January 20, 20196 yr Author Artists  5 Anne-Marie Buzzjack's very torn on Anne-Marie but it's always been pure love for me. I've been following her mostly since Alarm came out in mid 2016 although I was aware before, and that song quickly became love. Rockabye ensued, followed by what remains as her best track: Ciao Adios. Even the end of 2017, where things suddenly felt uncertain, didn't dampen my excitement for Anne-Marie's debut album, although I do wish it hadn't taken so long to arrive. She sang a solid 7-8 songs when supporting Ed Sheeran live, so the material was there. Waiting over a year from Ciao Adios felt strange! 2018 really did get off to a great start though. FRIENDS arrived, a collaboration with Marshmello. I'll discuss this later in the songs countdown but it became a #1 on my singles chart, her fourth to date, and really ramped up my excitement once again. It was great to see it smashing, and then 2002 somehow doing even better was just great to see. Everything suddenly felt positive again. The relative flop of Heavy had been counteracted with two huge hits, her two biggest as a lead artist to date. The album didn't disappoint either. The large helping of pre-released singles assisted when listening to the album - knowing a lot of the songs helped me get to know the new tracks that bit easier. Songs like Trigger, Perfect [to Me] and Cry were played on her tour in March that I went to see, and they all sounded brilliant in studio form. In fact, I'd say the full 17 track album only has two duds - Machine and Some People. Not bad going at all! I saw Anne-Marie live twice over 2018 too. Firstly in March, before 2002 actually came out, where I heard a large helping of the album for the first time. A lot of people seemed to be there on a casual night out rather than being proper Anne-Marie fans, so the crowd was one that I stood out like a sore thumb in. She was great though and put on such a fun show, so much so that I bought a ticket to see her in November. The album was long since out by this point, and it was just as fun to hear the songs again now I was familiar with them. The crowd felt much more invested in her set this time, which was great, and her crowd interaction was as brilliant as ever. I'm seeing her once again at Hammersmith this June and I couldn't be more excited!  4 Lil Xan I think many people on here are aware of my dislike of the hip-hop genre in general. It's just... not for me, and I'm much more likely to enjoy a female rapper than a male rapper (see: Cardi B, Iggy Azalea and the cancelled one). However, I like to judge on a song-by-song basis, and this is one guy that keeps putting out some pretty solid tracks. Lil Xan (real name Diego Leanos) came to my attention around April last year when I saw Color Blind, his Diplo collaboration, on a playlist and listened out of curiosity. It took a few plays before it totally clicked with me, and curiosity led me to more Lil Xan tracks. The rest, as they say, is history. It's funny, because I can say a lot of negative stuff about Lil Xan, just as much as I can about positive stuff really. His lyrics are not particularly great for the most part, and he certainly doesn't think before he speaks on social media. That said, there's a certain charm he has that other rappers don't. He's relatively unproblematic (other than running his mouth) and I think his heart's in the right place. He's also surprisingly good with melodies - my favourite Lil Xan tracks all have a catchy and memorable chorus, as well as great production. He's also showing some brilliant signs of improvement through the Heartbreak Soldiers mixtape and new single Watch Me Fall (see 2019's EOY for its placing x) - he's an artist thrust into the limelight and we're watching him grow into the artist he wants to become. I actually saw him live in July, and honestly, it was my first experience of a rap concert. It was much more full-on than any other gig I went to. Music was blaring from the start (DJ Semtex was hosting and DJing before the supports and eventually Diego came on), and there was no real down time. Additionally, there was a mosh pit in the middle... made me glad I stood near the back! I'm considering seeing him again this March in London, and potentially nabbing the VIP meet and greet (it's relatively cheap, OK!!!). With new album Be Safe out in February, I'm quite excited to see Diego's continued path through improvement. He might never be the perfect artist, but he's certainly getting better.  