Better Off As Blair? Leighton Meester Attempts Pop Stardom

Leighton Meester is generally quite amazing. Everybody knows she is the real star of Gossip Girl (so sick of hearing about Blake "American Sienna" Lively) and she has the laidback charm many a starlet lack these days (her co-star Taylor "Little J" Momsen springs to mind with her faux Courtney Love carry on.). She has brought one of the most enjoyable bee-otches on TV to life, has a pleasingly barmy sense of style and generally seems not to give a shit. These are all good things.


Leighton has also spent the last while trying her hand at being a popstar. I can't decide where I stand on this. In one sense why shouldn't she try her hand at new things? But then on the other it seems like a campaign that might never get off the ground. There was some initial leaks last year including a rather lovely cover of Bette Davis Eyes which lead to Miss Meester being signed to Universal. Soon after that she appeared on Cobra Starship's Good Girls Go Bad which was as far as I'm concerned a fantastic pop tune. The fact that it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 also gave her a proper hit. Kind of. (There was also another Leighton leak Body Control which I find quite enjoyable, see it here)

Leighton's own debut single with Robin Thicke debuted last October (I've already discussed it being rather lovely and the video here). It didn't make any impact, despite sounding pretty radio friendly. There was also a rather questionable cover of Darlene Love's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) which I'm going to gloss over. There were some cringe inducing live performaces too (of both the single and a new track which doesn't sound like much cop) including some horrifically cheesy back up dancers. At one point you expect them to high five Leighton. Awful:

There is talk of a new single with Lil' Wayne (who hasn't he a done a song with at this point?) but a new track leaked in the last week said to be the title track for her forthcoming album. "Your Love's A Drug" is straightforward, slightly grating synth pop but also incredibly catchy. 

The songs so far have been good but the time it is taking for anything to come together suggest a classic case of TV actress not being able to properly devote time to her music. Leighton may or may not become a great popstar but in the meantime we can rely on some enjoyable tunes to keep up busy. Your Love's A Drug is ridiculously catchy and the kind of straightforward radio ready stuff that might give her a chance at the top of the pop heap. With a number of big producers (Red One, Polow Da Don, Harvey Mason Jr.) on board it sounds like some big tunes are in the offing. If not at least we'll always have Blair Waldorf.

The Six Pack: Six Songs I Love Right Now

I hit on the six pack idea and kinda love it for its cheesy quality so its my new device to share things I like, in this case music. Here are six songs I'm truly loving right now

Rockets - Golden Strings

While going through posts over at Hard Candy Music I stumbled on this gorgeous slice of disco/house pop. Upbeat, shimmery and the kind of the song of that is impossible to resist, it is a must listen. Not only that but HCM have a download so you can see for yourself. Rockets are a new act apparently but this track is a fantastic start. The rest of the blog is an essential read too.

Duck Sauce - aNYway

This song is slowly getting more and more hype and looks set to be one of the biggest dance tracks of the next 6 months. Duck Sauce is the combo of Armand Van Helden and A-Trak who are both formidable forces in their own right. Its infectious house with a fantastic hook like a jumped up Daft Punk tune. This one will put a smile on your face and at the risk of sounding like a proper cliche head this will set pretty much every party off for awhile to come.

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

Say what you want but this is another brilliantly catchy and unique pop track to these ears. A bit more demented and twisted than say Just Dance this is ballsy and fresh and awfully easy to dance too. And lets face it the video is one of the years best, an audacious slice of visual madness that only Gaga could pull off. The Chew Fu and Starsmith remixes are also rather brilliant.

Leighton Meester - Somebody to Love feat. Robin Thicke

Slinky, sexy and sultry are all words I'd use to describe this one. The debut single from the Gossip Girl star, it lodges in your head on first listen and if given a chance at radio here could be a sizeable hit. Until then the rather beautiful video is a nice watch.

Cheryl Cole - 3 Words feat. will.i.am

The obvious standout on her debut solo album. A thumping house beat bounces off of the vocals of Cheryl and Will as it builds up until its eventful final minute. A subtle and offbeat track for such a mainstream popstar and one that sounds a damn sight fresher than Fight For This Love and likely to stand up better to repeat listens. Expect to hear this everywhere, its already doing respectable traffic on the charts and radio and will probably be the first big pop hit of the 2010.

Tavares - Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel

As I work my way through 101 Disco Anthems (honestly) this track, a favourite of mine for years, has been on repeat. So simple and joyous this is a song that has aged very well. Odd that this hasn't been reswizzed into a new era dance tune but maybe in this case we're better off.

