The Flame Tree Pop Blog

Just when you thought the 2013 music world couldn’t get any more memorable we FINISH our Celebrity Gossip: Top Ten Countdown 2013.

Here's the top five most memorable moments in music from 2013; everything from Miley’s meltdown to Katy’s comeback we’ve got it all covered!

Number 5

Kicking off this second post and reaching number 5 in our top ten most memorable music moments is last year’s X Factor winner James Arthur. You had to have been under a rock to have missed the furore caused by the X Factor winner in November. James made a rap song which featured senseless lyrics including the words ‘f***ing queer’, and a Twitter row with former friend and X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan followed. Things snowballed when fans who had purchased James's album on iTunes demanded their money back. Things died down when James performed and apologised live on The X Factor results show – but only after a petition was signed by thousands wanting ITV to drop him due to his homophobic slur. Let's hope James engages his brain in 2014!

Number 4

Queen Bey went into overdrive this year. January saw Beyoncé come under scrutiny due to her decision to mime during her performance at Barack Obama’s inauguration. But she bounced back stronger than ever in February and delivered a flawless performance at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. Her documentary Life is But a Dream aired in February and allowed fans an intimate look at her life with rapper husband Jay-Z and beautiful daughter Blue Ivy. In amongst collaborating with Jay-Z on his album Magna Carta … Holy Grail, she began her Mrs. Carter World Tour, released a song for The Great Gatsby soundtrack and voiced Queen Tara in animated hit Epic. And she went out on a bang in 2013 as an unexpected fifth studio album Beyoncé topped the number one spot making her the first female artist to have her first five studio albums debut at number one.

Number 3

If it was the year of any boyband then it was the year of One Direction. Listen hard enough and you’ll be able to hear the screams of teenage girls (and their mothers) up and down the country whenever they catch a glimpse of their favourite 1D member. Teenage girls have been loyal in their worship, allowing the band to have the fastest-selling album of the year with Midnight Memories shifting 200,000 copies in seven days. Add to this their successful world tour and This Is Us docu-film, and everything the boys touched this year literarlly turned to gold with each member reportedly worth £20 million!

Number 2

No 2013 top ten would be complete without mentioning the pop vixen herself Miley Cyrus. 2013 was arguably both a meltdown and a breakout year for Miley. With the release of hit song ‘We Can’t Stop’ topping the charts, Miley became the first artist in the UK in 2013 to have a single and album debut at number one. Bangerz, released in October, was a move away from her previous bubble gum image into a more adult market, as the video for 'Wrecking Ball' shows. It is her performances of 2013 that remain most memorable. Who could forget that nude bikini and giant foam finger during her performance with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards? Not to mention the twerking. But it was her acceptance speech for an MTV Europe Music Award that caused outcry as she lit up a spliff live on stage! Let's hope we remember Miley in 2014 more for her music and less for her meltdown moments!

Number 1

We have reached the number one spot and it has to go to the pop princess herself Katy Perry. 2013 has truly been Katy’s year in so many ways, we’ve lost count! Katy reprised her role as Smurfette in The Smurfs 2, shortly before releasing her third fragrance Killer Queen. Queen Katy has a ring to it, don’t you think? Katy released first single ‘Roar’ from her third studio album Prism in the summer and after performances at the MTV Music Video Awards and The iTunes festival she released Prism to wide critical acclaim, marking a move away from previous album Teenage Dream. As well as making a comeback in the music world, Katy has also made a comeback romantically. After divorcing ex-husband Russell Brand in 2012, she is firmly on track with John Mayer, even releasing ‘Who You Love’ as a single together. We can’t wait to see what Katy does next!

Links 

• Check out all of Katy Perry's news at her offical website here

• Want to know all the One Direction news? Then head here

• Check out our range of pop culture books featuring many of the artists mentioned above here

• For all the latest celebrity news and gossip follow @FlameTreePop here

2013 is almost at an end and the world of music has not been quiet this year, oh no! From Bieber goes bad to Rihanna gets raunchy the music world has given us some memorable moments that need to be remembered before the bells of Auld Lang Syne chime! Here, in the first of two blog posts, we count down the most memorable music moments of 2013 from ten to six.

