Get ready for a musical showdown as we dive into the world of Robin Antin's iconic girl groups! In this episode of POP OFF, we pit The Pussycat Dolls, Girlicious, Paradiso Girls, and G.R.L. against each other, analyzing their biggest songs, corresponding music videos, and electrifying performances. Join us as we dissect the production, vocals, melodies, and choreography to determine the ultimate winner. Who will come out on top? Let the battle begin and let's get ready to rumble! Join us on Patreon and follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cctvpops
Contestants:
- The Pussycat Dolls - "Don't Cha" feat. Busta Rhymes
- Girlicious - "Like Me"
- Paradiso Girls - "Patron Tequila" feat. Lil Jon and Eve
- G.R.L. - "Ugly Heart"
References:
- The Pussycat Dolls - “Don’t Cha” MV https://youtu.be/YNSxNsr4wmA
- The Pussycat Dolls - “Don’t Cha” Live at HDTV https://youtu.be/FhHXC7h9A5g
- Girlicious - "Like Me" MV https://youtu.be/LE3ZEPSW1j8
- Girlicious - "Like Me" Live for the American Troops https://youtu.be/GeWoZqHwj7w
- Paradiso Girls - "Patron Tequila" feat. Lil Jon and Eve MV https://youtu.be/5FhEKAzSprE
- Paradiso Girls - "Patron Tequila" feat. Lil Jon and Eve Live on Daytime https://youtu.be/-3lVF37oioQ
- G.R.L. - "Ugly Heart" MV https://youtu.be/BxRQNO8vg2Y
- G.R.L. - "Ugly Heart" Live at Good Morning America https://youtu.be/fdiKJXRSSN4
00:00:00 --> 00:00:25 It's not that hard to sing, like at least in that third verse, let them each have one line. Like me! And then the final chorus gets almost a little ethereal and dreamy, which, you know, I guess that's where you're like super drunk. That's when you're kind of just like, ooh. Yeah, I think vocal delivery and the way their voices sound as a group or even separately, ooh, strong vocal. Viewer discretion is advised. Your fave will be criticized.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:36 That's Chris. That's Shan. And you are watching CTTV, the nonstop pop show. And it's time for Pop Off, the ultimate music showdown featuring Robin and Tense Girl Groups.
00:00:40 --> 00:01:09 Looking for an awesome global pop music podcast? Chris and I have the inside scoop with extensive experience performing on stage and working at record labels. We review and deep dive into your favorite artists' songs and careers and also interview music industry professionals, including artists, producers, choreographers, and everything in between. You can also join us on Patreon at patreon.com slash cctvpops and become a part of our amazing crew, including our producers, Lily, Lesette, Emily, Kevin, and Juliette.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:27 Subscribe now and let's explore the world of pop music together. And we're so excited to do another pop-off round. It's always fun to hear all of your comments as well because, you know, music is fun because we all have different opinions, everyone. Looking at you as a poppin' fan.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:50 So anyway, so Pop Off is a segment here on CCTV where we take some tracks, compare the songs, videos and performances and pick our favorites in each category. And then we each choose an ultimate winner as well. And again, this is for pure fun. So please don't take it too seriously and make sure to hit that follow or subscribe button because we have a lot of fun pop offs planned moving forward, too.
00:01:50 --> 00:02:18 So today we're taking a look at choreographer and entrepreneur Robin Anton. Before we get started, we must talk about the mother of the girl group vampire herself. Robin Anton is a dancer, choreographer, and entrepreneur who started the Pussycat Dole in 1995. Not the girl group that we all know and love, but a modern burlesque group. And there has been a lot of drama with this group, from burlesque to pop.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:45 And if you'd like to learn more, go check out our Pop 101 episode all about PCD. And from this franchise, she went on to create not only a few more girl groups, but a television series, a Las Vegas nightclub, and a clothing line. So again, I think it is kind of an empire a little bit, right? Sure. And though she was not in the lineup of the Pussycat Dolls, she made herself known as the business mind and creative leader behind the concept.
00:02:45 --> 00:03:08 All right, so let's get into our pop-off. We're going to take a look at the biggest singles by her four girl groups, the Pussycat Dolls, Girlicious, GRL, and Paradiso Girls. So let's get ready to rumble! Round one. Burst in the Ring are the Pussycat Dolls with Don'tcha, featuring Busta Rhymes.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:38 Player One. Written by Busta Rhymes and Cee La Green and including a Sir Mix-A-Lot sample, the song was originally released by Tori Alamez as her debut single in 2004. After lackluster success, the song was offered to the Pussycat Dolls. Following its release in April 2005, the song achieved massive global success and is often referenced as one of the best girl group songs of all time. So let's talk about the song first, the production, the vocals. What do you think?
00:03:38 --> 00:04:00 you know this is a good song instant hit i remember liking it when i first heard it when i was young like i was such a baby um not that much of a baby you know i was old enough to know to know that don't you wish a girlfriend was don't you wish i had no business singing in it whatsoever you know uh as much as i don't think any of us had any business singing this song
00:04:00 --> 00:04:26 Except them, right? I think this song is so fun and sassy. This kind of pop music now would be so frowned upon because it's not serious. And it stinks because it's fun. Like, if, I think of this song as almost like a really flirty, like, girl group version of an if. Because if is, like, intense and it's very, like, mm. This one's, like, mm-hmm, a little kind of cool. I'm like, listen, babe, listen.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:44 I know you like me, but lust isn't a good reason to, you know, come over here. I like the second verse. I will say that. I appreciate the second verse, appreciate the second verse saying like, listen, stay with your girl. Lust is not a reason to leave. But then the line about not caring about sharing comes around and then, well, the generosity is tossed out the window. It's like, listen.
00:04:44 --> 00:05:11 I don't care, but I know when she said that, I was like, oh, okay. Then I go, don't you wish your girlfriend was? So, yeah, I think that was cute. And then the whole maybe next live time. So I think there was a little bit of a push and pull in terms of like lyrical composition in terms of like, yeah, I'm hot. You see me. But also don't do that to your girlfriend because I'm not a homewrecker.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:41 You want to try to thruple thing? Yeah. One thing I do not like about the song is that you can hear a CeeLo. It's so funny. The, why is he still there? Come on, PeeLo. Why are you in there, man? Come on. One thing I don't like. I just cannot. That's like my kind of like gripe with the song. And also shout out to them for being able to get Busta Rhymes. Like he was a hot like rapper at the time. Like Ja Rule him 50 Cent. I think T.I. was like kind of coming up, but not. He wasn't hitting his shot at the moment. But yeah, kudos to them for getting Busta Bust.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:56 You know? And his verse is so good, too. I- Such a good flow. And then the original bridge of the song is like, nah. So that was the right choice to get a feature there. But we'll talk about that bridge because they do perform it. So we'll get there in round three.
00:05:56 --> 00:06:19 But yeah, I agree. The song is a perfect pop track. And I think I had said in the pop one on one that it still sounds quite current. Like it could very easily be released today in its form and it's like current form and would totally still be a hit, I think. And yeah, it's super, super catchy. The call and response is so fun in those verses. And that beat.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:48 It's pretty amazing. The drum is iconic. It's really hard not to strut a little whenever this song comes on, which is dangerous when you're walking around New York City. All right. But there are some really nice flourishes in the production, actually. I love all the little percussion. I like the guitar strums that come in and out. The DJ scratches, of course, the... The wiry synth as well. The horns in the chorus. So, yeah, really, really good. What do you think of the vocals other than CeeLo?
00:06:49 --> 00:06:56 I think they're think she's good
00:06:58 --> 00:07:21 I think. Okay, here's the thing. I think Melody is actually there for the Don't You Wish You. I think she might be on some. Yeah, Carmite might be in some of the lows too. Yeah, because I was thinking about like third round. We're not there yet performance wise. Watching them sing it live. I'm like, oh, there's that tone. Because I'm like, that's not just Nicole. Yeah. Even though probably eight of those layers are her.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:41 But again, it just stinks. When you're doing like a group vocal and you're like trying to make a comp vocal of all these takes, you get the best ones because you have like vocalists that are actually in your group. Again, watch our pop 101. It stinks that you went from being the main vocal to being a sub vocal to be like...
00:07:41 --> 00:08:05 You know, the extra one because you've seen her hitting live crazy notes. But yeah, I think Nicole's delivery is great. The original was absolutely sassy, obviously. The black woman was singing. She was singing it. She wasn't just singing. She was, oh, no. She was going in. And I think Nicole followed it to the letter from the demo. I will say that she copied it, but she doesn't sound like she's putting on a black accent, which I appreciate. Yeah.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:21 I don't know. It sounds like a little bit more of a draw in a sense. It's breathy. And even when she performs it, it still translates pretty well. I cannot wait to get to the performance side because she does stuff in the vocals. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We ain't there yet.
