[Official Video] Misha B - Home Run

Misha B IS attitude. A full-on force ten gale when so many of her fellow contestants from the X Factor school of 2011 were mere whimpers in the winds of popular music. And Home Run is everything that was great about her before disastrously poor song choice and tepid styling converted her into a caricature of herself.

The video makes for a neat fit to the track too, colourful and fun for the youth audience Misha is clearly gunning for, but with the accompanying slickness and production whizz to push her to the hipsters to. Dare we say it, Home Run could very well be the first tentative steps in the making of a British Minaj?

Released: 15th July.

Aiden Grimshaw announces tour dates!

With his excellent debut single Is This Love breaking its way into the Top 40, X Factor standout Aiden Grimshaw is fast on his way to establishing himself as one of the UK’s most exciting new male solo talents. With the kind of critical praise rarely afforded to the progeny of the ITV ratings juggernaut, Aiden is proving to be quite the dark horse, and going by the strikingly individual, beautifully crystalline synth-sounds of Is This Love, both his upcoming album Misty Eye and his tour look set to be a real treat.

Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday (15^th), so if you fancy catching him live, be up bright and early at 9am to book tickets. Aiden’s UK-wide tour encompasses the following dates:

SEPTEMBER

19           Bristol O2 Academy 2

20           Nottingham Rescue Rooms

22           Northampton Roadmender

23           Bournemouth The Old Firestation

24           Brighton Concorde 2

26           Birmingham O2 Academy 2

27           Glasgow King Tuts

28           Leeds Cockpit

30           Manchester Academy 3

OCTOBER

01           Oxford Academy 2

02           London Scala

Marcus Collins - Seven Nation Army

The trouble with Marcus Collins releasing a cover version as his debut single is that it proves nothing. Having dazzled on the X Factor show itself, his jazzed up take on the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army is reduced to something all too predictable.

Unlike Marcus' tacky finale performances which veered dangerously into cabaret cruise-ship territory, Seven Nation Army is thankfully more restrained, more classy - but it does nothing to push the Marcus brand, to show us what more the lad can do. We know he's got a great voice, we know he's got a snazzy sense of style - he showed us all that on the big ol' XF - let's see him deliver with some material of his own now, as Rebecca Ferguson did to sublime effect last year.

As it stands, Seven Nation Army seems to scream 'I wish this was produced by Mark Ronson' while simultaneously shimmying up in an assortment of Janelle Monae's leftovers (admirable though it is that Marcus wants to cover Monae on his debut album, Seven Nation Army proves he's in danger of becoming a poor man's imitation of her).

Marcus undoubtedly has potential - and Seven Nation Army is far from awful. But if he's not careful, he could quite easily end up as the next Leon Jackson or Andy Williams.

Olly Murs - Oh My Goodness

The humerous cocked-eyebrow presumption would be that Oh My Goodness is the kind of thing your average Olly Murs fan might say as they engage in some kind of fictional romantic liason with the X Factor star. Or, alternatively, it could just be a statement of shock at how the bloke has actually managed to come up with a half-decent track.

While Oh My Goodness isn't up there with the electro-popping hook-heaven of Heart Skips A Beat (surely a one-off singularity of brilliance within Olly's career), it's horn-riffing snazzy rhythms recall a Robbie Williams at his prime. It's a harking back to a more innocent age of pop, and unlike the tepid Dance With Me Tonight, actually sounds like Olly's having genuine fun singing the track.

He'll have his haters, and he'll have his lovers - but at the end of the day, Olly's cheeky chappy routine holds at least a fair share of merit to it. The UK needs a big male solo star of his scale - in a market dominated by empowered female stars, there's certainly space for a shot of testosterone now and again - and Oh My Goodness is as good a record as any to do it.

When Olly first stepped up to the X Factor plate, he won the nation over with his cocky bravado-filled performance of Superstition, and here - channelling that same lad-apotheosis - is where he finds his niche.

Oh My Goodness is released on the 12th March.

Little Mix - Cannonball

Sometimes, everything just clicks into place. This weekend, on the X Factor, this happened to Little Mix. Taking the winner's crown with their cover of Cannonball - the first time a girl group, let alone a group, had ever done so - they crystallised the hopes and dreams of pop lovers across the nation.

