Star Sparkle Blog

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 ...