Finally… after 3 number 1 singles in Ireland one of the most exciting new acts to emerge in the last few years is preparing to launch their career in the Uk.  The band is Industry and if you haven’t realized that you love them yet this is your chance to catch up.

They’ve relased 4 singles to date and proved that they can sing absolutely anything.  And now the band is enlisting their fans to help them with their next single choice.  2 one minute clips have been relased and fans can give feedback on which song they want released in the Uk.

Your choices are Drown In The Music and Kill The DJ.  Both songs offer a new club friendly vibe and both songs are FANTASTIC!

What do you think?

Drown In The Music

Kill The DJ

Leave your vote in the comments.

Imagine this… The first Semi-Final at Melodifestivalen.  The lights dim and the spotlight hits the stage as a familiar face begins to sing.  It’s “Velvet’ back for 2010 after ‘The Queen’ failed to make it to the finals in 2009… then a second spotlight hits the stage and the one and only Linda Bengtzing steps onto the stage singing in English for the first time at Melodifestivalen!  The two stars have come together for a one of a kind duet called ‘Victorious!’

Wouldn’t that have been AMAZING?!  Well the bad news is that it could have happened.  This song exists and it was submitted for Melodifestivalen 2010 and was turned down!  As we’ve seen already the focus was to bring in a lot of new talent that hadn’t competed in the competition before.  Unfortunately we’ve seen the result of that gamble because although there have been a few surprises, most fans are looking for great songs from established acts or song writers.  Poor Linda is rejected from the competition for a second time (Her duet with Markoolio also failed to enter the contest, although the song was a massive hit and topped the charts in Sweden.)

The good news is that you can now hear the track!  Now I’m clearly gutted that Linda didn’t make it to the competition this year but after hearing the song I think maybe it was for the best.  The track is cool because it’s Linda and Velvet together… but I don’t know if it would have been strong enough to make it direct to the finalen, instead I think it would have gone to Andra Chansen and perhaps lost there.  And as much as I want to see Linda back in Melodifestivalen.  I only want her back if she can go to the finalen with a massive hit single.

That doesn’t mean the song is bad by any means!  I would describe it more as a Velvet song with Linda singing on it rather than a Linda song with Velvet singing on it even though it’s credited differently on the single.  The chorus is catchy but I’d love to hear the track with a building schlager backing track rather than a simple dance backing.  The line “We’re Going To Be Victorious” needed to have music that was a bit more hard hitting.

So what does this mean for Linda?  Are we going to have an album from her in 2010 or will she wait until 2011 when she can give Melodifestivalen another go?

Linda Bengtzing and Velvet – Victorious

Back in 2001 – 2005 the band known as ‘Play’ were one of the few Swedish acts to have success in the USA thanks to some strategic marketing and extensive touring.  To be honest I never gave the group any attention at all.  I found their music too cheesy, childish and annoying even for me!  (and that’s saying something… trust me!)  In fact as far as I’m concerned the only positive thing to ever come from the band is the success of Janet Leon who released her first solo album last year and is featured on my top songs of 2009!

When ‘Play’ announced that they were finished in 2005 let’s just say no one lost any sleep… but that didn’t stop 2 of the original members from announcing late last year that they were re-forming as a trio with a new member for a reality show called “Made In Sweden.”  The concept was pretty similar to ‘Totally Scott-Lee’  (for any of you from the Uk you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about);  the band would attempt to record a new album in 4 weeks and make an impact on the charts with their new songs.  Two weeks ago the show came to and end and the first single was released and has just hit #1 in Sweden!

Let’s just say this song is vast improvement over anything the band recorded previously.  Slightly more grown up lyrics and sound that basically tells the story about how badly the band wants to be famous.  If you’re curious check it out below and see what you think of the new and improved ‘Play.’

Play – Famous

I was pretty excited because I was a huge fan of ‘Higher’ and ‘In The Heat Of The Night’.  ‘I’m Alive’ picks up right where the last two singles left off lifting similar parts of the previous singles and sneaking them into the arrangement of the new single as well as using classic song titles in their lyrics; the entire song is basically one giant copy cat!  That being said it’s definitely their sound and is a fun song to dance to but it isn’t nearly as good as it should be considering how long it was between singles.  I’m curious to know if Johan Becker is still signing vocals for the group.

