Hatchie's 'Stay With Me' Is Your New Favorite Crying at the Club Anthem
There are "mood" genres that need no real explanation: "Crying At The Discotheque," of course - beyond being a great Alcazar song - is one of them. Rising Australian singer-songwriter Hatchie, born Harriette Pilbeam, has just thrown her hat(chie) into the sad disco ring with "Stay With Me," a…
Jake Germain Is Getting 'Over U'
Lord knows: if it doesn't involve wigs and stilettos, I'm not interested. Usually, anyway. That being said, it's a (not so) New Year, (not so) New Me, and it's time to be more open-minded in terms of potential pop saviors - especially in these trying times. Jake Germain is an up-and-coming act,…
'Con Altura': Rosalía & J Balvin Take it High With a Reggaeton Party in the Sky
Well, just as I thought...excellence. Rosalía, one of the brightest stars to break out in 2018, and J Balvin, siempre papi nunca inpapi, are a match made in throwback reggaeton heaven. Granted, they've linked up once before on the more experimental electronic standout "Brillo" featured on Balvin's…
'Stretch': Louise Is Back, and She Wants to Get Physical
Louise is ready to break a sweat. If you're not of the United Kingdom (and/or are somewhat obsessively into British pop like some of us), you might not already know of Louise Elizabeth Redknapp née Nurding, formerly a member of British girl group Eternal. After the group released their…
'Life Sucks': Jolin Tsai Provides the Anti-#GoodVibesOnly Anthem
Let me tell you something: I cannot stand a #GoodVibesOnly type of person. It's just not realistic. Ignoring the inevitable, unavoidable suffering that comes in this life is just stupid - and, frankly, deeply unhealthy. I get that positive thinking is a good thing. I've read (parts of) The Secret.…
'What You Waiting For?': Anda Reboots Her Career With a Banger Intended for BLACKPINK
To no one's surprise, K-pop is continuing to deliver quality in 2019. Today's gem comes from two equally intriguing acts: R.Tee, the DJ and composer hailing from YG's sub-label The Black Label responsible for co-producing BLACKPINK's "Playing With Fire" and "DDU-DU DDU-DU" among other hits, and…
'Butterfly' Is Why 'Stan Loona' Is (Rightfully) a Thing
Log on to Twitter. Actually, don't, it's the Bad Place. But if you do, you'll see that the running joke and/or rallying cry - at least across vasts portions of K-Pop Stan Twitter™, and various pockets of Gay Twitter™ - is "Stan Loona." Got a problematic politician? A popular Western pop star? Any…
'Noir': Sunmi Shows the Dark Side of Stunting for the Gram
Sunmi, formerly of the Wonder Girls (still too soon, gone but never forgotten), has rapidly become one of my new favorite K-pop soloists over the past two years, thanks to one-two-three punch of "Gashina," "Heroine" and "Siren" - and it appears she's just going to keep the love (and likes - more on…
'Baby Please Don't Stop': The Breezy Return of Emma Bunton
There are things you think you'll never get a chance to say again in your lifetime. "Baby Spice is back with new music" is certainly one of them. Or, well, was. Mercifully, the status of another Emma Bunton solo record is no longer just a "Maybe." (Eh heh, see what I did there?) Twelve long years…
'Don't Call Me Up': Mabel Continues the Great Pop Tradition of Telephonic Turmoil
Maybe it's time for Mabel to change her number...or downgrade to handwritten correspondence. The 22-year-old British Breakthrough Act Brit Award-nominated siren - who happens to already be legendary by blood as the daughter of Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack's Cameron McVey, and remains one of the…
'Ugly Beauty': Jolin Tsai, Queen of C-Pop, Embraces the Hate
I've written a fair share about Korean pop and Japanese pop queens over the years. But the Queen of C-Pop™ just returned in the final hours of 2018, so it's time to take trek over to Taiwan and bow the fuck down. Jolin Tsai is generally considered the Queen of Chinese Pop for a variety of reasons:…
JoJo Re-Records, Rereleases & Reclaims Her Catalog
Sometimes, you've got to go back to the beginning to get where you're going next. If you're at all familiar with now 28-year-old singer-songbird JoJo (happy birthday by the way, sweet Jo), you're likely also at least peripherally aware of her seemingly eternal legal battle with her former label…