Star Sparkle Blog

Sorry the 2nd post is later this week; I didn't manage to get it finished yesterday. :)   For ages (at least a year!) I've had the idea to do a post about my Top 10 thriller films but I just haven't felt inspired for some reason. So for now, I thought I'd write a shorter post about some teen thrillers (which happen to all be from the 90s) instead! :) Althoggh they may not techinically classed as teen films, I've called this post Teen Thrillers because the main characters are teenagers. Since a couple of these are based on true stories, they could also be included in a true movies post ! Unless otherwise stated, the videos are trailers. Poison Ivy (1992) Lonely teenager Sylvie (played by Sara Gilbert , best known for the 90s American sitcom Roseanne , which was revived in 2018) meets Ivy ( Drew Barrymore ) and becomes friends with her. The two girls are very different, both personality wise- Sylvie is quiet and shy, whereas Ivy is extroverted and flirty- and with t...

Today's video is Taste by American singer Coco Jones . It's from her upcoming album Why Not More? which is due out on 25th April. Why Not More? will be Coco's debut album (she has previously released 6 EPs, the most recent being the Christmas themed Coco By The Fireplace , which came out last November). Other singles from the album include singles Here We Go (Uh Oh) which was released last May and newest single You, which was released earlier this month. Taste is a smooth, sexy R'n'B song (and sexy video too!). The chorus is inspired by Britney Spears' hit 2004 single Toxic . It came out in February.  Please note that the video is quite "adult"! :)   Watch the music video for Here We Go (Uh Oh) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ2nxrPHHe0&list=WL&index=28   And watch the visualiser for Coco's latest single You (which premiered on 28th March) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ2nxrPHHe0&list=WL&index=28     Visit this link ...

In the past few years, I've occasionally written posts about my current favourite songs (about once a year). In recent years I've also done ones about my fave songs from the year in general (like my Current Favourite Songs of 2024 post). So here they are for 2025! You can see my previous posts at the links below: June 2019: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2019/06/current-favourite-songs.html May 2020: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2020/05/current-favourite-songs.html April 2021:  https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2021/04/current-favourite-songs.html Feb 2022: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2022/02/current-favourite-songs.html April 2024:  https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/04/current-favourite-songs.html   So, here's what I've been liking lately! :)  Gen Neo- I Wanna Know Singaporean singer Gen Neo released his latest EP Push&Pull back in November. To date he has brought out 4 singles from it- Tell The Truth, Like I Do, ONTW and The Test. While I li...

This week's video is PUSH 2 START ( REMIX) by South African singer Tyla and Jamaican dancehall rapper and singer Sean Paul . The original version of PUSH 2 START was released last October and is from the deluxe edition of Tyla's debut studio TYLA (called TYLA+). The deluxe album also came out in October. The remix was released on 3rd March.    For more on the original PUSH 2 START and to watch the  music video, visit my New Music Releases post from December: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/12/new-music-releases.html   Tyla fan? Check out these posts:   Music video for Jump with Gunna and Skillibeng, released last May (plus links to more music):  https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/05/weekly-music-video_22.html One Call with SPINALL and Omah Lay (released last July):  https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/08/weekly-music-video_21.html   Or want more Sean Paul? Check out these links: Music video for How We Do it with Pia Mia (2022...

Here is another instalment of my Asian Groups series! Today I'm featuring Taiwanese girl group GENBLUE and Thai boyband LKYN . :) GENBLUE Girl group GENBLUE are from Taiwan and signed to TEN ENTERTAINMENT (Taiwanese entertainment company). They were formed through the reality TV survival show NEXT GIRLZ (whose other winners include Twinkle Black and Twinkle Black member/solo artist Ally Shen ) in 2023.  Their group name is short for "Generation" and "Blue" and is inspired by the blue crystal, symbolising courage . It also reflects GENBLUE's Generation Z spirit and attitude. The group consists of 6 members- leader XXIN (real name Wang Xin Ming), Ayeon (Lee Ayeon), Yuan (Hsu Yuan Yuan), Lili (Wu Yu Hsuan), Ayako (Wang Tsai Chen) and Nico (Chen Yi Han). Ayeon is Korean, Ayako is Taiwanese and Japanese, and the other girls are Taiwanese. Several of them already had experience in the entertainment industry. * Pre-debut members Rong Rong (Huang Hsaio Rong) a...

