It's Tuesday! Time for another round of "5 Must-Hear Pop Songs of the Week"!
This week's roundup features a smooth, electro-R&B groove made for summer lovin', some Scandinavian electro-pop perfection, and a dirty-minded treat from the U.K.'s reigning Queen of Pop (who also happens to be celebrating a birthday today.) Let's go!
1.) Kylie Minogue, "Skirt"
It's Queen Kylie Minogue's birthday! And now, there's even more reason to celebrate: new Kylie music! Last night, producer Chris Lake sent all the lovers in Ibiza into a tizzy by dropping a brand new track called "Skirt," co-penned by Scottish DJ Nom De Strip and The-Dream. The pulverizing dance production sees Kylie getting feistier than ever, heading up to her room and -- well, that's when the skirt might be removed. Packed tight with filthy dubstep drops and sizzling beat build-ups, "Skirt" is one of her most dirty-minded numbers in a hot minute -- that yearning bridge alone ought to have you ditching your skirts in seconds. Happy birthday, Kylie!
+ LISTEN TO KYLIE MINOGUE, "SKIRT"
Listen to more Must-Hear Pop Songs after the jump!
2.) Ask Embla, "Fathers Eyes"
Ask Embla might not be a name you're already familiar with, but you definitely know the members of the group. The duo is made up of two of the industry's best pop songwriters, Ina Wroldsen and Arnthor Birgisson, who have crafted tracks for Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, The Saturdays, and about a billion other pop stars. Together, the two crafted an exceptional debut out this month in Norway called Northern Light, full of supreme Scandinavian songcraft. "Fathers Eyes," one of the many highlights from the record, is an aching midtempo that sees Ina fighting off the stares of others: "I know that people think our love is like a fantasy/ I know that no one seems to understand what I see/ But I see with my fathers eyes," Ina croons above the stomping electro beats. I'd trust her vision.
+ LISTEN TO ASK EMBLA, "FATHERS EYES"
3.) Sevyn Streeter, "It Won't Stop"
Sevyn Streeter's already carved out quite a legacy for herself, both with her brief stint in the all-too-short-lived R&B girl group RichGirl ("He Ain't With Me Now (Tho)"!) and as a songwriter, penning tracks for the likes of Fantasia, Chris Brown, and Kelly Rowland. Now Sevyn's on track to launch her own solo career, and she's producing pure fire. Her second major single, "It Won't Stop," channels all sorts of Aaliyah (she even references "Rock The Boat" at one point!), gliding across the airwaves on top of summery surf guitar, finger snaps, and a slow-striding elector-R&B beat. "Forever and ever on repeat/ And it won't stop," she melodically purrs. It's an utterly essential summer groove: Put this one on repeat and trust -- it really won't stop.
+ LISTEN TO SEVYN STREETER, "IT WON'T STOP"
4.) Sally Shapiro, "This City's Local Italo Disco DJ Has A Crush On Me (Little Boots Remix)"
Yes, that's really the title -- and yes, it's as amazing as the title already implies. Back in February, notoriously shy Swedish songstress Sally Shapiro and her producer Johan Agebjörn released their third studio album Somewhere Else, a dazzling dose of wistful synth-pop and charmingly dainty, disco vibrations. Now, they've commissioned some of their favorite acts to re-rub the original record, resulting in Elsewhere, a remix collection out this week. U.K. disco diva Little Boots was asked to put her signature, spacey touch on one of the album's highlights, resulting in a funky 5-minute deep disco dive that ought to get that local DJ crushing even harder.
+ LISTEN TO SALLY SHAPIRO, "THIS CITY'S LOCAL ITALO DISCO DJ HAS A CRUSH ON ME (LITTLE BOOTS REMIX)"
5.) K. Michelle, "V.S.O.P."
"Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" reality TV starlet/R&B songstress K. Michelle's got a brand new single out -- and it's very special. "V.S.O.P" is horn-heavy throwback anthem that plays off of Very Special Old Pale (a grade of brandy) and shows off the songstress's melodic pipes as she lights the candles and prepares to get down with her man. But listen closely, and the lyrics reveal that all is not well between the two: "In my head even if you tell me it's over/ I'll pretend you told me I'm your all," she powerfully croons. Life isn't all diamonds and fine cognac for K. Michelle... but it should be.
+ LISTEN TO K. MICHELLE, "V.S.O.P"
Photo credit: Getty Images
Bradley Stern is a writer from New York. In his spare time, he enjoys organizing his Britney Spears CD collection in reverse chronological order and writing impassioned letters to Congress urging that Madonnalogy be taught in all public schools. But most of all, he spends his time tweeting and musing daily about pop music on his blog, MuuMuse.
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