I have been a full-time freelance entertainment journalist for the past eight years, producing thousands of biographies, album reviews, listicles and features for various sites including Paste, The Guardian, Metro UK, Studio System News, FourFourTwo, Yahoo! Music, Artist Direct, Prefix, Allmusic and Attitude. I also serve as a daily editor for Time Warner Cable, editing recaps and features on TV shows and films, as well as compiling weekly playlists and blurbs for two of the world's biggest music streaming services.
Projects
- The 10 Best Missy Elliott Songs Last Friday marked the 20-year anniversary of rapper, dancer and producer Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s debut, Supa Dupa Fly. Originally released July 15, 1997 via The Goldmind and Elektra Records, the record has since been recognized as one of the most revolutionary records in hip-hop and urban music. The six albums Missy Elliott released between 1997 and 2005 were some of the most innovative, daring and wonderfully idiosyncratic of the era, especially with the help of regular producer/partner in crime Timbaland. Unfortunately, an ongoing battle with the hyperthyroid condition called Graves’ Disease is largely responsible for limiting Elliott’s musical output these days. A couple of one-off singles and two contributions to the Step Up 2: The Streets soundtrack are her only releases this decade. Still, 20 years on from her pioneering debut, here’s a look at 10 times Elliott was truly Supa Dupa Fly. 10. “Take Away” On a record that featured Missy tackling everything from P-funk to psychedelia, berating Lil Mo for singing like a church girl and audibly hurling some phlegm, it was the inclusion of a straightforward R&B ballad which proved to be the biggest curveball on 2001’s Miss E… So Addictive. With its plucked pizzicato strings, languorous beats and sweetly sung vocals (with a little help from Ginuwine and 702’s Kameelah Williams), it gave Missy the opportunity to show she’s just as accomplished a songwriter as she is a ground-breaking producer. Its accompanying video—dedicated to Missy’s late friend and protégée Aaliyah—only added to the track’s genuine sense of melancholy. 9.“She’s a Bitch” The freaky promo for Da Real World’s first single saw Missy spray paint her head black and don a catsuit, spiked G-string and skull cap combo designed by none other than Marilyn Manson’s tailor. It was a bold and uncompromising look that perfectly matched the no-holds-barred nature of the track itself. Yet, with Timbaland’s minimalistic production—essentially just a hypnotic shuffling beat and some grimy Missy’s words take center stage. “She’s a Bitch” proved how hell hath no fury like an R&B visionary scorned. 8. “4 My People” Given how everyone from Aloe Blacc to Usher have shamelessly jumped on the EDM bandwagon, it’s hard to believe that at the turn of the century, American R&B stars embracing four-to-the-floor beats was actually something of a novelty. Missy Elliott was one of the few to venture into club territory with this hypnotic, if not exactly subtle, ode to E culture (“take me on the dance floor to feel some ecstasy”). A collaboration with Eve, “4 My People” was already a convincing party anthem before Basement Jaxx got their hands on it. But the British house maestros turned the feel-good vibes up to eleven with a bouncy two-step-tinged remix which almost implored you to “strip off your clothes and take off your socks.” 7. “Gossip Folks” Missy tried a similar approach for the single release of “Gossip Folks” by recruiting another big-name U.K. dance act to work some magic on a remix. The Fatboy Slim version works well enough as a party-starting house anthem, but it’s the wonderfully jittery original which reigns supreme. A playful, yet scathing riposte to the haters who continually debate her weight and sexuality (“and stop talking bout who I’m sticking and licking, just mad it ain’t yours”), the Under Constructioncut finds guest star Ludacris at the top of his game and Missy once again digging deep into her record crate to creative effect. This time around it’s the pioneering “izzle” chant from Frankie Smith’s 1981 funk hit “Double Dutch Bus” that gets the revival treatment. The result is another dizzying old school joint with a touch of new class. 