Out of Love was an interesting fluke in the Top 100! Loved it instantly, would have been great to see it go Top 40 but it was great to see it get as high as it did!

Call Me took a while for me unlike Sexual but it's a really great track, shame it couldn't be another big hit for him.

 

Dangerous Affair & especially Haide are both good BJSC picks!

Thank you for the comments guys :wub:

 

Call Me was a grower for me too Dobbo, I found it hugely underwhelming at first but now I'd actually opt to play it over Sexual (although overplay comes into that).

 

Instruction is indeed Stefflon's other track, Josh! It's certainly not Ding-A-Ling :kink:

Artists

 

 

10 Zara Larsson

 

Now we're at the first of my top 10 artists. I'll be revealing a new artist every 30 songs (for now). My artists countdown is based on a number of factors - singles, albums, live performances, tours, and general stanning from me.

 

The first of my top 10 is Swedish pop sensation of Zara Larsson, who released her international debut album this year. Zara's been on my radar since she won BJSC in 2013 with Uncover, a song I really liked. I only heard a couple more of her songs before Never Forget You started gaining traction in 2015. That song became a #1 in my chart, and she followed it up with further top 10s Lush Life, Girls Like and Ain't My Fault.

 

Zara was in a brilliant position going into 2017. I Would Like, which began impacting at the end of last year, has become my favourite Zara single, even if it "only" peaked at #10 in my chart. Momentum was building brilliantly, and then came the album's title track. So Good seemed to kill every bit of momentum she had going, but more on that later in my songs countdown. Symphony, however, was on hand to save things. It became her second #1 in my chart, and Clean Bandit's third, and then came the album.

 

So Good was a disappointing album on first listen for me. The problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that the best songs have been released as singles in advance of the album. Most of what's left was good, but nothing was particularly hit worthy. However, with tracks like TG4M, Funeral and Sundown, they proved to be huge growers.

 

Another factor which boosts Zara is the fact that I saw her live this year, on the day her album came out in fact. She played a gig at the Hippodrome in Kingston to celebrate the album launch, and it was brilliant. I've attended several gigs there, but most sets are generally about 4-5 songs long. Zara played at least 10 songs, including all the hit singles, and the crowd even sang Uncover while she got changed out of some uncomfortable clothing! :lol: She was so bubbly and likeable, and it was a brilliant night.

 

Looking ahead, I'm really excited for Zara's next album. She's proved that she's capable of bringing the anthems, and now what I'm hoping for is a much more cohesive album that's wall-to-wall with amazing songs, because she is certainly capable of it.

Great that Zara is one of your favourite artists this year!

I'm excited for her new album as well!

Hi Joseph

 

I definitely agree with you that So Good was a disappointing album. I had SUCH high hopes after all the singles had been massive bangers (I even liked the title track a lot) but there wasn't a single track on the album that was as good as any of the pre-album singles which was just so frustrating. It was an OK album but I never returned to it and just wish the quality was as good as promised :(

Songs

 

 

211 Astrid S - Think Before I Talk | 14-27-X (2 weeks)

212 All Time Low - Dirty Laundry | 20-12-15-26-38-X (5 weeks)

213 Stormzy feat. MNEK - Blinded By Your Grace, Pt. 2 | 17-26-26-33-… (4+ weeks)

214 Pia Mia - We Should Be Together | 19-23-30-X (3 weeks)

215 Michael Schulte - Hold the Rhythm | 15-35-X-33-X (3 non-consecutive weeks)

216 ALMA - Chasing Highs | 15-13-17-19-26-33-X (6 weeks)

217 Matoma & MAGIC! feat. D.R.A.M. - Girl at Coachella | 15-23-33-X (3 weeks)

218 George Shelley - Prove Me Wrong | 15-16-30-X (3 weeks)

219 Great Good Fine OK & Before You Exit - Find Yourself | 15-26-X (2 weeks)

220 Taylor Swift - This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things | 13-18-… (2+ weeks)

 

Kicking off this section, we have the first appearance of four from Taylor Swift. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things is said by some to highlight her most immature and petty side, and I can't really disagree, it's clear from the title alone. However, it's instantly catchy and full of personality, and away from the singles or promo tracks, it's made the biggest impact for me. Another album track in this section comes from German singer/songwriter Michael Schulte. Hold the Rhythm is the title track of his most recent album, and was my instant favourite. The chorus alone is so catchy and feel-good, but it's the post-chorus that's the best part, with its tribal influences which remind me of Shakira's Waka Waka.