Star Pilots – I’m Alive

In the end it wasn’t much of a competition as Didrik easily pulled ahead in the final round of voting to take over for Alexander Rybak to represent Norway at Eurovision 2010.

Before I go on I just want to say how much I LOVE Didrik and his song ‘My Heart Is Yours’ which was written in part by the amazing Fredik Kempe.  The Norweigian people definitely chose the best song and I think Didrik should easily score a top 10 placing at Eurovision with this track which is currently my favorite Eurovision 2010 song so far!

As much as I love Didrik, he’s going to get more than enough attention in the next few months and I want to post about another song that really deserves some recognition.  Unlike the first semi-final of Melodifestivalen (Don’t get me started) , MGP was flooded with fantastic tracks this year.  Songs like Rocketfuel, Jealous Cause I Love You, Don’t Wanna Lose You Again and Yes Man all have received heavy airplay at my house.

There is one more song that demands to be noticed and that is the amazing Alexander Stenerud and ‘Give It To Me.’  In his third attempt at Eurovision glory Alexander really hit a chord with me.  This song is PERFECT for Eurovision.  I LOVE Alexanders voice in this track… I don’t know how to describe it… it’s very ‘dreamy.’

But perhaps the best part of the song is that he gives us not one but TWO key changes!    What more could one ask for?  The good news is that although he didn’t win MGP 2010, his new album ‘Pearls’ is now available on iTunes worldwide and includes his previous 2 Eurovision tracks (Always Always is a must have as well!) and is riding high atop the Norwegian album chart!

Alexander Stenerud – Give It To Me

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The return of Sanna Nielsen is upon us and it has definitely been worth the wait!  Last week Sanna Nielsen released the first single from her next album and it’s definitely a step in the right direction.  What makes this track great is that it’s different from anything else being released right now.  We already know she can belt out a ballad and sure I’d love an album full of Vagar Du, Vagar Jag’s but since that’s never going to happen I’m going to say that this is a great song for her.  The only thing I will say is that I think the song is missing a really strong and hard hitting climax.  Sure there is a key change in there but I think it definitely could have been a little stronger and arranged differently.

I think it’s funny that she’s releasing this track right in time for Melodifestivalen  and it’s awfully close to the 3 minute mark required for the competition… was this song rejected from the competition perhaps?

But my verdict is two thumbs up!  Let’s hope there are some other big upbeat tracks in store when the album is released.

Purchase the mp3 anywhere in the world from HERE.

Who is Suzie McNeil and why have I never heard of her?  Yesterday I went bowling and this track came on the radio and it immediately got stuck in my head for the rest of the day.  Since I still don’t have Shazam I had to google the lyrics until I found the right track and this is it!

Turns out Suzie McNeil is a fellow Canadian and has been around for awhile now.  Her big break came on the 2005 reality show Rockstar:INXS where she vyed for a positon as the new lead singer of INXS where she came in 4th place.

Since then she’s become a relative star in Canada after releasing 2 albums and 8 singles, appearing on various Canadian television shows and being nominated for a Juno award.

This track probably isn’t the best representation of what Susie McNeil is all about.  It’s a radio remix which answers the question what if  Lady Gaga and Pink were to merge?  The answer is catchy and upbeat and could easily be a hit around the world.

Suzie McNeil – Help Me Out

#10. Thorleifs – Sweet Kissin’ In The Moonlight

A bunch of creepy old men in suits usually isn’t the kind of act that I go for but in this case I’ll make an exception because this song easily became one of my favorite songs from Melodifestivalen 2009.  The fact that they decided to sing one line in english makes it even better for singing along so I don’t have to continue to massacre the Swedish language.

#9. Backstreet Boys – Bigger

I think I love this song because it reminds me of a simpler time back when pop music was king and bands like the Backstreet Boys were still in their prime.  Instead their new album has been their biggest flop yet, which is a shame because I absolutely love ‘Bigger’ which was written by the musical genius – Max Martin.

#8. The Killers – A Dustland Fairytale

This anthemic song builds and builds until you just can’t take it anymore.  Their live performance of this track with an orchestra on the Letterman show will go down in history as one of the best performances on late night TV.