Here, at last, there is the potential for a truly incredible X Factor winner, for Little Mix to take up the Girls Aloud baton and continue the UK's tradition of girl power. Long may they reign supreme!

Even their cover art looks fresh and fun, a far cry from the tired black & white 'safe' shots of past winners. Hearing them take up Damien Rice's classic acoustic number and transform it into an impassioned enormo-ballad, it was clear they were already in another league from runner up Marcus.

I'll be the first to admit I was sceptical about the group during the course of the series, but from the moment they banged out their ace cover of You've Got The Love, I knew they had what it takes.

The styling, spot on. The vocals - well, Perrie showed the whole UK exactly what she's capable of on the group's take on Silent Night. Simply beautiful, truly sublime.

This is the new face of pop, the new force for good. Yes, the winner's single isn't perfect - we all wanted a Sound of the Underground-esque up-tempo banger... but you can't have everything.

What does their cover of Cannonball have going in its favour? Well, on the most basic level, it's a well-rounded, distinctly 'pop' version of the original, erasing all the singer-songwriter trappings of Damien Rice's version. Its best moments are in the gorgeous synth flourishes, crisp R&B beat and echoey piano riffs - as the string sections surge in it all gets a bit Madonna 'Power of Goodbye' - which is a very, very good thing. But above all, it shows how accomplished the group are vocally.

We can only wait and hope that when the girls' career-proper begins, they'll deliver a pop album of genuine merit. Cher Lloyd showed it could be done, I expect even better from Little Mix.

Tulisa - The solo star to watch in 2012

With the impetus and hype generated by the BBC Sound of 2012 and various other 'Ones to Watch' list, it's sometimes easy to forget that some of the easiest successes to predict in the coming year are the ones that have already been graced with success.

When it comes to pop music, it's these stars that you can make a fair wager and be certain of return investment - we're talking about the safe runners here, the ones you can count on to carry the cash home.

And for me, one of the undoubted FutureStars of 2012 has got to be Tulisa. The girl from N-Dubz, the one off of X Factor, Miss Contostavlos... call her what you want, but her appeal on the ITV super smash this year speaks for itself. With the allure of the contestants themselves at a debatable low this year, the focus has again returned to the judges and the nation has taken both Kelly and Tulisa to their hearts.

The thing about Tulisa is that like her predecessor - Cheryl Cole - she is resolutely a woman of the people. She's relateable, tough talking, feisty - everything we love to see in a popstar. Even thinking back to her early days in N-Dubz, she stood out - the girl amidst the two guys. It was clear she could hold her own.

With her solo interviews mounting up and her personality and presence pre-established on the X Factor, the attention has been turning to her solo plans. N-Dubz on hiatus leaves a Tulisa free to pursue her solo ambitions, and like Cheryl building on the foundations of her Girls Aloud career, it's easy to imagine a slick UrbanPop album in the making.

Picture it now: Songwriters and producers - the best of the best. Photogenic Tulisa styled up to the nines for a glossy album cover (I absolutely adore the cream-dress shot above, if anything, this girl could launch a career on her looks alone). Urban pop is the sound of now - not just in the UK but in the US too, the charts are awash with dance-orientated pop hits rammed to bursting point with catchy choruses and slick beats. The market is primed for Tulisa to make her debut.

It all comes down to material - if Tulisa picks the right debut single to lead with, I see no reason why she can't replicate Cheryl's success and sell 292,000 copies of her lead single. Already she's allowed us some tantalising glimpses at the sound of the solo star she could become - while it had its many detractors and certainly wasn't without fault, The Collective's cover of Teadrop felt like a real vehicle for solo Tulisa and her bits of the track were without a doubt the best - The Wideboys mix in particular offers a look at the sleek dance-pop star Tulisa could style herself as. There's also the N-Dubz version of Tinchy Stryder hit Number 1 (this version featured an extra version sung by Tulisa).

HMV are already offering Tulisa's debut solo album for pre-order, with a release date pencilled in as the 1st of March - will this hold true? I certainly hope so...

Jessie J celebrates with the Deluxe edition of her album!

You'd be pretty chuffed if you had the best selling debut album of the year, wouldn't you? For Jessie J, beginning the year with all that hype, all those expectations, who'd have thought that the final few months would bring affirmation of just how successful she's been.

