In Part 2 of our Cheryl retrospective, we dive into the next chapter of her career, starting with the "Messy Little Raindrops" and "A Million Lights" eras. We explore the highs and lows of these albums, from chart-topping hits to the challenges she faced in maintaining her momentum. We also discuss her brief and controversial stint on The X Factor USA, and her infamous performance with Gary Barlow at the Diamond Jubilee.
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References:
- Promise This MV https://youtu.be/IuusuMbofVA?si=GeiQwNl9RARaLHZW
- Promise This Live on X Factor https://youtu.be/xNQRIPBACH4?si=CeAWt5E3d-BY6NiA
- Promise This unplugged on Alan Carr: Chatty Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EesZWsvp5yg
- Adele - Promise This on BBC Live Lounge https://youtu.be/YWbhWivNg1g?si=2_spNjPYmrTDPma8
- The Flood MV https://youtu.be/41afoYnjdZg?si=87mhGcX5KBOwdQBL
- The Flood Live on Alan Carr: Chatty Man https://youtu.be/jMOIktHDh_A?si=VjEBeAhRNaRpJr32
- Cheryl on The X Factor US https://youtu.be/gFtM9JwQP8M?si=7Re-UMnInQlKwX_O
- Call My Name MV https://youtu.be/IYT6rbxNn30?si=vnFUGCQhYGSWMk6s
- Call My Name Live on The Voice UK https://youtu.be/S-Krw1LR-Aw?si=FjayCPJo_Uznmmuh
- Call My Name Live on Stand Up To Cancer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCIIsxFoJo
- Need You Now w/ Gary Barlow at the Diamond Jubilee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yC1GktayPc
- Under The Sun MV https://youtu.be/qr1bkbWKevE?si=jKYtIF7nMMVpVch9
- Under The Sun Live on T4 https://youtu.be/uAdcd07kBfA?si=n-BoF3PGiNjuMlCz
- Sexy Den A Mutha Live on the A Million Lights Tour https://youtu.be/R7B9pcZDp0A?si=57F4dakkFkMvCNfi
- 3 Words w/ will.i.am Live on the A Million Lights Tour https://youtu.be/wUOOOjld1XI?si=sT9UmT-v1g0itpVz
- Ghetto Baby MV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sbUnk_-XGE
00:00:03 --> 00:00:33 So Cheryl was a very busy bee in 2010 because not only did she continue her stint on X Factor, she also opened for the Black Eyed Peas on their tour, and she had a very public divorce from Ashley Cole, and she also experienced a life-threatening bout of Valeria. So there's just a lot of unrelated trauma going on there. But at the same time, she was also fast at work with her second album,
00:00:33 --> 00:00:56 2010. And the song hit number one in the UK, and it was even covered by Adele on BBC One's Live Lounge. Yeah. Yes. Oh, my goodness. What do you think of Promise This?
00:00:56 --> 00:01:11 Oh, gosh. Before we get into that really quickly. God, she was going through it. I kind of feel for her. Like you were saying to me earlier, like, oh, wow. I feel like the time we record something's going on. I'm like, yeah, no, me too. Dude, and I think that year, too, she had an issue with, like,
00:01:11 --> 00:01:30 rejecting a contestant, right? And people were thinking that it was, like, racially charged because that woman got sent back to her country or something like that. I was watching her Piers Morgan interview. Oh. Yeah, the crappy year. Was it that year, too, that that happened? Yeah, the crappy year, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I definitely did a lot of research. I was like, I want to know more about this woman, Cheryl. Cheryl.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:51 But yeah, she was having a rough year. So for her to come back with this song and do what I want her to do. I just sound so crazy. That sounds like so weird. But like she has such a great lower voice and she commands the stage, not only with her appearance, but her voice when she actually sings a little bit more in her chest in the lower range of her voice.
00:01:51 --> 00:02:18 It sounds really good. It sounds powerful. It sounds full. And I feel like with this lead single, she found a sound that she could really explore properly. I mean, her sonic identity at this point had been being a passionate lover and fighter for her love. And it fits her image and her voice, like I said. So the song has the feistiness and I totally appreciate the quirkiness of the production. It was written, the song, in part with Priscilla Renee. We know her now as Money Long. She's the one who has written hours and hours and
00:02:18 --> 00:02:29 Nobody knows me. So you guys know her at this point. But at the time, she was just kind of Priscilla Renee. She wrote California King, Vib, Rihanna, and like Worth It for Fifth Harmony. So.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:50 To hear her now in the UK is kind of cool because I can hear her songwriting style. Yeah. So we have to thank her for the melodies and the earworms throughout this like electro-pop tribal-esque song. Like the French, the Alouette means, what, Skylark, if I'm not mistaken, or Lark. So it's kind of cool to have that.
00:02:50 --> 00:03:17 kind of uh i guess chant if you will throughout the song it's weird but not so weird where again where it's not polarizing um but it sounds again very just like commanding and for me i feel like she's one of those people that really does have a good fortune and a bad fortune i don't know how to explain it but like her fortune cancels itself out where it's like all this crap happens to her but then when she releases the song that kind of reveals how she's
00:03:18 --> 00:03:39 what she's been going through and what she's been dealing with it's like holy crap like the if i die before i awaken the chorus is so freaking crazy because she could have died she could have passed away excuse me and like after this life-threatening battle and you have like this oh wow moment she's like she could have passed away and like the bird watching over her and like clipping the wings and then derek saving her life basically telling her to get tested
00:03:39 --> 00:03:55 You know, when she was sick. So it's like, holy crap. So I like the song in terms of like, it's mentioning someone's mortality and not wanting to waste it on bad love. Cause she just got through the divorce. She's moving on with her life. Crap is happening, but she's still fighting. So yeah, I think overall her fortune is just like this.