3 Troye Sivan Put quite simply. Troye Sivan's sophomore release was THE most anticipated release of the year for me. Blue Neighbourhood was my favourite album of 2015, and it has quite the list of accolades from my album chart. Most notably, it has the most weeks at #1 (16), and the most weeks in the chart full stop (102). I consider it my second favourite album of all-time, behind only Kate Nash's Made of Bricks. The way Troye talks about love and sexuality is quite unlike any artist, making a huge impact on me which you can read about in greater detail across my 2015 and 2016 EOYs if you'd like to. It's fair to say, Bloom had a lot to live up to. We started the year with new Troye quite quickly, and he got off to a superb start. My My My! was a three week #1 in my singles chart, his longest run at the top to date, and it charting in the UK top 40 was a brilliant moment for me. The Good Side followed not long after as a promotional single - a pleasant album track with interesting flickers of production. Then things seemed to go quiet. Bloom came out as the second single in April, but the album wasn't out until the very last day of August. It felt like a silly wait for a 10 track album, which we had already heard half of by the time it arrived!! Dance To This with Ariana Grande came too, and whilst I really liked it, it felt like a slightly underwhelming track considering the names. Somehow, I felt a bit worried that Bloom wasn't going to match my expectations. It's worth saying that I never expected Troye to top Blue Neighbourhood. That's a once in a lifetime type album. Bloom was NEVER going to be as good, and that's okay, but I still had high hopes. My copy of Bloom eventually arrived, actually one day before the official release. Honestly, the fact I worried at all was forgotten within track one. From the honest tales of young love in Seventeen, to the bop Plum and the carefree breezy Lucky Strike, the album as a whole had me floored. Troye proved he's an exceptional artist capable of keeping his sound unique and relevant, while changing up the vibe from Blue Neighbourhood. Moving on from a more darker sound in Blue Neighbourhood, Bloom is about falling in love for the most part. Its vibe is generally happier and bouncier, and proves Troye's versatility. I should never have doubted him. I'm seeing Troye live in February and I really couldn't be more excited. I've seen him twice before, the last time almost three years ago, and each time was exceptional but somehow this feels even more special. With two incredible albums under his belt, Troye's show is bound to be flawless and I cannot wait to cry, dance and experience every emotion under the sun throughout his set.  2 Rita Ora We never though it would come. It felt like one of those mythological beasts that was spoken of but actually didn't exist. Believe it or not, though, Rita Ora's second album finally came in 2018. It really did feel like we'd never get it for quite a while. Six years had passed since ORA, and a bunch of hit singles still didn't persuade Rita to release it. Anywhere's release came and went, and there was no album announcement. What was she waiting for? It seemed the answer was Girls, and while I totally love it (more on that later), the public didn't. #22. RIP. Phoenix finally came after the smash hit Let You Love Me though, and Rita proved just why she's one of the best names in pop right now. Of course, all six singles were brilliant and I loved hearing them slot in amongst new material. Only Want You and First Time High were my clear highlights, the former seemed like the clear pick for the next single. Sure enough, it became the sixth #1 of this campaign along in my album chart (only Your Song missed out), and Rita's tenth #1 in total, pushing her to third place for artists with the most #1s in my chart. Additionally, Rita also tied the record for most #1s in a calendar year; only three previous artists managed four #1s in a year (The Vamps in 2017, Hunter Hayes in 2014 and One Direction in 2012), yet Rita joined Why Don't We and Matteo Markus Bok in achieving four each throughout 2018. Alongside the release of the album came her exceptional promotion. Every live performance Rita delivered this year was flawless (except that miming one lol x). Her vocals were on point and she's brilliant at delivering choreography. Her Let You Love Me performances have been notably excellent, each one offering something new to the last. Rita's Girls tour was a huge highlight of 2018 too. I sang along to every song, partying harder than I would at any usual concert because it was hit after hit. I had the time of my life, and I am SO excited for the Phoenix tour next year! I also met Rita at her HMV signing in November, and got a photo with her. She was so kind :heart: meeting her again at VIP for her tour, getting a professional photo this time!! Cannot wait.  1 Why Don't We There was never going to be another outcome for #1 really, and it's funny because if you told me Why Don't We were going to be my #1 artist of 2018 this time last year, I'd have been pretty surprised. I'd only