Most Inspirational Songs of 2018

Attention!!!

They say that music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. This effect is quadrupled when the songs in themselves carry a message of inspiration. This compilation has been an inherent part of this blog since 2013. The soundtrack to The Greatest Showman monopolized the echelons of the 2017 compilation. However, for 2018 we have a smorgasbord of genres and soundtracks. 

The crown goes to none other than Panic! At the Disco's comeback hit High Hopes, which is a pop rock anthem which has now gone on to become their greatest hit yet. In second place we have the critically acclaimed Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from the soundtrack to A Star is Born, which won Best Original Song at this year's Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Awards and the Best Song Written for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards. In third place is Lauren Daigle's contemporary Christian hit, You Say.

Pop, of course rules the list as always followed by EDM and Latin music. Several soundtracks appear on the list including Deadpool 2, Bumblebee, Aquaman and RBG. There are 4 songs produced for the 2018 FIFA World Cup although Nicky Jam's Official Song is quite an dismal attempt at an inspirational song. David Guetta, Sia and Jonas Blue are the only ones with two entries each. So here are the most inspirational songs of 2018:

1. Panic! At the Disco – High hopes
2. Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow (A Star is Born OST)
3. Lauren Daigle – You say
4. Jonas Blue ft. Jack & Jack – Rise
5. Jess Glynne – I’ll be there
6. David Guetta & Sia – Flames
7. Rita Ora – Soul survivor
8. Claire Richards – On my own
9. Celine Dion – Ashes (Deadpool 2 OST)
10. Hailee Steinfeld – Back to life (Bumblebee OST)
11. Mike Posner – Move on
12. Skylar Grey – Everything I need (Aquaman OST)
13. Avril Lavigne – Head above water
14. Jason Derulo & Maluma – Colors (Coca Cola Anthem for 2018 FIFA World Cup)
15. Jennifer Hudson – I’ll fight (RBG OST)
16. Kesha – Here comes the change (On the Basis of Sex OST)
17. Carrie Underwood – Love wins
18. Gabrielle – Shine
19. Shawn Mendes ft. Khalid & Jessie Reyez – Youth
20. Nicky Jam ft. Will Smith & Era Istrefi – Live it up (Official Song for 2018 FIFA World Cup)
21. Ciara – Dose
22. Jonas Blue ft. Joe Jonas – I see love (Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation OST)
23. All Saints – Love lasts forever
24. Natalia Oreiro – United by love
25. LSD – Mountains
26. Jennifer Lopez – Limitless (Second Act OST)
27. Calum Scott – No matter what
28. Sia vs. David Guetta & Afrojack – Helium
29. Dean Lewis – Be alright
30. RedOne ft. Adelina & Now United – One World 

Till the next symphony...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - January, 2019

Attention!!!

Golden Globe Awards 2019

Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody won the coveted award for Best Motion Picture – Drama amidst stiff competition while Rami Malek won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his brilliant portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the same film. A Star Is Born garnered 4 nominations but it only managed to win Best Original Song for Shallow written by Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson. Best Original Score was won by Justin Hurwitz for First Man.

Missy Elliot, Cat Stevens and John Prine among 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductees

Missy Elliot is making history as the first female rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Elliot is just the third rapper following the prior inductions of Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri. Also being inducted are British icon, Cat Stevens and country-folk legend, John Prine.

Lady Gaga bags big wins at the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards  

Lady Gaga took home two wins at the 24^th Critics’ Choice Awards where she received Best Actress for A Star is Born in a tie with Glenn Close for The Wife and Best Song for Shallow, her duet with Bradley Cooper. Meanwhile, Justin Hurwitz won Best Score for his work on First Man.

Nominations for 91^st Academy Awards revealed

The nominations for the 91^st Academy Awards were announced with A Star is Born receiving 8 nods including Best Actress for Lady Gaga, the second highest after Roma and The Favourite which received 10 each. Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has received 5 nods including Best Actor for Rami Malek and Mary Poppins Returns has received 4 nominations. The nominees for Best Original Song are:

-          Kendrick Lamar & SZA – All the stars (Black Panther)

-          Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow (A Star is Born)

-          Emily Blunt – The place where lost things go (Mary Poppins Returns)

-          Jennifer Hudson – I’ll Fight (RBG)

-          Willie Watson & Tim Blake Nelson – When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

Women lead 2019 BRIT Award nominations

Anne-Marie, Jess Glynne and Dua Lipa lead this year’s nominees with four nods each. Anne-Marie is nominated across 4 different categories: Female Solo Artist, Album of the Year for Speak Your Mind and Single and Video of the Year for 2002. Jess Glynne was also nominated for Female Solo Artist, Single of the Year for I’ll Be There and Rudimental collaboration These Days and Video of the Year also for These Days. Dua Lipa is up for Single and Video of the Year for both IDGAF and Calvin Harris collab One Kiss. 

Britney Spears Announces Hiatus

Britney Spears is taking an indefinite break from music to focus on family. She announced that she would be putting family first after her father was hospitalized and almost died as a result of a ruptured colon; he is currently in recovery. The global superstar cancelled her Las Vegas residency, Britney: Domination, which was to commence in February at the new Park MGM resort and her pending collaboration with Pitbull and Marc Anthony may also be on hold.

Daryl Dragon Passes Away

Daryl Dragon, best known as Captain from the group Captain and Tennille has passed away at the age of 76 due to renal failure. The duo is best known for their hits Love Will Keep Us Together, Do That To Me One More Time and Muskrat Love.

