2012 About.com Readers’ Choice Awards - Dance Music / Electronica

With all the votes tallied (and fake/hacked votes eliminated, here are the final winners for the 2012 DanceMusic.About.Com Readers’ Choice Awards.

Winners. Best Dance Music / Electronica Video: Kerli - “Army of Love”

To prep people for Kerli’s sophomore artist album is the teaser single, “Army of Love”. Expect the look and sound of this single to set the tone for her new album, which appears to be ditching her twisted lolita/alterna-chick approach that she used on her first album. “Army of Love” draws from a lot of obvious inspirations. Specifically, I hear Bjork, Avril Lavigne, Ke$ha, and Lady Gaga, although someone I asked for an opinion of the track also thought it might have been Robyn. Whether blatantly selling out or making a true artistic shift in musical direction, “Army of Love” is catchy and may just make Kerli more accessible across the board. I’m curious to see how much of her original sound she keeps on her new album.

When Kerli takes a moment to give props to an upcoming artist, depending on how you feel about Kerli, it may be time to take notice.  Such is true with Iiris, another Estonian singer with a dark and twisted bent.  Her debut international single, “Mylese”, drifts between heavy edge and softness.  It’s kind of where we expected Kerli to go after her debut album, before we knew she had more of a RedOne evolution in mind.  The video for “Mylese” is a wonderful collection of stunning images, Iiris dancing in a flowing gown, and bathtubs that act as portals to other realms.  Here’s hoping remixes on this one give Iiris a strong foot forward.

Video - Youtube

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Image Courtesy of EMI Music.