With One Direction making Billboard chart history and The Wanted gearing up for a massive, sold out arena tour stateside, there's no doubt that boyband pop is making a mighty comeback in the States. And with fresh-faced British pop acts pushing the genre back into the spotlight, it was only a matter of time before an American boyband would surface to take a well-deserved spot alongside of them. Case in point is Midnight Red, a five-piece outfit who released their first single last year and was a guest on New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys' co-headlining tour last summer to get a taste of the big time.

Midnight Red is the teaming of Joey Diggs Jr. Thomas Augusto, Anthony Ladao, Colton Rudloff and Eric Secharia who all bring their own skill, focus and unique vibe to the group. The five got together back in 2009 through the efforts of veteran A&R executive and Kings of LA label founder, Pete Farmer and superstar hitmaker RedOne (Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Far East Movement), who brought the group to Interscope Records. RedOne has also had a heavy hand in the group's artistic development. He produced not only their previous "One Club At A Time" but also their brand-new single, "Hell Yeah!"

Midnight Red's minty fresh "Hell Yeah!" has RedOne's pop brilliance written all over it. The song is a hella hooky and instantly infectious pop romp that kicks off in high gear with a stomping, electro-edged dance groove that fits the group's slick and sparkly harmonies perfectly. The tune takes listeners from its catchy verse to a brief pre-chorus that leads into a gigantic, soaring chorus that will without a doubt resonate globally. "Let crash the party like we don't care," the group rightfully boasts, ready for chart battle. "Hell Yeah!" is a hit-savvy tune by a promising new pop act that is, quite franky, too irresistible to be denied.

 By Steve Siegel

In my reviews of various dance tracks on this blog, I have often alluded to Eric Prydz, the Swedish house producer who has impressively toed the line between mainstream commercial success ("Call On Me") and underground anthems ("Mirage"). For years, Prydz’s fans have clamored for him to release a full-length album—the ultimate symbol of accomplishment for a dance music producer.

But for a guy who was once part of Swedish House Mafia, a simple album would never do. Rather, in typical fashion for the man who pioneered the live DJ concert with his EPIC show, Prydz upped the ante: three discs of new material, unreleased special edits, and classic cuts.  Not only is "Pryda" (Astralwerks) well worth the wait for longtime Prydz fans, it also highlights why Eric is so often considered the finest producer in the industry by critics and contemporaries alike.

Disc 1 is composed almost entirely of new Prydz tracks. For fans who are usually treated to one or two Prydz releases every 4 months, a disc full of 12 new songs is orgasmic. Prydz begin disc 1 with "Shadows," a moody cut that features all the finely tuned intricate production elements Prydz fans know and love.  Several of the other tracks on disc 1 have been strategically released in the weeks coming up to the release of "Pryda" including "SW4," "Sunburst," "Leja" and "Allein."

While tracks like "Sunburst" and "Allein" feature the familiar heavily delayed progressive house synths that Prydz favors, "Leja" showcases the Swedish producers softer French Touch side with its moving wooden bass and carefree arrangement. However, the highlight for me on Disc 1 has to be "Mighty Love," a track co-produced with Andrea Postl. 

Besides bei"g a fine purveyor of progressive house, Eric also has thing or two for sampling old '70s and '80s hits (see: "Call On Me" and "Proper Education"). Eric works his sampling magic again on "Mighty Love," taking a few elegant orchestral stabs, mixing it with some light arpeggiated synth sounds, and flipping it into an up-tempo tune that sits squarely between Studio 54 and modern-day Ibiza.

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Morning Parade's new single "Headlights" is a beautifully-composed alt-pop gem that is filled with a hefty dose of melancholy and longing that has the power to pull all the right heartstrings. Remixer James Nije expertly extracted the song's potent and dramatic ingredients, and combines those with a kinetic pulse, bumping bass and some glossy, sunburst synths to serve up a mighty fine and deeply emotive brew of escapist dance pop. The revamped tune shoots in overdrive around the 2:50 minute mark to cause an instant rush to head. Highly recommended.

"Headlights" is the second track taken from the group's self-titled debut LP that will be released on June 19 through EMI/Astralwerks in the United States. Heavily tipped at the beginning of 2011 after the success of "Under The Stars," the British five-piece avoided "the hype-trap" which many a new band has fallen into by rushing out a quick debut album and instead took their time to write the album they wanted to make whilst building a solid and loyal fanbase all across Europe touring with bands like The Kooks and 30 Seconds To Mars.

Produced by David Kosten, the group's debut LP is described in a press release as "a breathtaking statement of intent, demonstrating a depth of lyric and songwriting which has become increasingly rare amongst many contemporary artists. It is a purposeful, heartfelt and honest collection of songs." Morning Parade will be touring across North America next month together with Walk The Moon. (Download Morning Parade "Headlights" on iTunes.)