heard These Girls and a couple of their older songs by this point in 2018 and I wasn't too fussed. These Girls had gone 40-x in my chart and the others had one listen on YouTube and nothing more. I just assumed they were the latest in a long line of boybands trying to replicate One Direction, and the material just wasn't there, even for this One Direction (and just about ANY boyband) stan. It was Trust Fund Baby that changed things, and it's funny cause I wasn't even THAT fussed with it at first. I listened and wasn't too bothered, but it grew quickly the more I listened and it became an #8 hit in my chart. It became a #1 hit a month later interestingly, holding the top spot for two weeks. Its climb was unprecedented, especially as it had dipped out of the top 10 for two weeks first. What clicked? I'm not really sure, but it's such an earworm and I really like the music video too. Finally, Why Don't We had made their mark on me. I revisited older songs. These Girls hit me properly (weirdly it was replaced by a slightly revamped mix on Spotify with nothing more said, but it improves the song) and re-entered my chart at a new peak of #10, and I was all over their recent Invitation EP - a #1 in my album chart. It was around that time that I saw they had a gig at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. The issue was, it had sold out. There was no way I couldn't go, though. I was becoming quite obsessed with them, and I really wanted to see them live. I ended up buying a ticket from Viagogo (I'd never bought a resale ticket before!!) for a silly price, but god it was worth EVERY SECOND. Such a fun night and it made me adore so much of their earlier material. I spent the day of the gig trying to track them down too - albeit at the wrong hotel at first - but ultimately I met Jack, Zach and Jonah briefly as they arrived at the venue, and Jack gave me a fistbump. I was more than a little excited, considering he's my favourite (and the inspiration behind JosephAvery). About a week or two after that gig, they released Hooked, and I don't think a song title has been more apt. The song had me obsessed with one listen alone. Why Don't We proved they'd mastered their sound, classy boyband pop with plenty of hooks. Jack took the lead on the chorus, giving his best vocal performance to date, and I love the music video too. It spent four weeks at #1 in my chart - the most consecutive weeks of any song in 2018. A month later, they released Talk, yet another brilliant pop song. I noticed that both Hooked and Talk featured some of the best production they'd received yet, thanks to a record label now backing them. 8 Letters followed in August, two weeks before the album of the same name. At only eight tracks, three of which being the last three singles, it's a little short but that doesn't stop it being amazing (and already announced as my album of 2018 earlier in the thread). I saw them live again in October, this time buying a ticket through Ticketmaster (lol x), and I also nabbed a Limelight VIP package. Not only did I get a professional photo with the boys, but I also got to attend a 25 minute "mingle" with them for chat and selfies. I got a selfie with each member, and I have so many great memories of that half hour. Jack was my priority, and we exchanged hair compliments :lol: Daniel made the effort to learn my name like none of the others did, Zach stole my phone and took eight (!) of his own selfies on it, Jonah gave some great advice to a friend I made at the meet & greet, and Corbyn took the time to have a proper conversation with everybody that came to him. The gig was brilliant once again too. A night I'll never forget. 2019 seems like things will be going up and up for Why Don't We. This is only the beginning, and I'm strapped in for the ride. Thanks for one hell of a year, boys :heart:
January 20, 20196 yr Bad Vibe gives me real good vibes (good vibe good vibe good vibe). I listen to a radio station in Zambia and it was #1 on their chart. Zambian legends only *. Thank u, next flopping at #106 with no support and no cultural impact :( </3
