
Bad girl, good (ooh) would make you lose your mind
All of the boys begging Britney, hit 'em one more time
Iggs

[Chorus: Both]

Where Did The Time Go?

I currently have 'Nsync's "God Must've Spent A Little More Time on You" on repeat and I'm wondering why they don't make music like this anymore? The 90s and early 00s had a bunch of iconic music that no era would ever be able to duplicate and it's a little sad to think about. How did we fall so low as a society that we accept what's on the radio now? What happened to the people who appreciated meaningful Pop music and not just Pop music that caused you to mindlessly bop your head?

I don't know about the rest of you but I was a major 90s/00s Pop freak! I had (and still have) everything 'Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera (just to name The Big 4). I remember a time when slow jams and pop ballads were welcomed over the airwaves and everything wasn't EDM and about popping molly.

There's nothing more that I would want than to be able to hear stuff like "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" and "What A Girl Wants" while driving and listening to the radio. Remember when everyone was screaming "I Want It That Way" at the top of their lungs? Wasn't it a good feeling?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a musical encyclopedia. I listen to it all, from 1950s (Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke) to 1980s (Prince, Madonna, Michael) but I absolutely loved the latter 90s. It makes me sad that this later generation missed the good stuff. I cringed at the video from E! Online where children didn't even know what to do with a cassette player (YIKES!).

I remember when Pop music was an event! I miss TRL, Making the video, Say What! Karaoke, etc. Music was fun and exciting and it actually meant something. Where did the time go? Remember when a music video premiere was an exciting thing? Now we just click a link and get directed to an artists' Vevo page. Nothing's the same anymore. It'll be great if they brought an updated version of these shows...maybe then music would become more exciting.

 

I know I usually don't write about this kind of stuff but it was just weighing heavily on my mind. Listening to 'Nsync took me on a trip down memory lane to the days I knew every Britney dance move and my wall was covered in Pop culture posters. Not even the cartoons are the same anymore...it's really a shame...

Leave Bieber Alone! (How We Create Monsters & Then Trash Our Own Creations)

"I will not quit this game because of what the media has done to me."-Michael Jordan

First off, let me start by saying that in no way am I a "Belieber" or a superfan of Justin Bieber. The only song I own by him on my iTunes is his debut single "Baby". But apparently, this is enough for me to defend him. 

If you don't know by now, Bieber has been getting himself into a load of trouble lately. He's been on the front page of every celebrity news site and if you turned on your television you've probably seen him on every news channel. Now, the problem I have with all of this is that instead of helping him and giving him the space that he needs, the media is demonizing him. Everyone has something to say about his behavior but no one wants to lend a helping hand. Everyone's a critic but no one wants to make their criticism constructive.

Before you attack me with "he's doing it to himself" or "he deserves it all", the truth is he doesn't deserve any of this. No one deserves this. When are we going to learn that sticking a camera in someone's face while they're going through their trials is never a good idea. Since when was it okay to post videos of someone in court and pictures of their mugshot for everyone to see? Just because his job is to be in the public eye doesn't mean that his personal life shouldn't belong to him.

I am not defending his actions but I am defending his right to privacy and his age. He's a 19 year old boy who drinks and party (why doesn't this sound out of the ordinary?). The only difference between Bieber and the average 19 year old male is that he has a large sum of money and fame to go with it. Underage drinking is illegal but how many of you out there has done the same thing when you were in college (and even before that)? And drag racing for a young boy isn't anything new (just ask why insurance rates are higher for boys than girls). Besides, it's already been stated that he wasn't even racing his car, it was just another story that the media needed to run with.

What I'm trying to say is let's not be too quick to judge. He's not an angel but he's not the devil either. Seeing all of the pictures and videos, not to mention the horrific comments about him brings me back to 2007 and seeing what they did to Britney Spears. It's like Charlie Sheen all over again. Most people are afraid that the more attention you give him, the more he'll lash out because he wants the attention. Maybe that's not the reason why he'll lash out more. Maybe he'll lash out because the attention and the constant hate is all too much. Imagine if every mistake you have ever made as a teenager/young adult was photographed and video taped, then posted on the internet for everyone in the world to see? How you would react? How would you feel? You can't tell me that you haven't done anything remotely close to what Bieber is being demonized for. Again, not saying that what he is doing is right but how can we judge someone we know nothing about.

What worries me more is that Bieber's action could be a cry for help as opposed to "give me attention!" We're always so quick to judge and throw dirt on someone and the moment they have a mental breakdown we go down the "sorry" route. "I'm glad he's getting the help that he needs", "Stay strong Bieber" will be the comments once it's announced that he's been checked into a rehab facility or worse. Then we'll be waiting for a grand comeback and make him out to be bigger than life itself. We have to stop building monsters and then spitting on our own creations and blame them for malfunctioning. The media and the general public condones this and then wonder why it becomes a trend for young stars.

