These Are The UK’s Favourite Christmas Songs And No, Mariah Isn’t Number One

Posted on 22/12/2023 by Boris Clair

We are just days away from Christmas and now that we know that Wham! officially beat Sam Ryder to the coveted number one spot, we can reveal the UK’s favourite Christmas songs ever and it turns out that despite all of our memes, Mariah Carey somehow isn’t the number one fave.

Yes, according to research conducted by digital headphones magazine Headphonesty, which looked at Google search data to determine which of Spotify’s top 100 songs are most loved by Britons, we don’t give our top slot to the popular favourite.

In fact, the song that hits the top of our charts… technically, arguably… isn’t a Christmas song.

With a winning 32,621 average searches per month, Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen is the UK’s favourite Christmas song. To be fair, it is the biggest Christmas song of the 21st century by a British artist but we’re still surprised to learn that it beats all other Christmas classics.

The most popular Christmas songs in the UK

Following closely behind at number two is of course, Mariah Carey Classic All I Want For Christmas Is You but then, and maybe it’s just me, they get a little weird.

Coming in at number three is the soulful hymn Silent Night followed by Jingle Bells, and Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.

it’s worth noting, then, that only one of the top five Christmas songs in the UK actually came out this century.

However, recent research from CSGO Luck reveals that globally, people have a touch more taste. Sorry.

New streaming data reveals that Wham!’s 1986 hit Last Christmas is the highest-earning and most streamed Christmas song that has been released in the past 50 years.

The Wham! classic is followed by All I Want For Christmas is You, Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me, Michael Bublé’s rendition of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas and Sia’s Snowman.

Commenting on these findings, a spokesperson for CSGOLuck said, “Social media once again has revealed its power, as you would expect more classic Christmas songs to rank within the top 10. Most of the songs in the ranking have been, to some extent, trending on TikTok or Instagram, resulting in a surge of streams.”

I think I’ll stick to our girl Mariah.

Wham! Manager Reveals Why George Michael Was ‘Slightly Upset’ By Last Christmas

Posted on 21/12/2023 by Boris Clair

Former Wham! manager Simon Napier-Bell is opening up about the duo’s iconic holiday track Last Christmas.

Napier-Bell, in a recent interview with The Telegraph, remarked on how “extraordinary” it is that the track holds up today before revealing how the late singer-songwriter George Michael viewed the song.

“He was always slightly upset by the fact [that] he naggingly knew it was the best thing he ever wrote,” Napier-Bell said. “George, above all, really wanted to be remembered as a great songwriter. And I think at the bottom of his mind… it was rather annoying that the song he got so perfect was a Christmas song.”

The former Wham! manager, elsewhere in the interview, referred to the song as a “magnificent piece of work.”

“How can you create a Christmas song that has bells in it, which says ‘Christmas’ every three seconds, and yet has nothing cheesy about it?” he said of the 1984 song.

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Last Christmas has seen a resurgence in interest in recent years, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January.

The track reached the top spot on the U.K. singles chart just in time for New Year’s Day 2021, over 36 years after the song’s release.

The holiday hit holds the No. 4 and No. 1 spots on the Billboard and U.K. charts, respectively, as of late Wednesday.

The song has led TikTok users to take part in the “Whamageddon” game, as well, which Forbes described as a “two-decade-old challenge” where people have to avoid hearing Last Christmas before 25 December.

Andrew Ridgeley, one half of Wham!, told People magazine that the song was “absolutely knockout” when he heard it for the first time.

“It sounded for all the world like a Christmas classic,” Ridgeley said.

“It’s Christmas distilled if you ask me,” he added. “It’s the essence of Christmas.”

Pink Shares What She Considers The Worst And Best Singles Of Her Career

Posted on 08/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Pink is sharing her true feelings about her work.

The Los Angeles Times asked the pop rocker what she considered her “best and worst singles” in an interview published Wednesday.

“Worst? I mean, there’s been so many,” she replied. “Maybe ‘True Love.’”

Pink is pictured at SiriusXM Studios on Feb. 22 in New York City.

