My Favorite Hits of 2016

Attention!!!

2016 was a year which definitely catered to my taste. From EDM and Reggae Fusion to Pop and Alternative Rock there were awesome hits galore. One thing is for sure the songs of 2016 were much better than 2014 and were on an equal level with 2015. Although there was only a lone floorfiller last year in the form of Sia’s Cheap Thrills there were a few mind-blowing EDM hits. Alan Walker rules this list with his global hit Faded. The slow and relaxing beats of the tune are accompanied by the uncredited soothing vocals of Iselin Solheim. At second place is Stressed Out the Alternative Rock hit for the duo Twenty One Pilots followed by Swedish newcomer Zara Larsson's Lush Life at third place. 

Genre wise EDM has numerous entries followed by Pop, Reggae and Rap. Alan Walker, Dua Lipa, Sean Paul and Zara Larsson lead the list with three entries each followed by Twenty One Pilots, Clean Bandit, Anne Marie, Zedd, Hailee Steinfeld, DNCE, Justin Bieber, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Rihanna, Jonas Blue, Ariana Grande and Louisa Johnson all have two entries each, either as a lead or featured artist. So here are my 50 favorites hits of 2016:  

1. Alan Walker – Faded
2. Twenty One Pilots – Stressed out
3. Zara Larsson – Lush life
4. RedOne ft. Enrique Iglesias, R.City, Shaggy & Serayah – Don’t you need somebody
5. Dua Lipa – Hotter than hell
6. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – Starboy
7. Rihanna – Love on the brain
8. Tinie Tempah ft. Zara Larsson – Girls like
9. Twenty One Pilots – Heathens
10. David Guetta ft. Zara Larsson – This one’s for you
11. Pitbull ft. Enrique Iglesias – Messin’ around
12. Halsey – Castle
13. Sia ft. Sean Paul – Cheap thrills
14. Dua Lipa – Blow your mind (mwah)
15. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ – Cold water
16. Sean Paul ft. Dua Lipa – No lie
17. Olly Murs – You don’t know love
18. Zedd ft. Kesha – True colors
19. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – This is what you came for
20. The Veronicas – In my blood
21. Kungs vs. Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This girl
22. Hailee Steinfeld ft. DNCE – Rock bottom
23. Clean Bandit ft. Anne Marie & Sean Paul – Rockabye
24. Thomas Rhett – Die a happy man
25. Troye Sivan – Youth
26. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – Don’t let me down
27. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – Let me love you
28. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons ft. Logic, Ty Dolla $ign & X Ambassadors – Sucker for pain
29. Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – I know what you did last summer
30. Ariana Grande – Into you
31. Years & Years – Worship
32. Alan Walker – Alone
33. Anne Marie – Alarm
34. Flo Rida – My house
35. Ellie Goulding – Something in the way you move
36. Clean Bandit ft. Louisa Johnson – Tears
37. Mike Posner – I took a pill in Ibiza (SeeB Remix)
38. G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha – Me, myself & I
39. Jonas Blue ft. JB Cooper – Perfect strangers
40. James Arthur – Say you won’t let go
41. Pitbull – Freedom
42. Alan Walker – Sing me to sleep
43. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – Side to side
44. Selena Gomez – Kill ‘em with kindness
45. Pink – Just like fire
46. Coldplay – Hymn for the weekend
47. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd – Starving
48. Jonas Blue ft. Dakota – Fast car
49. Louisa Johnson – So good
50. DNCE – Body moves 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Greatest Hits of 2016

Attention!!!

2016 belonged to EDM, Dancehall and Reggae Fusion. Justin Bieber began the year at the top of the global charts, but it’s Drake whose mammoth collaboration One Dance with WizKid and Kyla that takes the crown this year as chart performance in most of Europe have already been tallied for Bieber’s Love Yourself for 2015. The smash hit collaboration which brought Dancehall into the mainstream also paved the way for veteran Sean Paul to emerge from the depths of the forgotten 2000s to reignite Reggae Fusion which he succeeded with collaborations with Sia on Cheap Thrills and Clean Bandit on Rockabye.

