I dont know what it is that makes me feel like this.......

Superstar by Christine Milton Original Superstar with unique lyrics and completely copied by Jamelia
Superstar by Roni Duani First cover with eastern influences entrenched deep into its funky stylings
Superstar by Jamelia International hit by someone whose such a superstar she doesnt have a surname!
Superstar by Bianca Ryan 3rd cover by American starlet with completely different lyrics

And now to the second cover that can be neatly sectioned off in four cities: Copenhagen, Tel Aviv, Birmingham and Philadelphia. Superstar was written by Danish music maestro Remee/Cutfather/Joe and originally given to Christine Milton. Here is the original Superstar video by Christine:




It was a no.1 in Denmark under the auspices of BMG. Christine then went on to release 2 more singles and expected to take Superstar to the UK as she'd been promised international releasing rights. However something dodgy is allegedly said to have occurred between EMI and its producers who gave Superstar to Jamelia. In this time in Jamelia's career the shit was really hitting the fan. The album bombed and its lead single Bout entered the UK charts at no.37. Her career was over. Even before Superstar was released by Jamelia as a single Christine was already in a tussle as she was having issues bringing the track to Sweden, Australia and Germany. The problem was EMI had bought the international rights to the song under her nose and wanted to use it for their breaching act from Birmingham. When Jamelia released it the song quickly became hers and she scored top positions around the globe. Christine Milton and her record company remain in a bitter legal battle with Cutfather&Joe so I wont say anything on the matter...However her version includes different lyrics and is the best of the two.

Truth is, Jamelia is THIRD singer of the song. Just prior to Jamelia releasing Superstar in September an Israeli singer called Roni had gone to no.1 with the song in July. Roni Duani is a huge 'Britney' type singer who has also covered Excellence, Via Gra, EyeQ and No Angels. She is now servicing in the Israeli national army as it is mandatory there but is planning to release a disco album next year! Her version of the song is the most different of Superstars as its not even in English but should take its rightful place as the first cover of the song. Even if people remember the Christine original they get their facts wrong and cite the Jamelia version as the first cover. Well thats not right is it!?

Roni's version is both electro and acoustic. Its odd like that. It has traces of his parent version by Milton but verges into flourishing sparks of Arabic folk music. Here is her wonderful and probably best video done for Superstar:




You can see shes very pretty and even as an out proud gay man Roni does something to me. You know you would too! Failing that you can always look at the stunning dancers she struts her butt against. As Superstars go, Roni's cover remains the most interesting however its the latest version that completely rearranges the the message the song...

And thats by sweet little Bianca Ryan. All other versions are lyrically about some other person of desire 'that must be some kind of superstar'. However Bianca's is about her and dreams of becoming a superstar. The song might have the same title and chorus but the verses, bridges, middle 8's and couplets are completely different. It also leaves the electro disco traits of its three sisters and pulls out some kind of strange of harmony between rock and funk. Musically then this version of Superstar is the most interesting as it sounds so polished and different to the original. Thats not to mention the odd lyrics and the twist of message.... 'Fancy goals and lots of make-up'. Indeed.

Out of all Superstars Jamelia's turns out to be the most boring and adds nothing really to the original. Some might say that Jamelia simply sung over Christines key melodies, didnt even bother to take off her backing vocals and for this she wins PopEatsPopWhoreof2004! The other covers dare to dream beyond its confines with Bianca Ryan's version winning the award for clearly challenging the original and simply using it as a mere template. So what is there to say about the most famous version? The video is not a patch on Roni's, the vocals don't come anywhere near the original and the production is eclipsed by the latest Ryan cover. So what made it so good? The faux-rnb walking down the street in the video? I can't actually tell! All that can be said is its a product of record company dealings, dodgy meanings and lots of broken promises and caused a many tear to fall.

Today we have all four versions by the four girls. Enjoy