I'm back just as 2016 is over. And as Tove Lo forewarned us in last year's best single, our relationship with this godforsaken year has basically just been a TI-I-I-IMEBOMB. But now that it's done, and we look back at the pop music, it's hard to be cynical when some of the best songs ever have come out.
So, I'm here to pick out the 50 best singles that were released in 2016. All of these are solid 10/10s and a few surprises have come through. So get ready to listen to ALL THE POP HITS (and I'll also be identifying each of their BEST BITS)
I don't know if Miley can tell you that Nicki, but let me help you out with the shitload of amazing music that has been released this year.
2015 has been a year of surprises, joy, romance, sadness, really's, Tove's and huge moments in pop. In all honesty, it was one of the most exciting years in recent memory. If you don't think so, look at this list of songs, each better than the last. So, let's get down to it and see who came out on top.
2014 is definitely over and honestly, THANK GOD! With the passing of a new year, it is time to see who will succeed last year's album of the year by Charli XCX. For a while, it looked like she could have unseated herself and broken an NSOTP record, but her new album is so good we had to relegate it to 2015 as it would have been unfair to the other acts. Luckily, there is plenty of pop to go around! Here are the best albums of 2014 with reasons why they're great and my personal favorite on each one, because contrary to what people say regarding their children, I can pick favorites. So let's get to it.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, a holiday in America where we celebrate people getting fat before pillaging all the natural resources of the continent. But onto lighter and more pressing topics, it is a day to give thanks for all the amazing things to happen throughout the year. Good thing for you, most of those reasons happen to be music related! So here are 9 reasons why 2014 has been an amazing year in music, plus something extra to get excited for in 2015.
1. The 90's House Revival
While Disclosure and Duke Dumont had set the tone of this movement back in 2013, 90's house finally came back in full force during 2014. As we all know, the EDM movement has pretty much died out and house music was a great place to go to next. No other popstar embodies this amazing concept better than Kiesza. Since the very beginning, she set out to get people moving while setting an atmosphere of nightlife and mystery: pretty much the definition of what everyone needed in 2014. And she dances! What a woman. Up and coming pop artists like MNEK and Moko have followed suit in creating their own twist on this genre while Clean Bandit have managed to cross the shore and make this revival noticeable on the charts. While it may get tiresome by 2017, until then, we can rest assured that our local nightclubs will have us grooving to some deep house for a while.
2. Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" Music Video
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Taylor Swift becoming a true bonafide popstar is reason enough to be grateful for this year (thank you Max Martin for showing her the light). 1989 is most likely going to end up album of the year even though I haven't heard it yet (getting it for Christmas though!). That's how much Taylor has owned 2014. But nothing compares to the music video for "Blank Space." Though it isn't the best song off the album, it pretty much sums up Taylor Swift in a catchy pop song. But the video! A hot man, seduction, cute playing around in a lavish mansion, animals in random places, Taylor literally going insane. IT HAS EVERYTHING. It mixes the anger of "Since You Been Gone" with the novelty of "Bad Romance" and yet, in 50 years, will remain a classic. I thought "Fancy" was going to end up as video of the year, Taylor blew us all away with this masterpiece. I dedicate the apple pie at dinner to you Tay Tay!
3. People Recognizing Terrible Music
While America has a ways to go in terms of understanding the difference between "good" and "shit" music, we have come to a point where legacies don't have such a hold on popular music. The most obvious case I can think of at the moment is Eminem, a homophobic, misogynistic waste of space in this industry we call music. Even though everyone went a little insane over that "Guts Over Fear" song, it is understandable as Sia had a part in it. However, from the new lyrics involving beating up Lana Del Rey and raping Iggy Azalea, the public at large is finally starting to see just how terrible he is and hopefully, his hold on rap can move to someone better deserving of his status aka Nicki Minaj. Furthermore, Robin Thicke, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Lopez all had pretty bad albums this year AND the fans noticed too! This isn't meant to insult these artists, but rather encourage them to step up their game to deliver some legendary hits we know they can make. Good luck for the future you guys!
4. People Recognizing Amazing Music
In more positive news, 2014 has been the year I have been most proud to be an American pop fan! Seriously, so much good music has entered the charts this year and gone on to give immensely talented artists the recognition they deserve. From international dance groups to some of my favorite popstars, it was hard for me to find a time when the Top 10 didn't impress me. The following are some highlights of the past year that actually did pretty well on Billboard:
1. Ella Henderson - Ghost
Peak Chart Position: #75
Did It Deserve To Get Higher: Yes, very much so. But considering it just cracked the iTunes top 10 and Ella is still making the promo rounds, it's only a matter of time.
2. Sia - Chandelier
Peak Chart Position: #8
Did It Deserve To Get Higher: Yes, at least #1 for a week. Sia has been writing hits for the past 3 years and it was nice seeing her first single in a while do so well in America. Not to mention her album campaign has been PURE GENIUS and "Chandelier" will definitely be on the Best of 2014 list.
3. Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne - Rather Be
Peak Chart Position: #10
Did It Deserve To Get Higher: Maybe #5, but not more than that. Probably the biggest dance song of the year, AND it includes violins. Well done Clean Bandit.
4. Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - Fancy
Peak Chart Position: #1 (all summer)
Did It Deserve To Get Higher: No, this did sufficiently well. Iggy may have become way more commercial, but unlike all the idiotic haters on the Internet, that has been a good thing. Stay Fancy hon.
