16 things to get excited about this summer!

We take a look at some of the big things coming your way in the pop world in summer 2014.

Summer! Ice lollies! The beach! Loads and loads of rain! Yes, summer is the time when everything starts hotting up, especially the Official Charts!

As we optimistically don our flip-flops and pretend it is definitely warm enough for ice cream, we take a look at some of the sizzling stuff happening in the music biz over the next couple of months.

Check out our 16 reasons you won’t care too much about that sand in your sandwich…

1. Festivals!

Glastonbury, Bestival, Reading, Leeds, Wireless, V, Latitude, Calling, Secret Garden Party – you name it, they’re happening. So prepare for three days of zero phone charge, stomping about in your wellies and becoming almost evangelical about the amazingness of wet wipes. Most tickets have already sold out, of course, but you might be lucky… take a look at what’s still available. Meet you by the burger van at 4pm. No, not that burger van, the other one. Where are you?!

2. Jess Glynne’s all by herself

After scoring two Number 1s as a featured pair of (very impressive) lungs, Jess Glynne is stepping out alone with her uplifting, optimistic debut solo tune Right Here. Not a million miles away from her chart-topping hits Rather Be, with Clean Bandit, and My Love, with Route 94, Right Here is in turns laid-back and hands-in-the-air – slick modern disco. The vocal chops and soul of Sam Smith with a dancey twist. We love it.

3. Ella Eyre we go!

Another young lady with majestic vocals who’s making a go of it by herself, Ella Eyre was one of the standout performances at the BRIT Awards earlier this year. Performing her hit with Rudimental, Waiting All Night, in a mash-up with Bastille’s Pompeii, Ella got everybody excited for what’s to come. And If I Go looks like it's going to show everyone what she's made of.

4. Rixton

The wait is over for fans of brand new boyband Rixton, who are finally releasing their first proper single Me And My Broken Heart, in the UK. The song has already made waves in the US, and look set to score similar success here. Why not see if you can catch them gigging?

5. Eric Prydz is back

Call on me, call on me. Call on me, call on me. Call on me, call on me. You remember that one, right? Well, the DJ whose hit Call On Me (as if you could forget what it was called) from 2004 simultaneously reinvented the pop video and spandex is back for more, with brand new track Liberate. He still has all his bang in the right place, fear not.

6. A lotta Pixie Lott coming your way

Can you believe it is five years since Pixie Lott scored her first Number 1 with Mama Do? Well, it is, you know. She’s now poised to release her third album, snappily titled Pixie Lott. We’ve already seen lead single Nasty go Top 10, so next up is Lay Me Down with the album to follow in August. Lay Me Down owes more than a beat or two to Rudimental and is so summery it practically tastes of mojitos.

7. 5 Seconds Of Summer

What could be more summery than a band with the word summer in their name. Nothing, that’s what. Following their huge Number 1 hit She Looks So Perfect, the Australian band are set to launch their self-titled first album next week and it looks like it’s going to be a biggie. Will 5 Seconds Of Summer be the sound of your summer?

8. Neon Jungle are slowing it down

Three bangers in a row usually means there’s a ballad on the way, but before you start to sulk and put your glowsticks away, check out Neon Jungle’s next single Louder. Following Trouble, Braveheart and Welcome To The Jungle, the Neon ladies’ fourth release is a huge ballad, like a Sia-type stormer but with a bit more of a street edge. The group’s debut album, also called Welcome To The Jungle, is due out during summer too, so it looks like Neon is very much on trend this season. (You have no idea what you’re talking about – Fashion Ed)

9. Cheryl vs Cher Lloyd

20 July is going to be a big day for X Factor fans, as it’s mentor vs pupil, with returning judge Cheryl Cole set to release her comeback single on the same day as former pupil Cher. Crazy Stupid Love will be Cheryl’s attempt at scoring a third solo Number 1, while Cher’s Sirens will be gunning to grab the star a second chart-topper. Who’ll make it to the top? You decide!

10. Cher Lloyd’s long awaited second album

She’s been promising this for what feels like decades, but Cher Lloyd’s sophomore album Sorry I’m Late (you’d better be!) is out at the end of July, featuring tracks from some of the teams behind One Direction’s and Miley Cyrus’s pop tunes, plus The Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto.

11. O-Town are back!

Remember O-Town? Sure you do! Back when reality TV was just starting to discover its taste for pop music, MTV’s Making The Band documented the formation of fivepiece O-Town. Their classic tune Liquid Dreams was even a Pop Gem! And now they’re back! Back! BACK! They’re now down to a quartet, but have lost none of their sparkle. If nostalgia is your thing – and let’s face it we all love a Flashback, right? – then give O-Town a go! Comeback track Skydive is out 27 July.

12. Leah McFall is back – and she’s brought will.i.am along

The Voice UK runner-up is hoping for another run of chart success with new single Home, which features the Northern Irish singer’s mentor from the show will.i.am. The tune certainly stands out, with horns a go-go and a little bit of mysterious guitar, plus that all-important guest rap from will, of course. Leah will be hoping to add a third Top 40 hit to her covers of I Will Survive and Killing Me Softly.

13. Ameriie – old two eyes is back

Remember Amerie? Sure you do – she had a Top 5 hit with the very Beyoncé-esque 1 Thing back in 2005, which had more percussion going for it than your average marching band. Three more Top 40 hits followed, but since 2007, she’s been quiet. Now, Amerie is back – except she changed her name to Ameriie a few years ago, for reasons that are unclear (SEO, basically). Her new tune What I Want samples classic track Apache by the Sugarhill Gang and is an energetic romp and super-summery. Made to roll the windows to in a car. Here’s the lyric vid:

14. Knock knock! La Roux’s there!

Elly Jackson may have lost 50% of La Roux in the wake of producer Ben Langmaid’s departure, but the tunes have certainly stayed Elly’s side of the fence. Teaser track Let Me Down Gently got us all hyped up for a triumphant return for the electronic act who first got us dancing with 2009’s In For The Kill. Single proper Uptight Downtown and is even more exciting, and the album Trouble In Paradise, out 7 July, is slice after slice of sophisticated pop, like being chatted up in a bar by someone who smells really nice. In a way.

15. Kiesza's got another appetiser

She had a runaway hit with debut single Hideaway – thanks to that stunning one-take danceathon of a video – and now Kiesza look set to take over the charts all over again with follow-up Giant In My Heart. To say it veritably bangeth is an understatement. It’s coming your way in August.

Check out where Kiesza’s playing live this summer and grab yourself some tickets. 

16. Summer of Iggy Azalea

It looks like the azaleas will be out in full bloom this summer – well Iggy Azalea anyway (Are you sure about this? – Horticultural Ed). The Australian hip-hop happener features on Ariana Grande’s US smash Problem, out in the UK in July, and is also heading for a collabo with Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines buddy T.I. Iggy’s next single as lead artist looks set to be the Rita Ora-featuring Black Widow, which is likely to be a radio staple as the sun beats down. See all Iggy’s tour dates and get tickets. 

What are your top tune tips for summer 2014? Who have we missed? Get us well and truly told on Facebook and Twitter.