6. “Beep Me 911” Missy’s first Top 20 hit, the Da Brat collaboration “Sock It 2 Me,” had already hinted that she possessed a melodic vocal style every bit as impressive as her lyrical flow. But the follow-up “Beep Me 911” confirmed it. Indeed, the sweetly-sung tones of guest stars 702 are always welcome, but Missy could quite easily have carried this song entirely on her own. Far from the booty call its title suggests, Da Real World’s second single instead is a break-up anthem in which Missy simply wants an explanation from the cheater for whom she “gave up clubs and parties.” Timbaland’s trademark vocal tics and clickety-click beats are still present, but with Elliott in uncharacteristically vulnerable mode, “Beep Me 911” undoubtedly stands out from the crowd. 5. “Lose Control” It’s a testament to the pure danceable joy of “Lose Control” that even the irritating foghorn chants of Fatman Scoop can’t ruin it. Missy may have made a rare misstep by inviting the novelty hypeman onto The Cookbook’s lead single, but she certainly got everything else right with the mash-up of early-’80s electro classics (Cybotron’s proto-techno anthem “Clear” and Hot Streak’s electro-funk classic “Body Work”), relentless energy and guest appearance from regular cohort Ciara, who pulls double duty as a featherlight vocalist and sassy MC. As always, Elliott patches together all these disparate parts to form one unashamedly manic, yet thrilling retro-futuristic banger. As a track designed to celebrate the power that music can have, it’s only fitting that “Lose Control” could get even the most dancefloor-phobic busting a move. 4. “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” The video for Missy Elliott’s debut single was one of the most striking and quintessential of the late-‘90s: Just relish in Hype Williams’ signature fish eye cinematography, cameos from Total, Da Brat and Yo-Yo and the gigantic black outfit that looked like an inflatable garbage bag. But with its jerky beats, Timbaland’s vocal ad-libs and ingenious sample of an Ann Peebles soul classic, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” sounded just hypnotic. Of course, Missy had already started to make waves as a hitmaker for the likes of Aaliyah and 702. But this was just the first of many occasions in which she shifted the R&B landscape as a magnetic performer in her own right. 3. “All n My Grill” “Why you all n my grill. Can you pay my bills?” On paper, the second single from Da Real Worldcould have been mistaken for any of the good-for-nothing smackdowns that emerged in the wake of TLC’s “No Scrubs.” While “All n My Grill’s” theme may have been familiar, its sound was anything but. There’s the eerie strings that appear to have wandered in from a classic Hitchcock movie, some glorious diva-ish ad-libs from Missy discovery Nicole Wray (who has since performed as Lady and as Lady Wray at the Paste Studio earlier this year). And on the European version, the masterful substitution of Outkast’s Big Boi for Frenchman MC Solaar, whose languid delivery and tongue-twisting wordplay elevated the track to new stylish heights. 2. “Get Ur Freak On” Missy was already firmly established as a trailblazer by the time third album Miss E… So Addictive arrived. Still, nothing quite prepared us for the WTF-ness of its lead single. “Get Ur Freak On” was so bizarre (that spitting sound effect), so sonically adventurous, so suitably addictive that it instantly rendered every other track on the radio old-fashioned. Based around a six-note Punjabi riff, “Get Ur Freak On” perfectly melded the sounds of India with U.S. hip-hop, spearheading a mini-wave of similarly multicultural hits (Jay-Z and Panjabi MC’s collaboration, Truth Hurts’ “Addictive”), while also taking random bits and pieces from Germany and Japan. Even 16 years on, “Get Ur Freak On” still sounds like it’s been beamed in from another planet. 1. “Work It” The organized chaos of “Get Ur Freak On” established the template for future Missy lead singles, but it was Under Construction’s “Work It” that perfected it. Trumpeting elephants, vocals played in reverse, references to everything from Halle Berry to Kunta Kinte—the unashamedly raunchy ode to Missy’s sexual prowess appears to throw in everything, but the kitchen sink. Yet, the fact that it all comes together attests to Elliott and Timbaland’s masterful production skills. Inspired samples of classic hip-hop anthems from Run-D.M.C. and Rock Master Scott and the Dynamic Three also proved the pair could once again push the genre forward without forgetting its roots. Peaking at No. 2 on the U.S. Hot 100, “Work It” deservedly remains Missy’s best and biggest hit.
