New Pop on the Block

Jessie Malakouti – Standing Up For The Lonely (Listen)
At last, the lovely Miss Malakouti is about to release her debut UK single. It’s a Xenomania track with a dancey vibe, in the same way that Lost My Heart in Tokyo is perfectly poppy but can easily played on Radio 1’s cheesy dance shows as well. Having been a fan of Jessie’s previous band Shut Up Stella, whose career never really took off, I was really pleased that Jessie came over to the UK to work with pop royalty Xenomania, so I’m extremely keen for her to do well. I don’t know how the UK will respond to her sound, but she’s bound to win over plenty of fans if she can get herself on TV a bit. She’s great fun and exactly the kind of popstar we need more of.
88% Poptastic!

Meja – Regrets (I Have None) (Listen)
You may not think you know who Meja is, but anyone who liked pop music in the late 90s will surely remember her small (but insanely catchy) hit, All About the Money, and her lovely duet with Ricky Martin, Private Emotion. Meja has continued, somewhat sporadically, to release music in her home country of Sweden and her new material is actually really good. The sound hasn’t changed much since 1998, but that’s a good thing in this case. Regrets is a sweet song which has grown on me with each listen, and could easily do well thanks to its similarity to the kind of songs you always hear on adverts these days. I also recommend previous single At the Rainbow’s End. Get these songs on an advert, quick, it’s time Meja has another top 20 UK hit!
86% Poptastic!

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