It’s a bit wrong to put these great masters of the girlband all together but sometimes catagorisation is quite necessary. Some have questioned the lack of the appearance of The Supremes in DontStopthePop’s exploration of girlbands but Diana Ross and her girls is a road often traveled. The point was to expose girlgroups that rarely get mentioned by the media, discographies, genealogies and biographies. Part of the reason for DontStopThePop existing is to discuss pop that is undeservedly forgotten. It isn’t about zeitgeist or the latest starshine music, on the contrary pop that features here usually comes from acts that history forgets.
This update is huge so forgive the lack of the depth in some cases. It has utilised the pop knowledge of Pinkiedust over at YouCallThatLife who has submitted some of long lost girlgroups you see here today and his assistance has been more than helpful. All of these girlgroups are legends in their own right and they’ve shaped the current music sense. The Supremes feature down below but not in the traditional sense…
Girlband Classic Legend No.1: The Girlfriends
The Girlfriends were an off shoot of the well-honed vocal session group called The Blossoms who appeared on many releases as backing vocalists of much of the Phil Spector 1960s output. If you listen to their My One and Only Jimmy Boy you’ll hear a startling closeness to the glamrock baseline of T-Rex of 1970s, ABBA, much of the thumping baseline of Swedish schlager pop queens Carola, Nanne, Magnus Carlsson Linda Bengtzing and Shirley Clamp. The starting claps are little previews of the disco scene that was about to explode twenty years later. Again, quite groundbreaking. My One And Only Jimmy Boy
Girlband Classic Legend No.2: The Cinderellas/The Cookies
Take the baseline of The Cinderellas' Baby Baby I Still Love You and you can almost sing ABBA's breakout Eurovision hit Waterloo over the top. The closeness is actually quite shocking. If you thought the electro pop of Sweden and the ubercool Goldfrapp motifs were traceable back to the 1970s you’d be understood but misplaced. The Cinderellas and their music is pretty much an amazing prologue to the pop history we enjoy today. Baby Baby I Still Love You
Girlband Classic Legend no.3: The Exciters
The Exciters original version of Tell Him was covered by Billie Davis who rudely made it the hit that everyone knows and adores despite being a girlband classic. The American girls are probably the most unluckiest band in pop history as their follow-up single Do Wah Diddy flopped for them but because a huge hit for Manfred Mann who took the song to no.1 in the US, UK and around the world. All of which makes the girls absolute legends. Tell Him
Girlband Classic Legend no.4: The Honeys
Get ready for a slice of absolute pure classic pop music. The Honeys were formed in 1963 by Brian Wilson who this month is the centre of attention at the Tate Gallery in St.Ives. They consided of girlfriend (and future wife), Marilyn, her sister, Diane, and their cousin, Ginger. Yes, if you thought the only Ginger in a girlgroup was the Spice sort you’d be wrong. Quite freakily, Ginger was the first girl in the group to leave when she went to sing backup for The Supremes. In 1983, Mariyln, Diane, and Ginger reunited as The Honeys and released their first LP, Ecstacy, under that name from Rhino Records. Five years later, in 1988, Rhino Records released a CD compilation that included the entire Spring album, all the Spring and American Spring singles and B-sides, and a few additional bonus tracks. The One I Can’t Have is so poptastic its like hearing the future sound of Eurovision, Scandipop and SAW all wrapped up in one song that lasts just one minute and 54 seconds. The One I Can't Have
Girlband Classic Legend no.5: The Velvelettes
When one of your songs has been sampled by Betty Boo and covered by the likes of Bananarama and Buffalo G (!) you deserve legendary status. I am of course talking about The Velvelettes' hit single He Was Really Saying Something. The girlgroup formed at their university (WMU) and are still together! Despite being signed to Motown Records they weren't given top priority, as other female vocal groups were attracting audiences and recording hits. While the group awaited their chance at stardom, they recorded backing vocals for more established Motown girl groups, including The Marvelettes, Martha & The Vandellas, and The Supremes. Eventually they broke out with their first single Needle In a HayStack which was then followed up with the groundbreaking He Was Really Saying Something. He Was Really Sayin' Something.