- The 10 Best Albums Made by Teenagers From one-time YouTubers Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber, to superstar DJ Martin Garrix, to Disney Channel graduates Demi, Selena and Miley, the 21st century has spawned a whole host of stars who achieved global success before they were even legally allowed to toast it in America. But scoring a massive of-the-moment hit and producing an album that will stand the test of time are two very different things, and the latter has often proved to be an elusive task for many of these precocious youngsters. However, some teens seemed to appear in the limelight as fully-formed artists, capable of recording a long player every bit as accomplished as that of the music industry veteran. In the same month that 18-year-old Declan McKenna received glowing reviews for his curiously-titled debut, What Do You Think About the Car?, here’s a look at 10 contemporary records made by teenagers that prove age ain’t nothing but a number. 10. Soak, Before How We Forgot to Dream Described as a not-quite-as smart-ass version of Ellen Page’s character in Juno, Northern Irish singer-songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson released her first EP at the tender age of 16. And despite a lengthy wait was still in her teens by the time she eventually made the leap to a full album. Winner of the 2015 Choice Music Prize, Before How We Forgot to Dream tackles quintessential teenage subject matter—lead single “Blud” is about eavesdropping on her squabbling parents while holed up in her bedroom and “Reckless Behaviour” is essentially the closest that the indie-folk scene has to a YOLO anthem—but always maintains a sense of restraint. Soak’s delicate, yet expressive vocals and finger-picking acoustics are reminiscent of childhood hero Joni Mitchell and imbue these diary-like entries with a vulnerability and fragility which suggests she wholeheartedly means every word. 9. King Krule, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon Unlikely BRIT School graduate King Krule possessed the kind of drunken slurring tones that made Shane MacGowan sound like a coherent teetotaller, dealt in stream-of-consciousness lyrics which referenced everything from Winston Churchill to Jean-Michel Basquiat, and pursued a mish-mash of bedsit indie-pop, post-dubstep, jazz and scuzzy punk. The man born Archy Marshall appeared to scream “acquired taste,” and yet, Frank Ocean, Tyler, the Creator and Beyoncé were just a handful of the major acts who fell over themselves to champion his work back in 2013. Released on his 19th birthday, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon might not have been the game-changer his star-studded champions suggested—a fairly self-indulgent multimedia effort released under his own name two years later immediately halted any momentum. However, you’re unlikely to find a more intriguing, or idiosyncratic, coming-of-age album. 8. Khalid, American Teen In stark contrast to King Krule’s one-man band approach, Khalid’s debut was constructed with the help of over a dozen different producers. !llMind (Drake), The Arcade (Iggy Azalea) and Joel Little (Lorde) were just some of the backroom staff who teamed up with the 19-year-old on the alternative R&B-fueled pop of American Teen. And yet, this potential too-many-cooks scenario still managed to produce a cohesive, distinctly laid-back record that perfectly epitomized the essence of being a teenager in 2017. In fact, Khalid specifically addresses the matter on its title track saying, “My youth is the foundation of me living life as an American teen.” But like on the majority of the record, he does so in a listless, distracted manner that suggests he was scrolling through umpteen social media networks at the same time. The fact its breakthrough hit, “Location,” first caught attention on Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat only cements its millennial-defining appeal. 7. Rihanna, Good Girl Gone Bad Rihanna had burst out of the blocks so quick that she was still only 19 when her juggernaut of a third album dropped in 2007. Her unremarkable debut had suggested a career trajectory similar to fellow singular-named teens Cassie, Lumidee, etc., and although follow-up Music of the Sunproduced a three-week chart-topper, her status as a pop star still didn’t feel particularly secure. All that changed from the moment those hissing hi-hats of “Umbrella” first hit the airwaves. Its parent album, Good Girl Gone Bad, was packed with similarly addictive fare, from the Jacko-sampling Eurodance of “Don’t Stop the Music” to the classy R&B balladry of “Take a Bow.” In fact, every track sounded like a potential smash—in the end it produced seven Top 20 hits including three No. 1 hits. Rihanna’s since gone on to achieve better things musically, but Good Girl Gone Bad remains her biggest blockbuster. 6. Laura Marling, Alas, I Cannot Swim Laura Marling once claimed she had no idea what she was doing until six months after she signed her deal with Virgin. But this apparent ignorance still resulted in a debut album full of folk-pop bliss. Produced by Noah and the Whale frontman and then-boyfriend Charlie Fink, Alas, I Cannot Swim was sonically a simple affair with finger-picking acoustics, sparse percussion and melancholic strings. But this rootsy, timeless approach proved to be the perfect foil for then 17-year-old Marling’s quietly affecting tones and poetic observations on adolescent romance. Coincidentally Alas was released just a week after another much bigger-selling lovelorn teenage debut, Adele’s 19. But with lines as cynical as “Lover please do not fall to your knees / it’s not like I believe in everlasting love” and tracks based on the poetry of Philip Larkin (“Tap at My Window”), Marling’s introductory effort was far more beguiling. 