Pick of the Day: Ella Henderson's "Glow"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

While her previous release, "Ghost", got a good review from me, it wasn't until the release of "Glow" that I really became impressed. It's no instant hit like "Ghost", but it's powerful, filled with exquisite vocals and just absolutely breathtaking. While it definitely reminds me of Ellie Goulding's #8 peaking  "Burn", it feels a lot more original and a lot less overproduced -- which in this case, is a good thing.

With that being said, do I think "Glow" will become a top 10 hit on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50? Shockingly, yes. It'll be a tough accomplishment for a number of reasons (including lack of US Airplay and Ella's still underdeveloped fan base), but I could ultimately see it becoming an eventual hit and one of the this year's late bloomers.

The music video for the track, which dropped just a few days ago, is much like her previous video for "Ghost", but it feels more full of energy. Documenting the events of a group of friends that party all night, "Glow" embraces the feelings of togetherness and friendship. Just like the rising sun in the music video, Henderson is one of the brightest burning stars (in the music business)... hopefully she'll 'glow' for years to come.

What are your thoughts on "Glow"? Let me know below and don't forget to pre-order Chapter One on iTunes UK now (due out September 21st). Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below! Also listen to the song below.

Chart Highlights: Röyksopp & Robyn, Alyssa Reid Reach Top 10

Meanwhile, Iggy Azalea's "Black Widow" pushes 38-26 as the Hot 50's Greatest Gainer, Ella Henderson's "Glow" snags top debut, and Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" dives 29-41.

The Hot 50 chart is counts points from Saturday to Friday and is formulated using the following:

• Official US Radio plays that I listen to count as 1 point each. Referred to as the Radio Songs Chart.
• Plays through my iTunes or Spotify (mainly the former) libraries count as 2 points each. If the track is not available to purchase at a given moment, plays of the track's official audio on Youtube or Soundcloud also count for 2 points each. Referred to as the Streaming Songs Chart.
• The release of a track's official music video sees the song in question receive a one time bonus of 5 points if I watch the video within its first two weeks of release. If a song first charts over two weeks after the video's release, it is eligible to get the five point bonus within its first two weeks of charting. There is no component chart for this category given that it awards a one time bonus.
• The top 10 most voted for songs on the "Vote For Your Favorites of the Week" chart receive points. #1 gets 10 points, #2 gets 9 and so on and so forth. If voting reaches a certain threshold during any given week, the 2x multiplier will be unlocked. If the 2x multiplier is unlocked, #1 gets 20 points (instead of 10), #2 gets 19 points (instead of 9) so on and so forth. #11 gets 10 points (instead of none), and #20 gets 1 point (instead of none). Referred to as the Social Songs 100 Chart.

As I do every weekend, let's dive deeper into the numbers and how things played out on this week's Hot 50 chart. But before we get into that, I'd like to point out that it will be impossible for any song to pass Platinum status (1000+ points) by the end of 2014. In addition, said song would pretty much have to remain in the top 5 for the next 20 weeks to reach that level.

For those of you that are not aware of how the point system works:

The #1 song each week receives 50 base points and a weekly bonus. #2 receives 49 points and a bonus and so on and so forth. #50 receives 1 point and a bonus. The bonus is determined by how many weeks a track is listed on the Hot 50. In week #1, any given track will receive .01 extra points, regardless of position. In week #2, they'll receive .02 and so on and so forth until they end their chart run.

As another note, the Summer Songs Competition will run for another 3 weeks (ending with the Hot 50 issue dated September 11th). The top 40 Summer Songs will be revealed in a special post on September 7th, so get ready!

Maroon 5's "It Was Always You" holds at #1 for a second consecutive week, breaking a 3 way tie for third place among all time longest reigns at #1 for a Maroon 5 song. It now just holds third place by itself, while "Love Somebody" and "One More Night" both fall into 4th place. With this week at #1, Maroon 5 becomes the only artist to hold the #1 position for more than 6 weeks in 2014. Additionally, they log a 13th overall week at the summit since the chart's 2012 inception. These 13 weeks are of course spread across 5 #1's (which ties Rihanna's sum of 5 as the most for any artist or group). Among all acts, Maroon 5 ranks 3rd for most overall weeks at the summit behind Rihanna's record 20 and Lady Gaga's 18 (all of which came consecutively at the tail end of 2013).

Here's a quick look at Maroon 5's #1 reigns on the Hot 50 since its 2012 inception. The bolded track is the current leader ("It Was Always You").

