Switch it on to Leno to see how you were doing last night

Poor popstars--don't they have such difficult lives? Well, not really, though there are certainly extra pressures, some of which are highlighted by today's songs; the theme today is celebrity and the popstar life (there are a lot of other songs I could have chosen for this, so this theme may just crop up again at some point).

Gareth Gates - Enough Of Me--from the brilliant (well, really, they're both brilliant) "Night" disc of Gareth's double album Go Your Own Way. I know some people who can't stand this song, and I'm not sure whether that's because of the song or who's singing it. It's probably smart that Gareth didn't release it as a single, because it probably wouldn't have done him any favors in the media, but I like it, both musically and in subject--it's a response to those celebrities who are constantly complaining about all the ardors of fame (as well as to the media), with Gareth singing "Every time they wanna bring the heat/I flash a smile at the paparazzi" and "embracing" his celebrity status (and he was/is a celebrity, but, as I said, as a single, this track would have resulted in all sorts of snarky comments). It's got a catchy little guitar riff (it's a rocked-up pop track, but still very pop--pop stealing an element or two of rock in the name of catchiness is fine with me), as well as a great opening, starting with a mild beat and some beatboxing, then Gareth bringing in "the groove," and then the riff.

Darin - Money For Nothing--Darin's big hit from his first album. Whereas Gareth's song is more a response to celebrity-focused media hounding and the celebrities that complain about it, Darin's song is directed towards those who criticize his profession and his music, with Darin asking why they want to call what he does "money for nothing." It's a very pop track (though arguably with some R&B influences, but only in the sense that early 2000's boybands like 'N Sync might have had those influences; it doesn't have the club floor-oriented R&B influences like Darin's later single "Step Up"). The first time I heard it, it didn't really leave an impression on me, but I don't know what I was thinking--it's an excellent song, and pretty catchy.

Sita - Popstar--Dutch singer Sita (more about her in a future post), who came to fame through the television show Starmaker and the resulting group K-otic (more on them in the future, too) before beginning her solo career, brings us to the end of this theme with her song about living the popstar life, but how what ultimately matters is "who you are," not whether or not you're a popstar. That might make this song sound preachy, but it isn't; it's a catchy, bright, incredibly happy-sounding song that will be stuck in your head for days. It's very, very poppy. The video is worth a look if you have a moment; it (like the song) is pretty cute.

To buy Gareth Gates's second album, Go Your Own Way, go here (physical) or here (digital); to buy Darin's first album, The Anthem, go here (physical) or here (digital); I'm not sure where you can buy Sita's second album, Come With Me, unless you check eBay.

In other news, Ben Adams (who you all should remember from his great pop song "Sorry," if not from my frequent praises of him) has made a song of his available for download on his MySpace. The song, "Red Lady," is less aggressive or experimental or fun-sounding than many of his other songs, but that doesn't mean it's any less good. It'll only take two clicks--one to get to his MySpace, and one to click "download"--to download it (and you can listen to it before you do so), so it doesn't require any more effort than what it would take to download a song I posted, and it's really worth it.

As anyone who's been reading the comments over at the Zapping knows, Paul has put up a series of posts I think are brilliant--go check them out: boybands (including the Click Five and some others I should have known about earlier)! Boy/girl band, "the new solo Click Five," Anthony Callea, Darin, and the Click Five again! Just skip reading my comments, OK? ;)

Next up: maybe a Swedish singer.