This week has been a fairly active one… it’s quite literally flown by! I recently got interviewed by ‘GuysLikeU’ and they did a piece on myself…life, love, career etc, which was quite nerve-wracking and exciting but it got some really sweet comments from friends and family…a lot of people were saying to me “I didn’t know that about you” but I feel that’s a common thread for me…I’m quite secretive with myself in some areas so it felt nice to open up a little bit…I would be lying if I said it wasn’t common in the gay community to share penis pics and whilst I’ve never really sent them before, I have received a fair amount in my time and on Saturday morning; I felt bold as brass and took my first ever full length nude photo and sent it…I’m not Vanessa Hudgens, so if it were to “‘leak” it would have very little impact on myself but it was exhilarating and the guy I sent it to really enjoyed it…so that’s been a bit of a perk for my confidence.
Otherwise, it’s been my niece’s 6th birthday. One thing a lot of people don’t realise about me is that I LOVE kids. I have two nieces and one nephew and I’m obsessed with them all so much. I remember the first time I ever held my first niece (who’s now 11!) in my arms…I remember wanting my own baby then and since then I’ve been blessed with two more angels and I get more and more obsessed. My nephew is so cute! He has this habit of just coming and sitting on my lap and it’s kinda funny because for a long time I was quite distant with affection towards anyone, so to have this little angel come and sit on my lap out of his own choice was mystifying and amazing! For my niece’s party, my sister had booked out a big village hall and invited everyone from my niece’s class! We had so much fun; my friend Eddie came down and dressed as a princess and together we entertained the kids with songs, games and so much pizza. Honestly, they were all sleeping in their parents cars at the end of the party.
It’s also been an incredibly busy week for music! I’ve limited it to 5 but easily could have done 10!
Cardi B & Bruno Mars – ‘Please Me’
After the absolute bangeranga of the ‘Finesse’ remix last year, Cardi and Bruno have come together again for the R&B jam ‘Please Me’ and once again, the magic is there. Cardi spits over the track with such a confidence as she tempts her male lover into the bedroom with her and Bruno seductively has my attention with his pleas “I ain’t one for begging but now you’ve me begging”. The track reminds me of one of those early 2000s R&B tracks and I can see myself being absolutely hooked, as everything Cardi does is usually gold mine to me.
Simon Curtis – ‘Love’
I’m so relieved that Simon has released some new music. Back in 2010, he dropped a free internet album ‘8-Bit Heart’, which was essentially the male version of Lady Gaga’s ‘The Fame’ but more clever and interesting and since then he has blessed us with a ‘debut’ album ‘RA’ and an EP / mix tape of unused track ‘WWW’, featuring one of his best works ‘Do I Have To Dance’ (which he once told me he had written with Britney in mind). ‘Love’ is a very euphoric and anthemic track as he sings in his falsetto about learning to love yourself.. The track is outstanding and it excites me for future Simon music as it’s been about 6 years since we’ve heard anything original from him… I’m hoping for some more ballads because “Starlight’ is 100% an underrated track among his back catalogue.
Avril Lavigne – ‘It Was In Me’
It’s been over 6 years since Avril’s beautiful self-titled record came out; a collection of work which blended the old Avril style tracks we know and love and a look into a more grown up Lavigne and her latest record ‘Head Above Water‘ takes us into a grown up, more mature artist and one of the stand out tracks on the record for me is the self-empowering ‘It Was In Me’ where Avril really lets her vocals do the talking. She soars on the chorus “now let me feel high when I’m sober / let me feel young when I’m older”. In a way, the track reminds me a little bit of ‘I’m With You’ from her debut album but the self-empowering theme shows that Avril has learnt to love herself and not in need of anyone but herself and her strong vocals.
Kehlani – ‘Butterfly’
‘Butterfly’ serves as the second release from Kehlani’s forthcoming mix tape and the slow, R&B jam is absolutely beautiful. The track details how her lover makes her feel complete and helps find herself “so you seem to think you’re invisible / you’re so far from silhouette”. Its a really refreshing moment when you find someone who makes you feel good about yourself and Kehlani captures that emotion perfectly in ‘Butterfly’.
Lizzo – ‘Cuz I Love You’
‘Cuz I Love You’ is such a bold song! After being obsessed with ‘Juice’, I wasn’t sure if Lizzo was going to be a one hit number but she is 100% not! From the moment ‘Cuz I Love You’ starts, Lizzo soars into the strong vocals with “I’m crying cause I love you” as she details the transformation in herself that her lover has created for her “once upon a time I was a hoe” which slowly transitions to her full-hearted love for her lover. Her vocals throughout the track reminds me so much of Jennifer Hudson’s version of ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ from Dreamgirls. Powerful, emotional and slightly dramatic. Such a great track and shows a different side to sassy, old Lizzo.
A bunch of Hilary Duff tracks have appeared in my inbox so I’m super excited to check them out this coming week, alongside being obsessed with Avril’s new album ‘Head About Water’ that Essentially Pop got a pre-release review up about…so I 100% recommend that…otherwise I’m still obsessed with Meghan Trainor’s EP…did anyone see that hilarious press release that went out about the songs making you “wet for days”. Whoever wrote that press release deserves a pay rise!