00:03:55 --> 00:04:17 I want to say it's neutral, but it's not super, super bad. It's not super, super good. It's like somewhere in the middle where it just benefits her in a way. So I guess it's good. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's so weird. It creates a good arc. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I remember when this song came out, I was so obsessed with it. Like, I actually do think this is my favorite Cheryl solo song across her entire career.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:46 Because, yeah, I think it's just an interesting song. There's just a lot going on. Yeah. Like the French children song interpolation is creative for sure. Yes, yes, yes. The beat is very aggressive. It is. It is. But then the melody is like very, very pretty, which is then emphasized a bit more with Adele's cover too. Like you can really hear like how beautiful the lyrics are and actually how nice the melody is with that version as well. And yeah, I think she sounds really good. Like she's just so good with...
00:04:47 --> 00:04:55 how to use her tone, kind of like what you were saying. Like there's a warmth to her voice, but then she can kind of...
00:04:56 --> 00:05:22 She's able to balance out this like messy, not messy, but like there's just all the electronic sounds and stuff going on. Like she's able to kind of like stand up against it basically and still make the focus her voice, I guess. So, yeah, I appreciate that a lot. She also looks amazing in the video. I will say some of the graphics in it. They haven't aged the best. Graphic.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:41 Well, you know, like she's clearly in front of a green screen and then they have the projections of like the dancers behind her or like she's. Oh, yeah. It just looks a little. You can just tell she's in front of a green screen, you know, like it just looks a little like. You're so right. Can I tell you? I was so captivated by this woman. I didn't even look at the back. There you go. That's wild. Yeah, yeah, there you go. You're so right, though.
00:05:41 --> 00:06:11 You're so right. And yeah, I also think the performance was great too. I remember at the time people were like, oh, she's lip syncing. Like when she did the X Factor performance. Oh my God, yes. Honestly, who cares? Like she was giving her all in that. And then of course she then sang it unplugged at some performances later just to be like, I can sing live, like leave me alone. And the Adele cover, people still talk about that. Like people think it's so amazing that Adele, because that was right when Adele released Rolling in the Deep too. So it was kind of right at her kind of like. Yeah. Yeah.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:26 her kind of switch to being her global fandom. And so for her choosing Promise This as her Radio 1 cover, Live Lounge cover, it's awesome. And her version's great. Yeah. Pretty sick. I would say. The video was actually choreographed by Fatima Robinson too, which I...
00:06:26 --> 00:06:53 We love Fatima. I'm so happy. For those who don't know Fatima Robinson, at that point, she had worked with Michael Jackson, Beyonce on Dreamgirls, Black Eyed Peas for their whole, was it Boom Boom Boom era? Yes. And then Alia. So I think the choreography looked a lot better. And again, it's a styling thing. We're like UK versus US, definitely for sure, like the styling. That and I feel like the African kind of tribal sounding moments, it was luckily...
00:06:53 --> 00:07:23 able to avoid the weird like African movements as opposed to just having very just sharp movements of left and right and stuff so oh boy this is a good good start to a new album era so yes the album Messy Little Raindrops was released shortly after the single and it again hit number one in the UK and the album sound was probably similar to the first she worked with both old and new collaborators including Will.i.am, Wayne Wilkins and J.R. Rotem
00:07:23 --> 00:07:52 You know, when I saw the J.R. Rotem credit, I was like, oh, I feel like I know a couple of his songs. And we do, like Jason's Derulo is like the most famous. He has such a distinct... He does. ...distinct style. Oh, my God, those like synth horns. I'm like, just get the horns. But when I heard, I was like, wow, that's a good name to get. I feel like this album is definitely a stronger three words, though. Maybe because it was made in such quick...
00:07:52 --> 00:08:21 like close proximity of each other. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing, but for me, I feel like it might be a good thing. It's not a perfect collection of songs. I would say I feel like the overall quality of the lyricism and the audio is what elevates the album for me. I wouldn't say like, oh my gosh, like the track listing super cohesive. I wouldn't go so far. Like, oh my God, it's perfect. But in terms of the sound, the quality I feel like is a little bit more crisp. The lyricism is not so like,
00:08:21 --> 00:08:39 Oh, I brought you my heart and you crushed it in my hand. Oh, oh. As like the first album. Oh boy. Sorry, y'all. I'm not roasting her. I just think the songwriters were just being very like on the nose. I feel like there's a little bit more nuance in some of the lyricism. And there's still some of that very like literal like...
00:08:39 --> 00:09:06 easy, understandable lyrics. I feel, again, I just feel like it feels more polished and the productions here and there are a little bit more unique. I feel like the flood does a good job of displaying her vocals in the chorus. Is it that great of a song? I don't know. Her ballad choices on albums have not been strong thus far, but her vocals on the songs definitely helped me get through them. I think Amnesia and Everyone's Production
00:09:06 --> 00:09:26 were more interesting standouts because again you kind of have like these quirky little uh sounds here and there you're like oh what's this what are they going to do with that so i appreciate that again um and i think her features were top notch she had dizzy rascal travi mccoy and again producers like jr who was not my favorite producer but he had been making a serious name for himself in the u.s so
00:09:26 --> 00:09:53 I think she's leveraging her fame, the record labels, thinking about who's the best people to get with. Even if it's not like, it doesn't make sense completely in terms of sonic congruence. Excuse me. It's not completely there, but it's the fact that she can pull them. That's important. Especially at that time. The name dropping was really important back then. So I think. Yes. Yeah. Perfect. Perfect in terms of like planning. Yeah. Yeah.