Yup, that's right - Jessie J's debut LP Who You Are is officially the best-selling debut album of 2011. Getting that all-important first album right is crucial and as many would say, you can't argue with the sales. Jessie's been a hands-down success and her performance on this weekend's X Factor will see the culmination of that.

If you haven't already got a copy of Jessie J's album, or if you already do and fancy more, the Deluxe edition is out now, featuring a bonus live DVD and a number of extra tracks:

Domino
Laser (Produced by David Guetta)
My Shadow
Technology (Acoustic)

[Official Video] Rebecca Ferguson - Nothing's Real But Love

It goes without saying that Rebecca Ferguson is one of those X Factor contestants that really does have that elusive 'X' of the show's title.

It's that special something that you can't quite put your finger on, but that sparkles away as a brightly burning flame of talent.

Rebecca has the looks, she's got the voice, and she's putting both to good use in the rather delightful video for her debut single - we approve!

Nothing's Real But Love is released on the 27th November and her debut album Heaven (check out the album cover above!) follows on December 5th.



The Reason 4 - Take It All

When it comes to that grand old favourite of British TV viewers, the X Factor, we'll always have our own personal favourites each year.

Sure, we get behind those that do well and win that dazzling record contract, but there are always those moments too where we wish we could put ourselves on the judging panel and champion a few of our own personal favourites too.

If you think back to last year's show, there was one act that everyone on Twitter was really buzzing about - The Reason 4.

Their soulful re-envisioning of Cheryl Cole's Fight For This Love went down a treat, seeing them through to the judges houses stage of the competition. Sadly, the band's X Factor journey ended there, but the their story does not.

Because The Reason 4 - comprised of Glenn, Scott, Marc and Nathan - are back, and with a rather good debut single too. Take It All is a real recapturing of the classic boyband sound that seems so absent on the airwaves these days. With its gentle piano opening leading into a big, epic chorus, it feels very reminiscent of Blue.

Add in some suitably uplifting lyrics, 'Don't stop ever believing / keep on dreaming / got to be strong', and you're well on your way to a real pop gem.

With a satisfying crunch of guitar in the track's background as well some lovely vocal harmonies, Take It All feels refreshingly classy - testament to the production duties of Eliot Kennedy; an experienced hand when it comes to pop groups.

For these four Southampton builders, there's a real sense of comradeship that comes across in the song, a real pride in realising their dreams. Indeed, Take It All is almost the kind of track you wish the actual X Factor winner would release, instead of some hastily bashed out cover version. A very impressive debut.

Take It All is released on the 7th August. The band's album Crying Out Loud follows in October.

Rihanna & Christina X Factor perfomances get the all clear from Ofcom

Hearing the news that Rihanna and Christina Aguilera's performances from last year's X Factor had been cleared by Ofcom, I breathed an immense sigh of relief. After over 2800 complaints that their performances had apparently been 'too sexy', Ofcom had launched an investigation into the whole matter.

I still find it utterly bewildering that anyone could take such offence at a pop performance. Sure Rihanna and Christina might not wear many clothes and pull out some sexy dance moves, but is this kind of thing any more sexually explicit than some of the stuff in TV dramas going out in similar time-slots? I'm sure even soaps like Eastenders or Hollyoaks have featured stuff just as racy in the past.

I've expressed my views in the past at my utter dismay at the pitiful complaints culture that currently seems to be sweeping the UK, where over-opinionated viewers see fit to make knee-jerk complaints to try and excersize some small amount of power that is clearly lacking in their own lives. It's all a bit silly isn't it? I dread to think how these people deal with day to day life if they can't even cope with a bit of sexy dancing on X Factor!

The funniest/most shocking thing - depending on how you look at it - is that about 2000 of the complaints only came after the Daily Mail had run an article on the performances including zoomed-in pictures focusing in close on the female singers. Make of that what you will...

On a brighter note, let's enjoy Rihanna's 'sexy' performance again:

Frankie and Kimberley in the X Factor pipeline?

As two of my favourite popstars, I got rather excited when rumours started circulating that Frankie Sandford might become a judge on X Factor and that Kimberley Walsh would replace Konnie Huq presenting the Xtra Factor.

Talk about girl band domination! This would be quite literally amazing. One member of The Sats, one member of Girls Aloud. Brilliant pop would be in full force on the UK's biggest TV show.

