Radio 1's Big Weekend 2022

Hello!

so, big news everyone...I went to my first proper big festival and what better festival to go to than one which is hosted by Radio 1: Radio 1's Big Weekend.

I became a regular listener in 2019 but I have always tried to tune into Big Weekends before. However, I have never managed to actually get to one....until now.

Due to my disabilities, it has been difficult to get to Big Weekend, or any other festival, because it was never at a location close to where I live. However, this year, it was in Coventry, which is 30 minutes away from where I live, and I was lucky enough to get tickets! (lucky enough because the tickets are like gold dust).

Although I wanted tickets for the Saturday, I got tickets for the Sunday and, after some initial disappointment, I realised that there were acts on the Sunday that I hadn't seen yet so it turned out ok.

Having never been to a big festival like Big Weekend before, I did not know what to expect. However, it was surprising how moderately easy it was to get to. I live half away from the site but there was only so far that I could get in the car. Luckily there was a shuttle bus service that took people from the dedicated car park to the site, and back.

In terms of the actual festival itself I loved it! I saw plenty of superstar acts, from George Ezra to Mabel, dance legends, Jax Jones and Chase and Status and of course, the one and only Harry Styles.

There were other stages as well, such as the BBC Introducing Stage, the dance pyramid, and the Future Sounds stage (originally called the In New Music We Trust stage). Whilst I did walk past the dance pyramid, I stayed at the main stage, firstly because the stages were spread out (the main stage and Future Sounds stages were at separate ends of the site) but also, secondly, a lot of the acts I wanted to see were at the main stage anyway.

I have already touched on this but one of the highlights of my time at Big Weekend was Jax Jones, who was surprisingly good, playing everything from Instruction (a collaboration with Stefflon Don and Demi Lovato) to Out Out, a collaboration with fellow DJ Joel Corry and Charli XCX.

Of course, the big highlight for everyone at the festival was Harry Styles. Looking cool in a purple sparkly jumpsuit, he belted out his best solo hits, such as Golden (a personal favourite of mine), As it Was and Sign of the Times, along with a surprise rendition of What Makes You Beautiful. As someone who had only ever seen Harry as part of One Direction, I was dubious but he actually was really good. I have seen some people noting that it is almost like Robbie Williams when he left Take That and changed his style of music to suit his preferences and honestly, I agree!

Overall, the Big Weekend was amazing and the fact that my first big festival was hosted by my favourite radio station meant a lot to me. Thank you Radio 1. I will definitely be coming back in the future if it comes near me again.

Em x

PS: I am dedicating this blog post to my fellow regular listeners, Ally, Dani, Emma, the three Toms and Lauren. Thank you Radio 1 for bringing us all together xx

Review: Radio 1 Out Out Live - *****

On Saturday 16th October, Radio 1 put on a massive celebration to celebrate the fact that we could all finally go Out Out. Hosted by Greg James, Vick Hope and Jordan North, it was, for many including myself, one of the first concerts they had been to since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Since being a regular listener since 2019, I have loved listening to Radio 1's Big Weekend but never been able to go.  However, that all changed when I worked out that I was able to go to Radio 1 Out Out Live.

Of course, looking back, Radio 1 Out Out Live could be considered as a mini version of Big weekend. Unlike Big Weekend, which is held over a whole weekend and has lots of acts, this was one day and had only a couple of acts. However, what ever festival or concert Radio 1 put on, they always make sure they put in a lot of effort to ensure that a great show is produced.

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Obviously, it would not be a concert, whether it's a Radio 1 concert or not, without some brilliant music acts. The show had everything, from established acts like Joel Corry, and Sam Fender to newer acts, such as Mimi Webb. 

The most impressive act of the night was actually Joel Corry. As someone who had never seen a DJ set live, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. It was made even more amazing by the presence of some guest stars, including MNEK, Harlee and Jax Jones, accompanying him on hits Head & Heart, Lonely and Bed respectively. 

