Julyssa’s Music Highlights of 2011

10. Nicola Roberts – Cinderella’s Eyes

I used to love Girl’s Aloud so much. They were my music shame. I am not sure why, but I kept my fascination towards them a huge secret. I followed their careers closely, I owned some of their albums and I used to sing their songs in the shower.

Besides Nicola, all of the girls released popular music during the height of the group’s career. She was the girl behind the glitz and scandals that are Cheryl Cole and Sarah Harding. When the group was at its peak, Nicola was really the wall flower. The girl that, as horrible as it is to say, wasn’t as pretty as the others. But to me, she was the most fascinating of them all with her red hair and her sombre eyes. To me, Girl’s Aloud was Nicola. I associated the group with her.

So when the group disbanded, I didn’t think that Nicola was going to try and go solo. She hardly got any attention. Color me surprised when this album dropped. I can’t but applaud her for trying to do her own thing. I am happy to see her demand the attention she was denied.

This is Brit-pop cotton-candy! I am not completely sold on the entire album but I do think it has some really great tracks. I am pretty sure she is going to be great live and I hope that she does a gig here in Stockholm.

Listen to the album on Xiami. Get the album as a CD or on iTunes.

9. JPM – 月球漫步 (Moonwalk)

My only Mandarin album of the year. I wish I could get myself more engrossed in Taiwanese pop but I hardly find the time and I have no clue where to start. The main single of this album was sent to me at random and I fell for it hard. I have this ability, no joke — I can hear one song from an album and just know that the rest is going to be amazing. Since I got my hands on this album, I have been listening to it everyday. It is one heck of an amazing pop album. It makes me want to dance so bad every time I hear it – I look like a fool as I commute trying to dance subtly.

I think the reason I love this album is because it sounds so much like Kpop. But saying that feels unfair.

Listen to the album on Xiami. Get the album as MP3s on Amazon.

Julyssa

Music is all I do: I work in music, I write about music, I listen to music.

12 Responses

  1. Mirella says:

    Damn, the only song I can recognize is the 2NE1 one, and that’s only because I have a friend who is a fan of the group (and keeps dancing this particular song all the freaking time).

  2. Dani says:

    I am confused. You put Republic of 2PM on the list, say it’s good and sexy and all that….but then you say that “their first Japanese album didn’t cut it for this list”……what? Republic of 2PM IS their first Japanese album and it looks like it’s on the list so this is really confusing. Are you sure that you didn’t just want to mention I’m Your Man, their second single?

    • Julyssa says:

      @Dani, It’s not on the list. The list contains 10 entries. I added 2PM as an honorable mention. Cus as much as I love the album, well to me it wasn’t good enough to make my list.

      I am just being biased and using it as an excuse to again share that overly sexy 2PM mv….

  3. E says:

    Can’t believe I missed Nicolas solo! She was my fav member too (mostly based on looks actually).

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