The 20 best pop singles of 2012 so far

June 30, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

With the end of June comes the end of the first half of 2012. So soon?!

The commercial pop world has, as ever, been coughing up enough tuneage to keep us occupied, and before the next six months forces the last six out of our memories, let’s take a moment to remember 2012′s finest songs so far… in, naturally, alphabetical order.

‘Boyfriend’
Performed by Justin Bieber
Written by Justin Bieber, Mike Posner, Matthew Musto, Mason Levy
Produced by Mike Posner and Mason Levy
Bieber went a bit Timberlake with the first cut from his second proper album Believe, and a right tune it is too. Shunning the big kitchen sink synths and just sticking to a bog-standard R’n'B/pop production style, it is undoubtedly the best release of his career so far, and also one of the best of 2012.

‘Call Me Maybe’
Performed by Carly Rae Jepsen
Written by Carly Rae Jepsen, Josh Ramsay, Tavish Crowe
Produced by Josh Ramsay
Oh God, it’s so simple – why didn’t anyone write it sooner? ‘Call Me Maybe’ is, on paper, absolutely awful. A saccharine voice, lyrics that would fit right in in one of those made-for-TV Disney movies and a daft video to boot, it inexplicably became one of the big hits of the year thanks to support from Justin Bieber and enough radio airplay to ensure it cemented itself in the heads of a nation for weeks on end. Somehow this is one of the most basic-yet-amazing pop records in a very long time.

‘Call My Name’
Performed by Cheryl Cole
Written and produced by Calvin Harris
You hear Calvin produced it, and you immediately compare it to ‘We Found Love’. ‘Call My Name’ does have all the basic ingredients of that Rihanna enormotune, yes, but once you shave away what you think it should sound like, it’s another ace to add to Cheryl Cole’s collection of mega-selling hits. Plus the choreo in the video is, to use a technical phrase, SIIIIIIIIIIICK.

‘Can’t Say No’
Performed by Conor Maynard
Written by Conor Maynard, The Invisible Men, Sophie Stern, Jon Mills, Joe Dyer, Kurtis McKenzie
Produced by The Invisible Men and The Arcade
Now that Bieber has revolutionised his image, the differences between ‘Boyfriend’ and ‘Can’t Say No’ aren’t as vast as Conor would perhaps like to admit. But here arrives a young British popmaker with some real potential. His demographic-crossing hip-pop sound is unlike anything any other British male soloist is offering in the mainstream at the moment, and the debut album should make for an interesting spin.

‘Charlie Brown’
Performed by Coldplay
Written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin, Brian Eno
Produced by Markus Dravs, Daniel Green, Rik Simpson
Enhanced even more by those amazing glowing wristbands, ‘Charlie Brown’ is a prime example of Coldplay-Does-Euphoria. It may not have scored the big chart points that No1 hit ‘Paradise’ did, but this follow-up is just as worthy of the public’s affection. Proving the band have still not lost their mojo, much as they may have altered it a tad since their indie beginnings, ‘CB’ is another brilliant addition to the sizeable Coldplay canon.

‘Dance Again’
Performed by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
Written by AJ Junior, The Chef, Enrique Iglesias, RedOne, Pitbull
Produced by RedOne
I think it was Popjustice who coined a term for ‘Dance Again’s breed of pop that is pretty spot-on: Lamazing. As in lazily amazing. It’s unlikely that a lot of time or effort went into this tune. It’s not like RedOne reinvented himself after making his name with songs that sound more-or-less identical. And yet ‘Dance Again’ has that same homosexual-baiting magic that ‘On The Floor’ did last year. “REAL MUSIC” bores be damned, it just works.

‘Dark Side’
Performed by Kelly Clarkson
Written by busbee, Alexander Geringas
Produced by Greg Kurstin
Pushing sales of album Stronger past those of predecessor All I Ever Wanted, ‘Dark Side’ is Kelly’s second consecutive single release to be helmed by Greg Kurstin, and her inifinite-th consecutive single release to be incredible. ‘Dark Side’ is a midtempo classic that is both a ballad and anthemic; a song about embracing a lover’s weaknesses as much as their strengths. Oh Kelly, you are fucking good.

‘Do It Our Way (Play)’
Performed by Alesha Dixon
Written by Nigel Butler, Alesha Dixon, Ray Hedges
Produced by Madman
OH GOD THIS ONE’S SO HARD TO DESCRIBE. Imagine if all the annoying bits of Jessie J and all the annoying bits of Natasha Bedingfield’s songs came together… and the result was good. I don’t even know why this is good. Maybe it’s the chorus. Maybe it’s the fact that Alesha representing Weight Watchers is a little odd. Maybe it’s just the fact that Weight Watchers even released an official single. I don’t know. But this song is GOOD.

