Artist of the Year: Harry Styles

 

Of course, was it ever going to be anyone else? It was the year of Styles as Harry's House dropped, dominating global charts and cementing Harry as one of the biggest stars on the planet. Of course, it was much more expected that he'd dominate my chart too, and that's exactly what he did. As It Was stormed to the top, becoming his fifth #1 as a soloist and holding the top spot for 2 weeks. Fast forward to Harry's House release week, and the album blew me away straight away. Whilst it doesn't quite match Fine Line for me, it's still been a comfort album for me this year. The entire tracklist took up my top 13 in my chart, marking the biggest domination any one album has seen. A total of 11 of the 13 songs have made my top 10 at one point. Of course, I also saw Harry live twice this year on Love on Tour, as well as the Summertime Ball, all within a couple of weeks! One of my highlights of the year was visiting the Harry's House pop-up shop in London and buying some merch in Harry's House release week. This year has been defined by Harry for me and he's only cementing himself as one of my favourite artists as a soloist more and more.

 

 

And that brings a close to this year's awards! The winners are as follows:

 

Artist of the Year: Harry Styles

North American Pop Soloist: Sarcastic Sounds

British Pop Soloist: Michael Aldag

European Pop Soloist: Boy In Space

Australian Pop Soloist: Ruel

Pop Group: Why Don't We

Hip-Hop / R&B Artist: The Kid LAROI

Alternative Artist: glaive

Live Artist of the Year: Harry Styles / The Kid LAROI / Delta Goodrem

Breakthrough Artist: Benson Boone

Best Era: Harry Styles - Harry's House

Special Recognition: Why Don't We

Best Music Video: The Kid LAROI - Thousand Miles

Comeback of the Year: Charlie Puth

 

The main countdowns begin next, starting with my top 10 EPs of the year.

Can't say I'm surprised by your Artist of the Year! I have liked Harry's output quite a bit this year though, all his charting songs have been pretty nice.

Can't say I'm surprised by your Artist of the Year! I have liked Harry's output quite a bit this year though, all his charting songs have been pretty nice.

Thanks Pete!! Definitely an obvious choice but fully deserved :wub:

EPs: Top 10

 

 

6 The Lunar Year - The Lunar Year | 2-4-8-13-x

7 Jonah Kagen - georgia got colder | 3-6-…

8 Jutes - Hot Trash | 4-13-15-15-x

9 Jacob Sartorius - SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD | 3-8-9-11-x

10 GUS - The Humid Summer | 4-15-x

 

There's a clear divide between my top 5 and the next 5 EPs of 2022, but that's not to say there isn't plenty to enjoy in this first batch. Canadian singer GUS released his first body of work, including #2 hit Humid Summer, and it was a solid, breezy effort though didn't compare to the highs of previous singles Dancing Alone and Lies. I was pleasantly surprised by Jacob Sartorius' latest EP, it was reminiscent of The Kid LAROI so naturally up my street! Jutes released a punk-pop EP which birthed a #1 in my chart, though the full EP was inconsistent if still enjoyable. Jonah Kagen's debut EP was a pleasant listen, and The Lunar Year (Connor Ball of The Vamps' side project) land at #6 with their self-titled EP of solid pop-rock tunes.

 

EPs: Top 10

 

 

5 Theoz - Paradis | 2-3-7-11-13-14-x

 

Swedish singer Theoz was an unknown entity to me before this year's Melodifestivalen, but it only took one performance of his entry Som du vill before I was hooked on his catchy pop music. Som du vill makes me want to sing along despite knowing about 3 words total in the Swedish language, and its parent EP, Paradis, was just as strong. It birthed a #1 single in Det kommer bli bra and the entire tracklist made my top 40 at one point or another. He's returning to Melfest in 2023 so new music is only a couple of months away, I can't wait to hear what he's bringing this time.

 

Top 40 Hits

 

01 Det kommer bli bra

03 Som du vill

27 Painkiller

29 Shady

40 Paradis

 

 

 

4 Michael Aldag - SOCIALIZING | 1-1-2-2-…

 

British singer and producer Michael Aldag was one of the breakout stories of the year for me, and the start of the year was defined by Teenage Drama, a #1 hit in my chart, as well as a few other standalone singles he released just before. However, the wait for the follow-up took a while, until Michael dropped APATHY, the first single from his new EP. It set the tone immediately: brutal honesty over catchy, anthemic pop production. Michael discusses anxiety, stress, feeling inadequate and depression on this six track project, which created three top 10s in my chart. It's only four weeks into its run so far, so putting it any higher didn't quite feel justified yet, but it's an amazing EP and I can't wait to hear it live next year.