#7. Hera Bjork – Someday

Good ole Hera Bjork.  This track feels like it’s been ripped from a schlager fairytale and of coarse there is a happy ending with wind machines and key changes and a beautiful sunset!

#6. Sakis Rouvas – Kai Se Thelo

So this track may have been released in 2008 but since I didn’t discover it until 2009 it gets to make it onto my chart.  I loved this song for approximately 3 months straight playing it on a loop for hours on end.  It’s been almost a year since I first discovered it and I still love it to this day.

#5. Brinck – Believe Again

Let’s not talk about his utter failure at ESC 2009 and instead let the song stand on its own as a perfect pop ditty.

#4. Erik Hassle – Hurtful

Erik has easily become one of my new favorite male singers in 2009.  His album is amazing and is vying for my favorite album of the year status.  I feel like he still hasn’t reached the superstar status he deserves though.  “Hurtful’ is amazing but still hasn’t broken him internationally like it should have.  With releases in the Uk and US this year let’s hope he gets the recognition he deserves.  If you haven’t purchased his album yet you need to get on it!

#3. Same Difference – Right Between The Eyes

I just posted this song recently and as you can imagine it’s one of my favorite songs of the year.  It has every ingredient I look for in a song from a band that has to be one of the nicest and sweetest acts around.  Their new album will be released in mid to late 2010 and all reports indicate that it’s going to be one hell of a pop album.

#2. Glee Cast – Don’t Stop Believin’

As far as I see it… the massive success that Glee has had around the world wouldn’t have been possible without this song.  By far the best song from the show so far (although there are some other fantastic ones and some not so fantastic ones as well) this song is responsible for plucking a song out of obscurity and making it cool again.  Glee may be responsible for bringing pop music back into the spotlight in the US.  It’s one of the most downloaded songs of the year with good reason if you still haven’t discovered Glee this is the song to get you started.

#1.  Alcazar – Stay The Night

And here they are… Alcazar on top with ‘Stay The Night’ – the song that should have won Melodifestivalen 2009 and in my mind did win.  I’m actually dissapointed that Alcazar are returning to Melodifestivalen 2010 because I fear they won’t be able to live up to this track. There isn’t a lot I feel like I can even say about this song because I can’t find the words to desribe how much I love it.  It’s become my anthem of the year and no other song could have taken the top spot from this song.  If they play their cards right they may end up with my favorite song of 2010 as well!

I think my friend and I should be the newest members of Alcazar!

2009 is over and already 2010 has brought some fantastic new songs that I can’t wait to share with you all.   Until then turn on some Alcazar and have a great weekend!  I’m off to Mexico in 4 hours and I’ll be back in one week!

#19. Tone Damli Aaberge – Butterflies

The youngest contestent to ever make it onto Norwegian Idol where she ended up as the runner up and went on to release 3 hit albums.  She continued her streak of ‘runner up’ status when she came in second place to Alexander Ryback at MGP 2009.  Well Tone… you can smile knowing that at least you beat out Alexander on the You Don’t Know Pop top songs of 2009.

#18. September – Can’t Get Over

This song is perhaps the oldest song on my 2009 countdown as it was first officially relased back in 2007 in Sweden!  But due to success in the Uk the track was re-mixed and released in March and a little tweak here and there was all that was needed to take this song from good to POPTASTIC!

#17. Girls Aloud – Untouchable

I remember when I first heard this track I didn’t ‘get’ it’s awesomeness right away.  Even after it was released as a single I dismissed it and never really gave it a chance.  Then, once the album had died out and people had moved on from the last album I went back and gave the song the chance it deserved and it immediately earned heavy rotation status on my iPod.  The track is very classy and is the kind of song you can relax to when you’re feeling depressed or a song that you can get up and dance to if you’re planning a night out.  The song is unique and different from a lot of songs that were released in 2009 and that may have worked against the girls as it was their worst chart performing single to date.  Although Uk fans are trrying to change that this February with a campaign to get the track back into the top 10 based on downloads.

#16. Alcazar – One Two Three Four

In their first appearance on the chart this album track which only recently showed up on the special edition of ‘Disco Defenders’ has already become one of my favorite songs of the year.  This track rounds out one of the best years for Alcazar with a lot to be proud of including an album where every single track was listenable and pure unapologetic pop.