Weeks - Title - Start of Reign
5 Weeks at #1 - "Maps" - July 10th, 2014

4 Weeks at #1 - "Payphone (feat. Wiz Khalifa)" - April 19th, 2012
2 Week at #1 - "It Was Always You" - August 14th, 2014

1 Week at #1 - "Love Somebody" - September 20th, 2012

1 Week at #1 - "One More Night" - September 13th, 2012

Back to "It Was Always You", the track posts across the board gains on the Streaming Songs chart and the Radio Songs chart. It holds 2-2 on the Streaming Songs chart (behind Kiesza's "Hideaway" which holds the top slot for a record 16th consecutive week) with a 6% gain, jumps 4-1 on Radio Songs but unfortunately dips 14-37 on the Social Songs 100. The cut holds at #1 on the Pop Songs list for the second consecutive week as well as on the subsidiary Adult Pop Songs and Adult Songs lists.

Kiesza's "Hideaway" holds 2-2 on the Hot 50, tallying a 10th consecutive week in the runner up slot (after leading the list for 6 weeks beginning in early May). With 10 weeks in the runner up slot, the track breaks a tie with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton)" to become the song with the most amount of weeks in the position. The honor of the longest time spent in the second place slot is still bestowed upon OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" which wrapped an 11 week run in the slot back in early 2014.

In addition to that, "Hideaway" notches a 16th consecutive week within the top 2, which rewrites history in the fact that it has now spent the most weeks within that 2 position region for any song to date (16). Lady Gaga's "Applause" previously held the most overall week title with 15 (which were in 2013-2014). OneRepublic's "Counting Stars" previously held the most consecutive week title with 13 (all of which were in 2014). With "Hideaway" still in a great spot, it's highly likely that the track winds up with a final point cume around the same level as both "Applause" and "Counting Stars" (both of which ended with over 1500 points and currently rank among the All Time top 5). With approximately 800 points earned through week #16, "Hideaway" is already one of the most successful singles of 2014.

Maroon 5's "Maps" holds 3-3, tallying a 4th non-consecutive week in the position, and a 9th week in the top 5. It previously peaked at #1 for 5 consecutive weeks. Following its run in the top slot, it relinquished its throne to fellow Maroon 5 track "It Was Always You". With just 3 more weeks of tracking left in the Summer 2014 season, "Maps" is bound to finish in the top 5, likely behind longtime frontrunner "Hideaway" (by Kiesza), and Sweden's Eurovision 2014 entry, "Undo" (by Sanna Nielsen). As for the final outcome of "Maps", it should be on track to complete the year with around 1000 points, which would make it the group's third single to do so. With "Animals" set to be released at the end of next week, Maroon 5's forthcoming album, V, which will debut on September 2nd, could end up producing another instant hit just like 2012's Overexposed did.

Back to "Maps", the cut holds at #2 for a second week on Pop Songs (which it previously led for 5 weeks), slides 3-5 on the Streaming Songs chart (where it previously bulleted at #2 for 4 weeks) and bullets yet again at #1 on Radio Songs (which it has lead for 9 consecutive weeks). It also elevates sharply on the Social Songs 100. It previously led the mentioned chart for a single week. Additionally, "Maps" holds at #2 on Adult Pop Songs and on Adult Songs. It led the former for 5 weeks and the latter for 7 weeks.

Kiesza's "Giant In My Heart" holds tight at #4 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 for a second week, tallying a 9th consecutive week in the top 10. It previously stalled at #3 for a record long 4 consecutive weeks. Previously, her debut single "Hideaway" reached the summit of the Hot 50 chart for 6 consecutive weeks. While "Giant In My Heart" is in a tough spot (thanks to a strong amount of competition), it could eventually wind up as Kiesza's 2nd consecutive chart topping single. With two more tracks ready for release (an official worldwide release of the rarely heard "No Enemiesz" and a collaboration with Diplo and Skrillex titled "Take U There"), Kiesza could end up walking away from 2014 with 4 #1s. That would tie Rihanna and Nicki Minaj for the most #1 singles by an artist in a single calendar year (4 apiece). But lets not get ahead of ourselves; Kiesza has only nailed a single #1 for now. Stay tuned.

Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj bound 7-5 with "Bang Bang". With the move, Nicki Minaj scores her 7th top single (in its debut week it became the singer's 12th top 10). Additionally, the track is Jessie J's 3rd top 5 and first since "LaserLight (feat. David Guetta)" wound up at #3 in mid 2012. It's also Ariana Grande's first single to reach the top 5, with "The Way" and "Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)" stopping at #9. "Break Free (feat. Zedd)", her only other charting entry to not reach the top 10, has since reached #40 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50.

Meanwhile, Sia's "Chandelier" reverses course by dropping 5-6. It previously reached a peak of #5 during its 21st week on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, her second highest peaking single to date. Her only other journey to the top 5 came when her collaboration single with David Guetta ("Titanium") reached the pinnacle of the Hot 50 for two consecutive weeks back in August 2012 (almost exactly two years ago), while her collaboration with Flo Rida ("Wild Ones") reached #8 several weeks after the inception of the chart (early 2012). Unfortunately, the only record that "Chandelier" could have possibly broken was the longest climb to the top 5 record (held by Kelly Clarkson's #3 peaking "People Like Us"); it missed tying the record by one week and fell two weeks short of rewriting the record.

Two entries catapult into the CDS Music Chart Hot 50's top 10 this week: Röyksopp & Robyn vault 15-7 with their debut collaboration single "Do It Again". As separate artists, they each claim their first ever top 10 singles. The track claims this week's Airplay Gainer distinction. Additionally, Alyssa Reid's "Satisfaction Guaranteed" reaches the upper tier by blasting 19-8. It's the CDS Music Chart Hot 50's biggest streaming gainer this week, as well as Reid's first ever top 10 single. These tracks swap with with Vita Chambers' "A+D" (which drops 6-11) and Nico & Vinz's "Am I Wrong" (which dives 8-13).

Secondcity's "I Wanna Feel" climbs a single rung to #9 (10-9). While it might end up being stuck in the same position for a few consecutive weeks, it's likely that "I Wanna Feel" winds up peaking higher than this.

Clean Bandit's "Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)" dips 9-10, spending an 19th non-consecutive week in the top 10. To date, the track has scored just over 1100 points to date, which is just 40 points under the amount of points scored by the #1 song of the year to date (One Republic's "Counting Stars"). In just about one more weeks, "Rather Be" will become the most successful single of the year to date.

Come back for more posts!

Weekly Video Recap: Rita Ora & Iggy Azalea, Ariana Grande and More

Welcome to a brand new weekly segment called Weekly Video Recap. The whole point of the segment is pretty clear: recapping this week's top video premieres. So which new videos sizzled the internet this past week? Find out below!

Ella Henderson - "Glow"
While her previous release, "Ghost", got a good review from me, it wasn't until the release of "Glow" that I really became impressed. It's no instant hit like "Ghost", but it's powerful, filled with exquisite vocals and just absolutely breathtaking. While it definitely reminds me of Ellie Goulding's #8 peaking  "Burn", it feels a lot more original and a lot less overproduced -- which in this case, is a good thing.

With that being said, do I think "Glow" will become a top 10 hit on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50? Shockingly, yes. It'll be a tough accomplishment for a number of reasons (including lack of US Airplay and Ella's still underdeveloped fan base), but I could ultimately see it becoming an eventual hit and one of the this year's late bloomers.

The music video for the track, which dropped just a few days ago, is much like her previous video for "Ghost", but it feels more full of energy. Documenting the events of a group of friends that party all night, "Glow" embraces the feelings of togetherness and friendship. Just like the rising sun in the music video, Henderson is one of the brightest burning stars (in the music business)... hopefully she'll 'glow' for years to come.

Ariana Grande - "Break Free (feat. Zedd)" While the rest of Ariana Grande's music videos are far from perfect, the music video for "Break Free" borders on the edge of utter ridiculousness -- her worst video to date. The inspirations behind it -- original Star Trek episodes, space dominatrixes, Katy Perry's "E.T." video, Star Wars, etc. -- would normally all work together to create a strong final product, but the lack of originality and an interesting story line, combined with the fact that nearly everything in the entire video was developed on a green screen, make for a really uncomfortable and downright stupid video.
I understand that you can't actually shoot a project in space, but it feels like they spent too much time on Grande's appearance rather than the sets and plot itself. Okay, yes, she looks cute but then again when has she not?
Despite critical opinions popping up all across the internet, most of America has embraced the video for "Break Free" with open arms -- Ariantors have made sure of it. Once again, a terrible video will help propel a decent song to success. We needed another one of those.