Number 10

Kicking off our countdown at number 10 is David Bowie and his surprising release of new album The Next Day. His first in almost a decade, the iconic singer not only pleased his millions of original fans but also won an army of new ones. Released in March after an announcement on his 66^th birthday in January, the album topped the number 1 spot and brought Bowie well and truly into the 21^st century. 

Number 9

Our music countdown wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of pop music’s good boy turned bad, Justin Bieber. The former teen sensation well and truly shook off his baby-faced image this year with a whole host of bad-boy actions. First he turned up late to his concert in London, then he had a scuffle with paparazzi, before being thrown out of a hotel in Brazil for being too rowdy and failing to turn up to a meet and greet where fans had paid £800 to meet their idol. Bieber, maybe in 2014 you should think before you act!

Number 8

We used to think that nothing Lady Gaga did or wore would fail to shock us, but 2013 turned out to be the year that Gaga didn’t live up to her name. Billed as the comeback of the year, after a lengthy break due to hip surgery in 2012, Gaga tried desperately hard to create hype for her new album ARTPOP, even releasing it as an app and getting naked on stage in London. Lady Gaga pictures were everywhere. But all the crazy outfits and Twitter meltdowns failed to excite critics for what is actually a pretty good album! Let’s hope we get the Gaga we know and love back in 2014!

Number 7 

Rihanna took us on another exhausting year in 2013. After the singer completed her 777 tour – seven concerts in seven different cities in seven days – at the close of 2012, she launched her Diamonds World Tour in 2013, promoting her seventh studio album Unapologetic.  Scoring number ones around the world and winning awards in countries she probably hasn’t even heard of, Rihanna collaborated with everyone from Mikky Ekko to Eminem. But it was probably her raunchy video for Pour It Up, which became unlisted 30 mintues after it was uploaded onto YouTube, that will stay in everyone’s minds.

Number 6

There’s only one JT! No not John Terry – Justin Timberlake of course! And as we reach the end of this blog post and our countdown from ten to six of the most memorable music moments, we salute Mr Timberlake for releasing not only one album but two! The 20/20 Experience was released in March and went straight to number one.

Performances at the Grammy’s and MTV Music Awards also occurred, as well as various collaborations with big music stars including BFF Jay-Z. His second album of the year, The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2,was released in September, achieving the same success as the first. The year ended with Timberlake being named as a producer and writer on Beyoncé’s surprise album release, Beyoncé. And with the anticipation of JT’s world tour coming to the UK in 2014 – we can’t wait to get a glimpse of Timberlake in action!

So there we have it, ten to six in the top ten of music's most memorable moments. Next time we'll take a look at the top five! Who could be in there? You'll just have to come back and find out!

Links

• Check out all Justin Bieber's news on his official website here

• Keep up-to-date with Lady Gaga at her offical website here

• Check out our range of pop culture books featuring many of the artists mentioned above here

• Keep up to date with the latest celebrity news and gossip here

Oh dear James Arthur! What’s happened? It wasn’t even a year ago that you were crowned X Factor’s edgiest winner – selling over 1.3 million copies of your debut single ‘Impossible’, making it the best selling winner's single ever! But fast forward 11 months and over 11,000 people signed a petition for you not to perform on last Sunday’s X Factor. How have you fallen out of public favour so quickly – and why can we hear the alarms of an all-too-familiar celebrity meltdown ringing?

The Rap Battle 

James has always been a bit of a character – even when he rose to fame on The X Factor in 2012 he didn’t hold his tongue. Since then he has got into numerous Twitter rows with comedian Frankie Boyle, as well as 2010 X Factor winner Matt Cardle and One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson – who said that popstars should be responsible for their own promotion via Twitter anyway?