It was an awesome year for most genres. EDM evolved to a stage where Synthpop and Dancehall was incorporated to form a much mellowed tone than that which the previous years produced such as Progressive House. R&B did not entirely disappear from the mainstream as Rihanna’s newest album Anti produced her global hit Work another collaboration with Drake. Alternative Rock music also entered the mainstream once again in the form of Twenty One Pilots whose album Blurry Face is quite reminiscent of the bygone era of Linkin Park. Pop music took on a more tropical feel to keep up with the increasing popularity of Dancehall and Reggae.   

Social media and viral music proved once again to play a massive part in contributing to the mainstream charts. Young stars such as Alessia Cara and Troye Sivan amassed quite a following throughout the year as their hits managed to fare better with social media fame. Viral hits such as Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall’s Juju On That Beat and Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane’s Black Beatles surged to the top of the charts, the former with its unique dance moves and the latter fueled by the extremely popular Mannequin Challenge which was the next best thing after Donald Trump Memes in the last quarter of the year.

Soundtracks continued to be successful similar to 2015 where Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling! from Trolls and almost the entire soundtrack of Suicide Squad particularly Twenty One Pilots’ Heathens faring extremely well on the global charts. We bade adieu to One Direction as the group went on a hiatus in early 2016 and Camila Cabello left Fifth Harmony just two weeks ago which may lead to the end of the girl group which only just received a proper mainstream following.

Justin Bieber has the highest number of entries with 4 followed by The Chainsmokers, Drake and Rihanna with 3 each and Zara Larsson, Twenty One Pilots, Sean Paul, Shawn Mendes, Ariana Grande, Adele and Selena Gomez all having two each on the list. So here are the best 50 songs of 2016 was compiled based on worldwide charts, sales and accolades received:

1. Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla – One dance
2. Justin Bieber – Love yourself
3. Sia ft. Sean Paul – Cheap thrills
4. The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey – Closer
5. Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling!
6. Rihanna ft. Drake – Work
7. Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber & MØ – Cold water 
8. Twenty One Pilots – Stressed out
9. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – This is what you came for
10. Mike Posner – I took a pill in Ibiza (SeeB Remix)
11. Lukas Graham – 7 Years
12. The Chainsmokers ft. Daya – Don’t let me down
13. Alan Walker – Faded
14. Zayn – Pillowtalk
15. DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber – Let me love you
16. Shawn Mendes – Stitches
17. Twenty One Pilots – Heathens
18. DNCE – Cake by the ocean
19. Zara Larsson – Lush life
20. Adele – Hello
21. Clean Bandit ft. Anne Marie & Sean Paul – Rockabye
22. Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign – Work from home
23. Kungs vs. Cookin’ On 3 Burners – This girl
24. Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane – Black Beatles
25. James Arthur – Say you won’t let go
26. G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha – Me, myself & I
27. Pink – Just like fire
28. The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk – Starboy
29. Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj – Side to side
30. Jonas Blue ft. Dakota – Fast car
31. Justin Bieber – Sorry
32. Desiigner – Panda
33. Gnash ft. Olivia O’ Brien – I hate u, I love u
34. Drake ft. Rihanna – Too good
35. The Chainsmokers ft. ROZES – Roses  
36. Zara Larsson & MNEK – Never forget you
37. Meghan Trainor – No
38. Flo Rida – My house
39. Little Mix – Shout out to my ex
40. Shawn Mendes – Treat you better
41. Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
42. Coldplay – Hymn for the weekend
43. Enrique Iglesias ft. Wisin – Duele el Corazón
44. Adele – Send my love (to your new lover)
45. Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez – We don’t talk anymore
46. Hailee Steinfeld & Grey ft. Zedd – Starving
47. Selena Gomez – Hands to myself
48. Ariana Grande – Dangerous woman
49. Alessia Cara – Here
50. Maroon 5 ft. Kendrick Lamar – Don’t wanna know 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Best New Artists of 2016

Attention!!!

