Lisa Hannigan

Lisa Hannigan has quickly become a hot commodity since breaking off from her collaboration with Damien Rice, especially in her native Ireland. The singer's solo debut, Sea Sew, was recently released in the States and has been nominated for a Choice Music Prize, an award given to the best Irish album of the year. Sea Sew also earned Hannigan multiple nominations for a 2009 Meteor Music Award — the Irish equivalent of a Grammy. It's no surprise to those fans of Hannigan who have enjoyed her transcendent vocals on her work with Rice and The Frames. Hannigan, who also plays guitar and drums, is an established actor and avid proponent of fair trade, something tragically under-espoused by today's musicians. Hannigan possesses an insane amount of talent, whether it is singing, playing, or acting — and her future, as it stands right now, knows absolutely no bounds. It irks me, just a little bit, to see someone like Lisa Hannigan erupt on the scene like this, simply because it makes her American contemporaries — and thus America itself — look all the more pathetic. Something tells me Jessica Simpson hasn't the slightest clue about fair trade.