Rosanna Munter
The new… Linda Sundblad
Rosanna was one of the members of Play, a Swedish girlgroup who always annoyed me because they basically took singles by UK acts (Billie, Atomic Kitten and Liberty X) and released them in America, where the UK acts had not been successful. Thinking about it now, those songs were probably written by Swedish people anyway so it’s not really worth holding a grudge. Therefore, I’m approaching Rosanna’s music with an open mind… and it’s pretty good! She is going for a more Robyn-ish style than conventional Swedish pop, and already has some nice songs on her MySpace. I like Game Boy the most but Heart Attack and Flashing Lights are ace too. I’m not sure if there’s room for another artist so vocally similar to Robyn and Linda, but if we have to have a new artist who sounds like an old one, then I definitely don’t mind it being Robyn or Linda. Let’s just hope someone tells her to ditch the surname – she definitely won’t get any UK success with that one!
Poptasticness: 83% Hit potential: 55%
Shontelle
The new… Christina Milian
Has Rihanna started a trend of clothes and accessories themed songs with US female r’n’b artists? First Umbrella, then Sneakers, and now T-Shirt! Fergie and the Pussycat Dolls are probably racing as we speak to be the first to bring out a song called Underwear, and the Bangles are undoubtedly plotting a comeback. But back to Shontelle: I became a fan of the song T-Shirt when I first heard it last August, but I forgot all about it until recently when it has become a hit in America and is getting attention over here too. If you like songs like Irreplaceable and Tattoo you’ll definitely like T-Shirt as it’s very clearly made in that template, but it’s a great template to choose. The chorus could be stronger, but as a whole the song has a nice vibe and Shontelle comes across as a sweet young popstar. There’s nothing revolutionary about the music Shontelle is making, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless, and all of the songs on her MySpace are as good as T-Shirt.
Poptasticness: 79% Hit potential: 82%
Sky Larkin
The new… Howling Bells
One of my favourite indie-pop songs of last year was I Was A Teenage Handmodel by Sky Larkin, a lovely quirky song with a super-catchy ooh-ooh section. Their debut album, The Golden Spike, is about to be released, so we could well be at a turning point with this group. If all goes well and the album gets good reviews, as I have little doubt that it will, then they are likely to become one of the indie know-it-alls’ must-love acts in the coming months. They’re already quite popular in Europe, and since Handmodel hasn’t actually been released as a single yet, I reckon it could be one of the underground hits of 2009. I wish them luck anyway, and hope to hear some more ace songs from them in the future, as Handmodel is the only one that really grabs me so far. The others on their MySpace are fairly good, but they just don’t have that special something which Handmodel definitely does have.
Poptasticness: 68% Hit potential: 56%
Silhouettes
The new… The Honeyz
This new girl group are clearly very early in the makings, but they’ve already had a bit of press from Popjustice, and other pop blogs have caught on. Their style is a halfway point between the Sugababes and Amy Winehouse, a retro r’n’b girlgroup with strong vocals and classic-sounding songs. Surrender is a really good pop song, but it’s not the kind of song to turn an unknown act into pop royalty. If the Sugababes released it, it would be a hit, but for a first single they’ll need something really super-special, because talent alone is sadly not enough. Still, forgetting about selling records for a minute, I do like their sound a lot and I will be keeping an eye on their MySpace to hear what else they come up with. It’s nice to have a new girlgroup where all of the members are good singers, and with influences such as The Ronettes and Darlene Love. Also, for those of you who miss 90s-style r’n’b or just were a fan of Eternal, definitely give Hold You Tonight a listen.
Poptasticness: 90% Hit potential: 57%