Iggy Azalea - "Black Widow (feat. Rita Ora)" Long before the release of the official music video for "Black Widow", we already suspected a Kill Bill themed clip. What was really surprising was that the Quentin Tarantino inspired video featured Michael Madden and Paul Sorvino, who appeared in actual Tarantino films Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs respectively.
The video, which was shot around Los Angeles, California is pretty straight forward and follows the basic plot of Kill Bill: a former female assassin that takes revenge on those who've deeply hurt her.  Read more about Kill Bill and its intense story line, read here (Note: highly recommended movie). While the story seems a little drastic in this situation, given that the whole revenge plot was formulated in Iggy Azalea's character's head after another character was rude to her at the diner she worked at.
Either way, it's still a decent attempt at recreating a small piece of one of the greatest movies of all time. As for the song itself, it's already making its way up the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, which of course indicates that I like it.

Bebe Rexha - "I Can't Stop Drinking About You" While you may have never heard of Bebe Rexha, you've definitely heard her both lyrically and vocally. That's right, Bebe Rexha was the original writer of Eminem's smash #1 single "The Monster (feat. Rihanna)", and she can also be heard on the dance hit "Take Me Home" by Cash Cash, which bubbled under the Hot 50 for several weeks. She was also a co-writer for "Glowing" by Nikki Williams, which peaked at #11 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50.
Other than her writing one of the most successful songs in Eminem's career (both on the CDS Music Chart and around the world), what makes Bebe Rexha so interesting? Her diversity. As a singer and songwriter, she's gone from pure pop to electronic pop and has even been behind more urban offerings.
On her debut single (which has received rave reviews from critics), Rexha experiments by combining her experienced, soothing vocals with an heavy dose of electro beats and of course relatable lyrics.  As the song progresses it gets even better, transforming from a moderately paced pop song into a absolute club anthem, all the while keeping it classy. It's also extremely catchy, without overdoing it.
The music video sees the artist reliving the pain her cheating lover has caused her, all the while knowing she'll never stop loving him. Congratulations on creating a video that actually has something to do with the song (thank you! It makes the whole experience better). Few artists can.

Röyksopp & Robyn - "Monument" I honestly though that "Monument", a ten minute long hazy adventure, would never be chosen as the next single from the Do It Again. "Sayit" would have been my choice, but with that being said, "Monument" really is a great, under-appreciated track. See the video below and my original comments from the Do It Again EP review.
"This dark and scattered mix of cloudy and feverish vocals is a haunting track that clocks just past the 10 minute marker. The first solid minute feels like a whisk into a darkened space reminiscent of both heaven and hell. Robyn chimes in with chanting vocals for the next two minutes. Throughout this time, special effects layer over her vocals, and knives chop the whispering backbeats in uneven patterns. The vocals fade away until they are replaced with jazz instruments and sounds of drowning words. Robyn returns once more to mutter the chorus for several seconds. Sounds of drums and other related tribal instruments encompass the final 2-3 minutes of the track, until a fire extinguishes all sound in the final moments of the track. It's a melancholy affair that is both intriguing and spooky...
...Among the highlights (it's hard to pick when there's only 5) are "Monument" and "Do It Again"."

Vote for your favorite new music video below, share this with others and comeback next weekend for a new edition of Weekly Video Recap.
Coming next week: Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off", Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" and more! Stay tuned.

Which New Video Is the Best?

"Black Widow (feat. Rita Ora)" by Iggy Azalea

"Break Free (feat. Zedd)" by Ariana Grande

"Glow" by Ella Henderson

"Monument" by Röyksopp & Robyn

"I Can't Stop Drinking About You" by Bebe Rexha

pollcode.com free polls

Album Development: Jason Mraz Continues Promotion, Ella Henderson DropsTracklist

Ariana Grande Reveals Album

Update 2: The track list for the standard edition has been released. The deluxe edition track list has not been confirmed or announced.

Update 1: The track list will be revealed later today.

Alongside the announcement of Ariana Grande's upcoming new single "Break Free (feat. Zedd)", the 21 year old singer revealed the title, release date and cover of her upcoming sophomore studio album. Preceded by lead single "Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)", Grande's upcoming new album will be released under the title My Everything on August 25th. There will be at least two different versions of the album, with a a deluxe edition and standard edition both being confirmed. A Target version is currently rumored but not confirmed. The official track list will be released in late July, approximately 1 month before the album drops. The album's second single, "Break Free (feat. Zedd)", will go into release on July 2nd. Check out the deluxe edition and regular edition album covers below. The grey cover is the standard edition, while the navy version is the deluxe edition.