00:09:53 --> 00:10:08 Yeah, I will say I haven't actually listened to this album in a long time. I had remembered it being just kind of all over the place. And these past few weeks, when I've been listening to it again, it's actually better than I remember. So I will give it that.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:35 I agree with you. It shows some artistic growth from the first album. And again, whoever's A&R'ing her, like they do do a good job. Every song is different. Like it's not like some of those, some other pop albums from that time where like every song just like sounds literally the same and it all just blends together. Like at least, even if I don't like every song on it, they can each, they each have their own thing going. So I at least appreciate that.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:55 But I just, other than promise this, there's just nothing super memorable on there for me. Like, I do enjoy Yeah Yeah, which is the Travi McCoy track. Yes. But the mid-tempos, like, kind of how you're mentioning the slower tracks, like Raindrops and Hummingbird and Happy Tears. Like, I can't sing any of those songs back to you right now. Like, at all.
00:10:55 --> 00:11:16 uh that's valid it's all just a bit of a slog there um what a word the will i am tracks like actually one of the stronger songs on here actually this time yeah let's get down i enjoy the thousand mile sample on waiting but i think i like the idea of the sample more than the execution on it to be honest and that's so yeah i i don't
00:11:17 --> 00:11:28 This album's not my favorite, I would say. Yeah. Yeah. I just think there's just nothing super memorable about it.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:57 No, that's valid. I think it also is the timing of it. I think when you come out with this album right after the last one, you haven't given it a chance to really breathe and get more influences and meet more people and things like that. So, yeah, I think this is a weird little time for her, I would say. And there wasn't a lot of singles from this, which I don't blame her for considering what she was going through and the timing of everything. But in January 2011, Cheryl released the second and final single from the album, The Flood.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:31 It fills you up but it never stays It's only good to wash away today And this single peaked at number 18 in the UK single chart, ending her run of top five singles. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Well, also, I mean, the music industry was changing at the time, too. And I think her albums were so successful that it's like if you're going to keep releasing singles off of it, they're not going to chart really high because people already have it on the album.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:49 You know? So, yeah, the flood, yeah, you mentioned earlier, at least allowed her to show off her vocals a bit more. Yeah. I agree with that, but at the same time, like, there's clearly, like, a lot of help on those belts.
00:12:50 --> 00:13:12 Yeah, like in that chorus. That's valid. Yeah. And even when she sings it live, like, they kind of, like, they engineer it in a way where you don't really hear her do it. Yeah. As a song, it's okay. Like, I do think it's the weakest single so far. It has a nice melody.
00:13:12 --> 00:13:41 I think, but I don't know. There's something about it that just, I feel like it just never reaches its full potential. Like, I think it just needed like Kelly Clarkson or like an actual belter to sing it. Cause if you added a bunch of ad libs to it and you just gave it a bit more power, I think it would elevate the song quite a lot. Yeah. Cause I think as a, as a song, like composition wise, I think it's actually decent. I just don't know if it was right for Cheryl. Oh, that's valid. I think, um, yeah.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 It's tough because you have...
00:13:45 --> 00:14:14 Money, it's so weird, because Priscilla Renee is who she was at the time, but Money Long is how we know her now. So I'll say Money Long. So Money, when she wrote, when she was writing back then, her stuff was very much like, open your mouth, drop your jaw, and sing these notes. California King Ben is an example of that. Like, Rihanna luckily has the range in terms of like, where her voice can reach. She can hit those notes. With Cheryl, again, she's a, she's a, mid and lower range. She's sweet there. So sweet. So I think this is a little bit like,
00:14:14 --> 00:14:32 up there for her um but yeah i can hear money's style in it um and she's not a bad songwriter um but yeah the meaning of the song is super poignant and again she emotes well enough for me to be like go off girl i believe you i feel this and then you think about again the whole
00:14:32 --> 00:14:47 her whole life is now kind of in the tabloids you can think about it what she's going through it feels even more like oh this poor thing so um even though i she probably did not even probably she did not want people in her business people knew it and when she makes this song it's like oh wow okay
00:14:47 --> 00:15:07 That's just something to say. So congratulations for her for being able to like kind of just, I guess, display her vocal prowess. And he's not a little bit lightly right now. Her vocals prowess. But also being able to, I guess, make a video for it because it's a choice to use this as like the second and last thing because there's other songs she could have used.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:31 She could have done yeah, yeah, yeah, because it sounds like a Madonna, like, Confession of the Dance Force track. She could have just did that one, right? But she did this one, so there's a reason. The video is quite nice. I'm so glad they weren't, like, being too, too literal at the beach thing. Okay, I get it. But, but, but, but, but, I appreciated just, like, her performing to the camera and just laying there in a beautiful gown and just nothing crazy.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:47 Mm hmm. But yeah, I do love I do love the moment. I think in the green dress where she's like on a rock. Yeah, almost like Ariel on the rock. But then she's like in like a wooden like shed of some sort. I don't know. That's a pretty scene, though. I enjoyed that. It is pretty. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:48 --> 00:16:12 So also in 2011, Cheryl got the opportunity to join the judging panel of the first season of X Factor in the US, along with Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Paula Abdul. But unfortunately, after participating in only two audition rounds, Cheryl left the series. And Simon, at the time, claimed that she didn't seem very comfortable.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:30 And it would later be reported that producers were worried that Americans would not be able to understand her accent. The Geordie accent. Yeah. Later on in 2012, Cheryl sued the American producers for breach of contract and eventually settled at the end of 2013.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:55 What a load of poop. What a load of crap. I mean, honestly, I can't, I can honestly say I don't remember her being on the show, but maybe like vaguely an episode. I mean, she's literally only in like the first like two or three episodes. Right. And I think I watched those because I remember me and my sister were watching the X Factor auditions and there were some hysterical, hysterical people. Yeah. But, and also Simone Battle had auditioned too. She did when I grow up.