The other surprising acts of the night were KSI and Aj Tracey. As someone who isn't particularly into grime/rap music, I quite enjoyed them. Like Joel Corry, KSI also had special guests, in the form of Digital Farm Animal and S-X (for older readers, yes this is an actual person. He was on Celebrity Gogglebox with KSI).

It wasn't just the established acts that impressed me. It was also the up and coming artists, like Griff, who won the Rising star award, and Mimi Webb, who, since Radio 1 Out Out Live, has been nominated in the BBC Sound of 2022 list. Judging by what I saw, I believe it was a worthy win of the former and a worthy nomination of the latter.

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Overall, I thought the show was amazing. I love the fact that the acts were people I had never seen live before and, of course, the fact my favourite Radio station, Radio 1, hosted it. I will definitely try and attend any Radio 1 events now.

Em x

Happy 10 years Little Mix!

On 19th August 2011, what was everyone doing? Me? I was getting ready to start my A-levels. Anyone else? Maybe you were beginning University? Starting a new job?

Well, 19th August 2011 was the day the lives of Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson and Jade Thirlwall changed forever, as that was the day that Rythmix, later changed to the name we all know and love, Little Mix, was created.

Of course, we actually saw this moment happen in September, as that is when bootcamp was aired on the TV. (sorry to ruin the magic everyone!).  However, because of 19th August being the actual day when Little Mix was formed, this is officially the date of their 10th anniversary.

Like Little Mix's male counterpart, in terms of most successful band this decade, One Direction, Little Mix all auditioned on their own. Perrie auditioned with You Oughta Know, by Alanis Morissette, Leigh-anne auditioned with Rihanna's Only Girl in the World, Jade sang I Wanna Hold your Hand, and Jesy sang Bust Your Windows by Jazmine Sullivan. All got through to bootcamp.

Of course, as it always happens with bootcamp, solo artists get put into groups, the groups get told they have not proceeded to the next round and then you don't see the contestant again. However, there are other times where the judges notice potential and put people, who had originally not been put through to judges' houses, into a group and then put that group to judges' houses. In this case, this was Little Mix.

Of course, what usually happens with groups, particularly, unfortunately, girl groups in The X Factor. was that they would be voted off in the first week of the live shows but Little Mix defied the odds. Not only did they manage to get to the final, they made history by being the first group ever to win The X Factor (JLS had come close but they came second to Alexandra Burke).

 

Often, apart from the few, such as Alexandra Burke, James Arthur and Leona Lewis, those who win have one winner's single and then are never heard of again. Of course, this was not the case for Little Mix.

Little Mix's first single, Cannonball, like many of the other winners, went straight to number one on the UK charts.  But that didn't stop Little Mix. Their first official single, Wings, went straight to number one and over the years, they have become really successful. They have achieved 18 top 10 hits, including 4 number ones (which included the number one they got as part of The X factor 2011 charity single),  all of the studio albums, from DNA to Confetti entering the top 10, with Glory Days going to number one. They have also earned 3 BRIT Awards, which comprises of a history making BRIT Award from 2021: the first girl group to win Best Group, something that even the Spice Girls didn't do.

So, what does the future hold for Little Mix? Well, who knows. In late 2020, Jesy Nelson announced she was quitting the group for her mental health. Furthermore, Leigh anne and Perrie have since had babies so of course they are going to want some time off with their little ones before they get back to doing what they do best: entertaining their army of fans, known as Little Mixers (or simply Mixers). In the meantime, they have collaborated with Anne-Marie on the new single, Kiss My (Uh-Oh) and announced a new greatest hits album called Between Us. Furthermore, they are due to be heading on tour next year, in the support of the latest album, Confetti.

 

Based on the success they have had, and will hopefully continue to have, it looks like Little Mix are here to stay within the pop world. This is good, as we need popstars like Little Mix to continue to release joyful pop songs that you can't help but sing along to, particularly when we consider what a tough time that the last year and a half has been for people.

Anyway, here's to another 10 years Little Mix.

