We were blessed with a new album, Icarus Falls, this morning from former One Direction member Zayn Malik and I am not mad at it. The album is double the length of a regular album, which means you get extra songs to listen to this weekend!
Have you listened to the album yet? What are your favorite tracks so far? Let me know in the comments OR you can comment on my IG post HERE.
Here is the track list for Icarus Falls:
Let Me
Natural
Back to Life
Common
Imprint
Stand Still
Tonight
Flight of the Stars
If I Got You
Talk to Me
There You Are
I Don’t Mind
Icarus Interlude
Good Guy
You Wish You Knew
Sour Diesel
Satisfaction
Scripted
Entertainer
All That
Good Years
Fresh Air
Rainberry
Insomnia
No Candle No Light (ft. Nicki Minaj)
Fingers
Too Much (ft. Timbaland)
You can listen to the album on Apple Music Preview HERE.
I’m back with another concert review, and this time it’s for the highly anticipated “HARRY STYLES: Live On Tour” from his stop in South Florida on June 9, 2018.
We bought the tickets last year for my niece’s birthday when they were first released and had to wait a whole year for the show, but I have to say it was worth the wait! I’ve been to a lot of live shows and this, hands down, was the loudest I’ve ever been to. It all started when we arrived at the BB&T Center. We got there about 45 minutes prior to doors opening and this is the view we were greeted with:
With that being said, I don’t think it’s necessary to arrive any earlier than the time the doors actually open. Especially if you have an actual seat. If you have general admission, however, I would advise getting there EXTRA early, unless you’d like to wait for a crowd like this to get in before you do. Also, take into consideration that everyone in front of you has to get through metal detectors, bag checks, etc. Another observation was that there were several merch tables set up inside the BB&T Center and each one had extremely long lines.
After braving the lines for merch, we sat in our seats and waited and waited. At one point, they played “Olivia” by One Direction and the crowd went nuts. They sang every word at the top of their lungs — you would’ve thought 1D was out on that stage singing with them. My niece decided she wanted more merch, so her mom and I went out to brave the lines again and missed the start of Kacey Musgraves’ set. We got to see her halfway through though and she was great. She even sang “Tearin’ Up My Heart” by *NSYNC, so she had my vote lol.
Via Harry Styles on Twitter | Ft. Lauderdale, FL 6/9/18
Once the lights went down the crowd went crazy once again. Harry’s first song began to play and then . . . silence. There must have been some technical difficulties, so the spotlights cut off, the music stopped playing and all the lights came back on. Once everything was sorted out, the show went on without a hitch. It was actually very good! At one point, Harry walks down the middle of the crowd to a B Stage in the back of the venue. Here’s what that looked like:
His stage set-up was great, the lights were fantastic and the vocals were on point the entire time. There was a nostalgic vibe to the whole set-up that fits the vibe of the album.
At certain points throughout the show, he would take some time to talk to people in the crowd and thank everyone for supporting him and the music, which was nice. During one of his songs, the crowd held up the flashlights on their phones and the whole venue lit up in rainbow colors. I was kinda salty that we weren’t informed about it lol, but it was a really special moment in the show. Here’s our view of what it looked like:
Here’s the set-list for our show here in South Florida:
Only Angel
Woman
Ever Since New York
Two Ghosts
Carolina
Stockholm Syndrome (One Direction cover)
Just a Little Bit of Your Heart (Ariana Grande cover)
Medicine
Meet Me in the Hallway
Sweet Creature (on B Stage)
If I Could Fly (One Direction cover – on B Stage)
Anna
What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction cover)
Sign of the Times
From the Dining Table
The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Kiwi
I highly recommend making it out to one of the remaining shows on the tour. This one was really special because we were there for my niece’s 14th birthday. The crowd was amazing and the whole vibe was positive and supportive. Not to mention that this album was actually fantastic and Harry does a great job performing it.
This review will be a bit different because my niece was actually the one who attended. I wanted to have her explain the experience in her own words because she’s the target demographic (even though I really enjoyed this album myself). This tour, Flicker Sessions, is promoting the debut solo album from Niall Horan (1/4 of One Direction).
I can tell you that the doors to the venue (The Fillmore Miami Beach) opened about an hour before the show started, which was about 7pm. The scheduled start time was 8pm and my niece was out at 10:15pm.
Also, be sure to take advantage of the Flicker Sessions filters available on SnapChat while you’re waiting! Here are the two that were available for my niece here in Miami:
Here’s Briana with her thoughts on the show:
I was nervous to see Niall perform by himself because I’m so used to seeing him with the other guys in 1D, but I am so proud of him! Proud mom! The stage didn’t have a big, elaborate set-up and I really liked that. It had a chill vibe that went well with his new music. The sound was great at the venue and Niall’s vocals were on point throughout the whole show (I’m not surprised!). One of my favorite parts was when he stopped singing and playing the guitar and let the audience sing the words back to him. He just looked so happy to be doing this. We almost cried when he started singing “Fool’s Gold” too! It was so emotional.
