The Return of Christine Milton!

Oh my! She's back! My favourite Danish pop princess Christine Milton is back with a brand new style, song and label. Some might ask who is she? She's the original singer of Superstar. The song that Jamelia nabbed & made a huge hit for herself some years ago. Christine Milton is the girl who also released the album Friday. It featured the likes of Remee, Cutfather and his mate Joe and Ghost. It featured the great tracks "Whiketywack", "So Addictive", "Addict" and "All Night (Back On the Inside)" and the sounds greatly influenced the future sounds of 2008. How so? With the likes of Remee, Friday melted down the likes of Rnb, dance and electro producing a hybrid of sounds that we hear in Timberland, Chris Brown and Robyn records. Well, Christine Milton was well-ahead of the game.

Her new single is called Tilbage. Yes shes singing in Danish! Tilbage sounds brilliant. I love it! I do think however that she'll pick up more fans if she does some English versions of new material. The new direction is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to hear the album which is due for release early 2009. Wooo! Dontstopthepop is so happy to see the return of one of its favourite popstars! Welcome back!!

Listen to Tilbage on her new lookin' myspace here

Coming up on DSTP...some popstar interviews!

MARTIN-SHOW THE WORLD (and can feel sparkles inside)

Martin Hadegaard was Denmarks winner of the X Factor series & despite releasing a turgid first single has now produced a very tight pop album which I've had for a few weeks now and its one of the best pop releases of 2008. With the help of Remee, who judged the contest, the affair kicks off with his second single, Show The World (Remee/Lucas/Troelsen), which is also no.1 in Denmark (Europop geekfact point: he has two singles in the Danish top ten at the time of writing!). With his signature vocals, Martin channels Michael Jackson and his sisters on the title track, which coming in at three minutes long, is an essential Dontstopthepop classic pop tune. The track is like a tribute to Michael Jacksons Rock This World, and in fact, as the song progresses it suddenly evolves into a condensed Michael Jackson Greatest Hits album. Martin confesses that he's gonna tell the world about the love he has for this someone special and that "he's kinda hard". All of which is backed-up by glorious discofunk melody thats so slick it'll have you sliding around the dancefloor. See the simply yet very effective video below:

With the discofunk stomper done with, Martin keeps the pace going with his amazing tribute to Stevie Wonder who even gets a few namechecks. Yes, When I am With You (R.Braager/M.Winther/T.Mcewan/L.Dissing) is perhaps the catchiest song I've heard this year by a male singer. The quality of the first two songs is absolutely unrivaled in the history of albums by X Factor winners. It is by the 3rd track that secures Martin's place as a singer beyond any TV show stereotype. Its called Report To The Dancefloor (Remee/Lucas/Troelsen). Its nothing but pure addictive disco pop of the type we've not heard since Gloria Gaynor and The Three Degree's. When he sings, nay chants, 'I report to the Disco' I am reminded of Kylie's Your Disco Needs You. Report To The Dancefloor retraces some of Michael Jacksons best ever moments but also reinforces the notion that this album is sheer brilliance.

After the ballad-by-numbers, Never The Same (something Westlife would herald as groundbreaking by their standards but to the rest of the pop world is perhaps 'quite traditional' especially compared to the previous numbers), comes the excellent Mission Impossible. Written by Remee/Lucas/Troelsen team, this song is a chorus over another chorus. The second verse of each verse is kinda repeated but with additional "Oooos" in the Kylie/2 Hearts sense which makes Mission Impossible wonderfully constructed. The flute break-down is reminiscent of the excellent Spice Girls Never Give Up On The Good Times while the following middle eight takes us right back to Micheal Jacksons Thriller. Amazing.


Where Do We Go is another ballad but its rather sweet. It takes me back to Robbie William's Angels and She's the One. It breezes by with ease and will never move mountains. But its okay. Probably realising that Martin's strongest points are when he "pops" it up the powers that be follow up every slow moment with a stomping dance track and Music Under My Skin does exactly that. It sounds a lot like N*Sync's finest moment besides Tearin' Up My Heart, the legendary song Pop! As such, Music Under my Skin is slightly past its sell by date but in this particular context this shouldn't actually be held that against the Martin/Woodcock composition. It harks back to the illustrious U.S pop scene of 1999 and 2000 when Mr.Timberlake's boyband scored hits alongside Backstreet Boys, A*Teens and to a lesser extent Boys N Girls United and those girls Innosence. A good thing.

