At about this time every year, for the past 10 years or so, I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about pop music. I will admit that I'm a bit of a music snob, and for a long time I wouldn't have dreamed of thinking too much about pop music.
But about a decade ago now, I started acting as announcer, MC and DJ at the annual Bangkok Soidawgz Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Every year, Ultimate players from around the world descend on Bangkok for a weekend of sports and partying.
I used to just act as announcer for the tournament, but after a couple of years of enduring complaints about the music, which I hadn't picked, I decided that I couldn't do any worse than whoever had been putting together the playlists before me. Since I had taken it upon myself to take on the music, I decided that I'd better get familiar with pop music in short order.
From the first year I started DJing the tournament, not only did the complaints stop — the compliments started. It's been like that in all the years that I've been picking the music, and I'm pretty proud of that. But that means I need to spend the months from December till the tournament in February getting to know current music and what might be popular with the players.
To be honest, I usually start finding new music almost as soon as the tournament ends. I start slowly, but it's safe to say that choosing the music is at the back of my mind for a full year before anybody hears the playlist.
All those years have given me an understanding of how pop music has changed over the years. I have to admit that I think this past year has been a pretty good one for pop. At the very least I can say that there's a welcome absence of over-modulated autotune in most music. I'm sure that producers are still using autotune, but it's blessedly less noticeable than it was just a couple of years ago.
"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars has got to be one of my favourites of the past year. It's funky, upbeat, has a great bassline and a good old-fashioned horn section.
Meghan Trainor is without a doubt my favourite new artist this year. Her hits "Lips Are Movin'" and of course "All About That Bass" are not just catchy but infectious. They're the kinds of songs that make you want to start them over from the beginning as soon as the last measure fades out.
Surprisingly to me, Nicki Minaj has also become one of my faves this year. Frankly, I'd rather not watch her booty-shaking videos, but there's not denying that she can put out amazing songs — whether it's one of her own or she's featuring on another singer's track.
There are tons more, of course — Iggy Azalea, Jesse J, Charli XCX, Ed Sheeran among them — but I'm running out of space.
What's fairly consistent about the best pop tunes of this year is that they're a lot of fun. Each in their own way; but tons of fun. And fun is a big part of what pop music should be.
Even a music snob like me has to admit that.
Sean Vale
Editor
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