 

Former BJSC act Great Good Fine OK teamed up with boyband Before You Exit for a track this year, which was surprisingly slick. Find Yourself has some really brilliant production, sounding current but definitely not blending in with anything you'd hear in the charts right now. Former boyband member George Shelley continued with his run of music releases at the end of 2016 (the first of which, 360, qualified for last year's countdown, while the remaining five are eligible this year - two have made it). Prove Me Wrong was a quirky little track to end the run of six tracks, and I'd consider it my third favourite, behind 360 and one more track that's still to feature this year.

 

One-hit wonders in the UK, MAGIC! kinda fell off my radar after Rude, which I actually enjoyed as a song. However, I decided to hear their track with Matoma out of curiosity, and it was surprisingly good, even if D.R.A.M.'s rap is pretty bad. Another one-hit wonder in the UK is Pia Mia, whose track We Should Be Together also surprised me earlier this year. It's sophisticated and effortlessly catchy, a shame that nobody sees her as a commercial prospect anymore.

 

Finishing the section, we have Stormzy's first appearance of two in this year's countdown. Stormzy isn't really my type of artist, so I was hugely surprised when he performed Blinded By Your Grace, Pt. 2 on X Factor and it was good! I love the gospel influences, and it's so refreshing as a chart hit. Indie band All Time Low scored their first hit in my chart with Dirty Laundry, definitely their best song that I've heard. Finally, Astrid S closes the section with Think Before I Talk, a song that became her third top 15 hit in my chart earlier this year (after 2AM and Paper Thin).

 

Recommendation

 

Blinded By Your Grace :wub: I was really happy to see him push this as gave people a chance to see a different side to his music!

 

Big fan of Chasing Highs too, I know that was widely chastised on here so good to see another fan.

Another chart with Blinded By Your Grace in :D I'm shocked at how popular it's become, but delighted nonetheless!

Hi Joseph

 

Yay at "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" making it in. I'm in your camp where it is a big highlight for me despite the childish lyrics, it's super catchy and I kind of love bratty Taylor anyway :lol: "I Did Something Bad" is my absolute favourite on there though aside from LWYMMD.

 

:cheer:

Songs

 

 

201 Lewis Watson - deep the water | 15-13-23-30-X (4 weeks)

202 MØ - Nights with You | 14-21-34-X-31-36-X (5 non-consecutive weeks)

203 Marcus & Martinus feat. Silentó - Like It Like It | 15-21-34-X (3 weeks)

204 CNCO - Hey DJ | 13-20-19-… (3+ weeks)

205 Rachel Platten - Broken Glass | 15-23-36-X (3 weeks)

206 Bebe Rexha - I Got You | 40-34-37-X-19-17-27-37-X (7 non-consecutive weeks)

207 Sofia Carson - Ins and Outs | 12-22-32-X (3 weeks)

208 Lost Kings feat. Tinashe - Quit You | 13-26-33-X (3 weeks)

209 Ella Eyre feat. Ty Dolla $ign - Ego | 13-27-35-X (3 weeks)

210 Chlöe Howl - Magnetic | 26-17-27-38-X (4 weeks)

 

Half of this section seems to be made up of artists who never quite lived up to their potential. Chlöe Howl seemed destined for success with her quirky, well-written and catchy indie pop tracks in 2014, with songs like Rumour and Disappointed being fantastic but never taking off as hits. She released her first track since 2015 this year, and in came Magnetic, a slick pop track that shows off her brilliant voice while taking a new direction from her older stuff. On a bigger scale, Ella Eyre's managed to have a number of huge features, but as a soloist, she's never quite hit the big time. New single Ego didn't change anything, but it's a catchy little pop track anyway.

 

Similarly, Bebe Rexha's been trying to get a solo hit for a while now. I Got You seemed to be her best chance of a hit at the time, but still it did nothing for her (thankfully, Meant to Be looks to change that now). Tinashe also hasn't broken through as a soloist, and she features on Lost Kings' track Quit You, a bubbly dance number and the first of two Lost Kings tracks in the top 250. Danish popstar MØ managed a successful single with Final Song last year, but every track since then hasn't caught on. Nights With You isn't her absolute best, but it's a decent enough track still.