R.Kelly facing Criminal Investigations over Sexual Misconduct

A formal investigation into sexual misconduct by US rapper R.Kelly is underway. Prosecutors are checking whether the artist should face criminal charges. The case was prompted by a six-part documentary series on Lifetime titled Surviving R.Kelly, wherein women who were allegedly abused by Kelly speak out. Kelly has vehemently denied all allegations and has sworn to sue those involved. Meanwhile, radio stations have suspended playing his songs and his collaborations have been asked by artists such as Lady Gaga to be removed from streaming services.

Sony Music drops R.Kelly

Following social media backlash and protests in front of Sony Headquarters in New York, Sony Music has finally dropped R.Kelly from the record label. Prior to this a campaign titled #MuteRKelly was initiated to achieve this objective. R.Kelly has been in the middle of a massive controversy involving sexual abuse allegations with several artists withdrawing their collaborations with him on streaming services following the documentary Surviving R.Kelly being released on Lifetime.

Michael Jackson is coming to Broadway

The Michael Jackson estate has confirmed the production of a musical titled Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough, inspired by the life of the King of Pop. The production is to be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon and will premiere in Chicago this year and make its Broadway debut in 2020.

Playboi Carti found guilty of assault

Jordan Carter more famously known as Playboi Carti was found guilty of assault and damaging a tour bus in Scotland in February 2018. He was fined £800 following a trial at the Dumfries Justice of the Peace Court. While Carti had denied the assault charges, he had admitted to damaging the tour bus.

Chart News

In the US, Ariana Grande started off January at the top with Thank, U Next completing 7 whopping weeks but was replaced by Halsey’s Without Me in the second week. This again was dethroned by Post Malone & Swae Lee’s Sunflower, off the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack. Halsey’s Without Me returned to the top during the last week. During the month Post Malone’s Wow and Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid’s Eastside entered the top 10.

In the UK, Ava Max’s Sweet But Psycho was the first No.1 of the year dethroning Christmas No.1, LadBaby’s comic version of Starship’s We Built this City. Max’s formidable 4-week reign was ended by Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings, a sampling My Favorite Things from the beloved The Sound of Music soundtrack.  During the month, Pink Fong’s Baby Shark, Zara Larsson’s Ruin My Life, George Ezra’s Hold My Girl, Gesaffelestein & The Weeknd’s Lost in the Fire and Sam Smith & Normani’s Dancing With a Stranger, all entered the top 10 during the month.

Hot New Picks of the Month

1.       5 Seconds of Summer ft. Julia Michaels – Lie to me

2.       Sam Smith – Fire on fire

3.       Chris Brown – Undecided

4.       Sabrina Carpenter – Paris

5.       Ozuna – Baila baila baila

6.       Gabrielle Aplin – My mistake

7.       Calvin Harris & Rag’n’Bone Man – Giant

8.       Mike Shinoda – Can’t hear you now

9.       Westlife – Hello my love

10.   Hardwell ft. Snoop Dogg & Conor Maynard – How you love me

11.   The Cranberries – All over now

12.   Vice & Jason Derulo ft. Ava Max – Make up  

13.   Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine

14.   City Girls ft. Cardi B – Twerk

15.   Alec Benjamin & Alessia Cara – Let me down slowly 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

2018 Recap: A Year in Music

Attention!!!

Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for. It’s time to say goodbye to 2018. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be, and no tears will be left to cry for the past year. It’s a no brainer that it was a fantastic year for music. According to God’s plan all the stars aligned for Rap & Hip-Hop, as if I’m taken back to 2002. I like it how the Spanglish resurgence incorporated Rap and EDM into its fold. I've told you one, two, three, four, five, six thousand times that the recap is always under seven segments: genres, albums, singles, milestones, shockers, talent and obituaries. While we will never be the same after 2018, we have high hopes for 2019; thank u, next:

1.  Genres

The most conspicuous changes in the mainstream genres were:

• Continuing their reign from last year Rap and Hip-Hop ruled the first half of the year with Cloud Rap being the main subgenre on the charts.
• Pop which took a backseat to the new trends in fusion music resurfaced in the latter half of the year.
• The next phase of the Latin resurgence was the fusion of the genre with EDM and Rap with some hits and a few epic fails.
• Mega collaborations was the order of the day be it any genre.
• K-Pop conquered the world with BTS and BLACKPINK leading the fray.
• The age of Hard Rock and Metal is definitely over with the few hits from the genre being produced only by mainstream artists.
• Country music had a big year with the genre doing well on the charts particularly due to crossover artists.  
• It was a great year for movie musicals with their soundtracks performing extremely well. 

2. Albums

Some of the best albums released in 2018 were:

• Migos – Culture II (3rd studio album)
• Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods (5th studio album)
• George Ezra – Staying at Tamara’s (2nd studio album)
• Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour (4th studio album)
• CNCO – CNCO (2nd studio album)
• Kylie Minogue – Golden (14th studio album)
• Charlie Puth – Voicenotes (2nd studio album)
• Maluma – F.A.M.E. (3rd studio album)
• Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes (3rd studio album)
• J Balvin – Vibras (5th studio album)
• Marshmello – Joytime II (2nd studio album)
• Panic! At the Disco – Pray for the Wicked (6th studio album)
• Ariana Grande – Sweetener (4th studio album)
• Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys (2nd studio album)
• Lily Allen – No Shame (4th studio album)
• Jess Glynne – Always in Between (2nd studio album)
• Christina Aguilera – Liberation (8th studio album)
• Drake – Scorpion (5th studio album)
• 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood (3rd studio album)
• Eminem – Kamikaze (10th studio album)
• BTS – Love Yourself: Tear (3rd Korean studio album)
• XXXTentacion – ? (2nd studio album)
• Nicki Minaj – Queen (4th studio album)
• Clean Bandit – What is Love? (2nd studio album)
• Rita Ora – Phoenix (2nd studio album)
• Little Mix – LM5 (5th studio album) 

