The Next Big Thing: an A-Z of 2010 – Part 4

Iyaz
The new… Sean Kingston
Well, here’s a prediction that’s already come true! I came across Iyaz and his now no.1 single Replay a few months ago and instantly knew it would be a hit, for the simple reason that I loved it despite being quite sure that I should hate it. I’ve had the same feeling about a lot of songs which have come out of nowhere to become huge hits. Unfortunately for Iyaz, such unexpectedly ace songs don’t always lead to longevity, and he could easily be a one hit wonder, but now he’s made a name for himself all he needs is one or two more good songs and he’ll be the next megastar. Time will tell!
Poptasticness: 77% Hit potential: 86%

Jessie Malakouti
The new… Gina G
With Vagabond missing the mark and Mini Viva coming perilously close to becoming a one hit wonder, Xenomania Records hasn’t quite been the success it was expected to be so far. With her brilliant personality and equally ace brand of pop music, it would be great to see Jessie Malakouti become the big Xenomania success story of 2010. So far she’s appeared on some Ones To Watch lists and had some Radio 1 plays, but if Standing Up For The Lonely isn’t a huge hit then I’m sad to say that Xenomania may really have reason to worry.
Poptasticness: 91% Hit potential: 47%

Ke$ha
The new… Lady GaGa meets Katy Perry
Another act who has become a huge success in the time it’s taken me to write up this list, and I’m very pleased to see it. For me, Ke$ha was to 2009 what Lady GaGa was to 2008 – I loved her and anticipated her album throughout the year, and finally as January came around she began to dominate the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, just as I hoped (and kind of knew) she would. Although her debut album is varied in quality, I prefer Ke$ha’s personality to GaGa’s and certainly to Katy Perry’s, so I’m hoping she’ll blossom into a much bigger and better pop superstar than either of them.
Poptasticness: 94% Hit potential: 99%

Kiss in Cities
The new… Ting Tings
Kiss in Cities are Laura Marsden and Joe Cross, two members of the coincidentally recently reformed band (We Are) Performance. I always thought Performance were quite fun but lacking something, so it’s interesting that removing weird lead singer Joe Stretch from the equation seems to do the trick – I’m seriously loving what I’ve heard of Kiss in Cities so far. If the 80s electro trend continues into 2010, as it’s predicted to, I can see Kiss in Cities doing very well out of it, especially as Joe Cross is also involved with Hurts. Check out the UR My Girl video for a real blast from the past – it could easily be mistaken for a genuine 80s pop video!
Poptasticness: 86% Hit potential: 51%

Miike Snow
The new… Gnarls Barkley
Miike Snow have been predicted for big things for over a year now, and they gradually have been growing in popularity, but I’m yet to really grasp what’s supposedly so great about them. Animal is a catchy tune, but I can never remember how it sounds when I’m not listening to it. To be honest, I’d much rather listen to their work with other artists as Bloodshy and Avant – in fact, I expected much more poptastic stuff from such a great production team. They need to learn from Eg White and Mania – if you found success working behind the scenes, that’s probably where you’re meant to remain!
Poptasticness: 47% Hit potential: 49%