This is the first of the year-end lists as we start the count down to the Greatest Hits of 2016. This year we witnessed a drove of immense talent flooding the industry. With varied genres and vocal ranges the acts ranged from solo artists to duos and groups. We have former reality/talent show contestants, former boy band members as well as social media enthusiasts. 

Taking the crown are Rock duo Twenty One Pilots who dominated the charts with their unique Alternative/Rap fusion style. They are followed by vocal powerhouse Zara Larsson whose songs went onto become global smash hits. At No.3 we have Shawn Mendes who is turning out to be the male counterpart of Taylor Swift with a gargantuan fan following. I have excluded the Chainsmokers from this list as they had their first hit #Selfie three years ago. So here are the Top 20 New Artists of 2016:   

1. Twenty One Pilots

They are an Alternative Rock duo that captured our hearts with Stressed Out and went onto score other popular hits such as Ride and Heathens.

2. Zara Larsson

She is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry as her hits Never Forget You, Lush Life, Ain’t My Fault and I Would Like were all global smash hits and she even collaborated with David Guetta and Tinie Tempah.

3. Shawn Mendes

This Canadian heartthrob speaks to prepubescents through his whiny and cheesy lyrics and he has had hits such as Stitches, Treat You Better and Mercy and also collaborations with Camila Cabello and The Vamps.

4. DNCE

Definitely the best Pop Rock band of this decade so far, their global smash Cake By The Ocean is now an anthem on the dancefloor and they have had hits such as Toothbrush and Body Moves.

5. Alan Walker

One of the most unique DJs of this decade who released his global chart topper Faded followed by Sing Me To Sleep and more recently Alone.

6. Daya

The Hideaway hit maker did not stop there, she collaborated with the Chainsmokers’ on their worldwide hit Don’t Let Me Down and again returned to the charts with Sit Still and Look Pretty.

7. Alessia Cara

Her anti-social hymn Here became a party hit over night and she went on to score with Wild Things and Scars To Your Beautiful.

8. G-Eazy

He’s the new white kid on the block, but his style of rapping is distinctive and his collaboration Me Myself & I with Bebe Rexha was a global hit and he has gone onto collaborate with Britney Spears and Grace.

9. Bebe Rexha

With powerful vocals she can sing as well as rap. Her single Me Myself & I alongside G-Eazy was a worldwide hit and she also spawned hits such as No Broken Hearts and I Got You.

10. MØ

Her Danish Indie Pop style doesn’t go unnoticed. Entering the mainstream from Major Lazer’s Lean On, she has now released hits such as Final Song, Kamikaze and Drum and also collaborating with Major Lazer again on Cold Water.

11. Zayn

This former One Directioner proved that he can stand on his own as he topped the charts with his debut single Pillowtalk and has also had hits such as Like I Would and It’s You.

12. Dua Lipa

As a vocal powerhouse she entered the mainstream with Be The One and Hotter Than Hell and then went on to score with Blow Your Mind (Mwah) and being featured on Sean Paul’s No Lie.

13. Troye Sivan

As a social media titan, Sivan’s followers will swallow anything and everything that he spews out; although his singles are good and Youth, Wild and Talk Me Down went onto become hits.

14. Louisa Johnson

She won the X Factor last year and entered the charts covering Bob Dylan’s Forever Young. She then collaborated with the Clean Bandit on their hit Tears and also her own hit So Good.  

15. Lukas Graham

They may be hyped up but their 7 Years was a mega hit around the world which they followed up with Mama Said and You’re Not There.

16. Anne Marie

Her hit Alarm took the charts by storm after which her collaboration with Clean Bandit and Sean Paul on Rockabye reached the summit worldwide.

