Artist: Weekend
Title: Lock It Up
Length: 3:34
Genre: Pop/Dance
Release Date: 26/8/12
Label: Chaos Records
Producers: Xenomania
Writers: D.Blue, S.Hollywood, B.Khan
From The Album: Fired Up: Reloaded

Track Overview

Weekend, a band that the whole world now knows. It wasn't easy for them to get to where they are today. Many will just take one look at this and immediately rubbish it which is something they are used to. With all the success, a lot of hate has come along with it but this is a new era for Weekend. They are now trying to re-invent themselves as a more accessible band for the pop/dance market and for people of any age or gender rather than being a group mainly aimed at teenage girls. Weekend felt like many male fans were scared to admit to liking one of their songs and that they seen it as a bad thing for a boy to like a Weekend song, as if you should be embarrassed. Not wanting to make people feel uncomfortable, the five boys all made a decision to sing less songs about girls and instead sing more songs that anyone could relate to.

They formed in October 2011 and immediately started to write and record for their debut album. They are manged by Lyrica Ocha (of G2L fame) who teamed the boys up with an array of new and talented producers and song writers. In their early meetings, Weekend would discuss which direction they wanted to take with their music and what style and image they wanted to have. Originally, they wanted to be the 'anti-boyband' and release some fun and some meaningful songs like any other artists rather than the typical 'puppy love' boy band songs. However, they soon realised that that was the very route they were going down. Their first two singles ('Everything About You' & 'Smile About It') topped charts all around the world and helped propel them into super-stardom at a very young age in such a short space of time but it came at a price. Those two songs were written about girls and being their first two records ever released and becoming international hits, they were immediately branded as another soppy boyband which is not what they wanted. They then released their debut album 'Fired Up' which went straight to the top spot in several countries. On the album were many love songs that their label (Angel Music) forced them to put on in order to attract a large female fanbase and make lots of money for the label. They were set to release 'Silence' as the third single but decided that enough was enough and ditched the heart felt ballad in favour of the more accessible 'Fired Up'.

Now the boys are currently on their first ever world tour 'WWT'. It sold out in a matter of minutes and the sheer demand for tickets caused many online ticket sites to actually crash. On the tour, they sing all the songs from their album (plus one cover which alternates) however they have expressed an interest in exploring with their music more to make it more enjoyable to perform songs on stage. Due to being on tour they boys can't find the time to record and write a full new album. The high demand for them made them feel pressured to release new material as soon as possible but felt if they were to record whilst on tour, they wouldn't be 100% focused on the album and wouldn't want to give their fans a half-hearted effort. Instead, on the few days off they had whilst touring, they entered the studio and worked hard and non stop on 8 tracks and also recorded 2 covers. These songs will make up disc 2 of Fired Up: Reloaded which is the re-release of their debut. The album is said to bridge the gap to their 2nd full studio album so that demanding and impatient fans won't be left waiting a long time for new material.

'Lock It Up' is the first single from the re-release. At the very start of the track, echoes of the boys singing the "ooooh's" are heard (which would then come into prominence during the song). The beat is also muffled before suddenly rising and coming into full swing maybe even giving the listener a little scare due to its unexpected start. The boys also sing the "Lock it up" part as soon as the beat comes in, in full and loud voices showing an improvement in vocals. The dance beat relaxes and light synth's are heard as Riley takes the first verse. He sings in a very laid back voice almost sounding too bored to put in a full effort yet sounding too cool to care making his vocals stand out on this track. Scott then comes in with the pre-chorus staight after Riley sings "do". The synth becomes slightly louder and slowly escalate whilst he sings in a slightly auto-tuned voice (Scott's voice is very soft and 'angelic' but is the weakest in the group). The beat quietens as Oscar comes in with the first chorus. His vocals almost masks the music as he sings in a loud, strong voice. As he sings "u-u-up" you can hear the synths slightly escalating in the background before coming back into prominence as the beat drops. The boys sing their "oooh's" in a high pitched falsetto like voice, which is pretty impressive for males. The track quietens down ever so slightly as Oscar comes in with the second verse. He sounds more upbeat than Riley did in his verse but still has a cool air about his vocal delivery. Riley then comes in straight away when the pre-chorus comes back around. Like previously, in the first chorus the music is almost masked by the vocals. This time it is Dustyn who is singing. His unique throaty vocals really stand out here and the Irish twang in his voice adds to this. Some will love his vocals and some can't stand it due to how different it is. Everything picks up again as the second part of the chorus arrives along with the high vocals. The same beat played in the chorus continues when the boys finish singing for roughly 10 seconds and plays as a little instrumental part of the song. The beat suddenly drops into a dark dub-step sound for a few seconds with echoed vocals playing over it. It then comes to the bridge, where it returns to a 'lighter' and 'happier' sounding beat as Dustyn sings with high, cheery vocals contrasting greatly from the dark dub-step sound previously heard. When Dustyn finishes singing, the music remains light and upbeat whilst Oscar projects his voice, almost forcing the chorus out. As the song ends, all the boys harmonize together and continue to repeat the line 'Lock it up-up-up' whilst Dustyn and Oscar provide high noted background vocals. Their uplifting vocals compliment the light beat used. The boys finish singing and the music comes to an abrupt end.



KEY
ALL
BILLY
DUSTYN
OSCAR
RILEY
SCOTT
HIGH NOTES (BACKGROUND VOCALS)

Lock it up, up, up
Lock it up, up, up
Lock it...

Don't just sit there, get up baby, come on move your feet
The night is young, we've just begun, get lost up in the beat
It's good for the soul to lose control, no point in feeling blue
So just stand up, lock it up, just do it like you do

Hi-i-higher-er, yeah turn it up lou-ou-ouder-er
I'm on the edge of des-i-i-i-ire
Come on light my fi-i-i-i-ire
Show me what you can do;

Put it down, turn it up, tonight we ain't gonna stop
Just put it down, turn it u-up
So shut it down, lock it up, gonna dance till we drop
Just shut it down, lock it u-u-up!

Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Show me what you can do (yeah)
Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Tonight all eyes are on you

Come on down, join the crowd, get lost up in the mix
Let the DJ play it loud, the music is my fix
Be yourself, it's alright, just do you!
Just get up, lock it up, just do it like you do

Hi-i-higher-er, yeah turn it up lou-ou-ouder-er
I'm on the edge of des-i-i-i-ire
Come on light my fi-i-i-i-ire
Show me what you can do;

Put it down, turn it up, tonight we ain't gonna stop
Just put it down, turn it u-up
So shut it down, lock it up, gonna dance till we drop
Just shut it down, lock it u-u-up!

Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Show me what you can do (yeah)
Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Ooooh a ooooh a oooh
Tonight all eyes are on you

So come on show me what you can do, show me all your moves
Just for tonight you can let loose, I g-got my eye on you
Don't be scared, go ahead and take the chance, tear up the floor like it's your last dance
Show me baby before the night's over, oh come closer

Put it down, turn it up, tonight we ain't gonna stop
Just put it down, turn it u-up
So shut it down, lock it up, gonna dance till we drop
Just shut it down, lock it u-u-up!

Lock it up-up-up
Lock it up-up-up
Lock it up-up-up (Oh yeah, yeah-eh-eh)
Lock it up-up-up (Oooooooh)
Lock it up-up-up (Oooh lock it, lock it, lock it)
Lock it up-up-up
Lock it up-up-up
Lock it up-up-up


Can Be Compared To;


From The Upcoming Album