🍋‍🟩⭐️Limelight | Episode 7

THEME "Eat Your Fruits and Veggies" You simply submit a song with the name of a fruit or a vegetable in the song title. The words "fruit" or "vegetable" ain't gonna do the job. It has to be the name of a specific fruit or veggie.
Cray - "Blood Orange" by The Wldlfe "Blood Orange is about struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, and negative thoughts while trying to change your perspective and become a better version of yourself. The use of “blood orange” symbolizes repainting your mind aka turning a darker outlook into something warmer and more hopeful. The song follows a journey from feeling stuck and overwhelmed to finding optimism and believing things can improve. It doesn’t have the biggest vocal nor is it the catchiest poppy tune. However, it’s an emotional one about personal growth that I can relate to at this point in my life." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 4 Points "Without even listening to the song, this one stands out to me because I was not immediately familiar with this artist as I was with most of the others! So that's a good sign! I do like the song. I don't think it's anything super phenomenal. The theme and lyrics behind it are great. The production/vocals maybe sound a little….ummm….not sure what word I'm looking for here. Garage band-y? Idk. Not that that's particularly even a bad thing I guess. It just doesn't have that wow factor. Definitely think submitting an unfamiliar artist is going to give you a boost here. Thank your fellow competitors! :)" - JUDGE 2 - 3 Points "A heartfelt song with a relatable message about personal growth. While it didn’t stand out as much musically as my top two, I still enjoyed it and thought it fit the theme well." - JUDGE 3 - 5 Points "You immediately started off on the right foot with me since this was the only artist this round that I had not previously heard of before. I’m so glad the song was able to deliver. I really liked this song and based on the mistakes your fellow players made this was incredibly easy to put at the top of my list. I liked how the instrumental stayed in a pocket for the first half of the song before unleashing for the second chorus. I also like the lead singer's voice, it is really interesting and compelling especially with all of the vocal layers that are blended perfectly. I don’t have much more to say, other than that this was the bright spot in a really weak round." TOTAL POINTS: 12 -----------------------------------------------------------------
KaliMinaj - "Peach" by Kevin Abstract "I picked this one because it's been one of those songs I keep coming back to whenever I just want to unwind for a bit. There's something really comforting about the whole vibe, it feels warm, dreamy, and a little nostalgic at the same time. I love how effortlessly Kevin Abstract pulls you into the song, and every time it comes on I end up listening all the way through instead of skipping it. It might not be the flashiest pick for the theme, but Peach is genuinely a song that means a lot to me, so it felt like the right choice to share." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 5 Points "Well props to you for being one of just two submissions where I didn't instantly recognize the artist. Think I may have actually heard the name before but couldn't tell ya a single song that they sing, so free pass for you! Not sure how I feel about the lyrics themselves. The song is pretty catchy though! And I'm pretty sure bits and pieces of this are going to play in a loop in my head like a broken record for the next however long. It's really smooth and relaxing too. Probably the most vibey in general out of all the songs we were sent. It's not extremely stand out but none of the songs were this round so I think you are deserving of my top spot! Congrats!" - JUDGE 2 - 2 Points "A nice, relaxing song with a great vibe. It was enjoyable to listen to, but it didn’t leave as strong of an impression on me as the songs I ranked higher." - JUDGE 3 - 3 Points "Okay first of all - I LOVE KEVIN ABSTRACT!!! I smiled when I saw this song on the judging sheet. However, I was also shocked that this was within the view limit. I’m having a lot of difficulty determining what to do with this submission. Let’s start with the positives. Everything you said about this song is true. EXTREMELY nostalgic. This song feels like the epitome of summer. Extremely easy to listen to, extremely easy to enjoy. The Kevin Abstract + Dominic Fike combination is absolute magic (Geezerrrr <3). Now here’s where I start to scratch my head. Kevin Abstract? Fairly popular. He’s not massive, but we can’t pretend BROCKHAMPTON wasn’t a huge deal. Dominic Fike? VERY popular. But he’s not the lead artist on this song, so I won't be as harsh on that. Honestly if this was a deep cut in Kevin Abstract’s discography I'd be willing to give it a pass, but this is his biggest non-BROCKHAMPTON