 

Elsewhere in this section, upcoming popstar Sofia Carson makes her first appearance in an EOY of mine, with her #12 hit Ins and Outs. She may be a one-hit wonder in chart terms, but Rachel Platten scored a top 15 hit with her return track Broken Glass this year, a lovely little tropical pop track although Fight Song remains her best. Latin American boyband CNCO also only have one UK hit so far, but they managed a second hit with Hey DJ recently in my chart, peaking at #13.

 

Somehow notching up a successful feature for a third year in a row, Silentó makes his only appearance in this year's top 250 on Like It Like It, but it's the first of two for Norwegian pop duo Marcus & Martinus. Finally, former BJSC artist of mine Lewis Watson finally made his return with a second album this year, and deep the water is his only track in my top 250, only just missing out on the top 200.

 

Recommendation

 

Quit You!!! What an absolute banger. I had totally forgotten it even existed until I started compiling my EOY but I was obsessed with it for a month or so earlier in the year. I was really hoping it could be a part of Tinashe's big breakthrough but it seems that will never happen :')

 

 

Songs

 

http://i.imgur.com/1bAvrze.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/Aa9RhXq.png

 

191 Pitbull & Fifth Harmony - Por Favor | 13-23-34-X (3 weeks)

192 Harry Styles - Kiwi | 34-16-16-… (3+ weeks)

193 Maty Noyes - Say It to My Face | 13-21-26-X (3 weeks)

194 Liam Payne feat. Quavo - Strip That Down | 18-32-X-40-34-37-X (5 non-consecutive weeks)

195 Grey feat. Avril Lavigne & Anthony Green - Wings Clipped | 17-20-25-33-X (4 weeks)

196 Little Mix feat. Machine Gun Kelly - No More Sad Songs | 12-21-28-32-20-17-23-32-X (8 weeks)

197 JP Cooper - Passport Home | 9-18-26-38-X (4 weeks)

198 Banks - Trainwreck | 21-18-25-31-34-X (5 weeks)

199 ZAYN feat. Sia - Dusk Till Dawn | 39-38-23-22-19-13-19-31-X (8 weeks)

200 Dua Lipa feat. Miguel - Lost In Your Light | 9-18-32-X (3 weeks)

 

We're at the point now where we lose a couple of top 10 hits in my chart. Undoubtedly the worst-performing top 10 hit of my chart this year, Dua Lipa's Lost In Your Light didn't continue her streak of big hits. Whilst it's a good song and I obviously enjoyed it enough for it to make my top 10, but the limp chorus ruins the fantastic production unfortunately. A baffling single choice but would've made a nice album track. JP Cooper's Passport Home is only a few places higher. It made my top 10 off the back of September Song's success but on its own, it just simply didn't hit the spot long-term.

 

Two tracks in this section spent double the amount of time in my chart as Passport Home. Little Mix's No More Sad Songs was an underperformance by their standards, only peaking at #12 while every other Glory Days single has been a top 10, but it still had a decent enough run. Shame they couldn't get a better rapper than Machine Gun Basic. Fellow X Factor alumni ZAYN scored his longest running hit with Dusk Till Dawn this year. Even if it failed to match the peak of PILLOWTALK, its ascent up the chart was impressive although it had a very fast drop-off.

 

Banks impacts with album track Trainwreck, an instant highlight from her sophomore album The Altar. Grey's Wings Clipped wasn't a single either, but I checked it out due to Avril Lavigne's name being attached and it's a solid blend of the pop/punk sound Avril's tuned to perfection, and some current dance trends. Maty Noyes scored two top 20 hits this year, and the first appears at #193 with Say It To My Face, just two spots behind Fifth Harmony's highest entry Por Favor, a collaboration with Pitbull.

 

Finally, we're left with two more 1D members. Liam Payne's debut solo single was a huge underperformance in my chart. Harry and Louis both scored instant #1s, Niall made #5 and Zayn made #6 with their first singles, but Liam could only make #18 (a position he's not improved on since, either). Strip That Down is a bop though and it's held up well, even if I didn't love it as much as I'd hoped. Speaking of Harry, his third single Kiwi is one spot above. I've always considered Kiwi as my least favourite on his album, but it's had a bit of a boost thanks to his X Factor performance which I really enjoyed. Kudos to Harry for getting me to enjoy a song I usually wouldn't I guess!