00:08:21 --> 00:08:51 I agree with you. I think her execution is pretty flawless, actually. You know, it's relaxed, but it's sexy. It's sultry. And there's a lot of attitude when needed, I think. So even though the verses are a little samey, right? You know, like, it's just like, even the third verse after the rap is still that same kind of energy, but she gives something different in each line. So I appreciate that. But yeah, you know, I love a girl group, right? And so the fact
00:08:51 --> 00:09:16 that there's three members that aren't even on the song when this song is not hard to sing no you know and like we've heard i think jessica has performed it i've seen karmite perform it solo i'm sure ashley i'm sure they all have probably at different gigs and stuff yeah it's not that hard to sing like at least in that third verse let them each have one line yeah that's what gets on my nerves uh what is that
00:09:16 --> 00:09:40 And that will annoy me always, you know? So I cannot give the vocals a 10 despite how great Nicole sounds because they're a group. So yeah, let's move on to the next player. We have Girlicious with Like Me. Player 2. And this one was released in April 2008 following the conclusion of the CW reality show. Chrissy Cat Dolls present Girlicious.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:59 which documented the group's formation. And Like Me was done by Phelan, Alexander, Esther Dean, Cedric Williams, and Jazzy Fay. And it only got to number two on Billboard's bubbling under chart, but it did manage to reach number four on the Canadian Hot 100. So at least it did well somewhere.
00:10:01 --> 00:10:17 That explains why they went to Canada to perform it, actually. Yeah, I think with their second album, it was like only released in Canada. Like, I think their record deal turned into Canada only, which is why America still doesn't have this album on streaming, which is criminal, because second album is actually really good. Yeah.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:32 Oh, wow. I would have not. Wow. Yeah. Interesting. I'm surprised they didn't have Jazzy Faye like come around with his ladies and gentlemen back in the day because of him and Pilo actually worked together.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:55 Oh. Yeah, on a song together years ago. But yeah, what do you think about the song? Because like you said, it is absolutely criminal because they actually were like good for the time. Yeah, I mean, first off, I think we both watched the show, right? Yeah. I loved that show. Like I loved all the girl group formation stuff. So this was right up my alley. This one definitely was, there was a lot of,
00:10:55 --> 00:11:19 patty drama in this one so i remember these four are not liking each other right so when they all got in the group it was already kind of like i don't know if they're gonna last but you know talent wise though the four of them are great i will say uh the song is awesome i think you can tell that don't show was kind of the brief like if you look at a lot of the songs on pcd beep
00:11:19 --> 00:11:49 You know, all of those, it has the same kind of energy to it. So you can kind of hear what they were going for. It has that sassiness. It has that super strong beat. Lyrically, though, this time it's directed at another woman. So that's different. And yeah, I think the production is okay on this. It does have an energy and it also does inspire a strut. Not as big a strut as Don't You, but still a strut. But I have to say, listening to it super closely, which I haven't done in years, a lot of it does sound just like a loop.
00:11:49 --> 00:12:13 like there's not many deviations that happen throughout it you get a little bit of a pullback for that last section of the chorus and then there's some tension building in that bridge but otherwise the whole thing is just looped over and over again for the entire song which isn't great um and then also the mixing is terrible i don't know if that's just the version that's currently now on streaming but it's super muddled because everything seems really pushed forward and it's very loud
00:12:13 --> 00:12:43 Yeah. And so that really sucks for them. I will say vocally, though, I do appreciate now all the members do have their own moments. Then they all actually have very unique tones. Like I think on the entire project, both the first album and the second album, you can pretty much always tell the three of them completely apart, which is good. Yeah. And yeah, there's just a ton of attitude. There's some nice ad libs there. There's definitely they're definitely pushing really hard.
00:12:43 --> 00:13:03 um in it and i think that was clearly directed by robin because they kind of do that in everything with this song but um i don't think that's a bad thing because i think the song has a lot of attitudes so it's giving that uh and there are some nice little harmonies in there and some different members taking lead in different parts of the chorus and stuff so i enjoy it what do you think
00:13:03 --> 00:13:13 I remember coming home from school and watching this show, this part of the basement. I was like with bated breath. But you know, I think this was an interesting song in terms of like...
00:13:14 --> 00:13:43 direction because it wasn't a pussycat girl, pussycat girl, pussycat tall, like spinoff completely, which I appreciate. They actually tried to match the soundscape of the music at the time. And like hip hop and R&B was coming up now. Sierra had just hit her prime, was starting to like fantasy right around the time, right? Like 2008. Yeah. But yeah, anyway, she had just come off working with Jazzy Faye, which is, they kind of split up after that, after the Evolution album. So when they got together, I was like, Jazzy,
00:13:43 --> 00:14:05 hey you gotta product shizzle from jazzy ladies and gentlemen and he said it in the airness too that's his tag okay murder on the beast it was not nice we had ladies and gentlemen um but yeah no i think it's really impressive to kind of get that uh crunk pop sound i like that part so my ears are already kind of like ready to hear it when i was younger and i was like this is
00:14:05 --> 00:14:32 Oh, yeah. Oh, and the attitude is there. I will admit with the beginning, like tagline, the you, you. I thought they were saying, do you, do you, do you? Like, like, like, do you want to be me? Like, keep watching. I kind of like that. Thank you. Me too. You, you, you, you. I'm like, I don't. Okay, sure. But yeah, no, I, again, I do appreciate the, the attempt to make things sound sonically more R&B because Tiffany, like me.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:52 don't know why i talked to tiffany because she was sitting there taking him to church in that back end of the song and um i will say the drums in the song kind of remind me of like teach me how to dougie that oh yes yeah so i like there's influences so i appreciate it um i do i'm not gonna lie
00:14:54 --> 00:15:20 The lyrics about the girls that ain't like me thing, it's probably not as appreciated now because everyone's like, we have to love each other. We're women. I get it. I totally get it. But here's the thing, girl, be yourself. Don't be me. Don't do it. You can succeed. Just don't do it by being me. So I totally get that. And it's also pretty, it's still prevalent and still happens in hip hop and R&B now. So like this kind of rhetoric and lyricism, I don't find it personally like, oh my God, how could they?
00:15:20 --> 00:15:27 possibly say it. Believe me, if you're listening to this, you've met someone that's just doing the utmost. You're like, can you just...
00:15:28 --> 00:15:53 go, go, go, go. And I think the song does it in a nice way where it's not like she's a... I appreciate they don't say she's a H-O-E. They don't say she's a B word. It's just like she's trying to do like me. She's trying to shake her booty like me. She's not doing it like me. She wish she was fine like me. And it happens, you know? They just didn't say she was a hater. Had they said she was a hater, maybe people would be like, oh, yeah, you tell that girl off. But this is not like... Instead of just like bullying this poor girl off. Right, it's coming across as like...
00:15:53 --> 00:16:23 It's coming across as you want to be like me, huh? And then, you know... Yeah, you're not as good as me. You're not cute. You're not like... It's like, oh. Right, exactly. So I think that's the kind of like roughness with it. But again, like you were like hip hop now, like with Lado and Cardi B's verse on that song. I was like, dang, girl, I don't know whose neck you're trying to step on, but get off. That's kind of what that song is trying to do. But again, again, I think it's a pretty decent song. I think...
00:16:23 --> 00:16:53 Natalie's hilarious. Cause I'm a hottie and this a potty. Not party, potty. And I do appreciate, even though the instrument still does loop a lot, there are some, there are some ad-libs that kind of like the, that kind of get like a extra like harmony on top or something happens, but the mix is way too forward. I don't know who the heck did it. God, Jesus. But honestly, that was the style back in the day. Have that crap be super loud. And then you're like, where's the production? What's going on? I don't know why they thought that was okay. But yeah,
00:16:53 --> 00:17:20 But yeah, I mean, it's not bad. Yeah. And I love the little exhale at the end. Oh, it's super fun. Up next is Paradiso Girls with Patron Tequila featuring Little John and Eve. Player three. So Robin wanted to recreate the magic and try to create an international group. With five members from different countries, she dubbed these girls the Paradiso Girls.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:49 They released Patron Tequila in April 2009. And this song was done by Jamal Jones, Carrie Hilson, Esther Dean, Jay Smith, Jay Perry, Paula DeDon, and Lil Jon. And it was originally intended for Carrie Hilson's album, but was ultimately not included. And the song achieved little success, peaking at number 82 in the Canadian Hot 100 and appearing on a few Billboard charts, including Dance Club Songs and Heat Seekers.
00:17:49 --> 00:18:19 I was not really here for the Paradiso Girls, I'm going to be honest. This song is just not really for me. I kind of get what they were going for because, you know, you kind of everything was about partying during that time in Western music more so. You had like the Black Eyed Peas and vocally and melodically, this is giving like ting-tings or like maybe even like Kesha. I know Kesha maybe came out a little after this song, but it's that kind of bratty, kind of half yelling kind of style.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:44 yeah so i understand what they were going for yeah it's actually really funny though i'm not gonna lie yeah you could definitely tell robin loves this type of super strong beat uh because that's definitely been very consistent so far it makes sense obviously she wants something you can like perform the crap out of so i guess she wants something super high energy uh i will say i actually think eve and little john's parts are the best parts
00:18:44 --> 00:19:01 He has awesome moments. I love her raps. And Lil Jon, you know, he's giving the energy. You know, he's like the DJ in the back, like, screaming. Which I think works in this case, because it's about partying. And so I almost, like...