January 21, 20196 yr Author Songs  91 Lasse Meling - Unfound | 8-10-17-29-35-x (5 weeks) 92 PRETTYMUCH feat. Rich the Kid - Solita | 3-10-18-32-x (4 weeks) 93 Lily Allen feat. Giggs - Trigger Bang | 1-2-5-7-12-20-32-x (7 weeks) 94 Nemo Schiffman - Will | 29-10-17-29-x (4 weeks) 95 Dua Lipa - IDGAF | 15-14-6-6-12-15-23-29-38-x (9 weeks) 96 Aitana & Ana Guerra - Lo Malo | 4-6-11-19-27-x (5 weeks) 97 Electric Pineapple feat. Ryan Lawrie - Stay | 12-37-x-40-21-18-6-8-14-23-32-x (10 non-consecutive weeks) 98 Joel Adams - Fake Friends | 16-10-6-10-17-25-37-x (7 weeks) 99 Sigala & The Vamps - We Don't Care | 4-8-15-20-29-x (5 weeks) 100 Alec Benjamin - If We Have Each Other | 17-13-11-8-13-25-32-x (7 weeks) Into the top 100 we go!! First up is appearance one of four in the top 100 for Alec Benjamin. If We Have Each Other was released as the third single from his Narrated for You project, and became his third top 10 over the summer. It's one of the cutest songs of the year - "the world's not perfect, but it's not that bad", ultimately talking about Alec's relationship with his sister. One spot above is a team-up between two British acts - DJ Sigala and boyband The Vamps. To this day, We Don't Care remains Sigala's only top 5 hit in my chart despite not actually being a single. That said, he still has one more song to feature. I feel like I said Hair Too Long was The Vamps' highest song, forgetting this was still to come, but actually they *do* feature in my top 100 this year... just! Making a return to music after a couple of years away, Joel Adams' Fake Friends became his third top 10 single towards the end of last year. His introductory track, Please Don't Go, was a global Spotify smash hit but thanks to a label that, from my POV, only seemed to use the success of that track to promote their own services, he didn't properly follow it up (releasing promotional single Die For You on YouTube with a video but it never got a proper release). It was a brilliant return to form anyway, and is hopefully setting Joel up for an exciting 2019. From one former BJSC artist of mine to another, Ryan Lawrie teamed up with Electric Pineapple to release Stay last year. The track was a definite slow-burner, taking its time to click, but ultimately it became Ryan's third top 10 hit, keeping up his 100% top 10 streak (and interestingly, he has an identical chart history to Joel - one #1 that I sent to BJSC, one #2 and one #6!). Completing a trio of former BJSC artists of mine, Nemo Schiffman's at #94 with Will, his only appearance this year after finishing second with I Don't Mind in last year's countdown. Interestingly, Will actually came out before I Don't Mind, but only clicked with me roughly a year after I heard it! Its chart run looks weak in comparison to those surrounding it, but it's notched up some impressive trickle plays over the year! From BJSC to its parent contest: Eurovision. Two rejected Eurovision hopefuls appear here, and first up is one from Spain. Aitana and Ana Guerra teamed up for Lo Malo, a #1 hit in Spain but it wasn't enough for it to become their Eurovision entry. A shame, because it's a total bop, incredibly catchy and was so very instant for me too. At the top of the section there's a reject from Denmark. Lasse Meling's Unfound could easily be a Shawn Mendes song, which is no bad thing in my books, and made it to #8 in one of the busiest weeks of the year. Irritatingly, it's still not on UK iTunes or Spotify. Mess. Dua Lipa's huge smash hit IDGAF made it to #6 in my chart, riding off the coattails of previous hit New Rules. It's not Dua's last appearance either - her Calvin collaboration didn't do enough for the top 300 and the Silk City collab has appeared already, but her team-up with BLACKPINK is still to come...! PRETTYMUCH added further to their run of hits with Solita, a #3 hit in September, which remains their most recent top 10 as follow-ups Real Friends and Jello couldn't crack the top tier. Finally, Lily Allen's #1 hit Trigger Bang drops out. The opening from Giggs remains quite offputting to me, but after that the song's quality jumps up and is a brilliantly inspired track from Lily. It's her highest track in this year's countdown, though. Recommendation IIMdhihx4i4
January 21, 20196 yr Here are the songs that I like from your top 150: 93 Lily Allen feat. Giggs - Trigger Bang 95 Dua Lipa - IDGAF (Did I mention that I love Dua Lipa?) 99 Sigala & The Vamps - We Don't Care 102 Halsey - Without Me 106 Ariana Grande - thank u, next 110 M.O, Lotto Boyzz & Mr Eazi - Bad Vibe 112 Michael Schulte - You Let Me Walk Alone (Very great entry from our country in Eurovision!) 115 Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B - Finesse 118 Nina Nesbitt - Loyal to Me 120 Topic & Ally Brooke - Perfect 124 Jason Derulo & David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj & Willy William - Goodbye 125 Madison Beer feat. Offset - Hurts Like Hell 126 Taylor Swift - Delicate 127 Cheat Codes & Little Mix - Only You 130 Ariana Grande - God is a woman 131 Camila Cabello - She Loves Control (Should have been a single) 135 5 Seconds of Summer - Youngblood 136 Carly Rae Jepsen - Party For One 138 Bebe Rexha - Self Control (Pretty underrated in my opinion) 139 Jax Jones feat. Ina Wroldsen - Breathe 141 Clean Bandit feat. Marina & Luis Fonsi - Baby 144 MAX, TINI & Daneon - Lights Down Low (Only heard the MAX & Gnash Version and I liked it) 148 Anne-Marie - Perfect to Me 150 George Ezra - Shotgun (Perfect way to start the top 150!) Great chart!
