It's Pop Week here at MTV News, and that means we're catching up with and getting to know everyone who's going to make a splash in pop music and culture over the next 12 months. Whether they're just arriving on the scene or are already the name on everyone's lips, these are the artists we expect big things from in 2009.

Aubrey O'Day is looking to regain some of the "shine" she thinks she lost while working for [artist id="1244169"]Diddy[/artist] in [artist id="2400155"]Danity Kane[/artist]. And although [article id="1602241"]O'Day may no longer be in the girl group[/article], that doesn't mean she's forgotten where she came from.

"With my solo album, I'm keeping true to the [artist id="2400155"]Danity Kane[/artist] roots, with the R&B/pop roots," our [article id="1602657"]Female Pop MVP[/article] said. But she's quick to note that her album isn't just going to be Danity Kane all over again. "I'm taking more of a rock-electronic edge to it, and I'm a little rocker in my heart. I think it's going to be fun, danceable music that is outside of the box and allows you to express yourself in any way possible, which is exactly who I am as a person."

She also explained that when she does finally get the chance to express herself, it will definitely have a "vulnerable" edge to it. "Musically for me, I really just want to take my music to a place ... where I'm being honest, where I'm being real and when I'm talking about things that I really care about, not just singing songs that have been written for me," she explained.

O'Day hopes that when fans finally get their hands on her solo album, it won't sound like anything they've heard before. "I think that's important, to create a new sound and not copy things that I've heard or people that you like," she said. "I want to do me."

For the album, she's finding a little bit of inspiration from the things she experiences and sees on a daily basis.

"I love to observe what people are doing, and it's always good to stay on top of what is going on, but I don't do it to strong degrees," she said. "You lose a sense of yourself and where you would go creatively when you are constantly focused on everyone else. I like to see it for a second and then put it away and figure out where I'm at and what I want to do."

For more Pop Week stories, check out our [article id="1602465"]Female Pop Rookies[/article], [article id="1602568"]Male Pop Rookies[/article], [article id="1602657"]Female Pop MVPs[/article] and [article id="1602760"]Male Pop MVPs[/article].