Next up is another ballad but this time its executed wonderfully. This song, called Frozen, blissfully works. Jesse McCartney probably is enduring endless sleepless nights that Frozen isnt on his release. Ryan Tedder is probably strettin' that he didn't come up with it. Part ballad, part dance song and entirely epic. Written by McEwan/Dissing/Sommer, Frozen will have you hitting replay the moment its finished for you'll be thinking "Wait, what happened there-what was song all about?".



What is it about that Remee/Lucas/Troelsen gang? The moment Rock The Party starts, Martin puts the likes of Solange I Decided (both Freemasons and single mix I am talking about here) to shame. Martin belts Rock The Party out and evolves into a 2008, Danish, blonde amalgamation of The Supremes, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Ahem. Its as if the Greatest hits of Motown have been pureed into one fine song & boy its good. They keep it simple with the chorus: "out of the blue, the dream comin true, whatever we do we're gonna rock the party." Which is the best way to do it. You'll sniff a glorious mash-up of Jackson5's ABC and I Want You Back in Rock The Party.

The next track, Girls Girls Girls, is seriously dud and a tad embarrassing. It turns Martin into Steve Smith, the son of Stan Smith (of American Dad). Martin confesses he doesn't know anything about girls, "he's dreadin' and pumpin", "he's kinda young but not too young", and the immortal creepy line "don't be a fool-get back to school". Awkward...

Magic Lover saves us. With its hand-claps and electro beats, its a deep blue disco song that recalls the joints of the 1970's (what I've read and seen in movies anyways). Touches of a brass-section finishes of a wonderful shine to the entirely classy song. Barry White would be most pleased about Magic Lover if he was alive. The Secret starts off like Robyn's Underneath The Heart. Its a ballad but its constructed wonderfully. It really allows the purity of Martin's somewhat choir boy voice come to shine through. Its more Stay (Shakespeare Sister) than all that as preceded the track on the album. The Secret (Remee/Troelsen) is a great track to end the album with. Slightly cosmic, its the most unusual song on the album but as such guarantee's the album as a key recommendation for pop album of year. Martin is allowed to leave his comfort zones of pop, funk and crooner, and becomes a singer with real edge.

In conclusion, the Remee/Lucas/Troelsen songs are the best on Show The World. They allow you to dance, tap your feet, bop away but also proffer opportunities for Martin to develop into a distinct singer and not some product from another T.V series. Indeed, his voice is very unique and it seems as if Remee et al wrote the songs most fitting for Martin and as a result its their compositions that really shoot above the rest. I won't mention his cover of Queen's Somebody To Love and Martins debut single The 1. Its not that they're awful, well the later is, its just they don't actually bring anything to table. Whereas songs like Rock The Party, When I'm With You, Report To The Dancefloor, and the title track belong to the catchiest pop song box of 2008. I can leave the ballads, which are okay as ballads go, but two (The Secret/Frozen) are out of the world and well worth it. A great pop album and wonderful start to Martins career.

Download:

Rock The Party, Show The World, Report To The Dancefloor, The Secret, Frozen, When I'm With You, Mission Impossible

Avoid: The 1

DONTSTOPTHEPOP GETS INTIMATE WITH THERESE! (INTERVIEW)

Therese is a pop-dance legend-the length of this interview perhaps highlights this point. Originally in the glorious group Dromhus, she sung the club hits Stjärna På Himlen and Håll Dig Nära. With Dromhus she very nearly represented Sweden at Eurovision with the uplifting Stjärna På Himlen. Charlotte Nilsson came first and later won the entire thing. Then she moved onto other terrains and achieved chart success in the UK and around the world with the famous Put Em High. Then she released her own single Time and then her first solo album Acapulco. With The Attic, Therese then performed at Melodifestivalen in what was a very special performance for the singer. Today, Dontstopthepop talks to Therese about life, songwriting, Dannii, her future recording plans and philosophy.

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Hello Therese! Thank you for appearing on Dontstopthepop!

Helllooooooo! Thanks to you too!

You are a Dancepop legend on Dontstopthepop! How does it feel?

Feels great!

You’ve got some amazing vocals on those lungs of yours. Where’d ya get them from?

From my super-soul and some wild emotions on that.

How do you reach those high notes?

Good vocal chords. Hahaha! And quitting fags and openning the throat chakra.

Personally, you performing The Arrival has to be one of my favourite Melodifestivalen performances ever! I just love the feathers! The spinning around! It was magical! And such vocals! Forgive the total overuse of exclamation marks! It was quite something to watch you perform The Arrival whilst spinning around on a record…

Hahaha. It was just the best. Like I said, I loved every second of it.

Actually, whose idea was it get to intimate with that huge 12” on that stage?

Richard Engfors, he is a true proffesional and a dear friend.

And was what is it like?