00:19:01 --> 00:19:22 look out for those parts more than I do the actual groups parts, I think. So yeah, the chorus it's catchy. I think it's slightly annoying, but I, again, I kind of see what they were going for. The first verse though is nice. Like that's where you can really hear the kind of Carrie Hilson influence because Carrie has a really nice voice. It's always kind of delicate.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:47 Yeah. But then she's singing about like nasty things. Oh yes, nasty things. So it's always just a nice balance. Oh yeah. And then Lauren comes in and there's way more energy. So there is kind of a build with the way the vocals are done. Production wise, it's okay. I think I do like the long synths in the background. There is a lot of tension because it does kind of feel like you're like building up to like this big explosive party moment.
00:19:47 --> 00:20:17 And then the final chorus gets almost a little ethereal and dreamy, which, you know, I guess that's where you're like super drunk. That's when you're kind of just like, ooh. So that's kind of what I was getting out of that. So I guess that's cool. But yeah, you know, the lyrics, it's just like the whole glamorizing, the throwing up and all that stuff. Like, I'm sure I wonder if they tried to get Patron to like sponsor this and they were like, this is too trashy. That bothered me. I'm like, at the end of the night, I'll have you. What the heck?
00:20:17 --> 00:20:43 no no pretty girls don't do that don't sit there and say i'm gonna make it throw up like if it happens it happens put that in the verse not a chant and you bamped it that's what makes it they bamped it you know i'm not gonna lie i was i was pretty young and impressionable when the song it is so funny looking at these girls now like they're like all mothers and like i'm now kind of around the age where some of them were when they started i'm like
00:20:43 --> 00:21:10 Oh, I get it. Because when I was younger, I was just like, But yeah, so I didn't, I don't think I was, again, too adverse to it. Because it was, now that I look at who's written a song, it's Estredean. I can hear it. Tequila. That's the way she got to deliver. When she was doing a lot of music. And I'm like, oh gosh. And then the Polo de Don kind of production I was used to hearing. Because he was doing a lot of stuff for...
00:21:10 --> 00:21:38 for Carrie at the time, like Carrie Hilson. So I like the production and you're right, Robin seems to really like the whole stomping the drums and the bump and the bump because this is very like drum heavy as well. There's a drum pattern that leads the song, there's a drum pattern that leads Like Me and keep going, you know, predecessors and such like that. So yeah, I appreciate that she tried to have like a EDM spin-off. I can't lie, the way this is all going, it's like you have Applebee's, Chili's,
00:21:40 --> 00:21:57 Like all smithoff kind of restaurants that are kind of the same umbrella. But yeah, this is kind of like the European EDM girls. I will say Kelly, the black girl. We haven't listed anybody's, like the members' names or anything like that. But Kelly, that girl, I don't even know what she can say. Because she's a black girl.
00:21:58 --> 00:22:27 I think she's released a solo song, though, actually. I'm sure she's very talented. But, you know, in pure... Yeah, is she even there? Yeah, in pure girl group, American girl group fashion. And based on, I think based on, like, what they were trying to go for, like, sonically, the other girls' voices do fit that EDM sound that was kind of popping at the time. Like, that very, like, high-pitched, in-your-face, blah, blah, blah. So, yeah, even in Char, if I'm not mistaken, the other girl...
00:22:28 --> 00:22:50 man with the filipina i was like does she have anything to say because unless you're watching a live performance she didn't do anything and i'm like why did y'all sign up to tell yeah those two are barely in the video too which we'll get to but yeah oh my god oh but yeah no i think this song was interesting you got lil john yelling sorry
00:22:51 --> 00:23:16 Woo, boy. Like you said, he's in the back. And I think Keri probably could have done this song because it definitely sounds like something she would have done. But I think there's a lot more trash pop, like you were saying. And they're not vocally untalented. Like Chelsea had just come off the girl, the girlicious like spinoff show for the next Pussycat Doll. So they were just kind of filling in slats of girls that they already had. Very much like how K-pop does it. Like we already have a trainee in the back. She can hit these notes. And Chelsea held it down.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:30 Yes, she did. She's great. Her voice is so good. Amazing. This had me weak. So she said, Oh, my girl.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:54 like her verse was so good and then you get into this freaking chorus i'm like the melody's not strong enough um but yeah she was eating it up even lauren she sounded pretty decent but there's a lot of processing on her voice and aria as a vocalist is very like nasally and i'm just i can go on but you know we gotta start somewhere but i'm gonna end it here
00:23:54 --> 00:24:22 All right, so our final player is GRL with Ugly Heart. Player four. So this was actually their second single. Luckily, they actually got a second single. Oh, God, yes. So anyway, after members started leaving the Pussycat Dolls around 2011, Robin Anton began holding auditions for new members, but ultimately decided to just create a brand new girl group, which ended up being GRL.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:42 And we're just pretending the Paradiso Girls never happened because that was just a major fail. So Ugly Heart was done by Ryan Baharlou, Esther Dean, Dr. Puke, John Charles Mons, and Circuit. And the song did achieve a lot of success, hitting charts all around the world, including Australia, the UK, and across Europe.
00:24:42 --> 00:25:10 Esther Dean is back. And you can hear it too. Oh my gosh. Now that I'm getting a little bit more familiar with Esther Dean as a songwriter, I'm like, oh, I can hear her singing this demo and eating it up. I like this song. I think production-wise it's not my style in terms of like the... I can't with the ukulele. The ukulele sound, I cannot. That's just my personal preference. And I think around the time this song came out, I was already kind of...
00:25:10 --> 00:25:39 so deep into k-pop i was doing my like but it doesn't sound like k-pop in my i was in that phase of my music listening um so i was i think i might have been too actually right right so it's just like we start hearing some other stuff you're like hang on i gotta listen to western groups okay so um go all 2011 good year especially for the 21 naming every date before they sang their music um but yeah no um
00:25:40 --> 00:26:02 It was something that I didn't really like at first. But the reason I actually did pay attention to the song was because Simone Battle was in this group. And I remember seeing her on X Factor. And I thought she was freaking amazing there. And the way they edited her audition, it made it seem like they hated her. But she did it. They didn't hate her. She was just a young girl with just a lot of energy. They didn't hate her, though.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:28 And I thought, wow, she can really sing. And she actually sang when I grow up, when she auditioned. So again, it just all kind of just goes on this weird pipeline of like, hey, you sang the song before, you want to be in a girl group? Yes. But yeah, I think she's kicking it off with her. Her voice is so good. All their voices are good, actually. I will say the line distribution must skip a generation because they finally got lines.
00:26:28 --> 00:26:56 Girl, this is traded lines. But in Paradiso Girls, you're like, who's singing? Is it the same one? This one, you're like, okay, this is a different voice. You have all of these girls with very, not similar voices, but similar enough where they can actually switch each other's parts, which is good. All right? So you get a second verse, second pre-chorus, you have Emmeline singing it or Natasha singing it. I think Paula's the only one that's singing in the bridge. I'm not sure if she's like a singer-sanger.
00:26:56 --> 00:27:24 But she came around the bridge, gave that little whisper, okay. And it was good. It was good. So they were all solid. So I definitely appreciated how they sound. And that's what kind of brought me around. That chorus, though, when I heard it, honey, left the song alone. Years later, got into a little mix. And, you know, so what do you think about that? Because, I mean, like, music and copyright and all the other good stuff and infringements and stuff.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:52 I hear it. I actually just listened to them back to back when we were preparing for this just because I wanted a fresh take on it. And definitely the chorus is very chant-like and the melody is a little similar. I think the Little Mix one is a little more melodic. There's just a little more going on with it, I think. The GRL one is more of kind of a yelling kind of chant.
00:27:52 --> 00:28:15 Yes. But I totally get it. But yeah, GRL in general, the whole thing just sounds a little grittier. Mm-hmm. So I get the comparison, but I don't think it's a complete derivative. Yeah. Yeah. One's driving down with the top down, and the other one's kind of protesting bad guys. Yes. And I felt that. So yeah, I think vocal delivery and the way their voices sound as a group or even separately—
00:28:16 --> 00:28:45 strong vocals and I really wish like you know things worked out and panned out well for them because it was a very unlucky trajectory absolutely yeah I will agree with you I think vocally super super strong every time someone new sings it's like ooh a new tone you know like something different and they're all I think you know I don't know how much Robin is involved with the vocal production of things but you know I think you start off
00:28:45 --> 00:29:14 with Girllicious where they're just like doing the absolute, absolute most. And they're pushing so hard. You have Paradiso girls that are basically just yelling for most of it. And then GRL, you have a lot more range there. So yeah, it's a nice moment. I don't mind the kind of country guitar stomping kind of moment. I don't mind that. It actually kind of reminded me of Katy Perry a little bit. Like, I think this could be a Katy Perry song, which makes sense because it's kind of a lot of the same, you know, she was a big Dr. Puke.
