1. Little Mix
Right, we've made the decision: Little Mix is the 2011 X Factor act whose debut album we would most like to buy. We don't care if they win; we don't care about the Barlowballad they're lumbered with if they do (although you'd hope that someone somewhere would be lining up a high-BPMd 2011 answer to 'Sound Of The Underground' in preparation for that outcome). We care about the first proper single and the full proper album. So we'll just twiddle our thumbs until that comes along.
twitter.com/littlemixoffic
2. Rihanna
Quite apart from the fact that her album is well over 75% great, Rihanna's X Factor performance of 'We Found Love' was brilliant because she was miming but didn't care. And if you ask anyone who isn't an idiot, they will tell you that performing a track with such complete abandon, when so many singers spend so long aiming for total authenticity that they forget to have anything approaching a good time, is what it's all about. Well it's not what it's all about but it's what some of it's about.
www.rihannanow.com
3. Little Boots
'Shake' was good. Her other new stuff is good too. In general, what we're looking at here is 'good stuff' by 'a good popstar'. In other news we have been sent two copies of the 'Shake' 12" vinyl with nice embossed gold lettering thing. If you a) want one of them and b) are happy to pop into Popjustice HQ sometime this week to pick it up, drop us a line and tell us why you should have the vinyl in your life. (NB: One of the vinyls got its sleeve's corners a bit bent in transit, and that is the one we are giving away. 'Apols'.)
www.littlebootsmusic.co.uk
4. Vela
We've mentioned her a few times already, and she's in a similar space to your Ronikas and your Sunday Girls, but seems a bit less self-conscious about the whole thing (while still having a strong 'visual identity' etc etc etc). Here's 'Warrior' from when we did it as Song Of The Day last month.
www.soundcloud.com/velaofficial
5. Amanda Mair
Despite some fairly questionable taste in music the teenage Swedish song merchant will release one of our most anticipated albums of 2012.
www.labrador.se/artists/amandamair.php3
666. Dermot O'Leary
"Oh hey 'people' you know I host The X Factor and really seem like I give a give a fuck? Well actually have a look at my latest pisspoor 'album' because that makes it obvious that I don't really like most of the stuff I'm pretending to give a fuck about on Saturday and Sunday nights, which unless I am very much mistaken makes me a disingenuous fuckhead."