I didn’t know what to make of Jessie J, the 22-year-old British artist who was named the BBC Sound of 2011 and claimed this year’s Critics’ Choice BRIT Award. (The very same pair of honors that Ellie Goulding scored last year.)

Now I love me some mainstream pop music, whether served up by Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, or Black Eyed Peas. I even cop to enjoying the occasional track from Ke$ha, overcoming my initial visceral disdain for her half-singing/half-rapping and gutter-garbed style. And I’ve got little shame in admitting just how much I love Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The U.S.A.,” an insidiously catchy song that Jessie J happened to co-write.

But I couldn’t stomach Jessie J’s first at-bat as a full-fledged artist, “Do It Like A Dude.” Though she delivered the gender-equality anthem with tongue implanted in cheek, the song still strove for female toughness but really came across as warmed-over Rihanna. The song was actually penned with the Barbadian singer in mind, but Jessie J decided to keep the tune for herself. While “Do It Like A Dude” didn’t go anywhere here, it was a #2 UK hit, with her fellow countrymen finding something to like in the overproduced schtick.

So the good news is that Jessie J’s second single, “Price Tag,” more than makes up for that mess. This time, her target isn’t men but the music industry, wishing the focus was on “making the world dance” versus being all about the Benajmins. Produced by Dr. Luke (yes!), the bright mid-tempo number allows the song’s message to shine through without masking it with too many layers.

In “Price Tag,” logos, video hos, dark sunglasses, and too-high heels all earn Jessie J’s smiling ire. Five-time GRAMMY nominee B.o.B. climbs aboard for a verse, adding his two cents to the positive vibe. While such guest shots are often done in isolation, he met up with Jessie J first, and calls the singer “one of the most interesting people I’ve ever worked with… she just feels like a real person. She’s not in it for the stereoptyical reasons.”

If you haven’t seen Jessie J’s stripped-down performance of the very same song on the BBC’s Later… with Jools Holland, check it out below. The girl’s got real live talent, for sure. Hopefully the rest of the 22-year-old’s debut album, Who You Are, out in the UK this month and coming to the U.S. in April, is true to the message of “Price Tag,” skipping the typical overproduced trappings of popdom, and allowing her musical strengths to lead.

Purchase Jessie J featuring B.o.B. – “Price Tag” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.