Fridae

The winners were the guys from Dangerous Muse with Young Love, Temposhark, Mika, The Feeling and Lo-Fi-Fnk close on their heels. A year has passed, which begs the question: What happend to this "most promising" bunch?


Dangerous Muse
The duo crashed onto the pop scene when they appeared on the cover of The Advocate in the spring of 2006, coming virtually out of nowhere. They were signed to a development deal with the newly-formed Cordless Records and were formally picked up by Sire Records earlier this year. Since then, the two guys from The Bronx, NY have been preparing the release of their full-length album that appears to be slowed down by label red tape or something of that kind. When I met Tom and Mike in their studio in January, I heard almost the entire record. All it needed was a bit more edge, a bit more production and some mixing here and there, but it was nearly done. Let's hope Sire makes up their mind pronto before Dangerouse Muse runs out of momentum and the fans have moved on to new things. (For a good example of how A&R people can frustrate artists, click here.

Young Love
He seemed to have it all. This former American Apparel cashier from Austin, TX had the looks, friends in the right places and was signed by none other than Jay-Z himself to Island/Def Jam. After releasing his debut, he toured his arse off to showcase his radio-friendly, melodic sensibilities. But somehow it just didn't stick. It just wasn't heard and it didn't connect. Too bad.

Mika
Mika is the only one of the bunch who lived up to expectations. The Lebanese singer who now lives in London truly became a global pop sensation with number one hits all over the world. In the U.S., he catered to gay fans and graced the cover of Out Magazine even though he refused to open up about his own sexuality. I confronted him about when I interviewed him in November 2006 and then again last May, but he simply opted to keep his private life to himself.

The Feeling
Let's face it. They came, they impressed but they didn't go anywhere in the U.S.. Even with the mainstream support of VH-1 and a fantastic showcase at Coachella, The Feeling's high-grade, '70s inspired pop didn't stick to the masses. The good news is, however, that they are about to release new material, which could make The Feeling 2008's Snow Patrol. Seriously. Of course, The Feeling's Dan Gillespie-Salles gets major props for being openly gay. He told me in an interview in December 2006 how important it is for him to be an "alternative gay role model."

Temposhark.
You gotta love them. After a successful U.S. tour in 2007 with Darren Hayes, Temposhark printed a few copies of their debut "The Invisible Line" and announced they would finally release the album in the summer. However, the response to the disc was so good that they decided to wait a little longer and prepare a major release in 2008.  So if it wasn't 2007, then 2008 could surely be a very good year for Temposhark.

Lo-Fi-Fnk
They might not be sweet enough for American
mainstream pop radio, but they are crunchy enough to make the indie kids
dance. What I respect about Lo-Fi-Fnk is that they brew an exciting new
pop-electro sound that isn't slick and easy to swallow. Instead it is a
little rough, almost unfinished, which makes it a bedroom effort that
remains fun, whether it is hit-worthy or not. After touring Europe, they are currently taking a break. I predict that they will be signed to Modular Records in 2008. They fit their roster.