5. Earl Sweatshirt, Doris The youngest member of hip-hop collective Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt’s promising career looked to have stalled when his mother shipped him off to a Samoan school for troubled boys aged 16. Instead, this forced hiatus only left fans of his lyrical prowess and self-described “buttery” diction clamoring for more. In fact, by the time he dropped his debut album in 2013 he’d become a bona fide cult hero. But the introspective, self-effacing Doris proved that the man born Thebe Neruda Kgositsile had no intention of getting any bigger. Indeed, good luck finding anything remotely radio-friendly amongst its complex slew of sludgy hip-hop beats, twisted samples and downbeat stream-of-consciousness rhymes. He even handed over a fair share of its 44-minute running time to various guest stars including fellow teenage prodigies Vince Staples and Casey Veggies. The result is a powerfully uncompromising insight into the pressures of new-found fame from a genuine hip-hop enigma. 4. Amy Winehouse, Frank It’s easy to forget given her heartbreakingly tragic descent, but before the erratic live performances, self-destructive private life and increasingly unmanageable beehive hairdos, Amy Winehouse was once a relatively well-behaved, down-to-earth youngster who needed nothing more than her majestic soulful tones to attract attention. Winehouse was just 19 when she entered the studio for her 2003 debut album, Frank. But her commanding presence and relatable, refreshingly honest tales of relationship woes, not to mention a loose, organic sound suggested she’d spent decades honing her craft in smoky jazz clubs. That a record so personal, so raw, so subtle came from an artist signed by pop Svengali Simon Fuller only makes it even more startling. 3. Dizzee Rascal, Boy in da Corner Dizzee Rascal is now widely regarded as the elder statesman of the revitalized grime scene—albeit one who briefly sold out to the EDM movement for the sake of a cheap hit. But back in 2003, he was a fresh-faced 18-year-old whose energetic rhymes, chaotic but thrilling production and tales of teenage life on an East London council estate single-handedly thrust the rough and ready sound into the limelight. Eschewing the commercial pop hooks that would later produce four U.K. chart-toppers, Boy in da Corner instead dealt in an abrasive blend of speaker-blasting bass thuds, cold, clinical synths and harsh 8-bit beats, while Dizzee’s hard-hitting, unintelligible delivery often left anyone unfamiliar with the streets of Bow scratching their heads. But it was this inner-city rawness that made the record so compelling. The Mercury Prize panel that year duly agreed. 2. Lorde, Pure Heroine Not since Kate Bush has there been a teenage artist so poised, so self-assured and so ahead of the curve as Lorde. The New Zealander was aged just 16 when she first unleashed “Royals” onto the world, the utterly addictive anti-capitalist anthem which spent nine weeks at the top of the U.S. Hot 100, won two Grammys and sold an astonishing 10 million copies worldwide. Inevitably, it overshadowed the rest of its 2013 parent album, Pure Heroine. But Joel Little’s restrained production—a simple but effective blend of crisp, digital beats and deep bass rumbles—and Lorde’s wise-beyond-her-years critiques of teenagedom and modern culture, captivated throughout. You only have to listen to the likes of squad leader Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” or Julia Michaels’ “Issues” to hear how much Lorde’s refreshing less-is-more approach changed the pop landscape for the better. 1. Arctic Monkeys, Whatever They Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not Perhaps the quintessential teenage band of the aughts, Arctic Monkeys were one of the first acts to harness the short-lived power of MySpace. Indeed, by the time that their tour-de-force debut single “I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor” hit the shelves in late 2005, they had already amassed the kind of devoted following that hadn’t really been seen since Beatlemania. Only guitarist Jamie Cook had reached his 20s during the recording of their clunky-titled first LP, Whatever They Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (frontman Alex Turner turned 20 just two weeks before it surpassed Elastica’s eponymous LP as the U.K.’s fastest-selling debut ever). And few other guitar bands have managed to encapsulate the sheer mundanity that comes with being a teenager in such a pithy, articulate and distinctly unromantic manner.
Work history
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Content WriterMetro
United KingdomFreelance
Writing entertainment reviews, listicles and features for Metro UK, as well as Screen Rant, Studio System News, FourFourTwo, Yahoo! Music, Artist Direct, The Guardian, Prefix, Allmusic and Attitude.
Skills
- Article Writing
- Arts Writing
- Blog Writing
- Content Writing
- Culture Writing
- Freelance Writing
- Music Reviewing
- Music Curation
- Music Blogging
- Content Editing
Education
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BA (Hons) JournalismUniversity of Central Lancashire
- United Kingdom