The 2012 song, which features English singer Lily Allen, includes lyrics like “You’re an asshole but I love you” and “I really hate you so much I think it must be true love.” Pink’s husband, former motocross star Carey Hart, appears in the music video.

Pink had a sweet reason for selecting the track as her worst, describing it as “mean.”

“Carey’s got thick skin, but I owe him a love song,” she said.

She also came up with an additional contender for the bottom spot.

“Oh wait, I did put out that SpongeBob thing,” she said, referencing a 2009 track for Nickelodeon’s sealife-centric cartoon.

“‘We’ve Got Scurvy’? I wish I never did that. That was a real mistake.”

(While the Times’ transcription doesn’t specify what her tone was, we have to assume she was kidding, because who could regret starring in this music video?)

As for her best singles, the Grammy winner chose the 2001 smash hit “Get the Party Started” and 2008’s “So What,” which was about a temporary separation from Hart. Ironically, the song also helped the two reconcile. According to Us Weekly, the pair patched things up after Pink got in touch with Hart to ask him about appearing in the track’s music video.

She alluded to the tune’s role in their reunion during her Times interview, saying: “‘So What’ was fun from start to finish — writing it, singing it, performing it, the video. It was part of what got Carey and I back together.”

Troye Sivan’s New Video Is A Sexy, Summery Ode To Queer Liberation

Posted on 15/07/2023 by Boris Clair

Troye Sivan is back and ready to reclaim his position as a foremost purveyor of summer bops that are laden with playful, queer-inclusive innuendo.

On Thursday, the Australian pop singer unveiled Rush, the debut single off his upcoming third album, Something To Give Each Other.

Due out on 13 October, Something To Give Each Other is billed in press notes as a musical “celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship”.

That point is emphasised in the music video for Rush, which sees a sweaty Troye in full-on party mode, doing keg stands and sharing a shirtless embrace with fellow revelers on a crowded dance floor before trekking home at daylight.

Watch the music video for Rush below…

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Fans were quick to point out that Rush shares its name with a well-known brand of alkyl nitrites, a recreational drug also known as “poppers” that is popular within the LGBTQ+ community.

Speaking to Vogue in an interview published Thursday, Troye didn’t dismiss that theory, but clarified that the song is meant to encapsulate “the feeling of endlessly being addicted to your friends and wanting to just have a really good time”.

He was also adamant that Rush not be released during LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, noting: “Sure, I’m gay and I’m singing about sex, but it’s not like I’m trying to make a Pride anthem. I’m singing about my life.”

Troye Sivan will release his third album, "Something to Give Each Other," this fall. — Troye Sivan will release his third album, “Something to Give Each Other,” this fall.

Something To Give Each Other will be Sivan’s first full-length album since 2018’s Bloom. Though he released a seven-song EP, In a Dream, in 2020, he’s been largely focused on acting as of late, starring in the 2022 Paramount+ dramedy Three Months and appearing alongside Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd in HBO’s The Idol.

Troye said the new music is also reflective of his recent split from boyfriend Jacob Bixenman after a roughly four-year relationship ― but not in the way listeners might expect.

“I started to get crushes, and realised that I wasn’t emotionally dead,” he told British GQ.

“I had come from such a serious relationship and didn’t place much value on other forms of intimacy. Then, over time, I started to realise that I just love people, and I love community, and sex.”

Olivia Rodrigo Has One Music Icon In Mind As Her ‘Biggest Celebrity Crush Of All Time’

Posted on 08/07/2023 by Boris Clair

Rodrigo, browsing with Vogue magazine writer Jia Tolentino for the August cover story, found a PORN IN THE U.S.A.! bootleg live recording from a 1984 Springsteen concert in Toronto.

“He’s my biggest celebrity crush of all time,” Rodrigo said, tucking the record under her arm. “I think I might have to get this for my new apartment. Yeah, you’re coming home with me.”

Springsteen adds to a list of music icons Rodrigo has shown love for.

The singer took the Madison Square Garden stage with Billy Joel last summer to perform Deja Vu, a song that mentions the Piano Man singer. The pair also performed Joel’s Uptown Girl and shared a hug.

Rodrigo told Vogue that she also considers Carole King “among her major influences.”