But his latest actions have caused actual consequences that have gone beyond Twitter, quickly losing his fans’ respect. Last month unknown rapper Micky Worthless mocked James Arthur and his reality X Factor roots in a rap diss. James – not one to take an insult lying down – responded not with a diss but with a homophobic slur that featured the word ‘queer’. Word travels fast on social networks with the slur provoking – and rightly so – an angry response amongst James’s Twitter followers. Comedian Matt Lucas even tweeted an angry response to the X Factor winner’s slur.

Too Little Too Late?

James was quick to realise what he had said and apologised via Twitter stating 'I just have to say that I’m extremely disappointed in myself … Some of the things said in this rap can be mistaken for homophobic slurs and I assure you homophobia is something I do not believe in.'

Although announcing he was quitting Twitter for good the confrontations continued. Lucy Spraggan – James Arthur’s fellow 2012 X Factor contestant – responded angrily to his slur, tweeting 'people kill themselves everyday over words like queer.'

It was from this that James sent a string of abusive text messages to Lucy, which she has since posted on Twitter. One of his texts read 'Is it coz you’re a gay rights activist you had to say something as extreme as "people kill themselves every day over words like queer" are you for real?' Lucy has since posted a blog response to the messages, highlighting that although she doesn’t believe James to be a homophobic, she feels strongly about the use of homophobic language and believes something needs to be done about it as a whole.

The Ex-Factor?

So what was made of James’s appearance on Sunday night's X Factor? The singer apologised – after a performance of his aptly named new single ‘Recovery’ – for the ‘silly mistakes’ he has made this year and for abusing ‘his position as an X Factor winner’. It’s sad that a talent so raw has been tarnished, but it's even sadder that James felt it was ever ok to use homophobic language – because it’s never OK. Ever. James has apologised but it remains to be seen whether he ‘will get what’s coming to [him]’ as he sings in his second single ‘Ain’t Nobody Till Somebody Loves You’. Or whether he will take some much needed media training that he originally turned down, and grow into somebody who produces raw music and engages his brain before he acts. Tell us what you think!

Links

• For all the latest James Arthur news check out his official website here

• Check out James’s new single ‘Recovery’ here

• For all the latest celebrity news and gossip follow @FlameTreePop here

Earlier this month Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome played host to 2013’s MTV Europe Music Awards: a perfect night for celebrity news and gossip. The night saw some of the biggest musical artists perform their current hits and pick up a whole host of awards. From Eminem to Katy Perry, One Direction to Beyonce, all of the biggest stars were covered. Let’s take a look at how the night unfolded: the winners, the losers, the performances and those moments that left us a little shocked…

Katy Perry – Best Female

The first half saw performances from pop-minx Miley Cyrus (more about that later…) and the cheeky Robin Thicke. But it was Katy Perry’s performance of new single ‘Unconditional’ – the second to be taken from her new album Prism that really wowed. Suspended from the ceiling in colourful ribbon-esque threads, Perry broke free from her ties (literally) whist belting out her powerful ballad to reveal a skin-tight mirrored cat suit that created fantastic effects across the venue, thanks to the use of lasers. Hailed as one of the evening’s most powerful performances it definitely highlighted that, despite Ms Perry’s recent stressful divorce, she has come back with a bang!

The awards also flowed during the first half with One Direction, Justin Bieber and Beyoncé collecting awards for Best Pop, Best Male and Best Live Act, respectively. Although none of the three acts could be there in person they each recorded a message of thanks to MTV and their fans for their endless support. Katy Perry strutted away with Best Female – another sign that this pop diva is here to stay – and Green Day took home the Best Rock award.

Eminem – The Global Icon

But it was during the second half that memories were made. The big winner of the evening was Eminem – the artist who has won the most EMAs ever! After performing two of his new tracks – ‘Berzerk’ and ‘Rap God’ – the Anchorman himself Ron Burgundy presented the rapper with the prestigious Global Icon award. And if that wasn’t enough for the man who’s just made his comeback, Eminem also won the award for Best Hip Hop! It wasn’t just music that was celebrated, our very own Harry Styles from One Direction won a gong for Best Look.

