Tag: Music

Miley Cyrus has grabbed the attention of fans globally and made headlines on all social media platforms and newsfeeds, with everyone speculating – Is this her ultimate self-love anthem?! She kept her fans in suspense by leaving breadcrumbs leading up to the release of her new single ‘Flowers’ from her latest album Endless Summer Vacation. 

The excitement started with billboard campaigns in all major cities advertising teaser “New Year. New Miley.” And to follow that, teasers were shared on social accounts where she is strutting her stuff outdoors with the mountain as the perfect backdrop as she confidently sings: “I can love me better…I  can love me better, baby.”

Miley Cyrus has captivated almost everyone’s attention, and not only for the steamy scenes in her music video but the lyrics and the fact the single was released on Liam Hemsworth’s birthday has many assuming if this is a coincidence.

So why are fans lighting up social platforms with these speculations? Well, let’s take a look at the rumors going around.

Source: Twitter

As rumor has it, there have been claims that Liam dedicated Bruno Mars’ song ‘When I Was Your Man’ to Miley, and if you listen to the lyrics of her latest single ‘Flowers’ there seems to be a relevant response to that song’s lyrics. Above all the above-mentioned speculation, she ends her music video on a high note, getting dressed in an oversized suit with nothing underneath and strutting her stuff as if she is setting herself FREE from any attachment she had to her ex-husband.

Whatever your thoughts are, just reading the lyrics will make one thing crystal clear – and that is that she is showing the world that you can survive a breakup and walk out with your head held high and take back your freedom! Well, that’s only my opinion when I intently listened but why don’t you read it and decide for yourself.

Flowers Lyrics – Miley Cyrus

[Verse 1]

We were good, we were gold

Kinda dream that can’t be sold

We were right ’til we weren’t

Built a home and watched it burn

[Pre-Chorus]

Mmm, I didn’t wanna leave you, I didn’t wanna lie

Started to cry, but then remembered I

[Chorus]

I can buy myself flowers

Write my name in the sand

Talk to myself for hours

Say things you don’t understand

I can take myself dancing

And I can hold my own hand

Yeah, I can love me better than you can

[Post-Chorus]

Can love me better, I can love me better, baby

Can love me better, I can love me better, baby

[Verse 2]

Paint my nails cherry-red

Match the roses that you left

No remorse, no regret

I forgive every word you said

[Pre-Chorus]

Ooh, I didn’t wanna leave you, baby, I didn’t wanna fight

Started to cry, but then remembered I

[Chorus]

I can buy myself flowers

Write my name in the sand

Talk to myself for hours, yeah

Say things you don’t understand

I can take myself dancing, yeah

I can hold my own hand

Yeah, I can love me better than you can

[Post-Chorus]

Can love me better, I can love me better, baby

Can love me better, I can love me better, baby

Can love me better, I can love me better, baby

Can love me better, I (Ooh, I)

[Bridge]

I didn’t wanna leave you, I didn’t wanna fight

Started to cry, but then remembered I

[Chorus]

I can buy myself flowers (Uh-huh)

Write my name in the sand

Talk to myself for hours (Yeah)

Say things you don’t understand (Better than you)

I can take myself dancing (Yeah)

I can hold my own hand

Yeah, I can love me better than

Yeah, I can love me better than you can

Sony released the first Walkman in 1979, a cassette-reproducing device, and still produces devices within the “Walkman” brand. They have gone a long way since those days, and Sony is one of the few companies that still believes in portable music-exclusive players. 

Are these people hopeless romantics? Not only has Sony unveiled two new Walkman devices, but they are also fully-featured Android devices with a lot going on under the hood, compatible with dedicated PC software. This is in direct contrast to what Apple did when ending the iPod line.

In the case of Sony, two new models are being released, the NW-A300 and NW-ZX700.

NW-A300, the little guy

This device is an upgrade of 2019’s NW-A105, offering a more recent Android version, new processor, and design. It’s very small, measuring only 56.6×98.5×12 mm, which allows you to fit it in any pocket. 

Even with its small size, buttons and connectors are very manageable, and the LCD touchscreen offers crystal-clear detail. It has a Qualcomm quad-core processor with 4 GB of RAM, and interestingly, it offers a fully-working Android system. It means that you might be able to use it for more things than just reproducing music.

Regarding music, it offers 32 GB of storage for your music and can handle many different file formats. However, the battery life decreases faster as the music quality increases. For instance, you can get 36 hours of playback with 44.1 kHz FLAC but about 32 hours of 96 kHz FLAC. Still, this is a lot of battery life when comparing it to a regular smartphone.

There’s Wi-Fi 802.11AC, Bluetooth 5, and USB-C 3.2 Gen1, so regarding connectivity, this small device has you covered. Additionally, there’s a MicroSD slot to expand the internal memory.

This device is not available in the USA, and it costs the equivalent of about $430 in Europe.

NW-ZX700, dedicated electronics for audiophiles

If Walkmans are your passion, then you should skip the NW-A300 and go for the similarly ugly-named NW-ZX700. It costs about $800 in Japan and has some interesting features that make it an interesting choice for audiophiles.