‘Give Your Heart A Break’
Performed by Demi Lovato
Written and produced by Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg
Reaching the giddy heights of ‘Did Not Chart’ in the UK, ‘Give Your Heart A Break’ follows ‘Call Me Maybe’ and ‘Boyfriend’ along the line of thinking that pop doesn’t necessarily have to be a Club Banger to be amazing in 2012. Just a simple tune about putting a potential squeeze at ease, it showcases a different side to Demi’s voice and deserved to do a lot better than it did. Still, in the US it’s still climbing so there’s always that. Bring on The X Factor USA #teamdemi.

 ‘Glitter & Gold’
Performed by Rebecca Ferguson
Written by Rebecca Ferguson, Alex Smith, Paul Barry
Produced by Mark Taylor, Alex Smith
A much more sensible choice for a single than ‘Too Good To Lose’, ‘Glitter & Gold’ has a similar message to Rebecca’s debut ‘Nothing’s Real But Love’, but delivers it in a much more aggressive way. With a stomping beat not dissimilar to Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’, it’s another fine example of Rebecca’s excellent songwriting, and album Heaven’s swift return to the Top 10 as a result of this song was fully warranted.

‘Is This Love’
Performed by Aiden Grimshaw
Written by Aiden Grimshaw, Jarrad Rogers, Joel Pott
Despite a warm critical reaction and a loyal fanbase, Aiden Grimshaw failed to launch his recording career with a bang with ‘Is This Love’, which is a real puzzler. It’s an excellent song – another strain of evidence to prove that any kind of artist can come from The X Factor these days, and another strain of evidence that the 2010 series (which also provided us with Cher Lloyd, One Direction, Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson) was among the most interesting.

‘National Anthem’
Performed by Lana Del Rey
Written by Lana Del Rey, Justin Parker, The Nexus
Produced by Emile Haynie, Jeff Bhasker
Sneaking in just this week, ‘National Anthem’ is arguably Lana’s finest single to date. Pushing her darkly euphoric sound to its maximum, its chorus is inexplicably rousing and its lyrics are some of the best on her Born To Die LP. Match that song with an epic video in which she plays Jackie Kennedy at the time of JFK’s assassination and you’re on to one of the big success stories of 2012.

‘Next To Me’
Performed by Emeli Sande
Written by Emeli Sande, Hugo Chegwin, Harry Craze
Produced by Craze & Hoax
When Emeli Sande’s second single ‘Daddy’ only just managed to squeeze itself into the Top 20 last autumn, things didn’t look too great for her. But then came a string of one-to-watch prizes and this corker of a single – an infectious slice of piano pop able to appeal itself to fans of many genres.

‘Picking Up The Pieces’ 
Performed by Paloma Faith
Written by Paloma Faith, Wayne Hector, Tim Powell
Produced by Nellee Hooper
Paloma Faith finally found her first ever Top 10 single with ‘Picking Up The Pieces’, a heart-wrenching ballad about being your other half’s second choice. Seeing in her second album Fall To Grace, which outperformed the peak chart position of its predecessor in its first week, it remains an enduring favourite.

‘Primadonna’
Performed by Marina and the Diamonds
Written by Marina Diamandis, Julie Frost, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter
Produced by Dr Luke
Sending Album Of The Year So Far Electra Heart straight to No1, ‘Primadonna’ may have failed by a hairline to secure Marina Diamandis her first Top 10 hit, but it certainly established her as an artist able to tread a well-worn path in her own unique way. Packed with dark lyrics and underscored by a throbbing bass synth, it’s a carefully calculated masterpiece.

‘R.I.P.’
Performed by Rita Ora
Written by Drake, Farhad Samadzada, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Nneka Egbuna, Renee Wisdom, Saul Milton, William Kennard, Tinie Tempah
Produced by Chase & Status, Stargate
With Jay-Z by her side and Drake writing her breakthrough solo hit, Rita Ora is not a newcomer to be taken lightly. Simultaneously attempting to break both the UK and US markets, all the while serving as a guest judge on The X Factor, she’s made a rapid ascent to fame that makes ‘R.I.P.’ the first of what I assume to be many big hits for her.