King, in an interview with the magazine, praised Rodrigo’s songwriting.

“You could tell she really believed in the lyrics. And that there was substance behind them, craft and substance,” King said. “I was struck by how grounded she is. She’s a professional in everything she does — she’s been a professional for a long time.”

She added: “She begins by speaking for herself, but she speaks, in the end, for so many young women. And I love her. I’ve only met her for one afternoon, but I love her.”

How To Pick A Workout Playlist That’ll Keep You Going For Longer

Posted on 05/12/2022 by Boris Clair

You’re reading Move, the nudge we need to get active, however makes us happiest and healthiest.

Music is a lot of things: it’s restorative, motivational, moving and educational. There are endless ways we use music to get through our days, whether listening to a sad song on repeat or hitting play on an upbeat tune.

According to Ronna Kaplan, a clinical supervisor and adjunct music therapy faculty at Cleveland State University, “music is positive in many ways for mental health, it can be used across the lifespan” for many different situations.

One of those ways is during exercise. It can be a crucial element in enhancing your workout. Here’s how.

Your body’s movement naturally matches a song’s rhythm, which can help you stick to a specific pace.

There’s a reason your foot starts tapping or your shoulders start moving as soon as a song comes on. According to Joy Allen, the chair of music therapy and director of the music and health institute at Berklee College of Music in Boston, this is because of rhythmic entrainment, which is an “unconscious reaction — that’s what we call the entrainment.”

“Our body’s going to [move] in time with that sound or that rhythm,” she says.

So, when it comes to exercise, your body automatically falls in line with the tempo of the music “because of the way that our brains are connected with rhythm,” Allen says.

When picking music for a workout, like when going for a walk or run, for example, you’ll want to choose a tempo that is close to your natural stride. “Go [with] what seems comfortable for you and play around with different songs,” she says.

You can use music to increase your pace, too.

If you’re looking for an added challenge, pick a song with a pace that is a little quicker than your average running or walking stride, this should help you move faster throughout your workout.

You can start with a song with a slower tempo and gradually increase your speed by picking songs with faster beats, which is ideal if you’re looking to improve your walking or running pace, according to Kaplan.

“It primes the person to an outside cue,” she says. It “helps your muscles activate in their walking pattern.”

Music can help distract you from boredom during a workout.

It’s motivating.

How often has someone walked into the gym, realised they forgot their headphones, and then had a not-so-great workout — or even left the gym altogether? Allen pointed out this is a common occurrence: There is a major reason why music is integral to so many people’s workouts.

The music you listen to during a workout helps with motivation, and there are several things behind that motivation.

First, you probably want to hear your favorite song on your exercise playlist, which may keep you going for longer. Second, if you put on music that’s unexpected (like if you put on reggaeton instead of your regular pop soundtrack), you will be interested in hearing what comes next in the song, which may also keep you moving longer than usual.

“If you’re always listening to the same stuff, sometimes that’s great [but] sometimes we have fatigue from it — we know what to expect and what’s coming, so it can be a little less motivating,” Allen says.

And music is distracting.

No one wants to focus on their tough workout as they’re in it. If anything, they want to not think about it. As you sing along to lyrics or are reminded of music-induced memories, songs let your mind wander throughout an exercise regimen, so you don’t have to stand (or sit) there and think about how hard your workout is.

Music keeps you from getting bored during a workout, too, which can happen when you’re doing something kind of mundane like walking on a treadmill, Allen noted. Music activates the brain by giving your mind something else to think about.

“It captures your attention… ‘oh, here’s something I’m listening to,’ so I’m not attending to what could be an uncomfortable experience with the exercise, it gives me something else to focus on,” Allen says.

You’ll reap even more benefits when you pick your music.

According to Kaplan, when someone chooses the music they’re listening to, they’ll have better results, whether working out or doing something like meditation.

A recent study led by the Department of Kinesiology at Samford University in Alabama stated, “if the music played over the speakers is not preferred by the individual giving effort, performance may suffer. Thus, coaches and athletes should consider individual music preferences when attempting to optimise performance and training.”

This further speaks to the motivation you feel when working out to music you enjoy.