If you pre-order the album from the official Ariana Grande store, you'll be able to select from a variety of packages. Some bonus items you can purchase with the album are a women's shirt with the album cover, an exclusive poster featuring the names of other fans who pre-ordered layered over a picture of the cover, a digital deluxe edition, a digital regular edition, a CD deluxe edition, a CD regular edition. Every version from the online store includes a code to watch a live stream of Ariana performing new tracks around the time the album drops.

Standard Edition

1. Intro

2. Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)

3. One Last Time

4. Why Try

5. Break Free (feat. Zedd)

6. Best Mistake (feat. Big Sean)

7. Be My Baby (feat. Cashmere Cat)

8. Break You Heart Right Back (feat. Childish Gambino)

9. Love Me Harder (With The Weeknd)

10. A Little Bit Of Out Heart

11. Hands On Me (feat. A$AP Ferg)

12. My Everything

Ella Henderson Drops Tracklist
After the massive success of her debut solo single, "Ghost", Ella Henderson announced the release of her first studio album Chapter One. The album is scheduled for release on September 19th, 2014 and comes preceded by the release of lead single "Ghost" in mid June 2014. The album cover is shown below. The official regular and deluxe edition track lists have been announced, and are also featured below.

The album will release nearly 2 years after Henderson was controversially eliminated from The X Factor UK in the 7th week of the competition. She ended up still signing a deal with Syco Records, with Simon Cowell signing her on.

Standard Edition

1. Ghost

2. Empire

3. Glow

4. Yours

5. Mirror Man

6. Hard Work

7. Pieces

8. The First Time

9. All Again

10. Give Your Heart Away

11. Rockets

12. Lay Down

13. Missed

Deluxe Edition

14. Billie Holiday

15. Beautifully Unfinished

16. 1996

17. Five Tattoos

18. Giants

19. Rockets (Acoustic) [Chapter One Sessions EP]

20. Give Your Heart Away(Acoustic) [Chapter One Sessions EP]

Jason Mraz Releases 6th Promotional Single

For the promotion of his upcoming 5th studio album, Jason Mraz decided to take an odd route that was only briefly popular several years ago: offer up half of your album as "countdown" iTunes singles. Literally, 7 out of 14 album tracks have already been released. It doesn't make much sense (you might as well just leak your entire album right now), but whatever floats his boat is fine by me.

The American pop singer's 5th studio album, YES!, comes preceded by the release of 1 official single and 6 promotional releases. The album's lead single, "Love Someone", was released on May 19th with the album's pre-order. It has peaked at #120 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Hello, You Beautiful Thing" was released on May 23rd as the first promotional release (it has not charted except at #152 in the UK). "Long Drive" was released on June 2nd as the second promotional release (it has not charted). "3 Things" was released on June 16th as the third promotional release (it has not charted). "You Can Rely On Me" was released on June 23rd as the fourth promotional release (it has not charted). "Back to the Earth" was accidentally released on iTunes sometime during the release of promotional singles as the 5th non-official single. "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" was released on June 30th as the sixth promotional release (it has not charted).

Check out the track list and album cover below. The album drops on July 15th

1. Rise

2. Love Someone

3. Hello, You Beautiful Thing

4. Long Drive

5. Everywhere

6. Best Friend

7. Quiet

8. Out of My Hands

9. It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday

10. 3 Things

11. You Can Rely On Me

12. Back to the Earth

13. A World With You

14. Shine

Kiesza Announces US Hideaway EP

After the astonishing success of "Hideaway" around the world in late spring 2014, Kiesza has announced she will be releasing a limited Hideaway EP in the United States. The new EP includes "Hideaway", new, equally addictive single "Giant In My Heart", a new never before heard track called "So Deep" and her cover of of Haddaway's "What Is Love". The tracks "No Enemiesz" and "Hideaway (Gorgon City Remix)" were removed from the track list (they featured on the European EP). They were replaced by "Giant In My Heart" and "So Deep".

The EP will drop on iTunes and other digital retailers on July 7th. Kiesza will later perform "Hideaway" on CBS' The Late Show With David Letterman only July 9th. The EP reaches physical retailers (namely Best Buy and Amazon) on July 22nd.

See the album cover and track list below.

1. Hideaway

2. Giant In My Heart

3. So Deep

4. What Is Love

That's it for this first ever edition of a new feature called Album Development, where I dive into news about upcoming large releases. Keep it here for more updates!