Most of the anticipated albums in 2018 were debut studio albums:

• Camila Cabello – Camila 
• Sigala – Brighter Days
• Bebe Rexha – Expectations
• Alan Walker – Different World
• Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
• Anne-Marie – Speak Your Mind
• Calum Scott – Only Human
• Jorja Smith – Lost & Found
• Mike Shinoda – Post Traumatic 

3. Singles

• Drake’s God’s Plan topped the charts in 14 countries and entered the top ten in 9 others and ended the year as the most successful single of the year.
• Camila Cabello who left the girl band Fifth Harmony in 2016 achieved monumental global fame with her summer smash hit Havana featuring Young Thug.
• Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B’s Girls Like You was the most watched music video of 2018 with over 1.5 billion views. Due to this being her third chart topper, Cardi B extended her record in the US for most number ones by a female rapper.
• BTS’ Fake Love became the highest charting K-Pop single by a group in the US while BLACKPINK became the highest charting K-Pop female act with Ddu Du Ddu Du.
• Ariana Grande revisited the noughties in her Thank U, Next video which became her most successful hit to date and broke the record for most-watched video on YouTube within 24 hours by achieving 55.4 million views passing BTS’ Idol.
• With the success of Drake’s In My Feelings boosted by the Kiki Challenge, biggest viral sensation on social media made the artist the rapper with the most number ones in the US.
• Little Mix left Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Music over creative differences particularly their hit Woman Like Me featuring Nicki Minaj.
• Lady Gaga returned to the top of the charts with Shallow a duet with Bradley Cooper from the soundtrack of their box office hit movie musical A Star is Born.
• Lauryn Hill’s 1998-hit Ex-Factor was sampled by Drake and Cardi B in their hits Nice for What and Be Careful respectively. 
• Panic! At the Disco scored their biggest hit to date with High Hopes surpassing the success of I Write Sins Not Tragedies way back in 2006.
• Dad blogger LadBaby claimed the coveted Christmas No.1 with his cover of Starship's We Built This City beating stiff competition from Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next and Ava Max's Sweet But Psycho. 
• Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You became the first Christmas song in 60 years to enter the top 5 in the US reaching a peak of No.3. 
• Pinkfong's Baby Shark became a viral hit with over 2 billion views on YouTube and several artists such as BLACKPINK and Girls Generation covering the song and parodies being done on talk shows such as Ellen Degeneres and James Corden and a performance at the X Factor final. 
• Drake's In My Feelings was the biggest viral sensation of the year with the Kiki Challenge being performed around the world and with its success, Drake became the rapper with the most number one hits in the US. 

4. Milestones

• Bruno Mars took home the big 3 at the Grammy Awards with Record of the Year for 24K Magic, Album of the Year for 24K Magic and Song of the Year for That’s What I Like
• Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez won Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for Remember Me from Coco
• US President Donald Trump awarded the late Elvis Presley, the Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Martin Garrix took the No.1 spot on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs for 2018
• Ariana Grande was named Billboard Woman of the Year
• BTS became the youngest recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit from the South Korean government.
• Jess Glynne broke Cheryl Cole’s record for most number ones by a British female artist in the UK with 7 chart toppers.
• Billboard Hot 100 celebrated its 60th anniversary in August.
• Jennifer Lopez received the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards
• Justin Timberlake performed at the Super Bowl LII Halftime Show
• Daddy Yankee was awarded the Icon Award for his contribution to Latin Music and Maluma was awarded the Extraordinary Evolution Award at the Latin American Music Awards
• Janet Jackson received the Icon Awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and Radio Disney Music Awards
• Wolf Alice’s Visions of a Life won the coveted Mercury Prize
• Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was awarded the Member of the Order of Companions of Honour in the Queen’s 2019 Birthday Honours
• Kelly Clarkson was honored with the Icon Award at the Radio Disney Music Awards
• Mary Poppins Returns, the sequel to Walt Disney’s beloved musical-fantasy film was released after a lapse of 54 years starring Emily Blunt in the titular role.
• Cher, Reba McEntire, Philip Glass and Wayne Shorter were the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors. 
• Taylor Swift became the most awarded female winner in American Music Awards history with a total of 23 awards, breaking the record held by Whitney Houston.

5. Shockers

• Spice Girls excluding Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) announced their much anticipated return with the Spice World 2019 Tour with 13 shows.
• Boyzone released their seventh and final album Thank You & Goodnight marking their 25th anniversary and a farewell tour with the same name.
• Tulisa won the legal battle against Will.I.Am and Britney Spears for Scream & Shout ensuring a songwriting credit.
• The remaining members of Fifth Harmony declared a hiatus to pursue solo endeavors.
• The final judgment was delivered in favour of the Marvin Gaye estate in the Blurred Lines copyright suit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams.
• Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso confirmed that Swedish House Mafia have reunited and will tour and release new music in 2019.
• The rap beef between Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly reached a climax with Not Alike released by Eminem with a response by MGK with Rap Devil and the final cannon shot at MGK by Eminem with Killshot.
• In her new memoir, Brutally Honest, Spice Girl Mel B revealed that just before the X Factor UK final in 2014 where she was a judge she had taken 200 aspirin pills in an attempt to end her life due to her difficult marriage to Stephen Belafonte.
• 6ix9ine was arrested by US police for racketeering and conspiracy murder charges and if found guilty, the rapper may face 32 years to life in prison.
• In the Woolsey Fires that burned through California several artists’ homes including that of Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke and Lil Pump were burned to the ground.