00:29:14 --> 00:29:41 kind of artist at that time so it makes sense for sure and this mix is so much better this mix is probably the best out of the four uh it sounds super super full yes um and then the way it pulls back you get like a really nice build with the snare drum rolls and the cymbals hitting with simone's giant note and then the last chorus feels super anthemic as well yeah so it's a really really nice build throughout the entire song um and i love the lyrics as well
00:29:41 --> 00:30:02 Yes, I love them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Super, super fun. And, you know, I think we all know these people, these very stuck-up people that are also good-looking but are just so nasty inside that they're just very unattractive in every way. So that concludes round one, which was about the production and the vocals and the song itself. So what wins this round for you? Oh, wow.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:31 No, I can't do it. You go first, please. Yeah, I think this is tough for me because I actually really like most of these songs. But I think I hate to be super biased that I love Don'tcha. Like I will never get sick of Don'tcha. It's so good. It deserves its place as one of the best girl group songs ever. It's just so much fun. I don't think I'll ever get sick of it in my entire life. I'm going to match you. I like Don'tcha. Don'tcha is good. Girl is just right behind them. I'll give them that right behind.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:58 Round two. So, don't just video. Can I tell you, Nicole is so hot. I look at that video and I'm like, she still looks really good. But when she was like, what a minute or 20-something. She was fine as hell. All in all, it looked good. But you didn't know who was in the group. You just know some hot chicks. And also, I love, when I was younger, I remember looking at her and thinking, she's not good.
00:30:59 --> 00:31:25 No offense to anyone, but she's not white. And usually with pop girl groups, it's always a blonde hair lead or like a brunette. There's always like a pop girl. That's just not what Nicole looked like. So I think that's also the appeal of why it was so like special. Because this was the age of like Maxim Hot 100. Like all these girl groups were like Maxim Hot. So it was pretty much like whatever you saw, what kind of media are you being fed?
00:31:25 --> 00:31:41 You would see like Paris Hilton in them or whatever. It was always blonde hair. The Playboy Bunny girls are all blonde. And then you see this dark haired, tan skin telling you, you wish your girlfriend, whatever she looks like, looked like me. Oh, my God.
00:31:41 --> 00:32:07 She was definitely a star and it stinks that the other girls didn't get a lot of shine. But I do like that how they were styled in terms of like, you know, their personalities. Like you can kind of see like Kim with her mohawk, Carmine with her red hair and Jessica with her black. Ashley with Ashley, I could barely tell who it was. And it sucks because you have so many like B-roll shots of random girls because you don't know who might get the axe. Okay. It was giving like America's Next Top Model. It's like this week.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:31 But yeah, I loved the choreography. This one was one of the more choreography heavy videos. And you can remember the step, touch, step, touch, hot like me. You know it. And in the chest pops with the DJ scratch, you can remember all of it. And the, oh my gosh, like the whole, like dirty arcade, grungy, like,
00:32:31 --> 00:32:48 know whose house they were at but I wanted to be there like I'm at that age now and I'm like where is that party um but yeah I think this video was really fun and the chemistry not the chemistry maybe like the the magnetism rather the charisma was definitely there with even with all the random girls I didn't know who was who you you wanted to keep watching
00:32:48 --> 00:33:08 It's definitely a simple concept, but it's super, super effective. Yeah. I think the Pussycat Dolls and I think Robin in general, like obviously she's a dancer, so she understands what is needed to perform well. And so, yeah, Nicole's amazing on camera, but all the ladies, including the ones that didn't make it.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:29 in the group that were in this video, they all do the absolute most that they can when they know that they're on camera. And that's a good thing in this case. Because I think when you're given this concept that is just kind of like, okay, you're in this house party. Oh my God, yeah. Make it work. And you know, even Robin's in there too. And she's giving too. Sliding on the wall. Yeah.
00:33:30 --> 00:34:00 But, you know, it's interesting watching it back. You know, they were all, as you kind of noted, they were fighting for their place in the group. And even Nicole, she was kind of needing to prove why she was the center and the leader. And then the rest of them, their place wasn't solidified yet. So it's kind of like, you better give your absolute most every single hair flip, every single hip hit, every smize, every chest pop. Like they are putting their all into it. But I think that's what makes this video so great to watch as well. Uh-huh.
00:34:00 --> 00:34:21 And I also really like the way they did the color grading as well. Like, obviously, the house is kind of grungy. Yeah, but not gross. Like, it doesn't look trashy. So they did a good job with that. And then also, like, all the little pops of color, like you have Carmite's hair, you've got some red lipstick, like just the way they did it where it's all relatively subtle, but again, it's just there's a lot to look at.
00:34:21 --> 00:34:43 Yes. And so, again, it just kind of takes a simple concept, and they've kept it interesting for this, like, four-minute long song. Oh, my gosh. It doesn't really go anywhere, to be honest. But the song itself is just so good that it's so good. But, like, yeah, the build, though, isn't really there in the video or in the song. So, like, they had to kind of keep it interesting, and they definitely did that. All right. So, player two.
00:34:43 --> 00:35:13 Big Sexy Hair is the sponsor for Like Me by Girlicious. What did you think of that video? And it premiered at the end of the final episode of the CW show. Which is so stressful and was indicative of why that video looks the way it does. Because there's no extra. And all the videos that we've seen, we're going to talk about today. This is the most non-extra video. Budget was not there. Big Sexy Hair did not give them a big budget there.
00:35:14 --> 00:35:43 Not at all. You know what's crazy, too? They had no extra because they were being extra. Like, this was the age of, like... This was the age of, like, you got served. The dance movies. Everyone's, like, throwing their hair and stuff like that. Like, this was that era. And it was so apparent. Wow. Okay. Where do I start with this? Okay. I'll be nice. Not even nice. I'll just be, like, a little bit more... Start low. Start to raise the bar. You keep the PCD color palette, right? You have, like, the...
00:35:43 --> 00:35:51 The kind of like sailory or like the striped socks. But this time it's a little bit more urban because they're wearing shorts and...
00:35:52 --> 00:36:15 and tops with the old English lettering of their names and they're dancing more hip hop-y because this is not street jazz, this is hip hop. And you have to know, we're doing a heel toe. But yeah, I mean, I think it's interesting to watch the palette of the video because it looks like buttons. Like there's a, it looks like the fight arena. And then the girls were in the back or in the box. Like the PCD was singing buttons in the box.
00:36:15 --> 00:36:29 You know, like the opening act. And then the fight was going on with Girllicious. I do like the whole idea of them being in a ring. I think it would have... I think the video would have served a nice kind of like...
00:36:29 --> 00:36:47 It was a nice stage set for like a little dance battle between the girls. Like if I was a choreographer for that or like a video, a director for that, yo, have like a little dance off between two girls and two girls. Like try not to make it so obvious that you're putting like color and color, but like figure out a good combination of girls and girls. It can just be fun banter. Um...
00:36:47 --> 00:37:11 It would have been fun. I think it would have been fun. But yeah, you can definitely see their personalities. Like I said, no extras because they were extra. Okay. Natalie's solo scenes. She's great. She started unzipping, ripping, hair flipping, popping. I was like, girl, where's your sign? She was great. But again, I watched them. I was like, wow. Wow.
00:37:11 --> 00:37:37 I want to be those girls. And that's the point. At the end of the day, that's the point. You want to look at them and be like, I either want to be with that person or I want to be that person. Or are you like, oh, I hate that. It's disgusting. You feel one of those three things or you feel nothing at all. Maybe four. But yeah, I was like, wow, they're so cool. They're so pretty. And I want to do the heel toe with them and the strutting and the hitting. So, yeah, I enjoyed the video. It's not great, but they were believable. So I'll take it.
00:37:37 --> 00:37:58 Yeah, they definitely did what they could. You know, I think they were put in this, like, tiny, tiny warehouse with the boxing ring and were like, go for it. Because even the lighting that you can see, it looks so cheap. It's just like, oh, wow. Like, CW didn't give you guys anything or Big Sexy Hair didn't either. No.
00:37:58 --> 00:38:25 I will say I do enjoy the little moments of them each in the corners. I kind of wish we got a shot where all four of them were in their own corners. And like, if they actually had like two extras that could be like the towel people or the water people. And the whole thing was like this show was a competition. So they could have kind of played on that, you know? So I completely agree with you. There's a lot more that could have been done there, but it's okay. Because I agree. Yeah.
00:38:25 --> 00:38:34 They did a good job, I think, the four of them. I think it's hard to go that hard all the time, right? Yeah.
00:38:34 --> 00:39:01 Like, I imagine for this whole video shoot, it takes a long time to film these videos. And they are, I mean, I said people were giving their all in the Pussycat Dolls video, but this one, they were going at like 150. Like, it was kind of insane how hard they're going. So I really respect that, you know, like you can feel how badly they want it. Yeah. So I appreciate that. And also as a group, I do like how the four of them look as a group.