 

Top 40 Hits

 

03 POLAROID

05 APATHY

07 BLEAK

13 OKAY

 

 

 

3 Boy In Space - BACKYARD | 1-3-2-5-7-8-10-8-8-9-9-9-9-…

 

My #1 EP of 2021 was the debut project from Swedish singer Boy In Space, FRONTYARD. 2022 saw the release of its follow-up, the appropriately titled BACKYARD. While FRONTYARD was light in tone and sound, BACKYARD takes a more "after hours" approach, even signified by the artwork for this EP being set at night-time compared to the daytime cover of its predecessor. The competition this year is tougher, which is the only thing that explains why BACKYARD isn't also my #1 of the year, because its quality is still strong. It's home to two #1s, and every song on the tracklist made my top 40.

 

Top 40 Hits

 

01 A**hole

01 Slide

02 Lean On

04 Let You Go

13 Counting Sheep

19 Downtown Juice

22 Til' the End

 

EPs: Top 10

 

 

2 Sarcastic Sounds - I'm a Disappointment | 2-1-2-2-3-5-5-5-7-7-8-9-10-11-8-10-8-9-9-11-12-12-14-14-12-14-x-13-15-x

 

After catching my eye producing a number of Powfu tracks, Sarcastic Sounds' own releases were among my favourites of 2021, including solo track say goodbye and the Maisie Peters featuring Song You'll Never Hear. With 2022 came more new music, with Sarcastic Sounds himself front and centre, providing unpitched vocals for Disappointment, the title track of his debut EP which showcases both his vocal and production abilities. It makes for a brilliantly varied listen, tapping into folkpop for the first half before the bedroom pop style of tracks like Closure and change ur mind arrives in the second half. It's a brilliant EP and there's not a single bad song on it, with only change ur mind not making my top 10 at any point (the song came out before I really delved into his music so it only charted upon the EP's release!).

 

Top 40 Hits

 

01 Disappointment (feat. Rxseboy)

01 ohfuckimnotok

01 say goodbye

02 Song You'll Never Hear (feat. Maisie Peters)

04 Closure (Sarcastic Sounds, Birdy & Mishaal)

06 existential crisis in c major

19 change ur mind (Sarcastic Sounds, Claire Rosinkranz & Clinton Kane)

 

 

 

1 Benson Boone - Walk Me Home… | 1-1-1-4-3-2-2-4-6-5-8-11-11-12-9-4-6-5-6-7-...

 

Despite stronger competition than ever in the EP field this year, Benson Boone cruises to a easy chart-topper. His eight-track project could be considered an album for some, though it was marketed as an EP. It includes four #1s in my chart, including breakthrough hit GHOST TOWN and global chart hit In the Stars, as well as the more uptempo tracks ROOM FOR 2 and NIGHTS LIKE THESE which showcase Benson's versatility. However, of the unreleased songs, it was the raw tracks like Empty Heart Shaped Box and Work of Art that really captured me. There's not a bad song on the EP and every track has a top 20 peak in my chart, and with new single Before You out now, it's hopefully album time next for Benson!

 

Top 40 Hits

 

01 Better Alone

01 GHOST TOWN

01 In the Stars

01 ROOM FOR 2

06 Work of Art

09 Empty Heart Shaped Box

15 NIGHTS LIKE THESE

19 Let Me Go

 

Albums: Top 40

 

 

31 Sam Ryder - There's Nothing But Space, Man! | 3-…

32 Maren Morris - Humble Quest | 2-4-9-14-x

33 Cody Simpson - Cody Simpson | 3-7-10-13-x

34 James Bay - Leap | 4-12-x

35 Years & Years - Night Call | 3-6-9-x

36 Foxes - The Kick | 5-11-13-15-x

37 Louis Tomlinson - Faith in the Future | 5-12-x

38 BLACKPINK - BORN PINK | 5-10-14-x

39 George Ezra - Gold Rush Kid | 5-12-x

40 Beyoncé - RENAISSANCE | 9-13-7-13-x

 

