Brer

OutKast is top 2 on this list, y'all better not be dumping it in the bottom half x

The Matt Terry version was a remix of an Enrique song that was already out. It didn't really make a lot of sense as a collaboration but it was just Simon trying to cash in on the reggaetón mini-trend going on at the time.

Very pleased this did get to #1 in the UK after all (and may be there for a while) after it appeared to be stalling for a while. It's my favourite UK #1 for a while and great to see a new British artist at the top so early in the year after 2024 was so lacklustre for British artists. Gives me some Wolf Alice vibes ~

1 JoJo 2 Mabel 3 Self Esteem 4 Tate McRae 5 Mike Posner 6 Kane Brown 7 Tom Walker 8 Lauren Spencer Smith Nothing I'll be revisiting again but the top 3 were decent (although agreed with what a lot of people have said that this is an underwhelming direction for Self Esteem to go in). Really not getting much from Tate's recent singles and honestly think this is the weakest of the 3, shame as I loved 'greedy' and 'exes'.

https://sync-tube.de/room/ApAM3t-I Starting from 8pm :jump: (just remembered I need to make the YouTube playlist again, will edit it into this post x) edit: playlist?list=PLPJgevNSgquZ0xSyMfOcJ_zAcf48ebgwZ

Happy to do a listenthrough this evening :jump:

^ there weren't any ties (not least for the worst poll which has a unanimous winner this week which you have further added to :lol:) but I'll include your votes for the OP stats anyway. Will endeavour to get the new poll up today.

I specifically cut down the list I posted there to songs that I thought would be uncontroversial to call pop and people are still arguing with me so maybe the problem here is people just being too restrictive with what they consider to be pop songs ddd. 'Scantily Clad' literally sounds like a Chappell Roan song!! And I don't know what other genre you could possibly call 'Honki Ponki' (maybe disco I guess but that's still closer to pop than to anything alternative), I can see why it might not be to the tastes of the typical BJSC pop voter but that doesn't make it not a pop song x

I think pop is doing fine x (of the pop songs that DNQed the only one that was really surprising was Charlotte Sands)

I had a read through this last night and it's mostly a pretty well written article although I notice that it's parroting a blatantly wrong statistic from another article The Guardian did recently about TikTok hits, claiming that Blood Orange's 'Champagne Coast' became a top 20 hit last year when it has in fact still never charted anywhere. The Guardian must have somehow conflated the overall chart with the independent singles chart and the BBC have just repeated that without fact checking clearly! (The paragraph about 'I Wanna Be Yours' is a little misleading/dubious as well as it was never a single and its one week in the chart wasn't until 2022 but I'll give them a bit more leeway on that one x). edit: oh and it says 'Cruel Summer' got to #1 lol but maybe they got it confused with the USA xx

Recap is brat!

So most people still voted for at least one DNQ despite the rather limited pool - only 7 people in semi 1 and 5 in semi 2 who got a full house (and 3/5 of those in semi 2 were countries who DNQed themselves so had an even smaller pool). Ooop at Terra Avium being only one point off, but a bigger gap in semi 1 (41 points seems like a surprisingly healthy cutoff point there especially with 2 non-voters).

...and I did have a bad feeling about Terra Avium too, aw not being wrong on that one </3 unfortunately it was one that I thought I should probably have liked more than I did but I still gave it 1 point and it sucks to see a shoegaze entry missing out. 2 more good qualifiers to finish on again though, FARC's in particular grew on me a lot on second listen (I've not heard the original version of the song but I think the vocals fit the production on this version pretty well anyway). Will post where I ranked all the DNQs after I finish relistening and re-ranking semi 1 x edit: From my semi: 12 QUALIFIED 10 QUALIFIED 8 QUALIFIED 7 QUALIFIED 6 QUALIFIED 5 QUALIFIED 4 EAST RUKAHAVIAN 3 QUALIFIED 2 QUALIFIED 1 TERRA AVIUM 12th POPHub 14th Summericia 18th Singerpurear 25th Macromia From semi 1: 7th Conoria 13th Utopia 17th IKR Dakoteh 24th Jupiterdonia 25th Herbilore 26th Yehesi

Well the last 2 semi 1 qualifiers are both great, glad for Elëdan especially as I was getting worried about them :heart: but I am gutted at Conoria coming 21st a second contest in a row and with 2 really good entries (I'm doing my relisten of semi 1 now, I had it ranked 8th on first listen but actually liked it even more the second time so probably going to move it up at least 1 place) :( #endconoriaracism

I like all of the remaining songs, RIP

The instrumental of 'Karmageddon' was cool but some of the lyrics... not sure about that one x

Oop Charlotte Sands out is quite a surprise, this was much better than her previous entry for me (ranked it 12th, not far off snatching a point).

Skall :heart: Cor Lupus also bringing a choon this month ~ Looks like I'm definitely losing at least one of my first listen top 10 of semi 1 as well, 2 of my big faves are still yet to be announced oop

Summericia was 14th for me, thought it sounded like a song I was going to stan from the first few seconds but then the rest didn't quite live up to that, still a good song though and didn't deserve to be out aw.

Yay Banshee 2 for 2 on the qualifiers! Hinterlandia's song also good and hoping it'll be a grower again (also hinterland pls remember to vote in the final pls xox)

Woo, thank you semi 2 voters x Fab to qualify alongside another fave from Trifoski too *.* and Bøtanikkä also a good tune. Oh MY at 'Honki Ponki' actually qualifying as well. Just leaving this here piKeDrrOrsE

'TRUCKS' kind of ikonik ngl Woo for Aelandor, also quite liked Cumulonimbia and Taahino. Congrats Niceland on a first qualifier for a little while as well! (although oop the wait continuing for Herbilore... this song was another one firmly in the 'not for me' pile unforch)

Danæviia & Jadakissnia <3 Sovarasma also a goodun and hopefully a grower x (I've not got around to doing a second listen of semi 1 yet, will do this evening x)

Aw already lost one of my votes, East Rukahavian got 4 points from me. Can't say I'm super surprised it's out but I hoped it might make it through, really lovely entry. I quite liked the IKR Dakoteh song too. Oop at a return followed by a non-vote tho x

Land of DW and Bronzil *.* the former was a good anniversary entry pick, throwing me back to more of the sound I want from Lindsey Stirling x