In The Sun's take on the story, they report Frankie "is said to have impressed producers with her forthright opinions and striking looks." A 'show source' apparently added: "Frankie has all the right ingredients for an X Factor judge - she looks great, she can hold her own and she's been there."

This what we love about Frankie; she looks absolutely amazing, is super stylish and isn't afraid to speak her mind. All the qualities you'd want from an X Factor judge, with the added strength that I think she'd bring a youthful new 'cool' vibe to the show. A year after 'auto-tune gate' and all that Gamu business, a shot of 'cool' is precisely what X Factor needs. Frankie's also popular with the more indie/rock crowd, featuring on the Kids in Glass Houses track Undercover Lover.

And as for Kimberley? Well, she's really come into her own with her presenting roles for the brilliant Suck My Pop and the other assorted jobs she's cropped up on in the past year. She's found her confidence in it and the Xtra Factor would present the next logical step. She's got that warm, comforting demeanor too which is ideal for supporting the unfortunate soul who's been booted out that week.

An 'insider' revealed: "Kimberley was worried that she wouldn’t be suitable for the role with Cole as a judge, as she may have been biased towards her acts but now Cheryl is off to America she feels it is the perfect opportunity. Cheryl has put in a good word for her and bosses were impressed after seeing her present Suck My Pop last year. It’s pretty much a done deal”

Of course, all of this might be completely untrue... but just like the Rihanna stuff a few days ago, we can all dream...

Rihanna as a judge on US X Factor would have been amazing...

There have been reports in the papers today that Rihanna was asked to be a judge on the new US X Factor but had to turn it down due to her tour schedule.Speaking on an American radio show Rihanna said:

"I just heard about it actually and yes, it's something I would have loved to do but our schedule doesn't allow it. We're going to be on tour for the rest of the year. It is a demanding schedule to be in that show and you have to be around for a long time, months at a time - which would've been impossible for me."

Fair enough, RiRi's a busy lady, but let's just imagine for a moment how awesome it would be if Rihanna had taken on the job...

Like most of the world, we're properly in love with Rihanna and as confirmed by her 18 nominations in the upcoming Billboard Music Awards, she really is one of the biggest superstars around right now. Plus, her music is amazing. Her presenting X Factor would have been a further extension of that enchanting Rihanna brand, a further boost to an already massively successful career.

By far the best thing would have been more Cheryl and Rihanna love-ins though (if Cheryl is indeed confirmed for a role on the US panel), following on from their very public display of affection for each-other at the BRIT Awards. 'Team CherRi' really are awesome.

We can all dream...

The power of US X Factor - Would it work for Cher?

Things are still very hush-hush about the US Factor. We don't know the full line-up of judges, we don't know the presenters, we don't even know the format. Will it be similar to the UK version or try to do something bold and new? With rumours flying left, right and centre it's hard to know what to trust, but as the days pass by, we are surely drawing closer and closer to the inevitable confirmation of everything. The show must go on after all.

Which draws us to another inevitability. As seen in the UK version of the show, Simon was always keen on getting back old contestants - now signed to his record label - to perform on the show - it was an instant boost for their sales. It's his show after all, he has the power to do this.

So imagine now, if he were to do the same on the US version of the show. With a potentially immense audience, the prospect for boosted sales for Simon's UK-based artists is immense. An artist does well on the UK show? Bring them over to America and voila, an instant platform for them to perform on.

Today, we hear reports of X Factor darling Cher Lloyd being lined up to appear on the American show. How would she go down over there? It's impossible to know. On one hand she's very distinctly British, but equally, with her rapping and love of American artists like Nicki Minaj, she could be a surprise success. Let's not forget the mega-popularity of her debut Turn My Swag On performance at the UK auditions. Uploaded on YouTube, the clip was already being shared around the world. The US X Factor would see this same platform for exposure, but on a larger and far more concentrated level.

Nicole Scherzinger - Killer Love

I think I’m falling in love with Nicole Scherzinger. Her debut album (finally out, after that unfortunate hiccup with shelved LP Her Name Is Nicole a few years back) has got me bewitched. Her voice is stunning; laced with a really distinctive twang too, really helping to contribute a more human element to her songs. In terms of recent pop records, as great as it is, Britney’s album can seem a little robotic at times, the voice serving merely as a tool amidst the other instruments that make up the track. But on Killer Love, Nicole’s voice is pure personality; you can truly feel her in every track.

