Well done everyone, that was surprisingly fun for someone who doesn’t usually venture into pop that much.

Twigs being so close to qualifying wow!

15 minutes ago, Calum said:

66 ROSALÍA, Björk & Yves Tumor - Berghain

66 Lily Allen - The Fear

57 Conan Gray - Alley Rose

55 FKA twigs - Two Weeks

54 Blondie - Call Me

48 George Michael - Careless Whisper

44 Toni Braxton - Un-Break My Heart

31 The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk - I Feel It Coming

31 Shawn Mendes - In My Blood

26 Ace of Base - The Sign

24 Kesha - We R Who We R

20 Eric Saade - Popular

9 Ruel - Hard Sometimes

9 The Chicks - Top of the World

8 LiSA - oath sign

7 Erasure - Rock Me Gently (Glen Nicholls & Nick Squires Remix)

7 Nik Kershaw - I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me

7 Fred again.., Romy & HAAi - Lights Out

6 Nadia Oh - N.A.D.I.A. O.H.

3 The 1975 - If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)

2 Markus Riva - Ja Pasaule Šonakt Apstāsies

0 Girlicious feat. Sean Kingston - Still in Love

-5 Guitarricadelafuente - Abc

I refuse to make any more graphics (Girlicious and Guitarricadelafuente at zero and below due to deductions).

Poor brave Girlicious

Kelly Clarkson was a no-brainer of a choice for season 2 in my mind. Like Avril, she dominated parts of my childhood: I consumed Breakaway and All I Ever Wanted endlessly back in the day, plus she had some popular/great hits outside of those two eras so was not short of material (shamefully I didn't give My December much attention until this contest/researching Kelly but needless to say WHAT AN ALBUM and may explain why I maybe over-repped that era)! In fact, my first draft of song selections looked very different to the finalised choices:

and then subsequent draft:

(I don't know why I assumed there would be a 3-song final... maybe XF lol)

I was originally intending to represent All I Ever Wanted a lot more and My December a lot less but, having deep dived back into her back catalogue, the latter aged a lot better imo. Shamefully, I wasn’t too familiar with either ‘Judas’ or ‘Haunted’ but damn they’re up there with her very best for me. : I know Don’t Let Me Stop You was considered a bit of a fan favourite back in the day (same with Cry) but I wasn’t confident on how non-Kelly/non-pop fans would take to those. Likewise with ‘Already Gone’, as much as I love it, I thought maybe alt voters wouldn’t like the Tedder-by-numbers production? Whereas I thought maybe the songs on My December had more crossover appeal in comparison.

I was also going to begrudgingly use Stronger as I fell into the ‘it was a hit so it’s popular on Buzzjack’ trap. So thank you to that Number 8 singles rate for making me realise this forum isn’t too keen on it either. (sorry Spiceboy)

I totally underestimated how much ‘Piece by Piece’ is loved on here: it was off my list of potentials for a bit of a while lol. But I knew it would represent another era of Kelly’s so opted for that over ‘Beautiful Disaster (live)’ in the end.

Now in defence of People Like Us. I foolishly assumed the flop had to have been a single released in the UK which ruled out my would-be option ‘Sober’ (in actual fact before the rules for the flop round were announced I planned on sending Catch My Breath). So I thought People Like Us was the best out of a… not so good bunch. That said, very grateful to those of you who voted for it. If had used 'Sober' in the flop round, I probably would've sent 'Breakaway' solely for the nod to Avril (not too keen on it myself and I didn't think it was really a massive fan fave but could be wrong ) or Addicted/Beautiful Disaster (so sad I never used either of these in the end but she has so many gems! ).

‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’ and ‘Because Of You’ were always going to be saved for the SF/F with ‘Since U Been Gone’ the obvious choice for the dreaded battle round. ‘Sober’ wasn’t always going to be in the line-up but thought it’d make a cracking winner’s single in the end: a firm fan-fave and also an album track a la last year’s ‘Take Me Away’. Alas, it didn't have as much appeal as I'd hoped.