Additionally, Kaplan says you might notice you’re in a better mood when working out to music you select, which may make you feel like you enjoyed your workout more. And that’s a win-win.

This may mean you’ll be more likely to work out again that week, which is a great way to hit your fitness goals.

Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.

From Garage Raves To Day Parties, Here’s How Black Clubbing Has Changed Since The 90s

Posted on 29/10/2022 by Boris Clair

You’re reading Gen:Blxck, a series exploring Black culture, history, family and identity through the generations.

On a Friday, Saturday or even Sunday night, there’s one place and one place only where you’ll be able to find me: the dance. As a resident ‘out-out’ girl, partying is where I feel the most alive. It’s a time where I’m able to dress up, drink, be with my friends and dance until the early hours of the morning. The enjoyment is doubled when I’m in a space where hearing afrobeats isn’t rare, where I don’t have doubt if the colour of my skin will hinder my chances of getting inside, where I can be free.

Note that I said ‘partying’ and not ‘clubbing’, as the Black club scene in London and other parts of the UK is pretty non-existent. Instead, almost all of us can be found at pop-up events from organisers like DLT, Recess, Pitch Sundays and Jay’s Link Up.

Today, these events make up for the lack of dedicated clubs catered to Black audiences – but it hasn’t always been this way.

In the 90s to the 2000s, Black clubs were on the rise. Playing music from garage, jungle, dancehall and grime, they were the places you wanted to be if you were Black and wanted to rave.

“It looked very much like a So Solid music video.”

– Alison Awoyera

Alison Awoyera, who a 34-year-old founder of Itsblackowned.com, found herself at her first rave at the tender age of 15. “I started going to under 18 raves, my first was at a night called ‘Final Conflict’ at a venue called Le Fez in New Cross, which is now closed,” she says.

“This was around 2003 and I remember feeling so grown, despite the crowd being mostly under 18. It was refreshing to hear the underground genres like grime and garage played on pirate stations on a night out.

“It was normal to have DJ sets in the rave too, with some MCs who went on to top the charts.”

She then started clubbing at a place called Yates in Lewisham nearly every week. Other clubs she frequented included Cameo’s, Silks & Spice and Rainforest Café, all located around south-east and central London.

The attire was simple. She recalls going to raves in flat shoes because people didn’t bother with heels. “Skirts, well-greased legs, and a cute top. Hair gelled onto forehead, a trend I see has returned and is now dubbed ‘edges,’” she shares.

“Guys wore any brash designer piece they could get: Avirex jackets, Iceberg jeans, Moschino (with the logo branded all over), Nike 110s.

“It looked very much like a So Solid music video, which makes sense as they were topping the charts back then. As we moved into nights in central London, we had to go smarter. Heels, dresses, and much better makeup, whilst men wore smart shirts and jeans, as flyers often ran on a ‘no hats and no hoods’ policy.”

She recalls the feeling of having a night catered to a Black crowd as “unmatched”.

“At larger venues like Ministry, there were different rooms catered to genres, so you could go from old school dancehall to grime and garage, feeling so content,” she says.

“I remember if ladies got there before 11 sometimes you’d get a glass of bubbly – it felt so classy, though in hindsight it was likely the cheapest!”

Nana Adjei, who is also known as FrenchkissDj, is a 44-year-old DJ and producer who owned a club in Shoreditch called ‘FK bar’ in 2002. He started out as a DJ playing music in west-end clubs when he noticed a lack of diversity in the nightclub scene.

“There weren’t many Black clubs or bars or anywhere really that catered for our music. It’s always been a gap in the market so I wanted to tap into that and create a space for us,” he says.

“I started raving in the 90s but there weren’t many Black clubs then, more house parties. But coming into the 2000s, they started popping up.

“The vibe was lovely, we would play hip-life, bashment, dance but though the crowd was mainly Black, it was a mixed crowd.”

The venue would open every weekend from Friday to Sunday. He would promote the club through a mailing list or through text messages. “I used to get a friend of mine to just walk around with a clip and paper on the clipboard and take people’s numbers. So after that, we insert those numbers into the telephone box system,” he recalls.

“And then if we had events coming up, we’d pay for credit and text people with the relevant information.”