song BY FAR. I also feel like you tried to mask this song’s popularity by sending a lyric video with less views, but the problem is that there is a noticeable decrease in audio quality in this particular YouTube video when compared to listening to the music video. I don’t think it’s a good idea to sacrifice audio quality for the sake of submitting a version with a lower view count. As much as I love this song enough to give it my top spot, I have to be a fair judge and respect the better choices made by others." TOTAL POINTS: 10 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Lewis - "Apple Juice" by Teddy Swims "What a fun theme, there was many choices for me here but I decided to go with Apple Juice by Teddy Swims. In terms of vocal stength, Teddy Swims is my favourite artist. He has such a range that can move you with just one note. I always appreciate his passion in every song he puts out, and I thought this matched my passion for this competition. A lot of my submissions have been about moving past your weakness’ and positive vibes only. This is a slightly different one, it’s about refusing to change, self destructive behaviour and ultimately coping with sadness through bad habits. Sometimes the things you rely on are your worst enemy but also your best friend, this song balances the two. I hope you enjoy this, deep and meaningful song whilst questioning the true motives of the song." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 1 Point "I mean….I do love this song. Love the lyrics and the meaning behind it. The problem is that I already know Teddy Swims music. He's got some mega popular hits & it's already known that his voice is fantastic. So opening the setlist to see this was a little disappointing because I feel like this game is about discovering new artists and songs. So the thrill of discovering something new is pretty non-existent. Luckily, there aren't a ton of points being given out, but I think this is something that y’all should watch for in the coming rounds as submitting well known artists can be detrimental to your game with so many points up for grabs again. Ugh…! I'm so sorry that you ended up at the bottom but if I reward popular artists, then we might just keep getting them and I don't want that! Forgive me? :’(" - JUDGE 2 - 5 Points "Amazing vocals and a lot of emotion throughout the song. The lyrics are meaningful, and I thought it fit the theme really well. It was the most memorable submission for me." - JUDGE 3 - 1 Point "Nope. Absolutely not. This is not what we are doing at the final 5. How many times do we have to say submitting extremely popular artists is a bad idea? It doesn’t help that the popular artist you went with is Teddy fucking Swims. You had to have known this was a terrible idea right??? For crying out loud Lose Control plagued the charts for 112 goddamn weeks. I just can’t escape this guy no matter how hard I try, and believe me, I TRY. Sure, I can admit he has a great voice, but honestly that makes me dislike him more because he uses his great voice to make the most boring and soulless music imaginable, including this song which I’ve heard before and already hated. This song doesn’t do or say anything interesting. Like great, go ahead and mix alcohol and juice no one is fucking stopping you. But why does the ENTIRE SONG reiterate this idea over and over and over and over again??? In the chorus he tells us he likes to drink. In the verses, he tells us once again, he likes to drink. Look, I completely understand what this song is meant to represent but I just think it is delivered in the most uninteresting way possible. We just go around in circles, dancing around a potentially interesting topic that he does not expand on in the slightest. He keeps saying “I'm sad I'm sad.” MR. SWIMS WOULD IT BE TOO INTERESTING TO TELL US WHY??? There’s just zero substance here. Ironic for a song about substances. I’m never touching apple juice ever again." TOTAL POINTS: 7 -----------------------------------------------------------------
melanie - "Grapefruit" by Tove Lo "for this submission i chose this song because i like this song a lot and.. just like grapefruit is an underrated fruit, tove lo is such an underrated artist. when we talk about indie pop girls our mind naturally goes to lana del rey etc, but tove lo has such good songs that fit that standard. i like that its slow fast and popieee, thats just my taste yk? and these lyrics are so so so meaningful to me as well, like i couldve submitted this for the yellow brick road theme as well. “one two, grapefruit how am i back here again? three four lose more, i know my mirrors are lying” hits close to home af.. i feel like i always have to change my appearance cause i’m not pretty enough and as someone with an unhealthy relationship with food it hits even closer skdjsnsjsndb i think its super brave and important those topics get brought to attention more through anything