Tip top pop for 2003

In 2002 the charts have been dominated by reality TV pop stars. Will Young, Gareth Gates, Liberty X, Darius, Girls Aloud, One True Voice and, briefly anyway, Hear’Say have rarely been out of the Top 10 as pop fans across the nation enjoy the novelty of choosing their own pop stars.

As we go into 2003, that trend looks set to continue. Pop Idol runner-up Zoe Birkett releases her debut single in January and fellow also-ran Rosie Ribbons continues her own bid for stardom with her soon-to-be-released debut album.

The Fame Academy alumni are also avoiding disappearing into obscurity. Winner David Sneddon releases his debut single this month, while his fellow students Ainslie Henderson, Sinead Quinn and Malachi Cush have also signed record deals.

New singing stars that we don’t know everything about before they release their first record seem few and far between these days, but they are out there, and in 2003 there are plenty of fresh acts who will be taking on the might of the ready-made pop star.

Westlife and Blue seem to have the boy band market all sewn up at the moment but that could all change in 2003. New boys on the block 888 are set to provide welcome relief for all those who are missing the brash, ballsy pop of Five.

Formed four years ago by Justin Scott, 20 and Sparx, 22, 888 went through a few line-up changes before the pair settled for David Wilcox, 21, Josh Barnett, 19, and Jamie Bell, 17, as their bandmates.

Signed with Chris Herbert, the man behind Five and the Spice Girls, the boys are currently working on some energetic, party-starting tunes. “We’re making our producers work,” says Bell. “We’re putting 100% in so we expect 100% back, and we’re not releasing anything until we’re happy.”

We’ll also have to wait a while for the first release from a now solo Skin. The charismatic frontwoman of Skunk Anansie branched out on her own when the band split in 2001 and since then has spent her time gathering together a team of designers, photographers and producers to launch her solo career.

Her recent collaboration with garage DJ Ed Case marked the start of a new direction for the distinctive singer and fans of Skunk Anansie might be disappointed to hear that Skin will no longer be sticking with the rock stylings of her old band. Instead she has experimented with a variety of genres for her debut album, out in April.

Managing a band has become a bit of a trend among boy band members these days. Ronan Keating started it by mentoring Westlife and now Westlife’s Bryan McFadden manages a rock band.

Blue’s Simon Webbe plans to get in on the act by looking after new hip pop band VS, who are made up of two of Webbe’s friends from his hometown of Manchester, female singers Chinyere, 22, and Jaime, 23, along with singers Ryan, 19, and Marvin, 17, and rapper Blimi, 21.

VS have already been serenading Blue’s fans while supporting them on tour recently, and with Melody from garage band Pied Piper helping to manage them, we can expect to see a lot more of the band in 2003.

One of the most enduring images from pop music in the 90s was Britney Spears dancing in the hallways in her school uniform. Now Russian pop duo Tatu are putting their own spin on schoolgirl chic and using it to launch their careers in the UK in January.

Their English-language debut single All The Things She Said features a shirts and mini-skirts video that will make Tatu the most talked about new act in the pop world.

But it’s not all about image. Julia and Lena have hooked up with legendary British producer Trevor Horn, who has worked with Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Seal among others, for their English-language songs and are sure to have hits that will live up to the hype.

Of course there will be fresh talent from America attempting to crack the British market. But one singer sure to make her mark is Hollywood actress Jennifer Love Hewitt.

The 23-year-old star of I Know What You Did Last Summer has been releasing pop rock albums in the US since 1995, but over here the only pop video we’ve seen her in is Enrique Iglesias’ Hero.

Hewitt, who is rumoured to be dating British actor Paul Nicholls, will release her latest album BareNaked in the UK in March.

Hip hop double act Clipse, a favourite of Justin Timberlake’s and the hottest thing in America at the moment, are set for huge success over here, according to record store HMV. Brothers Malice and Pusha T have been working with Timberlake’s producers of choice The Neptunes.

HMV also think Jamaican reggae star Sean Paul will bring dancehall back into the charts and give Shaggy a run for his money. His debut single Gimme The Light is out in February.

Following in the footsteps of 2002’s rising stars The Music and The Coral, and set to put Oasis to shame, are a four-piece from Blackburn called The Burn.

They’ve been around for a while, working on their debut album Sally O’Mattress, due for release early in 2003, and say they’re now ready for a taste of the limelight.

“There’s some serious talent about now,” says The Burn’s singer songwriter Danny Davidson. “And none of us don’t want to get rid of all that pathetic manufactured pop in the Top 20.”