00:16:55 --> 00:17:19 Yes. And she went on to do GRL. So it's Robin Anson's group, which is crazy. So I was like, oh, wow. Okay, cool. But I don't remember her actually being there. I'm so sorry, girl. Again, I may not remember you being on the show, but I remember the U.S. version of the X Factor tanking. So you definitely dodged a bullet with that one. Sure, yeah. That's true. Yeah. So it's like two, three seasons, right? I mean, her accent...
00:17:19 --> 00:17:49 wasn't terrible um i think it was something else like i mean based on some comments i heard in a sherald documentary they could just be saying it just to talk out their butt because they did some stupid stuff too um it seemed like she really wasn't bringing her usual feistiness to the judges table like that's what they said and i was like exactly and i was like why would y'all say that on a like a documented okay go off personally for me i feel like it was just a selfish move um because it's like nicole scherzinger is the bigger u.s artist so i guess it makes sense to
00:17:50 --> 00:18:13 I think that's my I think that's the reason I don't think it was like oh yeah you're not good enough Cheryl it's just like who the hell knows you we need ratings the ratings matter to people and unfortunately I don't think she had a big enough like name here in the US to be like I'm on the table because she had been made famous they should have figured that out before they asked her to be on it then that's what I'm saying so that's why I think it's effed up and good for her pursuing because it's like you guys again like you said could have figured it out.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:32 We gotta pick her up. Maybe Nicole was like, I want more money. We can't give it to you. I don't know. Who knows? But the point is... Well, Nicole was actually one of the MCs. Oh, shoot. She was... So, okay. So, this was a really messed up situation because... I thought she was an original judge choice. Okay. Okay.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:52 No. So Nicole Scherzinger was an emcee along with Stephen Jones, who is this famous emcee from the UK. And he has a very, very strong Wales accent. And he stayed as the sole emcee after Nicole stole Cheryl's chair.
00:18:52 --> 00:19:22 That's full stuff. I think it's possible, too. I think it's possible Nicole was on the side being like, I think I can do a better job than her. Right, like I'm more famous. In Simon's ear. Like, I don't know. Like, their relationship has never been great, like her and Nicole. So it's possible. That's all right. There was stuff. I'm just speculating, obviously. We don't know. But I was actually in L.A. at the time, and I went to Cheryl's very first taping where she's wearing that horrible orange and purple outfit with the giant hair. That's our show colors now. No.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:43 You've seen that outfit, right? Yeah, I know. It's crazy. Yeah. And I thought she did a great job. I went with my sister. No one had any issues understanding her. She did speak more slowly than she normally does, I think, to compensate for that a little bit. And if you watch interviews and stuff from the day, she also is speaking more slowly. But she's...
00:19:43 --> 00:20:13 she was very very sweet like she gave great critique like she still made her funny faces and stuff like all that crap about her like not being comfortable and stuff i mean first off of course she's uncomfortable she's in a brand new country and in this you know it's like a brand new show and all this stuff like and you're only gonna give her two shows to like get her footing like like i don't still get how you can go through all of this where simon clearly vouched for her and wanted her to be on the show and then it's like you kind of gave up on her so quickly yeah
00:20:13 --> 00:20:32 You know what? At the end of the day, she got hers. She only did two days of work, and she sued for two seasons of pay. Millions of dollars. We don't know how much she ended up settling for, but I'm sure she got a lot more than, you know. Like, for two days of work, she got a lot of money. Absolutely. Yeah, go ahead, girl. Yeah, but I think the larger...
00:20:32 --> 00:21:02 kind of sliding doors kind of question mark is like if she stayed and she then used the the platform to launch her solo music career in the u.s like would she have made it right that's the big like sliding doors question but like you said x factor wasn't actually that successful in the u.s anyway yeah you know and they tried like even you know they got britney on the panel they got
00:21:02 --> 00:21:19 like we got fifth harmony from it guys oh god moving on to cheryl's next era because even though the x factor was not happening in the u.s she moved on and in may 2012 she released the calvin harris produced track call my name
00:21:34 --> 00:21:55 Which hit the top of the charts in the UK and did well in charts again all over Europe, Australia and New Zealand. And the music video was filmed in the famous LA River culvert. Yes. Oh, wow. Okay. Okay. I know I don't remember completely where I was when this song came out, but I remember her bangs and those pants. Yes.
00:21:55 --> 00:22:20 I remember the pants, the ponytail. And I was like, oh my God, who is this? Wow, she's so pretty. I can honestly tell you, I don't think I liked the song a lot. I don't think I hated it. Because I didn't like We Found Love when I was younger. Yeah. I think me getting into EDM was a little bit of a tough transition. But We Found Love was something I wasn't really fond of. And then I heard this one, I was like,
00:22:21 --> 00:22:47 I don't know, I don't know. I don't know. But I've grown to like this song quite a bit. Like I've grown to like this song a lot even. And for me, I feel like this one is fun and it's danceable. And like as a dancer who sings or a singer who dances, whatever you want to call her, this is right up her alley. Like, hello. Yes. It just sucks because the dance is so dance heavy. It, the dance, the song is so dance heavy.
00:22:48 --> 00:23:02 when she performs it, it just turns into this like, okay, when is she gonna stop? When is she gonna be able to sing kind of situation? But aside from that, the song is really like, it's good. And I feel like, for this to be their third album, it feels like
00:23:02 --> 00:23:29 She may be following trends at this point. And I think as an artist, we're a little bit too early in the conversation about what could have happened or blah, blah, blah. But I feel like at this point, I'm noticing that she's following trends. But we'll talk more about the album in a second. What did you think about... How many? Yeah. Well, I guess one more question for you is, do you think this could have been a hit in the US? I would say...
