In case you have not been paying that much attention to the new releases in the pop scene over the last few weeks, I’m here to help you out. I listed the five best new pop releases from the past month for you to enjoy! Yes, you’re welcome!

05. Cher Lloyd – Sirens
Cher Lloyd participated in X Factor UK in 2010. She wowed the judges with a rendition of ‘Turn My Swag On’ during her audition and managed to finish in fourth position in the competition. She released an album afterwards and even had a hit single in the USA with ‘Want U Back’. Last year she started promoting the release of her upcoming new album ‘Sorry I’m Late’ with the song ‘I Wish’ and now she is back with new single ‘Sirens’. Lloyd drops the hip hop influences for a moment as ‘Sirens’ is a full on pop belter. The chorus is immense and Cher shows the strength and power in her vocals we usually do not hear that much. It sounds like she has grown a lot since her participation in X Factor and it will be exciting to see what she will come up with over the next few months.

04. Lykke Li – No Rest For The Wicked
Lykke Li took quite some time to work on new music after she finished promotion for the album Wounded Rhymes and the single ‘I Follow Rivers’ grew out to be a worldwide hit. A few weeks ago she returned with the heartbreaking and pure new song ‘Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone‘. Somewhat later the new track ‘No Rest For The Wicked’, also taken from her new album I Never Learn that will be released in May, was released. Stylistically, this one is reminiscent of the sound of the Wounded Rhymes record. The production is big and the chorus is strong and captivating. Lykke’s quirky vocals come across very well and her lyrics are poetic and interesting as always. It is good to have her back!

03. Say Lou Lou – Everything We Touch
I already wrote about Say Lou Lou when I reviewed their amazing double single ‘Better In The Dark’ and ‘Beloved’ and named them as one of the most promising artists of this year. Now they are here to prove me right with a new track called ‘Everything We Touch’. The production of the song is lush and their dreamy vocals sound as great as ever. The floating chorus is beautiful, but the pre-chorus is without a doubt the best part of the song. Especially before the second chorus where the rolling drums kick in and they sing, ‘Days of ashes and nights of flames’ is one of the best pop moments so far this year. If they can keep up this high standards, their debut album will be out of this world.

02. Sia – Chandelier
This woman has been focusing on writing for other artists for quite some time now and I think we can all agree on the fact that it was time for Sia to come back swinging with some solo material. And a swinging comeback it is, from a chandelier actually. I can understand if her fans from the earlier albums had to get used to ‘Chandelier’, as it is more in the style of the tracks that she wrote for others, but to be fair, it is one epic anthem. The chorus is huge and the song is basically built up out of strong hooks. From the moment it starts, it is just hook after hook after hook. I particularly love the moment late in the chorus where her voice cracks a bit, showing a vulnerability which makes her delivery sound even more pure. Then you think it is over, but the post-chorus hook of ‘I’m just holding on for tonight’ kicks in. What a song people!

01. Ace Wilder – Busy Doin’ Nothin’
Those of you who have been following the Eurovision Song Contest and its preselections probably already know this one. Ace Wilder particpated in Melodifestivalen, the Swedish preselection for Eurovision and one of the biggest music events of the year in that country, with the track ‘Busy Doin’ Nothin” finishing as the runner up, missing out on winning by only two points. In Swedish iTunes and other charts, this is the highest charting song however, so Ace managed to get a big hit out of her participation. ‘Busy Doin’ Nothin” is an infectious and insanely catchy pop track with a pumping post-chorus. Ace’s delivery of the song about being lazy and not wanting to work is convincing and the song is just so much fun. When it just came out I could not stop playing it and I am still not tired of it. The accompanying EP with some more Ace tracks is also great. A new Swedish pop star is born!