Not every artist went home with an award though and there were some shocks on the night! Justin Timberlake was the most nominated artist, with five nominations including Best Male, Best Live and Best Video, but walked away empty handed. So did Taylor Swift, who was up for Best Female, Best Pop and Best Live – it just wasn’t their year!

Miley Cyrus – Best Video

The last word should definitely go to the pop princess that everyone is talking about – Miley Cyrus! She opened the show with her smash-hit song ‘We Can’t Stop’, which saw her arrive on stage in a spaceship, dressed in a silver space suit. A raw performance of latest hit ‘Wrecking Ball’ followed. Set against a screen backdrop of the singer crying, it reminded the audience that although controversial in character, she can sing! But it was her acceptance speech for Best Video of ‘Wrecking Ball’ that the 2013 MTV EMA’s will be remembered for.

Reaching into her bag Cyrus pulled out a suspicious looking cigarette, lighting it before a shocked audience! Since the awards, Miley has claimed that she did not look to cause offence to anyone or break any laws (as smoking cannabis in Amsterdam is legal). She saw it more as having fun knowing ‘her fans in Amsterdam would love it.’ Tut-tut Miley that is not the way to impress people – you should take a leaf out of Katy Perry’s book and be cheeky and sassy without causing offence!

Links

• For a list of all the 2013 MTV EMA winners head here

• For all the latest celebrity news and gossip follow @FlameTreePop here 

• Fan of Katy Perry? Head to her official website here

Flame Tree Pop Titles

Interested in some of the MTV EMA winners? Well, we publish a wide range of pop and rock books, many of them available online as amazing illustrated digital books (perfect for the iPad!). Here's a short list of some of these books, with links to where you can buy them: 

• Digital version of Katy Perry: Rebel Dreamer by Alice Hudson here

• Digital version of Justin Bieber: Oh Boy! by Nadia Cohen here 

• Digital version of Eminem: Survivor by Michael Heatley and Drew Heatley here 

• Digital version of Beyoncé by Caroline Corcoran here

• Digital version of One Direction by Nadia Cohen here

• Digital version of Bruno Mars by Alice Hudson here 

• Print version of Green Day Revealed by Ian Shirley here 

 Thank you!

Did you see Lady Gaga perform on The X Factor on Sunday night? The megastar took to the stage to give her first performance of second single ‘Venus’, which is taken from her highly anticipated third studio album ARTPOP. 

Venus: Goddess of Gaga

The stage is set, there's smoke rolling around the studio, the lights are dimmed to a spotlight and Lady Gaga begins her new single ‘Venus’. She's seated on a chair, not really wearing very much... She's holding a guitar (which looks like it covers her modesty) surrounded by female dancers who are dressed in nude body suits. From the moment she begins to sing it is clear why she has sold over 90 million records. Her sultry tones, coupled with her undeniable passion for music and performing, are evidence enough why Gaga is the Lady.

Comeback Queen

Since she was forced to cancel her Born This Way tour in 2012 due to undergoing hip surgery, Gaga has made a spectacular comeback in 2013. Her first single ‘Applause’ wowed audiences and critics alike, and a set-list of new songs from ARTPOP performed at this year’s iTunes festival shows that Gaga is embracing a different look.

With a side of Gaga quirkiness, she has embodied everything associated with Venus, goddess of love, and this performance is no different. Her long blonde hair flows like any goddess’ should whilst she strums out chords on her acoustic guitar.

And as she stands she reveals she is indeed wearing something – a bikini top fashioned from two shells – good job she ditched the guitar and started doing some dancing otherwise Gaga could have caught a chill!

What Does Gaga Want?

Then just when we thought Gaga couldn’t give us any more, the music to ‘Do What U Want’ (another song from ARTPOP) starts up again. This time Gaga doesn’t want to float around the stage, doing some choreographed dance moves in a blonde wig. Oh no! Gaga rips off the first wig to reveal a much shorter darker cropped hair style, before diving onto the floor writhing around in nothing more than a skin coloured bikini among scattered rose petals.