The overall feel is future disco – there’s so, so much energy here. Think back to her breathtaking X Factor performance of Poison if you want a sense of what’s going on. It feels like she might jump right out of your speakers, grab you and force you up on the dance-floor.

What marks Nicole out amidst the crowd is that there’s so much versatility in her voice. Technically it’s perfect; with the power to dominate big, epic dance tracks like Number One hit Don’t Hold Your Breath, to the delicate subtlety needed for gloriously beautiful piano ballads like AmenJena.

For so long Nicole was just ‘the lead singer out of the pussycat dolls’, then, come her brilliant role as a guest judge on X Factor last year, we begun to see her blossom into a fully fledged star in her own right. Killer Love is the culmination of that. Lead single Poison comes on like The Prodigy; bleepy techno synths and machine-gun-like beats snapping away. Nicole spits out the chorus with a passion that could set light to the coldest of hearts.

It’s nice that they’ve featured Nicole’s collab with Enrique Iglesias on the album too, interestingly in an edited and remixed form that injects it with a bit more dancey-ness. Basically a big fat bassline slapped on that helps the song slot in a little easier with the hype- energy of the rest of the album. I adored the track when it was released last year; all its spacey love-on-the-dancefloor vibes and late-night passion was transfixing. That hypnotic, floaty quality the track carries itself with. That piano hook hammers itself into your consciousness, the strongest of aural hooks; the literal heartbeat at the core of the song.

To be fair, there are a few weaker moments across the album. Take, Right There; while every inch the radio friendly single, it sounds like it could have been cut and pasted straight off a Rihanna album. Here, Nicole’s individually that carries so much of the rest of the album sinks and fades away.

Where Killer Love is at its absolute best is on the title track. Here, the beats stomp, stomp away like factory machinery – unstoppable, impossibly powerful. Any other artist would find themselves lost amidst the noise, drowning in it all. But Nicole rides the music like she’s having the time of her life. The chorus is incredible, anthemic; everything you want from a pop tune in 2011. It’s even got a big chanty bit that is custom-built to be shouted out across arenas and stadiums across the world. When I first heard Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance I described it as a discotheque getting fucked by a train, and Killer Love is like that, but ten times bigger... and dare I say it, potentially better.

And then there’s Club Banger Nation. Anyone who names a track on their album that wins a hell of a lot of points from me. Here, the euro-dance leanings reach their climax as Nicole cries ‘tell me can you feel it’ before chucking in the customary ‘RedOne!’ shoutout. But God yes can we feel it. There’s the wonderfully groovy ‘we can stay until the sun comes up’ bit that makes you wish you could be out partying away right this minute. Then there’s some wild and seemingly random guitar riffing and Nicole screams a bit – again the fun element. That’s what Killer Love as an album is; pure fun, pumped through the ‘club banger’ machine. And it’s delivered an absolutely cracking creation.

Cheryl Cole - Rare And Unseen - Pretty Little Newsclips

Rare and Unseen – Pretty Little Newsclips is a new unofficial DVD release featuring a selection of clips culled mostly from press events and red carpet interviews and provides a delightfully candid look at the evolution of nation’s sweetheart Cheryl Cole. Cramming a fair amount into just 45 minutes, the highly condensed collage-of-clips format works surprisingly well to give a snapshot of Cheryl as the superstar she has become.

Kicking off with a lengthy interview from all the way back in 2003, we see Girls Aloud on the cusp of releasing Jump from the Love Actually soundtrack. It’s quite charming really to see the girls in their jeans and t-shirts, so far removed from the hyper-styling we always see them in these days. It serves as a reminder of just how far they’ve come from those humble beginnings. Unfortunately, the interview is marred by some rather forceful questions about Cheryl’s conviction regarding the night-club incident and it’s frustrating to see the interview continuously push down this avenue. Thankfully the other girls step in to give Cheryl a helping hand and there’s some touching ‘Chim’ moments as Kimberley sticks up for her best friend. Cheryl is asked of her wishes for the future and she answers simply ‘to be happy.’ It’s a touching moment and a sentiment we can all subscribe to.