Girlband Classic Legend no.6: The Paper Dolls
Not to be confused with the 90s poptastic British band of the same name, this trio were the first group in pop history to nickname each other and use these titles in promotion and merchandise. The British group recorded a lot of material that got handed to bigger acts like Doris Day and Cilla Black. Their versions of Move Over Darling, Do You Know the Way To San Jose and Step Inside Love reign over the popeatspop covers that are staple songs for the acts concerned. However it is their Any Old Time (You're Lonely And Sad), Baby Take Me In Your Arms and Ain't Nothin' But A House Party gems which makes The Paper Dolls stand out from the rest. It’s a shame history has forgotten them! Any Old Time (You're Lonely And Sad).
Girlband Classic Legend no.7: The Ronettes
The Ronettes consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (a.k.a. Ronnie Spector), her sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. Their most famous songs include Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, and Walking in the Rain. However it's Silhouettes which is just amazing and rather groundbreaking. You think it’s a simple pop ballad but check out the amazing operatic backing vocals. Absolutely stunning and you’ll hear nothing like this in your life. Silhouettes
Girlband Classic Legend no.8: The Supremes
Everyone knows about this band. Musicals, films and Oscars. Meh! I think there overrated but you can’t talk about girlgroups without mentioning them. So here we go. One got famous and the others didn’t. Very tragic. The songs were a bit samey. Check out the excellent cover of The Supremes song (Baby Baby) Where Did Our Love Go by the Swedish girlband Bless(Bubbles). Remember when Steps covered Supreme Diana's Chain Reaction and we all quite surprisd because they’d good job? Well, I think Bless(Bubbles) update the song and improve on the original. Judge for yourself: (baby baby) Where did our love go?
Girlband Classic Legend no.9: Sister Sledge
Ok so fastfowarding right to the 70s, Sister Sledge were, like Atomic Kitten, considered over and done with. They were actually about to call it day when their last single We Are Family was released. Now, the song seems entrenched in pop music and culture. You can’t get married without hearing this song. It soothes a break-up, a friendship quarrel and a fight and is ALWAYS played at gay pride events. It has been covered by other girlgroups such as the Spice Girls, The Goldman Girls, Girl Authority, EyeQ and Nobody’s Angel. Their other hits have also shaped modern pop music like He’s The Greatest Dancer which was recently utilised by Will Smith and gave Dannii Minogue another reason to go on holiday following her strenuous performance on Dancing With The Stars. Sister Sledge and disco - it’s the same thing. We Are Family
Girlband Classic Legend no.10: The Shirelles
And back to the 1960s. Its quite natural to end this journey into girlband classic legends with The Shirelles. Why? Because this band were the first girl group to ever go to #1!?!?! Formed in 1958 The Shirelles were the first major female vocal group of the rock era, defining the so-called girl group sound with their soft, sweet harmonies and yearning innocence. They provided some of the earliest hits for important Brill Building songwriters like Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, and Van McCoy. They also launched the careers of Roberta Flack and Dionne Warwick while exposing American audiences to Beatles songs long before it was fashionable to do so. Who returned the favour by, along with Manfred Mann, swipped songs by The Shirelles and made hits with them for themselves. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Buy the brilliant collection of girl groups on the CD release Girl Grazy: The Ultimate Girl Group Collection at Amazon now.
GIRLBAND LEGENDS: The Classic Girl Groups
I am a bad soldier...
Perhaps it was the excitement of the new Kylie tracks, but we neglected to wish a happy birthday to one of pop's most under-rated legends...
Yes happy 51st birthday to Ms La Toya Yvonne Jackson - the only Jackson still doing anything interesting.
Poor Toy has never been granted her dues as a singer, despite having performed on Grammy-winning records (she herself is a Grammy nominated writer), and winning awards at song contests from Italy to Japan. She's placed singles in charts the world over and been a vision of beauty and style for longer than I've been alive!
Watch out for DSTP's La Toya Jackson Appreciation Week coming soon... All we ask is you leave your preconceptions at the door...
So happy 51st birthday Toy! And happy 21st to your nose, and 17th to your boobs...