00:39:01 --> 00:39:21 They all look completely different. They all do have their own lane. But then they're also confident. And even if they didn't like each other, they just do a good job of kind of showing some teamwork. Like when they all kind of come together at different moments. Yeah, with the popping. Yeah. Yeah, they did what they could. That's it. They did what they could. They did a good job with what they had.
00:39:22 --> 00:39:42 All right. So with the next set of group of girls, I have Paradisco Girls, their video. Like I said, line distribution skips a generation and so does camera time, apparently. Yeah.
00:39:42 --> 00:40:12 Boy, all I saw was Aria. And I thought she looked great. I thought I was like, she's a smug. Her short hair is awesome. Yes. And the belt over her red top with the boob. I was like, yes. Yeah. But I'm gonna go in. So couldn't tell who was in a group without B-side shots. Like it was like, oh, clip of a hot girl. Who is that? Who is that? They're gorgeous. But who is that? The dance scene pissed me off because the lighting was not. Lauren and I. Lauren in the back. And she white. I can't see her face.
00:40:12 --> 00:40:41 Like, why is the shadow cast that much? I can't see that girl. She's gorgeous. What are you doing? Like, things like that piss me off. But I gotta say, also, not all these girls are dancer dancers. And if they are, it was just a little sloppy. Because there was some point where they were, like, something. There was this one thing that I kept doing. I kept doing this weird, like, marching thing. I can't do it because my body does not want to do it. But it was, like, I can't. I wish I could show y'all this little bit of it.
00:40:41 --> 00:41:04 What a clip in, but her knees kept going up so high. I was like, girl, she was like doing mountain climbers, but like standing up. That's how it was. It was a lot, bro. But yeah. Oh, God. They aren't like dancer dancers, right? Maybe they're like hot vocalists, but Kelly's a DJ, I guess, because she wasn't doing nothing except
00:41:05 --> 00:41:34 yeah like i was like no which means uh yeah oh my god but like i said about like the pussycat dolls i see them and i'm like i want to have a party like that but there are no clubs irl that looks like this i hate music videos they're such lies oh my god this is this look like they're having fun everyone's dancing everyone's on the club it's in a fist pumping on the thing i will say lauren missed her cue on one of those fist pumps but you know it was it was fun and i was like i want to be at this club because no clubs that popping in real life
00:41:34 --> 00:41:52 Except, sorry, Poppy. Shout out to them because they pop it. But yeah, I'm done. Well, what did you think of the actual concept of this guy that was like daydreaming about these women? Oh, I almost forgot all about them because of her, of Arya's high knees.
00:41:52 --> 00:42:12 I mean, again, this is the era of Maxim Hot 100. Yeah. If you could sleep with this girl, would you? You know, VH1 top 50 pop divas, you know? That's how I found girls allowed. But yeah, I mean, it was okay. He was basic as hell. The whole, like, orgasming on the bus. Like, what's going on?
00:42:12 --> 00:42:25 Yeah, it's really sleazy and trashy, I thought. And I get that, like you said, that was a thing back then, but it's just aged so badly. It's definitely giving, like, straight white man's concept.
00:42:25 --> 00:42:44 Oh my god, yes. You know? Yes. Like, yeah. So, like, some of it is just, it's just not very tasteful. Like, when Arya's, like, in the bus, like, touching herself and stuff. Like, I was like, ugh. Why? Like, this is not. Why? Yes, I didn't love that because I think it really made it look. It truly cheapened.
00:42:44 --> 00:43:07 The whole thing. It cheapened the group. I think it cheapened Robin and her franchise as well. It's just all the choices I find a bit bizarre. So yeah, all a bit gross. The party scenes are fine. I agree with you that all the dance scenes annoyed the hell out of me. Also, I mean, not just because of the lighting, but...
00:43:07 --> 00:43:29 What happened to Robin's standards? Like, I am really, really confused. I'm going to be honest. I don't really know much about Paradiso Girls. So please educate me on this if you have more information. But Robin's whole thing was that she's a choreographer. Like, she wants to find dancers. She wants to find performers. And then you get these...
00:43:29 --> 00:43:51 girls who I mean that maybe you're right where all five of them are like really strong vocalists compared to maybe the past two groups that we just talked about right it's not like this song requires that so then it's just kind of like then like why do you need really good singers when you do a song that's about performance but then they're not good dancers so they can't perform well I don't know I find I'm just very confused by the whole thing
00:43:51 --> 00:44:12 Yeah, I think when I watched the video, I was like, oh, they're not really showing much dancing. You know, I want, but I guess I was like, oh, that's an interesting choice. And then I saw them perform it. And then I was like, oh, oh, yeah. So we'll get to the performances in round three. But yeah, it was a lot of just rhyming and like.
00:44:13 --> 00:44:43 Yeah, it's just not classy. Like, I think the thing is with the Pussycat Dolls, they were always classy about it. Polished. Polished, yeah. Yeah, and even Girlicious. It did get a little sleazier for Girlicious, but, you know, I think they were getting down. Like, it was hip-hop, and they were doing, like, a lot of grooves and stuff, so it was cooler. This one was just sleazy. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, y'all. Sorry. Sorry. All right, so Player 4 is Ugly Heart. What did you think of that video?
00:44:43 --> 00:45:02 Okay, you know what? I do appreciate that each of the girls have their own style in this video, right? And I think the whole premise of the video is okay, but I'm not sure what they're going to jail for. So just being like really hot and like refusing to date an ugly guy. Well, you see it at the end. At the end where she goes, okay, so now you got an ugly heart. And I'm like...
00:45:02 --> 00:45:31 Yeah, so the guy had tattoos all over him, and they were arrested at a tattoo parlor. Right, right, tester parlor. So they did that to him. Right, right, right. See this, y'all? The fact that you didn't even understand it, that was not good. If you're new here to our show, I'm usually the one with the tin hat with the music video. You are. Okay, so that means they did a bad job. Thanks, Chris. I appreciate you so much. Because for some reason, I just don't remember the guy with the tattoo on his face. It was really fast. They only showed him for like two seconds.
00:45:32 --> 00:46:01 Lame. At the end, yeah. Lame. Okay, thank you. Okay, I like the whole, like, criminal thing going. It's kind of cute. Oh, because the song sounds like they're like, yes, oh, this is our Riley cry. Uh-uh-uh. Feel that. You know, Simone was like a revolutionary. Lauren was like a festival baddie. Natasha was being fierce but demure with the skirt, and Paula looked like a fashionista from NYC. Yeah, cool, cool, cool. I didn't name all the girls. I get it. But here's the thing. They look so extra as their character. Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:02 --> 00:46:22 But, you know, that was the sign of the times. Like, it was like, yo, show your personality really big maximal, like, fashion. Like, how can you be maximalist without copying Lady Gaga? And things like this were, like, the norm. But it sucks because there's no semblance of, like, hey, we're a group. It's just random girls linked up together. No color to link them together or any kind of, like, we're all wearing...
00:46:23 --> 00:46:44 Louis Vuitton or whatever. But yeah, I mean, it's bad. I do like the jail scenes. Yeah. Those are cool. But I hate that the desk was so close. When they sit on the desk, they're so close to the ceiling where they're sitting there trying to dance. You got them like, you know, doing it halfway or like can't stand up all the way. Their hands are up on the ceiling like this. I'm like...
00:46:44 --> 00:47:07 So kudos to them for Sinner trying to be sexy with those dry walls. You know, I have the same wall on my ceiling. Like, it's just not it's not cute. But again, they're they're believable. I do wish there were more dance scenes, though, other than them, like, writhing in the shower or like them dancing on top of the desk, like the chorus. I appreciate them showing that. But I do. I am curious to see what would have happened.
00:47:08 --> 00:47:26 with, you know, more dance scenes in the certain areas like them in the shower area for the bridge and then never coming back around. That was fun. But give me a stance where they're standing in the formation, kind of all doing something really sexy and slow together. But like you said about Paradiso Girls, when you watch the dancing, you're like, okay, I can kind of see it.
00:47:26 --> 00:47:49 why maybe i mean they were better they're better dancers as a group than paradiso girls for sure oh yeah and we should know lauren is in both of those groups as well yes so kudos to lauren but you know what she was doing the um she was doing the uh lmfao songs too yes so she got a lot better vocally too she did um yeah so kudos to all of them all yes um
00:47:50 --> 00:48:15 I will say after watching the last three, I appreciated that at least this video had an attempt at an actual story. Oh, yeah. I didn't. Yeah, I think I like the idea of like, you don't really know why they were arrested until the very end. But the ending was just so not satisfying and so fast that I just don't think the execution was great on that. I agree with you on the styling as well. It just felt a little forced.
00:48:15 --> 00:48:42 because it just wasn't relatable yeah yeah i think like it's kind of like okay like like you're dressed like that like i don't feel bad for you i don't know i'm crying you're dressed like a bad girl and so it's getting like young rebellion girls who are trying to do bad things on purpose to like have fun so like i'm not like yeah no no their first single was like that like the first thing was so like childish but that was for like the smurf soundtrack wasn't it
00:48:42 --> 00:49:00 Oh, yeah. Okay. It was. It was. It was. It was. Okay. Okay. Okay. I'll give them that. But then it kind of carried on where it's like you guys just look like bratty girls that are just really stylish as opposed to like girls who are like heartbroken and strong about it. It's almost too strong. Yeah. Well, it was strong in like a sense that I didn't.