6. Talent

Here are the winners of those talent/reality contests which produce some of the best artists:

• 63rd Eurovision Song Contest – Israel with Netta’s Toy
• The X Factor (15th Season) – Dalton Harris mentored by Louis Tomlinson  
• The Voice (14th Season) – Brynn Cartelli coached by Kelly Clarkson
• The Voice UK (7th Season) – Ruti Olajugbagbe coached by Sir Tom Jones
• The Voice (15th Season) – Chevel Shepherd coached by Kelly Clarkson
• The Four: Battle for Stardom (1st Season) – Evvie McKinney
• The Four: Battle for Stardom (2nd Season) – James Graham 

7. Obituaries

• Ray Thomas of The Moody Blues (29 December 1941 – 04 January 2018)
• Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries (06 September 1971 – 15 January 2018)
• Mark Salling of former Glee Cast (17 August 1982 – 30 January 2018)
• Dennis Edwards of The Temptations (03 February 1943 – 01 February 2018)
• Barbara Alston of The Crystals (29 December 1943 – 16 February 2018)
• Yvonne Staples of The Staple Singers (23 October 1937 – 10 April 2018)
• Avicii (08 September 1989 – 20 April 2018)
• XXXTentacion (23 January 1998 – 18 June 2018)
• Vinnie Paul of Pantera (11 March 1964 – 22 June 2018)
• Aretha Franklin (25 March 1942 – 16 August 2018)
• Ed King of Lynrd Skynyrd(14 September 1949 – 22 August 2018)
• Mac Miller (19 January 1992 – 07 September 2018)
• Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane/Starship (30 January 1942 – 27 September 2018)
• Freddie Hart (21 December 1926 – 27 October 2018)
• Roy Clark (15 April 1933 – 15 November 2018)
• Devin Lima of LFO (18 March 18 1977 – 21 November 2018)

Till next year...

At Ease!!!

Best Songs About Being There For Someone

Attention!!!

One type of feel good music consists of those songs which are about being there for someone.  If one quotes Carole King directly from her song You've Got A Friend, it shows that these songs are typically useful when a person is down or in trouble to indicate that a friend will always be there. Therefore, these songs can also be dedicated via radio stations as well as television channels and also when a friend is down in the dumps these songs can be played. 

The Pretenders' I'll Stand By You takes the top spot in this compilation as it is clearly the most played song in these occasions as well as covered by several artists throughout the years with most of the versions (Rod Stewart, Girls Aloud) topping the charts. At second place is Ben E. King's Stand By Me which is everyone's go-to feel good song about friends. At No.3 we have the cliched Jackson 5's I'll Be There which all significant others resort to when their respective boyfriends or girlfriends are depressed. We have four entries with the title I'll Be There For You and three entries with Stand By You. While it is a mishmash of artists and eras in terms of genre it is only Pop with just one Rock and one R&B entry. So here are the top 30 songs about being there for someone: 

1. The Pretenders – I’ll stand by you
2. Ben E.King – Stand by me
3. Jackson 5 – I’ll be there
4. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t no mountain high enough
5. The Rembrandts – I’ll be there for you
6. Rachel Platten – Stand by you
7. Bill Withers – Lean on me
8. Celine Dion – Because you loved me
9. Carole King – You’ve got a friend
10. S Club 7 – Reach
11. Rihanna ft. Jay-Z – Umbrella
12. Michael Jackson – You are not alone
13. Jess Glynne – Hold my hand
14. Hanson – I will come to you
15. Avril Lavigne – I’m with you
16. Phil Collins – You’ll be in my heart
17. Bruno Mars – Count on me
18. Bon Jovi – I’ll be there for you
19. Charlie Puth – One call away
20. Sade – By your side
21. The Corrs – At your side
22. Olive – You’re not alone
23. Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans – Count on me
24. The Moffats – I’ll be there for you
25. Kat Deluna – Be there
26. MLTR – I’m gonna be around
27. Marlisa – Stand by you
28. S Club 7 – Stand by you
29. Tinchy Stryder – You’re not alone
30. Solid HarmoniE – I’ll be there for you 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Most Successful Artists/Bands of 2015

Attention!!!

It has indeed been a great year for R&B artists but still we find those from Pop leading the fray in this most successful list. We have DJs as well as one girl group and one boy band. From Reggae and Trap to Doo-Wop and Rap this list comprises all those artists who have showcased their talents this year and were rewarded with success. From the accomplishments on the charts, earnings from sales, tours and accolades received. Yes, the most influential artist is also the most successful in the world. Taylor Swift takes the crown as the most successful artist for 2015 and holds this position for the second consecutive year. One thing that is extremely conspicuous from this list is that these artists have their own individuality in terms of their music as well as their genres and have catered well to their particular audiences. So here are the top 20 most successful artists of 2015:

1. Taylor Swift
   

She has it all – appeal, charm, beauty and of course talent which makes up the ultimate formula for success in the music industry. Like Madonna, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Britney Spears before her, Swift knows how to cater to her fan base in terms of music as well as lyrical content. She started off the year with Blank Space at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 whilst Shake It Off was just receding from the summit. Next Style headed to the top 10 where it peaked at No.6. Then, the much anticipated remix of Bad Blood featuring Kendrick Lamar shot to No.1 in the US and reaching the top 10 in more than 13 countries. Its star-studded video broke the then VEVO 24-hour viewing record held by Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda. The fifth single off 1989, Wildest Dreams peaked at No.5. All five singles were worldwide hits and the video of Blank Space broke the long held VEVO record of Justin Bieber’s Baby when it surpassed its view count. Her 1989 World Tour was extremely successful where she featured high profile celebrity guests and artists. At the Academy of Country Music Awards 2015 she was honoured with the 50^th Anniversary Milestone Award. At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards she won the Top Billboard 200 Album for 1989. At the 2015 BRIT Awards she won the International Female Solo Artist. At the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards she won Song of the Year for Bad Blood and for Best US Act. At the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards she won Best Pop Video and Best Female Video for Blank Space and the video ended the year as the second most watched video on YouTube raking over 1.2 billion views. At the 2015 People’s Choice Awards she won Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Pop Artist and also Favorite Song for Shake It Off. Recently, she won the Song of the Year for Blank Space and grabbed the Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Album for 1989 at the 2015 American Music Awards. The Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015 featured all five of her singles from 1989 Blank Space (7), Bad Blood (15), Shake It Off (18), Style (29) and Wildest Dreams (57),  while her album 1989 finished No.1 in the US Billboard Albums chart and was the 6^th biggest album in the UK.

