Jordanlee1402

I’d like to correct you here and say that I’m not talking about you. The full post was about my own thoughts nobody else’s.

I gave this album a full listen today (the entire 31 track edition) and it was pretty consistent and strong all the way through! Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me is still a major highlight for me! But The Black Dog sounded fantastic today as did Cassandra! The Anthology tracks kinda added to ye experience and I don’t necessarily feel it dragged for a long album! I think this felt more like a follow up to evermore than Midnights in a sense but I think this sound suits her and I’d definitely rate it higher than Midnights and Lover in sound / quality.

The “fall” of Katy is always really interesting to analyse and look at, especially from someone who stans the charts. I feel like the Dr Luke thing is still not really necessarily common knowledge; unless you’re on Stan Twitter or a chart forum site like Buzzjack, you wouldn’t necessarily know it as common knowledge. It’s not like the recent trip to space, which was on pretty much every panel show and newspaper globally. Regarding the working with Dr Luke, it was a bad move, and someone like Katy, who's a household name and still a talking point, just wouldn’t get away with it the way newer female artists would. Having said that, could that have been overseen if the material of 143 was actually good? Before 143 dropped, it did actually seem like there was goodwill towards her, and it did seem like there was genuine hype for new music too what soon just faded when Dr Luke was announced to be involved with the project. I won’t comment too much on her intellectual level here but surely she knew there’d be backlash from that and people would be asking questions and wanting answers. It’s frustrating at times because it does feel like anytime there’s an ounce of goodwill towards her or when she seems to be in a good position she does something what derails it all. I suppose you could blame streaming support; it’s hard to judge just how well the 143 era could’ve done, for example, had she had stronger playlist support. However, with Katy, I think her actual music itself has severely gone downhill. All artists have to fight to remain eternally relevant, and we’ve seen it’s tougher for females, especially in pop music! Katy debuted and also peaked at a time when her peers were also very strong, and we’ve seen the likes of Taylor, Beyoncé (who I’m not the biggest fan of at all, but I can’t deny she’s a performance powerhouse and very versatile), and Gaga all show far more artistry and versatility to get to where they want to be. Gaga is an interesting one because as Katy was thriving with Prism back in 2013 Gaga was in a position with the public that wasn’t the best but she was able to adapt to her musical talents and showcase multiple different strokes to her what made her able to comeback successfully. With Katy, she isn’t talented in the vocal stakes to strip things back and show her raw talent, and her performance skills are questionable too (in short, she just didn’t really reinvent or show a different side to her successfully to come back). She’ll always be a relevant touring act but more in the legacy act lane. I genuinely don’t see her as a chart star anymore. I think Smile was the decider to that, but after Witness, Smile and now 143 went the way they did. No matter who she works with, I just don’t think she can score another solo hit again!

Oops missed the first rounds of those but I love that ZAYN and Taylor track! Just Hold On I’d say is the weakest for me here! But I like every other track here.

Idk if it’s just me but the acoustic version of this just doesn’t really go with the song? I just don’t know if it’s just the way it was produced but it doesn’t go or sound in place with the song?

A new push is what’s needed! After Rio shows it’ll be interesting to see if anything gets a full push / a new music video comes etc. There’s rumours but nothing concerete yet but I think after the Rio shows completed we may possibly get something or maybe at the latest after the Singapore shows? It wouldn’t even take much sales wise for it to go back top 10 but it just needs a little nudge I think!

Also as per sales thread the UK numbers for this week 23 4,585 Lady Gaga - MAYHEM

That’s my thinking too! We’ve also matched Joannes total weeks top 40 this week in the UK too! I had a look at her chart stats in the day as I was bored 😆. Joanne’s her lowest total weeks top 40 for a solo album with 8 weeks managed (although these weren’t consecutive as we had a X factor boost then ofc Super Bowl). But next week we should overtake Joannes weeks! ARTPOP for comparison had 10, Chromatica 13, Born This Way, 38 and The Fame 134! A Star Is Born had 52 before it moved to compilations!

What a run it’s had! I wonder how high up her all time list this will get to in the UK eventually.

#23 this week in the UK!! Just 1 place down from the midweeks. But 8 weeks in and #23 I’ll take in this climate. A busy week this week too with many new releases ahead which next week will likely tumble down below MAYHEM! Interested to see if Rio show makes an impact here but I think this week we should be around the same region chart wise if nothing else!

Nicola is played a great actress! I still wish Nicola had been the blood Mitchell though. Had she been Billy’s sister it would’ve felt better for me! I think she could be the female EE villainous I’ve longed for she’s got shades of a few characters too her a Janine esque scheming side to her and the protective side of what Ronnie Mitchell had to her character too.

That’s one return from the grave I’d let slide! An all time oaks legend as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve went for the S&M remix and Live Your Life on this round. Very rarely if ever revisit the Britney version of S&M although I love the original and its music video. Live Your Life I loved at the time and still love Rihanna’s part on the track yet I rarely go back as a whole. It’s actually so tough already though such a strong list!

