Sounds like: Rihanna, Jessie J
Genre: Pop, Dub-pop

Prepare for the rise of Rita Ora.

After catching the eye and ear of an A&R in London, the 21-year-old Kosovo-born, U.K.-bred songstress was introduced to Jay-Z in New York and soon signed to Roc Nation (Rihanna style!) back in 2009.

Since then, she’s been working with just every heavy-hitter in the pop industry to craft her upcoming 2012 debut, including Ester Dean, The-Dream and Stargate.

Admittedly, I wasn’t too bowled over by Ora’s lead US single which premiered recently on Z100: “How We Do (Party)” (originally titled “Party & Bullshit), a carbon copy of the Katy Perry “Teenage Dream”/Jessie J “Domino” strumming power-pop formula. It’s a hit, for sure…but, well, it’s been done to death at this point.

Her debut UK single “R.I.P.,” however, tickles my fancy far more: Penned by Drake, produced by Chase & Status and Stargate and featuring Tinie Tempah (that enough talent in one track for you?), the dubstep-infused number sounds a lot like something off of RiRi’s Rated R, featuring gritty guitar licks and dark, searing synths. “R.I.P to the girl you used to see/Her days are over!” Ora declares.

With powerful pipes and a bevy of top song scribes at her disposal, Rita Ora’s got plenty of potential to take over in 2012 as one of the newest pop princesses. You ready?