2. Justin Bieber
   

Bieber was always more influential than successful. However, with his new album Purpose he proved us all wrong. It’s a good thing that the Beliebers of this world never lost faith in their prodigal master, who not only went astray, but also had a colossal breakdown in terms of his career after drug abuse, drunk driving and even alleged prostitution. During the first half we saw him being featured on Skrillex & Diplo’s Where Are U Now which was a massive success worldwide entering the top 10 in more than 10 countries including the US, UK, Canada and Australia. This was followed by the release of his worldwide number one hits What Do You Mean? and Sorry. Then his album Purpose was released which debuted atop the Billboard 200 with all the songs from the album debuting inside the Hot 100. He then released his third single from the album Love Yourself which was also a top 10 magnet worldwide; and eventually replaced himself atop the UK Chart. His collaboration with Skrillex and Diplo on Where Are U Now gained him an American Music Award for Collaboration of the Year. At the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards he won Best Male, Best Canadian Act, Best North American Act and also Best Collaboration for Where Are U Now. Where Are U Now ended up at No.19 on the 2015 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 with What Do You Mean? at No.33. Purpose was the 5th biggest album in the UK.

3. Ed Sheeran
   

Sheeran had a great year in 2014 with his second studio album x which maintained its success during 2015. The year began with his second single off the album Don’t receding from the charts while Thinking Out Loud was climbing up the Billboard Hot 100. Thinking Out Loud had already peaked in the UK but was gaining ground everywhere else. It was stuck at No.2 in the US behind Mark Ronson’s titanic hit Uptown Funk. For 8 consecutive weeks Thinking Out Loud held on to the No.2 spot and remained in the US top 50 for more than a year a feat he also equaled in the UK top 40 with the same song. The fourth single off the album was a remix of Bloodstream by Rudimental which peaked at No.2 in the UK and No.7 in Australia. Photograph released as the fifth single off the album reached No.10 in the US and No.15 in the UK and reached the top 10 in more than 10 countries. He was also featured in Rudimental’s Lay It All On Me which peaked at No.12 in the UK and No.48 in the US. At the 2015 BRIT Awards X won the Album of the Year and he won for Best Male Solo Artist and at the 57^th Grammy Awards it was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. At the 2015 American Music Awards he won the Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist and Thinking Out Loud has been nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 58^th Grammy Awards. He also received the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year. The Billboard Year-End Hot 100 placed Thinking Out Loud at No.2, Photograph at No.34 and Don’t at No.92 and the Biggest Songs of UK for 2015 placed Thinking Out Loud at No.12, Photograph at No.29, Bloodstream at No.33 and Lay It All On Me at No.93. His album x ended up in the top tier in most year-end charts including No.2 in the US, UK, Australia and Canada.

4. Adele
   

After a three year break, she is back and her music is better than ever. If she had released her music early in the year she would have probably topped this list. Hello, the lead single from her third studio album 25 was released in the final quarter of 2015 reaching the top in over 30 countries including US and UK. The music video for Hello broke the Vevo Record by achieving 27.7 million views over a 24-hour period surpassing the record held by Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood. Hello went on to become the fastest video to hit one billion views on YouTube, which it achieved after 88 days. Her third studio album, 25 debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and became the fastest selling album in UK chart history and the album debuted at number one in the US where it achieved the largest single sales week for an album since Nielsen began monitoring sales. 25 became the best-selling album of 2015 in a number of countries, including Australia, the UK and the US where it spent seven consecutive weeks at number one in each country. Her second single When We Were Young peaked at No.29 in UK and No.22 in the US even before its scheduled release in 2016. Hello ended up at No.35 in the Billboard Year End Hot 100 and in the UK at No.6 in the year end singles. 25 ended up in the top 5 in more than 15 year-end charts including No.1 in UK and Australia.

5. The Weeknd
   

He first arrived in the mainstream music scene being featured on Ariana Grande’s Love Me Harder, which peaked at No.7 in the US in 2014. This was followed by Earned It which climbed all the way to No.3 in the US featured in the Fifty Shades of Grey original soundtrack and peaked inside the Top 10 in more than ten countries. Thereafter, in mid-2015 he released The Hills which became a sleeper hit in late 2015, but it was his next single Can’t Feel My Face which became his first No.1 single in the US. It reached the top 10 in more than 20 countries including No.1 in his home country Canada and No.3 in the UK. This made him the first artist in the history of that chart to earn this distinction. His second studio album Beauty Behind the Madness debuted atop the Billboard 200 and also reached the top 10 in over ten countries and topped the charts in Canada, Australia, Norway and the UK. He then replaced himself at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with The Hills which ruled at the top for six consecutive weeks in the US and reached the top 10 in about seven countries. His next single In The Night peaked inside the top 15 in more than 5 countries including the US, Canada and Australia. At the 2015 American Music Awards he won the Favorite Male Artist - Soul/R&B and his album won the Favorite Soul/R&B Album. He has top spots on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015 with Earned It at No.09, The Hills at No.10, Can’t Feel My Face at No.12 and also Love Me Harder at No.56. His album was within the top 20 of more than 10 year-end charts including the US and Australia.