Bit nervous but exciting.

It must have been difficult singing while lying down! I noticed your vocals didn’t falter or anything. That’s some control!

Jep! Hehe.

What was going through your head while you were performing in front of so many people?

Not to loose focus in the singing, choreography and spinning around, and to hit all the cameras. And to smile. Haha.

Slightly off topic but have you had a look at the current Melodifestival finalists and if so do you have a favourite? Shockingly Carola didn’t get through this year. The favourite is Charlotte...

I haven't seen time as I don't have Swedish channels in London so I'm a bit out of clue when I'm not home. I miss it though....


Now let me talk about your brilliant songwriting! Does it come natural to write those wicked pop songs? Or did you go to a school?

I went to music school and took dancing classes etc. Writing is something you just gotta have skills for and then develop, at least in my case.

You did a lot of work with Dannii including her songs Perfection and Good Times. Can you tell us gossip about Lady Minogue and what it was like to work with her?

She is great, very pretty, lovely blue eyes and a pretty little kitten nose. Very calm and nice


Dannii’s song “Good Times” takes me straight to 1970’s lounge glamour…was that the aim?

Maybe.......for me its summer. Thats what i love about music that its got its personal relationship with people.

You did some songs for her album-some that have never seen a release. What have
happened to those songs and can you describe them?

Oh I don't know, there are so many tracks flying around backstage in time for artist releases and album you never know where they will turn up.

Ok, so to the future! There is a new song called "Neon Lights (See My Baby)" listed on your wikipedia entry. On title alone it sounds great. Could it be a new album track for a new album that’s on the way?

Yeah sure, I’ve been going through alot of changes lately which have made me decide to do 2 albums. One with my housy stuff and one which will be a project of music with no directions Exciting uh?

Two albums! Two albums! Tell us more!

I dont wanna reveal too much and break any magic. But I have a strong desire to do that album where I can just do whatever I wanna do. It doesnt have to fit into any model of music or anything like that. Its a great opportunity and I wont rush it either, but we are gonna start in early summer to record it. And i get to work with some really talented people. Its important to get that creative space as an artist.

So what is the low down on the track you’ve done with Steve Mac?

Well its got great support from radio 1 which is a good start. I want it to be my next track out with video and stuff.


The music industry is changing a lot. Would you consider “doing a Robyn” and setting up your own record company to release your material?

Sure thats the way forward, just to be able to be more flexible. All you need is to build a good team around u and not tie yourself up with any major record companys right now i think.

What Was it like working with Danny Saucedo last year?

Sweet! He is so lovely and talented.

Have you read any philosophy perchance? What are your thoughts on human existence and the human condition?

I’ve read some! And right now in this moment is all there is. God is now…Guru is now. Its very challenging to live in the now. Cause and the effect. Universe is your mirror. Get back what you give out. Don't think nobody can ever tell you the secret of life you just have to find your way, thats it.

2007 Sweden - The Attic & Therese (SF 3)

Talking of finding your own peace, what was it like performing with the Attic for Melodifestivalen for The Arrival? Are you able to say why it was very intense time last year?

Amazing! I loved every second of it. My dad was ill in cancer as well and died a week later in hospital so i knew it was the last time he was gonna see me perform. I was happy and a little sad.

It was an amazing performance, Therese. He’ll be so proud. The message of the song. Everything. You doing your thing. Just amazing. I just wanted to tell you that and give you happy vibes.

Thank you, Bobby.

Will the new album delve into that time in your life?

Maybe, probably actually. He dedicated a song for me so I'll probably do one for him (huge smile).

So tell what us what are you doing in May?! Its quite amazing!

Yeah the bikeride!!!!

Girl, its not "just a bike ride"!!!!

The bike ride is from London to Amsterdam and we are about 100 people already doing it. It is to raise money for Sfk which is an amazing organization where 100% of all money goes straight to the source. I’m very excited

That’s gonna be sore in the morning! How much do you wanna raise?

10.000 at least!

How can readers of DSTP help out? Are there any sites they can send their donations to?

Yes Please!! Go just go to www.justgiving.com/putemhigh. And if u wanna read about Sfk go on to www.sfk.org. I'm very grateful for all the help I can get. Its such a wonderful organisation. I’m also facilitating at the classes at school. The miracle changes you see in the kids gives you so much hope.

I heard you have a very very special something for the person who donates the most….

Yeap he gets to sleep with me............HA HA HA joking..but a dinner and a special night...

