Kenzie May
It only took one Fefe Dobson-esque line of the first song on Kenzie May’s MySpace and the sight of her dressed as a skeleton dog in a video labelled ‘Unpretty – TLC’ for me to declare her my new favourite pop discovery. You can’t get a much better first impression than that! Her style is soulful indie-pop, along the lines of Adiam Dymott. Knock ‘Em Round shows she’s cool but Ticket One Way shows she’s talented too, and explains why she’s just been signed to a huge international publishing deal. Hopefully an even bigger record deal is soon to follow. These songs aren’t quite ready to be unleashed on the public yet, but they show so much potential I can’t wait to discover what her debut single and album will sound like.
Poptasticness: 85% Hit potential: 64%
Mali
Remember Mali Michael McCalla, the cute kid with the afro from X Factor a few years ago? Have you heard the recent Chase & Status single with the singer that sounds like Seal? Well, believe it or not, they are one and the same! X Factor were idiots not to keep him on as they’ve now lost out on a guy who I reckon could become a massive star over the next few years, but for Mali it was for the best as it gave him the chance to grow up a bit and get involved with a project that’s now helped him land a major solo deal. With a voice like his at his age, plus a cool, identifiable look, it’s going to be very difficult for his music career to fail. I doubt he will be making any amazing pop hits, but with clever marketing he could be one of those artists who finds himself on the A List at both Radio 1 and 2.
Poptasticness: 68% Hit potential: 84%