Eventually, the club closed as he experienced difficulty renewing the license. Since then, he’s moved to Ghana and opened the same club there.

“The rules weren’t as strict or stringent back then.”

– Naivasha Mwanji

When it came to going out, I learnt everything I need to know from my older sister. She started partying at the age of 13 (probably against my mother’s wishes) and would frequently attend under-age raves, eventually progressing to actual clubbing a few years later. It wasn’t uncommon in the community.

“The rules weren’t as strict or stringent back then and I think I went to my first nightclub when I was 15,” Naivasha Mwanji, a 32-year old partnerships and outreach manager, tells me.

Her go-to venues in the mid-00s were Club 19 in Forest Gate, Twilight in Canning Town, Cameos in Oxford Street and Guvna Bar which is now known as LA Lounge in Canning Town. Fast forward to today and nearly all of those clubs are closed.

In the past decade, the British club scene has been shrinking across the board. Nightclubs in Britain fell by 21% between December 2017 and December 2018, compared to a 1% yearly decline between 2013 and 2017, according to an industry report by the International Music Summit (IMS).

The pandemic only exacerbated the problem. The latest IMS report shows 2021 ticket demand for clubs was at just 36% of 2019.

But Black-owned nightclubs – or clubs catering specifically for the Black community – have felt the impact acutely, due to already being fewer in number.

Technomaterialism, a platform formed by Black writers, musicians and club workers, produced a detailed analysis of Black representation in the industry and found that in 2021, it sat at just 4%.

The gentrification of certain areas – with sky high property prices pushing out clubs – and form 696 have both been blamed for the decline of Black nightclubs.

Form 696 was created by the London Metropolitan police in 2005. Anyone who owned or hosted a party was required to provide information about the type of event they were going to host, the music that played, and the target audience of the crowd – often including ethnicity. Critics of the form say it allowed police to target events that played Black genres, such as grime and hip-hop.

Though the ethnicity and music style clauses were removed from the form in 2008, it was still in use until 2017, when it was eventually abolished.

In that time, clubs that once allowed Black people to feel free, shut down.

“It’s a space for people to enter without fear, a place they can move without barriers.”

– Founders of DLT

Without the clubs, we needed something to plug the gap. And today, Black event companies run the partying scene.

From Recess to DLT, Jay’s Link Up to Pitch Sundays, these groups are making a name for themselves hosting pop-up events at venues across the capital and beyond. Think you’ve found it hard to get tickets for Adele or Lizzo? Try getting tickets for DLT.

They started banning music genres and not allowing people in, we’ve created our own spaces now….they can have the crowds they wanted https://t.co/ylN0bglANS

— Honourable Mention Dee (@DeeApple) October 23, 2022

I’m here for the for-us by-us events, day parties and brunches. It’s a guaranteed good time, with nice vibes and no weird behaviour. No racist doormen/ bar staff and you get fed. Night time raving is so ghetto in comparison . https://t.co/G1BUsPPWi2

— ISLAND PRINCESS Vibe Minister (@tiandemi) October 23, 2022

Days Like This, also known as DLT, was birthed in New York. “Our vision was to have fun with our people in the daytime with good music, food and vibes. After the success of our first few events, we realised how much the Black community needed something as joyous as DLT in London,” they told me.

“It then became our mission to be the standard and example for what positive and excellent Black events would look like.”

DLT want Black people to feel they have the freedom to experience their parties in whatever way they want to.

“Sometimes as Black people we go out to enjoy ourselves, but because of our surroundings, we may not feel we have the full ability to really experience the events as we’d like to – at DLT it’s very important for us for our attendees to feel that freedom in our space.

“We strive to create a space for like-minded people to fully enjoy our events. It’s a space for people to enter without fear, a place they can move without barriers.”

As well as DLT, there’s also a surge of smaller niche Black spaces making an appearance in London.

SSensational Sounds are a music collective, made up of DJs, producers and music lovers. Their mission is to push the EDM sound within the Black community. ”So music like Afro-house, Afro-tech, amapiano, funky, garage, anything under house music we want to push,” their spokesperson said.

