1. Fireflies – Owl City
Owl City – aka Adam Young – finds himself at the top of the Billboard 100 charts with “Fireflies,” a welcome change to the bevy of irony-laced synths and AutoTuned hooks of late. The electro-pop song features almost childlike lyrics accompanied by software horns, echos, xylophones and the pitter patter of toy drums. Listen for the lyrics “I get a thousand hugs from 10,000 lightning bugs as they try to teach me how to dance.”

2. Whatcha Say – Jason DeRülo
This young songwriter has been performing since the age of four and has been penning hits for the likes of Lil Wayne, Keyshia Cole and Cassie since he was 16. Now signed to Warner Bros. Records by J.R. Rotem, Jason DeRülo breaks into the scene as a singer with “Whatcha Say,” a track that heavily samples Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek.” The single debuted at No.54 and now sits in the second seat of the Billboard charts.

3. Down – Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne
Jay Sean brings his unmistakeable blend of pop to the rest of the world with this debut single from his first U.S. album, ‘My Own Way.’ The Londonite’s melodic vocals have an impressive tonal quality, which have helped his previous album go five times platinum in native India. Cash Money labelmate Lil Wayne lends his wordsmith prowess to the track, offering a playful closing verse.

4. Party in the U.S.A. – Miley Cyrus
This song sees a complete change of genre for the pop princess, leaning toward a syrupy, slow, acoustic-style rhythm. The lyrics tell the autobiographical story of Miley’s move from Nashville to Hollywood – which in turn have led to her world domination today. Her strained vocals still betray her at times and we can’t tell if she likes Jay-Z or Britney more but the charts obviously show that most people don’t care!

5. Run This Town – Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West
This single has music critics split right down the middle since its release, some favouring Jigga’s commercial offering and others lambasting him for “selling out.” Still, Jay latest seems more engaged since his un-retirement and cracks out some smooth lyrics. Add to that all those “eh-ehs” from Rihanna that the radios love and Kanye’s slick lyrics (Reebok baby, you need to drop some new things; have you ever had shoes without shoestrings?) and you’ve got a recipe for success.

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