2023 THREAD

2024 THREAD

Just like the last two years, I just wanted to get a checkup from everyone: how was BJSC for you over the course of this year? Did you kill it or do you think this year left a lot to be desired? Come share here 🧡

I'm really annoyed, I only qualified once. ☹️

despite having the best q rate in a year ever, i actually scored fewer points than last year!

171: DONGROSSO and RHYME - CHAS (37th)

172: Max Cooper - Cardano Circles (17th)

173: Ohota - Everything Is As It Should Be (5th)

174: Julian Wassermann, Philipp Johann Thimm and Jamal Dilmen - WTF (DNQ SF-28th)

175: Quelza - Automated Assistance Programs (DNQ SF-21st)

176: n/a

177: Nicolás Jaar - Aquí (15th)

178: Nørbak - Malta 6AM (36th)

179: holybones - These Are The Rooms (5th)

180: Amaia - Aralar (18th)

Apart from a couple of very unfortunate DNQs, this year has been quite good. I would've definitely preferred a 4th and a 6th but I got 15th and 36th as unique positions this year!

5/9 hits officially making this year a HIT. And it's my longest participation 'streak' within 1 calendar year since BJSC 61-70.

And let's not forget CHAS

just using the template from last year with a few additions:

Qualifiers: 10/10

Wins: 1

Top 5s: 2

Top 10s: 5

Top 20s: 8

My Entry Ranking:

01 | ALT BLK ERA - Hunt You Down [171, 1st]

02 | Tsatsamis - Sweet Praise [177, 7th]

03 | CHUNG HA - Stress [173, 13th]

04 | Debbii Dawson - The Great Magician [172, 7th]

05 | Ashley Sienna - REBORN [179, 20th]

06 | Jerry Heil - Earth (Dradada) [180, 4th]

07 | Zanias - Serpentsmile [178, 10th]

08 | Momma - I Want You (Fever) [174, 20th]

09 | AMAKA/DETO BLACK - Spin It [176, 27th]

10 | Jodie Harsh - Kiss It Better [175, 40th]

 

Fave contest: 177 (and 172 of course, the Overwatch concept was so fun to do)

Fave discovery: honestly there’s so many I may need to make a ranking in my national thread

One word to describe this year: Comeback

Truly a year for the ages. I thought 2024 was kinda weak for my standards but this was nothing of the sort. Honestly I think a switch inside me turned on after I sent emlyn 😂 New EOY peak likely (definitely my highest placement since 2019), beat my record for most top 10’s in a calendar year, sending K-pop for my 100th, tested new genres with surprising results, chef’s kiss.

This has got me all reflective and sh*t ❤️

I entered the last three contests of the year after a break of over four years. It had been on my mind for a little while - sometimes I would hear a song and be like omg it would be so cool to send it to a song contest right now... And then eventually I guess I was ready for that outlet again. Not only for the musical and fun competing reasons, but also for social reasons. I took a long break from the site for many reasons but I guess in the second half of this year I was ready to 'allow' this particular social outlet into my life again. But I guess the main / original reason I returned was BJSC.

I've enjoyed it! My first two entries qualified which I was really happy about, my third one didn't but the results show tonight ended up being one of the finest evenings I've had on BuzzJack for a while. I'm just pretty zen right now and the way the results were presented and everything added to the enjoyment.

There were a few times where I had a few, err, 'slip-ups' because of mood episodes and stuff and was having a hard time getting into the swing of things, but hopefully that's not something to be too embarrassed about, heh.

It was quiet.

On 10/12/2024 at 16:55, TheSnake said:

Quiet

4 minutes ago, TheSnake said:

It was quiet.

You said the same last year too!

Are we due a noisy year in the land of Buzzjack Mountain in 2026?

I qualified twice out of three entries, and both of those were top 20 finishes. Even in a year when I send 10 entries, I'm lucky to get two top 20s. I think I'll be happy with where I end up on the EOY despite only two finalists!