 

Recommendation

 

Por Favor: The original version is in my opinion better than the Spanglish version.

Kiwi: It's a fantastic song from his self-titled album

Strip That Down: Probably one of the most overhated songs in my opinion, considering I've saw this song on many worst hit song lists on Youtube

No More Sad Songs: Surprised how well the collaboration between Little Mix and MGK worked!

Passport Home: Not my favourite from his first album, but still a great song!

Dusk Till Dawn: ZAYN's best hit since "PILLOWTALK" for me and both have made a good song.

Lost In Your Light: Dua Lipa is amazing here as always and Miguel's part is good too! Shame it wasn't a hit.

Artists

 

 

9 Taylor Swift

 

As one of my all-time favourite artists, Taylor Swift's comeback in 2017 was possibly my most anticipated of them all. I had no idea what to expect beyond a continuation of her pop sound from 1989. The quality could've gone either way - her last three albums had been amazing but would album six be able to live up to the high expectations? I wasn't sure, but I knew that I was ready for it (no pun intended) either way.

 

I stayed up, ridiculously, until 5am to hear Look What You Made Me Do, the stormer of a comeback single. After finding it a bit 'wtf' on listen 1, I quickly grew to love it. Then quickly went off it - I didn't love it as much as Shake It Off or We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Normally a Taylor lead single is an absolute cracker, but even with a strong video to boot, LWYMMD had a high burn rate. It was nothing to do with the lyrical content - I don't mind petty Taylor and never have - but it was the song as a whole.

 

Then came the promotional singles. I never quite loved ...Ready For It? and I find Gorgeous to be one of the weakest on reputation. Call It What You Want thankfully restored my anticipation for the album, a week before it came out. Ultimately, my expectations were all over the place. Had Taylor jumped the shark? Or were the best songs still to come?

 

I realised quickly that I had nothing to worry about. Whilst reputation was definitely not as good as 1989, it was a really solid album with plenty to love. Tracks like I Did Something Bad and End Game took on a new direction for Taylor, while Delicate and Call It What You Want continued the sound she followed in Wildest Dreams, my favourite single of hers. LWYMMD sounded fresh again in the context of the album thankfully, and ultimately, I'm still in love with Taylor as much as always.

 

Looking forward, I'm hoping End Game starts to impact in the UK quickly in the new year. They're being stupid by pushing Gorgeous right now I think, particularly when End Game is taking off in the US. I can't wait to see her live at Wembley Stadium next year, it's bound to be an amazing night!!

Wings clipped is really good, I was so blown away by Grey's EP cus I thought it was just gonna be full of generic future bass a la starving but they really impressed, and the song they did with Camila Cabello for Bright was a tune too so I'm really gonna keep my eye out for them

Lost In Your Light scrapng it *.* It's really not that bad lmaoo, I think it's one of those that gets way more hate because it was a single and probably shouldn't have been :lol:

 

 

Yaass at Taylor stanning, Reputation is definitely my album of the year and she's made it all such an event when a video or song premiered :wub:

I thought the performance of Kiwi during the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was a huge improvement actually, it helped highlight the song.

 

Dusk Till Dawn had such a high burn rate for me, while Strip That Down is more of the opposite :P

Hi Joseph

 

Shocked at how low No More Sad Songs here, it underperformed a bit for me too compared to all of their other singles since Black Magic but I still love it a lot. I really appreciated the Machine Gun Kelly remix too, that definitely made it feel a bit more fresh again after I had burned the album version out a bit.

 

LWYMMD is my favourite Taylor lead yet, I think! I seem to be one of the very few people that still think it sounds amazing and haven't got sick of it at all. I agree with you 100% that the album isn't as good as 1989 on the whole though but that was always going to be a tough ask :wub:

Thanks for the comments guys :wub:

 

Lost In Your Light scrapng it *.* It's really not that bad lmaoo, I think it's one of those that gets way more hate because it was a single and probably shouldn't have been :lol:

I agree that it's not a bad song at all, it'd be a really solid album track if she hadn't tried releasing it I think. However, it was definitely a comedown after Hotter Than Hell, Blow Your Mind and the Be the One re-issue :(