Em x

25 years since Girl Power exploded on to the world

 The year is 1996. England have sadly not reached the final of Euro 96 (Don't worry guys, things are different in 2020), Sri Lanka beat Australia in the Cricket world cup and Braveheart won best picture at the Academy awards and the Olympics were held in America: Atlanta to be precise.

In terms of music, a lot happened. Jarvis Cocker decided that Michael Jackson's BRIT awards performance was ridiculous and invaded the stage during it, Oasis did their famous Knebworth
concert and Take That split, sending their fans into a frenzy (don't worry guys, they reunite in 2006 although Robbie Williams isn't part of this version).

However, with the exit of the biggest boyband in the world came the entry of the biggest girlband in the world. Yep, in 1996, five girls called Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Adams (later Beckham because she married a slightly famous footballer called David Beckham. Might have heard of him?) became the biggest girlband in the world, the Spice Girls.

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the release of their debut single, Wannabe and no-one had any idea how big the single would get, let alone the band themselves. I think what was appealing of the Spice Girls was that each of them had their own personal personalities and style. A magazine even coined their nicknames, that then became the nicknames everyone knows and loves: Baby Spice (Emma Bunton), Sporty Spice (Mel C), Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham), Ginger Spice (Geri Haliwell) and Scary Spice (Mel B).

Like I have said, the best thing about the Spice Girls is that they all have their own style and personalities, which has given people confidence in being themselves. This was shown when in the run up to the anniversary, they asked what the Spice Girls meant to people on their social media, with most of the responses being that they inspired people to be confident in themselves. 

However, the other thing that is the best thing about the Spice Girls is the feel good songs that they have come out with. From the very first mention of the words, "Zigah Zigah Ahh", we knew that these girls would be queens of producing really catchy songs. From Wannabe to Stop, these girls have never failed to offering some great songs that have managed to stand the test of time. It is also worth noting that their albums have some great songs that were never released. These songs include, Denying, If U Can't Dance and Never Give Up on the Good Times (I admittedly only have the first two albums, Spice and Spiceworld).

Of course, with bands like the Spice Girls who become a phenomenon, much like Take That and, more recently, One Direction, it isn't just songs that the Spice Girls brought out. It was everything, including the obligatory dolls and even a movie. Yes, the movie is cheesy but it is much loved among 90s kids. In fact, the proof is in the...err...reunion tours (?) that the Spice Girls are still loved, having played sold out reunion tours in 2007 and 2019.

In 2021, the girls have now gone their separate ways again (they are still friends) but rest assured that there will still be people, old and new, who love listening to the Spice Girls, whether they are sad, happy or just want to listen to them in general. Therefore, I think we can all be safe in the knowledge that the Spice Girls will be loved by generations to come.

Happy 25th birthday Spice Girls and thank you for spreading some much needed Girl Power and positivity around!

Em x

Radio 1's Big Weekend of Live Music 2021

 Hello everyone!

This time of year is usually when people start getting excited about the festival season. Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds release their full line ups, and everyone starts getting their festival outfits together. However, because of a little thing (ok...a big thing) called COVID-19, festivals have once again been cancelled (ok a few are still going, like Reading and Leeds and Latitude but let's not hold our breaths that they will actually go ahead).

One of the festivals that got cancelled was Radio 1's Big Weekend. Unlike last year, Radio 1 just straight away said the festival was not going anywhere (l
ast year's location was meant to be Dundee) and that past and exclusive new sets were going to be played instead, along with classic live lounges and piano sessions.

You are probably wondering, how did it work? Well, past and previous sets, from the Big Weekend archives, and the live lounges were put on BBC Iplayer and they were played on the radio, complete with the Radio 1 DJs chatting about their memories of Big Weekend.