January 22, 20196 yr Lo Malo *.* *.* What an absolute bop, Spain are always mess choosing their entries :drama:
January 22, 20196 yr Author Thank you both!! :D Be careful Liam, remember you're in a Manel stan zone :o :kink:
January 22, 20196 yr His introductory track, Please Don't Go, was a global Spotify smash hit but thanks to a label that, from my POV, only seemed to use the success of that track to promote their own services, he didn't properly follow it up (releasing promotional single Die For You on YouTube with a video but it never got a proper release).and now Please Don’t Go is seeing a small resurgence thanks to tiktok - IDGAF is the one song in that section that I know and love, will probably have to check out a good half of those. Lo Malo was pretty good as well! I found We Don’t Care to be rather disappointing unfortunately.
January 22, 20196 yr Nice to see Unfound appear here - it caught my attention the first time I heard it and peaked inside the Top 50 in my personal chart (I swear it was on my Spotify playlist though - maybe they took it off later?), although Rasmussen made #1 so the right choice ultimately from Denmark!
January 22, 20196 yr Author and now Please Don’t Go is seeing a small resurgence thanks to tiktok - IDGAF is the one song in that section that I know and love, will probably have to check out a good half of those. Lo Malo was pretty good as well! I found We Don’t Care to be rather disappointing unfortunately. omg the enduring hit!! Thanks Cody :D Nice to see Unfound appear here - it caught my attention the first time I heard it and peaked inside the Top 50 in my personal chart (I swear it was on my Spotify playlist though - maybe they took it off later?), although Rasmussen made #1 so the right choice ultimately from Denmark! I think it was briefly on Spotify (through the national selection's compilation album) but it definitely isn't now lol :( Thanks Pete!!
January 22, 20196 yr Author Songs  81 Ryan O'Shaughnessy - Together | 38-x-7-3-5-12-26-33-x (7 non-consecutive weeks) 82 CNCO - Mi Medicina | 36-36-16-18-27-6-2-7-12-25-x (10 weeks) 83 Tyron Hapi & Liam Ferrari - I Like the Way | 4-10-17-29-36-x (5 weeks) 84 Tom Odell - If You Wanna Love Somebody | 2-7-16-23-31-x (5 weeks) 85 Sigala & Paloma Faith - Lullaby | 39-33-13-10-11-18-24-35-x (8 weeks) 86 Mabel & Not3s - Fine Line | 5-8-12-20-26-34-39-x (7 weeks) 87 Shawn Mendes - Nervous | 40-35-17-10-9-15-26-39-x (8 weeks) 88 Dylan Schneider - No Problem | 11-1-2-6-12-21-34-x (7 weeks) 89 Anne-Marie - Then | 1-4-5-9-13-22-36-x (7 weeks) 90 Zak Abel - Still Want UUU | 28-13-6-4-7-6-11-18-23-30-x (10 weeks) Zak Abel scored a couple of top 10s from his debut album Only When We're Naked over 2017, and finished the year with the album's third single Still Want UUU entering the top tier. It gave him his joint highest peak, alongside Unstable, and overall his biggest hit yet. It's a very catchy track and it's a shame that Zak's career overall hasn't managed to catch on. It's his hgihest track of three this year. Also making their last appearances, together, are Mabel and Not3s. They teamed up for Mabel's track Fine Line, an instant top 5 hit in my chart when it came out. It's the only top 10 hit so far for both artists, although each of them has an array of top 20 hits. It finishes at #86 in my EOY! Two #1s fall out next to each other here, meaning that all four #1s from last December have already dropped out and make up the bottom four #1s from the eligibility period. December's often quite a dead period of my chart so this is not really much of a surprise! First up is Anne-Marie's promotional track Then, which perhaps stands out in her chart history as #1 when her actual biggest hit, Ciao Adios only actually made #2 in 2017. However, it made my 2017 Christmas #1 spot and I do really enjoy it, although it's not one I go back to much. Meanwhile, Dylan Schneider's No Problem was the last hit of the year. A rare country hit in my chart, Dylan