There are now lasers, making the stage look a lot harsher and grittier than her performance of ten seconds previously. Gaga’s on-stage transformation from goddess of love to a woman of strength is typical Gaga, wanting to give her fans twice as much for their money! A quick stint on the piano follows. But not content with just sitting at the piano tinkling the keys, she jumps on top of her instrument, twisting and turning, stomping her feet... 

Gaga Shares The Love

The X Factor audience are going Gaga (sorry couldn’t resist!), and the four judges are on their feet too, but the surprises don’t stop there. Gaga runs over to the judges and hugs Sharon Osbourne, who has been rumoured to have had a long running feud with the artist. Gaga declares to the world that her and Sharon no longer have any ‘beef’ – probably because it’s all on Gaga’s infamous meat dress.

Phew! If that performance with those powerful vocals and what is soon to be an iconic shell bikini wasn’t enough, a live reconciliation between two of show business' biggest stars has left me gobsmacked! I don’t know how they’ll beat that next week – do you?

Links

• Check out Lady Gaga's X Factor performance here

• Want to know all the latest Lady Gaga news? Then head to her official website here

• For all the latest celebrity news and pop gossip then follow @FlameTreePop here

Taylor Swift Boyfriends: Number One. First up on my ever increasing list of Taylor Swift's boyfriends is Twilight star and Hollywood hunk Taylor Lautner (that must have been confusing at family gatherings!)

The Get Together

The pair, or Taylor Squared as they were fondly known, met on the set of hit-movie Valentine's Day in 2009 when they played an on-screen couple in the throes of first love. However their off-screen romance didn't run so smoothly, and the couple called it a day in early 2010. Let's look at why it didn't work out and see which song Jacob, I mean Taylor, inspired.

The Break Up

All good things have to come to an end, even those with matching first names, and that they did in early 2010. The couple, who dated for less than a year, cited conflicting work schedules as the reason for their split. But during their relationship it became obvious that guy Taylor was way more into girl Taylor, with guy Taylor always wanting to be wherever girl Taylor was (gosh this same name marlarky is confusing!). The couple realised that maintaining a relationship is just too difficult when you're both hot property, so they decided to be just good old friends.

The Song

It is rumoured that Taylor's hit song 'Back to December' is about her relationship with Taylor Lautner. The lyrics show feelings of regret over how the relationship ended and the guilt she feels over Lautner having more intense feelings for her than she did for him. The song even ends with Swift asking for forgiveness from Lautner, hinting at a possible reunion for the pair – but no such reunion has ever occurred. 

"Your guard is up and I know why. Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind...you gave me roses and I left them there to die. So this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night. And I go back to December all the time. You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye."

Lyrics from 'Back to December' by Taylor Swift – reportedly about her relationship with Taylor Lautner

The Verdict

As much as I wanted Taylor Squared to stay together – because having the same name as your beloved is just too cute – it wasn't to be. It's great that the pair are rumoured to still be friends, and I think 'Back to December' is one of the sweetest apology songs I've ever heard.

But what do you think? Should Lautner forgive Swift and get back together or is being friends just fine? Let us know what you think!

Links

• Find out all of Taylor Swift's news right here

• Watch Taylor Swift's 'Back to December' video here

• Follow @FlameTreePop on Twitter and catch up on all the latest celebrity gossip here

One Direction make world domination look so easy! Next week I’m going on holiday to Canada to visit my relatives. I’ve asked my cousins if I could bring them anything, perhaps a selection of British teas, or some decent chocolate as I’ve heard theirs is awful, maybe even Royal Family paraphernalia complete with photo of adorable Prince George? No, they don't want any of that. What they desperately want to get their hands on are our shiny One Direction books.