#15. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance

The photo says it all…. me and Lady Gaga!  She was amazing and this song is bloody brilliant.  I’m sure the song will top a lot of charts this year and it could have easily fit in a higher position than 15 but the competition is so tough that she ends up at #15 for me.

#14. Frankmusic – Confusion Girl

Where did this guy come from?!  I randomly happened upon this video while surfing online and was taken by complete surprise.  I had heard his name and see some photos but never took the time to find out who he was and that was a huge mistake.  It’s bouncy and fun electro-pop without taking itself too seriously, it’s easy to listen to and very mainstream although it’s not a great indication of the kind of music you’re going to get on his album.

#13. John Schmidt – Love Story Meets Viva La Vida

Two of the biggest songs of the decade… experience them as you’ve never experienced them before.  AMAZING!

#12. Alcazar – Burning

I remember when it was announced that Alcazar were back as a threesome with a new member.  To be honest I wasn’t really impressed or excited.  I was what I would call a periferal fan… watching from the outside.  I enjoyed some of their songs and even bought an album of theirs but I had never been completely sold on the band.  So to hear that they were back I really wasn’t expecting much.  Plus I had started to really enjoy Magnus and thought that for Alcazar to re-form minus 2 great members wasn’t going to work.  Since I had already made up my mind about them I really didn’t give a lot of thought to ‘We Keep On Rockin’ even though I may have secretly liked it.  When ‘Inhibitions’ was released I was impressed that they had actually managed to get a second single out but when I first heard it I thought ‘I knew they couldn’t pull it off.  Then it happened… I heard ‘Burning’ for the first time and from that moment on I had officially jumped on the Alcazar train and I’ve never looked back.  The song, the video, the dance routine, the pink glasses, the rollerskates in the dirty bathroom stall… it’s all too perfect.

#11. Janet Leon – Let Go

Classify this as another great surprise of 2009.  If someone would have told me that I’d have chosen a solo single by a singer from ‘Play’ as one of my favorite songs of the year I never would have believed it.  ‘Let Go’ has all the ingredients for one of my favorite tracks… it builds and builds as it goes along… it’s got a tick tick tick sound (All the best songs have tick tick ticking in them don’t you know… just ask Sarah Dawn Finer!) and it’s sung with a lot of heart.  So congrats Janet on a very pleasant surprise in 2009.

#29. Lili & Susie – Show Me Heaven

I think I actually like this song more today than I did back in March of last year and for that reason it deserves a spot as one of my favorite tracks.  This was really my big introduction to the amazingness of this super duo.

#28. Benny Andersson Band – Story Of A Heart

The closest thing to an official release of an ABBA track if there ever were one.  The song is what I can only describe as subtly amazing vs an in your face kind of amazing.  If you take the time to listen to it and take it all in you’ll understand why this track is brilliant.  My personal favorite part is at 1:28 – 1:36.

#27. Alexander Rybak – Fairytale

3 months ago this song may have placed higher on this list but I find that this song has begun to lose it’s appeal the more I hear it and the further we get from his landslide win at Eurovision.  That being said the song is still good ole folky fun even if his album was a bit boring.

#26. Darin Feat. Kat DeLuna – Breathing Your Love

So this song was officially released in Oct. 2008 but I never fell in love with it until 2009 and for the record it was released in Finland in 2009 so it still counts for my chart.  The track is also being released in the Uk right now which really feels like too little too late… but if any song is going to break him into the Uk this is definitely a good choice.  I’m a huge Darin fan and can’t wait to see what he comes up with for Melodifestivalen.

#25. Sarah Dawn Finer – Moving On

#24. Malena Ernman – La Voix

#23. Star Pilots – Higher

I don’t know if I should be listing the Star Pilots as one of my favorite acts of 2009 or if I should just list Johan Becker the lead vocalist of the track.  I secretly longed for an amazing album from the Star Pilots but it never materialized.  Anyone have any inside scoop on whether we will hear anything from these guys again?

#22. Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling

#21. Pet Shop Boys – Pandemonium

I heard this song when I was in a store one day and downloaded it immediately on my iPhone.  It’s been on heavy rotation since then and it’s the only Pet Shop Boys track I’ve ever had in my collection.  It’s a hard hitting song with a lot going on.

#20. Danny – Turn Off The Sound