Moving swiftly on, the DVD whips through a 2006 Top of the Pops Reloaded interview where we see a ginger Fearne Cotton chatting to a blonde Cheryl. Changing hair-do’s and hair-colour are definitely a recurring theme throughout the DVD. With the overall feel of these largely quite unedited clips being very much random odds and ends that have been uncovered, you never quite know what’s going to crop up next. There’s footage from the 2006 V Festival and various glamorous red carpet affairs including a great shot where Nadine sticks her tongue out at the camera as she walks behind Cheryl and Sarah being interviewed.

As we reach the beginnings of Cheryl’s solo career on X Factor in 2008 there’s a fantastic bit just immediately following Alexandra Burke’s win. It’s here we get some of the best moments of the DVD: ‘I want to duet with Girls Aloud!’ exclaims Alexandra, only for Cheryl to retort with ‘No! You’d upstage us!’. It’s so charming in its sweetness and the clearly happiness on both Cheryl and Alexandra’s faces at having won – neither of them can quite believe it. One of the reporters asks Alex if she’d like Cheryl to be her manager; Alex replies ‘Oh My God! She already is.’ Even better is when a Freudian slip gets the better of Cheryl and she says that she did a ‘victory dance around Simon’s bedroom’ when her and Alex won. I was in stitches.

A smattering of clips from 2009’s Kilimanjaro Climb Comic Relief press shoot, the launch of Cheryl’s waxwork at Madame Tussauds  and the 2010 National Television Awards red carpet finishes things off. Perhaps the most iconic clip has to be the charity fashion show in 2008, for it was here that, in many ways, Cheryl achieved her true transformation into the solo star and national icon she is today. Walking down that catwalk, the cameras flashing and her smile lighting up the room, we fall in love with her again and again.

The DVD can be ordered from Amazon here.

INTERVIEW - Parade

Parade are Bianca, Emily, Jessica, Sian and Lauren. The feisty five-some are the latest girl-band making waves in the pop scene and with their infectious first single hitting the shops this month, they’re making sure they’re heard loud and clear.

Hi girls!  Where did you get the name Parade from?

Well, we did this mood board right back at the start of the band.  We wrote down the names of people who were musical influences to us, picked out colours - stuff like that.  And we really liked this font that spelled out ‘Parade’ so we cut it out and it turned out to be from an 80s porno magazine!  That was rather funny!  But it was just slap bang in the middle of the board and we all loved it so we decided to go for it!

It makes me think of you guys flying the flag for British pop music!

Yes!  And we want everyone to join the Parade!  That’s our motto!

Your song Louder is currently being used on the Rimmel TV adverts at the moment, how does that feel?

It’s amazing!  We feel so lucky to be associated with a well-known brand like Rimmel.  When we first saw the finished advert on the TV it just felt crazy!

And how easy was it to get into the swing of the ‘popstar’ lifestyle?

We absolutely love it!  We’ve had about ten interviews today and done a bit of filming too!  There are so many girls and boys out there who’d love to do this so we feel really fortunate.

You’re all keen users of Twitter, how does that play a part of being in the band?

Twitter has been a brilliant for us; we’ve really been able to get to know our fans through it.  It really helps with building up your fanbase and it’s great that it lets you have that element of direct communication with people.  It’s just so reassuring to see we have all those really loyal fans out there – they’re hardcore!

You’ve just finished touring with Alexandra Burke; did she have any good bits of advice for you?

She was really lovely, we’d see her in the canteen before she went on stage and she’d come up and give us big cuddles and a little pep talk.  It’s great to meet someone who’s been so successful and who is just such a nice girl.  It was brilliant to see her show too; she’s such an inspiration for us.  It was an amazing experience and we feel honoured to have been a part of it.

You’re supporting Shayne Ward on tour too – so I take it you’re all big X Factor fans?

Yeah!  We had a few favourite contestants last series like Rebecca and Cher – it was a really strong year!

So when you need to get up early for a busy day, do you have any techniques to make sure you’re all raring to go?

Caffeine!  Energy tablets!

And when you’re not working, how do you all like to chill out?

We’re so busy at the moment we’re lucky if we get a day off ha!  At weekends though we like to catch up with friends or go shopping.  We just try and relax really, oh, and sleep if possible ha!

Seeing as your song is called Louder, are you all quite loud people?  Like a bit of a party?