Amapiano, a style of South African house music, has exploded in the last year with more amapiano raves flooding all over the world. As an amapiano lover myself, the music and the parties can’t be described – they have to be experienced. Anyone who listens to the genre will describe it as spiritual.

“One of the main reasons I created SSensational Sounds was because I’m a massive music head,” they told me. “I started hearing amapiano in 2019. So I was doing my research and trying to push the sound out.”

They would describe the atmosphere at SSensational Sounds as “intimate” as they’re smaller to the bigger names like Recess or DLT and their parties are called Ssensational Shoobz. “It’s for the people that wanna dance, have fun and hear new music,” they said.

“I go to a lot of house raves, and people there are so care-free, so I wanted to create this type of atmosphere whilst exposing people to new music.”

“You’re surrounded by people that look like you, whilst hearing music you like, dancing carelessly, it just feels like a community of joy.”

– Jasmine Akua

Pop-up parties for queer people of colour have also been on the rise, at a time when LGBTQ+ clubs are closing.

Organisations such as Reveur, Pxssy Palace, Fluid and Lick Events have created safe spaces for the Black LGBTQ community – a game-changer for people like Jasmine Lee-Zogbessou, a 26-year-old journalist from London.

“The one thing that makes these queer spaces better for me is the is the consistent emphasis on consent and ensuring that everything you’re doing in that space is welcomed,”Lee-Zogbessou says.

“The first ever queer event I went to was Lick Events and I’ve never felt such joy. As it’s a woman-only event i was able to dress the way I wanted without the fear of being harassed.”

Outside of queer events, she usually attends Black parties like recess and DLT. “The first time I went to Recess, I absolutely loved it. You’re surrounded by people that look like you, whilst hearing music you like, dancing carelessly, it just feels like a community of joy.”

Jasmine Akua at a recess fancy dress party

But Jasmine notes an issue with these events – they’re not regular.

“If I want to go out on a random Friday night I can’t go, I have to wait until they have an event,” she says.

All this means the demand is high, tickets sell out in minutes and you can rarely buy tickets on the door. The solution is simple: more Black clubs, right? Unfortunately this isn’t a straight forward process.

Though form 696 has been scrapped, some club owners are still hostile to events catered to Black audiences.

So what does the future of Black parties look like?

DLT want more Black-owned club spaces that aren’t governed by harsher rules than their non-Black counterparts.

“In the future we need the larger venues to be more open to building better relationships with those on the rise as the space for Black parties is continually growing in demand,” they say.

As an out-out girl, I simply want these spaces to be the norm and not the exception, especially in areas outside of London where events are even more scarce.

These spaces aren’t created to alienate ourselves from ‘normal’ clubs, they’re born out of a clear lack of diversity and inclusion in the nightclub scene.

Now, Alexa, play ‘Heated’ by Beyonce, it’s time for me to get ready.

What does it mean to be Black and British? Well, it depends which generation you ask. This Black History Month, HuffPost UK has teamed up with BuzzFeed’s Seasoned and Tasty UK to find out. Read more from Gen:Blxck here.

These 6 Certified Quarantunes Are Still The Mood Boost We Need

Posted on 10/08/2021 by Boris Clair

It’s official: music helped us get through the pandemic. In a new survey of more than 2,000 people, almost a quarter (23%) said live streaming and music had been the biggest support to their mental health through lockdown.

The poll, conducted by global music discovery service DICE and Populous, asked people about their relationship to music during the pandemic.

Knowing thousands of other people were also tuning in to live streams made lockdown a less lonely experience, respondents said, though few of us were actually listening to new music to fill the long days. Almost three-quarters (73%) said their lockdown listening focused on artists in their prime decades ago.

Music has been scientifically proven to evoke feelings of comfort, relief, and enjoyment, particularly when a track harks back to happier times – though if you’re up for discovering newer tunes, here’s why that’s good for you, too .

For those in need of a wellbeing boost, HuffPost UK team members have shared the songs that got us through the past year-and-a-half. Add them to your playlists, or check out more HuffPost UK recommendations on Spotify.