I have said it before and I will say it again and again (and again), Nelly Furtado never ceases to amaze me with her constantly-evolving brand of pop. Instead of going for the cookie-cutter approach and explore the beaten path, Furtado changes up the scenario with every album release to serve up a fresh new sound for fans to enjoy and make music that is artistically satisfying for herself. 

After the fresh grooves of "Whoa, Nelly," the singer explored world beats on "Folklore" that was followed by the big, commercial pop sound of "Loose" that led to her GRAMMY-winning, Spanish-language album, "Mi Plan." For her new English-language album, Furtado could have easily continued where "Loose" left off, but instead she decided to change it up and explore the hip hop music that inspired her to be an artist. She teamed with none other than Rodney Jerkins, the iconic hitmaker who is responsible for writing and producing the tracks that Furtado often mentions as her inspirations.

The first result of the teaming between Furtado and Jerkins is the booming "Big Hoops (Bigger The Better)," a brash, bassy pop tune that invokes memories of early '90s hip hop. The song's lyrics are also filled with clever lyrics that reference that era. From "I don't want to talk about sex" to "I know he can't stand the rain" and to "I said no diggity, no doubt."

Furtado officially returned to the television spotlight on Sunday night at the Billboard Music Awards where she performed "Big Hoops." That performance has been followed by a few other high-profile appearances to promote her new single and forthcoming new LP, including a super fun appearance at AMP Radio's Red Bull Sound Studios yesterday to perform "Maneater," "Like A Bird," "Big Hoops" and "Say It Right."

In an extensive interview with fans prior to her show, Furtado talked a little bit more about her "very grounded" new record, new songs "Parking Lot" and "High Life, plus what's it like to be a mom. She also talks about her hope to collaborate with Robyn one day. Great interview and fantastic performance.  

Tesla Boy is already a household name among pop aficionados in Russia and other parts of Europe, and with this week's global release of their brand-new single "Fantasy," the group is getting ready to take their high-grade '80s-inspired synth pop to a much larger audience stateside. It's an exciting new adventure for the group's charismatic frontman Anton Sevidov and bassist Dima Midborn that has been long in the making

To the uninitiated, the Russian outfit of Anton Sevidov and basist Dima Midborn grew up in the '80s and '90s in Moscow. They experienced first-hand the dramatic changes that took place in Russia when the cold war came to a close, Perestroika ruled and a wind of change swept the nation. The new cultural zeitgeist of openness and transparency also embraced Western pop culture that made a tremendous impact on the young musicians who devoured all the great pop and synth music from abroad as soon as they could.

Their love for everything '80s is clearly reflected in their music ever since they released their debut LP, titled "Modern Thrills," in 2010 that included their debut single, "Electric Lady." Tesla Boy has found a way to take everything they love about '80s pop and new wave, and incorporate it in a contemporary pop sound that has an instant global appeal.

Their new single is a great example of that. Wonderfully lush and immaculately produced, "Fantasy" is a classically powerful pop tune that is ruled by a soothing bass line, richly melodic synth riffs and Sedidov's warming vocals. In an era where synth-driven productions are often associated with big room dance productions, the retro-futurist qualities of "Fantasy" provide a proper alternative to banging club joints, making it a track that is both very current and timeless. (Support new pop and download Tesla Boy "Fantasy" on iTunes.)

After his collaborations with people like Alesso and Far East Movement, rapidly-rising singer/songwriter Matthew Koma demonstrates once again that he has an incredible knack for writing and performing soaring melodic hooks. Case in point is his brand-new teaming with hotly-tipped DJ/producer Zedd (aka Anton Zaslavski) on "Spectrum," a stomping dance-pop romp with massive cross-over potential that perfectly combines Koma's sense of sentiment with Zedd's genre-pushing, micro-synth production stylings. "Spectrum" will be released on Interscope Records on June 4.

Inspired by artists like Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello, Koma is no stranger to writing timeless melodies that pack a powerful punch. He told me yesterday in an interview that partnering with DJs to write electronic dance music has been particularly helpful to further tune his craft. "It's been really cool to work with people like Alesso, Sebastian Ingrosso and Zedd," Koma tells me. "They're all very musical people and it's cool to see things through their eyes and it has inspired me to approach songwriting in a different way."

Koma explains that writing for dance music requires a bit of a different skill. "The electronic dance music world is so track driven and there's so much focus on the production that when it comes to songwriting it is even more about finding that simple sentiment and tapping into it," he says. "It's a totally different experience than writing a full song and it has been a really good learning experience."