"I HAVE LOST MY SOUL"-KYLIE RETURNS TO MUSIC & SHOWS POP-WORLD "Actually, this is how its done"
The last couple of days there has been some great pop music that has come my way but its five tracks recorded for Kylie's tenth studio album that actually take the pop biscuit. While Madonna films in my local chemist-she's filming down the road-it would appear Kylie has gone and raised a middle finger to her pop rival and pulped all memories of Confessions of A Dancefloor. Critical influences? KleerUp, The Knife, Margaret Berger & Robyn of Scandanavia. A small overview of the songs:
Excuse my French but when did pop become so slick? This track is the best thing Kylie has ever recorded and to think that it might not make the final grade makes me rather wet for the rest of the project. What does this song have? An amazing guitar, Eurythmics baselines and tributes to Adamski's Killer & The Sources You Got The Love. Also the wonderful appearance by the lovechild of Darth Vader and Sugar Puffs Honey Monster on the backing vocals make Lose Control one of the most interesting pop songs of the year. When Kylie says "the tide is turning-I just want it all" you know she's kinda right and she's gonna get whatever she wants. I got the feeling its about sex while on drugs. She even pops pills in the second verse. As such, Lose Control verges on pop brilliance.
Kylie returns to the rudeness of her 1994 classic Automatic Love. This ode to "flicking the switch" includes rather interesting tribal sounds like you've either walked into a freaky sex dungeon or the jungle. Includes a rather brilliant sample of Bonnie & Clyde.
Kylie asks the listener how to describe a feeling and ignores the answer. Rude? Perhaps! But when the sweeping electro verse kicks in you forgive her! Fans are loving this song and you can understand why. It seems like the song is either one whole verse or one big chorus. It makes little sense but it is rather catchy so who cares about the analysis. Its the type of song that Sophie Elis-Bextor would have loved to have owned. Perhaps, Kylie is attempting to answer the very same question (How Do You describe a feeling) that the metaphysical philosophers of Europe have pondered for years without conclusion. Well done Kylie! This year the charts-next the Hay Festival of Literature.
This the song where you really hear the Scandic influences. This could have been on Robyn's last album. Oddly sensual, the listener discovers Kylie is in yet another philosophical mood when she namechecks the meaning of life. Its very hard to place which is a shame because this could be perfect as the lead single. Its a total heart-warming song and I can see thousands singing along to Kylie when she performs it live. The best way I could describe Stars is if I asked you to imagine Bertine Zetlitz, Sally Shapiro and Malou produced a collaborative track with, strangely, Natalie Imbruglia popping up here and there. You know the sadness of Robyn/Kleerup's With Every Heartbeat? Well its on Stars. Don't ask me explain how or why but its there...
This song is a bit wild. It could be on the new Miss Match album (more on them later this week). Kylie has never done a song like this and is thus out of her comfort zone. It works just. Fall For You could be a lead single if the record company felt brazen. It's like someone's locked Sophie Ellis Bextor, Girls Aloud and Xenomania in a very small confined space and squished them all out. Pinkie over at YouCallThatLife described the song as " Transvision Vamp/Rogue Traders" which climaxes in an epic "spunky and spikey" frenzy.
2007 The year of return of the girlband?!
Lucky Twice: Young And Clever (Pre-Book here)
LT are of course The Swedish girlband behind Spains biggest hits of 06-07 and most parts of Europe. They are the first of the summer girlbands to allow fans to buy their new LP officially called Young and Clever. Surely, the most poptastic girlgroup in the world at the moment should represent Sweden in 2008? Anyway, their LP is the most anticipated CD by a girlband this summer so pre-order it already! I myself am most excited about the songs called Speedy Gonzales and The Song.
Raen: Title TBC
I've spoke to the "N" of the Australian girlgroup earlier today & the album is still in the process of touching up. Nat said its gonna be full blown "pop-dance" which is lovely don't ya think? She added that the album will be out through a record company, ITunes or through themselves. Thats the kind of determination Dontstopthepop loves/adores.
Caracola: Title TBC
Caracola hail from Sweden and have alreadly released the first single from their second album. You can hear Mango over at their myspace now or buy it at cdon. They are also planning to release a 3rd album this year but in their mother-tongue. So thats 2, yes 2, albums from Caracola!
PayTV: Title TBC
PayTV are finally releasing their studio album to tie-in with Stockholms Gay Pride festival as a thank you to their loyal fans.
Serebro: Title TBC
Serebro came third at this years Eurovision but many believed their song somehow went beyond the stereotypical walls of the Song Contest. An album is expected mid-September!