Most albums that made my weekly top 5 in 2022 feature in this countdown, so it's worth giving a special mention to Beyoncé, whose RENAISSANCE didn't ever crack the top 5, making it the only such album in this year's countdown. It's obviously a huge cultural movement and I enjoyed it each time I heard it, though some of the hype is lost on me I must admit. The latest albums from George Ezra, James Bay and Years & Years didn't capture me as much as past efforts, while Louis Tomlinson's sophomore release perhaps near-identically to his debut.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by Foxes' latest album The Kick, with highlights including Sister Ray and Absolute, and BLACKPINK released a strong album in BORN PINK, which I wasn't expecting to enjoy so much at first after Pink Venom was a slow burner. Cody Simpson returned to music with a soothing, mature album, while Maren Morris scored her highest peaking album to date with Humble Quest and Sam Ryder's debut album sneaks in after only coming out less than 2 weeks ago.

 

Hi Joseph!

Nice to see the albums for Sam Ryder, James Bay, Years & Years, Foxes, Louis Tomlinson, George Ezra and Beyonce on here.

Great chart!

Hi Joseph, unsurprising to see Harry as Artist of the year, nor benson as the #1 in the EPs!

Its also great to see Sam Ryder, BLACKPINK and especially the huuuugely underrated Maren Morris in the Albums top 40!

Hi Joseph!

Nice to see the albums for Sam Ryder, James Bay, Years & Years, Foxes, Louis Tomlinson, George Ezra and Beyonce on here.

Great chart!

Hi Joseph, unsurprising to see Harry as Artist of the year, nor benson as the #1 in the EPs!

Its also great to see Sam Ryder, BLACKPINK and especially the huuuugely underrated Maren Morris in the Albums top 40!

Thank you both so much, glad you're finding plenty of albums to enjoy! :wub:

Albums: Top 40

 

 

21 Demi Lovato - HOLY FVCK | 2-5-6-9-12-15-15-x

22 Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time | 2-6-11-14-14-14-x

23 Tove Lo - Dirt Femme | 3-4-7-14-x

24 Tate McRae - i used to think i could fly | 3-6-6-9-11-x

25 Dayglow - People in Motion | 2-9-14-x

26 Ella Henderson - Everything I Didn't Say | 1-4-7-8-11-15-x-

27 Camila Cabello - Familia | 2-6-8-9-11-13-x

28 Benjamin Ingrosso - PLAYLIST | 4-7-12-x

29 Nessa Barrett - young forever | 4-9-x

30 Sub Urban - HIVE | 4-10-13-15-x

 

The quality quickly ramps up through this section as we get closer to the top! Sub Urban's debut album followed on from great singles INFERO and PARAMOUR that made my top 10 last year, and while no tracks made my top 10 in 2022, CANDYMAN was one I revisited a lot from a very cohesive project. Tate McRae's debut album features here too, and I enjoyed that a lot more than I expected thanks to singles she's all i wanna be and what would you do? adding a new layer to her sound. Nessa Barrett completes the trio of debut albums in this section; young forever got a bit samey near the end but I enjoyed her moody pop sound, and tired of california remains excellent.

 

Dayglow achieved his highest charting album to date with the breezy People in Motion, and Tove Lo matched her highest peak with Dirt Femme, easily a contender for her best album to date. Other familiar faces such as Benjamin Ingrosso and Camila Cabello don't quite match their previous bests but still delivered great albums, while Carly Rae Jepsen and Demi Lovato round out the section with albums that were unlucky to miss the top; the former kept up her typical consistent quality while the latter fully embraced her rediscovered pop/rock sound. Finally, we lose a #1 album from Ella Henderson, whose album I enjoyed but didn't really go back to!