6. Mark Ronson
   

This relatively unknown musician had his initial success with the likes of Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen but I doubt he ever thought his single Uptown Funk featuring Bruno Mars would become a pop phenomenon. Released in late 2014, the single topped the UK charts once in December and then again took over in 2015 and stayed at the top for six consecutive weeks. In the US it dethroned Taylor Swift’s Blank Space and held on for 14 consecutive weeks becoming the second longest running No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the charts in over 20 countries and entered the top 10 in over 12 countries. It also crowned the 2015 Year-End charts in Australia, US, UK and Canada and also entered the US Billboard All Time Chart at No.12. His fifth studio album Uptown Special was released in early 2015 and topped the UK Album Chart and reached No.2 and No.5 on the Australian Album Chart and US Billboard 200 respectively. Ronson won the Best Single at the 2015 Brit Awards. It ended the year as the 27th biggest album in the US.

7. Jess Glynne
   

Being featured on Clean Bandit’s global smash hit Rather Be laid the foundation for Glynne to be one of the most sought after featured artists. Rather Be won the Grammy Award for the Best Dance Recording in 2015. Her talents as a solo artist was soon showcased with the release of Hold My Hand in early 2015 where it reached the top of the UK charts and remained there for three weeks. It also reached No.1 in more than 6 countries and also peaked within the top 20 in over 8 countries. It was shortlisted for Song of the Year at the BBC Music Awards and is also nominated for British Single of the Year at the 2016 Brit Awards. Thereafter, she was featured on Tine Tempah’s Not Letting Go which also reached No.1 in the UK and reached the top 10 in four other countries. Next she released Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself which gave Glynne her fifth number-one single in the UK, making her the second British female solo artist to reach this feat after Cheryl Cole. Her debut album I Cry When I Laugh was released to critical acclaim and reached No.1 in the UK and No.25 on the Billboard 200 and finished at No.7 in the biggest albums in the UK for 2015. She then released the final single for the year Take Me Home which peaked at No.6 in the UK and served as the BBC Children in Need single of 2015. In the year end charts in the UK, Hold My Hand and Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself ended up at No.14 and No.39 respectively.

8. Fetty Wap
   

He may be singing about trap queens but he is definitely the king of trap. Wap whose real name is Willie Maxwell II released Trap Queen in early 2014. Although it did not get enough attention at that point, the single became a sleeper hit after it was re-released in late 2014 and reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained in the top 10 for over 25 weeks. It also reached No.8 in the UK and No.11 in Canada. With several nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards 2015, Fetty Wap grabbed the Artist to Watch for Trap Queen. His second single 679 featuring Remy Boyz rose to No.4 in the US and No.20 in the UK. His third single My Way featuring Monty peaked at No.7 in the US and fourth single Again peaked at No.33. He became the first male rapper with three songs occupying the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Eminem did so in 2013. He also became the first male rapper in four years to have concurrent singles reach the top 10 of the same chart since Lil Wayne did so in 2011. His self-titled debut album debuted atop the US Billboard 200. He was featured in Natalie La Rose’s Around the World which peaked at No.14 in the UK and David Guetta’s Bang My Head alongside Sia which was released just before 2015 ended. He ended up with his singles Trap Queen, 679 and My Way at No. 4, 21 and 44 respectively.

9. Selena Gomez
   

Gomez entered 2015 with her break up hit The Heart Wants What It Wants receding from the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at No.6. It also peaked within the top 10 in around six countries. Next she was featured in Zedd’s dance hit I Want You To Know which peaked within the top 20 in more than ten countries including the US, UK and Canada. Then in the summer she released Good For You featuring A$AP Rocky which was to serve as the lead single from her second studio album Revival. It has since peaked at No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her highest placement on the chart. Internationally, the song has become her most commercially successful single, charting in 23 countries and reaching the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Norway, Slovakia and Spain. Next came Same Old Love which also reached No.5 in the US and charting worldwide. Her second studio album Revival debuted atop the Billboard 200 in the latter part of 2016 and also entered the top 10 in more than 20 countries. She ended the year with Good For You and The Heart Wants What It Wants at No.27 and 62 on the Billboard Year End Hot 100 and received the Chart-Topper at the Billboard Women in Music Awards 2015. At the Radio Disney Music Awards The Heart Wants What It Wants won for Best Breakup Song while at the Kids’ Choice Awards 2015 she won for Best Female Singer.

10. One Direction
    

The group began 2015 backed by the highest grossing concert tour of 2014 after their fourth studio album Four from which its second single Night Changes was receding from the charts. The band then faced their ultimate test with Zayn Malik’s sudden departure in March 2015. The band decided to stay together and with no promotion whatsoever released Drag Me Down which reached the top in more than 10 countries including the UK, Australia and France and reached the top 10 in almost all the other countries it charted. This was to serve as their first and lead single off their fifth studio album Made in the A.M. and the first as a quartet. Perfect was released as the second single which also reached the top 10 in more than 13 countries. Then came the much anticipated Made in the A.M. which debuted atop the UK Album Chart and at No.2 on the Billboard 200. It also reached the top 3 in more than 20 countries. The group announced a hiatus at the end of 2015 and ended the year with Drag Me Down at No.65 and Night Changes at No.98 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100. They won the Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards 2015, Top Duo Group at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, Video of the Year for You & I at the 2015 BRIT Awards and Best Pop Act at the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards.