Sirens: Title TBC
Newcastle girl band Sirens are still working on their long-anticipated second album 'Resurrection' (currently titled). 3 years in the making, it was originally set for release in early 2006 but after Lynsey left the girls were now a 3-piece and decided to write and record a load of brand new material including Own Thing which was said to be the new single by their manager a few months back.
Soccx: a 3rd single is on its way. No album details yet but its very likely to be out soon(ish).
Girlband: After releasing 2 flop singles the girls are rather determined to release their album currently called Coming Out Fighting. Proof however will be in the pudding. But if their second single, Electric, is anything to go by methinks it will be a rather a very tasteful pudding if its released. Girls, if your reading this-do it!
Cosmo4: Despite releasing four singles the Swedish girlband have yet to release their first album. Their attempt at representing their county with Whats Your Name did get them noticed and the girls are releasing new things soon. They are even considering representing Sweden again in 2008. An album is currently planned for this summer. Confirm it girls!
MissMatch: Just Push Play
An excellent album that Girls Aloud would love to record but mess around with silly ballads. Key songs: Unabashed, Breathe In/Breathe Out, Boo, Watcha Gonna Do With That Thing and Don't. Swedish pop music never sounded better. The track called Boo is probably the best thing since Betty Boo. So Boo Boo and buy MissMatch now. Purchase it here
No Angels: Destiny
Despite consisting of a bit too many covers for my liking Destiny was a great return to form. A tour of Germany restored Germany's faith in great pop acts. Purchase it here.
NKD: Whats that Noise?
NKD released one of the greatest pop cd's of the last few months. With an ex-member of Bardot and a guy who c0-wrote Scooch's Flying The Flag submitting songs on its tracklisting theres a reason why its so good. Key songs are the brilliant bookends of the album-the anthems What I Believe and PopTrash. Purchase it here.
Shine4: So Elektries
Already going down in Pop infamy this band were pretty much exposed to the world of pop when DontStopthePop uncovered their brilliant cover of Girl Alouds Greatest Hit single. A must for any pop lover. Purchase it here.
Monrose: Temptation
With the likes of Gary Barlow and Niara Scarlett on song-writing credits the album was always going to be brilliant. The girls are currently on a sell-out tour and are releasing their 3rd single any day now! The record company is currently asking song-writers to submit songs for the inclusion of the second album. Purchase their debut here.
Bisou: Hier Und Jetzt
Bisou consist of girls that didn't make Monrose but they've recorded some of the best pop music to come out of Germany/Popstars in years. Purchase it here.
- BtweenMusic-This Swedish girlband consist of two girls from another girlband (EMMA-more on them on DSTP very soon!). Anyway, the girls have recorded some very fabulous music that is getting me all excited. You can check it all out here.
- Electric Dolls-appearing at this months PopShow Party. Very excited about this band.
- Clea-Still together and ready to release new material for their fans especially in Asia very soon.
- Sugababes-Currently recording with producers!
- Girls Aloud-Currently recorded with Xenomania!
- Spice Girls
- Bless/Bubbles
- WestEnd Girls
- Danity Kane
- PussyCat Dolls
- Rouge-Brazil
- TrueBliss-New Zealand
- L5-France
- EyeQ-Denmark
- Supersister-UK
- Made In London-UK
Vany - Pop That Melody
Once upon a time there were five women from Germany who formed one of the greatest girlbands of all time, No Angels. However after a dozen consecutive top 20 hits, they called it a day and went their separate ways. All tried solo careers to varying degrees of success before they regrouped. However Vanessa Petruo aka Vany didn't join in on the reunion.
She released a camp-as-tits solo single Drama Queen which made #11 in Germany and had an even camper video. A #11 is not too bad, but coming off the biggest girlband in the history of the German charts, it wasn't too good. The follow-up was due to be Pop That Melody, produced by Mousse T who did No Angels' fabulous Let's Go To Bed. However it was cancelled, even though a video was filmed, because Vany seemed to develop a Melanie C complex and didn't want to make such poppy music anymore... She had become an artiste.
It was such a shame because Pop That Melody is fabulous - by the third listen you WILL be hooked. Instead Vany went on to release an album which missed the top 100 album charts in Germany, and the single Hot Blooded Woman, bombed too at something like #59. However despite this lack of success she didn't jump back into the No Angels reunion this year which has produced another top 5 single and album. Silly girl!