Songs I snubbed:

Miss Independent - really was never too sure on this song's popularity (among Kelly and non-Kelly fans alike) despite liking it myself but the Pop Princesses rate guided me away from it.

Stronger - as mentioned above

Underneath the Tree - honestly was toying with playing this at one point because it's clearly loved but equally could've gotten some form of protest vote against it for being cheap and seasonally inappropriate lmao.

Also, I probably should have delved more into her 2010s/2020s/non-Breakaway/My December tracks so I'll consider being a bit more diverse eras-wise for season 3!

I personally enjoy People Like Us so I am glad you used it!

WOWWWWWWW at me finishing last without deductions

53 minutes ago, ElectroBoy said:

Such a good series - and all the time thinking spent the last few weeks thinking about what song to send for each round, listening to different songs and thinking weather or it will click with the Buzzjack voters or not 🤣

Been so good! Also some amazing finds too! Well done Cal!

Series 3 should bring us a Leona Lewis type winner!

Leona Lewis doesn’t have an artist forum, so she could be a option for anyone.

The lack of 'Breakaway' is interesting, the same way ABBA didn't need 'Dancing Queen' or 'Mamma Mia' to make it to the final and have a shot at winning!

Edited April 23Apr 23 by AllStarBySmashMouth

Thanks @Calum for asking me to be part of the judges, even if we were useless for the vast majority of the time. Such a fun contest, I can't wait to get properly involved next time and enter the arena myself!

11 minutes ago, Paddington James said:

Leona Lewis doesn’t have an artist forum, so she could be a option for anyone.

Don't give me ideas. (now totally entertaining the thought of Glassheart obliterating the competition in battles round )

2 hours ago, Mangø said:

Called it! Congrats @Julian_, that was a stellar performance throughout and a very well deserved winner in Abba! I can now at least say that my act of The Weeknd was only eliminated because he got drawn against the future winners in the knockout round, that makes me feel better!

And I can finally say sorry now - both for taking the act you wanted and then knocking you out for good measure!

14 minutes ago, Scene said:

Don't give me ideas. (now totally entertaining the thought of Glassheart obliterating the competition in battles round )

I’d be voting for that over any of my own acts songs. 🤣

Congrats @Julian_ for the win 🏆

As much as ABBA are an institution, I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to listen to them (I’d prefer to listen to the Mamma Mia soundtrack if I’m being honest ). But even I couldn’t deny that it was by far and away the best option in the final. So whilst they were easily my least favourite act of the 3, I gave them my well deserved 3 points!

A huge thank you also must go to @Calum, for what has been an amazing competition. I actually don’t really post on this forum all that much, id consider myself to be a more of a casual lurker. But after being HONOURED to be picked as a judge, I must admit ive thoroughly loved interacting a lot more than usual and the last month or so has been an absolute HOOT! 💓

1 hour ago, Calum said:

Come through gray sweatpants season

Happy with that winner! I think they're my least fave overall of the top three but the finale song choice was so undeniable that I had to rank them at No.1 in my votes here. I did make a few discoveries along the way too which was nice as I knew all the Kelly/Lily ones. Well done to all three of you though and lovely write-ups from you all. Amusing to see Joseph talk about the humbling moment in the battle round, teehee 🙊

Thank you so much for hosting Calum. So efficient! It's been a pleasure to take part x

Well where to start - thanks so much all for the kind words. Thanks to those who voted for ABBA and gave them good rankings, but also to those who aren’t fans as all the participants make this event special.

When I was about 5 my parents showed me their ABBA singles and Beatles blue and red vinyls, and I played them all until they were full of scratches and wouldn’t play anymore. And somehow no matter how much my taste has evolved over time they have never been topped as my two favourite acts.

So after sitting out Season 1 I thought I’d have a bit of fun and submit the entry form this time. I wrote down ABBA and the opening track from one of my favourite ever pop albums, “As Good As New” from “Voulez-Vous”. I thought they would probably be either taken already or vetoed for being too big, and felt a bit apologetic about the whole thing. I said to Calum maybe I could enter them and only use album tracks? He came back and said sorry they’re already taken. I thought no bother - I’m happy to sit out again and follow along anyway.