11. Sam Smith
    

He had a mammoth year in 2014 and the remnants seemed to have trickled down to 2015. He began the year with his titanic hit Stay With Me still within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 even after 37 weeks. His I’m Not The Only One had peaked at No.5 and was still in the top 10 in the US. He was the big winner at the 57^th Grammy Awards with Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Stay With Me and Best Pop Vocal Album In The Lonely Hour and Best New Artist. At the 2015 Brit Awards he won British Breakthrough Act and Global Success. Next Lay Me Down was released which peaked at No.8 in the US and a re-release with John Legend for charity purposes propelled it to No.1. At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards he received Top Male Artist, Top New Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist. He was featured in Disclosure’s Omen which charted within the top 40 of more than 15 countries. In late 2015, Sam Smith was picked to sing the coveted James Bond theme and his Writing’s On the Wall composed for the film Spectre and became the first Bond song to reach No.1 in the UK. He entered the Guinness World Records for scoring the most consecutive weeks within the UK top 10 by a debut album. His In The Lonely Hour Tour which began in January 2015 ended in December 2015 with monumental sales. He ended the year with In The Lonely Hour at No.3 in both the year end charts in the US and UK and I’m Not The Only One, Stay With Me and Lay Me Down at No.26, 58 and 81 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015.

12. Meghan Trainor
    

Rejuvenating a bygone genre is not easy, especially in this era of music. But Trainor managed to do just that. With her global smash hit All About That Bass, she brought Doo-Wop back into the mainstream. The success of her follow-up single Lips Are Movin’ released late in 2014 continued in 2015. She started off the year with Lips Are Movin’ at No.5 in the US and reaching the top 10 in more than ten countries in 2015 where it peaked at No.2 in the UK. She followed this with the release of her major label debut studio album Title in January which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and also peaked at No.1 in many countries including UK, Canada and Australia. Dear Future Husband was released as the third official single from Title and entered the top 20 in more than 10 countries including No.14 in the US and No.20 in the UK. Like I’m Gonna Lose You was released as the fourth single from the album during the latter half of 2015 where it reached the top 10 in more than five countries including the US, Canada and Australia. She was also featured in Charlie Puth’s global hit Marvin Gaye which reached the top in UK and France and also entered the top 10 in more than ten countries. Title ended up at No.5 on the Billboard Year-End Albums of 2015.  She along with Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj are the only three artists to have 5 entries each on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015 with Lips Are Movin’ (22), All About That Bass (28), Dear Future Husband (74), Marvin Gaye (75) and Like I’m Gonna Lose You (76). At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards she won Top Hot 100 Song and Top Digital Song for All About That Bass and the song was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 57^th Grammy Awards.  

13. Calvin Harris
    

With back to back hits in 2013 and 2014 with Under Control, Summer and Blame, Harris established himself as a EDM force to reckon with. Outside featuring Ellie Goulding was released as the fourth single off his fourth studio album Motion in the latter part of 2014. The success of Outside continued into 2015 where it reached the top 10 in more than ten countries and reached No.29 in the US. Pray To God featuring HAIM was released in early 2015 which reached the top 20 in more than 6 countries. At the 2015 BRIT Awards he was nominated for the Best British Single and British Artist Video of the Year for Summer. At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards he won Top Dance/Electronic Artist and at the 2015 American Music Awards won Favorite EDM Artist.  He then released How Deep Is Your Love? a collaboration with the Disciples which soared to the top 10 in 22 countries including the top in Australia and No.2 in UK. It also peaked at No.27 in the US. He ended the year with How Deep Is Your Love at No.20 and Outside at No.85 on the Biggest Singles in the UK and the former at No.100 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100.

14. Nicki Minaj
    

She entered 2015 with a monumentally successful year behind her with Only, Bang Bang and Anaconda receding from the charts at No.15, 22 and 48 respectively. Her third studio album The Pinkprint had just been launched in December, 2014. Early 2015 saw her collaborations Feeling Myself with Beyonce and Bed of Lies with Skylar Grey peaking at No.39 This was followed by the singles Truffle Butter featuring Drake and Lil Wayne and The Night Is Still Young which peaked at No.14 and No.31 in the US. She was next featured on David Guetta’s global dance hit Hey Mama alongside Bebe Rexha and Afrojack. It reached the top 10 in more than 20 countries including No.8 in the US and No.9 in the UK. She was also featured on Madonna’s Bitch, I’m Madonna which peaked at No.84 in the US, Rae Sremmurd’s Throw Sum Mo alongside Young Thug which peaked at No.30 in the US and Meek Mill’s All Eyes On You alongside Chris Brown which peaked at No.21 in the US. She was part of a remix of The Weeknd’s The Hills which propelled it to No.1 in the US. She began her Pinkprint Tour in March, 2015 which has been extremely successful and will conclude in March, 2016. At the American Music Awards 2015 she won Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist, at the BET Awards 2015 she won the Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and won Best Hip-Hop Video for Anaconda at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. The Pinkprint finished off at No.7 on Billboard Year-End Albums chart whilst she had five on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 with Hey Mama (30), Only (61), Truffle Butter (66), and All Eyes on You (69) and Bang Bang (80).

15. Ellie Goulding
    

Goulding entered 2015 with her second collaboration with Calvin Harris on Outside which was a moderate hit worldwide. She trumped this by her next single Love Me Like You Do which is her biggest hit to date from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. It ruled the charts worldwide in early 2015 soaring to No.1 in more than 25 countries including UK and Australia and reaching No.3 in the US. She was next featured in Major Lazer’s hit Powerful alongside Tarrus Riley which was moderately successful. On My Mind, her first and lead single preceded her third studio album Delirium in late 2015 which peaked in the top 20 in more than 25 countries and peaked at No.5 in the UK and No.3 in Australia. Delirium was released in November 2015 with significant first week sales, reaching the top 10 in more than 15 countries including peaking at No.3 in UK and US. Love Me Like You Do was nominated She ended the year with Love Me Like You Do at No. 13 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015 and No.4 on the Biggest Hits of UK 2015.