Today's video is THOUGHT IT WAS A DROUGHT by BABY LEAN. She is an American recording artist from Philadelphia. BABY LEAN describes her music style as an experimental one that pushes the boundaries of hip hop, and says she "delivers a musical experience that connects you to an interstellar dimension" .  Her music is a mix of genres- rap, electronic and metal. Her singles include GHOST IN DA SHELL, THOUGHT IT WAS A DROUGHT, and PURPLE HEART. I think THOUGHT IT WAS A DROUGHT was originally released on New Year's eve (31st December) 2022. But the music video was uploaded last September.  Please note that the song contains explicit lyrics. :)   Also check out the music video for PURPLE HEART, her most recent single (released in October; also contains explicit lyrics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLJ-Rkap0iw   For more on BABY LEAN check out these links: Official Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/babyleans   Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/babyleans ...

Last summer I wrote a post sharing some videos from Bollywood actor and film producer John Abraham's films. You can see it here: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/07/john-abraham-videos.html I had planned to do a follow-up post because I'd only featured his movies up to 2013. So here it is, although not "soon-ish" as I intended!" lol .   Nas Nas Mein from Welcome Back   In 2015 John starred in crime comedy Welcome Back , alongside Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar as criminals gone straight Uday Shetty and Sagar (Majnu) Pandey. He plays Ajay (Ajju) Ghungroo, a "goonda" (local goon), who falls in love with Ranjana ( Shruti Haasan ), the half sister of Uday. The video for Nas Nas Mein features John and Shruti. The playback singers are sibling music duo Meet Bros Anjaan featuring Shabab Sabri and Rani Hazarika . There's also a rap by Deane Sequiera .      Rehnuma from Rocky Handsome Note: May contain a slight spoiler. The following year, John play...

This week's video is LMKK by Peruvian American singer A.CHAL (full name Alejandro Chal). It was written and produced by him in Milan, Italy, when he visited there for a forthcoming work project. LMMK is a Spanish and English language (Spanglish) and a mix of genres- alternative R'n'B and reggaeton. It samples the song Yo Voy ("I'm Coming") by Puerto Rican music duo Zion and Lennox (now disbanded) and featuring Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee (probably best known in the West for his 2004 hit single Gasolina). The single was released last October and was voted favourite New Music Latin at the time of release. Towards the end of the music, you can hear a snippet of A.CHAL's newest single LALU, which came out last month (see below).    Want more A.CHAL? Check out these links: Music video for Piritu (released in Feb last year): https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2024/09/weekly-music-video_11.html Video for his latest single LALU:  https://www.you...

Jennifer Lopez (one of my favourite singers) recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of her album Rebirth. It was her 4th studio album and was released on 1st March 2005 (my 21st birthday!). It seems crazy that it's been so long since it came out! lol. In November 2022, I wrote a post about the 20th anniversary of J.Lo.'s This Is Me...Then album . So, I decided to do another one for Rebirth's anniversary. :)  Rebirth was Jennifer's first album following her split from then fiance American actor Ben Affleck , which was in part due to intense media attention. The couple later reunited and married in 2022 and Jennifer's most recent album This Is Me...Now (accompanied by a film of the same name) was inspired by their rekindled romance. (I got the album for my 40th birthday last year!) However, they broke-up a second time last year. At the time of the Rebirth's release, Jennifer was married to her third husband American singer and actor Marc Anthony , with whom s...