There were lots of highlights for me but apart from the live music, all the Radio DJs came together for the first time in ages (because of COVID-19 obviously) and I loved hearing how happy they all were about this. I particularly loved it when Scott Mills, Chris Stark and Jordan North hosted a show together, both on Saturday and Monday (for those who don't know I am a big fan of all three of them and their shows, along with Greg James), where they talked about classic Big Weekend stories, notably when Lady Gaga was late and left everyone hanging (mainly Scott Mills and Greg James, who was the unfortunate person who was waiting to introduce her). On Sunday, there was a special festival version of Unpopular Opinions featuring Jordan and Greg (again, I was so happy that two of my favourite DJs were on air together), along with Mollie King, Melvin Odoom and Charlie Hedges. Other DJs that joined in at various times of the weekend included Matt Edmondson, Katie Thistleton and Arielle Free.

Of course, whilst it was joyful to hear all the DJs back together, this Bank Holiday weekend was obviously all about the music and this weekend was no exception. One of my favourite sets was by Coldplay, who had the beautiful setting of Whitby Abbey as their performance location, complete with carefully placed lights across the ground, replacing the usual Mylo Xyloto bands that would have been worn by the audience. Along with hits like Viva la Vida, which featured videos of Coldplay fans singing along to the chorus, The Scientist and Something Just Like this, they also sang their new song, Higher Power, and a song called Human Heart, a duet with We Are King.

Another set I loved was from Ed Sheeran, who has had a little bit of a break, after dominating the charts with his hugely successful album, Divide. Along with his hit singles, The A Team and Shape of You, among others, he premiered a new song, which had obviously taken inspiration from the Coronavirus pandemic. The question is though, will there be a new album from Ed this year? 

There was also some sets from newer artists, such as Jorja Smith, who performed hits including Blue Lights and Be Honest at the Alexander Palace, as well as some new songs, Girl In Red, whose Piano Session from 2020 was included, and Griff, who had done an exclusive set for Big Weekend. I also enjoyed listening to Celeste, as I am slowly becoming a fan of her (for those who don't know her very well, she was the person who did the song for the 2020 John Lewis Christmas advert). I had already added her album to my Spotify playlist but I am hoping to hear more of her songs on the radio, as everyone deserves to hear her songs at least once.

 

Overall, Radio 1 has done what Radio 1 does best and that is to deliver a festival (albeit a virtual one like 2020) and the festival had it all. It had pyrotechnics, thanks to Royal Blood's set on Brighton Pier, dreamy locations, like Whitby Abbey, chilled out songs, thanks to the piano session sets, and the reunion of all the DJs together. Therefore, from my fellow listeners and I, thank you for providing us with some great entertainment over the May Bank Holiday. 

Now...here's hoping next year's festival goes ahead properly (and that goes for all festivals actually, including Glastonbury)...

Em x

Why the LOLathon was the highlight of Comic Relief 2021

 Well folks...it's that time of year again...this week just gone, the UK gathered to spread some joy, laughter and raise some much needed money for charities. 

For those who are not in the UK or the USA (they have an American version), Comic Relief is a Bi-annual charity event, aiming to raise money for charities in the UK and Africa, culminating in a TV event with comedy sketches, performances from some of the biggest music stars and highlights of the various challenges celebrities and members of the public have done in the run up to it.

One thing that has been a regular Comic Relief feature since 2017, is the LOLathon, involving Scott Mills and Chris Stark putting on a 24+ hour broadcast, consisting of jokes and stupid activities.

In the past, Chris Stark literally brought a horse into a bar (yes...really), done a Knock Knock joke at 10 Downing Street (again, that really did happen) and their fellow Radio 1 DJs, Adele Roberts and Jordan North, went out to find the dodgy sounding names of places in the UK (you would be surprised how many there are!).

Of course, things have been different for 2021 (the previously mentioned things happened in 2017 and 2019 respectively) yet Scott and Chris still managed to pull off a really good 24+ hour broadcast.

So why is the LOLathon the highlight of Comic Relief? Well, it means Scott and Chris can be let loose and do, to some extent, whatever they want (I mean their show is essentially like this in my opinion). However, they do even more crazy stuff than they usually do, particularly after 9pm.