Now, many people are worried that he'll influence their children or his loyal beliebers but the truth is, people know right from wrong. If your kid doesn't know that underage drinking is bad by the time they're 15 you should probably be questioning your parenting skills. If they do know but still choose to do it, don't be so quick to blame a celebrity who has no power in your household. What I've learned in life is that people are going to do what they want at whatever age. I've seen many great and awesome parents have children that turned out to be exactly what they were afraid of. You know why, because after a certain age you can no longer choose what you want your child to do or believe in. Bieber isn't going to make your child drink or smoke before they're 21...college will do that. He's not going to make them lose their virginity before marriage...hormones will do that. We should stop placing the blame where it doesn't belong. 

I don't mean to get all "LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!" on you guys but in reality we should leave Bieber alone. Maybe alone time and zero attention is what he needs at the moment. Maybe some time to make mistakes without there being a camera flash is the answer. One thing is for certain, demonizing him isn't the way to go. 

I don't want to see Bieber become another child star gone wrong...someone who had the world in his hands and then drops it completely. Sadly, I think the world would rather see him fall until they're ready for him to rise again...IF they're ever ready. It saddens me when I see people who once loved and supported him turn on him so quickly. It just proves that there wasn't any love there from the start...just infatuation. You don't leave someone when they need help the most and you certainly don't kick someone when they're already down. Let's stop the name calling, pointing fingers, and the ugly comments. It's not helping anyone in the long run.

"People are already beaten down enough by life. Don't contribute to it. Use your words to encourage someone."-Damien Echols

I will not quit this game because of what the media has done to me.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/media.html#MUZiTUHhqBiwklXX.99

I will not quit this game because of what the media has done to me.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/media.html#MUZiTUHhqBiwklXX.99

This Is Living...

 "...Every step feels so brand new. It's hard to jump with no net but I've jumped and got no regret."

During the past two weeks I learned what living is and let me tell you...it's exactly what everyone hyped it up to be! Remember when I wrote about how important it is to dream and that daydreaming leads to living...I took my own advice and made my dreams into a reality.

I spent my last few weeks in Australia (my dream place), Dubai, and Italy. It was as if one day I was wishing and hoping to see Australia at least once in my lifetime and the next, I was petting Koalas and Kangaroos at Steve Irwin's zoo in Brisbane! I went sightseeing in Newcastle and skydiving in Picton, Australia. Most of my time was spent in Sydney where I met new people and got a new tattoo. 

It's not exactly what I did in Australia that made it memorable or that made it all worth it, it's what I learned. I learned about adventure and risk taking, but those weren't the most important lessons. The lesson that mattered the most to me was the lesson of learning to live. For so long, I was just simply existing in a world that would someday kill me and it wasn't until I actually went out to see the world that I learned there was an alternative to existing...and it's called LIVING!

For those of you who never experienced life, this is what it feels like: better than dreaming. When Dr. Seuss once said "you know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams" he didn't just mean falling in love with a significant other. For the first time ever, I felt like I was in love with life and I wouldn't trade it for anything. There is no greater feeling than doing exactly what you always dreamed of. There is no greater feeling than knowing that you can't get better than reality. There's something so rewarding when you can say to yourself "this is living..."

I've had my trying times and I had my moments where I wanted to not exist and give it all up but the last few weeks made me grateful that I decided to stick around. How could I give up the possibility of living my dreams and seeing more of the world than I ever thought of? My whole point is to say: never give up because your present is messy. Where you are right now doesn't depict where you will be or end up. Don't worry if you're not "living" at the moment, work on bringing yourself to life. Learn to say forget everything and everyone and do what makes you happy. Take the driver's seat so you can eventually let go and become the passenger and see all of the sights as you drive by. 

Getting lost in a new and foreign town was both amazing and scary. At one point I told my boyfriend "let's get lost and see things we didn't plan on seeing." It was during moments like this one that I realized how important learning to live is. Sometimes just learning to enjoy the ride is all you need to pick up on the lesson. 

This post wasn't meant to be long, it was meant to tell everyone else to learn the lesson that I learned over the past two weeks. I discovered that existing and living truly are two different concepts and we all should learn the second one before it's too late. Life is short but it can be filled with so many wonders if you let it in. Become the world's passenger and be sure to look around and enjoy the view.

Enjoy a few pictures from my trip to Australia while I made stops in Dubai and Italy!

 The famous Aquarium in Sydney, Australia.

 Steve Irwin's zoo in Brisbane, Australia!

 Darling Harbour, Sydney.

 Darling Harbour.

 A sleeping Koala

 Newcastle sight.

 Sunset in Australia from our cruise ship.

 The Italian Alps, Milan, Italy.