actually remains a one-hit wonder, having not followed up No Problem still. It's a good track, although is actually beaten by the tracks it kept at #2 and #3 (Isac Elliot's Mouth to Mouth, which overtook to #1 the week after, and Matteo Markus Bok's Just One Lie, which never made it higher than #3). Was it a single? Wasn't it? God knows with this exceptionally messy campaign, but Shawn Mendes still notched up a top 10 hit with Nervous in my chart this year. It's a great change of vibe and pace for him, and I wish they'd actually committed to making it a single. CNCO's Mi Medicina was also a promotional single, although it did get a music video. Initially a low top 40 hit, Mi Medicina eventually peaked at #2 when their self-titled sophomore album was released in April, being blocked from #1 only by their own track Sólo Yo! Achieving his first top 10 hit in two years, Sigala enlisted Paloma "Palome my love!" Faith for Lullaby, a track which I definitely appreciate more than its peak would suggest. Lullaby scraped a top 10 placing after I saw Paloma live in March, and she performed what she described as her "potential summer anthem". I think it definitely achieved that! Tom Odell's If You Wanna Love Somebody, on the other hand, was snubbed from my date of the Jubilee Road Tour, despite being the album's lead single. It became his third #2 hit, not following Real Love and Magnetised to the #1 spot, but at least it was justified - the #1 that week, Hooked by Why Don't We, is still in the competition. Tyron Hapi called upon Liam Ferrari for I Like the Way, a very catchy dance-pop song perfect for summer. It gave both artists their first top 40 hit, peaking at #4. Finally, Ryan O'Shaughnessy's touching guitar ballad Together, which represented Ireland at Eurovision last year, places at #81. The song grew on me hugely after seeing the staging and performance, a delightful surprise and incredibly touching. Recommendation AE5PqQ_6V5Y
January 23, 20196 yr Author Songs  71 In Real Life - Tonight Belongs to You | 2-3-13-18-23-29-x (6 weeks) 72 Camila Cabello - Never Be the Same | 19-30-31-18-15-5-8-13-14-22-27-37-x (12 weeks) 73 Alec Benjamin - 1994 | 3-4-4-9-… (4+ weeks) 74 Shawn Mendes & Zedd - Lost in Japan | 6-15-27-x-37-35-38-8-7-11-20-33-… (11+ non-consecutive weeks) 75 Lost Frequencies feat. Janieck Devy - Reality | 4-7-7-14-20-31-x (6 weeks) 76 James Bay - Wild Love | 5-5-9-12-17-26-36-x (7 weeks) 77 Alec Benjamin - Outrunning Karma | 12-11-7-5-9-12-17-14-27-… (9+ weeks) 78 Jesper Jenset - FOR LOVE. | 5-8-18-30-34-x (5 weeks) 79 Alan Walker, Au/Ra & Tomine Harket - Darkside | 8-4-6-10-17-29-38-x (7 weeks) 80 Manel Navarro - Voulez-vous Danser? | 5-8-16-22-29-33-38-x (7 weeks) Scoring one of my top 20 songs of 2017, Manel Navarro's sole solo release of 2018 saw him notch up a further top 5 hit. Voulez-vous Danser?, despite the French title, is the first track he's released in his native Spanish language (the Eurovision version of Do It For Your Lover was partly in Spanish, with the original English chorus remaining). It's a catchy, breezy track and exactly the type of music I was hoping for from him. I'm hoping it won't be too long until he follows it up, it's been a while and all we've had is a feature on JOWST's Roller Coaster! Two spots above is a former BJSC artist of mine, Jesper Jenset. The Norwegian popstar has a hit and miss record in my chart, notably scoring three top 10 hits in 2015 and 2016, including High, a #2 hit (and #20 EOY) that gave me one of my three BJSC top 10 hits. FOR LOVE. returned him to the top 5 earlier this year, and finishes in a very respectable 78th after strong trickle plays. Alan Walker's effectively a one-hit wonder as far as the UK charts go, but interestingly, Faded is actually not one of his two top 10s in my chart. All Falls Down made the top 5 at the very start of the year (it featured last year though and I decided it didn't do quite enough for a reprise feature this year), but