Mind Blowing

Yes I know One Direction are totally famous and yes they’re hot (I myself have a topless shot of Louis pinned up above my desk), but I couldn’t believe that this is what my Canadian relatives now think of when they think of Britain! How, in just over three years, have these five normal lads achieved levels of world domination comparable only to The Beatles? Here's my theory...

Step One: Be Humble and Cute!

When Niall, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Harry auditioned separately for The X Factor in 2010 they hadn’t heard of each other let alone the name One Direction, and nor would they have guessed just how many screaming fans they would acquire (it turns out to be a lot!). But the boys delivered faultless performances, wowing the judges with their sharp vocals. Although the boys didn’t win, they came third and received the exposure needed to establish a fan base and nab a record deal via mentor Simon Cowell.

Number one singles followed, and their debut album Up All Night, which narrowly missed out on the coveted number one spot, charted at number two in UK charts. But it was the album’s success in the US, debuting at number one, that confirmed that the band’s quest for world domination was well and truly underway.

Step Two: Be Sociable

But what helped them be the first British band to have their debut album enter at number one in the US charts? Social media of course! The boys each have their own Twitter accounts as well as a joint one (@onedirection) which they use to communicate directly with devoted ‘directioners’. This social media hype stems back to when their record executives took to Twitter and Facebook to market the through a four-month, word-of-mouth campaign designed to build a firm international fan base before the boys even released a single in the US. And their gamble paid off, with singles sold before radio stations had even played the songs!

Step Three: Be Ambitious

One Direction’s second album went to No. 1 in both the UK and US, and they became the first boy-band in US chart history to achieve two No. 1 albums in one calendar year. Singles ‘Live While We’re Young’ and ‘Kiss You’ were released. Arena tours of the WHOLE world were drawn up and the boys were edging ever closer to total world domination. But things wouldn’t be complete without a movie right? Right. The boy’s This Is Us movie was released in August 2013 to rave reviews, topping the American and UK box offices.

World Domination Complete

• Number one singles AND albums = achieved

• Screaming fans = assembled

• Awards = won

• A successful movie all about their life as a band = released

• A new fragrance 'Our Moment' = launched

Phew! I’m too exhausted to pack for Canada, think I’m just gonna have to have a lie down and think of Louis!

Links

• Catch up on all the latest One Direction news and gossip here 

• Watch the official video for 'Kiss You' here 

• Get all the latest celebrity gossip when you follow @FlameTreePop here 

2013 has definitely been the year that Taylor Swift crossed over from country star to international pop princess. With three best-selling albums, Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now, already under her belt, her fourth, Red, was released at the end of 2012 ready to see in the new year.

The Lady in Red

To date Red has gone on to sell six million copies worldwide. With hits such as 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together', 'I Knew You Were Trouble' and '22' it seems Taylor has a never-ending supply of catchy lyrics and memorable melodies! But where oh where does Miss Swift get inspiration for her lyrics? Her past love interests of course!

MTV Video Music Awards Diss

Wasn’t it totally awkward when she collected her MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video for her song ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’? She graciously thanked fans at the awards ceremony in August, before thanking ‘the person who inspired this song, who knows exactly who he is…’ TV cameras then showed ex-boyfriend Harry Styles smiling sheepishly in the audience!

With press speculation rife as to who ‘IKYWT’ is actually about it made me think it would be kinda cool to do a series of blog posts showing you Taylor’s boyfriends and which songs her exes have inspired!

Tay Tay's Beaus

Here are just some of the boyfriend’s I will be looking at:

• Brandon Borello
• Sam Armstrong
• Joe Jonas
• Taylor Lautner
• Jake Gyllenhall
• John Mayer
• Harry Styles

Next Time

In my next blog post I'm going to look at Taylor's relationship with Twilight star and all-round hunk Taylor Lautner. I'll be sussing out when they were together, why they broke up and which songs Mr Lautner inspired Miss Swift to write!

• Catch up with all of Taylor Swift's news and gossip here

• Check out the official video for 'I Knew You Were Trouble' here

• Interested in celebrity news and gossip? Then follow @FlameTreePop on Twitter here