Ulrik Munther - Boys Don't Cry

"Lying on the ground, head in your hands"

When it comes to music, it sometimes seems like we're living in a Justin-Bieber-Willow-Smith-etc world. Record companies are on the hunt for pubescent (or pre-pubescent) pop stars. It's nothing new--I mean, think about how Michael Jackson started--but it seems to be more and more present as kid companies like Disney and Nickelodeon gain more of a stranglehold on the music business. It all adds up to something potentially dangerous, but I'm not about to open that can of worms right now (there's not nearly enough time). I am, however, going to focus on one of these kids (and by "kid," i really mean "teenager"), who I think has the potential to go far in this business. He is, true to my music tastes, Swedish. Most people will be familiar with Ulrik Munther (how's that for a pop star name?) through his acoustic cover of Lady Gaga's Born This Way, which he released the day that song debuted (!) and now has a studio version out on itunes. That's all nice and fine and viral, but what I'm really impressed by is his original song, Boys Don't Cry. To be completely honest, it takes me back to the days of Hanson. The indie-rock stylings are completely refreshing in a world of autotuned Bieber clones and their bubblegum blue-eyed soul. I predict big things for this guy. His nice deal with Universal Sweden should help things along! Soundcloud's having a fit about hosting his song, so here's the video instead.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Discover more about Ulrik here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.