Then Calum came back again and said aerially I was going to take ABBA but feel bad that they aren’t going to an actual participant, so you can have them. So thank you very much again for the generosity @Calum . And what a stunning job you do with this of course: it really is quite extraordinary.

I could absolutely have entered 13 deep cuts that I love: they honestly have so many and such a variety of gems. But of course it became clear by Week 2 that the album only strategy would get me eliminated fairly quickly, especially with the groups section being so competitive. I didn’t want to be forever known as the person who somehow managed to crash ABBA out of the competition, and I was aware that others would have loved to mentor them so I didn’t think they’d be very impressed if I went out early. I owed it to ABBA to take them as far as I could.

So I had to come up with a different strategy that included hits. But I was still clear that I was representing ABBA and not just “Gold”. Tracks like “Waterloo”, “Mamma Mia” and Dancing Queen” are great pop songs but I know nobody really needs to hear them again. Instead I wanted to show all ABBA’s different styles, and I think I managed that. Only 6 of the 13 tracks I used were UK Top 5 hits and of their 9 #1s I used only the last 3. We had disco ABBA, rock and roll ABBA, prog rock ABBA, bubblegum ABBA, acoustic ABBA, heartbreak ABBA, early ABBA, later ABBA and 2020s ABBA.

As some of you clocked the plan had always been to use “The Day Before You Came” in the flops round and that was foiled by the criteria being stricter than expected. Luckily “Eagle” fitted the criteria and it was lovely to rediscover that, and it did the job. “Knowing Me, Knowing You” was the song lined up to get me safely through the semifinal and the path to the end seemed to be right there.

But suddenly I felt an overwhelming sense of loss at not being able to use “The Day Before You Came”. To me it’s one of the most extraordinary pop songs of all time, but I know it’s very subtle and not a song anyone would love on first hearing. I knew it was a huge risk for the semifinal. I hoped it woild have enough fans to avoid last place and then the chances of winning a judge vote seemed decent. But ultimately I realised the journey would feel incomplete without it and it simply had to be used whether it got me through or not. Thanks of course to the judges for saving ABBA, and as for @Lee_J11 , well thank you baby for being you. x

I’ll leave you with one song to say thank you for the musical journey. No not that one… this would have been my deep cut for the final if one had been required. We’ve just had possibly Agnetha’s finest vocal performance and this might be Frida’s. Listen to how she delivers these beautiful words, how the song twists and turns and how it unravels into a bizarre little dance before she takes control again. Hopefully I made the music speak for you a little!

Thank you for the music, for giving it to me.

See you next year!

Well done @Julian_ !!! Thank you @Calum for the hosting!

2 hours ago, Scene said:

Kelly Clarkson was a no-brainer of a choice for season 2 in my mind. Like Avril, she dominated parts of my childhood: I consumed Breakaway and All I Ever Wanted endlessly back in the day, plus she had some popular/great hits outside of those two eras so was not short of material (shamefully I didn't give My December much attention until this contest/researching Kelly but needless to say WHAT AN ALBUM and may explain why I maybe over-repped that era)! In fact, my first draft of song selections looked very different to the finalised choices:

and then subsequent draft:

(I don't know why I assumed there would be a 3-song final... maybe XF lol)

I was originally intending to represent All I Ever Wanted a lot more and My December a lot less but, having deep dived back into her back catalogue, the latter aged a lot better imo. Shamefully, I wasn’t too familiar with either ‘Judas’ or ‘Haunted’ but damn they’re up there with her very best for me. : I know Don’t Let Me Stop You was considered a bit of a fan favourite back in the day (same with Cry) but I wasn’t confident on how non-Kelly/non-pop fans would take to those. Likewise with ‘Already Gone’, as much as I love it, I thought maybe alt voters wouldn’t like the Tedder-by-numbers production? Whereas I thought maybe the songs on My December had more crossover appeal in comparison.