as its still kinda something many people are ashamed to admit and i think its rlly brave and beautiful tove lo did it through a song. i hope youll enjoy this song just as much as i did" ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 2 Points "Well…5 points for your notes! Hugs! You ARE pretty enough! I'm so sorry for your struggles! This song absolutely has a phenomenal message and I love that I can feel the emotion through your notes. My main issue is the artist! If this was sung by a hidden gem artist, easy top score. But sadly, I feel like Tove Lo is just pretty well known and it takes the excitement out of discovering new artists…which in essence…is the concept of this game. So anyway….I feel pretty crappy giving this a lower score due to the theme of the song and your personal connection to it, but I also have to be fair and take creativity into consideration when ranking too!" - JUDGE 2 - 4 Points "I really liked the lyrics and the message behind the song. It was emotional, catchy, and used the theme in a creative way. A strong submission!" - JUDGE 3 - 4 Points "Say it with me now. What don’t we like? POPULAR ARTISTS! And who is Tove Lo? Certainly a popular artist! I just don’t understand why multiple people went the popular route when we’ve been saying the same thing all game. I get that you think she’s underrated but….21 million monthly listeners? I think not. Now here lies the problem……I really like this song, and I love the notes you provided. I’m a sucker for synthpop in any form. But synthpop while discussing an extremely vulnerable topic? Now you really have me hooked. Your notes were really beautifully written and I appreciate that you were willing to share your connection to this song with us. I truly admire this song and I think that it is beautifully written. This would’ve had my top spot if it wasn’t sung by a popular artist. Luckily for you, this was the weakest round yet, which is the only reason I’m willing to put this song in 2nd place." TOTAL POINTS: 10 -----------------------------------------------------------------
TheBreeze - "Peach" by Chevelle "You're not getting a sweet song here, this can go straight to your workout playlist as easily one of the most aggressive Limelight submissions yet. When getting to know someone's character they may seem desirable, but prove later on to be rotten on the inside. You go into the new connection with good intentions, but end up in a real life horror movie where you are trapped in their basement getting your arms and legs ripped off. Peach challenges you to choose who you trust wisely." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ratings: JUDGE 1 - 3 Points "Oh heck…I know a few people like this! Want names? Haha! Now….I'm veryyyyyy conflicted with this submission and it has nothing to do with the theme/lyrics. I've hassled a few of the other players for submitting well known artists. Problem is….I also know Chevelle. But I'm not certain that they're actually well known…or if it's just pretty coincidental that I happen to know a niche artist that you happen to know as well. It does happen. So….even though the excitement of discovering new artists doesn't exist here, I am going to cut you a bit of slack since Chevelle is a less expected choice than some of the others. Onto the song! Would I add it to a playlist? No, probably not. BUT….I do think it was a pretty bold choice. It sounds like a song that I would lock myself in my room and listen to when I'm mad. Release all of the anger, y’know? And then come out with a calm smile. Not my favorite song of theirs but it's okay." - JUDGE 2 - 1 Point 'I liked the energy and that it brought something different to the playlist. It just wasn’t as much my style, and I connected more with the other submissions." - JUDGE 3 - 2 Points "I really wanted to like this song more than I did. Believe me, I tried to find my way into it but it just never landed for me. I think the song kind of finds its lane and stays there. Yes, there is a certain edge and aggression to this song that I think is interesting initially, but it’s not as interesting when we’re 4+ minutes deep and we’ve stayed in the exact same place. It just didn’t feel like this song took me on any kind of exciting journey, I felt like I understood exactly what the song was gonna be 30 seconds in and after it was done I didn’t feel compelled to listen to it again." TOTAL POINTS: 6 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Thus. I'm so sorry melanie but you have been eliminated from Limelight </3 Melanie, I understand you probably aren't the happiest with our judges for this but do know that for plenty of reasons I was very much cheering for you this season. You finished off with a strong round and pre-vacation you were absolutely killing this season. Thank you so much for playing <3 --- CONTESTANTS Cray KaliMinaj Lewis TheBreeze --- ELIMINATED brookie KnowUh Space Lexus ChloeKay melanie