My Shot, from Hamilton

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“I’m a huge musical theatre fan so it wasn’t a surprise that the songs that helped me get through lockdown were from musical show Hamilton. I was obsessed with the whole soundtrack but the one song I kept on repeat during lockdown was My Shot. It’s a song about triumph and strength, which motivated me, but musically it sounds amazing.

“It’s a great song to cook or clean to and the raps are my favourite part. The show (which is available on Disney Plus) is quite long, so listening to the soundtrack is a way for me to enjoy the story without needing to watch it again.” – Habiba Katsha, Life reporter

Rain On Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande

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“Rain On Me came out in the early stages of lockdown, and I’ve had it on rotation pretty much ever since. This song was released at a time when the news cycle was especially bleak, with a sombre cloud hanging over everything, and it provided some escapism at a time we all really needed it with its anthemic chorus and empowering lyrics about overcoming difficult times. Plus, who doesn’t love a bit of camp provided by not one but two pop divas?

“I’ve been looking forward to hearing Rain On Me in a club ever since it was released, and even though I’m not quite ready for that yet, I know for certain it’s going to go off when I finally get there.” – Daniel Welsh, Entertainment editor

Motion by Khalid

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“For me, my go to feel-good, feel sad, feel pensive song is Motion by Khalid. It’s one of his lesser known songs but I am just so in love with his vocals, the lyrics, the beat, everything. I can’t decide if it’s a happy song or sad song. I listen to it during all sorts of emotions.

“One of the top lines of the song is ‘I’m in love with this moment’. I remember playing it on my earphones on a solo trip to Machu Pichu in Peru – I was just stood on top of the mountains and listened to it on repeat, I really was in love with the moment! My Spotify wrapped showed I was in his 0.5% of top listeners last year, and you can guess which song was on repeat! The song got me through the pandemic because it reminded me of happier moments.” – Faima Bakar, Life reporter

