#amar serrano

We haven’t talked much about AMAR (because to be honest, we almost forgot he existed), but last night a sound bite from one of his recording sessions leaked on Soundcloud. According to the account, expose.sounds123, the track is called “New Life” and was recorded a month ago for his upcoming album. The lyrics allude to his rumored separation from wife Birdee Serrano.  “Startin’ my new life, a new life. It’ll never be the same, but I’m young enough to change. In my new life, new life... better off, better for it. Whoever I was seems prehistoric. I learned a lot now I know it, my loyalty’s locked with me, myself and I, so...” 

Amar Serrano at the Music Critics Choice Awards

Oookay? Cute bowtie.

# 10 Ivan Morozov - Treat You Better

The start of Ivan’s performance was scary but the second the band kicked in the quality improved. Was there anything special here? Not really. Just a guy and a guitar and that’s honestly ok. Ivan shines best when he lets us just focus on how he looks standing in the center of a stage with a guitar. Vocally it could have been better but we’ll give him a pass because he’s cute.

# 9 Cole Addams - Cotton Candy/Strawberry Lipstick

Cole was clearly trying to go for the wow factor and he delivered...in the first forty-five seconds. The vocals were serving. The skirt and cupid wings were definitely a look. But we all have to admit that it got boring just watching him swing around doing a half ass pole dance on a fake chain. Finally he came down to the ground and screamed in my face. Which, luckily for him, some people find appealing. His fan base seems like it’d be one of their kinks. The second half of the performance definitely redeemed it in the end with the vocals and the costume change and I was on board...until he started swinging around again. Sir, you can still be edgy on the ground. Overall, though, it was still one of the most enjoyable performances of the night.

# 8 Amar Serrano - Carnival

While Amar had a much calmer and slower set than some of the other performers, it really worked for him. Singing a song in a different language was definitely a risk, but I think it was a great decision. His performance was great, his dancers killed it, and the crowd seemed to agree. Our only critique would be the fact that he, for the most part, just stood there. It was a stark contrast to the other performers who were jumping around, dancing, and really showing that they were excited. It didn’t majorly take anything away from his performance, though. It was still a good time and a good song.

# 7 Zaara - Judas

Thank god for ZAARA. The performance value alone here makes up for some fairly lackluster performances throughout the night. Her outfit was certainly a choice, from her own, her hairpiece and her dancer's grungy/rocker vibes probably make sense to someone. Not me but someone. Could the choreography have been more interesting? Probably but ZAARA makes up for it with a solid breakdown and high energy which makes her outfit forgivable. Far from the worst performance of the night but not enough to dethrone the queen herself.

# 6 Penny Lane - Imagine / 7 Things

Although I would normally drag such a slow vocal moment to open up a performance, Penny is the exception tonight. She has such a powerful vocal range that she could stand at a microphone for two hours and still captivate an entire audience. The set, the choreography, the lighting and the costuming...THE ACAPELLA MOMENT? They were all incredible and put her in the top five of the evening. Penny showed tonight why she’s one of the top pop girls in the game right now.

Amar Serrano at the 2021 FAME Awards

Well, Amar did better than a boring black suit I suppose and his shoes match Birdee’s dress so, hey, they tried right? Overall it’s passable. He could have used a quick steam to get out some of those wrinkles and probably wouldn’t have hurt to add a button up under the jacket.