Of all the Norwegian electronica chanteuses in the world, Kate Havnevik is probably my favorite.

I first discovered Havnevik back in 2006 with her debut record Melankton, a dreamy collection of electronica-infused tunes produced by the ever-amazing Guy Sigsworth (Britney Spears, Alanis Morrissette) and Carmen Rizzo. She’s also the voice behind my favorite Röyksopp production (and one of my favorite songs of all time, ever), 2005′s “Only This Moment.”

After releasing her Me EP back in November 2009, Havnevik partnered with PledgeMusic last August to raise money for the mixing, master and production for You, her much-anticipated full length follow-up to Melankton (as well as donating a portion of the funds to cancer research). It worked: By the time it was launched in August 21, the album was already 100% funded on September 7, and released to all who pledged donations on October 10.

Now, the record has been picked up for physical and digital distribution worldwide by Continetica Records on March 12.

The lead single from the album, “Mouth 2 Mouth,” finds the singer once again pairing off with Sigsworth, diving deep into chilly ambient waters: “Calling your name/You’re diving again/You are my sunken friend,” Kate croons across the tripping electro-organic beat, recalling the multi-layered bliss of quirky UK alt-electro songstress, Imogen Heap (who’s also worked extensively with Sigsworth in the past as Frou Frou).

“Mouth to mouth and head in sand/I am holding you,” she delicately coos during the chorus. The heavy breaking beats also seem somewhat dubstep inspired, similar to Lights‘ gorgeous 2011 effort, Siberia.

All in all, it’s yet another aural treat from the always enchanting Ms. Havnevik. Listen and swoon!

Kate Havnevik – Mouth 2 Mouth by katehavnevik

“Mouth 2 Mouth” will be released on February 20. (iTunes)

Get ready, y’all, because the evolution of Adam Lambert has just begun.

See, I’ve had a chance to listen to the new Adam Lambert single, “Better Than I Know Myself,” — in full. Great news — it’s really, really good.

First off, I should say that the snippet, which was released today, doesn’t really do the song justice. You can hear that the chorus sees Adam reaching into the higher part of his register, with booming, “Halo”-like drums and a skittering backbeat. But part of what makes the song magical is the way it builds from the opening of whining synths and a nicely percussive backing track, then builds instrumentally into the chorus. Dr. Luke‘s signature style as a producer is the juxtaposition of relatively subdued verses and a huge, explosive chorus, and “Better Than I Know Myself” does that magnificently.

The added talents of Claude Kelly, too, who remains one of the finest songwriters currently in the game, augment the song’s impact, since Claude has a way of cutting to the core of an emotional conflict with quick, elegant images. “Cold as ice, and more bitter than a December winter night/That’s how I treated you,” Adam sings in the opening lyrics, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it simile that speaks volumes.

The most emotionally potent moment is the bridge, where the richer synths yield to a tinkling piano and the lyrics turn unexpectedly vulnerable: “I get kinda dark/Let it go too far/I can be obnoxious at times/But try and see my heart.” It’s a lovely turn, with a candor that’s refreshing to hear in pop music, and it makes the song truly memorable.

In my piece last week for MTV Buzzworthy, I wrote that “My sources tell me that ‘Better Than I Know Myself’ is a piece of flaw-free radio candy, a stunning midtempo track with a powerhouse chorus that’s like a pumped-up ‘Whataya Want From Me,’ and it should cement Adam’s place in the pop A-list.” I’m sticking by this, especially the latter statement. “Better Than I Know Myself” is more radio-ready as anything on his last album, and I would be stunned if it didn’t perform excellently on the charts, and catapult Adam way further into the realm of superstardom than he’s ever been before.

“Better Than I Know Myself” is the lead single off of Adam’s upcoming album, Trespassing. (iTunes)

First of all, “We Found Love” isn’t really much of a pop song.

While Rihanna‘s synth-laden singles like “Don’t Stop The Music,” “Only Girl (In The World)” and “Who’s That Chick?”, her collaboration with DJ David Guetta, provided a pop-friendly preview of RiRi tripping the light fantastic, “We Found Love” is a full-on Euro-friendly House production that would fit in seamlessly on the sweat-soaked dance floors of Ibiza.

