Fugative ft. Mz Bratt & Wiley – Go Hard (Watch)
Fugative has so far been carving a niche for himself as a Fisher Price My First Rapper, but this new single marks his entrance into the grown-up urban music scene. To be honest, I’d have rather he stuck with what he was doing and I think it would have been a better move for his career too. His music may not have properly taken off yet, and the teenage hysteria around him has definitely waned over the past few months, but he had found a niche which could have really got him noticed if he’d just been given one great song rather than a series of average ones. Bad Girl was alright but Crush had real potential as a prime example of unpretentious chav-pop. Go Hard is just another unremarkable British rap collaboration, a very unconvincing attempt to jump onto the Tinie Tempah bandwagon. I’d like to be wrong, but I think this could be the end of Fugative.
31% Poptastic!
Guy Sebastian ft. Eve – Who’s That Girl (Watch)
It’s odd how an artist can be totally boring for years and then suddenly become good. It happened with Avril Lavigne – I hated her until she started to work with the right songwriters who could bring out the best in her, and I immediately became a massive fan. Guy Sebastian is a similar case, as his music held absolutely no attraction to me until recently. I loved his super-catchy 2009 hit Like It Like That and Who’s That Girl is even better – an extreme rarity in Australia as the labels don’t seem to even try to compete with other nationalities to get the best new songs for their acts. Finally someone is making some effort, and although Guy is too old and too established as being average to blossom into a proper international star, it’s a good sign that the Aussies might actually have a go at competing with the rest of us in 2011.
75% Poptastic!
I think with Guy it's a case of being undecided for years as to where he wanted to 'sit' in the industry. Eg, he wrote both the songs you like. So the skill to write these kind of songs was always there. In fact, I heard him say in an interview recently that Who's That Girl was written 'a long time ago'. Maybe he should have dug it out and recorded it a long time ago. Whether he's too old to blossom into an international star???? How old was Keith Urban? And I don't think Guy's aim has been just to be big with the kids. If he pulls his finger out and stops toying with trying to break overseas and finally spends some real time on it, I think he can do it, but I'm not sure how important it is to him to do it. He's got the goods performing live, which is more than we can say for so many. Another plus is it seems Oprah's recently become a fan, so anything's possible.
“Australia as the labels don't seem to even try to compete with other nationalities to get the best new songs for their acts.”
In this case the record company didn't get this track for Guy. He wrote it, just as he is either the sole or major song writer on just about all his songs (apart from his first album and his 4th album which was a tribute to Memphis soul). And this song has no co-writes on it, except that Eve wrote her rap. The song itself is 100% Guy Sebastian, and he even gets co-production credits on it. I think you should not assume that every Aussie artist has songs found for them by their record company even when they claim to have written them themselves.
As for his past music being boring, can't agree with you there. I love it. And as far as overseas goes he may get a little help this year as Sandra says. Oprah is most definitely a fan. Not only did she stick around for his whole performance at her welcome to Sydney event when she was only supposed to stay for one song, she requested him personally to be the performer at her wrap up party, introducing him by saying that while he is “big in Australia, pretty soon he was going to be huge in America”. If she actually does get behind him I reckon things might heat up for Guy over there. He already has a small but dedicated fanbase in the US.
Apart from that I agree with you. A damned fine catchy song, and its success is making my head spin. I believe it could return to the ARIA #1 spot next week, and reach triple platinum accreditation before the end of January. It's already on sales that must be only a bee's d*** away from double platinum. All in only 6 weeks.