YEAH!  We love a party!  Yes we do!  The louder the better!

And will we be getting an album from you guys later this year?

It’s hopefully due this summer!  We’re so excited for it!  We’ve got a few more things to finish off on it but it’s going to be fantastic, we can’t wait!

As part of your promo you went on a tour round schools across the UK?  Did that feel like a bit of an adventure?

The school tour was great!  It was really good to get a reaction from kids as they don’t hold back – they’ll stand up and scream.  We’d get them to come and sing with us on stage.  And then it was brilliant going from small schools to big arenas when we supported Shakira last December.

Who’s music are you listening to at the moment?  Are there any big influences on you?

We all love Jessie J!  Bruno Mars too!  Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry - they’re all amazing.

And as a band, what do you think is the key to being a successful group and all getting on together?

We actually all live together so we’re so tight; like family really.  Because we spend twenty-four hours a day together we know each-other inside out.  It’s nice as you’re sharing everything and if any of us is having an off day, we know we have each-other.  It’s like we’re sisters!

Parade’s single Louder is out to buy now.

The complaints culture – Why so negative?

Everywhere you look these days there seems to be someone making a complaint about a TV show. Whether it be people saying Come Fly With Me is racist, that Frankie Boyle’s comedy shows are too rude, that Rihanna’s X Factor performance was ‘too sexy’, or people casting aspersions that the whole X Factor show in its entirety is fixed, everyone seems to have something to complain about. When did we get so sour? I just can’t see the point in it. TV was designed as a form of entertained, as in something that we get entertainment, enjoyment from. So why choose to watch it only to vent your anger in some kind of explosive outburst that would be more befitting of a stroppy child?

To actually go to the effort to complain about a show, to feel that level of negativity about something that appeared on a small screen in front of you just goes over my head. In life we’ve managed to control many of our emotions, so to succumb to negativity in such a way as this and ‘choose’ to see something in such a bad light that you need to complain about it just seems silly. Why are the people watching these shows anyway if they find them so awful? Maybe on some level they’re craving the enjoyment these shows so clearly provide to millions of other people.

No, the real reason why people seem to complain goes beyond this. One of the best ways this was illustrated by Danyl-gate in X Factor, when everyone got into a bit of a fuss over some comments Dannii Minogue made to contestant Danyl. On the original instance of the show being broadcast, only a few people complained, but as soon as the newspapers printed articles about it, the number of people complaining massively increased. What seems to be going on here is people jumping on the bandwagon in a rather pathetic attempt to exert some kind of ‘power’. To some people, the act of complaining seems to ‘empower’ them. They feel that they are having influence beyond their own small, individual lives – exerting power on a national level. They are venting their negativity in a silly knee-jerk reaction. Surely it’d be better for them to vent this energy in a more constructive form?

In any other situation, yes, maybe these shows might be inappropriate; but the things is, this is TV, comedy, entertainment. It is a format designed specifically for people to sit down and enjoy, to be entertained, to laugh, to forget about the labours of real life for a little while. With shows like X Factor and Come Fly With Me, who’s viewing figures exceed 10 million, it is clear audiences love them – the percentage actually picking up the phone to complain miniscule in comparison. Yet it is the complainers that get all the press. Let’s hope next time when one of these complainers gets the urge to pick up the phone, instead of thinking ‘Oh My God! How can this be shown on TV, HOW OUTRAGEOUS!!!’, they’ll instead just change the channel and think ‘You know what, I don’t think that show’s my cup of tea’.

Dannii Minogue – My Story

Not many people can lay claim to a career in the music industry as varied as Dannii Minogue’s.  Over the last 20 years, she has racked up fourteen top 20 singles in the UK, collaborated with some of the hottest names in dance music and even tried her hand at musical theatre.

Her autobiography My Story captures this all in a revealing and emotional glimpse into an industry that is constantly changing and evolving.  We see Minogue slogging through the hardship of a rough & ready US promotional tour in her early days, striving for the balance between critical acclaim and commercial success as well as the intricate complexities of dealing with her management and the media.

Bookended as it were by Minogue’s beginnings on Australian TV show Young Talent Time to her current role as judge on The X Factor, My Story represents Dannii’s life coming full circle, the impassioned tale of a woman who has experienced more than most, surviving in the cut and thrust of the music industry where many others would have faltered.