He adds, "It's almost like using a different part of your brain. It's also often a different kind of audience that listens to dance music. They're looking for a different kind of feeling. It's definitely a different focus and all about honing in on a different feeling." (If you're curious about Matthew Koma, make sure to grab his brand-new EP "Parachute" that will be released on Cherrytree/Darkchild/Interscope Records next week. You can stream tracks from that release here.) 

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Much has been written about Adam Lambert and much has been said about his chart-topping new LP "Trespassing." But when all is said and done, the only words that truly matter are the stories Lambert so candidly shares on the album. Each and every song on "Trespassing" perfectly conveys his state of mind and distinct point of view that is woven throughout the effort.

"Trespassing" shows off two different sides of the singer. One part of the record features Lambert's exuberant and glamorous stage persona with tracks that are peppy, fun and clearly (and successfully) produced for mass consumption. The other part of the album emerges when Lambert steps off the stage, lifts up the brightly-lit, yellow trespassing signs to expose a much more vulnerable side of himself.

Tracks like "Cuckoo" and "Naked Love" capture the fun and flirty Lambert, while tracks such as "Underneath," Outlaws Of Love" and "Chokehold" show what really moves him as artist, performer, and most importantly, a human being. In fact, "Underneath" in particular addresses that very sentiment and intent when he sings, "Welcome to my world of truth. I don't wanna hide any part of me from you. I'm standing here with no apologies." 

When the party is over and the roar of the crowd fades, Lambert has the ability to take a step back, reflect on matters and tap into a raw vulnerability that is rarely exposed in pop music today. His honest and intensely personal storytelling adds a powerful dimension to his music that connects with people in a much deeper and lasting way.

One of the album's biggest contributions is that it's not just an accomplished collection of songs, but that it showcases the power and versatility of pop music. Yes, pop music can be fun, and yes, it can be highly stylized, but behind its glossy facade, pop music can also capture powerful emotions that people far and wide can relate to with great ease and apply to their own world of experience. And even if you don't speak English, Lambert's vocal tone and inflection will tell you all you need to know.

Lambert perfectly understands the power of pop and uses the ever-evolving genre to his full advantage. While pushing the envelop creatively, artistically and personally, the singer gives people music to make their own and cherish forever, which makes him a pop star of the brightest kind.

After I first met Databoy's Cameron and Adam at a Lights gig in Austin, Texas, the electro pop duo has embarked on an exciting musical journey that has taken them to New York to work with some of pop's finest producers to engineer a unique sound of their own. All of their hard work, patience and perseverance has resulted in their debut album, entitled "Dreams Are Gold," that will be released in a digital download store near you next month.

To give us a taste of what they have been up to in recent months, the duo is sharing the "Summer Now" EP that you can download totally guilt-free on their web site now. Pop lovers will sure be in a for a big treat with this new Databoy EP that stays true to their clearly-defined pop mantra. "We're a spontaneous combustion of everything you love and love to hate about pop music," they write on their web site. We're kids of the '90s, born in the '80s, inspired by the sounds of the new millennium. We are an unconventional duo, addicted to the art of sound and the sound of art."

The "Summer Now" EP release includes a remake of the previously shared "Just Once" that was mashed up with Rihanna's "You Da One" to give the original a breezy summer flavor. Also, featured are the pop-forward summer gem "Lotion" and the very good "8-Ball," a playful, synth-happy stomper with a mighty infectious chorus. It's one of those high-grade pop confections that easily fits alongside tracks by The Wanted, One Direction and other current chart-topping Brit pop.

The group is excited and writes me, "Our first release this year, 'Memorize Me' with Rune RK, has received over 175k hits on YouTube so far and we're hoping to build on that success with the release of a lot of original material over the next few months." The release of the LP has been long in the making, and if this EP is any indication, "Dreams Are Gold" is shaping up to be a mightily exciting pop effort.

Download Databoy "Summer Now" EP [MP3]

Nate, Jack and Andrew of Fun. are currently zigzagging around the globe to promote their breakthrough single "We Are Young" that is flying up the charts around the world after it was first featured in a Chevy Superbowl commercial back in February. The trio stopped by 3FM's popular morning show in Holland with host Giel Beelen earlier today to play their smash single, plus they performed a funtastic little cover of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe."

In an interview prior to the studio performance, DJ Giel Beelen noted that Holland recently celebrated 10 years of equal right for gays and lesbians, and asked the group about their ongoing support for gay marriage in their own country. "America is not as forward as some other places in the world," Fun.'s Jack Antonoff explains. "It's nice to come to countries where you don't have any second-class citizens because everyone's equal. That's a good feeling right off the bat. Whenever we know we're going to be somewhere that has equal rights we just get like a warm feeling in general about the place."