Vany, if you're listening, either make really hot solo stuff like Pop That Melody or go back to No Angels... 
SHINE4 Ietsie Binne My-A MUST DOWNLOAD!!!!!!!!
I'm not sure if you know this but I've been pretty unwell recently. What has kept me smiling? Girl Pop and girlbands from around the globe. Yes seriously! Whether it be forgotten SuperSister b-sides or the Argentinian Spice Girls Bandana I've had a giggle and a dance despite it all. When the doctors hail from Colombia it's quite useful to break the bleak mood of the room by gossiping about Colombian girlband Escarcha! Believe me, girlbands have oddly worked their magic. So sit back people, I am sharing one of my favourite girlband tracks with you today! Shine4 are very special and if you take little listen to Letsie Binne My you'll hear why.
I've done a little research on information around this band and sadly no blogger has covered this song. To my knowledge anyway. However I do think readers of PopJustice, TheZapping, PopEatsPop, PopPosterGirl and Poptrash Addicts will adore what they find when they download the song.
They might also have to scrape their tongue off from the floor. Only because I had to when I first heard it. Shocked I was! I Was! Shine4 come from South Africa which is slowly creeping on Australia, Sweden and Spain as the country for poptastic pop! Don't believe me? Refer to the facts that Lisa Scott-Lee released her album there this year alongside the Phixx album and of course who could forget Hi-5-the boyband that cover Eurovision songs that actually improve on the originals.
This picture just might be the best picture of a pop band of the 00's. Shine4 consist of Marlese, Liesl, Desiree and Jill. They've released about 2 other albums but its their most recent album So Elektries that has got me excited. Why? Well not only does it feature the hand of Xenomania but the girls also cover Transvision Vamp and Wilson Phillips, do PopEatPop covers of Elize's Automatic(!), Fredrik Kempe and Christine Stumer. Need we say more? Just go and buy it yourself over at very reliable Kalahari.net. Check out their earlier stuff too while your at it. Especially their cover of Dragostea Din Tea which saw the girlband gain a boy for one very special moment in South African pop history...
Ok so I would actually like to dedicate this post to Mike Of Poptrash Addicts (YAZZ!). I also wanna thank the YCTL flight-crew: Pinkie (I'm sure you'll love this fantastic PopEatsPop example), PopPosterGirl (my fellow South African pop fan!), SlippyDisco (hopefully we'll be singing the English version of the above song with the girls in 2 weeks!) and Paul!
TV trash to continue
In the most exciting news ever, The CW has confirmed that One Tree Hill will be back for a fifth season.
One Tree Hill is my guilty pleasure because the storylines are so unbelievably over the top but the characters are fabulous and their relationships are so well-written, plus there's the bromantic element between Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty's characters of Lucas and Nathan Scott.
Anyway you may be thinking what has this go to do with DSTP? Well music has been a big part in the show's history and teenage character Haley James Scott ran off to be a rock star and toured with Michelle Branch etc but gave it up to save her marriage to star-basketball player Nathan. Now he's very hot, and while I wouldn't mind getting with him every night, I would so choose being a rockstar instead. Then there was Peyton who got it on with Pete from Fall Out Boy and put together an album to raise money for breast cancer (which was actually released as the vol 2 soundtrack to the show).
So to celebrate the renewal of this trashtastic teen soap please enjoy Haley James Scott's Halo. 
ANDERMAY Entre Tu Y Yo
Andermay come from Spain and have just released their brilliant second album "Punto Sin Retorno". I want to throw superlatives at this band because they are everything I want in a pop group yet sometimes I think my English literature GCSE would simply fail to this band justice. They fuse together dance, pop and guitar rock together in one beautiful combination that leaves you clicking repeat over and over.
They are also highly influential in Spain as the popping up of the rock band Dover proves. Unlike in the U.S with its generic hip hop and the U.K with its "singer-song writer/indie" craze, mainstream acts in Spain like Dover actually dropped their Nirvana-esq pretenses and copied Andermay by popping up. In other words, while "pop" acts are ordered to re-record their albums so they fit in the current N.M.E mold in the UK or rent-a-rapper in the U.S the exact opposite is thankfully happening in Spain.
