WILLIAM LOUISON

Katy Perry knows that nothing says diva like strutting your stuff in a giant peacock outfit.

Mega hits like “Blurred Lines”, “Get Lucky”, “Treasure” and “Cruise” are just a small sampling of summer jams attributed to male artists that have dominated the airwaves. But it’s time for the men to step aside, as a brief look at upcoming releases shows a slate of hotly anticipated new tracks coming down the pipeline from some of the industry’s greatest female artists.

New music from Demi Lovato, LeAnn Rimes and Selena Gomez earlier in the year failed to make headlines quite like we’ve seen from Miley Cyrus and her scantily clad romps on and off the stage. The pop star’s smash hit “We Can’t Stop” took the world by storm, rocketing her back to the top of the charts.

The controversial lyrics and accompanying video have been the target of much criticism, but regardless of your opinion it’s hard to deny that she’s achieving everything she set out to do with her image. After all, any publicity is good publicity.

In the coming months, though, Miley is going to have to focus on more than antics if she wants to stay relevant. The teen is already starting to get overshadowed by music giant Lady GaGa — a woman who is no stranger to headlines and controversy — as she readies her newest masterpiece, ARTPOP, to hit the stores Nov. 11.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The coming months promise new music from other massive sellers like Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Jewel, Jennifer Lopez, Jessie J, Britney Spears and possibly even the long-delayed release from Beyonce.

The competition is definitely going to be stiff and, if the past is any indication, there will be more negativity between groups of fans than actual love for these divas.

But this is not all that 2013 has to offer. Perhaps the biggest and most anticipated releases of the year is not going to come from just any lady.

Fans of Celine Dion will be excited to hear that the diva with the voice of an angel is back after six years since her last English release, Taking Chances. Though her powerhouse vocals return as strong as ever, this is Celine like you’ve never heard her before. Even diehard fans may mistake the modern pop sensibility of her new single “Loved Me Back to Life” for the latest track from Rhianna, but it won’t take you long to notice her signature vibrato and immense vocal range.

Mariah Carey, the woman who’s given us the most number one singles of any female artist, has likewise promised her fans that they will see her new album by the end of the year after pushing back the release date several times.

The singer has been performing for fans since GaGa and Perry were just babies, but she is ready to prove that she can still hold her own as the R&B queen.

2013 is certainly full of surprises but none are bigger than the news that Cher, the critically proclaimed “Goddess of Pop,” is gearing up for her first release in nearly 12 years.

Retirement after her stint in Vegas and a farewell tour apparently didn’t agree with the 67-year-old singer, who is back with the same tenacity and attention-grabbing prowess that she has had her entire life.

Cher’s Closer To The Truth, which features two songs penned by P!nk, a duet with Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears and a cover of a Miley Cyrus track, is due out on Sept. 24.

All of this diva action happening over the next few months might break the bank of any music fan.

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