5. Tove Lo - Habits (Stay High)
Peak Chart Position: #3
Did It Deserve To Get Higher: Very much so. Wouldn't it have been amazing if 2014 closed with Tove Lo #1 in the US? It would be a Q4 miracle. Tove is definitely the best singer-songwriter in Sweden and is probably my favorite new act of 2014, even if Habits did come out A YEAR AND A HALF AGO! But I'm ahead of my time, what else is new?
6. Charli XCX - Boom Clap
Peak Chart Position: #8
Did It Deserve To Get Higher. DEAR GOD YAAAAAASSSSSS. The only way 2014 could have been perfect is if Tove, Taylor, and Charli passed the #1 spot to each other for at least 75% of the year.
5. Azealia Banks Released Her Album
SHE FINALLY FUCKING DID IT! Azealia Banks, full time Twitter beefer, part-time rapper, and occasional Illuminati aficionado, pulled a partial Beyonce & released her 2 and a half year delayed debut album Broke With Expensive Taste this past month! The release itself is a cause for celebration, forget the music. BUT WAIT, the music is actually really amazing too! I had thought that Azealia would be the person to have the best album of 2012 and if she had released this back then, it probably would have. But thanks to our little Ms. Banks, you can add the freshest most innovative rap album of the millennium to your collection.
6. One Direction Released A Good Album
It is a known fact that girl bands > boy bands. And having never been a huge One Direction, I wrote off this album as a sad ending before breaking up. However, I listened to it recently and here is my conclusion: it is very good.
7. Fleur East On The X Factor
The X Factor have made a wonderful return to form thanks in large part to Cheryl and Mel B acting as proper judges. Also, the singers have been pretty good as well, regardless of what Stevi Ritchie has made you think. Since the beginning, there were only two acts that could have become true sensations after the competition and one of them has already been eliminated (Only The Young for those who don't know). Thankfully, the one true popstar is still in the competition and her name is Fleur East. From the very beginning, Fleur embodied what music should be all about: style, choreography, diva-isms, signature look, iconic song choices, and most of all, a multi-talented vocalist that knows who she is. JUST LOOK AT THE ABOVE PERFORMANCE! If Fleur doesn't win the X Factor, we should all just give up and go home but hopefully, 2014 will bring the best winner of the show since the days of Leona Lewis and Joe McElderry.
8. Lorde's Hunger Games Soundtrack
Thank the Lorde! Movie soundtracks often contain one good song and a bunch of crap, as "Boom Clap" clearly demonstrated. However, in the hands of a true popstar and lover of music, they can actually be amazing collections that not only convey the themes of a film, but also sound like individual hits in their own right. Lorde's contributions are great themselves but roping in the likes of Stromae, HAIM, Ariana Grande, Major Lazer, Kanye West, CHVRCHES, Tinashe, XOV, Tove Lo, Charli XCX, and GRACE JONES? Simply legendary.
9. NONSTOP ON TOP POP WAS STARTED
2014 has been a wild ride but the highs this year have severely outweighed the lows. Starting this blog has been one of the highlights of the year. It's gonna get a little sentimental but music has been one of those things that has saved my life time and time again by being my friend, supporter, confidante, and first real love. From hugging my favorite singer to speaking with dear friend to the blog YYZ, I am so happy to be able to give back to the industry that has given me so much. So let me just say that 2014 has been a blast and 2015 can only get better. Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!
Let's not beat around the bush (did you catch that jungle reference?). We are in a severe girl group shortage at the moment and pop can never really be amazing unless one is going about somewhere making amaze balls music. In 2013, we saw the end of Girls Aloud (WE WILL NEVER FORGET) and Sugababes 2.0, which really could have ended after that last forgettable single they released. Meanwhile, the Origibabes, aka Mutya Keisha Siobhan, came back with a brilliant single and decided to go away into obscurity for a while, as all major artists do. Currently, The Saturdays are readying a Greatest Hits album only, Little Mix is nearing the end of their album campaign for Salute and Danity Kane was cut down to a trio before the release of their comeback single (Fifth Harmony who?).
Indeed, it looked as if we may have entered a dark age where girl groups died out and desolation could be heard from every corner. We may as well have gone through another ice age that killed all the dinosaurs, that's how cold life felt.
The song's revolutionary ability to set itself apart from the rest of mainstream radio is thanks to its writers, the amazing pop entities known as Cocknbullkid and Fear of Tigers (those names alone deserve a Grammy).With enough swagger and badassery to earn themselves a place on Bad Girls Club, the high energy Icona Pop-like catchiness of "Trouble" will not get out of your head for at least 72 hours and this is coming from a premed student so you know it's true. Not only did it give the girls their first top 20 chart hit in the UK and become one of the best songs of 2013, it gave them enough traction to cross the pond and perform at last year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show alongside pop juggernauts like Taylor Swift and Fall Out Boy.
The girls kept the momentum going by releasing 2 more top 10 hit singles "Braveheart" and "Welcome to the Jungle" which was essentially their way of saying, "Remember 'Spice Up Your Life'? Yeah, we're Neon Jungle, bitches!" The reckless clubby feel of these songs fit along with their debut single and their album set to be released at the end of July is sure to be among one of 2014's finest.
The best part about the band is that they know they're awesome. So awesome that they release covers of other amazing music, thereby compiling the collective amazingness into one performance. So awesome that the girls regularly show how much they love their fans through different media. And so awesome that the UK can't possibly contain their amazingness and they have decided to release "Trouble" in America THIS SUMMER! If that doesn't become a smash hit in the States, I will have lost all faith in college girls in the club who would eat this song up. But in the meantime, I'll be bouncing up and down to this song until the 72 hour rush it gives me dies away, which will probably never happen. And all I have to say to that is...
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