‘Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)’
Performed by Kelly Clarkson
Written by Jörgen Elofsson, Ali Tamposi, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin
Produced by Greg Kurstin
Despite only peaking at No8, ‘Stronger’ is now Kelly Clarkson’s biggest-selling single in the UK – surpassing ‘Since U Been Gone’, ‘Because Of You’ and even her only No1 ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’. And why? Because it’s a CHOON. Opening with a guitar reminiscent of a The xx offcut before exploding into an all-out Pride-friendly anthem, it’s rightfully one of the big radio hits of the year. 10 years in, Kelly’s still on top of her game.

‘We Are Young’
Performed by fun. featuring Janelle Monae
Written by Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff, Jeffrey Bhasker
Produced by Jeff Bhaskher
Like a showtune, a light-rock song and a pop song all rolled into one, ‘We Are Young’ is, along with Kelly’s ‘Stronger’ and Carly-Rae’s ‘Maybe’, one of the biggest-sellers of the year-to-date on both sides of the Atlantic. And – at least for me, anyway – it still doesn’t sound overplayed, regardless of the ridiculous number of times it gets spun on the radio.

‘When She Was Mine’
Performed by Lawson
Written by Andy Brown, Paddy Dalton, Duck Blackwell, Ki Fitzgerald
Produced by Duck Blackwell, Paddy Dalton, John Shanks
The best bit about ‘When She Was Mine’ is that their second single, released later this month, is even better. ‘When She Was Mine’ is a pop-rock nugget that mixes the sounds of The Script and The Wanted together to create a tune perfect for a relaxed summer’s day. Its rapid exit from the charts implies they still have a way to go to secure themselves some longevity, but hopefully they’ll get there.

‘Wide Awake’
Performed by Katy Perry
Written by Katy Perry, Bonnie McKee, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Henry Walter
Produced by Dr Luke
And lo, one of the longest and most successful album campaigns of all time finally draws to a close. Katy’s Teenage Dream era has now spawned EIGHT massive hit singles, and whilst I was never particularly taken with ‘Part Of Me’, ‘Wide Awake’ sees it out on an emotional high. Who knows if she will be able to match the success of the last two years with her next album, but whatever happens we’ll always have ‘Firework’, ‘ET’, ‘Last Friday Night’ et al. It’s been emotional…

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The X Factor 2012: Alicia, Tinie, Gwen, Rod and Robbie for guest judge roles

May 20, 2012 in TV with 0 Comments

Apparently Alicia Keys, Tinie Tempah, Gwen Stefani, Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams have been booked to guest judge The X Factor‘s upcoming auditions; while Geri Haliwell, Mel B, Alesha Dixon and The Saturdays’ Frankie Sandford and Rochelle Wiseman are being considered for the permanent position.

No replacement for Kelly Rowland has been found, with the delay being blamed on the assumption that Dannii Minogue would accept a £1 million offer to make a comeback. Funnily enough, after being shat on by Simon Cowell’s biographer, she’s reluctant to uproot her family to the other side of the world.

The Sun claims that the quintet of guest judges will work at the first round of filmed auditions, which begin as early as this Wednesday (May 23) in Liverpool before making their way around the country.

The Daily Star Sunday has also given the chaos considerable coverage, saying that Rihanna, Nicole Scherzinger (no shit) and Katy Perry have all said no.

A source says:

“At this rate the fourth judge may not be signed until much later in the series. Dannii turning them down was a massive blow because as far as ITV1 and The X Factor were concerned it was a done deal. The back-up plan is to have a host of guest performers take part in the regional auditions and possible Boot Camp before revealing a permanent name at the Judges’ Houses in August. Everyone involved knows how important the judges are to the success of the show… Numerous high-profile singers have come forward wanting the job. But bosses fear they aren’t big enough names to wow viewers. So it’s now panic stations to make sure they can sign up a big enough name in time.”

As long as it’s not Sinitta…


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Will Simon Cowell drop David Walliams or Alesha Dixon from Britain’s Got Talent?

May 12, 2012 in TV with 0 Comments

As with any Simon Cowell-helmed talent show, the end of a series means the beginning of speculation surrounding the future of the judging panel.

This year’s Britain’s Got Talent ratings have been a little underwhelming – it may have been trumping The Voice over the past few weeks, but compared to last year’s figures (which themselves were a downturn on 2010), the show has actually declined in popularity once again.

But will Cowell attempt to revive the figures by changing the panel again? Will newbies David Walliams or Alesha Dixon be cut?

It’s good news! Simon told The Sun that their jobs are safe, adding:

“The chemistry has worked really well — it’s been one of the most fun panels I’ve ever worked with.”

He added that Alesha has been “a breath of fresh air”, whilst David is “the weirdest person I’ve ever worked with but we’ve become great friends. He’s a brilliant judge”.