Today's video is Strategy by Olivia Marsh (also known as GYUNA and Livvy). She is a Korean/Australian singer. Her mum is Korean and her dad is Australian, and she was born in Australia, later moving to South Korea. Her younger sister Danielle is also in the industry- she is a member of K-pop girl group NewJeans/NJZ .  Olivia modelled as a child. She started her music career in March 2024, with the release of the song LAVA, from the soundtrack of  Korean TV drama Hide (under the name GYUNA). Last autumn, Olivia signed with Korean record label MPLIFY , (a subsidiary of Warner Music Korea ) and then made her official debut with the digital single 42. She was MPLIFY's first artist to debut. She released two more digital singles in November and December- Heaven and First December With You respectively. On 13th February Olivia brought out her debut EP Meanwhile (both on CD and digitally). It's mainly pop and consists of 5 tracks (English language), including previous single 42 ...

I've previously featured a couple of African girl groups on the blog, but not a boyband so far. A couple of months or so ago, I did a search online and found some. So today I'm featuring Dey Say, a boyband from South Africa! :) Dey Sey are the first South African boyband in two decades who have not been formed through a reality show. The group comes from Johannesburg and consists of 4 members aged between 16-21- J, Dre, Chad and Elim. Dey Say ( previously known as CLJ ) started out by posting videos on TikTok , their most popular being a cover of Cameroonian American singer Libianca's hit single People, which reached over 1 million views.  After South African TV presenter Leanne Manas heard their music, she conducted a live on-air search to find them, then invited them on her TV show Morning Live , which kickstarted their career. Following their appearance, the boys headed to the studio and began recording original music, which blends different genres, such as amapiano ...

This week's video is SMH by Joeboy and Tempoe . Joeboy (real name Joseph Akinwale Akinfenwa-Donus) is a Nigerian singer, who started working on music aged 18.  His career took off he after uploaded a cover of British singer Ed Sheeran's Shape of You to Instagram, which drew the attention of Nigerian singer Mr Eazi . He then became an emPawa 100 finalist (part of Mr Eazi's talent incubation initiative programme emPawa Africa , which was officially launched in 2019) the following year. In March 2019, Joeboy released the single Baby. It is one of his most successful singles to date, reaching the Top 10 in the Nigerian, Kenyan and Ugandan Apple Music Charts and over 20 million streams on YouTube and Spotify.  His follow-up track Beginning (released in August 2019) was also No. 1 on Apple Music in Nigeria and Uganda. He brought out his debut EP Love & Light in November 2019.  Joeboy released his debut studio album Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic in February 2021. He...

In the past few years, I've shared dance video posts from particular genres, such as K-pop in Public (dance covers of Korean songs performed in public), J-pop (Japanese pop) in Public and V-pop (Vietnamese pop) in Public . For today's post I'm featuring a variety of Dance in Public videos from different Asian music genres. :)  Dance in Public/T-pop in Public- Bad Girls Like You (Tobii) First up, some Thai pop! Last month I did a dance post sharing some dance covers of the popular single Bad Girls Like you by Swiss/Thai rapper Tobii . You can see it here: https://starsparklex.blogspot.com/2025/01/dance-in-publict-pop-in-public-bad.html [POP IN PUBLIC LONDON] BINI- Salamin, Salamin (Dance Cover by CLIQUE) | United Kingdom Next is some P-pop (Pinoy/Filipino pop) in Public. This is a cover of Salamin, Salamin by Filipina girl group BINI , which was released in March 2024. It was the lead single from their debut EP Talaarawan, which also came out in March. The dance is by CLIQ...

This week's video is Bad Girls Like You (English version) by Swiss/Thai rapper and R'n'B singer Tobii and featuring Malaysian girl group DOLLA . Tobii's full name is Tobias and started recording music at 19, living between Thailand and Switzerland. He released the EP Midnight in summer 2020 and then his music career really took off in 2021, after the release of several successful songs such as Thinkin' Bout You, Question and Kwan rak mi ngay ("Love is not easy" in English) featuring hip hop artist Jigsaw Story .* Tobi then moved to Thailand and in 2023 was signed to Def Jam Thailand . He made his official debut with Def Jam at the festival Rolling Loud Thailand 2023.  Tobi's music is mostly Thai, with some English lyrics. His hit singles include Taew Nee Antarai (released in 2023) , Sexy Girl and Bad Girls Like You (both 2024). He also released the Christmas single X Mas Love in December.  The original version of Bad Girls Like You came out last Septe...