This is kinda self-explanatory: what do you think has been your best and worst BJSC year? It could be subjectively (choice of entries/mindset) or objectively (stats/overall performance), but I’d love to hear what they would pick, especially those who have been here for more than 10 years ☺️

2016 came to mind for best as I think I properly started to find my groove and saw success with all sorts in the process - Spanish pop, witch house, instrumental synthwave and indietronica off the top of my head. Quality-wise 'Yo Quiero Bailar' has a special place in my heart after growing up with it, 'WVFFLIFE (CHVRN Remix)' is still an all-time favourite, I bought FM-84's accompanying album on vinyl etc.

2018 is up there too as Somnium - 'Sinking' is my favourite of my own entries plus the likes of K Á R Y Y N, goreshit and Shpongle stand out as other back catalogue highlights too. That year was another fun mix of playing around with genres and I reaped some exciting results.

I feel like 2024 should be a 'worst' contender on paper as it's my highest for DNQs but I also had a lot of surprise success, the rollercoaster journey was weirdly rewarding. Plus quality-wise finding the likes of Sadness and Twin Tribes was really exciting.

Funnily enough 2023 is the only year where I've qualified for every contest but I got a bit bored of constantly finishing in the low-20s or 30s I was obviously grateful to make the final but wasn't used to such a long patch of unspectacular results and had hoped for a bit better with several. But I think 2017 just about takes the biscuit - similarly a fair amount of underwhelming results following a banner year and SOLDOUT was probably my biggest shock DNQ. That year I also experienced my only veto to date, plus quality-wise there are a couple I'm not thaaaat crazy about nowadays.

Maybe 2025 will be a best contender especially as I've just sent an all-time favourite artist in Kraftwerk and Oklou has been a revelation this year.

Best in terms of results - 2011 - at this point it felt a bit like I could throw anything in and it would come top 10 (only two entries missed, one narrowly), and I had three wins in five contests, including a back-to-back win!

Best in terms of entries I love - 2009 - I think this is when I really 'got' BJSC properly. I love everything I sent this year and I sent such a diverse set of genres compared to 2008/2010/2011 - electropop/dance/indie/rap/Scandipop. I have so many fond memories of this year generally musically, and in BJSC it threw up a winner and a couple of silver medallists for me. More recently, 2022/23 I really found my mojo properly for the first time again in a long time with four strong 2nd place entries, and some electronic and dance stuff I'm incredibly fond of still.

Worst in terms of results - 2013 - after 42 straight qualifications, I achieved a triple DNQ in a pretty hopeless summer, despite one of those trio being one of my favourite songs ever. 2017 was even more hopless with four DNQs, including two right at the start of the year, although I still love all of those songs.

Worst in terms of entry quality - 2015 for sure - most of those entries I never listen to at all now, apart from Fight For What's Right by The Rua, which finished bottom five in the final and is still glorious MOR pop, and Highland by One More Time, which is a 90s classic. Not really sure what happened that year, clearly I couldn't find much good stuff to send or my head was elsewhere, I don't remember it being a vintage year for music generally. It was another year with four DNQs for me and I can see why.

2024 will forever be my worst year! (Im manifesting that to be true)

I think if I were to rank them:

2017 > 2018 > 2022 > 2015 > 2020 > 2023 > 2019 > 2024 > 2016 > 2021

I think 2017 being objectively my best year has also helped it out in my sentiments but the surprise successes have helped it stay in my good graces. Great results overall, most inspired entries overall. It felt like the year I truly broke out. 2018 and 2022 are good contenders with relatively good success and two of my favorite contest hosting concepts in pseudo DDR and Fortnite respectively 😝

The bottom 3 are contenders for worst years since those were the years I missed EOY top 10 and it did feel like nothing was working for me. 2024 is saved by the second half despite me getting into a slump and 2016 is saved by “Higher” despite it being my worst performing year overall. 2021 however… oof. Reached a wall in my entries. A DNQ right off the bat, barely any hits after, and my only top 10 being my sellout entry sending a Eurovision NF alum. Truly a cursed year and one that belongs in the trash. F tier.