Proof? Marta Sanchez you saw on DontStopthePop a few weeks ago. The aforementioned Dover you saw on DontStopthePop last year and have just been signed to a major record company in the UK. Rosa Lopez who appeared on DontStopthePop last year. Her fellow "Pop Idols" Jose Galisteo (see below) and Daniel Zueres appeared on DontStopthepop only this week or so. Lucky Twice was the biggest hit of the year and still is selling loads there. DontStopthePop was the first blog to bring Lucky Twice to your attention. As much as we love Carola and The Ark LT should have represented Sweden. When is the album out girls? DontStopthePop also brought you the pop princesses Bea Bronchal, Malu and Natalia who have continued to release brilliant pop albums to date. You can buy all these acts at El Corte Ingles, Fnac-ES or buy it on import on Amazon.
Enough of other Spanish pop acts and back to Andermay! The band consist of Jesus Maria Perez and Amaya Martinez. They wrote all their brilliant pop songs on their debut album but first dipped their toes in the pop pond by writing for other acts. It was one of Andermay's compositions that ended up being the debut single for David Bustamente in March 2002. They were then signed to the brilliant poptastic record company Vale Music (which looks after most of the acts mentioned in the above paragraph).
So you might not have ever heard of David Bustamente or Andermay but if your reading this blog you a just might be a little fan of Eurovision and thus its highly likely that you've actually listened to a Andermay track without you probably knowing. Being the pop charmers that they are Andermay wrote the song Dime! for the singer Beth who then performed the song at the ESC in Riga & did pretty well. The brilliance of Dime transcends its okayish Eurovision position (8th btw) when it became a hit single in Russia, Isreal and Finland after other singers covered the song. After a little digging around on Billboard Media I've discovered that according to their figures Dime was one of the biggest international songs of 2003!
Oh i am getting side-tracked once again! Talking about aspects around Andermay rather than the band and their music itself! I suppose thats primarily because theres so much about this group that is actually quite brilliant. So here I go once again! Entre Tu Y Yo comes from Andermay's first album released in 2003. Soundwise its very close to HelloGoodbye's recent "new and groundbreaking" Here In My Arms track that is getting all the London museo's in a whizz. Yes, HelloGoodbye are all very nice but Entre Tu Y Yo illustrates the fact that practically nothing about British pop music is creative these days. I know I already quoted from the book of Kylie this week but as The Great Minogue said "what kind of fool do you take me for? (I HEARD ALL THAT ALL BEFORE!)". Yes, HelloGoodbye are great but they shouldn't be heralded as the innovators of nu-pop especially when their sound was heard some four years ago in Spain and, as you'll hear, Entre Tu Y Yo is a lot catchier. It even includes its very own key change! Perfect pop bliss!
Andermay are not merely about making great pop music but they love the genre itself. You know that because you can hear that it the song Entre Tu Y Yo. They really do adore it! Its a shame there isn't a wikipedia entry on the band because they really are slowly becoming a legendary band in Spain.
What makes the band even better than all the above is the fact that they are just fine with a bit of gayness. As I mentioned below in my discussion surrounding homosexuality in Spain, Andermay launched their pop career with a very brave video that included lesbian and gay couples. Its rather sweet don't you think?
Now, what follows should not be read as a dig at other acts but this video for Un Juego De Dos launched the group which if you really think about it is rather bloody brilliant. Compare it to other acts, some gay some not, and you'll very rarely see such things. Gay pop acts themselves tend to hide it away, wait until "the right moment" or splutter out the old "I don't see how it should be in my art and shape my music or its presentation" argument. All of which is funkydory as its horses for courses and up to the singers themselves whether they make (homo) sexuality a part of their promotion. My point is, in the U.K such things are rarely seen so its nice now and then to see and celebrate an act that do make an issue out of it.
All things said..make Andermay an act to fall in love with. They symbolise a great energy within Spain at the moment in its musical, cultural and sexual communities and spheres. They communicate unrelenting fun, pop and togetherness...which is just a bit beautiful!