Alesha herself has said she’d “jump at the chance” to come back for a second year.


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Darcey Bussell replaces Alesha Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing

April 25, 2012 in TV with 0 Comments

Darcey Bussell will replace Alesha Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing this year, it has been confirmed.

The professional dancer will sit alongside Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli when the series returns in the autumn.

Karen Hardy, Ola Jordan, Jennifer Grey, Kara Tointon and Russell Grant had been linked to the role, as had previous judge Arlene Philips.

Darcey has been a guest judge in the past, and boasts an OBE and countless years (‘countless’ as in there probably is a count somewhere) of professional experience on her CV. Safe to say she’s a bit more qualified than Alesha, whose experience, much as we love her, was, um, being on the show herself.

The show enjoyed one of its most successful runs to date in 2011, trumping The X Factor on several occasions thanks to performances from Harry Judd, Chelsee Healey and Jason Donovan.

Alesha quit the show in January, announcing just the next day that she had signed up for Britain’s Got Talent instead.


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Alesha Dixon says she loves The Voice, Simon Cowell facepalms

April 14, 2012 in TV with 0 Comments

Alesha Dixon always used to say during her time on Strictly that she loved The X Factor (she was Team Little Mix, donchaknow), and her refusal to get involved in inter-channel rivalries has clearly stayed with her during her transfer to ITV.

She admitted in a new interview that she loves Britain’s Got Talent’s nemesis The Voice; a remark that reportedly upset new boss Simon Cowell. She told The Mirror:

“I have watched the show. My family come round on a Saturday night and we have some food and get ready to watch [Britain's Got Talent] and obviously we watch The Voice before. I am a big fan of Jessie [J], I am a big fan of will.i.am and I love listening to singers so it has been enjoyable to watch.”

“It wasn’t the brightest thing to say by Alesha,” said an observant ITV ‘source’. “She is always outspoken but sometimes less is more and ITV and Simon [Cowell] would have preferred her to say less about The Voice, that’s for sure.”

On Alan Carr: Chatty Man last year – y’know, the time she got smashed off her face and it was amazing television – discussing Strictly vs X Factor, she slurred:

“I don’t understand why we can’t just enjoy both shows. I actually don’t think the public give a shit. It’s the producers and the media. The public will just Sky+ one and watch it later, they don’t care. It’s swings and roundabouts. Next year they’ll be beating us, the year after we’ll beat them, who cares! Jog on Christmas.”

I do love her.

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Cheryl Cole loses Twitter war virginity to Alesha Dixon’s ex-husband

January 31, 2012 in General Trash with 1 Comment

Hurrah! Cheryl Cole has finally got herself embroiled in a Twitter arguement.

We don’t normally get involved in celebrity gossip that’s directly unrelated to their music/TV/film output, but Chez at war is just too good.

Her rival is MC Harvey, the So Solid Crew member who was married to Alesha Dixon before famously cheating on her with Javine Hylton, who starred alongside Cheryl on Popstars: The Rivals but didn’t make it in to Girls Aloud.

He tells this week’s issue of Now magazine that he enjoyed a relationship with the ‘Fight For This Love’ hitmaker, saying:

We’ve known each other for years. But then [after Cheryl split with Ashley] we started confiding in each other. We had a lot of common ground and she was just a fucking nice girl. Oh, why did you have to bring her up, man? It brings back memories!

The conversations we had… it was like two people who’d gone through so much and both respected each other because of it. I wouldn’t have minded Cheryl being my wife!

Cheryl clearly ain’t having any of that.

She tweeted: “Was this “relationship” happening in your head @harveyofficial?! Are you smoking something ?

“I think I’ve met you once maybe twice at public events and With your wife !! #shitjustgetsweirder”

Harvey responded with a series of tweets standing by his claims: ”Do you actually want me to tweet some of the messages you emailed me @cherylcole pipe down and stop playing the saint in front of your fans.

“I had your back @cherylcole untill you sent that shit dissapointed in you if the public seen these emails you would end up with egg on your face.

“And let’s get this straight @cherylcole I don’t need no hype of you! I’d rather go broke and work in sainsburys than talk about your personal shit.

“This is not a twitter beef I still have massive respect for @cherylcole but you shouldn’t of tweeted that knowing we both have personal messages to eachother #silenceinthecourt”

She hasn’t directly responded to that particular outburst, Nicola Roberts has waded in on it.

