The Billboard Music Awards 2015

Last night, in Vegas, hundreds of artists, producers and general celebrities gathered at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to celebrate another 12 months in music and award those who have achieved success on the billboard charts.

As much as the night is about awards and fashion (for my red carpet review click here), it is more so about the big performances that can either be entertaining or controversial, depending on the artist.

This year was a little tame with no big headlines to run with but it was a fun night all the same.

Nicki Minaj

So Nicki did a duo performance starting with her latest track The Night Is Still Young which also happens to be my least favourite from the new album. 

She was then joined by David Guetta for their track Hey Mama which had the whole crowd on their feet dancing. Nicki seemed to be having fun on stage and wasn't afraid to show off a whole lot of skin.

Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea

Although it was pre-taped, which may seem like a bit of a cheat, Brit and Iggy's performance was possibly the best of the night simply because Britney almost looked like the superstar performer she once was.

I am still not a fan of this song but it was nice to see Brit having fun and looking beautiful while pulling out some hefty choreography.

Ed Sheeran

Ed is always a captivating performer and when he stepped up to perform Bloodstream I was happy to see he kept it simple with just him, his guitar, and some other recording device.

I would have enjoyed it more had he incorporated the Rudimental remix somehow but it was still a powerful performance.

Mariah Carey

Mariah delivered Class A vocals last night proving that she has still got it as she performed classic Vision Of Love and newest single Infinity.

It wasn't the best she has ever sounded but it is definitely a lot better than I would have hoped especially seeing as she had bronchitis last week.

Kanye West

Kanye closed out the show with two of my favourite tracks All Day and Black Skinhead which may have been heavily censored but didn't stop the crowd from having a good time.

The stage was smoky and I could barely make out the three figures on stage but I am sure that's what Kanye intended.

Nicki Minaj Comes To Birmingham (with Trey Songz)

On Good Friday, my friend and I were lucky enough to attend the Birmingham show for Nicki Minaj's 'Pinkprint Tour' at the Barclaycard Arena.
Although my review of her album wasn't raving and I haven't listened to a Trey Songz record in ages (he was her opening act), I was still excited about the show as there has been a lot of hype surrounding it and I haven't been to a concert in years.

The show opened with a 45 minute set courtesy of Trey Songz whom I used to be a definite fangirl of but in recent years have slowly lost some interest. However, I must admit there is no possible way not to be just the slightest bit attracted to the singer especially when he stripped down to a closing shirtless performance.
Fortunately, he sang all of his biggest hits rather than album track from his latest release which I admit to having not heard yet.
He began with the older tracks that started his career such as Can't Be Friends and I Need A Girl then filled much of his set list with the anthems like Bottoms Up, Say Aah and Heart Attack.
Of course, all the girls were screaming particularly when he took a moment to point out a few fans around the arena.
As he ended his set with latest single Touchin, Lovin, I noted that he is a strong performer with a string of hits that I didn't give him credit for before the show. He delivered pitch perfect vocals and worked the whole stage so he definitely got us all warmed up before the main artist took to the stage.



At 9.20, Nicki Minaj finally arose from the depths of the stage to kick things off with three of my favourite tracks from The Pinkprint album All Things Go, I Lied and The Crying Game. She was dressed in a black cloak and veil which she eventually removed as she strolled around the stage.
Nicki looked flawless; from her make-up and hair to her body, she was as I would have imagined her to be...just a lot less animated.
I was happy that she left much of her pop songs to the closing few minutes when I was too hyped and into the show to care. But even her Starships performance had so much energy and created such an atmosphere that I couldn't help but dance along.
There were so many great moments throughout the show from her snippets of old classics like Hold Yuh and Itty Bitty Piggy, to her high energy hip-hop club bangers like Truffle Butter, Lookin' Ass N**** and Did It On Them.
Her outfits left little to the imagination and, when paired with some of her risque dance moves, had even the likes of me blushing let alone her younger fans.



Having said that, there is nothing that I can really fault. She interacted with the audience, - including a highlight where she pulled out three fans onto the stage with her - pulled out some great choreography, performed all of the songs I wanted to hear and delivered some great background lighting and imagery.
There were a few classics missing from her set-list and I would have loved a mash-up of some of her best features but that is a time issue that I suppose she couldn't work around.
All in all, I had a fantastic time, as did my friend, and I would happily attend her next tour even if the album isn't up to scratch.

Rating: 4.5/5

2014 AMA Performances

It's that time of year again ! Late November marks the beginning of award season and it all starts with the American Music Awards which took place last night. As some of music's biggest starts gather to collect their awards, what we really look forwards to are the show-stopping, entertaining and often controversial musical performances.
Here is a summary of some of the shows biggest performances last night...

Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Christina Milian, Skylar Grey

Young lovers Lil Wayne and Christina Milian open the performance with a potential new song about their love. It could have been cute but it wasn't. I found it quite awkward and unnecessary - Lil Wayne is better than that - however, I will give credit to the song which sounds quite good.
Then out comes Skylar Grey and Nicki Minaj with a performance of Bed of Lies which wasn't anything special but it is a nice song.

Fergie

Fergie hit the stage and it's like she has never been away. She performed her latest single L.A Love alongside DJ Mustard and YG, and hit the choreography and rap with ease. She looked amazing too.

Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea

J-Lo, as always, delivered a sexy and energetic performance to her song Booty alongside her friend Iggy Azalea. The girls looked hot and J-Lo really showed these young girls how to command a stage and an audience with her closing dance number.

Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj

The ultimate girl power trio reunited on the AMA stage, this time with no wardrobe malfunctions, and slayed the audience with Bang Bang. Jessie and Ariana were pitch perfect as expected and Nicki looked fierce so it was an all-round success this time.

Iggy Azalea

Iggy also took the stage solo (well, with Charlie XCX) to perform Fancy and newest single Beg For It. It was a bit lacklustre in parts and she didn't show any power or aggression in her verses, maybe because she was more concerned with hitting all her spots, but she did well considering that she is still a newcomer.

Ariana Grande

Ariana took the stage for a second time alongside The Weeknd for a sultry performance of Problem, Break Free and Love Me Harder. She looked beautiful and Jessica Rabbit-esque as she belted out her pop hits but with a jazzy rendition for originality. Then the performance hotted up for the sexy Love Me Harder. All in all, Ariana proved that she is not a teeny-bopper anymore and The Weeknd sounded superb.

Sam Smith

One of this years biggest newcomers, Sam Smith sang to perfection with a stunning vocal on Not The Only One but added a nice surprise with a verse from A$AP Rocky. Although they may not be a musical duo that would ever come to mind, it actually worked really well and this remixed version needs to be released.

Selena Gomez

Before anything, I need to address how beautiful Selena looked while performing on stage last night. An angelic look for an angelic performance.
Selena performed her ballad The Heart Wants What It Wants, which is not-so-secretly a song about her relationship with Justin Beiber. Understandably, Sel got a little emotional as she sang but that made the performance all the more mesmerising.