 

Albums: Top 40

 

 

11 Tom Odell - Best Day of My Life | 1-2-2-4-6-8-10-…

12 Powfu - surrounded by hounds and serpents | 1-1-…

13 Dean Lewis - The Hardest Love | 1-1-3-4-7-8-…

14 Carrie Underwood - Denim & Rhinestones | 1-3-5-5-7-7-9-14-14-13-14-15-15-x

15 Avril Lavigne - Love Sux | 1-1-2-3-5-5-7-9-9-10-12-12-14-x-7-x

16 Oscar Enestad - Drömmar | 1-3-5-6-11-12-14-15-x

17 Alexander 23 - Aftershock | 3-6-8-6-8-10-13-13-15-x-12-13-x

18 Anitta - Versions of Me | 2-3-3-6-7-7-12-x

19 5 Seconds of Summer - 5SOS5 | 2-3-7-14-15-x

20 Rina Sawayama - Hold the Girl | 2-5-6-11-x

 

The biggest album not to make #1 this year actually didn't even make #2! Alexander 23's Aftershock came during a busy period of my chart and despite a solid run, it couldn't quite make the top spot. Nevertheless, it birthed his breakthrough single in my chart If We Were a Party, which also peaked at #3. A few #2 albums still feature in this section though - unlucky misses from Rina Sawayama and 5 Seconds of Summer still achieve EOY top 20 positions, while Anitta's Versions of Me was one of my surprises of the year, with so much to enjoy in such a varied album.

 

Comprising all of his Swedish language singles from 2019 to 2022 with a few new songs thrown in, Oscar Enestad finally released his debut solo album and I really enjoyed it - perhaps no surprise when most of the tracklist had made my top 10 already. Carrie Underwood stepped up the quality from her last couple of albums for Denim & Rhinestones, once again keeping her country sound at its core but tracks like the title track branch out expertly into poppier territory. Avril Lavigne's Love Sux is her best album since Goodbye Lullaby and became her third chart-topping album in my chart at the start of the year, while Dean Lewis had a breakthrough in my chart with The Hardest Love vastly outdoing his #4 peaking debut. Unlucky to miss the top 10 are Powfu and Tom Odell, who both released strong albums but just didn't quite do enough to sneak into the top 10! The former is Powfu's debut full-length album and it was good to hear a longer project from him, albeit still only 9 tracks. Tom Odell's Best Day of My Life was his most personal and raw album yet, my only criticism is how short it feels!

 

Nice to see "The Hardest Love", "5SOS5", "Hold The Girl","The Loneliest Time", "Dirt Femme", "i used to think i could fly", "Everything I Didn't Say" and "Familia" on your albums of the year list.

Nice to see "The Hardest Love", "5SOS5", "Hold The Girl","The Loneliest Time", "Dirt Femme", "i used to think i could fly", "Everything I Didn't Say" and "Familia" on your albums of the year list.

Thanks so much Sergej! :wub:

Albums: Top 40

 

 

10 Greyson Chance - Palladium | 1-1-3-6-7-9-10-10-10-11-14-15-…

 

The biggest album of 2019 for me was Greyson Chance's sophomore release portraits. That album arrived a whole 8 years after his debut, Hold On 'Til the Night, an album released when Greyson was 13 and entirely unsure of who he was in himself, let alone as an artist. portraits represented a lot of growth, and that growth is furthered in spades with Palladium, Greyson's third full-length album. The EP Trophies bridged the gap in 2021, but Palladium saw Greyson at his most mature, his most vulnerable, yet also his most confident in himself. Tracks like the epic My Dying Spirit talk of Greyson's initial rise to fame and how hard he found it, and as a full album, it's brilliantly cohesive. It doesn't have the same highs as portraits but that's not to say it's anything other than brilliant.

 

Top 40 Hits

 

04 Athena

04 Palladium

07 My Dying Spirit

09 Homerun Hitter

 

 

 

9 Alfie Templeman - Mellow Moon | 1-2-4-6-4-6-8-8-10-13-11-11-11-14-14-14-x-13-x

 

I've followed Alfie Templeman for a few years now, mostly dipping in and out of his music quite casually. Of course, with his debut album out, I had to give it a listen, and I was extremely impressed. Alfie already had three top 10 hits to his name before the album came out so I wasn't expecting anything bad, but the cohesion of the album mixed with Alfie's ability to craft a strong hook and catchy chorus made for the perfect indie pop album which is, on the whole, pretty damn feelgood. It took my enjoyment of Alfie's music up to the next level, particularly thanks to then-album track Candyfloss, which became his first #1 in my chart (a stark contrast from the pre-album singles, where two didn't chart and Broken made #9 - the album gave me new love for both but particularly 3D Feelings)! The album of course hit the top too, and I met Alfie that week at his album signing; he was so friendly. I've seen him on tour too, so it's safe to say I've gone from being a casual Alfie fan to a big fan, all thanks to Mellow Moon.

