Among the very best of those tipped for success in the January tastemakers season was Swedish duo Niki & The Dove.

The group is made up of singer Malin Dahlström and studio whizz Gustaf Karlöf; and they happily admit that their sudden rise has left them a touch overwhelmed. "This list isn't well known in Sweden, so as time has gone on we've come to realise that it's actually a big deal," Gustaf told Digital Spy after finding out they had placed fifth on BBC's Sound of 2012 poll.

The pair put out a couple of EPs last year and following their recent exposure are preparing to re-release their debut single 'DJ, Ease My Mind'. "For me it's a dance song with a dark, melancholic theme throughout," Malin explained, while Gustaf insisted: "It's a bit of an anthem, I think, because it's very boombastic and big within its sound."

The track, they confess, deals with "a time in your life when you experience some turbulence and you really need some comfort"; but they maintain that their forthcoming debut album will showcase a spectrum of various emotions. "The album is more of a collage. It's a patchwork," Malin revealed. "If we compare the songs together they are quite different, but hopefully you'll see the pattern once you zoom out."



The pair are still working on the record and have been since forming in 2010, owing to the reason why there is no single inspiration behind the material. Gustaf explained: "This album is a result of all the music we have been listening to. We carry so much music inside us and this is the result. Whenever you write music you are always affected by what you have been listening to. We've not been inspired by one particular song, just by music in general."

Having already heard Niki & The Dove's 2011 EPs The Drummer and The Fox, can we expect more of the same on their impending disc? "When we listen to the album now I notice a duality," Gustaf explained. "One part of it is darker, epic and bigger, while the other part is smaller and brighter. So I think with some of the tracks, the public are going to be surprised with the sound."

Niki & The Dove have emerged at a time when Swedish music's stock is on the rise, with other breakout stars including Miike Snow and Lykke Li. But while their contemporaries have travelled the world gigging, the duo have yet to perform their songs extensively. "We have a new band and we haven't been out playing that much, but I now have the feeling that our songs are grounded within us," Marlin said, before curiously adding: "In Sweden we say that something is landing into you and that's what's happened to us with our music."

Niki & The Dove's 'DJ, Ease My Mind' is available to download now. Their debut album follows in the spring.

Watch the music video for Niki & The Dove's 'DJ, Ease My Mind' below:



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Listen to our ten favourite forthcoming releases this week, including Conor Maynard, MIA, The All-American Rejects and De La Soul.

Conor Maynard: 'Can't Say No' (released March 8)
For those not yet in the know, 19-year-old Conor Maynard quickly picked up a huge fanbase online performing covers of the likes of Rihanna and Chris Brown. His debut single proper, 'Can't Say No', is a wobbly R&B number that sounds like the lovechild of a Justin Bieber and Timberlake track. RC

On Wednesday's chart update, Alyssa Reid was on course for number one on the singles chart, while Lana Del Rey looked certain to top the albums tally.

Ahead of Sunday's Official Chart, Digital Spy takes a look at Friday's midweek rundown.

On the singles chart, Alyssa Reid still leads the way with 'Alone Again', followed by David Guetta and Sia's 'Titanium' at two.

Meanwhile, Gotye has zoomed from six to three with 'Somebody That I Used To Know', Pitbull and Chris Brown's 'International Love' holds at nine, and Lana Del Rey's 'Born To Die' has creeped in at the edge of the top ten.

Further down the chart, Ed Sheeran's 'Drunk' lifts from 17 to 15, RIO and U-Jean make a last minute entry at 35 with 'Turn This Club Around', and One Direction climb from 38 to 37 with 'One Thing'.

On the albums chart, Lana Del Rey remains on course for number one, with sales close to 100,000.

Leonard Cohen's Old Ideas is at number two, and Ed Sheeran's + sits at three.

Jessie J remains at number six with Who You Are and Chris Isaak's Beyond The Sun re-enters the top ten at ten.

Next week's single releases include Kelly Rowland's 'Lay It On Me', will.i.am's 'T.H.E', and Madonna's 'Give Me All Your Luvin'', while Maverick Sabre and Goldfrapp are hoping to make an impact on the album chart.

