Billie Eilish, “you should see me in a crown”
Billie, to me, embodies youth culture (she’s what the teens like!) – but her talent is, cliché trigger warning, well beyond her years. I was at one of her first showcases at Soho House in New York City last year (or was it the year before?), and I remember clinging onto every syllable of her hushed voice in that tiny room. She has that intangible, electrifying something, and she’s still only 17 years old, which is insane, especially given how worldweary her music generally sounds. This song is just further evidence of her scary-good potential. (Then again, she’s already a superstar.)
Jolin Tsai, “Ugly Beauty”
Jolin, the original Queen of C-Pop, decided to wait until you all finished your “Best Of” lists to casually drop her own solid set, including title track “Ugly Beauty,” a clapback at all of the media criticism and fan forum hate she’s received over the past two decades. It’s a clever, cocky ass jam – and the “Look What You Made Me Do”-esque video is absolutely one of the year’s best.
Halsey, “Without Me”
Sure, I’ve thrown a little shade here or there on the podcast in the direction of the artist formerly known as Ashley Frangipane, but I genuinely could not stop listening to this. The true breakout star of A Star Is Born delivered – and, like “Make Me,” we partly owe its existence to G-Eazy. How great.
Lady Gaga, “Why Did You Do That?”
In keeping with the A Star Is Born theme, I will just say this: to write off Ally‘s pop career as laughable or cheesy is to conveniently forget that the actual Gaga has been singing lyrics like “bluffin’ with my muffin” and “got my ass squeezed by Sexy Cupid” since the start of her career. Bad parody of pop music how? This is just a good, catchy, dumb pop song – and that’s all it needed to be. (“Is That Alright?” might be the best of the Serious Stefani Songs on the soundtrack, though.)
MOMOLAND, “Bboom Bboom”
Nothing was more dumb fun, however, than “Bboom Bboom,” which kicked off the year on a silly, almost infuriatingly catchy note. JooE‘s dancing could be the one thing that saves us all.
K/DA, “Pop/Stars”
K-Pop idols meet Western pop girls? Virtual reality meets IRL? League of Legends meets Justin Tranter? Everything about “Pop/Stars” seemed like personal fan-fiction – but it was real…and virtual. The song’s live debut in South Korea was surely one of the year’s most unique pop spectacles. What an absolute gaymer triumph.
Alice Chater, “Hourglass”
Alice came crawling out from her spiderweb in one of the more eerie and thrilling debuts of the year (a rare occurrence in the West), and I’ve been eagerly eating up everything she’s done since. She’s already off to a solid start: “Hourglass” is pure Madonna-slash-Kylie Minogue throbbing dance-pop deliciousness. Get familiar – she very well may be the one to Save Pop™.
Mariah Carey, Slick Rick & Blood Orange, “Giving Me Life”
Caution is one of the year’s best if you didn’t already know, dahling. “Giving Me Life” is a personal favorite, although there are many in the bunch. The references (Babs! Norma Jean!), the outro, it’s like buttah – and gave me life, funnily enough.
Hyolyn, “See Sea”
Yes, the music video is basically a, um…homage to Tinashe‘s “Superlove.” Potential copyright infringement aside, “See Sea” was easily one of the most refreshing summer songs of 2018 – and definitely one of my favorite choruses. I have vivid memories of listening to this on late night strolls around the city at its hottest – almost as hot as Hyolyn herself.
Christina Aguilera, “Deserve”
Liberation was not, admittedly, exactly (X-actly) the album I was hoping to hear from Legend X this year. I also had a bit of an existential (X-istential) crisis writing about Legendtina and her swivel chair and lip-shaped anal bead microphone stand in general. Regardless, “Deserve” is a stunner – MNEK nailed this one – and such a suitably crass-yet-vulnerable offering from the Lotus legend. “Sometimes I don’t think I deserve ya so I say some fucked up shit just to hurt ya” – what a line, and what a song. I listened over and over.
