Pop Corner: Jodie Abacus sweet voice and Perrie Little Mix’s burning issue

Also, Charli XCX is shaking up pop music while Craig David wants to work with Cheryl

Jodie Abacus: “I needed a hug, the type of hug I would give to someone if they were feeling down”

Track of the week
Jodie Abacus - I'll Be That Friend
Hearing Abacus's voice is like seeing daffodils creep out slowly from the icy February ground. Sweet, soulful and joyful, Abacus (he's a boy, by the way) has a distinct 1980s slant, but that's no bad thing. On writing the song, Abacus told Dummy : "I felt very low, broken-hearted, and a few months away from healing from pneumonia. I was at a point where I felt like I had tried everything to make things happen and I needed a hug, the type of hug I would give to someone if they were feeling down."

Zero of the week is fire, according to Perrie Little Mix. She detailed her distress on Twitter. “So today I had an accident . . . and by accident I mean accidentally set myself on fire. The pilot light on my boiler blew up and it set my arm/hand on fire. Not a pleasant experience . . . I’m in pain, full of blisters, there’s not one hair left on my hand or arm, and it burned the sleeve of my favourite jumper. F*cking nightmare. A little advice . . . stay away from fire!”
Charli XCX told MTV that she was ready to shake up pop music again with her new album. “I think it always needs a shake-up and I think multiple artists do that but I want to push it . . . I’ve been collaborating with people from PC Music so that’s been very inspiring for me: the way they think about music and the way that they create music and transferring that in to like a more pop realm is something that is cool and yeah, it’s next level!”
Hero of the week is Craig David, who wants to collaborate with Cheryl. He told the Mirror: “I know as an artist she can sing anything, so if I could write a garage song with her, I know we’d smash it out of the park.” Cheryl has yet to comment.