I can only imagine the direction of this album (formally rumoured to be a reggae album although I think that's long been scrapped). This album when/if it does ever materialise will truly be such an event. I'm fully confident that she will smash on streaming with new material connected to a an album her back catalogue numbers show she's still a force and I think as well she'll pull in decent enough sales as she was a sales force too back in her releasing music days! I think she's a forever relevant kind of artist who'll always be a major A Lister. I've been thinking about her a lot the last week or so and she honestly was such a HIT machine. I've never quite known an artist go from releasing music so often and being so active to... the opposite! Imagine even the idea of waiting 9+ years for a new Rihanna album back in 2011/2012!

This is what I’ve come up with after some deliberation! Still working on some sort of theme but I’m placing hits together based on sound etc. I wanted some sort of sector what’s more specific to her heritage (Act 3) and strong hits to begin and end with! Even if we never get another album again there’s so much material there for an absolutely epic hits tour if she was ever to be interested in a performing gig. Act 1: Where Have You Been (with references to her break from music in the intro video) also contains excerpts of Wait Your Turn Breakin Dishes Only Girl In The World What’s My Name (shortened) SOS (shortened) Act2: Work Needed Me Rude Boy S&M Wild Thoughts / Lemon / Bitch Better Have My Money / Cockiness (mashup) Pour It Up Act 3: Pon De Replay If It’s Lovin That You Want Man Down No Love Allowed Act 4: Russian Roulette (shortened) Love The Way You Lie (shortened) FourFiveSeconds (shortened minus kanyes section) Stay Lift Me Up Kiss It Better (Surprise song - alternates each show) Act 5: Disturbia / The Monster (mash-up both shortened) Don’t Stop The Music Shut Up and Drive Umbrella Encore: Run This Town / Live Your Life / All of The Lights (mash-up) Love On The Brain This Is What You Came For We Found Love Diamonds

This is tricky and I kind of have a case for all three here which I’ll explain! So I voted Vanish Into You as that’s my personal favourite and I think it’s different from both Disease and Abracadabra to showcase versatility on MAYHEM. It’s got a classic feel to it and would sound great on radio! How Bad Do U Want Me is what I think would do the best mainstream wise however. It’s pure pop but unlike anything she’s ever pushed before. I think it has crazy potential to go viral and it feels like a major hit in the making. Garden of Eden visually I think would make the best music video but as it’s charted already in the UK i kinda want something else to be pushed so she can achieve more charting singles here! I think Garden of Eden is also similar ish to Abracadabra so the other two choices show more versatility! Like someone who wasn’t keen on Abracadabra and prefers the softer side of Gaga may like Vanish Into You for example! Any I’d be happy enough with but I think How Bad Do U Want Me is what would do the biggest numbers! (Shadow of A Man would’ve been the lead in an alternate reality becoming a Grammy winning global #1 but will settle For this being a fan favourite) x

Looking at that list of the lead singles together makes me realise just how good most of them really are! What a list! I think my ranking would go like Push The Button Freak Like Me About You Now Overload Hole In The Head Easy Flatline Get Sexy Girls (this is probably the only one that I don’t really like) I remember really loving Easy at the time yet it’s not one I revisit a lot these days more because it’s not on a studio album than anything else. Overload is one that’s really grown across time though I think it sounds really fresh now and not at all that it’s almost 25 years old where as stuff like Girls and Get Sexy which came out years later feel really dated. To be fair I really feel like 1.0 and 2.0 era of Sugababes have a sound what doesn’t necessarily feel dated compared to other acts who were out at the time! I feel like tracks like Hole In The Head and Freak could still be hits if released now!

Just noticed that as of now the top 6 are actually her 6 chart toppers! That’s quite a rare time where we see all the number ones actually at the top. I can see Always Remember Us This Way overtaking Telephone and Rain On Me eventually though and Die With A Smile to potentially head for top 5 too!

Round 2 is now open of the Rihanna US Number One Singles Survivor! 12 tracks now remain and again I’m looking for your two least favourites in this round! Round 1 seen us lose our two most recent state-side chart toppers for Rihanna as both The Monster and Work had 5 votes! Personally I actually chose those two as my least favourites so a strong start so far for me! Get your votes in and I’ll close this round when there’s been enough votes. Eliminated so far: 14th place: Work 5/12 Votes / The Monster 5/12 votes

Midweek #22 in UK for week 8! But there’s a lot of new entries ahead of it so I think it’ll climb by Friday (but will more than likely be top 20!) Hopefully the insiders on X who were claiming new videos / a new single is coming soon are accurate as that will really help the album out now and keep it in the upper regions for more time.

Was closing this tonight although we currently have a tie? Any extra voters?

I’m hosting a rate in the Rihanna forum whilst it’s still here….! Get voting if you haven’t already - it’s a survivor of the US Number Ones! Closing Round 1 tonight (or at some point tomorrow as there’s currently a tie.)

Keep votes coming! Round 2 will open Tuesday with this round closing tomorrow night!

UK #10! 7 weeks top 10 now her longest charting solo album in the top now since Born This Way now having overtaken Chromaticas weeks in the top ten this week! Also in the UK we finally got the gold certification confirmed this week ❤️

The vocals for me are what I can’t get my head around. She’s never been a vocalist but the Rise clip that’s going around is genuinely appalling and she didn’t sound much better on ET or Roar either. Let’s see how the tour progresses and if it was more just night one nerves.