Steering away from Norwegian duo Stargate–the hit-makers responsible for much of the success behind the Rated R and LOUD era–Rihanna’s latest was crafted by UK dance sensation, Calvin Harris (“Ready For The Weekend,” “Bounce”). And much like his other productions for leading pop ladies (Kylie Minogue‘s “In My Arms”; Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s “Off & On”), “We Found Love” is a 3-minute explosion of glittering, euphoric synthesizers and pulsating club rhythms–all with a distinct electro-Caribbean gloss.

The song’s structure too is strictly a hands-aloft dance affair, featuring several major rave-happy breakdowns a la Afrojack‘s dance floor destroyer “Take Over Control (feat. Eva Simons)” or LMFAO‘s radio-slaying “Party Rock Anthem,” as well as repeat-heavy lyricism that makes the original play like one almighty remix. (Can you even begin to imagine the quality of the remixes?)

Production aside, RiRi truly makes “We Found Love” hers, as she always does, with her vocals. But far from most of the songs that earned the Bajan beauty her crown within pop royalty, there’s not even a lick of the bossy ‘tude of “Hard,” nor a hint of the rough ‘n’ rowdy “Rude Boy” RiRi.

Instead she simply sings–highlighting not only her heaven-sent upper register, but the song’s gorgeous lyrics: “Yellow diamonds in the light and we’re standing side by side / As your shadow crosses mine, what it takes to come alive,” she sweetly croons with all the sincerity and innocence of–as Calvin Harris accurately described–an angel.

While the song is much more in the vein of the celebratory dance-pop of LOUD than the moody noir of Rated R, “We Found Love” still signals a musical (and sure enough in weeks to come, a visual) shift for Rihanna–an artist who’s consistently proven herself capable of skillfully reinventing herself in a way not seen since Madonna.

As for that Rihanna reign letting up anytime soon?

Well, the odds of that happening are even less likely than getting hit by a satellite this evening.

“We Found Love” was released on September 22. (iTunes)

After almost five straight years of setbacks and delays due to label fuckery, management reshuffling and everything else in between, the grand return of JoJo has officially begun.

“Disaster” is the official lead single from the singer’s upcoming third studio album Jumping Trains, due out later this year on Interscope Records.

While the brilliant Can’t Take That Away From Me–a free 11-track mixtape JoJo released in 2010–found the young singer exploring new terrain within chilly electronica grooves and soulful, church-ready slow jams, “Disaster” brings listeners back to the signature pop-rock sound that first propelled the Massachusetts-born pop starlet into the spotlight well over seven years ago.

And for those of you who fell hard from her very first scathing kiss-off track, “Leave (Get Out),” you’re in luck: JoJo’s still pissed.

“‘Cause the walls burned up and our love fell down / And it turned into whatever, now we’re saying never,” JoJo angrily cries out on top of the song’s massive chorus. The crashing drums, dramatic strings and triumphantly marching mega-beat all invoke some of the greatest, most devastating pop-rock mid-tempo ballads in recent memory, including Jordin Sparks‘ “Battlefield” and yes, even a bit of her own 2006 smash, “Too Little, Too Late.”

But apart from a return to the power pop production of her past hits, “Disaster” signals JoJo’s growth as both a vocalist and an individual: Proof lies no further than the song’s snarling, teeth-gritting bridge, which bites harder and burns deeper than just about anything she’s released to date. (“You shot the bullet, you shot the bullet that killed me!”)

It’s clear that the 20-year-old songstress has done a whole lot of growing up over the past few years in her absence. And with such an amazing track in tow, it’s the perfect time for this incredibly talented singer/songwriter to reclaim her spot on the radio waves and show us what she’s got once again.

Welcome back, JoJo. You’ve been sorely missed.

“Disaster” will be released on September 6. (iTunes)

Dear God, she’s done it again.

Nicola Fucking Roberts, Pop Savior, the youngest member of Girls Aloud and professional Doer of No Wrong, has just unveiled the second single from her forthcoming solo debut Cinderella’s Eyes: “Lucky Day,” due out on September 18. And guess what?