You can get their second album through El Corte Ingles. Don't forget to check out their official website which hosts video clips and more. Official site
JOSE GALISTEO Celebration
Jose Galisteo comes from Spain & is just about to launch his pop career this summer. He started off in the same show that DontStopthePop legend Daniel Zueras starred in. However, Jose doesn't play around with his sexuality as much as his co-star Daniel has. Perhaps that's because he prefers to dance with drag queens, boogie in Le Queen in Paris and send out Christmas cards of himself and his boyfriend (see below). In short, Jose is too busy living out loud to be messing about with sexual identities. Not that we hold anything against Daniel for doing so, its just Jose doesn't probably need to play about with titles. He just oozes sex. Despite being gay, I'm sure female readers will love him nevertheless. I know my knees start to wobble when I look at his eyes. The guy is sex.
Jose in Le Queen gets to grips with Shakira's hips that definitely do lie! What is with Spanish pop music & homosexuality? Whereas Italian male icons strut around like heterosexual stallions and British singers are de-sexualised puppets it seems its left up to the Spanish boys to make pop just a little bit queer-otic. And, it would seem they are doing their very best to make the radiowaves go a distinct shade of rainbow.
Jose auditions for the Spanish BaywatchThe next act from Spain to appear on DontStopthePop has also made a point to include gay boys in their promo's. Home come?
Ahem......What with Daniel and Jose making sure gay references are clear in their music and promotion it strikes me as interesting from a socio-cultural perspective. What is going on in Spain? My boyfriend grew up in Spain and points towards the band Mecano....
Jose is that DontStopthePop on that computer? Stop looking us like that, I am shy!Mecano were the flag-bearers of the La Movida Madrileña, a sociocultural movement that occurred in Spain in the 1980s. Mecano will feature on DSTP in the near future but for now let me just say this about them. They came out of Spain just as the country cut itself free from Franco's dictatorship. Mecano produced a sound that shaped the Spanish music industry and as their lyrics discussed homosexuality its a subject that isn't as polarising as many would presume being a Catholic country that it is. So when Jose's profile on a gay dating site was uncovered, as kylie said herself, the world still turned and the stars still shone.
One of the pics that appeared on the dating webpage...As such, Spain is one of the few countries that has full blown marriage rights for gays and a "confession" of homosexuality quite rightfully ignored by the fans, music industry and so on. It will cause a few ripples but its not something that will make headlines nor will it effect sales. In fact, it will probably bring the sales of the records up rather than down. Which is why I've picked this rather trashy cover of Celebration by Jose over and above the much better tracks on his electropop album parts of which you can listen on his myspace.
Merry christmas!As for the boystars themselves? They come out and move on. No issues of denial like of the Italian/Australian idol (Anthony?), tell-alls in the presses (Will) or immature boringness like that of Mika. In Spain its just about "boypop"-nothing more and never anything less.......
Next up from me: another spanish pop act, a rare forgotten deuce song and perhaps a girlband legend!
I still feel you K'Lee
Well it’s May and here in little old New Zealand (NZ) we celebrate May as NZ music month. However one thing we don’t celebrate is pop music. We like our music to be a little alternative and have worked their way up. Anything pop, whether manufactured or not, is just laughed at (at best) or usually ignored – yet we’re happy to have given Crazy Frog three #1 hits.
It’s almost ironic then that NZ is where PopStars started with the mighty TrueBliss. Even last year we had a chart-topper in Boyband, however they weren’t even given the chance to record a second single despite having a #1.
This brings me to the case of K’Lee. In any other country, K’Lee’s career would’ve been assured. Just look at her hits tally:
Broken Wings #2, 18 weeks, gold, #4 airplay
1+1+1 (It Ain't Two) #12, 10 weeks, #26 airplay
Can You Feel Me? #2, 17 weeks, gold, #8 airplay
A Lifetime Left To Wait #4, 12 weeks, #18 airplay
All taken from the album K'Lee which debuted at it's peak of #4 and spent 8 weeks in the chart. She even supported Coolio on tour (admittedly he was a bit passe by then) and her videos weren't too bad either. But following on from that you'd expect K'Lee to go onto huge things.
However, her label Universal wouldn’t fund a second album, despite being offered a grant from the NZ Government TV/music arts funding body New Zealand On Air. Ironic given that she raps in Can You Feel Me “Universal is the label that pays me”. She went back to working in a clothes store at the same mall as Minnie from Shortland Street and a radio show before being one of the first voted off Celebrity Treasure Island.