00:23:31 --> 00:23:56 it's tough because again rihanna was eating people up with um uh we found love so to have a song i sound just like it maybe because then um who had neil had let's go let's go it sounded like this and it was a hit so possibly yeah possibly yeah but it's i think kelvin harris was like so huge at the time that he was backing it and the promo was right i think it could have
00:23:56 --> 00:24:24 it could have been a good launching pad for her here. Yeah. In like, I just have the right circumstances needed to happen. But yeah, I think the song is awesome. Like I agree with you. Yes, she is calling trends in a way, but I think at least in the UK, she is at the same level as Rihanna. Right. Right. These other kind of huge Calvin Harris collaborators. So her being added to that list. Yeah. Yeah.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:50 was actually, I think, right. You know, like, I don't feel like it was trend chasing. She was just a part of the trend. Yes, part of it. That makes sense. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. But yeah, I think the song is perfect for her. Like, she kills it. It's perfect for her voice. It's sultry. She is able to kind of use a bit of power in it as well. Yeah, finally. Which is good. And yes, so I think everything came together perfectly. This video is really cool. She keeps up with those male dancers that are with her.
00:24:50 --> 00:25:09 Yeah. And, you know, obviously that that river canal thing is pretty iconic just as a visual as well. So. So, yeah, I think it's awesome. And, yeah, performance wise, like that voice performance where she leaps off into the dancer's arms. I remember that being.
00:25:10 --> 00:25:26 I mean, they weren't called viral moments at that point, but basically it was, yeah, everyone was talking about it and then how iconic that was. And yeah, I think the choreo was great. Like, yes, it's kind of impossible to sing live. Oh my God. It's like a lot of like jumping and stuff.
00:25:26 --> 00:25:51 But visually, it looks awesome. And the dynamic that they do with the levels and stuff, with the layers, the depth of it with the dancers and stuff, it's always really good. So those performances are all really great to watch. There was a performance that also went, quote unquote, viral for kind of the wrong reasons. She did perform at Stand Up to Cancer. And her back and track...
00:25:51 --> 00:26:08 did not turn on and her mic was on so you hear no real vocals you just hear her whispering along until the until the backing track finally kicks in like halfway through oh my god yes oh I feel so bad for her because like here's hum nasima hum hum
00:26:08 --> 00:26:35 I was like, no. I mean, at least she's singing, I guess. She's just whisper singing. I mean, I think whispering makes you make the lip syncing look realer. Look real. Yeah. Yeah. Well, also, I watched it a few times because the way they did it, because the vocal kind of suddenly turns on. I was like, oh, wait, did she just realize that the track's not on? So she started singing live. Right. But then she's still just dancing so hard that I don't think she actually knew at all because she could probably hear it.
00:26:35 --> 00:27:03 the track in her in-ears the whole time. And I think the pre-recorded vocal just turned on. Yeah. Yes. Oh, my God. Poor thing. Poor baby. Poor baby. Poor baby. You know what? It's a riot. It's, well, again, I don't know if it's like a misfortune or a fortune for her, but like things like that bring you attention. So when you do actually do, when you do sing it live, it's like, oh, wait, hang on. Wait, she can sing. That was just like a little moment.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:19 And honestly, again, I'm pretty sure she didn't plan that. But man, oh man. She's literally one of those people that are like, any publicity is good publicity. It just works in her favor. Because honestly, if I saw that, I was like, oh yeah, I want to see her perform something else. And she sang this live. I'd be like, okay, she can sing.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:49 You know, like... Interesting. I mean, I will say, like I kind of said near the beginning, like, people have always kind of slated her voice a little bit. And it's these types of situations that don't help. Oh, yeah. No, that's valid. Because as we saw quite recently on the latest Girls Loud tour, she's actually very, very good. Her pitch is really strong. She has a good power. Like, she can hold her own. But it's just... There's just been a few... And we'll talk about it some more of them. But, like, there have just been a few...
00:27:49 --> 00:28:04 live circumstances that just have unfortunately perpetuated this idea that she's not a good singer so you know what i was being positive you're so right yeah oh my god i couldn't oh that's oh that's heartbreaking oh yeah goodness
00:28:04 --> 00:28:33 So following the single's success, Cheryl's third studio album, A Million Lights, was released in June 2012. And it was her first to be released under the stage name Cheryl. So no longer is she using a last name at all. And she executive produced the album herself and decided to work with some brand new producers and writers, which includes Alex DeKid, Lana Del Rey, and Wretch 32. And the album peaked at number two in the UK.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:57 So what do you think of this album? You know, this is the album that I was listening to while I was driving, and I thought, okay, I like this a little bit more. It just feels cohesive. This feels solid. It feels like, you know, as she has named it, as she's self-titled it, it just feels more like, okay, Cheryl picked this out. This is what Cheryl likes. Like, you have Under the Sun, and you have Girl in the Mirror, and it just feels a lot more personal as opposed to singing about love again. I'm like, yes.
00:28:57 --> 00:29:17 Again, she's turned into, like, this little bit of, like, a pseudo J-Lo. Like, in terms of, like, everyone knows her business about who she's dating. So, she sings about it. It comes across as, like, ooh, sordid details. And it's like, no. It's just a song this one wrote. She was like, I like this. It fits. But, yeah, with this one, she's a little bit more introspective. She's a little bit more, like...
00:29:17 --> 00:29:42 Even with Ghetto Baby, it's not my favorite. Oh, my God. But her delivery is solid, and that's what does it for me. Her delivery. She's so believable. It's not like she was just like, well, I'm going to just sing the song, I guess. I'll try. You know, she's going to do it. She's going to do it. With Ghetto Baby, I don't care for the lyricism whatsoever. You know the line of the way wrote that?
00:29:42 --> 00:29:47 I believe it. Oh, my God. I don't tease it. I don't tease it. Her demo actually has leaked, I think, yeah.