 

Top 40 Hits

 

01 Candyfloss

09 Broken

 

Hey Joseph!! :heart: :heart:

 

Big catch-up alert x

 

Soaps: I got back into EastEnders around September-time this year (thanks to being intrigued by the trailer for the Mitchell flashback episode - hadn't regularly watched since 2015, I was obsessed as a kid/teen though haha), so after reading your words on it - I'm glad I gave it a try later in the year compared to earlier when you weren't feeling it so much :lol: I'm working my way through everything from 2022 on iPlayer nevertheless to try and fill in gaps. I agree that the storylines you've mentioned have been strong points in recent times - it can still be gritty and pack an emotional punch when it wants to. Here's hoping 2023 will be a strong year for the show! Ready for the annual viral tweets about people wanting to know what's happened ahead of watching the Christmas episode + mentions of how iconic the 2007 Max/Stacey affair reveal one was x

 

Quiz Shows: The 1% Club is a fab favourite pick! It was a bit of a comfort show for me during sad times earlier in the year <3 I'm also a massive fan of The Hit List, of course *.* still gutted that our very own Bal and Rob couldn't quite make the filming of an episode :cry: :lol:

 

TV: New Drama: I think your #1 is the only one I've seen! I'm terrible for having several shows on the go and taking ages to finish them, but Heartstopper was pretty binge-able each day during mornings before work, so I actually got through that one quite quickly. I can see why it's connected with so many! The conversations around bisexuality definitely touched me a lot as there's not a lot of great representation out there. Also hyped for Series 2!

 

Strictly Come Dancing is my favourite mentioned from the other categories <3 I don't think it was quite as good as last year (they struck gold with Rose, John and AJ!) but it's still my ultimate comfort show for the winter months and I was thrilled that Hamza won *.* the judges do need to sort their scoring out a bit though :kink: also highly anticipating the return of The Apprentice! I'm obsessed with the 'upcoming' feature of TV Time, already pencilling in the next Eurovision for me and whatnot :lol:

 

I want to check out Stranger Things the most from the ones I haven't seen!

 

Also... Alison Hammond ftw x

 

Movies: Encanto is the only one I've seen from your list! I was really drawn to the songs that charted from the film and it ended up being a fun watch for sure. DRAWERS FLOORS DOORS *.*

 

Harry is my favourite musician mentioned in your artist-specific awards! I think his second album is still my favourite but Harry's House has produced some enjoyable songs too, especially 'As It Was' and 'Satellite' for me. Happy to hear that you had some really enjoyable touring experiences this year too - great photos! :heart:

 

Albums: I also listened to the Beyoncé, Years & Years, Tove Lo, Rina + Avril albums! Shockingly this is the first Tove album I've listened to (can't believe I haven't heard Lady Wood at the very least when I loved the singles, alas) - so, interesting that you think it contends for her best! The highs on it are some of my favourite songs by her to date - 'No One Dies From Love' and 'Pineapple Slice' especially <3 I think RENAISSANCE is probably my favourite body of work from these, was so good to finally have a new Beyoncé studio album *.* although the visuals are long overdue x

 

Looking forward to the rest of the albums and also songs kicking off!

I'm delighted to see BORN PINK in your chart of course :wub:

 

I'd agree that Familia wasn't Camila's best so far but there's still some really great moments there. IUTTICF is a strong debut from Tate too!

Hi Joseph!

Some albums catch ups: Familia & Everything I Didn't Say are two good albums, and although they both had some very strong tracks, I was underwhelmed but both. I love seeing IUTTICF in here, its a contender for my album of the year and i think its such a great debut from Tate!

Hld The Girl up in the top 20 is great, i hope Rina has some more chart success, she desrrves it! and Love Sux is brilliant! a great album from avril!

I think I know at least a few of the albums still to come, wonder if they'll chart where i think they will or if i'll be surprised!

I really do need to give that Tom Odell album a listen as I've very much enjoyed both the songs I've heard from it! I've preferred this so far to the songs I heard from his last era.