These are the hottest 10 pop songs of the week as determined by About Top 40. This chart is compiled consulting data from various music industry charts and sources. It is intended to indicate the hottest rising hits. Recordings that have reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart are disqualified from this chart.
1. Bruno Mars - "Locked Out Of Heaven"
Courtesy Elektra
Bruno Mars released a laidback music video to accompany "Locked Out Of Heaven" this week. The song has been given positive reviews by a wide range of commentators. It is already a top 30 hit at both adult pop radio and mainstream top 40 radio. The album Unorthodox Jukebox arrives in stores December 10, 2012.
2. Ke$ha - "Die Young"
Courtesy RCA
"Die Young" is looking like a strong intro to Ke$ha's upcoming second studio album Warrior. The song has already reached the top 10 on the pop singles chart in both Australia and Canada. In the US it is rising on mainstream top 40, adult pop, and dance charts. The album Warrior is set for a November 30, 2012 release.
3. Rihanna - "Diamonds"
Courtesy Def Jam
Rihanna is arguably the world's biggest pop star of the moment. The instant success of her new single "Diamonds" is testament to that fact. The song is a top 10 pop hit in nearly every major music market. "Diamonds" is nearing the top in the US and is already #1 on the revised R&B / hip hop singles chart. It is even rising in the top 40 of the Japanese pop chart.
4. Ne-Yo - "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)"
Courtesy Motown
Ne-Yo has had impressive success on the pop charts as both a songwriter and performer. "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)" is his eighth top 20 pop hit single in the US as lead performer. He has reached the top 20 six more times as a featured singer on other recordings.
5. Kelly Clarkson - "Catch My Breath"
Courtesy RCA
Ten years after winning American Idol, Kelly Clarkson is releasing her first greatest hits album. "Catch My Breath" is a new song from the project. She has reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 ten times. The album Greatest Hits, Chapter 1 will be released November 19, 2012.
6. Ellie Goulding - "Anything Could Happen"
Courtesy Interscope
With her breakthrough #2 pop hit single "Lights," Ellie Goulding is one of the top new pop artists of the year in the US. "Anything Could Happen" is the first single from her second album Halcyon. The song is already a top 5 pop hit single at home in the UK.
7. Swedish House Mafia - "Don't You Worry Child" featuring John Martin
Courtesy Astralwerks
The dance music supergroup trio Swedish House Mafia have announced they will soon go on hiatus. It looks like they will be going out with a bang. "Don't You Worry Child" is a #1 pop hit single in the UK, and it is the first song by the group to break into the Billboard Hot 100. It is the group's sixth song to reach the top 10 on the US dance chart.
8. Flo Rida - "I Cry"
Courtesy Atlantic Records
Flo Rida returns to the pop charts once again with a song built on a hook from a classic hit. This time it is a sample from the Bingo Players' "Cry (Just a Little)," a top 10 dance hit last year in the UK, that is interpolated from the Brenda Russell classic "Piano In the Dark." "I Cry" has already reached the top 3 of the pop singles chart in the UK and Australia as well as reaching the top 10 across much of Europe.
9. Lumineers - "Ho Hey"
Courtesy Dualtone
"Ho Hey" was first released back in June, but it has slowly climbed its way into the pop mainstream. The music of the Lumineers fits comfortably beside the folk rock of Mumford and Sons, but it may be the Lumineers who land the first real breakthrough mainstream pop hit single. "Ho Hey" has topped both the rock songs and alternative songs charts. It is also a top 40 adult pop radio hit.
10. Cher Lloyd - "Oath" featuring Becky G
Courtesy Syco
British teen pop star Cher Lloyd is working to prove that she is no one hit wonder in the US. "Oath" is her second single in the US. It features producer Dr. Luke's protege Becky G. The song was originally intended for Cher Lloyd's second studio album, but instead it is included on the US release of her debut Sticks + Stones and will feature on a deluxe re-release of the album in the UK.