00:29:48 --> 00:30:17 Oh, right. But Alana's like that though. Alana's always been kind of like, I'm going to say something. And even her mentioning Brooklyn, I was like, girl, let it go. But I'll get to the reason why I kind of like a little bit like with the Ghetto Baby thing. I'm like, yeah, no, I mean, overall, it just feels interesting. It's fun to hear because you kind of want to be like, okay, who's this song about? Or why did she pick this song? And like I said, Girl in the Mirror is one of my favorite ones on here. And A Million Lights is good. The first time a title track, I was like, I sat there and I was like, okay, I do not want to,
00:30:17 --> 00:30:46 Skip this. Like a slower track? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but literally the title track's like Messy Little Teardrops, Rain Drops, excuse me, and then Three Words. Three Words is good. I will say that. But then Messy was kind of just like, okay, Rain Drops. Rain Drops was kind of like, uh, okay. But this one, I'm like, okay, we're back. The title track is not terrible. I think Three Words is the strongest one she's had, but I'm like, okay, good. Titular song is not bad. But yeah, I feel like it was pretty good. And then Sexy Den, I thought was like, kind of surprisingly like,
00:30:46 --> 00:31:13 I heard it on the tour first. I watched the tour. Oh, yeah. And I was like, wait, where's this song? Where's this song? So when I finally got to it, I was like, oh, this goes off. Yes. So I like that one. Yeah. Yeah. I do think this album is stronger than the last two. Actually, I'd probably say this is her strongest album overall. There's definitely a confidence in it that was not present before. Yeah. Yeah, there's just a bit more of a...
00:31:13 --> 00:31:32 grit to it like just in the way she's delivering it which i appreciate and yeah i agree with you girl in the mirror is great i love screw you as well i think that's a really fun one and yeah sexy denim mother actually did choreographed that for a dance show like a like 10 years ago now or whatever this came out i don't know that's amazing
00:31:32 --> 00:31:56 Yeah, so I have a soft spot for that one, too. That was a fun one. Yeah, I think the album as a whole is quite cohesive as well and definitely shows a lot of artistic growth, I think, from the other two. Yeah. There's a bit just more of a defined individual sound. Yes. Yeah. What you're saying is resonating with me right now a lot.
00:31:58 --> 00:32:20 All right, y'all. But if you are also resonating with what we're saying, be sure to subscribe to CCTV Pops on YouTube. And of course, where podcasts are found. If you made it this far, also leave a comment. Let us know which song on these albums have been your favorite. And if you disagree with us, be civil. But let us know why you disagree with us. Let's have a conversation about our lovely Shezza. Okay. All right. So moving right along, we have...
00:32:20 --> 00:32:37 Oh, a very interesting time or moment in Cheryl's career once again with the vocals. In June 2012, Cheryl performed a cover of Need You Now with Gary Barlow for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert. And unfortunately, her performance was panned by critics in public because of...
00:32:37 --> 00:33:04 vocals. I mean, it just sucks to constantly be like doubted and then like slated for something that is your job. And you're like, I'm good at it. I just, hello, it's a, it's an instrument. And sometimes the instrument doesn't work, unfortunately. Yeah. It also doesn't help. Like, I think it's hard for us as Americans to truly understand like how important and huge these like royal events are.
00:33:04 --> 00:33:20 Yeah. Right. So this was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, which is a huge deal. So like the entire country and the world, because I think this aired around the world, too, was watching this performance. And.
00:33:20 --> 00:33:40 Gary is known to be a very good vocalist, right? Yeah, yeah. And he, like, really showed her up here. They did not blend well. I think he tried to blend well. If you watch it and listen to it, like, he tried to kind of match her volume, match her, where she was sitting. Yeah, yeah.
00:33:40 --> 00:34:00 Uh, but she just couldn't, even from the first line, she just, her voice felt very tight. Yeah. It sounded very tight, and she just couldn't find the pitch. Like, it was just a struggle the whole time. Yeah. And I think the song choice was weird for her anyway. You think so? Why? It was popular here, remember? It was, like, huge here.
00:34:01 --> 00:34:18 Yeah, but like, why is she singing this like country ballad? You know what? She doesn't sound bad, though. Like her range is kind of right where the lead singer, the female singer. It doesn't. I guess. She can hit these no's. It's just she wasn't. And that's what sucks. Because I was listening and I was like.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:37 She ends a corner after, she can hit these damn notes. It just sucks that what was going on with her throat was just, even me, I've had moments where I'm singing and I'm like, you sang this so many times. Why is it now when it matters? Is this note not coming out? Why are you flat, sharp, and all the other things, Chantel?
00:34:37 --> 00:35:06 So I feel like for her, like it could have been a moment, but again, the cards were not in her favor. So going back to what you were saying, I was being super positive. Like, oh, maybe it's a moment for her to stand people up. But when you have this kind of be your quote unquote reputation, like she's just pretty. This sucks. This sucks. You know, she's been through a lot, this one. But I think also this performance is kind of like one of those pop stars. They're just like us coming from like a singer's, I guess. Oh, yeah. But like you said, I guess the weight of the moment is just like, girl, really at the Jubilee?
00:35:06 --> 00:35:26 you know so it's like for the queen how dare you you know so like oh god this poor baby love you cheryl yeah yeah uh so in september 2012 cheryl released the second and final single from the album it was under the sun produced by alex duckhead
00:35:38 --> 00:35:51 And the single peaked at number 13 in the UK singles chart. Yeah. So Under the Sun, this song has grown on me through the years. I don't think... I remember when the album first came out, I was like, why is she going with, like...