00:49:00 --> 00:49:20 love i don't know it was strong in the sense that i didn't want to like be on their side it was a oh i wonder what these bad girls did at the tattoo parlor you know what i mean yeah yeah as opposed to oh like someone wronged these girls yeah and like and i think that's what it should have been because that's obviously what the song is about so i just didn't love that
00:49:20 --> 00:49:39 I think individually, they all did a really good job. You can definitely see the potential in this group for sure. Like give them a couple more videos. And I think, you know, I've always said it's easier to do the absolute most and give 150% and then learn how to kind of pull it back and give yourself a lot of range that way. And yeah.
00:49:39 --> 00:49:55 And it's easier to do that than it is to like have someone who's just a bad performer and try to pull it out of them. Right. Like as dancers, like that's always been the biggest struggle. Right. And so they're all doing, again, the absolute most, which has been the same thing that we've seen. So Robin Anton is a...
00:49:55 --> 00:50:16 She does a good job of pulling, you know, performance out of people. But unfortunately, a lot of these groups didn't have a chance to actually like develop those skills and actually give some range to their ability. But I do think the five of them did well. I agree. I wish there were more proper group scenes because even in the lineup and stuff, there's not really any chemistry. It's just kind of like they're all just there.
00:50:16 --> 00:50:40 Yeah, you can't even tell if they actually like each other. I was watching some interviews, and I'm like, these girls probably have some of the best chemistry that all of her groups have had. The fact that they even try to stay together after everything that happens says a lot. So, yeah, me. So that concludes round two, the video. Yes, the video round. What wins for you? Oh, dang it. I got to give it a don't today, then.
00:50:41 --> 00:51:03 I know it's really tough, right? I know I really don't want to keep giving everything to Don'tcha, but this video really is the best one. Yeah. As objectively as I possibly can be without being biased. Like, it really is the most entertaining one out of the four. I think if GRL's concept was a little stronger or if it was executed a little differently, I think that would win.
00:51:03 --> 00:51:13 Oh, I was thinking Girlicious because I just, I feel like them as like a silhouette, I knew who was in the damn group. I think the budget really killed it though. That's what killed it. Yeah. Yeah.
00:51:13 --> 00:51:38 You know what? That being said, y'all, if you've made this far in this video, hit that subscribe button. Please give us a like as well. And if you're listening, give us a follow and a rating. Five stars. But also, let us know what your picks are for each round because we are on the final round. And we want to hear what you have to say because, as you can see, we're having a hard time. So we want to know if it's a struggle for you. Drop those comments. Round three.
00:51:40 --> 00:51:48 So round three is where we talk about performance and the choreography. So the Pussycat Dolls, what do you think of their don't-ship performances?
00:51:48 --> 00:52:15 Pussycat doll performances were always so interesting, especially of Don't Check, because like you said, the song goes absolutely nowhere in the production. But you know where it does go live? Everywhere in back. It takes you to like R&B land, jazzy land, and even to gay club land toward the end. It's so fun. Nicole makes me laugh.
00:52:16 --> 00:52:43 You want to talk about just the song is boring. I'm about to do some extra stuff. She's one of those people who over sing at times. But when we were all growing up, we were like, oh my gosh, she's eating it up. We look back in hindsight. It's like choices make good ones. But yeah, like her, her kind of doing this weird syncopated thing with that. I know you're lying, man. I know you do. Like she was doing things like that.
00:52:43 --> 00:53:11 So it's just like, babe, the song just started. Use that for second verse. And then you can kind of hear Melody trying to like, don't you wish your girlfriend was? So you can kind of see it. But like overall, aside from like the little silly things here, there, like Nicole's iconic bridge, they were some serious freaking performers. And I think it is based on like their dance performance. They're dancers, right? Like if you think about Sierra, people are like, huh?
00:53:11 --> 00:53:26 You know, songs like that. You can't say a girl couldn't dance. Like, you could watch that Janet. She's not Whitney, but she could dance. And they always perform. They give you the body. They give you the face. We get trained as dancers. You better give everything because you can't say it.
00:53:26 --> 00:53:53 So that's what those girls were doing. They knew what the words were about. And they held the mic, lip sync for their life, and danced. There was hair. There was eyes to each other. Eyes to the audience. It was like, sheesh, take my man. You can have him. And I'll be right there behind him. Okay? Happy Brad month, everybody. But yeah, no, I think they did such a good job. And you can see, like, even with all of the craziness that was happening behind the scenes, be sure to check out our pop.
00:53:53 --> 00:54:21 One on one. With all the craziness happening behind the scenes, those girls knew when that track came on, shut up and go hard. And they did. So. I will never get sick of watching them perform. Yeah. Especially Doncha, I think, actually. Like they all just light up when this song comes on, the second that beat comes on. But even in all the later performances, like with the really sad reunion that we got.
00:54:21 --> 00:54:38 Like they killed all the performances of this song. And I think as you mentioned, most of these members are dancers first. Yeah. You know, as we mentioned, the three of them aren't even on the song at all. And so that does allow them though, to then perform the crap out of it. And the choreography is so...
00:54:38 --> 00:55:08 good you can see the burlesque origins yeah but now there's some hip-hop grooves in there there's street jazz sass mixed in there and there's just so much intention behind every move and the musicality is just so good yes like they hit little they hit different parts in the production every single verse like every little bit of of the song they're doing different things like even in the bridge which as we had or as i had mentioned i'm just kind of like it's okay you know yeah i
00:55:08 --> 00:55:26 And like on the recording, that's very boring. Yes. But even just watching them all strut together like as a group, it looks so good. Not even counting Nicole coming forward and doing that note.
00:55:26 --> 00:55:46 But yeah, they are just such good performers. And then I also really appreciate the way the formations are done also. Oh my gosh. You get a lot of nice levels. I like them all facing different directions for the chest paps. It's just really, really dynamic. There's just a lot going on, but it's all very, very clean.
00:55:46 --> 00:56:09 And I love the dance remix transition for the end. Because, you know, like you mentioned, you need to pick it up. You know, the song only does so much. And so it makes sense. Skip the third verse and just go into a way higher BPM and give that energy. Yeah. So very, very satisfying ending. Absolutely. Yes, yes, yes.
00:56:09 --> 00:56:23 Speaking of like pumping up the energy, Girllicious for their performances. Girllicious. Yet again, doing the absolute most. Hang on, wait, wait. They came in hot and they stayed hot. Ha, ha, ha.
00:56:24 --> 00:56:41 You were so right. You know what, man? Listen, listen. Wait, give me a second. Give me like two seconds. They were actually holding it down. K-pop fans now talking about, oh, they can dance and they sing. The mics are... Their mics are not on. Girl, it's just mics are always on. They were on. They were always on.
00:56:41 --> 00:57:04 You're always on and you make it a little bit of like a, oh, the autotune is trying to process it. But you know what? After sitting there breaking your whole bag, dancing like a stick of a stick of cheese. It will. You will literally have to. You might have a hard time singing, but they didn't. And it's crazy because like the performance we're talking about was done for the troops.
00:57:04 --> 00:57:32 And they're wearing dresses, which is not the ideal thing to be performing in. That's not their bag. But they're wearing combat boots, so that heel tail still came through. You feel me? I was like, yeah, there you go. But yeah, man, when I tell you I appreciate their energy, they weren't as clean as PCD, right? Yeah. Like when they would come together and dance where someone's arms would be, two girls' arms would be up, two girls' arms would be down. The pops just didn't feel like they were like kind of leaning and leaning.
00:57:32 --> 00:57:58 leaning in that lateral way like it looks really like nice and neat it just looked like we're just popping like it just the certain weight shifting just didn't happen in ways that i know like ashley uh and and carmine the rest of them would have done like they would have been here is the lean here is the leg we're all doing some type of dip with the they didn't have that kind of cohesive um cohesion but what they lacked in cohesion they gave you a performance and
00:57:58 --> 00:58:14 Oh my gosh. Unless something was like completely wrong, the face was engaged, the hair flips, they gave it to you. They really sold that whole hip hop aesthetic. And I think because they did have members that are actually like Black and Latino, it helped.
00:58:14 --> 00:58:33 But it wasn't like them sitting there twerking and like, oh, yeah, which I appreciate as well. Again, I want to keep citing that heel toe because I love it. That is just quintessential early 2000s choreo. Tiffany coming out with that line. It's still hitting, still taking the church, by the way. She sounded so good.
00:58:33 --> 00:58:51 Yeah. And yeah, I got to give it up to all of them vocally, actually. Yes. Nicole sounds super strong starting it off. And she's doing the full choreo during her verse. She is. Christina. So good. Was awesome. She was amazing. Her energy was so good. And she was doing what she needed to do.