Holiday by Little Mix

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","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHMXNPkNTTQ","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Little Mix – Holiday (Official Video)","author":"littlemixVEVO","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCssD3_aDYhaG44mwP53CO0w","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Little Mix – Holiday (Official Video)\n\nListen to our new single ‘Holiday’ Here: http://lttlmx.com/Holiday\n\nApple Music: http://lttlmx.com/Holiday/applemusic\nSpotify: http://lttlmx.com/Holiday/spotify \niTunes: http://lttlmx.com/Holiday/itunes\nYouTube Music: http://lttlmx.com/Holiday/youtubemusic\nAmazon Music: http://lttlmx.com/Holiday/amazonmusic\nDeezer: http://lttlmx.com/Holiday/deezer\n\nSign up to our newsletter: http://lttlmx.com/Newsletter \n‪Follow Us On Spotify – https://spoti.fi/2Qk4m4E‬\n‪Listen On Apple Music -https://smarturl.it/LittleMix_AppleMusic\n‪Listen On Amazon Music – https://smarturl.it/LittleMix_Amazon‬\nSubscribe on YouTube – http://lttlmx.com/SubscribeYT\n\n‪Follow Little Mix:‬\n‪Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/littlemix/‬\n‪Facebook – https://facebook.com/LittleMixOfficial/‬\n‪Twitter – https://twitter.com/LittleMix‬\nTikTok – https://smarturl.it/LMTikTok\n\nWATCH BREAK UP SONG VIDEO ►http://lttlmx.com/breakupsongvideo\nWATCH WASABI MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/LMWasabi\nWATCH ONE I’VE BEEN MISSING MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/LittleMixOIBM\nWATCH BOUNCE BACK MUSIC VIDEO ►‬ http://smarturl.it/LMBounceBack/youtube‬\n‪WATCH THINK ABOUT US MUSIC VIDEO ► http://smarturl.it/ThinkAboutUs/youtube‬\n‪WATCH WOMAN LIKE ME MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/LittleMix-WLM‬\n‪WATCH THINK ABOUT US MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/ThinkAboutUs/youtube\n‪WATCH TOUCH MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/LittleMix-T‬\n‪WATCH BLACK MAGIC MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/LittleMix-BM‬\n‪WATCH POWER MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/LittleMix-P‬\n‪WATCH SECRET LOVE SONG MUSIC VIDEO ► https://smarturl.it/LittleMix-SLS‬\n\nLyrics: \n\nBoy have I told ya \nI swear you put the sun up in my sky \nWhen it’s cold you pull me closer \nSo hot it’s like the middle of July \n \nWanna have a little taste so let me lay you down \nNothing better than your skin on mine \nAnd I been looking for that feeling, looking all my life \nBoy you give it to me every time \n \nCan we make it all night \nWe don’t stop all up on my body babe, ooh \nTouch me like a summer night you feel like a holiday, ooh \nUp all night we don’t stop feel up on my body babe \nWe’re just dancing the night away \nBoy you feel like a holiday \n \nSo ima let go \nNo one else in the world could ever come close to you baby, close to you baby \nWe’re taking it slow \nWhenever, wherever, we’re lasting forever my baby \nAnd you’re turning me on \n \nBoy have I told ya \nYou give it to me like no other guy \nWe got that heat, yeah, like the summer \nAnd that’s why I’m so glad I made you mine \n \nWanna have a little taste so let me lay you down \nNothing better than your skin on mine \nAnd I been looking for that feeling, looking all my life \nBoy you give it to me every time \n \nCan we make it all night \nWe don’t stop feel up on my body babe, ooh \nTouch me like a summer night you feel like a holiday / holiday yeah\nUp all night we don’t stop feel up on my body babe \nWe’re just dancing the night away \nBoy you feel like a holiday \n \nSo ima let go \nNo one else in the world could ever come close to you baby, close to you baby, close to you baby , close to you baby\nWe’re taking it slow \nWhenever, wherever, we’re lasting forever my baby \nAnd you’re turning me on \n \nSo put your love on me, up on me \nOh boy I love it when you’re touching me, holding me \nNo way nobody put that thing on me, up on me, like you do \nFeel like a holiday, you know that I want it babe \n \nCan we make it all night \nWe don’t stop feel up on my body babe, ooh \nTouch me like a summer night you feel like a holiday / holiday yeah\nUp all night we don’t stop feel up on my body babe 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“It’s so hard to pick one song that got me through 2020 when making playlist after playlist was the only way I found to mark the endless weeks of lockdown – and cope with not seeing my partner, who reciprocated with his own. As to my internal radio, Dua Lipa and TSwizz featured heavily, and like Habiba, the Hamilton soundtrack ear-wormed from the moment I watched it on Disney+.

“But my song of last summer was without doubt Little Mix’s Holiday – landing in August just when I needed one. Infectious and sexy, never taking itself too seriously, it lifted my spirits like a plane ticket for the soul. And that video, with Jesy, Leigh-Anne, Jade and Perrie as beautifully kitsch mermaids: ’We’re just dancing the night away / Boy, you feel like a holiday.′ In the staycation age, it’s a lesson in finding wanderlust closer to home.” – Nancy Groves, head of Life

Skankin’ Sweet by Chronixx

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“As a proud Jamaican who is overly obsessed with the culture, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t pay homage to the song that helped me get through my loneliest times: Skankin’ Sweet by Chronixx. There is something about a reggae beat that really brings joy and tranquillity into my life, so I often played it in the mornings to give me that extra motivation to conquer the day.

“The song represents love, unity and having a moment to put your worries aside and just focus on being one with the universe, all true values that really helped me overcome my struggles through the pandemic.” – Maya Franklyn, Intern

Together Again by Janet Jackson

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“I was six years old when Janet Jackson released Together Again and I have an almost visceral reaction to that dreamy opening harp; I feel warm, gooey, a little-more care-free, and like an excited kid again, waiting for the upbeat disco drop. My love affair with this tune has already spanned decades, so it’s perhaps no wonder I listened to it on repeat during the first lockdown, when we were all craving old comforts.

“Ignorantly, I’ve always belted out the lyrics without considering their meaning – I guess that’s what happens when you learn a tune as a kid. In a moment of pandemic boredom, I googled the backstory and learned that Janet wrote the song in memory of a friend who died from AIDS. At a time when death and sadness was dominating headlines, it only made it feel more pertinent.” – Rachel Moss, Life editor