This year has being going fantastically so far and this is my most inspired year since 2017 so we’ll see how these next few entries go! It could actually overtake 2017 at this rate

Best Year: last year for sure! 10/10 qualifiers, multiple top 10 hits, and finishing at 9th in the EOY chart.

Worst Year: 2020. Kicked off the year with CHUNG HA and finished 5th, which was by far my highest position at that point. That then went down hill with 5 DNQs shortly thereafter.

EDIT: make that 6 DNQs lol

Edited April 6Apr 6 by calxyum

Best year: Probably 2022 due to the longest Q streak to date.

Worst year: Obviously 2017 just before BJSC 100 (if you know, you know).

Best don't think there has been one for East Rukahavian since entering in 2011.

27 minutes ago, calxyum said:

Best Year: last year for sure! 10/10 qualifiers, multiple top 10 hits, and finishing at 9th in the EOY chart.

Worst Year: 2020. Kicked off the year with CHUNG HA and finished 5th, which was by far my highest position at that point. That then went down hill with 5 DNQs shortly thereafter.

EDIT: make that 6 DNQs lol

Wouldn’t that be 2021?

1 minute ago, Cody Buckley said:

Wouldn’t that be 2021?

I didn’t go to f*cking school for math

I'm going to be annoying and reject the premise of the question. There are 10 entries to standard contests in a year, and that means 10 songs, and that all has plenty of opportunity to vary wildly. Looking back at my entry history, pretty much every year has its mix of results-based successes and poor performances, and they also nearly always have a mix of entries I still blindly love to this day and entries I've barely listened to since entering them. Sure, some entrants have obvious periods of success and failure, but I've never noticed any consistent trend for Séyetana, and I'd be willing to bet most long-term entrants are similar.

Slight exception for 2011, my first year, but I only had 4 entries there and for myself they were relatively weak. 2012 also is sort of before I cemented my music taste and therefore entries around what I really consistently like and is a bit weaker too, though it's one of my better years with regards hit rates.

But take for example 2013 so you see what I mean. It has two of my favourite entries to this day (Sonsick and Amaranthine), and two of my worst entries (Peacock and Come Together). Amaranthine was also a big hit, but I had 5 NQs. Is that a good year or a bad year? Similar for 2014-2017, I can probably pick essential entries of mine and forgettable ones, ones I consider hits and failures from each. Though 2017, probably my least successful year from an objective standpoint, also has a relatively HIGH rate of essential Séyetana entries (Ichiban No Takaramono, Let Me Hear, Chipland, Vogel Im Kafig, The Wolf, Eiyuu Unmei No Uta and You Say Run all incredible), perhaps a marker of being more open to my niches that year.

2018 sorta stands out as the year I didn't DNQ, plus one of my silver medals (touch wood for 2025). Perhaps that one? 2019 too, also a silver medal, also has I'm Glad You're Evil Too, one of my long-time best.

2020 was pretty weak I guess for me with the exception of Blood Of The Fang, Darkness and F**ked With An Anchor, it and 2017 are the two where I had more NQs than Qs. 2021 is another 2017, as the year that I got away with sending Mori Calliope/DEMONDICE 3 times xx as well as hosting despite somewhat... patchy results.

2022-2023 were okayish, again much like 2014-2017, ups and downs, good entries and weaker entries. 2024 was possibly one of my better years, a few hits, most of the entries still sound incredible, but might be too soon to judge long-term.

But overall I wouldn't like to say any was really a 'best' year or 'worst' year. It's a mix.

Best are definitely 2021 and 2024 <3

As for the worst, everything else besides those two years mentioned above

Best would be either 2016 or 2019, I think those years I finish highest in EOY (both 14th). But 2016 probably takes it as I missed a contest that year, had only 1 DNQ and 5 top 10s including a first medal position.

Worst would have to be 2020 with 4 DNQs and a run of 40-41-40 in finals.

17 hours ago, Addy! said:

Best are definitely 2021 and 2024 <3

As for the worst, everything else besides those two years mentioned above

I'd argue 2016 and 2020 (and possibly 2023 as well) were pretty solid years