When the track list for Britney Spears' album 'Femme Fatale' was announced, a song titled 'Drop Dead Beautiful' featuring a relative unknown named Sabi had Britney fans the world over Googling the Holy Spearit's newest collaborator.
And Sabi didn't disappoint in 2011, spitting game in a guest verse on 'Drop Dead Beautiful,' then keeping that "la la la la la" hook in our heads all summer on her Cobra Starship duet, 'You Make Me Feel' (which we crowned one of our Top 10 Pop Songs of the year). But it's her Cirkut-produced, pop-dubstep stormer 'Wild Heart' that really gripped us, a glitchy, ominous ode to uncontrollable emotion that announces Sabi's arrival as a star not to be trifled with.
Certainly, Britney's stamp of approval speaks volumes — but it's Sabi's clear talent and sophisticated artistry that has us supremely excited to see where she goes in 2012. -- Sam Lansky
Watch Sabi in the 'You Make Me Feel' Video With Cobra Starship