00:58:51 --> 00:59:08 She went around the stage. Yeah. Gave the crowd energy. She commanded energy more from the crowd. So she did a really, really good job with that. Natalie, she did what she could with that little talkie bit that she had. You can't tell her nothing. Yeah.
00:59:08 --> 00:59:24 Oh my God, yes. And she was, she looked so good. She's such a good dancer. Yeah. And she was killing it. And yeah, Tiffany, I love her tone so much. Yeah. And yeah, she definitely was the most stable, I think vocally out of the four as well. And so, yeah.
00:59:24 --> 00:59:52 Props to them, because I'm sure also, yeah, the troupe performance, it's tough. I'm sure that crowd is tough. It's kind of an odd place to perform that. And then even some other performances that they did, they were all really, really strong and very, very consistent. So I have to give it to them. They really did perform their butts off, for sure. And it does make me sad because there was so much potential here.
00:59:53 --> 01:00:11 Exactly. I think this is one of those things where it's like, I think just recently Christina actually came out and said she was pregnant while she was on the show and had to, you know, kind of like control alt delete the baby. So they were dealing with a lot and the girls were all as they kind of kept progressing kind of just...
01:00:11 --> 01:00:31 We've been trying to talk about doing a pop one-on-one on the show for the longest time. So if you want to see that, let us know. We're probably going to do it. I'd love to interview one of the girl-ishest women, actually. Nicole, Natalie, let us know what you're up to. Yeah. We love you girls. We do. Because they are definitely stars. I mean, I think because they all have such high energy.
01:00:31 --> 01:01:01 It wasn't like, oh, this one is the Nicole. This one's the Beyonce. No, they were all good. Also, yes, the choreography as well. There's some really, really great grooves. Yeah. And even just like the musicality actually is really great for this choreography. Player three is Paradiso Girls with Patron Tequila. So they did have a couple of performances with Eve. They had some, you know, a lot of like daytime performances, I guess, across the world. So that was interesting. Not too many performances to reference for this.
01:01:01 --> 01:01:13 But in the morning time, like it's 5 p.m. somewhere. Like what's wrong with the tequila? You're just waking up with your thing of coffee like what the hell? Just odd choices all around.
01:01:13 --> 01:01:42 Right, absolutely. Bad ones. I'm so sorry, guys. Well, you mentioned Charmé not having a single line in this song. Well, at least when Eve wasn't there, she got to do all the rap. So she got those moments and she killed it. She was great. She was great. But then Kelly, she's still the DJ. Kelly got nothing. Right, Kelly didn't even get an, oh, yeah, look at those legs, lips. She could have said something. Like Flavor Flav, at least Flavor Flav was like, yeah, boy, come on.
01:01:42 --> 01:01:56 Oh, God. Yeah. I just have to say Chelsea sounded amazing. And I think kind of saves the performances a little bit. As you mentioned, patrol. Patrol.
01:01:58 --> 01:02:25 She sounded great. She sounded great. And she's, I think, probably the best performer of the five of them as well. I think she had a really strong presence all throughout. Yeah. The rest of it, honestly, just felt very messy. I think if the whole point was, you know, we're party girls and like we like to get drunk, then I guess it works. That came across. That definitely is what came across. Yeah.
01:02:25 --> 01:02:48 Because, you know, as we mentioned, they're not really dancers. So it's just not clean at all. Like even the fist pumps aren't clean. Did you notice that? Some of them are hitting up. Some of them are going in a circle. Yeah. I was like, oh, my God, you can't even clean a fist pump. Oh, my God. Come on. Come on. Like what happened to your standards, Robin? Robin?
01:02:48 --> 01:03:16 I don't understand what happened. Because even if you're not dancers, as we've seen from almost every other girl group, right? Mm-hmm. You can at least make it look good. Chris, you're so right. And can I say, I feel so bad for Lauren is probably like most improved, like superlative, like across the board. Like when we go and talk about DRL, she improved too. Oh, I completely agree. Yeah. Because Lauren, we're talking about a daytime performance. They did y'all. Lauren had pink roots.
01:03:16 --> 01:03:32 She had pink roots and she was the weaker dancer. I will say that. And you are so right in terms of Chelsea holding it down because it sucks because she's had the most quote unquote training. She has been the longest trainee, right?
01:03:32 --> 01:03:50 She came in through the show. She came in with this group and she just kept working at it. I'm not saying there's other girls that didn't work at it. I'm not saying that at all, but she's the one who has the experience with dance with other girls like this. So she knows to kind of glance back. She knows that she has that. And I really do wish she would have gotten a little bit more. Sure.
01:03:50 --> 01:04:09 But also shout out to Charmaine because I think she actually can dance. Oh, yes, she can. She can. You know? Yeah, yeah. And it's just like, dang, it sucks. She was doing some... She did a kick at one point. She was giving it to me. And I'm like, girl, you were around the wrong people. But what's that? Here's my kind of issue, though, with Charmaine because I agree. I think she was great. I think she was definitely the...
01:04:09 --> 01:04:37 I'm going to look good and I don't care how you guys look because, you know, here's the thing, right? We're both dancers. We've danced with other, you know, I've been in crews, like you've been background dancers in groups, right? And stuff like that. So like the whole idea is to like, you want to match the energy of the people around you so that you look good as a group. Yeah. Charmé was like, I'm going to kill this choreography, even though the two people next to me look like crap. Can I tell you, I was a Charmé back in the day. There's footage of me on the show.
01:04:39 --> 01:04:54 There's footage of me on the internet somewhere. I choreographed it. I was like, I choreographed it. So why can't I? You know, that was my thinking. But yeah, I think Charmé had that moment. Yeah. It was bad. And then let's talk about more of the vocals. I mean, Aria sings almost everything because she's leading that chorus. She's...
01:04:54 --> 01:05:19 You know what? Yeah. You can tell she's trying to keep her face not scrunched up singing this yelling. I'm going to say yelling. But it's hard not to. This chorus because it's hot. It's up there. Yes. And she's like trying to like jump and like dance at the same time. So props to her. She actually did a very, very good job. She did. No, she did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because it's tough to belt like that while jumping and doing all those hip rolls and stuff.
01:05:19 --> 01:05:42 Sorry. Yeah. So, yeah, just a tad messy. But again, you know, this was their first single. Yeah. You know, give them a bit more time. I think they would have been a lot more polished. They did. Not my, I mean, not your BIT. Who's that bitch? Or who's that? Yeah, who's my? I like that one. That song was awful. It was terrible. I listened to it last night. I was like, how did I like this for so long? I was like, it's a good song. Let's be like it.
01:05:43 --> 01:06:12 And Kelly did not sing in that either. Kelly. I will say there is one daytime performance where they did do the remakes at the end, kind of a call back to the don'ts yet days. So I appreciated that. You know, that helped, I think, to give the song, you know, a nice conclusion. Yeah. But yeah, the performances are messy as hell. Now getting on to something that's a little less messy, but with the same member, Lauren, again, coming through in the rear with her most improved award. It's G.R.O. Girl with...
01:06:12 --> 01:06:39 Ugly heart. This kind of goes back to what I was saying, like them, they don't look like a girl group. And I'm just like, oh, this is so, they're almost there, right? Like I love their silhouette. Their vocals are there, but just they don't look like a girl group yet. And also I can see why they weren't so like dance heavy as well, because there's a little like moment in the beginning where they're like dancing and everyone's kind of hitting this cute little move. And then, is her name Emelyn? Yes.
01:06:39 --> 01:06:55 Yes, Emelyn, E, if you will. She starts doing this little shit. And I was like, it's little things like that. I think they were a lot more together, but you can see like weaker members like here and there. Yeah.
01:06:55 --> 01:07:24 You know, so I appreciate like it got better as it went along. Like it's not as polished as PCD. It's not as, you know, cheese sticky as Girlicious. And it's not as sloppy as Paradiso Girls. So I appreciate that the girls actually tried. But it was actually pretty basic. You know, like step touching, step touching. And I hate that they were dancing in Jeffrey Campbell's shoes. Those chunky heels. Yes. A lot of the performances they're wearing, you can tell it looks very uncomfortable to dance in.
01:07:24 --> 01:07:53 Bro, and it kills me because you're sort of worried about not dying while you're dancing and you have to hit notes like this. And I'm just like, dang it. Like, Emma's not a bad dancer. And Natasha's not a bad dancer. But they're in such high heels with terrible, like, balance that they're, like, looking super stiff. Or they're going to tip over when they're dancing. So I'm just like, I just attack them. Just attack them. It's just like, what are you doing? Stop. And then I look at their feet. I'm like, oh, that's why you're doing that. I will say that...
01:07:53 --> 01:08:23 the choreography wasn't as like iconic or memorable, you know? And that's kind of, you know, the thing it's more put together, but it wasn't like memorable vocally saying, vocally speaking. I don't think that they were purposely trying to rely on the backing vocal, but that thing was loud. I'm like, did y'all just send the CD over? Like whoever did is a jerk. I don't know what the heck going on, but I feel like they didn't have a performance track writing. I wish they would have, I wish they would have had a band track. Yeah.
