Elin Lanto: Sexy Scandipop Sultress

Elin Lanto is one of Sweden's most famous pop singers, who happens to sing in English! She is a new artist (her debut in Sweden was only in 2007), but she is gaining popularity. At the age of 25, she has come out with several hits in Sweden and her song 'Discotheque' can be purchased in the American iTunes store.

She also wears some really cool clothes and in my opinion, represents the pop scene well!


She's so beautiful and looks like a pop star!


I love the bottom half of her outfit...she kinda looks like Carrie Underwood, but edgy...


She's got great costumes for her performances! She looks like Edward Scissorhands! EPIC!


Unique dress...she definitely has her own look.

Check out some of her video clips:


Love Made Me Stupid


Discotheque


Doctor Doctor Live at Melodifestavalen 2010


Speak 'n Spell


Money Live at Melodifestavalen 2007

I see big things for Elin in the future! Check her out!

Gackt Attack!

Gackt is one of the most well-known male pop-rock singers in Japan, having sold over 10 million albums! His solo career began in 1999, but he was performing with the band Malice Mizer previous to that. His music is also popular for being featured in video games, like Final Fantasy VII and Kamen Rider Decade. He has released 9 studio albums along with several other compilation albums.

Here are some clips to check out Gackt's music:


Mizerable


Vanilla (LOVE this song!)


Another World


Jesus


Ghost


Oasis


Metamorphoze


Lost Angels Live


Drug Party Live

Anyway, check him out and his former band Malice Mizer. He's super popular and chances are, you might like him! His newest album is Re:Born, which came out in December 2009!

Jolin Tsai: Mandopop Princess

Jolin Tsai is one of the most well-known Taiwanese Mandopop singers. She sings in Mandarin and is popular in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and the surrounding areas. Jolin has had 11 studio albums only at the age of 29! She has also sold millions of albums and continues to remain one of the best selling Mandopop artists.

Here are some of her music videos and other clips:


Butterfly


Real Man


Let's Move It


Bravo Lover


Mr. Q


Dancing Diva Live in Concert


Jolin Tsai Live in 2007

I think she's pretty awesome! She's cute, a great dancer, and has fun songs! I quite like her. I never really thought I'd be into mandopop, but it's really good! Search her on YouTube and you'll find all sorts of stuff! Jolin also recently launched her own clothing line called Seventy Two Changes, which can be bought in the United States and Canada as well as Asia. That is for another post though! :)

Ms. Ayumi Hamasaki Herself Tweets Me Back!

Ayumi Hamasaki (Queen of J-Pop) actually tweeted me back!!! I'm so happy! She was saying hello to other countries and I wanted her to say hello to Canada sooooo bad! Well now she finally has! Thank you Ayu!

Rock Me Falco!

If you are wondering who Falco is...he was that awesome Austrian singer who brought all of us 'Rock Me Amadeus' and 'Der Kommissar'. I love Falco because who doesn't know 'Rock Me Amadeus' and he still managed to hit #1 in most countries including the United States singing in German. That's pretty cool. It's really hard to sing in a language other than English and break into the American market. Falco sadly died in 1998, and thus cannot produce any music for us now, but we should remember him always!

Check these Falco music videos:


Rock Me Amadeus


Der Kommissar
I am not typically going to post stuff on older music, but I figured that Falco was important! If you've never heard of him before, then look him up on YouTube and go crazy!

The Sexy and Sultry Koda Kumi!

Koda Kumi is only one of the most famous J-Pop singers there is! She's only 27 years old and has sold over 7.3 billion yen of CDs and DVDs. She is also famous for her sex appeal and started the 'Ero Kawaii' trend in Japan. She has been compared to J-Pop Queen Ayumi Hamasaki, because of her rising success in the 'pop' genre, but her music has more of a 'hip-hop' feel as opposed to Ayumi Hamasaki, whose style does have more of a 'rock' feel. Both pop, and both great. Koda Kumi has released 8 studio albums, her latest in 2010 called 'Universe'. In 2009, she released a song that featured Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas called 'That Ain't Cool' that was in English. Koda Kumi is one of the biggest stars in Japan.

Check out some of Koda Kumi's music videos!

That Ain't Cool feat. Fergie


Selfish


Taboo


Show Girl


Under

Black Cherry Live in 2007


Shake It Live


That Ain't Cool feat. Fergie Live in 2009

She definitely has a more urban feel than a completely poppy feel. I like her though. She's hot, and has really fun catchy songs. Check her out! If you are just discovering J-Pop, then you need to listen to Kuu-chan!

Love for Верка Сердючка!!!

If you haven't heard of Верка Сердючка (Verka Serduchka in English), you're in for a treat. Yes, he's ridiculous, but he's one of the Ukraine's biggest stars and I'm not going to lie, he's soooo catchy in a strange way. You just want to bop your head and party listening to him.

Check out some of his wild music videos:







As far as style goes, he's kind of like an Elton John, not musically, but fashion-wise. Anyway, be sure to check him out, he's really fun!

Ayumi Hamasaki's Rock'n'Roll Circus

J-Pop Queen Ayumi Hamasaki released her 11th studio album last Wednesday, Rock'n'Roll Circus. So far, the album has done very well with some very fun singles! My favourites are Lady Dynamite and Sexy Little Things (soooooooooo catchy).

Here are some of her newest PV's that accompany the new album!


Lady Dynamite (She looks absolutely ADORABLE in this PV)


Microphone


BALLAD


Sunrise ~LOVE is All~


Sexy Little Things

What do you guys think of the new album. I quite like it, but it's not one of my favourites. You can purchase her newest album here.

Hejsan Timoteij!

Timoteij is a brand new pop group with a twist from Sweden. Their debut was at Melodifestavalen in Sweden, and ever since, they have had nothing but success. At the festival, they performed their hit single 'Kom', which has topped the Swedish charts. The band is composed of four 19 year-old girls from Sweden, who each play an instrument and definitely include their roots in the sound of their music.

Timoteij is definitely bringing something new to the scene with their distinct sound. Their debut album comes out April 28th, 2010 and is sure to be a success in Sweden and the surrounding countries. It's up to YOU; however, to buy their album when it comes out. You can pre-order it here. They are also on Facebook where you can keep up to date on what they are doing.

Here is theur debut single 'Kom' at Melodifestavalen:

I can't wait until their full album comes out! They are fantastic!

Welcome to Pop Pandemic!

Hello everyone and welcome to Pop Pandemic, the blog all about World Pop Music and Fashion! I am from Canada, and I think it's safe to say that Hollywood and the American Music Industry dominates the world. Everyone knows who Britney Spears is, Lady GaGa, or Justin Timberlake...but does everyone know Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Timoteij, Jolin Tsai, or Glukoza? Pop Music around the world is certainly very popular in their respectable regions and countries, but it doesn't hit the American market. Unless you're Shakira, it's hard to hit America!

Because I am such a huge fan of pop, and foreign pop, I would love to expose others to pop music from all around the world, whether it be English, or Japanese! Thus, no singers from the United States will be featured unless they are with a pop star from another country. And yes, pop music from English speaking countries like England, Canada, and Australia may be discussed because they have pop artists that are not that popular in the United States and it is my job to introduce you to them! There are great pop artists from all around the world, and I can't wait to introduce them to all of you! Be prepared to learn about artists from China to Sweden!

Not only will this blog discuss the music of various pop stars from across the globe, but I will take a look at their fashion! Just like American pop stars are the trendsetters for the United States, so are other pop stars from around the world!

Pop Pandemic will allow you to learn about Pop stars from around the world and their styles! So stay tuned!