This was my first time at The Fillmore, but I really liked it. I even heard that the line for Niall’s show was longer than any other show there. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but either way, it was way worth the two hours we spent in line! Some people even started lining up at 5am! We weren’t as close to the stage as we hoped, but just being there at all was such a great experience. While we were in line, someone passed around these bright pink papers shaped like light bulbs that said to hold them in front of our phone flashlights during “This Town” and that was awesome to see. I’ve seen people plan fan projects like that at other shows, but this was the first one I got to participate in.
Gavin James opened up for Niall and he reminded me a lot of Ed Sheeran. I thought he did really well. I highly recommend getting tickets to see Niall live because it really was a great night out!
Set list from the Fillmore Miami Beach (Nov. 6, 2017):
Today we are blessed with the latest video from Harry Styles off of his self-titled debut album! I know this made my niece’s day, and I hope it makes yours as well!
Here’s the video for “Kiwi”
If you happen to live under a rock and haven’t seen the debut video from the album, here is “Sign of the Times”
The album is fantastic and features an 80’s rock-inspired sound that is rather surprising to some who are unaware of his talent. (Note: If Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue can admit that this is a great album, that is saying A LOT. Nikki Sixx is extremely outspoken and knows music like the back of his hand. It’s definitely a compliment to Harry) Check it out and let me know what you think!
I grew up during the peak of the boy band era. You know the one I’m talking about . . . the one where it was either *Nsync OR Backstreet Boys. The one where we had posters plastered to our walls like wallpaper and attempted dance moves in our living rooms. The one where we watched ‘Making the Band’ when O-Town was put together.
You know what New Kids On the Block, *Nsync, Backstreet Boys, O-Town, New Edition, 98 Degrees, etc. didn’t have?? A 14-year-old beatboxer who SLAYS.
Personally, I was an *Nsync girl because . . . Justin Timberlake, but I decided to check out an episode of ABC’s Boy Band just to see how the judging was handled even though Nick Carter was one of the architects (you can take the girl out of the boy band era, but you can’t take the boy band era out of the girl). My niece, who is 13 decided to watch it with me and that was a wrap. We both got sucked back into boy band land. Let me also state, for the record, that even the One Direction boys didn’t have the greatest auditions on X-Factor (at all), but Simon Cowell saw something in them that he thought would work as a boy band. Clearly, he was onto something because they grew into their voices and have all managed to put out great solo singles and records.
I want to start out by saying that I’ve always been a fan of hearing people beatbox because it’s just not something that everyone can do. We saw JHype’s audition for Boy Band, where Timbaland even went up on stage to join him and it was incredible. I’m not just saying that because he’s my niece’s favorite either. Here’s the audition:
Now, I can’t sit here and say that JHype ever had the best vocals on the show, but he had something that no one else had (aside from Michael Conor)–originality. My issue is that he knew he didn’t come into the competition as a singer and worked extra hard to improve, but even through all of his hard work and growth, Nick still knocked him down each week. No constructive criticism that he could take in and try to perfect, no recognition for the hard work he was putting in, nothing. The only person who gave him credit was Timbaland.
What should’ve been taken into consideration is that he was SO good at beatboxing and improving with vocals. Some of the guys only had vocals and even those weren’t consistently good over the past few weeks.
One comment that stands out in particular was when Nick said he was concerned that JHype didn’t have the tools they need to go deep into the competition. Are you kidding me?? Take a poll, sir! I don’t want another cookie-cutter boy band like all the ones we’ve had in the past. I think adding a rapper (Michael Conor) and JHype would be so interesting and different! I just didn’t appreciate that it sounded like Nick had it out for Jay from the very beginning. Stop telling him he has room for growth because they all do! I still do and I’m 33! Plus, let’s be real . . . Nick isn’t the best singer in BSB either, but they’re still relevant as a band! Now we can also add a lack of vision to that list.
With that being said, here is my ideal Top Five:
Chance, Drew, Marcus, Michael Conor and JHype
With JHype being gone now, here is my current Top Five:
Chance, Drew, Marcus, Michael Conor and Mikey
I know what you’re thinking . . . where’s Jaden?? I think Jaden is more of a soloist (and a bad-ass one at that), so I’d like to see him do his own thing. Hey, maybe he could collab with JHype & Miles!