16. OMI
    

It was way back in 2008 that Omar Pasley composed Cheerleader and he only released it in 2012 with a low budget video in Jamaica and a limited release in the US. The song’s revival came when the label Ultra Music liked the song and foresaw it becoming a dance hit if remixed. Felix Jaehn’s remix was chosen for the re-release in 2015 as it maintained much of the song’s original instrumentation. The song was a massive global success during the summer of 2015 reaching No.1 in more than 20 countries including spending six non-consecutive weeks at the top in the US and four weeks atop the UK Charts. It was named as the coveted Billboard’s Song of the Summer and was also the most streamed song of 2015 in the UK. His second single Hula Hoop was moderately successful reaching the top 20 in more than ten countries. His debut studio album Me 4 U peaked at No.51 on the Billboard 200 and No.37 in Australia. Cheerleader was nominated for Choice Summer Song at the 2015 Teen Choice Awards and Song of Summer at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards. OMI ended the year with Cheerleader within the top 20 of almost all the year-end charts where it was ranked No.2 on UK’s Biggest Hits of 2015 and No.11 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015.

17. Major Lazer
    

Anticipating the summer of 2015 Major Lazer consisting of Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire released Lean On, collaborating with DJ Snake and Danish recording artist MØ. The song was a titanic hit reaching the top 10 in more than thirty countries including No.1 in more than ten countries with a peak of No.2 in the UK and No.4 in the US. Their third studio album Peace is the Mission was released in June, 2015 reaching the top 30 in more than ten countries peaking at No.12 on the Billboard 200. Their second single Powerful featuring Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley released simultaneously alongside the album achieved moderate success. The song became the most played, listened and streamed song of 2015 breaking records on Spotify and YouTube coupled with a video that went viral inclusive of a quirky dance routine. They ended the year with Lean On inside the top 10 of most of the year-end charts and reaching No.7 on the Biggest Hits of UK of 2015 and No.16 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015.

18. Wiz Khalifa
    

Khalifa entered 2015 after the moderate success he had with his fifth studio album Blacc Hollywood, although it did manage to debut atop the Billboard 200. In early 2015 he was featured in the Boys of Zummer Remix of Fall Out Boy’s Uma Thurman which peaked at No.22 in the US and No.71 in the UK. Next he released See You Again featuring Charlie Puth which was the theme song for the action film Furious 7 paying tribute to Paul Walker who died in a tragic car crash in 2013. It was a global commercial as well as a critical success. Soaring to the top of the charts in more than 25 countries it stayed atop the US Billboard Hot 100 for 12 non-consecutive weeks tying with Eminem’s Lose Yourself for the longest reign by a rap song and stayed atop the UK Charts for 2 weeks. Blacc Hollywood and its lead single We Dem Boyz were nominated for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song respectively at the 57^th Grammy Awards 2015. Its video is the third most watched video of all time on YouTube garnering over 1.48 billion views and second only to Psy’s Gangnam Style and Taylor Swift’s Blank Space. His second song on the Furious 7 soundtrack Go Hard or Go Home, a collaboration with Iggy Azalea did not experience the same success reaching only No.86 on the Billboard Hot 100. He ended the year with See You Again within the top 10 of most year-end charts including No.3 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 and No.5 on the Biggest Hits of UK.

19. Little Mix
    

They are the second coming of flower power after the Spice Girls but this time they come with talent. As the only group to ever win the X Factor UK, this girl group take on the reigns from the likes of Girls Aloud but their popularity and success is much more. Many called their decision to cancel the North American leg of their tour to focus on their next album stupid and naïve but these girls proved them wrong. During the summer of 2015 they released their highly anticipated new single Black Magic which debuted atop the UK Charts and remained there for three weeks. It also peaked within the top 10 of more than six countries and reached No.67 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by their second single Love Me Like You which peaked at No.17 during 2015. Their third studio album Get Weird was released to global success reaching No.2 in the UK and the top 20 in more than 15 countries including US and Australia. They ended the year with Black Magic at No.27 on UK’s Biggest Hits of 2015 and Get Weird at No.11 on UK’s Biggest Albums of 2015.

20. Kendrick Lamar
    

Considered as the best rapper to have emerged during this decade, Lamar started off 2015 with his song i winning Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 57^th Grammy Awards. His single The Blacker The Berry enjoyed moderate chart success reaching No.66 in the US and No.83 in the UK. This was followed by his much anticipated third studio album To Pimp A Butterfly which reached the top 10 in over 14 countries including reaching No.1 in the US, UK and Australia. His third single off the album King Kunta was also successful, but it was his fourth single Alright which although did not enjoy chart success, propelled to fame amongst the African-American community and soon became renowned as a modern Black National Anthem during the times of police brutality towards the community. He won Best Direction for Alright at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards and also Best Hip Hop Video and Impact Track at the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards. In the summer he was featured in Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood remix which reached the top 10 in more than 13 countries including No.1 in the US, Australia and Canada. The next single These Walls featuring Anna Wise, Bilal and Thundercat reached No.77 in the UK and No.94 in the US. He ended the year with Bad Blood at No.15 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 2015 and his album at No.16 Billboard 200 Year-End chart.

Honorable Mentions:

21. Drake
    
22. Years & Years
    
23. Hozier
    
24. Tove Lo
    
25. Shawn Mendes
    
     

(All images used in the posts unless otherwise mentioned are drawn from https://images.google.com/ and the author does not hold copyright over the photos used.)

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!