he managed to achieve his highest position so far with Darkside, a surprise hit over the summer. Accompanied by Au/Ra and Tomine Harket on vocals, all artists involved achieved their highest position ever when the track climbed to #4. In Real Life also scored their highest position to date with Tonight Belongs to You, a catchy Latin-tinged pop track with a belter of a chorus. It managed to outdo Eyes Closed and Tattoo (How 'Bout You), both of which made it to #3, by making the top 2, though it lost out on #1 to Lil Xan and Charli XCX's Moonlight (still to come). There's double Alec Benjamin in this section. Outrunning Karma is out first at #77, a slow-burning hit that climbed into the top 5 during October. It was the fifth release from Narrated for You, continuing this era's yo-yo peaks of 1-33*-8-38-5 (* Boy in the Bubble made it to #33 months after its release). He's also at #73 with the track that broke the yo-yo run. 1994 followed Outrunning Karma, and was an ode to growing up, reminiscing about sick days and injuries he got as a kid. It debuted and peaked at #3, his second highest peaking track. It's also his second highest track in this year's countdown, leaving his sole #1 hit Let Me Down Slowly in the running! Other big names feature in this section. Although I found his sophomore album an all-round disappointment, James Bay's Wild Love achieves a very respectable #76 in my EOY. Though #5 seems like a weak comeback for somebody who had one of the biggest albums of 2015 in my chart, it did so on the busiest week of the year (behind new singles from Anne-Marie, Ulrik Munther, Nadine Coyle and Margaret). I remember hearing Wild Love and pretty much hating it on one listen oops, but it grew on me a lot as the intricacies of the production and the gradual build-up of the song really went up in my estimations. Camila Cabello's Never Be the Same was a big grower too, initially looking to have a fleeting run after it went 19-30 in week 2, but it eventually climbed up to achieve a #5 peak. It's Camila's highest track in this year's countdown. Both Shawn Mendes and Zedd have more songs to come though (Shawn has one, Zedd has two). Their team-up, Lost in Japan, is at #74. Interestingly, its #6 peak should really be attributed to Shawn only, as it was achieved by the album version as a promotional single, but the Zedd remix ultimately peaked at #7 so there's little difference. I like both versions very much anyway! Every now and then, something random will impact my chart. Generally it's an older song that I hadn't heard before. Lost Frequencies has that honour this year, with his 2015 track Reality, a UK top 40 hit back then, only actually entering my chart in 2018. Reality made the top 40 in the period where they didn't play #40-26 in full, so I never actually heard Reality, and I didn't check it out of my own accord as Are You With Me didn't do a lot for me. However, I was really missing out, and somehow I stumbled upon it last year. It's a great track and one I still revisit a lot! Recommendation cGf5JN_mel8
January 24, 20196 yr Regarding the last 10, Never Be the Same is definitely my fave. Camila's at her very best. :wub: Lost in Japan is good, but 'In My Blood' is by far superior imo. :dance:
January 24, 20196 yr Author Songs  61 Why Don't We - These Girls | 40-x-10-11-19-21-35-x-24-32-x (8 non-consecutive weeks) 62 CNCO - Se Vuelve Loca | 13-6-10-13-23-39-x-40-23-5-14-19-27-34-x (13 non-consecutive weeks) 63 Gryffin & Elley Duhé - Tie Me Down | 3-3-4-8-14-21-29-x (7 weeks) 64 Charlie Puth feat. Kehlani - Done For Me | 2-5-8-14-21-28-39-x (7 weeks) 65 Troye Sivan feat. Ariana Grande - Dance to This | 26-5-12-18-24-32-40-x (7 weeks) 66 Sean Paul & David Guetta feat. Becky G - Mad Love | 12-21-20-19-14-8-16-22-26-33-x (10 weeks) 67 Loïc Nottet - Go To Sleep | 9-11-20-33-x-20-31-38-x (7 non-consecutive weeks) 68 Benjamin Ingrosso - I Wouldn't Know | 2-9-16-27-37-x (5 weeks) 69 Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho | 19-26-40-x-2-… (4+ non-consecutive weeks) 70 PRETTYMUCH - Summer on You | 16-24-22-19-14-11-5-7-9-12-22-31-34-x (13 weeks) Achieving yet another slow-burning smash, PRETTYMUCH's Summer On You took seven weeks to reach the top 10, zooming up 11-5 over the summer. The Ed Sheeran-penned guitar-led track is a breezy summer lowkey bop, and possibly the song of theirs that will hold up the best for me in years to come. It's their second highest appearance this year, with No More still to come in the top 60. PRETTYMUCH are one of three boybands to appear in this section, the other two at the top end. CNCO's Se Vuelve Loca became a top 10 hit when their sophomore self-titled album came out, reaching #6, before re-peaking at #5 when it became a single, complete with music video and Spanglish version. Additionally, Why Don't We make appearance two of six with These Girls, a 2017 single that finally became a top 10 hit in 2018 thanks to the impact of Trust Fund Baby. It saw good trickle sales over the year thanks to their continued presence with further hits in my chart! The newest #2 hit in the countdown, Ava Max's Sweet But Psycho began its resurgence in the final chart of the eligibility period. It's not made it higher than #2 since then, but it's still in my top 20, helped a lot by its current UK #1 status. A brilliant pop track, and hopefully a trendsetter for 2019! Benjamin Ingrosso's I Wouldn't Know was the second of two #2 hits for him this year. Dance You Off is still to come but I Wouldn't Know is a very catchy pop track, with Benjy's voice shining through in the chorus. Charlie Puth's Done For Me was also a #2 hit, losing out to Louisa's YES (still to come), giving him a third top 3 hit from the Voicenotes campaign (after #3 hit Attention and #1 hit How Long in 2017). Kehlani seemed to curse the track as far as official chart performance went but I liked the track from the get-go, the production is fantastic and they sound so good together! Best known for Eurovision track Rhythm Inside, Loïc Nottet actually hadn't achieved a top 10 hit in my chart before Go to Sleep. However, the stripped-back piano ballad struck a chord with me. Loïc's angelic voice amongst the emotional lyrics made for one of the most relevant songs of the year for me, and although its chart run isn't the most exceptional of the year, I've given it regular plays (and once again, shows the importance of trickle plays even after the chart run is concluded). At the other end of the spectrum, Sean Paul's Mad Love, with help from David Guetta and Becky G, is one of the biggest bops of the year. No emotional collection at all, but Mad Love is exceptionally catchy and Becky G's chorus and hook are among the best of the year for sure. Gryffin and Elley Duhé's Tie Me Down is similarly great, although perhaps a little more sophisticated. Elley's voice shines through on some magical production from Gryffin, who scored his first chart hit with this track. The final song comes from a team-up between Troye Sivan and Ariana Grande. Though its #5 peak seems disappointing, it's actually higher than every track above it that week except the #1 (Why Don't We - Hooked). Their voices sound excellent together, Ariana reigning her voice in to complement Troye beautifully. The production is sublime, too. It's Troye's fourth highest track, and Ariana's second! Recommendation y3QQvajXWUk
January 24, 20196 yr 65th position confirming yet again who the biggest Troye fan is out of me and you xo Ava Max did THAT :wub: My other faves from that section include Charlie Puth, Sean Paul & Benjamin Ingrosso <3
January 24, 20196 yr Really nice to see "Lullaby", "Fine Line", "Nervous", "Then", "Never Be The Same", "Lost In Japan", "Reality", "Wild Love", "Darkside", "Done For Me", "Mad Love" and especially "Sweet But Psycho" in there! Some of these songs are getting a high position in my Year-End List!
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