VIDEO PREMIERE: celine dion - courage

celine dion - courage

WONGIE BALLAD OF THE WEEK: jarryd james feat broods - 1000x

jarryd james feat broods - 1000x
[UPDATE: now with new video!] what a lovely duet between jarryd james and georgia nott of broods! feeling very end credits of a soundtrack, this track also kicks off new album material from the australian singer songwriter which will hopefully come out in the fall. swoon!

since we're on a update kick, check out this soulful album cut from the upcoming 'high' that is pretty darn awesome:

jarryd james - sure love

VIDEO PREMIERE: rihanna - sledgehammer (star trek: beyond OST)

rihanna - sledgehammer (star trek: beyond OST)
after hinting about this last week, rihanna officially released the main theme song for the upcoming star trek film (the 13th!!) called 'sledgehammer'. the over the top production and vocals can only mean it's a sia and co. track. perhaps within the context of the credits, this song will be fun to listen to, but for now it's just ALOT.

VIDEO PREMIERE: hozier - better love (the legend of tarzan OST)

hozier - better love (the legend of tarzan OST)
check out our hozier as he releases this epic ballad for the upcoming big budget action adventure 'the legend of tarzan' starring alexander skarsgard. written in just 3 weeks after seeing a rough cut of the film, hozier roped in collaborators from his debut album to craft this orchestral love song which totally keeps the singer's essence while matching the largeness of the film. until his next album comes out, this definitely is a wonderful in-between piece for us fans.

WONGIE POP BALLAD OF THE WEEK: little mix feat jason derulo - secret love song

little mix feat jason derulo - secret love song
nothing like a solid cheesy power ballad to warm up your chilly winter sadness. the little mix gals join up with jason derulo and collectively have relationships on the DL (hence the sad face for all). i have a feeling that this might be one of lil mix's bigger hits as it really is a good ballad for the season.

VIDEO PREMIERE: sam smith - writing's on the wall (james bond 007 spectre theme song)

sam smith - writing's on the wall (james bond 007 spectre theme song)
just a few weeks shy of it's highly anticipated release, sam smith offers up his theme song (co-produced by jimmy napes and disclosure) for james bond spectre. instantly #1 in the UK charts, this is a surprisingly subtle (even with those strings) single for 007's long standing tradition of drama theme songs. can't wait to see the film!!!

WONGIE SONG OF THE WEEK: james bay - scars

james bay - scars
i'm a little bit surprised that it's taken so long for this live and album favorite to be an official single. but it's better late than never cause after all these months, this power ballad is still a rousing dramatic piece that showcases why james is definitely one of the best artists to come out of 2015. love it!

WEEKEND MIX: kelly clarkson - invincible

kelly clarkson - invincible
co-written by the almighty sia, this is a nice power ballad anthem that kelly can belt out in her sleep. not my fave track off her current 'piece by piece' album, but it's not bad either.

HOT SOUNDTRACK: jessie j - flashlight (OST pitch perfect 2)

 
jessie j - flashlight (OST pitch perfect 2)
illuminating the barden university campus from the film pitch perfect, jessie j offers up the kind of power balladry that she is known for. it feels a tad dated to my tastes, BUT the video does feature scenes from the upcoming PP2 and i simply cannot wait for it to happen!!

AUDIO PREMIERE!: sia - big girls cry

sia - big girls cry
as part of the pre-order of sia's upcoming album '1000 forms of fear', fans will get this new single instantly in their inbox. yaaay!

IT'S LYRICAL!: sia - chandelier

sia - chandelier
though she's been writing hit songs for other folks the past few years, looks like sia finally got around to keeping a brilliant number to herself this time around. please mean that this might be a possible album in the works!

VIDEO PREMIERE!: katy b - still

katy b - still
i think it's interesting that katy b and co have gone with this electronic infused ballad as her latest single. as dynamic as it is, katy b surely has some serious house stormer from her album to share to the world. maybe there's some kick ass remixes right around the corner...

VIDEO PREMIERE!: sam smith - stay with me

sam smith - stay with me
as he's touring the east coast of the US and scheduled for a massive performance on SNL this weekend, our vulnerable 'lonely' boy sam smith releases his next single and it's a heartfelt power balled (chok with full choir) for the season. girls and gays, you have your next midnight ballad to swoon to!

VIDEO PREMIERE!: miley cyrus - wrecking ball

miley cyrus - wrecking ball
the continued crazy image antics of miley cyrus are in full force within this terry richardson directed video. is she a raw open girl with her emotions on her sleeve? or is she a naughty naked princess riding this years version of the mechanical bull? it's all over the place but can i just say please stop licking things miley!