Best Songs Of 2013: #10-6

10. "What I Like" by Charli XCX

2013 was the year Charli XCX signaled her true destiny as queen of all things cool and amazing. "What I Like" is a dizzyingly fantastic rap/pop song about a modern relationship. Her debut album was the best of last year and this song is just one of 13 amazing songs off that album. Charli "knows just what I like!"

9. "Trouble" by Neon Jungle

Neon Jungle came storming in last summer with this legitimately insane pop song that introduced them as the newest girl band in town. How it was not a number 1 I will never know but "Trouble" will forever go down in history as one of the most innovative and ridiculous songs ever created.

8. "Music to Make Boys Cry" by Diana Vickers

What happens when you mix one of X Factor's best singers with one of Norway's best pop groups (Donkeyboy for those curious)? We get the best song off Diana Vickers' newest album! How ingenious is it to write a love song about writing love songs to make boys cry? Diana really should just sing every Disney soundtrack going forward right? Right.

7. "Release You" by Megan & Liz

It wouldn't be a good year in pop music without a one hit wonder from someone who really didn't deserve it. "Release You" was one of the greatest Max Martin written singles to ever be created but it unfortunately went to Youtube sensations, acoustic-loving Megan & Liz. If you're going to give songs to twins, just hit up Say Lou Lou or Tegan & Sara. OMG, this would have been the best comeback single for The Veronicas! Oh well, so let's just remember it for what it was and move on (for the record, it was amazing).

6. "You Don't Love Me" by Whinnie Williams

There is literally nothing wrong with this song. In fact, everything about this Parisian soundtrack to a heartbroken love is spectacularly brilliant. This reinvention of Sunday Girl as the Saint Etienne-esque, puppy-loving Whinnie Williams was one of the best things to happen last year and she has continued to do so until today. Cheers!

The Next Big Thing: Whinnie Williams Is The Retro Popstar We Need Right Now

alfitude.com

That little fluff ball is Brian. He is a little gray French poodle that stars in the video below.

As you can see, he has the makings of a popstar in his own right (album in 2017 possibly?) but equally as amazing is that his owner is Whinnie Williams. She's the girl in the video with the lovely legs and singing voice. "You Don't Love Me" was released in February 2013 as Whinnie's "debut" single and everything about her "introduction" was perfect. A self-described lover of everything French and romantic, Whinnie executed her vision of a puppy-loving heartbroken girl walking through the Parisian streets perfectly. Honestly, this song would be the perfect soundtrack to a Chanel ad. Now you may be wondering why air quotes were used during Whinnie's "beginning." Well, much like previous Song of the Day recipient A-L-X (Alex Gardner), Whinnie isn't new on the pop scene. This is more apparent after seeing the video for follow up single "Break Hearts In Your Sleep."

For pop aficionados like myself, that face really rings a bell.
It's Sunday Girl!
Both Whinnie and Sunday Girl are monikers for pop darling Jade Williams, singer-songwriter famous for underground hits back in 2010. After signing with Polydor Records, Sunday Girl made a name for herself by creating catchy electropop but presenting herself as more of an indie singer. Songs like "Four Floors" and "Love U More" showed just how brilliant this alt-Florrie like singer could be. She built up her reputation by collaborating with Martin Solveig, opening for Ellie Goulding and writing for Madonna. That's right, MADONNA! I guess she lost steam since then and decided to step back from the music, get a cute dog, and rethink her whole game plan.

Frankly, this new persona of a retro 50's loving pop princess makes a lot more sense than the whole Sunday Girl project. Her new musical output, which includes two free mix tapes on her Souncloud, takes the sounds of the past and reworks them to fit the pop market right now without ever losing the magic that made the songs classics. And really, Jade's voice is silky gold and sets her apart from all the crazy belters out there. Though singles like "You Don't Love Me" and "Break Hearts In Your Sleep," show all of Whinnie's best qualities, her reworking of songs like "Doo Wop" and "Bills, Bills, Bills" display the ingenue that make her upcoming EP so exciting to wait for. If it is anything like her cover of Solange's excellent "Losing You," Whinnie will slowly but surely gain a lot of fans around the world and possibly help launch her dog's music career as well.