Girl Crush X 2

In one way I want to roll my eyes when people talk about girl crushes in magazines. It just seems a bit of a magazine cliche but lately I've realised the girl crush is a great way to sing the praises of someone you might not fancy but might not properly be attracted to. Bearing that in mind I wanted to share two of my own girl crushes.

Leighton Meester

(all images from LeightonFan.net)

Leighton stars Blair Waldorf in teen soap amaze fest "Gossip Girl" (as if you didn't know). As Blair she brings a haughty vulnerabiltiy and a gleeful sense of comic timing to the uber-bitch role that elevates beyond the usual cardboard cutout mean girl. Meester acts her ass off in every scene she gets even when the show is at its most illogical (which is quite frequently). Much is made in the press about how her co-star Blake Lively is the new "It Girl" which to me makes no sense. Yeah sure she dresses like Sienna Miller and is blonde but Leighton is the one to watch. She nails Blair in all her poised insecurity and in real life has an effortless tomboy meets glam image that is impossible to dislike:

Meester has embarked on a singing career which has her lending her pipes to the new Cobra Starship single "Good Girls Go Bad" which is a superstar pop smash waiting to happen. Whether she enjoys success in this arena is still open to debate but Meester will continue to bring the brilliant Blair to life and earn my admiration for awhile yet.

Nicole Richie

I've alway thought she was utterly hilarious on The Simple Life and unfairly maligned as a celebrity who is famous for no reason. Sure Nicole is as famous for being famous as the rest of them but she always had a sense of humour about her and more importantly a realism about what she had been through and where she was going. For all the bad press she got during her uber skinny phase (which was admittedly painful to watch) she was open about wanting to change her figure and get better when many magazines just wanted her to keep skinny and keep selling photos. Since dating Joel Madden and having kids Nicole has developed a funky and effortless style that has made her a fixture of fashion pages and the perfect girl crush for any boho chic wannabes out there

(all Nicole pictures from NicoleRichie.org)

Richie has grown up gracefully the last few years and now busies herself with her jewellery line, being a mother and being one of the funniest celeb twitterers I can think of. There was talk of both an album and a TV series for Richie but neither to materialise although her 2006 book The Truth About Diamonds (a fantastically enjoyable piece of fluff) is being developed for television. Nicole earns a place on my girl crush list for her great style, her comedy timing (see video below though watch it with the volume up!) and more importantly for being a Virgo. Really whats not to love?

Tunes of the Moment.

I am weighed down with new music thanks to lots of great new songs being leaked online and great albums being leaked. and as I've been asked to write the music column for GCN magazine (so thrilled) I've had a number of new albums thrown my way as well (as well as picking up some recent releases. PERK.)

But anyway, I digress, in no particular order here is a list of songs rocking my world at the moment (or over the last few weeks). With thanks to MuuMuse, Mossip Blog and Spherical Notions for the tips.

Shakira - "She Wolf" : superstar disco/electro of the highest order. will be huge.

Sugababes - "Get Sexy" : unapologetically brash stomper set to re-establish the 'Babes

Jordin Sparks - "SOS (Let The Music Play)" : generic but totally fun dance pop

Madonna - "Celebrate (Oakenfold 12" Dub)" : i smell a monster hit.

Pitbull - "I Know You Want Me" : bit late on this but what a great bootyshaker.

Britney - "Radar (Bloodshy and Avant Mix)" : breathes jittery life into this Brit classic.

(see also "Radar (Circus Tour European Studio Version)

Booty Luv - "Say It" : can this just hurry up and become a huge hit please?

Dizzee Rascal - "Holiday feat. Chrome/Calvin Harris" : perfect summer follow up to "Bonkers"

Brooke Hogan - "Ruff Me Up feat. Flo Rida" : crap & amazing, "Womanizer" on a budget

Stonebridge - "Put 'Em High" : its always nice to rediscover a classic. TUNE.

Lady Gaga - "Lovegame (Chew Fu Remix) feat. Marilyn Manson": noisy and nutty. Brilliant.

Martin Solveig/Dragonette - "Boys and Girls" : charming pop number. Dragonette do it again.

Rudenko - "Everybody" : not new but still sounds fabulous.

Kesha - "P.Diddy": Lady Gaga meets Uffie meets Katy Perry meets the dancefloor.

Leighton Meester - "Body Control" : more fun but throwaway dance pop.

Britney - "Gimme More (LAZRTag Remix)" : for the tour memories.

Ashley Tisdale - "Crank It Up" : Britney-esque Blackout style number. Brill.

Dan Black - "Symphonies" : Epic and moody pop.

VV Brown - "Shark In The Water : fast becoming the song of summer that never was.