“Emails..?? I think someone’s been having you on mate..” she said, before adding the hashtag “#shedoesntdoemailsshedoesphonesex”

Cheryl retweeted both of the above, saying “*spat my tea out* Lmfao”

What does Cheryl have to gain from causing a fuss over these claims? Surely if they were true she’d just be quiet and pay them no heed, in the knowledge that her love life is always a cause of speculation and all the rumours eventually bugger off.

Verdict: Cheryl innocent, Harvey guilty.

TOO MUCH DRAMA, LADIES AND GENTS.

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Nice to see you, to see you leave! Bruce Forsyth backs Alesha on Britain’s Got Talent

January 21, 2012 in TV with 0 Comments

Bruce Forsyth has voiced his support for Alesha Dixon in her new role on Britain’s Got Talent.

The ‘Boy Does Nothing’ singer walked out on Strictly Come Dancing after being seduced by an enormous salary and greater exposure on Britain’s Got Talent.

Mail Online quotes Brucie as saying: “We’re going to miss her tremendously, but I think she will be great on that show.

“She’ll get more exposure and be heard more. She’ll have a chance to show off her great sense of humour. I think she will do marvellously.”

When asked if he feels let down by her, he said: “Not in the slightest. It may be called showbusiness, but I’m not sure people always realise that it has always been more “business” than “show”.”

David Walliams, another new judge on BGT this year, spoke up as to why he and Alesha will be better than Kelly Brook, who was a judge for all of five minutes in 2009.

“When Kelly did the show, she asked Ant and Dec what they did on it,” he told The Sun. “I have seen the show, so I haven’t made that mistake – I’ve learned which is Ant and which is Dec, so I should be fine.

“The others have all judged before. I haven’t but, you know, it should be OK. How hard can it be?”

Simon Cowell added: “I think that was a whole different situation because we didn’t tell anyone, not even the other judges and Ant and Dec didn’t know. This time everyone is on board, they’re getting on fine, we won’t see a repeat of that.”

The show will hit screens in the Spring.

 

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Who’ll replace Alesha Dixon on Strictly Come Dancing?

January 4, 2012 in TV with 0 Comments

Kara Tointon has replaced Karen Hardy as the bookies’ favourite to replace Alesha Dixon on the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel.

Kara won the 2010 series of the BBC1 hit in the highest-rated season finale in the show’s history, whilst Karen used to work with the celebrities as a professional dancer before commentating on the show for special Red Button coverage.

Former EastEnders star Kara is now odds-on favourite on 10/11, whilst Karen slips to 6/4.

Behind them is Chelsee Healey on 5/1 and Arlene Phillips on 6/1, with Anton Du Beke the most likely male on 16/1 odds. He shares those odds with former champion Jill Halfpenny and pro Erin Boag.

Ola Jordan and Mark Ramprakash are long shots on 25/1, whilst Russell Grant is 40/1 and Anne Widdecombe is 100/1.

Who do you think would make a good replacement for Alesha?

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Watch: Alesha Dixon premières Do It Our Way (Play)

January 2, 2012 in Music with 0 Comments

Without a record deal, Alesha Dixon has teamed up with Weight Watchers for this new song and music video.

‘Do It Our Way (Play)’ merges the better bits of her poorly-received Entertainer album with the Jessie J breed of empowerment-pop (‘empowerpop’?), and whilst the tune itself isn’t anything to get particularly excited about, the video is oddly fun to watch…

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Alesha Dixon smashed on Alan Carr Chatty Man: AMAZING

December 5, 2011 in TV with 0 Comments

Alesha Dixon is far more naturally hysterical than, say, Kelly Rowland, so it’s a shame we don’t get to see more of her vibrant personality on Strictly Come Dancing.

But get some booze down her on Alan Carr Chatty Man and she’s a RIOT.

And, drunk off her brains, she did actually speak the most sense regarding the much publicised rivalry between her show and X Factor, which she’s made no secret on Twitter of being a fan of.

“‘I don’t understand why we can’t just enjoy both shows,” she said. “I actually don’t think the public give a shit. It’s the producers and the media. The public will just Sky+ one and watch it later, they don’t care.”

AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH.

“It’s swings and roundabouts. Next year they’ll be beating us, the year after we’ll beat them, who cares! Jog on Christmas.”

And that, right there, is kinda why Strictly‘s been winning this year. It can’t be arsed to get itself knee-deep in tabloid melodrama and ratings panics, because it’s too pre-occupied with just pounding out great, family-friendly television week in, week out.

It’s a shame Alesha got dumped by her record label AGAIN following last year’s under-performing Entertaineralbum, as it was actually pretty good. Let’s hope she gets another shot.

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