17. Halsey

Her New Americana, Colours and Castle were all moderately successful but it was Closer, her collaboration with the Chainsmokers that propelled her to No.1 world over.

18. Calum Scott

He finished sixth on the ninth series of Britain’s Got Talent and released his audition song cover of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own which became a worldwide hit. 

19. Kiiara

Her bass heavy, trap style, rap became very popular through her hit Gold which was used by Apple to promote their Apple Watch. 

20. Nathan Sykes

He may have not earned the same popularity as his former band The Wanted but he did gain chart success with Over and Over Again, Give It Up and Famous. 

Till the next ensemble...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - August, 2016

Attention!!!

August began with the announcement by Event Craft Productions that Hardwell would be making a stop in Sri Lanka in his highly anticipated Go Hardwell or Go Home Tour on September 30, 2016. However, this was a bust as later in the month the event managers released a disappointing statement that the concert has been cancelled - "due to an enormous number of obligations including some from local authorities given the genre and the magnitude of the event."  

Moreover, August also witnessed probably the most boring and uncontroversial MTV Video Music Awards in the history of the ceremony. There was no twerking, making out on stage or announcements for candidacy for US Presidency. The night belonged to Rihanna and Beyonce. Beyonce led the nominations with 11 and winning 8 and with a total of 24 VMAs, it makes her the artist with the most wins at the VMAs passing Madonna's 20. 

Rihanna was the recipient of the coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and she opened with a stellar performance of a medley of Don't Stop The Music, Only Girl (In The World), We Found Love and Where Have You Been. Ri-Ri also had three other performances which she aced all of which were medleys of her biggest hits except Umbrella. 

Britney Spears returned to the VMA stage after 9 years since her disastrous 2007 performance of Gimme More which led to her very public meltdown. She clearly redeemed herself with a steamy take of Make Me... featuring G-Eazy plus singing the part of Bebe Rexha in Me, Myself & I. Other awesome performances of the night included Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj's newest single Side to Side, Nick Jonas ft. Ty Dolla $ign's Bacon and the pre-show performance of Alessia Cara and Troye Sivan singing a medley of Wild Things, Wild and Scars Beneath Your Beautiful. 

Disaster hit the VMA stage when The Chainsmokers and Halsey performed their newest hit Closer. There's nothing much to say about this performance except that Andrew Taggart (one half of the Chainsmokers) should stick to the background music and not pull a Calvin Harris, because not every DJ can sing. This was evident as Taggart found it difficult to keep up with the powerful vocals of Halsey during the EDM duet. 

Enough about the performances, take a look at the most significant wins of the night:

• Video of the Year: Beyonce - Formation
• Best Male Video: Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna - This is what you came for
• Best Female Video: Beyonce - Hold Up
• Best New Artist: DNCE
• Best Pop Video: Beyonce - Formation
• Best Rock Video: Twenty One Pilots - Heathens  
• Best Hip-Hop Video: Drake - Hotline Bling
• Best Electronic Video: Calvin Harris & Disciples - How deep is your love 
• Best Direction: Beyonce - Formation (Director - Melina Matsoukas) 

The lineup for the Apple Music Festival - previously known as the iTunes Festival - has been finally revealed. The festival now in its tenth year, is famous for drawing in huge acts to perform at London's intimate Roundhouse in Camden. This year's full lineup is as follows:

18 September: Elton John

19 September: The 1975

20 September: Alicia Keys

21 September: OneRepublic

23 September: Calvin Harris

25 September: Robbie Williams

26 September: Bastille

27 September: Britney

28 September: Michael Bublé

30 September: Chance the Rapper

It is with so much joy that I move on to chart news as the reign of Drake ft. WizKid & Kyla's One Dance is finally over. In the US, Sia ft. Sean Paul's Cheap Thrills dethroned One Dance from the first week itself and held on to the top spot for the entire month. Sia becomes the first female over 40 to reach the top since Madonna reigned with Music in 2000. Meanwhile, by the fourth week of August Drake has accumulated a whopping 48 consecutive week in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 tying with Ace of Base for the second longest consecutive streak among all acts, second only to Katy Perry. Meanwhile, Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber and MØ's Cold Water debuted at No.2 and The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey's Closer and Twenty One Pilots' Heathens both entered the Top 10. 

