As we've mentioned before, thanks so much for your incredible support of the site throughout 2010! auspOp is now enjoying up to 57,000 unique visitors per month. And we look forward to bringing you much more top pop news, reviews, interviews and much more throughout the course of 2011!
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing our No.1 pop song of 2010. Theo and Adam from Manchester duo Hurts burst onto the scene earlier this year with their rather brilliant debut single 'Better Than Love'. With its thundering beats and electronic instrumentation, it harked back to the heady days of the 1980s British pop scene when bands like OMD, New Order and the Pet Shop Boys were all the rage.
Universal Music may still be working 'Heartbeat' at local radio, but we'll bet our bottom dollar that it won't be too far into the new year before we see the third English language single from Enrique Iglesias' album 'Euphoria' doing the radio rounds. 'Tonight (I'm Loving You)' features a guest appearance by man of the moment Ludacris (he's everywhere) and the clip features a very sweaty looking Enrique (the way we like him) perusing the goods on offer at what appears to be either a nightclub or a gentlemen's club. Of course, he finds the one he wants to take home, there's a Ludacris interlude in the limo and some of the screen shots seem to contain imagery that could be construed as being a little too saucy for a G rated clip. More of the same electro R&B pop, but we'll lap it up for the time being.
Well we sprung this one on your right in the middle of the festive season - smack bang between your Christmas plum puds and the new years champagne - and it was only live for a few days too. 
We haven't even had a minute to get our ‘Pretty Girl Rock’ on and Keri Hilson is already back with another eye-popping new video.
2010 was a pretty amazing year for pop music - there was so many glittering highlights in amongst the generic crossover blend of US R&B and dance that was championed by the likes of Usher, Taio Cruz, Jason Derulo, Enrique Iglesias - and even Brian McFadden.
Why this song (and this singer) weren't huge in Australia is completely beyond our comprehension. Effortlessly stylish, exuding a new brand of coolness that would have seduced all those who basked in its amazingness had 'Tightrope' been given a chance to succeed. Even a (totally unnecessary) re-worked version 
You know the pop is going to be good when it has the words 'Sophie Ellis Bextor' plastered all over the front of it. You know it's going to be something a little special when it has the names 'Wiltshire' and 'Small' in the production credits. Yes, the Freemasons once again teamed up with SEB in 2010 to amazing club-stomping perfection. And though only a minor hit here in Australia, it ticked all the boxes over in the UK and Europe, despite being leaked almost two months ahead of its retail release (when will UK record companies learn that this is just not permissible in this day and age?).
Katie Melua had painted herself into a corner with her very safe melodic balladry of days gone by. But she attempted something a little different with the lead single from her latest album 'The House', courtesy of some electro button pushing by none other than William Orbit. 'The Flood' (one of three pop singles released by the same name this year) took a left turn from middle Eastern inspired orchestration to lush beats, providing Katie with the perfect platform to showcase her diversity. That piano in the video - and that chorus. Magical stuff.
Though we might not have written too much about British rock outfit Muse throughout the course of the year, we're massive fans of their album 'The Resistance'. And the title track from it was altogether glorious, grand and epic. From its cantering percussion and piano beginning emerges Matthew's smooth vocals, before an almost Queen-esque bridge leads into a stadium rock chorus that sends tingles up the spine. Though not the strongest song on 'The Resistance', the single highlighted the reasons why Muse is one of the hottest rock acts on the planet. No wonder then that crowds packed into arenas across the country earlier this month to catch the band rocking it live.
Ellie Goulding first appeared on our radar in October last year thanks to the eagle ears of one of our loyal readers. But in 2010, Ellie released a super little track in her second single 'Starry Eyed'. Her voice almost folky, the production very electro, yet somehow they seemed to fuse effortlessly together to create a fresh new sound that left us completely spellbound. With one foot destined for the dancefloor and the other with its sights firmly set on radio airplay, 'Starry Eyed' was a delicious pop gem. Of course, as always for us Aussies it was light years ahead of its time and didn't really get a look-in, despite it being a top 30 hit across the Tasman.
It had been fifteen long years since they had recorded together as a five piece, but in 2010 Robbie Williams re-joined the ranks of Britain's hottest boy band, Take That. Though 'The Flood' didn't hit the top spot in the UK, held out by Rihanna's monster 'Only Girl (In The World)', it was track one on the fastest selling British album of the century - 'Progress'. Produced by Stuart Price and featuring Robbie and Gary sharing the lead vocals, 'The Flood' was an epic piece of British pop. And where better to film the video for the track than on the most famous river in Britain - the mighty Thames. Could it be just us that gets a tingle down the spine when the shot pulls out on the London Eye?