During the day, three features were brought back in the form of Super fan Steve (Chris Stark) taking part in a quiz with Little Mix, with hilarious results (the unedited full version is even more hilarious) and Where Do You Think They Were, featuring Emily Atack and her mum, Katy Robbins (those who are regular listeners like me will know what this is about...). Scott also did some vocal coaching with MNEK, singing one of the biggest songs of 2020, Head & Heart

Little Mix, MNEK and Emily Atack weren't the only celebrity guests on the LOLathon. There was also KSI having his report card read out to him, Ian McKellan read out the lyrics to Babycakes by 3 of a Kind (does anyone else remember that song?) and Joe Lycett read some of Scott and Chris's old tweets. We also had a guest appearance from the Young Theatre Company, who performed a musical dedicated to the Scottish Beyoncé (his words not mine), Lewis Capaldi.

However, it wasn't just old features making a return and special guests. Each of the Radio DJs had a task to do. My personal highlight was Jordan North's "Running Jokes" challenge, which involved him being on a treadmill, whilst reading out jokes, with the rubbish ones causing the treadmill to speed up. There were a lot of classic jokes in there (mainly to do with cheese) and Jordan did really well, i.e. he managed to stay on his feet when the treadmill sped up.  

The other highlight for me was Clara Amfo attempting to break a world record in terms of naming the most Beyoncé songs based on the first line of the song.  Scott read the song lyrics and a Guinness Word Record adjudicator joining Radio 1 on Zoom (because of COVID restrictions), assessing whether Clara had managed to achieve this or not. Well...she did it! To be honest, why would doubt creep in when Clara is the resident Beyoncé fan of Radio 1? Clara also had the pleasure of hosting the first ever (and last...probably) Live Lounge for the 4 lads in Jeans who sang (what else) The Wellerman, after them singing it went viral on TikTok.

Other tasks set included Nick Grimshaw finding a group of Drag Dads (who called themselves Billie Irish, Jackie Beaver and Daddy Long Legs) and getting them to record a version of a song that went viral, when the Drag queens performed it on Drag Race UK. The song? UK Hun. Matt Edmondson organised Mollie King's hen do (complete with a life drawing session of Matt dressed up and Una Healy singing a special version of Issues) and Greg James found the funniest listener, who turned out to be someone singing in the style of Kermit the Frog and Annie Mac delivered possibly the best and worst mix ever, with a varied tracklist from Darude's Sandstorm to the Thomas the Tank Engine Theme.

Of course, the even better part is after 9pm, when (to some extent) anything can be said and done on Radio 1. There was a rude Whoooo game, a special non-official LOLathon anthem Yungblud wrote (in the style of Queen's I Want to Break Free) that jokingly implied Jack Saunders hated his Radio 1 colleagues (he doesn't) and Melvin Odoom read a letter sent to him from an ex, in front of Scott and Chris, and his colleagues, Charlie Hedges and Rickie Haywood Williams. The DJs also told some rude jokes live on air and took part in an alternative film quiz with Radio 1's film expert, Ali Plumb, complete with rude team names. It was quite interesting to hear Greg James, Clara Amfo and, of course, Scott and Chris, swear...

At the end of the day (or day and a half?) a very tired Scott and Chris finished hosting a 28 hour show and raised (at the time of ending the LOLathon) a massive £507,089. Of course, it is worth mentioning they have raised more since then (the total revealed during the Comic Relief telethon was £538,431) .

Click the video below to see highlights of the most hilarious 28 hours ever: 

Em x

PS: to donate to Comic Relief (if you can), visit donation.comicrelief.com

The 2021 Grammy Nominations Have Been Revealed!

 So...it is that time of year where nominations for the various awards ceremonies that go on around the world. A couple of them, like the BRIT Awards and the Academy Awards (AKA Oscars) have been pushed back, due to COVID-19 (no surprises there then...). The Grammys were pushed back as well, with the ceremony usually taking place in February, like the other main music and film ceremonies (oh...and the NME Awards), but were rescheduled to 14th March 2021.  