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So there you have it! The popstar that is Therese. She is a star! Love her to bits. Music is brilliant. Vocals are amazing. Stage performances are nothing but pure wow. Songwriter diva. Swedish pop princess with Dromhus. Solo pop queen....the bike-ride...I love Therese! The Arrival performance at Melodifestivalen only last year holds so much more significance for Therese that we could ever possibly imagine. As viewers we had no idea. Now, Therese has illustrated what was going on when she was belting out that epic lovesong (check out her vocals at roughly 2:15). She is an icon & Dontstopthepop legend. She shines...

Key places
http://www.justgiving.com/putemhigh (Donate some money)
Official Myspace

LIZZIE Ramt I Natten

Hi all, to say its been sometime since I posted on Dontstopthepop is an understatement (Look, I was busy being fabulous in another part of the world where they don't do pop idols, eurovision and things like that). Your probably wondering how I survived. Pot noodles (the shame!) and last minute flights back to Denmark. I am seriously not the kind to travel abroad and go native as the saying goes. I like my creature comforts. When the heart pines for a bun from Lagkegehuset (the worlds finest bakery) I don't hesitate to board a 777 Boeing, fly back home and increase my carbon footprint (in Manolos if you please!). Which is why I'm currently in Europe at the moment. Reading through this blogs previous posts its been a bit low on Danish pop acts......

Hence this post. The Danish Pop Queen Lizzie is currently number one here in Denmark. Ramt I Natten is a brilliant pop song that I first heard on my Christmas trip to see the folks last year and its about going into the night & having lots of dubious "issues". The album of the same name is a must and remember where you heard about this girl first. She's no whispy, timid (and tepid) singer Lykke Li. Lizzie suffers no fools. Lizzie symbolizes everything that is right about the Danish pop music scene. She follows Infernal and Aqua in being absolutely creative and spunky. When the rain won't stop pouring down and theres nothing else to do I often wonder what makes the music scene in Denmark so different to that of Sverige. Listening to the likes of Safri Duo, Anna David, Aqua, Infernal and Lizzie I think that Danish acts prefer not to be so chinzy-like and are less uniform. Thats just my opinion & being Danish I am incredibly biased on the matter.

You can check out more brilliant songs on the album by casting your eyes to TDKMusik & her official myspace.

LINNEA HANDBERG Made Up My Mind (Legal Download!)

A must pop album for any pop lover (this is the Japanese hit release of the cd)

Music Download (legal) : Made Up My Mind

Linnea Handberg. Linnea Handberg. Where tho art theeeee begin!?! Real name Linnéa Handberg Lund, Ms.Linnea is pop princess who hails from Denmark and most might know her stage name of Miss.Papaya under which she released her first album simply titled Pink back in 1998. However I want to focus on her second album released two years later and called This Is Who I Am. The album is the sort of CD that the likes of Solid Harmonie, Britney and Precious would have loved to have released. You know the songs I'll Be There For You and Hit Me Baby One More Time? Well imagine an entire CD full of songs of that pop notch quality. Today, Linnea herself has very kindly allowed readers of DontStopthePop to download one of those songs but this is not a case of me picking the best song and the rest of the album are all duds. On the contrary, the collection consists of one of the finest batch of pop songs of 2000. Despite major record company interest, including Maverick, things didnt appear to happen but I highly recommend you track down the album. Its not just a forgotten classic but each song has monumentally poptastic.

This is isnt me going over the top or anything. I declare such claims as I have the backing of other groups who evidently heard the brilliance of the album and grabbed tracks for their albums. Take the title track for example. It was covered and released by the French girlband L5 (who retitled it for their audiences as "Aime"). Following suit, the Swedish girlband, Excellence, covered the Danish act with their take on Linneas "I Believe It When I See It". Going to warmer climates Spains Chenoa covered Linnea's "Why You Doin' It Like That" and god knows about the rest but I highly suspect nearly all of her songs have gone to other acts. Indeed, recent material Jon of Denmark, Tik Tak of Finland and the Chipz albums all feature the song-writing credits of Linnea Handberg. Therefore, it would be only polite to raise a glass of cherry wine to one of Denmarks finest female song-writers (and as a thank you for allowing us to share one of her brilliant songs!).

Come 2007, she now spends her time appearing on one-off dance special releases but really dedicates her love & talent to song-writing. In 2004, she signed to EMI Music Publishing & from then on has seen her name on most album sleeves for pop acts around the world including the theme to Big Brother, working with DJ's and re-settling in London where she says most of the work is these days.

Thank you Linnea!

Critical Linkage

Myspace (Linnea)

Critical Purchase

This Is Who I Am (Gemm)
Pink (Amazon)

Coming up on DontStopthepop: The album from Soccx, something very special from Jonah & something very cool & unique from Robyn that you won't find anywhere else.