By Gabby Kesterson, Music Director
November is my favorite month of the year. Not only because it’s the month of my birth, but because it always has such great music coming out by incredible artists. Check out my Top Ten picks for the month of November right here and on MavRadio.fm!
Starting off with number 10, “This Town” by the one and only Niall Horan from One Direction, has graced our radio stations with its melodic, reminiscing acoustics. This is Niall’s first solo single, and he has once again successfully torn our hearts to pieces. Except this time, it’s because of “the things he never got to say to his lost lover”, explains Wikipedia. Hopefully this song gets Niall the attention he deserves as a future solo artist.
Picking up the mood and throwing you right into a rip-roarin’ good time with number 9, “A-YO” by Lady Gaga is my prediction of a chart-topper for November. Tons of fun with its slight country twang, Gaga’s rebellious vocals have got me wanting to dance on the ceiling! With her very recent release of her fifth studio album, Joanne, on October 21st, the singer has had three of her featured songs on the Billboards Top 100 so far. All about leaving her haters in the dust, Lady Gaga is definitely kicking up dust on the charts with this heck-of-a-good-time single.
Dropping down to number 8, “All Time Low” by Jon Bellion is a song we all can relate to. The song vaguely describes hitting those all time lows, whether it be after a breakup or just bad strokes of luck and nothing seems to go right. Though not a well-known artist, Bellion surprises us with his sound-alike voice a lot like Owl City’s Adam Young. This lead single from the 2016 summer album, The Human Condition, gives us electronic pulses and climbing vocals that contrast against the helpless lyrics to give us a song that deserves continuous repeats.
Bowing down to pray for the holy number 7, “Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga is giving me a million reasons to put it on my Top Ten countdown. Yet another song from the recent release of her album Joanne, Lady Gaga is showing us a different side of herself. The country twang in her lyrics adds a sense of urgency while the dialogue between her and God is touching. The guitar, piano, and vocals are all you need in this song to make you feel her emotions about heartbreak and hope in a crumbling relationship.
Moving on to number 6, “Move” by Luke Bryan is sure to get you movin’ this month! All about a Northern girl moving to the South, and getting those dance moves that got all the heads turnin’, it’s the perfect country song from Luke’s summer album Hit the Lights. Rock ‘n roll guitar riffs, a swingin’ beat and Luke’s inviting voice = a dance party!
Halfway through with number 5, “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara takes us all the way with her message. This anthem declares the beauty of all women, and people, no matter what society says you should look like. The singer states, ‘Well, if the world doesn’t like how you look then they should change. They should change their perspective. You don’t have to change yourself.’ No truer words could be said for this empowering song. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and loving yourself and your flaws is the first step to being truly happy.
Yet another anthem for uplifting those who “got stamina”, Sia comes in at number 4 with “The Greatest” featuring Kendrick Lamar. This electropop, tropical get-down is Sia’s third single released from her 2016 album This Is Acting. Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic wrote, ‘She’s pepping the listener up, but she’s also defining the value of life, marking the human potential that’s been lost.’ Possibly created before the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, the music video following the tragedy seems to allude to all the victims of the shooting. This powerful song tells us to buck-up as a nation, and then we can be “The Greatest”.
Coming in at number 3 on the countdown, I’ve got “Don’t Wanna Know” by Maroon 5, featuring Kendrick Lamar. This breezy, lighthearted song about drinking to forget your one, true love connection is the perfect “sucky breakup” single for this fall. The music video, featuring several celebrities all dressed up in costumes, alludes to the Pokemon GO craze while also telling the story of a guy stuck on a girl.
Speaking of crazes… following up with number 2 is “Juju On That Beat” by Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall. Countless videos of people doing the dance have swirled around social media and created a craze that is “Juju On That Beat”. From clowns, to cheerleaders, to mannequin heads, to moms – it’s sure to entertain you when you watch those viral videos. Surprisingly, this song is short and clean, but it immaturely disses with calling out “you ugly” and “you your daddy’s son“. Quite the opposite message from “Scars to Your Beautiful”, am I right? Nevertheless, every season there seems to be a new dance, and we can safely say that “Juju On That Beat” is the dance anthem for this fall.
Finally reaching the number 1 spot on my countdown, “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars has taken the world by storm. I, personally, can’t get enough of this song every time it comes on. Bruno Mars has done it again, after his smash hit “Downtown”, with this “synth-heavy”, funky, disco, R&B hit wrapped all in one. Bruno called it his “invitation to the party” and it sure as heck makes me wanna get up and get dancing! 24k Magic, the album, is set to be released mid-November, so you got the fair warning RIGHT HERE on the Kesterson Top Ten!
Again, be sure to tune in to MavRadio.fm as we’ll be playing these songs and much more as your source for everything Top 100!