I didn't have the best year but at least I finally got a top ten at the end 😂

BJSC171 [33RD] Good Boy Daisy - Operator

BJSC172 [37TH] Erin LeCount - Silver Spoon

BJSC173 [DNQ] Nxdia - Boy Clothes

BJSC174 [27TH] Chloe Qisha - Sex, Drugs & Existential Dread

BJSC175 [24TH] Sophie Powers - Move With Me

BJSC176 [DNQ] Empara Mi - Closer To Heaven

BJSC177 [19TH] Ashnikko - Trinkets

BJSC178 [15TH] Em Beihold - Hot Goblin

BJSC179 [37TH] LEW - Wait On Me

BJSC180 [10TH] 3Quency - Once I Was A Good Girl

Continually frustrated this year.

Despite a lot of qualifications, our entries often underperform in the final despite predictions of moderate success.

Our entries lack impact or crossover appeal. When we enter something with more impact - Zeitgeist or Andrew WK, for example - they fail to qualify.

Tracey Thorn was our only entry to crack the top 30.

Edited December 15Dec 15 by Colm

Yay! sympathy reactions.

😁

Dreadful, the year we lost touch!

171 ● Oklou - choke enough (10th | 203 pts)

172 ● Vioflesh - Spring Nostalgia (4th | 222 pts)

173 ● Kraftwerk - Europe Endless {100th anniversary entry} (4th | 232 pts)

174 ● goneMUNE - AMNESIA (25th | 153 pts)

175 ● EQ - B.S.A.S. (Si Alguna Vez Te Sentís Sola De Noche) (27th | 120 pts)

176 ● uvula - ty' i tvoya ten' (16th | 160 pts)

177 ● S1RENA - DNA 1NTERLUDE / DNA (20th | 152 pts)

178 ● Erin LeCount - 808 HYMN (1st | 269 pts) ★

179 ● Sara Zozaya - Blu (32nd | 112 pts)

180 ● Death Hags - Oublie Moi (DNQ)

The DNQ was a really unfortunate end to the year, when I had been flying high in 3rd in the YTD until then, but overall it's still been one to remember! My biggest highlights success-wise were of course winning for the first time in 4 years and also my retro anniversary pick performing so well. ❤️

Hosting a contest this year turned out to be a rewarding experience after feeling nervous beforehand.

I'm happy with the different genres I dabbled in, with typical avenues like darkwave and post-punk, but also more electronic music and a pop entry as well.

Will also say that my low point this year was the stress I had hosting WHILE THE NEW SITE WAS GOING LIVE

Thanks so much for giving me this opportunity and you’re welcome for being the guinea pig 🧡 hopefully you get to some of the aesthetic requests soon (expanded color wheel when)

Spreadsheet exposure is going to be the only thing I remember from 2025

171 Blanck Mass - You 2

172 Octo Octa - Find Your Way Home 11

173 Kiss Facility - plasma SF-26

174 Burial - Boy Sent From Above 10

175 Avalon Emerson - Don't Be Seen With Me 24

176 Nourished By Time - 9 2 5 32

177 Bubble Love - Double Caper 14

178 Floating Points - Dexion 13

179 Rochelle Jordan - Doing It Too 9

180 Ohonepoint Trix Never - Rodl Glide 6

Best year in a very long time with only one DNQ and 7/10 entries finishing in the top 15, some of which I'm very surprised by even with hindsight (Octo Octa and Ohonepoint notably, I know that the latter is a bit of an electronic heavyweight but I thought it would be too avant garde to do so well).

Biggest miss by far was Erika de Casier getting a devastatingly low 12 points in BJSCFestivalen which I will remain bitter about for a long time.