00:35:51 --> 00:36:16 You know, one of the dancier tracks or like, yeah, Screw You or like one of those. But I actually appreciate this one when you listen to kind of all of her singles. Okay. Yeah. It's very different. Like it's a bit cheekier. It's just a bit lighter, a bit brighter. She's not taking herself as seriously. Yeah. I think. I do remember the comparisons to Lily Allen at the time, which is, you know, you can definitely hear that for sure.
00:36:16 --> 00:36:38 But yeah, I think I like the video, like the 50s vibe in the video. She looks amazing. So yeah, I think it's not my favorite single of hers, but I do think it has a place like in her kind of singles discography. Oh, that's valid. That's valid. You know, I think it's interesting that she released this very Lily Allen-esque track considering that they had a beef back in the day. Yes, they did. Yeah.
00:36:38 --> 00:36:55 We didn't talk about it because we tried to like highlight super negative things on our show. Even if we are making comments, it's just making commentaries around her life. We tried to focus on the bull crap. But yeah, they did have a beef for a little bit. I mean, the whole, Lily had a whole song that was legit her government name, which I think is, which is Cheryl's government name, which I think is disrespectful as hell. Yes.
00:36:55 --> 00:37:18 Um, but again, I think it's an interesting choice because either they buried the hatchet at this point, or at least it was just like Cheryl's like, F it. I'm gonna do it. I like the song, which I think is another testament to her character where she's like, I like this. Like, I'm not going to sit there and decide to steal your whole bag, but I like the song. Um, I think again, with what was going on in her life, it's a good, like, um,
00:37:20 --> 00:37:39 spring cleaning kind of song in terms of like taking out all the crap of your life and moving on from it like under the sun it's sunny it's bright um i think the overall vibe is like she just moves on from somebody or like she's not putting with anyone's crap and she just got over all this bullcrap so she's not going to be as gullible with the next person
00:37:39 --> 00:38:07 I think the video is, like you said, sonically, also a visual standout because, like, she doesn't really have the whole retro thing going on with any of her other videos. Yes. The retro thing fits really well. I just don't like all the shoulder checking she was doing to the guys throughout the video. Like, it didn't look flirty. It just looked very, like, confrontational. And I was like, what the hell? And she's like, huh? Yeah. I just bumped into you really hard. You know? So...
00:38:07 --> 00:38:32 So I'm almost like that. I was like, yo, that's wild. Yes, that's funny. And yeah, I almost forgot about the Lily Allen beef because that was a few years prior to all the X-Fact. Like that was still during Girls Aloud heyday. So yeah, just kind of shows that she was just like the tabloid darling. Like for some reason, like she just, everyone was talking about her even before all the stuff was going on. Oh, poor thing. Oh. Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:32 --> 00:38:55 All right, so just after the single's release in October 2012, Cheryl released her autobiography. And she also embarked on the A Million Lights Tour, which was her first headlining tour as a solo artist. And she performed 11 arena shows across the UK and Ireland, and she also released the concert on DVD. So, yeah, I think I had only watched this maybe once.
00:38:55 --> 00:39:21 kind of back in the day when it was released and hadn't since. So then I watched it like a couple of days ago, finally. I have to say, I did not remember anything from this show at all. I was like, I was watching a brand new show. But yeah, you mentioned the tour earlier. So what did you think of the show? You know, there's moments in this where I'm like, ooh, there's moments I'm like, oh, there's moments I'm like, oh. There's moments I'm like, ugh. Um...
00:39:22 --> 00:39:49 The concert was okay. I think she looks great. Like that gold suit in the beginning. The Girls Aloud medley, which I thought was interesting. Yes. I wouldn't be completely honest if I said, like, wow, this is amazing. This is the best concert I've ever seen. It was a little bit awkward and weird for me in terms of like, just, I think maybe the staging of it. This is not Fatima's
00:39:49 --> 00:40:07 best work. Fatima Robinson worked on this. I don't think this is like her best work. She's done better. I don't know what the elements, I don't know what the dynamics were, but something about this just feels a little bit short of just, ooh, right there. Yes. Certain moments of the show, like her, I think for Ghetto Baby, she hopped on,
00:40:07 --> 00:40:28 Yeah, she hops on that dancer. That flap. And then they're all doing that. And I was like, okay, I guess. But everything just felt very much like collaged together. It felt like salad. I could see all the ingredients as opposed to like a really fully blended smoothie. I could see all the components and people like the gears turning as opposed to it being a really seamless effort. And I think that kind of would stop me.
00:40:28 --> 00:40:51 Again, back to what I was saying from the beginning, this girl's it factor is so freaking undeniable that I kind of like, F it. I'll watch it. I don't care at this point. I'll watch it. I'll put up with the weird choppiness of the salad because she altogether, she's T, okay? She does what she has to do. I think just, again, the elements were just not in her favor in terms of like wow factor around her. But she's wowed.
00:40:52 --> 00:41:10 Yes, I agree with you. Yes, she is a great performer. The show, yeah, felt a little disjointed and definitely very short for an arena show. It was like just over an hour, I think, and I would have been mad, I think. I was like, you have three albums of material to do.
00:41:10 --> 00:41:31 Yeah. And you spend, like, way too long on the B-side. Like, the pacing of the B-stage, sorry, the B-stage. B-stage. Like, the pacing of the show is just a bit odd, because it just really—the lull in the middle was quite long. Like, I mean, yes, you're still doing songs like Parachute and Three Words, so yes, they're popular songs, but the energy—
00:41:31 --> 00:41:46 just kind of dies. Like, even with three words. Yeah. You know, she's literally just standing there with Will. Will. I.M. came out for the London show. Oh, my God. And he's on the main stage. She's on the B stage. They're staring at each other. But, like, there's nothing happening. And I'm like. Things like that.