We assume that no-one would seriously argue that 'All The Lovers' was the best single of Kylie Minogue's 20 plus year career - heck, production-wise it sounded more than a little like 'I Believe In You'. But it signalled the willingness of the pop princess to stick to where her strengths lie - in her dance/pop roots. With production dynamo Stuart Price on the case, there's no denying the track had a strong pedigree. But a lacklustre chart position saw Kylie head home for extensive promotional duties for the first time in 13 years. It was a slow burner though - getting stronger with each listen until it clicked - but when it did, the section of the song from 2:28 onwards took us to a whole new level of love.
Here's the one big Aussie hit in our pop honour role of 2010. There were those who wrote Katy off in the early days as a one-hit wonder with her super-hit 'I Kissed A Girl', but this year Katy Perry proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was no one trick pony. Her monster 'California Gurls' has already clocked over triple platinum sales since its release (it's currently a bee's dick off quadruple platinum). Subsequent singles 'Teenage Dream' and 'Firework' have also achieved sales success, but it was 'California Gurls' with its sweet-as-apple pie video clip and infectious disco-tinged chorus that had us hook, line and cream-filled brassiere guns.
We have to tip our hat to Lisa Mitchell this year. Normally we're not big fans of her folky style of pop, but in 2010, she totally wooed us with the super 'Oh! Hark!' It upped the tempo, bringing in some subtle percussion - and the video was wondrous, with its stark colours somehow providing a great deal of warmth. She looked great with her cropped fringe and smoky eyes, she sounded great - and 'Oh! Hark!' was for us the best Lisa single since 2008's 'Neopolitan Dreams'.
So the whole Damien Leith 'Remember June' project fell flat on its arse earlier this year. So what. Both 'To Get To You' and 'Forgive Forget' were cracking pop songs, just ripe for radio play. But sadly, that's where this project fell over, with radio on the whole stubbornly refusing to play the singles. Produced by the super Stuart Crichton, the album's second single 'Forgive Forget' was a big song with a big melody and a big chorus and caught our ear big time earlier in the year. A shame that it didn't work, because 'Forgive Forget' was a super pop song.
You can't have a good look back at pop 2010 without tipping your hat to Swedish superstar Robyn. She released not one, but three albums as part of her 'Body Talk' series, the first of which spawned this heartfelt dancefloor stomper that spoke of someone being cast off by a love interest in favour of someone else. 'Dancing On My Own' was the electro follow-up to her super smash 'With Every Heartbeat', with a tender bridge which stripped all instrumentation for full emotional effect. Robyn proves beyond doubt that Sweden's most certainly where pop's at. And that it's light years ahead.
As soon as it burst onto the scene, we knew that the lead single from Cee Lo Green's album 'The Lady Killer' was going to be a monster. Let's face it, any song that has the f bomb in the lyric is ripe for chart success. But it's this single from the album that had our soul appetite whetted late this year. 'Bright Lights Bigger City' took us straight onto the streets of New York City, blending synth stabs with a bassline that could have been ripped from MJ's 'Billie Jean' and that soulful vocal that would sooth and satisfy like rich toffee. We have the feeling that the story is far from over for this album - and that this single might just get a little local love in 2011.
Credit where it's due, in an age when most artists are cast asunder if they don't achieve instant top 20 success, Sony Music allowed Michael Paynter to spend a couple of years away to develop his style and his sound. And while we could have done without the bum fluff since his return, we were left awestruck by that staggering voice. 'Love The Fall' was the perfect comeback single for the Melbourne singer songwriter. It was epic pop/rock with a Veronicas cameo, plenty of grunt and it contained that incredible voice that soared to notes that no man should naturally be able to hit. No surprise then that it became the singer's first top 20 hit.
And we couldn't let our Honourable Mentions list go by without making mention of one of our favourite local discoveries of 2010. Sydney duo Aeons first hit the pages of auspOp in June this year, giving their single 'Where The Sky Meets The Sea' away as a free download. And they followed that up with the release of their 'Beyond The Satellites' EP (which they also gave away free - HERE). And we don't know whether it was 'Where The Sky Meets The Sea' or the poppier title track of their EP that had us hooked the most. They were both amazing, both with global-standard production creating an electrifying soundbed that was then layered with an almost nu-wave vocal. Yes it's hard to pick, but whichever way the decision falls, one pop truth remains... Aeons are totally and utterly friggin brilliant.
Alicia Keys is still touched and astounded by her newfound motherhood and the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter is understandably gonna want to commit these feelings to song. Here on a track produced by her husband, Swizz Beatz, the young family presents to you a free download of ‘Speechless’ – Mama Keys' ode to baby Egypt.
Will the following people please take a bow... C. Johnson, M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen, S.Wilhelm and M. Storleer. Together, they created one of the most amazing pop anthems of not just this year, but of the last few years. Sure it took 'Only Girl (In The World)' a little while to really gel with us, but boy when it did, we realised fully that the lead single from Rihanna's latest long player 'Loud' was a complete and utter screamer. 
