Annie

Deftly straddling the line between commercial pop and arty dance experimentation, the Norwegian electro-pop singer and DJ Annie scored a European hit in 2004 with the infectious single "Chewing Gum," a song that harked back to the classic era of early-American hip-hop and electro. Though the song was at best an underground hit in the United States, Annie was championed by the uber-hip in both the U.S. and the U.K. for her ability to craft blatantly commercial pop (working with famed remixer Richard X) that still retained an intelligent and knowing edge. She released her debut full-length, ANNIEMAL, in 2005, contributed a mix to the long-running DJ KICKS series in 2006, and issued DON'T STOP in 2009.

• pop
• dance