In the UK, Drake's dreams were muddied by Cold Water the gargantuan collaboration of Major Lazer, Justin Bieber and MØ, which ended One Dance's hold over the crown. The trio reigned for the remainder of the month. The Chainsmokers' Closer, Twenty One Pilos' Heathens and DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber's Let Me Love You all entered the Top 10 during the month.

Other songs which became popular during the month are:

• Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez - We don't talk anymore
• Olly Murs - You don't know love
• Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons - Sucker for pain
• Digital Farm Animals ft. Cash Cash - Millionaire
• Mike Perry ft. Shy Martin - The ocean
• Martin Garrix ft. Bebe Rexha - In the name of love 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - July, 2016

Attention!!!

The summer is in full swing and the awards dry spell continues with only the 2016 Teen Choice Awards being held in July hosted by Victoria Justice and John Cena. While the awards focus on all aspects of entertainment such as music, television, film and sports, we'll stick to the music side of things and also some interesting accolades which artists received at the show. Flo Rida opened the show with a medley of My House, Good Feeling and Wild Ones (with Bebe Rexha) and then went on to perform his newest single Zillionaire. Charlie Puth performed his newest hit We Don't Talk Anymore as a solo version. Justin Bieber received the most nominations with 11 while Justin Timberlake received the inaugural Decade Award. So the major wins of the night included:

• Male Artist - Justin Bieber
• Female Artist - Selena Gomez
• Group - One Direction
• Female Single: Ariana Grande - Dangerous woman
• Male Single: Justin Bieber - Sorry
• International Artist - Little Mix
• Summer Song: Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign - Work from home
• Party Song: DNCE - Cake by the ocean
• Breakout Artist - Zayn Malik

Meanwhile, Christina Grimmie who was tragically shot dead by a fan recently was posthumously bestowed with the Choice Music Web Star but family and fans were in uproar as they expressed their disappointment as Grimmie was not mentioned by Jessica Alba and Ne-Yo during the #StoptheViolence tribute for family members of teens who had died due to violence. 

The Official Albums Chart of the UK celebrated its 60th anniversary in July with the first ever chart published on 22nd July 1956 which saw Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swingin' Lovers grab the coveted crown. To mark the historic milestone of the chart the Official Charts Company has released the UK's 60 Biggest Selling Albums of All Time. Queen's Greatest Hits is at No.1 followed by ABBA's Gold Greatest Hits at No.2 The top 10 are: 

1. Queen - Greatest Hits (1981)
2. ABBA - Gold - Greatest Hits
3. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
4. Adele - 21 (2011)
5. Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory (1995)
6. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
7. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) 
8. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)
9. Michael Jackson - Bad (1987)
10. Queen - Greatest Hits II (1991)

The month witnessed the launch of the Global Goal's Campaign's #WhatIReallyReallyWant movement which used the Spice Girl's global smash hit Wannabe in its campaign. The girl-power wielding hit was used in the video which stars an array of international artists including Sri Lankan Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, Nigeria's Seyi Shay, South Africa's Gigi Lamayne and Monoea, the United States' Larsen Thompson, the U.K.'s M.O. and Canada's Taylor Hatala. The song is used to shed light on issues affecting young women around the globe such as violence against girls, lack of quality education and child marriage.

More news on the Spice Girls as they celebrate their 20th anniversary of Wannabe. Geri Horner (Halliwell), Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown are to reunite as GEM as Victoria Beckam and Melanie Chrishom have backed out of the reunion. Scary, Baby and Ginger have got together to celebrate this hallmark occasion by staging a show in London's Hyde Park next summer, which insiders now claim the singing trio will pocket $14 million each from the gig - that's over $100,000 (£74,000)-a-minute per person. 

