With pop enjoying a sparkly renaissance worldwide this year, perhaps the series of delays prolonging pop princess Annie's latest record, Don't Stop, for nearly two years were ultimately serendipitous. Out now, her long-awaited comeback may be a last-minute addition to the inevitable flurry of year-end top tens, as it stands strong start to finish. The return of Annie poetically caps off a year that has seen an impressive new wave of pop stars -- from no-brainers like Lady Gaga to on-fire upstarts like La Roux, VV Brown, Marina & the Diamonds, and Florence + the Machine. Annie is sunny as ever when discussing the fumbles of the major label responsible for stopping Don't Stop in its first go-around. In fact, after the break, she even hints at how it afforded her extra time to make the effort shinier, even though this resulted in accidental cast-offs, later packaged in a special EP. "Hardcore fans are going to like it," she adds. Although most will find to hard it resist the wiles of an easygoing pop star who can talk about Serge Gainsbourg and Girls Aloud in the same breath.

This should serve as fair warning so next year when people are going on about, "How'd this shrill cockatoo land a record deal?" they can at least recall the moment when hip-hop king Jay-Z agreed to assist her in her bid to break America. Which is a past-time for many British pop artists. Perhaps Cheryl Cole, one-fifth of Britain's biggest girlband Girls Aloud, is more suited for American conquest as a solo performer than with the band which made her a tabloid fixture overseas. To her credit, Cole's already courted goodwill within the hip-hop scene, lending her tinny vocals to a will.i.am single -- who also executive produced her debut record. And unlike much of her band's material, Cole's solo work decidedly leans more towards a generic urban pop vibe. Which, given the success of acts like the Pussycat Dolls, shouldn't be a terribly tough sell for Jay-Z to make to the American public.

Yesterday, we knew nothing about Beyogaga and it was "Sol-Angel this!" and "Hadley St. Dreams that!" Then heads exploded as Solange gave The Dirty Projectors a slick makeover. In a vain bid to extend Solange's mission of fipster goodwill into a wave of good news for the superlative popstrel that'll still be relevant by the time next week rolls around, here's an obligatory trend piece! No, not one about rock-and-roll types legitimizing pop songs/"Single Ladies", rather the exact opposite. Because irony for irony's sake is so passé. With pop stars, it's about self-awareness as a device in furthering careers. It's about bringing music to the masses. It's about saving lives. Too far? Fine, fine. In any case, a round-up of some recent exemplary rock covers that pop stars have performed for some reason or another.

We could dwell on the low lows of NYFW and declare the fashion industry dead and ask who would dream of making available such uninspired wearables! But let's not. Let's instead turn our boozy gaze towards Vivienne Westwood and her Red Label collection, which was on display at the Red Bull Fashion Factory. Such campy glitterati as Boy George, ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, and two of five members of Girls Aloud already have. But maybe you're not the type to buy into celebrity endorsements. Fair enough.

Happy Bastille Day, friends! Today commemorates the day when a bunch of ragamuffins stormed the Bastille, upended traditional monarchy and paved the road for a better, newer, more Muslim-hating French government! So how can you celebrate? By brushing up on banal phrases like voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir and oui. Or by attempting to speak the language with trepidation usually reserved for hostage negotiation. It's a bane non-French pop stars know all too well. Did you know that in order to preserve contemporary culture, radio stations in France are required to play at least 40% of their songs in French during prime time? This law has been something of a nuisance to non-French said pop stars who otherwise easily enjoy global success, although a few managed to break through by picking some stilted French, brutalizing the language of love in their cross-over attempt. Take a look at some of the more, err, ambitious, approaches to bilingualism.