First, the processor is a Qualcomm QCS4290 with eight Kryo 260 CPUs and an Adreno 610 GPU. It has 64 GB of storage and a 5-inch display. So far, these are good specs, but most importantly, some exclusive features differentiate (and perhaps, justify) it from any smartphone.

The news here is that the NW-ZX700 has a built-in audio amplifier with large capacitors to offer some analogic features to your digital sound, large coils for balanced outputs, and more analog-electronic circuitry. 

Aside from this, it has a Hi-Res S-Master HX digital amplifier which allows 384 kHz and 32-bit playback. Sony claims this amplifier can upscale your music to reach higher digital sample rates, thus improving the quality. 

Finally, you can add a Vinyl Processor feature to your listening, which adds noises for more vintage playback.

The NW-ZX700 has a lot of features to justify its existence, something that’s not so easy to gauge for the NW-A300. After all, you can simply use your phone to listen to music. However, you won’t get dedicated audio processors, balanced outputs, and many other features out of your phone. 

If you’re a music enthusiast, you should definitely give both a try.

Some people cry a lot when their hearts are broken. Of these people, many find solace in having some activity like songs to distract them from the pain, both constructive and destructive. And others simply say “What the heck? Let’s make money out of this!”

This seems to be the case with the average world-famous pop artist, judging the many songs they’ve released about their broken hearts, like Shakira. Most interestingly, some go beyond a general sadness tone and seem to target a specific individual, as is the case with some recent hits.

It’s also worth knowing that many artists don’t actually write their own songs, they pay songwriters to do it. One can’t help but wonder how angry you can get, to hire someone to write songs about your ex. 

Shakira’s latest collab with Bizarrap

Shakira’s breakup with former soccer superstar Gerard Piqué was highly publicized, as is the case with most millionaires. After the initial grieving period, Shakira decided to do something about it: why not do some collab song with rap artist Bizzarrap, thrashing her former darling? 

You don’t want to get on Shakira’s bad side, either. Here’s an example of what more than 50 million people enjoyed on the first day of its release:

“You left me as a neighbor to the mother-in-law

With the press at the door and the debt at the IRS

You thought you’d hurt me, but you made me tougher

Women don’t cry anymore, women invoice”

Ouch. Incidentally, Argentina won the World Cup, which probably didn’t influence Shakira’s decision to collaborate with Bizarrap, who is also from Argentina. 

Miley Cyrus’ release on ex’s birthday

Miley Cyrus is no stranger to controversy, and even though her latest song is not as blatant as Shakira’s, it’s still very convenient. The song in itself has lyrics that apply to anyone such as “I can love me better than you can”.

But the fact that she decided to release the song, titled “Flowers”, right on the date of former husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday is a bit suspicious, to say the least. At least she’s taking a positive attitude, claiming that this is a New Year and a New Miley. 

Other notable heartbroken people raking it in

There are many examples of top performers releasing songs after a highly publicized breakup. One of them is Justin Timberlake with his song “Cry Me a River”. His producer confirmed the song was inspired by an event between Timberlake and Britney Spears, his ex, at a concert.

Another example is Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber with her releasing “Lose You To Love Me”. This song is actually more focused on moving on and getting your grip instead of whistleblowing your former lover to the IRS, so it doesn’t feel so vindictive.

There are many songs about breakups and moving on, so these examples are nothing extraordinary when looking at song themes. From sad country songs about breakups and drinking to the ephemeral nature of love in Purple Rain by Prince, you can create a never-ending Spotify playlist.

Last month, I presented an article about Gerard Piqué getting involved with the King’s League football association. While it may be exciting for the former footballer, he’s not too happy to hear Shakira’s latest Session 53 song. It’s a direct attack on him and his latest girl, Clara Chia.

It’s been a while since Clara Chia Marti and Piqué have been seen publicly together. What we know about her is that they both work for Kosmos, a television production company. Also, there have been several photographs of them together at festivals and other events. 

Yet, Shakira’s new Session 53 song seems to indicate the real reason she separated from Piqué. While the tax and debt issues are mentioned, there’s a hit on him and Clara in the words. Not only does she slam Chia’s age, but she discusses how the former footballer has taken a step down from what he had.

The lyrics in question roughly translate to:

You’re so weird that I can’t even tell you apart

I’m worth two 22’s

You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo

You traded a Rolex for a Casio

Shakira

Interestingly enough, Chia is actually 23 at this point, making her 12 years younger than 35-year-old Piqué. With Shakira being 45 now, it basically puts the football star somewhere roughly in the middle. It’s a metaphorical sandwich he probably didn’t ask for, but it’s now definitely in the limelight. 

While Shakira and Piqué split in June 2022, it’s clear that the singer isn’t quite over the matter just yet. The song mentions how she’s better off now, and yet, it strikes at him, Chia and possibly Piqué’s mom as if she’s still bitter about it. Either way, it’s now a song cast in virtual stone and one that’s not likely to disappear.