I was also going to begrudgingly use Stronger as I fell into the ‘it was a hit so it’s popular on Buzzjack’ trap. So thank you to that Number 8 singles rate for making me realise this forum isn’t too keen on it either. (sorry Spiceboy)

I totally underestimated how much ‘Piece by Piece’ is loved on here: it was off my list of potentials for a bit of a while lol. But I knew it would represent another era of Kelly’s so opted for that over ‘Beautiful Disaster (live)’ in the end.

Now in defence of People Like Us. I foolishly assumed the flop had to have been a single released in the UK which ruled out my would-be option ‘Sober’ (in actual fact before the rules for the flop round were announced I planned on sending Catch My Breath). So I thought People Like Us was the best out of a… not so good bunch. That said, very grateful to those of you who voted for it. If had used 'Sober' in the flop round, I probably would've sent 'Breakaway' solely for the nod to Avril (not too keen on it myself and I didn't think it was really a massive fan fave but could be wrong ) or Addicted/Beautiful Disaster (so sad I never used either of these in the end but she has so many gems! ).

‘Behind These Hazel Eyes’ and ‘Because Of You’ were always going to be saved for the SF/F with ‘Since U Been Gone’ the obvious choice for the dreaded battle round. ‘Sober’ wasn’t always going to be in the line-up but thought it’d make a cracking winner’s single in the end: a firm fan-fave and also an album track a la last year’s ‘Take Me Away’. Alas, it didn't have as much appeal as I'd hoped.

Songs I snubbed:

Miss Independent - really was never too sure on this song's popularity (among Kelly and non-Kelly fans alike) despite liking it myself but the Pop Princesses rate guided me away from it.

Stronger - as mentioned above

Underneath the Tree - honestly was toying with playing this at one point because it's clearly loved but equally could've gotten some form of protest vote against it for being cheap and seasonally inappropriate lmao.

Also, I probably should have delved more into her 2010s/2020s/non-Breakaway/My December tracks so I'll consider being a bit more diverse eras-wise for season 3!

You mean to tell me I missed out on ‘Don’t Let Me Stop You’ AND ‘Cry’????

Seriously though, you played it so well, again! I would have (personally) probably taken a chance on some ‘Stronger’, ‘Meaning of Life’ and ‘Chemistry’ representation (especially the first few rounds - gender specific categories) but I absolutely understand why they were avoided (the latter 2 especially).

‘Sober’, ‘Judas’ AND ‘Haunted’ all getting their rightful moments though!!

2 hours ago, Paddington James said:

Leona Lewis doesn’t have an artist forum, so she could be a option for anyone.

Congratulations Julian! I loved your game of not playing it anywhere near as safe as I would think many others would have had they had ABBA. This ABBA victory actually feels kind of rewarding a little bit, knowing you didn’t just play the absolute classics for an easy victory. So a job well bloody done imo!

Great game for Lily too, Joseph! Ngl though, it made me realise that I actually like a lot of her album tracks way more than her singles! Ofc some blinders as singles but I really thought I liked more than I did, but turns out aside from a few, they’re not my favourite Lily tracks! Surprised by that revelation myself tbh. I kinda expected more ‘West End Girl’ representation tbh! But I appreciate you were likely going for a bit of everything! Nicely played!

Thank you so so soooo much to Calum for continuing to do this and provide what has now become my favourite contest to be a part of. I love seeing how people play the rounds and whether or not some play to win or whether some play it to see how far their personal favourites from their favourite artists would fare.

It was an absolute honour to have gotten to Troye before others. He is definitely my favourite solo male. I purposefully avoided wanting to play the big collaborations (‘i’m so tired’, ‘dance to this’, ‘There For You’, ‘You’, ‘Papercut’ and ‘1999’) as I don’t think they’re too representative of who he is as an artist and the reason why I love him so much (they’re all bangers and bops though!)

I love this game so bloody much! I can’t wait for the next season and I hope I can nab a different category next time.. 2 males in a row..!!

Also, brb gonna delete the Gaga forum for a bit until after the next series is done with x