IT’S COMPLETELY AMAZING.

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When Snow Patrol released “Just Say Yes,” the lead single off of their first career retrospective album, many fans and critics responded negatively to the new direction the band was going in.

The song had the band layering in a heavy dose of radio-friendly electronica influences, adding a much more mainstream element to their trademark adult-contemporary sound.

“Where Keane and Peñate actually succeeded in introducing a new feel to their sound, Snow Patrol have merely grafted on a few floaty keys and hoped for the best,” said Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy about the song. “There’s no spark, no OOMPH, and worst of all, no fun,” wrote Fraser McAlpine of the BBC. Ouch.

While initially thrown off by “Just Say Yes,” I came to think that it was actually a very natural musical evolution for Snow Patrol. The song was the quintessential dance/rock hybrid, blending just enough ingredients from both genres to complete a near-flawless recipe.

This fall, Snow Patrol will release their sixth studio album, Fallen Empires. The record’s lead single, “Called Out In The Dark,” premiered last week on BBC Radio 1 and will be officially released to iTunes as part of an as-of-yet-untitled EP on September 4th.

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One of the nagging flaws hidden behind today’s flood of self-empowerment pop (“Born This Way”/”We R Who We R”/”Firework”/”Who Says?”) is that, despite all of their genuinely earnest pleas for positivity and self-love, sometimes it’s difficult to latch onto the solution without ever actually addressing the pain.

Enter Skylar Grey, the stellar songwriter behind the devastating melodies of such smashes as Eminem‘s “Love The Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)” and Dr. Dre‘s “I Need A Doctor (feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey)”.

After premiering her jagged, ’90′s angst rock-esque buzz single “Dance Without You” two weeks ago, the singer returns with “Invisible”–the lead single from her forthcoming studio album, Invinsible–which made its world premiere this morning on On Air with Ryan Seacrest.

“Even when I’m walking on a wire, even when I set myself on fire / Why do I always feel invisible?” Grey sadly croons above the slow-stuttering Alex Da Kid-produced beat and a sad, distant guitar strum, listing off an endless array of unhealthy tendencies and endless anxieties in the process.

While “Invisible” will probably one of the saddest songs to (potentially) impact radio in a while, the song demonstrates the beauty of embracing the hurt rather than swallowing her sorrows into yet another anthem: It’s a raw, visceral pain that doesn’t feel patronizing in the least–a far cry from being asked if I’ve ever felt like a plastic bag floating in the wind.

Skylar gets it. ‘Nough said.

Skylar Grey “Invisible” by igapromotion

It’s always the quiet ones that surprise you the most.

On June 5, Girls Aloud‘s Nicola Roberts steps out on her own with her debut solo single, “Beat Of My Drum.”

“Beat of My Drum” is, without question, the coolest post-Aloud effort to date: Produced by Diplo and French producer Dimitri Tikovoi, the song is a playful blend of some of indie-pop’s finest enfants terribles, fitting snugly between the militant dance beats of M.I.A. and the glitchy, monotone speak-song of Uffie.

“L! O! V! E! Dance to the beat of my drum!” Roberts playfully commands during the chorus, unleashing her inner cheerleader. Yet the song is completely erratic (in a brilliant way), bouncing glibly between its manic “Pon de Floor” (Major Lazer)-like beats and frenzied stutters: The chanted chorus is wildly different from the too-cool-for-school spoken verses, which have absolutely nothing to do with the cooed bridge. And don’t forget the almighty beat breakdown toward the end!

Whereas Beyoncé fell short with “Run The World (Girls)” by fault of uninspired imitation, Nicola’s offering only improves upon Diplo’s original blueprints, resulting in a weird, wonderfully left-of-center pop single: It’s fresh, fun and terribly exciting.

With just one single, Roberts has already rendered every other Aloud member’s solo endeavors utterly irrelevant. “Beat Of My Drum” is a definite contender for one of the year’s best singles, and an immensely promising first taste of Roberts’ forthcoming debut album, Cinderella’s Eyes.

Team Ginger, forever and always.

“Beat Of My Drum” will be released at June 5. (Pre-order on iTunes UK)