We're still not done with 90s news as MTV plans to rebrand VH1 Classic as MTV Classic with a special focus on fan-favorite programmes and series drawn from the 1990s and early 2000s. The switch coming into effect on August 1 commemorates MTV's launch 35 years ago on August 1, 1981.

Katy Perry released a surprise single titled Rise which serves as the official English anthem of the Rio Olympics 2016. This is her first single since 2014's This Is How You Do and she performed it for the first time as a part of a medley with her hit single Roar at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where she endorsed Hilary Clinton for US President. 

The Dutchess is back but this time with a dairy flavour as Fergie released her newest single M.I.L.F. $ with a star studded cast in the sultry music video which includes Ciara, Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, Gemma Ward and Amber Valletta. The song serves as the lead single to her second studio album Double Dutchess. 

Moving on to chart news, Drake ft. Wizkid and Kyla's titanic hit One Dance reigned throughout the month in the US accumulating a whopping ten non-consecutive week rule. Meanwhile Sia ft. Sean Paul's Cheap Thrills, Kent Jones' Don't Mind, Twenty One Pilots' Ride and Adele's Send My Love (To Your New Lover) all enter the top ten while The Chainsmoker's ft. Daya's Don't Let Me Down reaches a new peak at No.3 and Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna's This Is What You Came For reaches a new peak at No.4 with the rumours that Harris' ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift had a hand at penning the song. 

In the UK too Drake reigned supreme with One Dance as he logged his fifteenth week atop the charts during the fourth week of July. This feat places him on level with Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around which spent 15 weeks at the top in 1994. The record holder is Bryan Adam's (Everything I Do) I Do It For You which ruled for 16 weeks at the top in 1991. Other songs which entered the top 10 include Calum Scott's Dancing On My Own, Jonas Blue ft. JB Cooper's Perfect Strangers and Shawn Mendes' Treat You Better. 

Other songs which became popular during the month are:

• Twenty One Pilots - Heathens
• Bastille - Good grief
• MØ - Final song
• Selena Gomez - Kill 'em with kindness
• Kiiara - Gold
• Lukas Graham - Mama said 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - January, 2016

Attention!!!

As we enter 2016, I cannot help but be thrilled that being a Belieber of Purpose, Sorry is at the helm on most charts around the world. Anyway more on that later. Firstly our prayers are with the horde of artists who suddenly passed away at the beginning of 2016.

• The most unexpected death thus far was without a doubt the passing of David Bowie. The British legend passed away on January 10 at the age of 69 after suffering through an unpublicized battle with cancer. 
• Rene Angelil also lost his decades-long battle to cancer on January 14. The music manager who discovered Celine Dion and who later married the singer passed away in Las Vegas surrounded by his loved ones at the age of 73. Celine even suspended her Las Vegas residency to take care of her ailing husband. 
• The Eagles’s founding member Glenn Frey passed away at the age of 67 on January 16. from complications due to ongoing intestinal issues and pneumonia.
• Jefferson Airplane founding members Signe Toly Anderson and Paul Kantner both died on January 28 from unrelated causes. Anderson died at her home in Oregon at the age of 74 on from the effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Kantner died in San Francisco at the age of 74 from multiple organ failure and septic shock after he suffered a heart attack days earlier. 

This time the UK decided to release their Biggest Hits of 2015 in January 2016 instead of December 2015. Here are the top 10:

1. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - Uptown funk 
2. OMI - Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
3. Hozier - Take me to church
4. Ellie Goulding - Love me like you do 
5. Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth - See you again
6. Adele - Hello
7. Major Lazer ft. DJ Snake & MO - Lean on 
8. James Bay - Hold back the river
9. Justin Bieber - What do you mean
10. Justin Bieber - Sorry 

Along with the biggest hits of 2015, we have the Biggest Albums of 2015 and here are the top 10:

1. Adele - 25
2. Ed Sheeran - X
3. Sam Smith - In the lonely hour 
4. Elvis Presley - If I can dream
5. Justin Bieber - Purpose
6. Taylor Swift - 1989
7. Jess Glynne - I cry when I laugh 
8. James Bay - Chaos and the calm 
9. Coldplay - A head full of dreams
10. George Ezra - Wanted on voyage 

Winning the Brits Critics' Choice for 2016 was not enough for Jack Garratt as he has now won BBC Sound of 2016 beating stiff competition from Canadian Alessia Cara. The artist-producer finished ahead of the 14 other nominated acts in the BBC's annual list, which polls 140 influential industry experts including critics, bloggers and DJs.

Tis' the season for awards and everyone anxiously awaits as to who will grab the Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards. Among the nominations we have the fan fav Lady Gaga and the critics' fav Sam Smith who already won at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards. The full details of the nominations are as follows:

• The Weeknd - Earned it (Fifty Shades of Grey)
• Sam Smith - Writing's on the wall (Spectre)
• Lady Gaga - Til it happens to you (The Hunting Ground)
• J. Ralph - Manta ray (Racing Extinction)
• Sumi Jo - Simple song #3 (Youth)

The BRIT Awards will take place at the O2 Arena in London on February 24. This year's line-up is one of the awards' strongest yet, with Adele, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, The Weeknd, Little Mix, Jess Glynne and James Bay all on the bill.There will also be a tribute to David Bowie rumoured to be a performance by a supergroup made up of iconic acts including Noel Gallagher, U2's Bono and Blur's Damon Albarn. Adele, James Bay and Years & Years lead the way in nominations each picking four followed by Jess Glynne and Calvin Harris picking up 3 nominations. All the heavyweights go head to head for the British Single of the Year which are:

• Adele - Hello
• Calvin Harris & Disciples - How Deep Is Your Love
• Ed Sheeran & Rudimental - Bloodstream
• Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do
• James Bay - Hold Back The River
• Jess Glynne - Hold My Hand
• Little Mix - Black Magic
• Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato - Up
• Philip George - Wish You Were Mine
• Years & Years - King

And for British Album of the Year we have the following nominees:

• Adele - 25
• Coldplay - Head Full of Dreams
• Florence + the Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
• James Bay - Chaos and the Calm
• Jamie XX - In Colour

All Saints announced details of their first release in nine years on January 27. The quartet will release their fourth album Red Flag on April 8, preceded by single One Strike on February 26. Their last hit was Rock Steady when the group reunited for a short stint in 2006. 

Now moving on to chart news, Adele's Hello continued to rule the US Billboard Hot 100 during the first 3 weeks of January accumulating altogether 10 weeks atop the charts since her debut. However, her reign ended when Justin Bieber's Sorry which was struggling at second position throughout Adele's rule finally managed to overthrow Hello and remained there for the rest of the month. Meanwhile, Selena Gomez's Same Old Love peaked at No.5 during the month while Twenty One Pilots' Stressed Out soared into the Top 10. 

In the UK, after the Christmas No.1 was claimed by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir's A Bridge Over You beating Bieber, along with his support, Bieber returned to the top spot with  a force with Love Yourself which remained there for 3 more weeks, the tally of which reached 6 non-consecutive weeks. Bieber's reign in the UK was ended by fellow Canadian Shawn Mendes with his global sleeper hit Stitches. During the month One Direction's History, 99 Souls ft. Destiny Child & Brandy's The Girl Is Mine and Snakehips ft. Chance The Rapper & Tinashe 's All My Friends all entered the top 10 during the month. 

Some hits that became popular during the month were:

• G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha - Me, myself & I 
• Fall Out Boy - Irresistible 
• Major Lazer ft. Nyla & Fuse ODG - Light it up (remix)
• Flo Rida - My house
• Charlie Puth - One call away
• David Guetta ft. Fetty Wap & Sia - Bang my head

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!