171 - Andi Slavik & Susanne Kemmler - Indian Spirits - 42nd

172 - God Colony & Roy - Loss Is Not Infinite - 24th

173 - PUNCHBAG - F*ck It - 19th

174 - Lozeak - NADA - 29th

175 - She Past Away - İnziva - 8th

176 - Mabe Fratti - Enfrente - 13th

177 - ARGO - Korku - 2nd

178 - GIVE LOVE - In Your Mind (DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ Remix) - 39th

179 - SADU - Luukered - 1st

180 - Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Only Girl - 13th

The best year we've had in over a decade I would say. 10 qualifiers, which we just missed out on last year at the final hurdle, and our first win and chance to host since 2014. And that win came the way I always wanted it to, with a song and artist not sent to the competition before and unlikely previously heard by many people (with the bonus it being the first Estonian language entry to win and even be entered here). I was a bit sad that Korku hadn't quite gone all the way in that regard when it was in contention for a lot of that final (albeit somewhat surprisingly - I didn't expect it to achieve anything more than İnziva got, and that felt like it did surprisingly well to me too). So to go all the way two months later was amazing. But also very pleased with my summer Turkish rock swerve bearing fruit twice.

Three top 10s and six top 20s is good, a couple of times 13th. I'm very happy also that I sent Loss Is Not Infinite, which imo left a larger legacy than 24th suggests and is possibly even my favourite song I sent this year. Also I got my first 42nd place, so it was a year of opposites in that respect to come both first and last in the final 😂 A couple of underperforming pop entries (F*ck It had odds of second place!) and maybe an ill-advised return to DJ Sabrina (although I still love this song tbf) aside, it all went about as well or better than expected. I didn't expect NADA to do anything, and wasn't even sure Indian Spirits would qualify, so I lucked out there (and with the AQ for In Your Mind).

Edited December 15Dec 15 by gooddelta

POPHUB’s 2025

Qualifiers: 8/10

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 2

Top 10s: 4

Top 20s: 7

My Entry Ranking:

1. Hunnygloss - The Party Never Ends (3rd)

2. Magdalene - Lucky Girl (8th)

3. Jane Inc. - what if (4th)

4. YEJI - Air (14th)

5. Donatachi & Muki - Bad Dream (10th)

6. Goodnight Louisa - Actor (36th)

7. MICYVID X IVV.LMTD - TURBO BUNNIES (DNQ)

8. Lu.Re - Take Me Up (17th)

9. Charlotte Sands - spite (DNQ)

10. DRIIA - A Little Life (20th)

Will 2026 be the year of POPHub’s ever-increasingly elusive win?

Edited December 15Dec 15 by calxyum

Cheiron in 2025:

BJSC 171: Haute & Freddy - Scantily Clad | 12th | 188

BJSC 172: Rodriguez - Rich Folks Hoax | DNQ

BJSC 173: Night In Athens - I Search For A Sign | DNQ

BJSC 174: MARIS - Give Me A Sign (feat. Caroline Kingsbury) | 30th | 118

BJSC 175: The Beaches - Me & Me | DNQ

BJSC 176: Lana Lubany - NAZARETH | DNQ

BJSC 177: Daisy Grenade - Don’t Sweat It | 19th | 156

BJSC 178: Sophie and the Giants - Pink Champagne | 9th | 187

BJSC 179: Mercy Girl - No Sound | 13th | 186

BJSC 180: INJI - TEEN ANGST | DNQ

1x Top 10

3x Top 20

5/10 Qs

Looking at the list, the first thing that strikes me is how MARIS saved the day in qualifying, meaning I dodged an unfortunate run of 5 DNQs. And if I remember right, it ended up 20th in the semi final lmao.

It’s also interesting to see the songs that did well in the final vs the songs I thought would do well in the final. MARIS for example, I expected to be top 20 minimum. 💀Whereas, I thought Pink Champagne and Don’t Sweat It would be bottom-half finishers going by listenthrough reactions/non-reactions.

Of my DNQs, I think the biggest miss was Rich Folks Hoax. It wasn’t a well thought out choice in hindsight but a lesson nonetheless! Probably most shocked by TEEN ANGST of course, and The Beaches! If I remember right, neither were on the cusp of qualifying so can’t be too mad hehe.