So I say fuck you to the NZ music industry bigwigs and say let's celebrate the joyous but oh so brief career of K'Lee, the closest thing NZ had to our own Britney.
SCOOCH CHART REALLY WELL (WHERE IT COUNTS)!-NO.5!
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There better be an album now! Eurovis-what dat be? Justice is done!!!!! Well done SCOOCH! No.5!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!
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And congrats to McFly who have another no.1!
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BISOU Die Sonne Geht Auf
A few weeks ago I went to Germany. Munich to be exact and I discovered Bisou. Yes its a girlband! I described the band to Mike of Poptrash as a cross between Fergie, Kylie and The Eurythmics. There's a bit of Gwen Stefani in there too. So who are they? Well they are the German girls who didn't make Monrose. Basically, the German Clea! Their first album "Hier Und Jetzt" is doing much better than expected which is nice. They are rather too hip hop for my liking but there are some real stormers on the LP that put ones pop worries to bed.
To me "Die Sonne Geht Auf" sounds somewhat like the sublime lovechild of Jamelia's Beware of The Dog and Gwen's Sweet Escape with The Eurythmic's Sweet Dreams as its god-parent. Either way, it completely upstages the recent singles by the German girlbands Soccx, No Angels and Monrose. Amazing..............or rather wunderbar!
Its the kind of song we all expected Girls Aloud to record after that magic trio of No Good Advice/The Show/The Sound Of The Underground but sadly went away and gave us those utterly boring ballads and the charity singles.
So, Bisou welcome to DontStopthePop and Planet Pop!!!
To buy the album Hier Und Jetzt click this link
To explore Bisou click this link
RING BELL-THE UTTER POP JOY OF GOLDIE HAWN and a word
Ring Bell-This starts off very summery and then blasts out bolts of pure happiness in the chorus. I want to hug the world and give everyone a flower. "RING BELL!!! RING BELL TELL THE WORLD ALL IS WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sing out it sista!! One of the most cheerful songs ever written....I kinda relate to its great chorus....
Cloudy Summer Afternoon-A brilliant strumming guitar as the baseline. Very Brady Bunch but oddly without the kitchness. This must be about drugs. I mean how else can you read the lyrics "smoking that last cigarette...nothing was said for an hour or more...". You can almost smell flowers, the French country-side and freshly baked bread. Another song that will make the outside world seem like a ball of candy-floss.
A weeks ago I suffered some serious health set-backs. Yet, I am making a speedy recovery as the my "return" to DontStopThePop hopefully reveals. So what has kept me smiling these couple of days? Pop Music! The sort that is covered with cheese, girlbands and with females taking the lead vocals. Pop trash cures the inner soul and it doesn't get any more fabulous-or as I like to call it trashfab-than Goldie Hawn's pop album "Goldie".
Released in 1972, the album included some of the greatest pop pioneers of its period with the likes of Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison all lending their name to the album sleeve. Sometimes its a bit country, sometimes its a bit hippy and then its pure poptastic "blisskitch" but it always delivered with Goldie's rather brilliantly beautiful voice. Sadly Wikipedia says absolutely nothing about this album of eleven songs so its up to me to re-install its brilliance to the wall of pop music.
Produced by Andy Wickham, Dolly Parton (!) and Lenny Waronker Goldie Hawn was the already the star of her Oscar winning movie Cactus Flower by the time of its release. The well produced album was released with full promotional spots in-between adverts for her movie Butterflies Are Free but it flopped and vanished without trace. Despite this its a strong bevy of songs some of which includes her attempting singing in French with what sounds like 3o French teenage boys. Absolutely sublime....
Estoy enamorado...
Latest obsession...
Daniel Zueras. My Spanish skills are very rusty now due to under-use but from what I can gather he was a contestant in Operacion Triunfo, basically the Spanish Idol.
He didn't win but his debut single No Quiero Enamorame is currently at #2 on the Spanish charts and the hot video is too risque for words featuring a naked Daniel getting it on with a guy and a girl (that's not the reason I love it, honestly...)
Actually while it was the video that got me into him, I love the song and what I've heard of the album sounds great. Plus the video is flagged on You Tube for potentially inappropriate content making it even hotter!