Who do you think will top the album and singles charts next week? Leave your comments in the box below:

Ever since the first whisperings of Madonna's new single surfaced during the latter months of 2011, fans have been salivating over the song's accompanying music video.

Meticulously planned, the video premiered online a good 48 hours ahead of her Super Bowl performance on Sunday (February 5); and judging by the clip, you'd never have guessed Madonna was about to hang out with a bunch of American footballers.

After giving the video a few runs, Digital Spy has pulled out five of the best moments from the 3 minutes and 45 seconds of pure Madonna madness.

Sidestepper
Hoisted up by a gaggle of burly footballers, Madonna does a Spider-Man and starts walking across the wall. If this routine isn't featured in an episode of Glee within the next 12 months, we'll eat our hats.



Elton's revenge
We can only assume Elton John was pretty miffed Madonna bagged that Golden Globe for 'Best Original Song'. Good job those stacked footballers were there to take a few bullets for the team.



Baby Ga Ga
Madge does little to clinch that 'Mum of the Year' title by throwing her little 'un to one side after giving them a measly helping of the boob. Poor little monster.



Dressed to impress
We were under the illusion that the older you got, the longer it takes to dress yourself. Madonna proves otherwise with the quickest and smoothest costume change in music video history.



Keeping it cool
Nicki Minaj's rap may only last 14 seconds, but her usual tongue-splitting injection of Harajuku Barbie rhymes is a welcome contribution. Plus, it keeps Madonna relevant to the kids, right?




Watch the music video for Madonna's 'Give Me All Your Luvin'' below:



What are your favourite moments from Madonna's latest music video? Leave your comments below:

You may or may not have heard yet, but Madonna is performing at the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday (February 5).

You also may or may not know (but probably do know) that the singer has been known to put on a bit of a show during her thirty years in the biz.

Ahead of what we're certain will be yet another showstopping display (fingers crossed LMFAO pull a sickie), we've taken a look back over a handful of her previous best major TV performances.

'Express Yourself' (MTV Awards, 1989)
The first of Madonna's many spots for MTV, the star entered walking down a light-up staircase and busted some seriously impressive moves for 'Express Yourself' in '89. It was also the first time she aired a preview of her iconic 'Vogue' dance routine, which came out the following year.



'Hung Up' (Grammy Awards, 2006)
Madge kicked off her performance of 'Hung Up' at the 2006 Grammys by donning a purple leotard and dancing with cartoon band Gorillaz on stage. Need we say more?



'Vogue' (MTV Awards, 1990)
The singer closed the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards dolled up as Marie Antoinette complete with appropriately-attired backing dancers. She may have lip-synced the performance, but given that complicated routine, we can't say we blame her.



'Sooner Or Later' (Grammy Awards, 1991)
Madonna performed this track from the film Dick Tracy, which won an Oscar for 'Best Composition' in 1991. Dressed as Marilyn Monroe, she effortlessly purred her way through the sultry number.



'Like A Virgin' (MTV VMAs with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliot, 2003)
Madonna mashed up 'Like A Virgin' with her latest single at the time 'Hollywood' for her MTV VMA appearance in 2003. While Britney and Christina imitated her performance from the event's 1984 ceremony, Madge dressed up as a groom and, well, we all know what happened next.



Which are you favourite Madonna performances? Leave your comments in the box below:

Would you trust this man?

His knotted beehive is enormous, his moustache is groomed to within an inch of its life and the expression on his face suggests he's been spending far too much time hanging with his trustafarian pals on East London's trendiest street corners.

Perhaps a full-length picture will do him more justice.


If you're still with us, his name is King Charles - or just Charles if you want to annoy him - and his so-uncool-it's-cool persona appears to be winning him a sizeable fanbase.

His music has been described as "gloriously psychedelic and exploding with vibrant sounds," while his support slots with Mumford & Sons in the US and Noah and the Whale have already earned major cool points with indie-goers.

But is he actually any good? Digital Spy went to see him play a set in London before Christmas (there were trendy teapots and fancy cupcakes, natch), and beyond appearances, we have to admit there was something mightily intriguing about him.