The stratospheric rise of this pop phenomenon throughout the last couple of years hit an incredible new high just over nine months ago when she revealed the video clip for her eighth single 'Telephone'. 
So here's the equation with this single. David Guetta + Kelly Rowland + EMI = mammoth Aussie hit. David Guetta + Kelly Rowland + Universal = mammoth Aussie flop. Yet there was no denying that Kelly Rowland's David Guetta-produced single 'Commander' was a dancefloor stomper that was easily in the same league as its predecessor. Sure, Sony may have dropped her because they wanted Kel to stick to her R&B roots, but here was an artist who wasn't afraid to try something a little new, and after roping in producer-of-the-moment David Guetta, she crossed over with spectacular results. As you're probably aware, Dutch superstar DJ Armin van Buuren is ready to hit Melbourne's Etihad Stadium this new year's eve as part of his global 'Armin Only' tour. But what you may not be aware is that the world’s #1 DJ has been actively using a new mobile app, Flowd (screenshot left), to talk directly to his fans. Flowd allows fans to follow their favourite artists, receive updates on the latest news and gigs, see exclusive pictures, and even communicate directly with the artists themselves. A brand new feature has just launched that allows users to “check-in” to live shows and events to receive exclusive news, and be rewarded for their attendance. 
A relatively late comer to the 2010 pop proceedings this one, but we have the sneaking suspicion that it's going to be all over summer radio in the weeks ahead as it climbs ever higher on the digital charts.
Stop press! Australian dance/pop artist in top ten hit shock! While radio continued to habitually gander at what the Yanks were up to to determine their playlists again in 2010, a little Aussie battler came along with a corker of a tune and made everyone sit up and take notice.
Well we didn't see this one coming... Sony Music has just serviced the debut single for last year's British X Factor runner-up Olly Murs to local radio.
• EMI has announced that Miami Horror's debut album 'Illumination' has been released in Japan. The Japanese version of the LP comes with the obligatory bonus tracks and in this case there are three - all remixes of singles 'Sometimes', 'I Look To You' and 'Holidays'. Back home, the band is celebrating the digital release of the 'Illumination Holidays Pack' by offering fans a free download of a remix of their latest single 'Holidays'. Click HERE!
We can't quite pick when or why Australia started to fall out of love with Kylie and her music, but it most certainly seems to be the case with the 'Aprodite' project, despite the album being a stream of Stuart Price-produced pop perfection. 
Soul queen Sam Sparro has dropped the video for his new buzz single ‘Pink Cloud’ and if this is anything to go by, feel free to bump his forthcoming album to the visuals on Fashion TV. There are no hooks or real vocals here. Just an abashed and sumptuous serving of 90s house. Director Franc Fernandez (see: creator of Gaga‘s meat dress) frames Sparro in a flamboyant avant garde affair not short of powder, body paint and ra-rahfaces.
Australian entertainment site Take 40 has revealed the 40 biggest music videos for 2010. The fans had more than 8000 music videos to watch over on the site, with more than 61 million video streams throughout 2010. But only one could come out on top.
Seems like the kids just can't get enough of Gold Coast tween up and comer Cody Simpson, with his brand new single '4U' - released on Tuesday - already seeing some action on the all-important iTunes chart.
We must have been in the minority with the second single from Gabriella Cilmi's second album 'Ten'. Sure, the whole project pretty much sank like a stone earlier in the year, despite wildly fluctuating reviews from critics, but boy - we thought that 'Hearts Don't Lie' was one heck of a pop gem.
The gang at Sony Music are obviously incredibly unhappy that Bruno Mars is comfortably ensconced in the No.1 position on the iTunes chart with his single 'Grenade', revealing a cunning plan to help Guy Sebastian to overtake the US singer and hit the No.1 position with his latest single 'Who's That Girl'.
Anyone who's a regular watcher of the Ellen Degeneres show will by now know the story of 13 year old Greyson Chance. Catapulted to fame by the talk show host after being discovered on Youtube belting out an impressive version of Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi', he's now signed to Ellen's own record label and has released this - his debut single - in the US (and here in Australia).
We love a good competition here at auspOp - heck, we've given you enough of them across the course of the year. BUT, the gang at Warner has come up with an absolute corker.
Golly there's been a lot going on with the launch of 'The Australian Takeover', coming to a venue near you next month.
Over the course of the past few years, Miami Horror maestro Benjamin Plant and his band of merry men have been ever so slowly honing their sound. Singles like 'Moon Theory' and 'Sometimes' were great, but it was when they combined their talents with up and coming songstress Kimbra for the third single from their album 'Illumination', that the results were more than a little aurally pleasing.