01:08:23 --> 01:08:43 I don't know. I just like it could have been a little bit more. Less, less like super good girl group doing a talent show like Cheetah Girls. Like, oh, they're great, but it's giving talent show, you know? Yeah. But no, honestly, all together as a group, love their silhouette. Their chemistry is actually there. Choreography, even though it's super simple, at least it's clean.
01:08:43 --> 01:09:06 So I think it's pretty decent, but it's like B plus, B minus kind of quality, you know? Yeah, I agree with you. I think as we mentioned with Paradiso Girls, it was kind of tough to find performances that we could kind of put the four of them on the same lane. Because obviously, you know, PCD had a lot more opportunities. They got to perform on like, you know, award shows and stuff. And DRL got some big performances as well. They got like on X Factor Australia. Like they got to do bigger things. Yes.
01:09:06 --> 01:09:34 To be fair, that performance, the backing track was much quieter. But I think just to kind of keep them all in a leveling field, I think we're just going to refer to kind of the more daytime kind of stuff that they did. All four of these groups did. So, yeah, I think from what you can hear over the backing track, they actually do sound pretty good. I think, you know, you mentioned Lauren, most improved. She sounded so much better singing this song than she did Patron Tequila. Yeah.
01:09:34 --> 01:10:04 Yeah. And yeah, I think even Paula, who, as we mentioned, she is a dancer first. She sounded good on her little, you know, alto moment. Yeah. And, you know, they all have a good presence as well. You know, this you still see Robin's training here. You know, they do a good job of, you know, they know what to do when they're on camera. Right. I do appreciate that. Yeah. With the dancing, there is again this kind of like hip hop influence.
01:10:04 --> 01:10:04 you
01:10:05 --> 01:10:34 Reflect that. Go with that. Yeah, reflect that. So then they're like opening their knees and like kind of like getting down on things. And it's like, oh, like first off, it doesn't match the song. No. Because it's like a country pop influence stomping song. Oh. And then also they can't really do it in these outfits that you're putting them in. So it just ends up looking awkward. So I actually don't think the choreo is that bad. I actually think, yeah. Like I like the little ugly hard, like with the fist up. It's the styling that's not lending itself towards like all come together. Yeah.
01:10:34 --> 01:10:54 It just didn't really match. I liked them all pointing their guns in different directions at one point or whatever. There were little moments that were good, and there were some good formation changes and some interesting staging choices. They're in a diagonal at one point. Yeah, there is stuff happening. Again, I think it's just...
01:10:55 --> 01:11:14 they're not there yet because they're so new. And I guess with Pussycat Dolls, you know, a lot of them had performed in the dance troupe. So their training was just, and their chemistry had more time, I guess, to kind of come together as opposed to these other three groups. So it's kind of a little unfair, I guess, to compare it.
01:11:14 --> 01:11:32 But yeah, I do still think, you know, I stand by what I said earlier. There is a lot of potential here. Like this is in line with us watching, you know, the first few Girls Aloud performances, the first few Saturdays performances. Like, you know, it always starts off a little rough. And this is only their second single. And they did a good job given the context of everything.
01:11:32 --> 01:11:47 Yeah, you're so right. But you're still like, oh, yeah, they're going to be so good. And, you know, unfortunately, things turn out the way they did. But, you know, it's a shame. But that concludes this round, the final round of performances. So.
01:11:47 --> 01:12:03 And I choose girl-licious. I've been wanting to give them something for a minute now. And I think as the line distribution, the dancing, they may not be as polished. All the kind that they went through, they got on stage and they did their thing. All right. And personally for me, I think because like,
01:12:03 --> 01:12:25 I probably would want to be in this group. Like I'm thinking like, well, what group would I want to be in? Even I would want to dance with them. I want to sing with them. I think they're fun. Uh, and I, and I do, again, I wish things would have turned out a little bit better for them. Cause I have a soft spot, but, uh, but yeah, definitely. I think, I think I'll give it to them. I think so. Cause PCD don't get everything.
01:12:26 --> 01:12:56 Yes, I vote for Girllicious as well. I love them. And I actually, I don't think you'd see in my notes like later on, but I said the same thing. I said, I have a soft spot for Girllicious. And I love their first album. I love their second album. I went down a YouTube hole earlier this week when we were, you know, we're planning for this episode. I watched fan cams of them performing Maniac, like in a tiny club.
01:12:56 --> 01:13:11 enjoyed it because they are so good and it makes me so sad that the U.S. was never here for them. Right. And I wish they had gone to Europe. I think they would have had a chance if they went to the UK, honestly. But anyway, I digress. Robin.
01:13:11 --> 01:13:40 You did what you could with your resources that you had, but did still make some very questionable choices. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's rough out here in these streets. So who did you compare Robin to? I said Robin is kind of like the Lou Pearlman of girl groups. Like she could make a girl group, you know, Mr. Mr. Pooh Pearlman. Anyway, you know, Backstreet and NYC.
01:13:40 --> 01:14:05 NSYNC. NSYNC. And then the list keeps going on. And I mean, it does get a little diluted as you continue, but that's kind of what happened with her girl groups. With her, yeah. Exactly. It gets diluted, bad business dealing, some other shady things where members are like, hey, she kind of was using PCD as a front. So unfortunately, both in business and in creative purposes, she kind of matches Poop Herman. Poop Herman, excuse me. But...
01:14:05 --> 01:14:31 Not my business. We're not here to talk about any of that drama. All of it's very unfortunate. I wish it never happened to anyone. But I just think in terms of like business and music, I'm just like, wow. We haven't had somebody like keep pumping out girl groups, pumping out acts like this, except in K-pop. So it's kind of refreshing to kind of go back down memory lane. Memory lane, excuse me. And it's such a shame that the PCD thing didn't happen. And it sucks because all these girls were in these crazy like, yeah.
01:14:31 --> 01:14:44 oh, sexy girl groups are now like reformed Christians. And we can't even be like, hey, listen, do you want to talk about your days? Because they're like, nah, the devil's music, which sucks. Because we're like, wait, you don't like it no more? Okay, okay. You know, so-
01:14:45 --> 01:15:05 But when we get bigger, we're going to get them on the show. We're going to get them on the show. Yes, please. I would love to talk about Girlicious. Yeah. You know, I think at the end of the day, putting aside all the shady business dealings. Right. Robin, she knows what makes a good girl group. I think all four of these have elements of that.
01:15:05 --> 01:15:35 And they all had a lot more potential. Like even Pussycat Dolls, who are actually one of the biggest girl groups ever. Yeah. Sales-wise and stuff. There's two albums. They could have been even bigger. They could have been even better than they were if some of these business-y things didn't happen. Right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes. So I have a soft spot for Girllicious, like I mentioned. I have a soft spot for GRL as well because I see and feel the potential. Yeah. And so it's a little sad, I think. Yeah.
01:15:35 --> 01:15:55 Not to treat Paradiso like the middle child. Sorry, Paradiso. I didn't get it. I don't get it. As a huge European girl group fan. Right. That says a lot. That says a lot. Sorry. But anyway, as a final winner. Uh-huh. Ooh, that's tough.
01:15:55 --> 01:16:13 I think, okay, as a final winner, I mean, I think for me, it's clearly between Girlicious and Pussycat Dolls. Same. I think this is not my favorite Pussycat Doll song. I think they actually get better kind of later on, even despite it being their biggest one. So actually, I think overall, I'd give it to Girlicious.
01:16:13 --> 01:16:32 My overall winner, I keep singing you, you in my head. Girl listens. I keep singing you, you, you, you, do you. Like this girl listens for me too. Yeah. I mean, especially with, you know, the fact that all four of them can sing and like they're all like on the same level. I don't know. Yeah. I think they're just great. And like me was great and deserved better.
01:16:32 --> 01:16:48 Yeah, dead serve better. Oh, well, let us know what you all think. If you're a PCD fan, girlicious fan, Paradiso girl fan, apparently the Chrissy isn't a Y. Or if you were a J.R. I'm joking, I'm joking, I'm joking. Because, yeah, I think I was...
01:16:48 --> 01:17:03 You gotta be really young and impressionable like I was to have been a huge fan of them, I guess. I'm totally joking. But no, let us know what you guys all think of this. If you feel like we're crazy, tell us why you think we're crazy, but say it in a nice way. Let us know what you think about the tracks and what wins the pop-off for you.
01:17:03 --> 01:17:31 What's your favorite Robert Anton group and why? And of course, feel free to message us at CCTV Pops on all social medias. Drop a comment, likes, subscribe, all that good stuff. And if you have any ideas for more pop-offs, you can get priority choice by joining our crew on Patreon at patreon.com slash CCTV Pops. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on the notifications for our YouTube channel. And if you are enjoying the show on a podcast platform, please give us a follow rating and a review. Until next time, that's Chris.
01:17:31 --> 01:17:37 That's Jan. And we're signing off from CCTV, the Nuts Up Pop Show.