It’s no secret that Jay will do big things now that his name is on the map and he has a strong fan base to keep that going. He would’ve been a GREAT addition, but I’m excited to see where he goes from here. Here’s to hoping that Timbaland and Justin Timberlake reach out and mentor him even further! The future is bright for him without a doubt. I can’t wait to see him prove Nick wrong!
On that note, here’s my favorite JHype performance on the show:
Ladies and gents . . . the long-awaited first single from the One Direction heartthrob, Harry Styles, has been released today!
Following in the footsteps of his band mates (most of them, anyway), Harry has released ‘ Sign of the Times’ on April 7, 2017. Strange to know that there are thousands of young girls losing their minds today because of it – my niece included! It’s interesting how different their musical styles are, isn’t it? Harry Styles with this 80’s rock style single, Niall Horan released an acoustic style ‘This Town,’ Louis Tomlinson released an electronic/dance vibe single ‘Just Hold On’ with Steve Aoki and we’re still waiting on Liam Payne to release something! We also saw Zayn Malik branch out on his own with a different style as well.
I also find it interesting that this is the one boy band who has seen ALL members branch out to do their own thing. Not even my beloved *NSYNC did that!
Anyway, Harry will be performing ‘Sign of the Times’ on NBC’s Saturday Night Live this Saturday, April 15. You can also check out his upcoming movie, Dunkirk, which will be in theaters this SUMMER, July 21, 2017.
So here is the audio “video” released on Harry’s VEVO channel:
It’s the moment all One Direction fans dreaded! The moment when the 23-year-old would drop his first solo single since leaving One Direction mid-tour in March 2015.
Now, as a woman in her 30’s, I’ve had my share of boy band heartbreaks! Nsync broke up. Need I say more? Ok, maybe I can. NKOTB split up for years (and got back together so maybe there’s hope for a reunion when they’re in their 40’s Directioners!), Backstreet Boys lost Kevin for a while (and got him back), etc. It happens, and it stinks, but we saw this happen with Justin Timberlake, didn’t we? He needed something more than the cookie cutter boy band image, so he went off on his own and he’s done amazingly well! Don’t get me wrong…I’m still holding out hope for a reunion though…
With Zayn’s debut single, it’s definitely edgier than we’re used to seeing from him. WAY EDGIER! I actually really like it…with the exception of knowing that my 11-year-old niece will end up watching it and have a million questions (like why it’s called “Pillowtalk” in the first place lol). The video was released on January 29, just 2 days after band released their nostalgic video for “History.” Coincidence? Quite possibly.
In any case, check out One Direction’s newest video and then check out Zayn’s debut as a solo artist. Let me know what you think! Tweet me @kristin0409!
I’m pretty certain the internet broke today with the news that Zayn Malik has officially left One Direction. I have a ten year old niece who’s currently on the verge of tears, wondering who will be the one to hit those high notes now.
One would think he’s crazy for leaving such a popular band, but, I mean, can you really blame him? As I said, I have a ten year old niece who I’ve taken to several One Direction shows and they’re actually very good. I love music in general, and I grew up on New Kids on the Block, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, etc. so I understand the appeal these guys have on young girls. After being put together on the X Factor, they were catapulted into stardom and that can’t be easy for everyone to digest so quickly. Going from being a normal, everyday person to someone with millions and millions of fans stalking your every move, using social media to put down your fiance and family, and just not even being able to go to a store without a full security team.
I sure as heck wouldn’t be able to deal with the lack of privacy.
Some people, as with this particular group, are able to handle the fame and lack of privacy easier than others. If you followed One Direction’s history, however, you can tell from the beginning that Zayn wasn’t one who really enjoyed the spotlight. My only question is…what will he be able to do now that he’s left one of the biggest groups in the world at the moment? Go work at a store? How long will his financial savings give him before he really has to figure out a gameplan for the future?
Either way…I strongly suggest steering clear of any pre-teens/teens for the next week or so as they continue to attempt processing this information. I leave you with a picture of one of the most normal guys formerly of One Direction. Now let him live his life in semi-privacy!
Here’s the official announcement from One Direction’s Facebook page:
This was my first time at The Fillmore, but I really liked it. I even heard that the line for Niall’s show was longer than any other show there. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but either way, it was way worth the two hours we spent in line! Some people even started lining up at 5am! We weren’t as close to the stage as we hoped, but just being there at all was such a great experience. While we were in line, someone passed around these bright pink papers shaped like light bulbs that said to hold them in front of our phone flashlights during “This Town” and that was awesome to see. I’ve seen people plan fan projects like that at other shows, but this was the first one I got to participate in.
It’s the moment all One Direction fans dreaded! The moment when the 23-year-old would drop his first solo single since leaving One Direction mid-tour in March 2015.
According to Kristin 