However, despite the rescheduled ceremony, there is still the small matter of who has been given a nomination. Of course, we have the usual suspects but if I tell you these now, there won't be any point of this blog post!

Before I get into the nominations, I am only doing the "general field" nominations because otherwise I would be here forever as there are about 100 categories. However, I will touch upon a few of the other categories where I see fit.

So...let's get into it. Here are the nominations for the grammys 2021...and who I think will win.

Record of the year:

Black Parade - Beyoncé

Colors - Black Pumas

Rockstar - Dababy featuring Roddy Ricch

Say So - Doja Cat

Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish

Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa

Circles - Post Malone

Savage - Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé

There are a couple of these songs that could win...I mean Beyoncé seems to always win at least one Grammy and she is nominated twice in this category. However, she has got some competition in the form of the younger stars, like Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish. Both, in the past, have won multiple awards on the night, so could they beat the Queen B? Quite possibly...

So, who do I think will win? I think it is going to be a close call between Beyoncé (either on her own or with Megan Thee Stallion), Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish. Can't choose between them. 

Album of the year

Chilombio -Jhene Aiko

Black Pumas - Black Pumas

Everyday Life - Coldplay

Djesee Vol 3. -Jacob Collier

Woman in Music Part III - Haim

Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa

Hollywood's Bleeding - Post Malone

Folklore - Taylor Swift

This is a tough category as there are three people that could win this: Haim, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift. Those who know me will probably say "what about Coldplay?" Well...unfortunately after the fantastic album release (and tour) that was A Head Full of Dreams, Everyday Life wasn't as good. Anyway, if I had to choose between the three, I would probably pick Taylor Swift. 

Song of the Year:

Black Parade - Beyoncé

The Box - Roddy Ricch

Cardigan - Taylor Swift

Circles - Post Malone

Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa

Everything I've Wanted - Billie Eilish

I Can't Breathe - H.E.R

If the World Was Ending - JP Saxe and Julia Michaels

This is becoming a bit of a theme but there is not a song in this list that I can say "They will definitely win." Any one in this category could win it but I think those with the highest chance of winning are Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. 

 

Best New Artist:

Ingrid Andress

Phoebe Bridgers

Chika

Noah Cyrus

D Smoke

Doja Cat

Kaytranada

Megan Thee Stallion

In terms of this category, there are two stars that I think deserve the win. Both Megan Thee Stallion and and Doja Cat have had great success over the last year, with Doja releasing her hit, Say So, and Megan Thee Stallion collaborating with both Cardi B and Beyonce. Therefore, I would like to see either of them win.

Regarding other categories, there is tough competition, particularly in the pop categories. This is notably the best pop vocal album category, which puts Justin Bieber (Changes), Lady Gaga (Chromatica), Dua Lipa (Future Nostalgia), Harry Styles (Fine Line) and Taylor Swift (Folklore) against each other. Who knows who is going to win this as they are all massive artists but I think the win could go to either Dua Lipa or Taylor Swift. 

 

It is also worth mentioning that Billie Eilish could win another grammy for the James Bond universe, as No Time to Die is nominated for Best song written for visual media, but it does have some strong competition in the form of Into the Unknown from Frozen 2.

Of course, we couldn't talk about The Grammys without mentioning the lack of nominations for The Weeknd. Despite having the biggest song of the year in 2020, in the form of Blinding Lights, and having a majorly successful album, After Hours. Furthermore, he had done a stunning Super Bowl Half time show (the best since Beyoncé in my opinion). All this is despite some of the other nominees being released about two years ago.

So there you have it, my rundown of (almost) all things regarding The Grammys. Due to living in the UK, I won't be tuning in because of the time difference but it will be interesting to see the results of the general field categories, as well as the other categories. Additionally, for those who can watch, you'll have the chance to see performances (presumably filmed from home because of COVID-19) from the likes of BTS, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Chris Martin and Miranda Lambert to name a few.

Anyway, good luck everyone!

Em x