His new single 'LoveBlood' reminded us of a good Vampire Weekend song and was probably our favourite of what we heard; and though we heard some seriously questionable lyrics on more than one occasion, there was something fresh and mildly charming about his outlandish style.

You watch the music video for 'LoveBlood' below, which is available to download now.



Are you a fan of King Charles? Leave your comments in the box below:

Listen to our ten favourite songs this week, including Imogen Heap, Labrinth and Saint Etienne.

Imogen Heap: 'Xizi She Knows'
For those who need a quick update: Imogen Heap's latest project Heapsongs involves her putting tracks together from all manner of random noises or "sound seeds" sent in by her fans. Confused? So are we, but the latest track in the series 'Xizi She Knows' - which is available to download now - is easily the best of them yet. RC

According to Wednesday's chart update, Cover Drive were at the top of the singles chart, while Adele was on course to pick up her 21st week at the top.

Ahead of Sunday's official charts, we look at the week's final midweek tally.

Cover Drive are still at number one with 'Twilight', followed by David Guetta and Sia's 'Titanium' at two, while Jessie J's 'Domino' completes the top three.

Meanwhile, Flo Rida remains the second-highest new entry at five with 'Wild Ones', Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' lifts from Wednesday's position of 15 to nine, and Pitbull and Chris Brown's 'International Love' climbs 14 to ten.

Further down the chart, Lana Del Rey slips from ten to 12 with 'Born To Die' and Red Light's 'Get Out of My Head' falls from 14 to 16.

Professor Green's 'Never Be A Right Time' advances from 34 to 31, and Ed Sheeran enters at 39 with 'Drunk'.

On the albums chart, Adele remains at the top with 21 on its 53rd week on the tally, followed by Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto at two and Ed Sheeran's + at three.

Chris Isaak's Beyond The Sun is the highest new entry at number five, and Rizzle Kicks climb from eight to seven with Stereo Typical.

Next week's single releases include Youngman's 'Who Knows' and Lil Wayne's 'Mirror', while Lana Del Rey releases her debut LP Born To Die.

Who will be number one on the singles and albums charts next week? Leave your comments in the box below.

You may remember Josh Kumra from last summer when he teamed up with Wretch 32 on 'Don't Go' - a chart-topping track that instantly gave the Swindon-born musician some much-deserved exposure.

Currently writing and recording his debut album - which is due for release later this year - we thought we'd get ourselves better acquainted with the rising star and find out what else he has in store for us in 2012.

You've just released a free track on your website called 'Call Off The Search'; how would you sell it to people?
"The track is very chilled out. It's blues and soul-driven and it's not miles apart from 'Don't Go' - it's got that urban feel to it. That's why I wanted to put it out and keep the ball rolling. It's something for the fans to listen to until I've got the album ready."

Can we expect more of the same on your debut album then?
"I would say that it touches upon influences that you will find on the album, but it's not necessarily going to be in that kind of style. It's going to have more production and the songs are going to be more in depth."

How did you cross paths with Wretch 32?
"We both have the same management and they put my version of 'Don't Go' to him. They then got back to me and said he really liked it and so we got into the studio together. We didn't change the initial recording because we knew we had something good."

Can we expect the original version on your own record?
"Yeah, it will be on the album, but it will probably be a bonus track or on the deluxe version."



How far along are you with the album?
"We're getting there. We're really close to finishing it. We've probably got 80% of the writing done. I'm just looking for the right producer now."

Surely Wretch will be returning the favour and featuring on your album?
"Yes, he made the promise! There's room for a couple more bonus tracks, so I'll be holding him to it."

Is there anyone else you would like to share the mic with?
"Yeah, I'm absolutely in love with the Birdy album and I just think we could do something really good together. So she is definitely one to look for, for a collaboration."

We like getting things for free; can we expect more free tracks before the album's release?
"My goal now is to finish off the album and get it out in the summer. In the meantime we will have some singles and stuff like that. It won't be too long."

Josh Kumra's new track 'Call Off The Search' is available to download for free now.

Watch the music video for Josh Kumra's 'Call Off The Search' below:



Are you a fan of Josh Kumra? Leave your comments in the box below: