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Top 25 Favourite Musicians Of 2014



By  Justin Carreiro     1:13 PM    Labels:,,, 
Top 25 Favourite Musicians Of 2014
At the start of a new year, I'm always certain about a few things. My short staycation of sleeping in is over. I need to brace for the colder weather to come. My television schedule will be starting up again in a few weeks. And that I need to start writing my yearly blog posts to end off the previous year. I wouldn't call it clockwork, but it's a nice reminder that I haven't forgotten after the many years writing this blog.

Music posts come few and far between. Tuesday Tunes is something I enjoy spreading out and surprising every once in a while. It's not a major focus but I've kept it going. Similar to that yearly series, I've kept my Top 25 ranking of favourite yearly musicians. If you're unfamiliar with the series, I rank the top songs, artists and groups who made a big impact on my playlists for the current year. I've done this for four years now: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This year will be no different.

Note: I only include new songs that haven't been featured in past lists. I still listen to the older hits! If some of the artists are listed on the same song, I may only reference the song once. Also, this is my personal list, you may disagree with your own choices.

Let's start the ranking for the 25th spot...

25. Tokyo Police Club
Songs: Hot Tonight
LYR (Last Year's Ranking): NEW

24. Troye Sivan
Songs: Happy Little Pill
LYR: NEW

23. Beyonce
Songs: Drunk In Love
LYR: NEW

22. Coldplay
Songs: A Sky Full of Stars
LYR: NEW

21. Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne
Songs: Rather Be
LYR : NEW

20. Tegan & Sara
Songs: I'm Not Your Hero
LYR: #3

19. Iggy Azalea
Songs: Black Widow, Fancy
LYR : NEW

18. The Naked And Famous
Songs: Hearts Like Ours
LYR: NEW

17. Metric
Songs: Breathing Underwater
LYR: #15

16. Selena Gomez
Songs: The Heart Wants What It Wants
LYR: NEW

15. Katy Perry
Songs: This Is How We Do, Dark Horse
LYR: NEW

14. Virginia To Vegas
Songs: Don't Fight The Music
LYR: NEW

13. Ariana Grande
Songs: Love Me Harder, Problem, Break Free
LYR: NEW

12. Twin Forks
Songs: And She Was, Cross My Mind
LYR: #19

11. OneRepublic
Songs: Counting Stars, Love Runs Out
LYR: NEW


10. Charli XCX
Songs: Boom Clap
LYR: NEW

Charli XCX arguably became popular after her collaboration with Iggy Azalea. It's nothing against her - I just wasn't familiar with her work before. It wasn't until her song was featured in The Fault in Our Stars that I became familiar with her songs. Boom Clap isn't just a catchy tune, it's now become a loveable joke between my friends and I. It's so catchy that it gets stuck in our heads for the entire day. Whenever I need a little laugh, I just mention Boom Clap.


9. Tove Lo
Songs: Habits (Stay High)
LYR: NEW

Is Tove Lo a one-hit wonder? I always ask this question to myself when an artist with arguably one big hit makes it to the Top 10 of this list. Her song earned heavy rotation on the radio and the remixed version is apparently a big hit in the club and bar scene. I'm a tad unsure of what 2015 holds for Tove Lo. I would hope that her next single finds success but it's a question that might be answered once the 2015 list comes out.


8. Echosmith
Songs: Cool Kids, Come Together, Talking Dreams
LYR: NEW

Another case of the one-hit wonder question. I like Echosmith. I enjoyed their song Cool Kids enough to actually search for a few of their other tracks to add to my playlist. But this could be a case of the song sensation. There's a turning point for indie bands who find mainstream success with one of their tunes: their next song continues the trend or it could've just been a one time occurrence. I guess I'll have to wait and see.


7. Sia
Songs: Chandelier
LYR: NEW

For a while Sia's song was everywhere. The incredibly catchy tune and the memorable video dominated 2014, appearing in heavy rotation for many months. I initially watched the music video when I heard the dancing girl in the video was a cast member from Dance Moms. As someone who embarrassingly has seen the show in the past, I was curious. The song, and the dance-heavy video, did not disappoint.


6. Maroon 5
Songs: Maps, Animals
LYR: NEW

My appreciation for Maroon 5 grew in 2014. I've liked their music videos in the past, but they never made it onto any of my lists. Call it the songs, my taste that year or the competition of other talent, the band has floated around in consideration for a while now. Animals and Maps were such good hits that I couldn't help but add them this year.


5. Meghan Trainor
Songs: All About That Base, Lips Are Moving
LYR: NEW

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Meghan Trainor won't be this year's Carly Rae Jepsen. Her first track was such a global success that it had me worried. Though, I think she could pull it off with her next song. I like her pop songs and she seems like a quirky artist that's bit different.


4. Two Door Cinema Club
Songs: Come Back Home, Not In This Town, This Is The Life
LYR: #2

Two Door Cinema Club hasn't released any new music since 2013. Their position on this list is merely as a result of me catching up with some of their past work. I still like the band a lot and I'm eagerly excited for any new music that may hopeful be revealed in 2015.

 
3. Arctic Monkeys
Songs: Snap Out Of It, Do I Wanna Know?
LYR: NEW

Arctic Monkeys have been around for a while now. I've heard a few of their tracks before in movies and television but I never really followed the band. When I heard they were one of the headliners for a music festival in Canada, I decided to research more of their tracks. I loved Snap Out Of It. It became one of the songs I would listen to on repeat while I was sitting at my desk working. It's no surprise I placed them as high on this list.

 
2. Ellie Goulding
Songs: Goodness Gracious, Beating Heart, Outside
LYR: #4

Sometimes not much changes with who appears in these articles. When there is an artist I really like and they consistently create great music, I'll continue to listen. Ellie Goulding so far has been featured three times, all of which were in the Top 4. I like pop music and her songs have a nice mix of pop and dance while sounding different from the standard pop songs. I saw her perform once at Osheaga and she sounded amazing. If there was another concert I'd hope to see again, she would probably be one of them.


1. Taylor Swift
Songs: Style, Blank Space, Shake It Off
LYR: NEW

I'm shocked. Well not really shocked but really surprised. I didn't go into 2014 a big Taylor Swift fan. She's had some catchy hits and I can't deny that I've listened to them in the past. However, near the end of 2014, I found myself excited for the release of her newest album. It may have to do with how addictive Shake It Off was or that I liked the Target commercials with her song, Style. Whatever the reason may be, she won me over. With that being said, Taylor Swift earned the top spot as favourite musician of 2014.


Which musicians were on your 2014 list? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

*Images provided by Pop Justice, Billboard, Last.fm, Vanyland, OysterMag, and various artists' pages (1)(2)(3)* 

About Justin Carreiro

Justin is a longtime TV buff and gamer. He loves chatting about shows, playing video and board games, and his not-so-secret love for reality tv. He is also a fan of horror movies, music and a bookworm at heart. He spends his time in Toronto working in PR and Social Media.

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