00:41:46 --> 00:42:14 And in Parachute, it's like that was one of your bigger singles and like you just nothing. Again, you're just using it to kind of like walk to the beat. I don't know. Yes. As opposed to having like a dress that's flying. Something to like give us some drama. Yes. Yeah. It just wasn't. There was nothing in it. Like I think the opening was really strong with Sexy Denimada. She like does the leap again kind of off the top. I thought the dancers were good. I thought some of the choreography was very, very good. Yeah. Yeah.
00:42:14 --> 00:42:35 Yeah, just something about it, like you said, just felt a bit, it didn't fully come together. And there was just nothing super memorable about it. Like, there's nothing really about the show that makes me want to watch it over and over again. Like I do with, like, a lot of the Girls Aloud shows. Yeah. And a lot of other artists. Like, there's just nothing about it that I'm like, oh, I need to see that again. Yes. Yeah.
00:42:35 --> 00:43:00 Yeah, totally. Totally. Again, this is not like a, you know, we hate her. It's just one of those like, no, not at all. I mean, I think if she, if she ever put a concert together now, like, I think it would probably be like, amazing. I mean, this is our first tour. A lot of people's first tours are never like the best thing ever. You know? And yes, like, like you said earlier, she, she, she performed the crap out of it for sure. I just think like as a show, it was just like, okay.
00:43:00 --> 00:43:15 Yes, well, around this time, it had been reported that there were plans to release Screw You as the third single from the album, but plans were canceled due to the release of Girls Aloud's 10-year anniversary hits collection and the announcement of the 2013 tour.
00:43:15 --> 00:43:37 And if you'd like our thoughts on Girls Aloud, look no further because we have a one-on-one episode about the group. That's right. We've already filmed a full discography career retrospective of Girls Aloud. So make sure you check that out. We've also done album reviews and a review of our 2024 concert, as I've already mentioned. So make sure you check all that out after this episode.
00:43:37 --> 00:44:05 Yes. So as kind of one final kind of promotional situation for this album, in collaboration with Hunger TV, Cheryl released a music video for the track Ghetto Baby in December 2012. All right. So here's your time. What do you think of Ghetto Baby? Oh, Ghetto Baby, you know. All right. It's cringe. Is it bad?
00:44:06 --> 00:44:33 No, no, no, no, no. I won't go so far as to say the song's bad. I'm not that kind of person. I'm like, yeah, it's a terrible song because it's cringey. It's cringe because of the lyrical content. And I think for UK people or people who know her upbringing, it's like she's basically a hood rat. She's hood rich, apparently. Right? That's right. So it's just like, oh, my God, she made it out the gutter. Like, she's doing it. It's okay for her to say this. But as someone who's American, someone who's Black as well, I'm like, yeah.
00:44:33 --> 00:45:01 When people say ghetto, they don't think, like, you know, Jewish neighborhoods in the 1940s. They think me. So... I understand that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So for me, I'm like, oh, God. And then it's just weird because she's using American-style hip-hop as the influence in American-style slang. Yes. So, unfortunately, it's not bespoke as much as it's just like, this is something I can say because you guys think I'm trash anyway. Ooh, you know, and I'm like, oh, dang it. But, again, she sounded good. The cell is there. I appreciate it. Even the...
00:45:01 --> 00:45:16 The smolder, the sultriness of her as a person, I wish she would have leaned into a little bit more. I'm not saying you have to sell SCX. I'm not saying you have to do that. But if she ever just kind of did it some more, I would not be mad at it because she can do it. She can do it. She's so just...
00:45:16 --> 00:45:41 I was falling in love. I was like, go ahead, girl, with the body rolls and the drop it like it's hot, girl. I'm just like, oh, God, whatever. But I was like, get it, girl. If you're going to do it, do it. The video, simple enough. Yeah. It was more like a magazine shoot. I think they just did a journal magazine shoot. So it's like, yeah. I'll take it. I like looking at her. I like listening to her. So, you know, again, I think it's just the lyrical content is cringe. But I get that. Yeah, I kind of wish they...
00:45:41 --> 00:46:10 change the references to Brooklyn and like you said, the more like American stuff. But yeah, that idea of like the ghetto is very different in the UK, I think. So yeah, it's kind of, I see why it's like, it feels wrong for you to be singing this. Thank you. But I mean, Lana Del Rey wrote it. So maybe that's where the question mark should really be more of a question mark. No shade to Cheryl. She can say something right now. I'd be like, ghetto baby. I think she performs the crap out of it. Yeah, yeah. And I actually think the little crab
00:46:10 --> 00:46:28 dance thing with her on top of the dancer who I think that's the guy she was dating that guy at the time as well yes that's right I remember when this video came out if you even if you look back now all the articles about her like oh my god it's her and her boyfriend doing this yeah um so yeah I appreciate that we got this little video out of it and it was a
00:46:28 --> 00:46:55 highlight on the tour, like it was one of the performances that stood out. I am sad that Screw You didn't really get its moment because I do think that would have made a great single. She sounds really good on it. There's, I like kind of how breathy and kind of husky she is. The sass is there. The lyrics are fun. And the song is fun. The Wretch 32 feature is good. So yeah, I think that was unfortunately a missed opportunity, but you know, Girls Allowed
00:46:55 --> 00:47:22 how to do their thing. That's right. So yes, in March 2013, following the last concert of Girls Aloud's 10 tour, they announced via a twitlonger post that the group had officially split. And Cheryl quickly began working on her next solo material. Yes. Oh man, what a way to break up. But again, we're not here to talk about Girls Aloud. It's okay. We've made up for that. We've made up for that. No more twitlongers.
00:47:25 --> 00:47:34 Time for one more recess break. Come join us for part three to discuss all things only human, love made me do it, let you, and what's next for Miss Shezza.