Antonoff says about President Obama's recent support of gay marriage that it is "hopefully the start of a big change in America." The guitarist adds, "It's a human rights issue and the biggest issue of our generation, and if you're not saying something then you're part of the problem ( . . .) We're straight, and that's a big part of our stance and we still care and everyone should care, gay or straight."

Natalie Duncan is without a doubt one of the most exciting new vocalists to impact the scene this year. Combining raw vocal power with poignant storytelling, her eclectic brand of blues pop is instantly classic and will speak to music fans far and wide who are looking for real, authentic sentiment in music. 

Not much is known about Duncan and the British songstress is purposely sharing very few personal details. She wants her music to do most of the talking to give listeners the opportunity to interpret it in their own unique way to make her songs truly timeless and meaningful. As Duncan herself puts it, "If you want to know who I am, all you have to do is listen to my music."

She reveals on her website though that many of the songs on her forthcoming debut album are inspired by heartbreak and anger but in a way that can be related to on many different levels. "My songwriting whatever type of music I'm writing is quite abstract," she explains. "I like to think the songs I write are more interesting than just a love song or a pop song. I like to explore and mess around with melodies as well, being quite intricate and delicate with parts of melody - having classical elements and then making it into blues."

She adds, "I don't really have a formula. I want to write a song that sounds a particular way, so I do. I'm definitely a welcome grim-reaper for the pop world."

The video for "Sky Is Falling" is a powerful work of art as well that incorporates scenes of animated skylines made up of yesterday's newspapers that are interspersed with footage of Duncan performing the song at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. It's a wonderfully creative and a perfect visualization of such a captivating tune.

Last night's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas was a diverse and memorable evening loaded with pop featuring some incredibly moving moments, impressive comebacks and powerful musical statements by some of pop's biggest idols. I was in the audience just a few rows away from the action on stage to witness (and tweet) every single second of it.

One of the most memorable moments of the night was an incredibly touching tribute to the late Whitney Houston that was performed by soul man John Legend and young Jordan Sparks. The Idol winner impressed and moved the crowd to tears with her flawless, pitch-perfect rendition of Houston's eternally classic "I Will Always Love You." Immediately following that performance, Houston was being honored by Billboard Magazine with a special Millennium Award that was handed to Houston's daughter Bobbi-Kristina who thanked fans gracefully for their support in recent months.

Even though Adele received most awards at this year's event, the night belonged without a doubt to LMFAO who took home 6 Billboard Music Awards including well-deserved nods for Song of the Year and Best Duo/Group performance. After opening the show with a sizzling medley of "Party Rock Anthem," "Sorry For Party Rocking" and "Sexy And I Know It," the group took the stage two more times to receive their awards. RedFoo and SkyBlu were genuinely humbled and happy to win and I couldn't be any more excited for them.

Nelly Furtado made her long-awaited return to the TV spotlight with a stomping rendition of her massive new single "Big Hoops." The performance was inspired by the music video for the song that includes Indian tribal dancers and, yes, some massive stilts to emphasize Nelly's point that everything bigger is better.

I spoke with Nelly at the official Billboard Music Awards after-party at the Mirage Hotel and she told me that she was very happy with the performance and that she is excited to be sharing more of her new music soon. She also noted that the next single to be taken from her new LP is the album's title track, "The Spirit Indestructible."

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After a fierce (yet very amicable) battle among some of music's most promising new stars, New York power pop outfit Patent Pending was crowned this year's winner of the annual Battle of Bands competition last night at a live concert finale in Las Vegas. Six talented finalists competed to impress a panel of expert judges to win the gig of a lifetime and perform at tomorrow's Billboard Music Awards in front of millions.

Hosted by none other than Taio Cruz, the event was produced by leading music pub Billboard and the music loving folks at Chevrolet. The Detroit car maker has developed a reputation for showcasing some of the brightest new talents in their advertising efforts, and with Battle of the Bands they have taken an active role in finding, supporting and nurturing emerging talent. (Chevy also gave each finalist a brand-new Chevy Cruze to chronicle their journey to Las Vegas in a video series.)

Finalists Savannah Outen, Saints of Valory, Take the Day, Doe Eye and rappers After the Smoke all made strong showings during the finale but it was ultimately Patent Pending who swayed the judges with their irresistible and totally fun blend of pop and punk rock that they peppered with some synchronized, Justin Bieber-styled dance moves.

It was without a doubt a breakthrough moment for the punk-edged and pop-loving group who were gushing with joy after their win when I chatted with them. "It's been an insanely exciting journey for us," charismatic frontman Joe Ragosta tells me right after the show. "It all started 11 years ago when we first started playing in our basement. We've toured around the country forever and we worked very hard. We were given this amazing opportunity by Billboard and Chevrolet, and this whole experience is truly the greatest thing that has ever happened to us."