he/him
It really doesn't feel like that long ago since last year's rate, but it is that time of the year again. To be quite honest, I have had this rate on the back of my mind from the beginning of this year, pondering on what could end up on this rate. I was a biT worried at first, but seeing this complete line-up, I see that this year has been one hell of a year for pop music. I cannot wait to celebrate the highlights of the year, as well as drag some of the missteps of it too.
Without further ado, welcome to BPG 2022.
RENAISSANCE - BEYONCÉ
After what felt like an eternity without a proper Beyoncé album, Renaissance delivered beyond expectations. Renaissance is an intersectional love letter of race and queerness that truly felt genuine from one of, if not the best, pop auteur currently active. It's an album that sticks with you and does not let go. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into this one with you.
- I'M THAT GIRL
- COZY
- ALIEN SUPERSTAR
- CUFF IT
- ENERGY (feat. BEAM)
- BREAK MY SOUL
- CHURCH GIRL
- PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA
- VIRGO'S GROOVE
- MOVE (feat. Grace Jones & Tems)
- HEATED
- THIQUE
- ALL UP IN YOUR MIND
- AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM
- PURE/HONEY
- SUMMER RENAISSANCE
MIDNIGHTS - TAYLOR SWIFT
One of the biggest releases of the year came from the singer-songwriter who unexpectedly announced this amidst a campaign for her re-recordings. It sees Taylor steer away from the previous sounds of her last two albums, and instead, decides to blend the maturity of those albums with her pop sensibilities.
- Lavender Haze
- Maroon
- Anti-Hero
- Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)
- You're On Your Own, Kid
- Midnight Rain
- Question...?
- Vigilante Shit
- Bejeweled
- Labyrinth
- Karma
- Sweet Nothing
- Mastermind
- The Great War
- Bigger Than The Whole Sky
- Paris
- High Infidelity
- Glitch
- Would've, Could've, Should've
- Dear Reader
- Hits Different
MOTOMAMI - ROSALIA
This was one album which I knew, from the get-go, had to be included in this rate. The campaign itself delivered exactly what we adore about a Big Pop Girl which has that hunger for world domination. There was cohesive theme, plenty of singles with music videos, the list goes on. And on top of that, the album is one of the most exciting works of the year.
- SAOKO
- CANDY
- LA FAMA (feat. The Weeknd)
- BULERIAS
- CHICKEN TERIYAKI
- HENTAI
- BIZCOCHITO
- G3 N15
- MOTOMAMI
- DIABLO
- DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA
- CUUUUuuuuuuute
- LA COMBI VERSACE (feat. Tokischa)
- COMO UN G
- DESPECHA
- AISLAMIENTO
- LA KILIE
- LAX
- CHIRI
- SAKURA
CRASH - CHARLI XCX
A known pop star graduates from "niche" towards the pop stratosphere with her own self-described "sell-out" album. The album merges Charli's usual hyper-pop with an 80s edge that elevated her to a new audience and giving her a #1 album in the UK.
- Crash
- New Shapes (feat. Christine and The Queens & Caroline Polachek)
- Good Ones
- Constant Repeat
- Beg For You (feat. Rina Sawayama)
- Move Me
- Baby
- Lighting
- Every Rule
- Yuck
- Used To Know Me
- TWICE
- Selfish Girl
- How Can I Not Know What I Need Right Now
- Sorry If I Hurt You
- What You Think About Me
and...
HIGHLIGHTS & EXTRAS
The return of the extras section but with a different aspect to it. I was really spoilt for choice this year with the line-up for this year and really struggled figuring out what the final line-up should be. At one point, I had eight albums in total for contention but it would be insane to rate this many. Ultimately, I decided that the best way to be able to deal with the surplus of material without fully ignoring it was to relegate some of it to just the highlights of those albums, rather than the entire piece of work. This comes specially handy when I don't really see much adoration or interest from the whole forum in rating those albums completely, but there is interest in the singles from the album.
With that in mind, here are the HIGHLIGHTS from albums that were nearly included in the rate:
- BLACKPINK - Shut Down
- BLACKPINK - Pink Venom
- Lizzo - 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)
- Lizzo - About Damn Time
- Megan Thee Stallion - Her
- Megan Thee Stallion - Plan B
- Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa - Sweetest Pie
Without further ado, here are the EXTRAS:
- Britney Spears & Elton John - Hold Me Closer
- David Guetta & Bebe Rexha - I’m Good (Blue)
- Doja Cat - Vegas
- Halsey - So Good
- Lady Gaga - Hold My Hand
- Nicki Minaj - Super Freaky Girl
- Rihanna - Born Again
- Rihanna - Lift Me Up
- Sam Smith & Kim Petras - Unholy
- Taylor Swift - Carolina
- Give a score of 1-10 to every song in the list. Decimals (0.25, 0.5, 0.75) are allowed, nothing else. If you send me a ballot with any other decimals than these, I will tell you to round them off yourself.
- You are allowed one 0 and one 11 in the entire rate. The 0 should go to your most disliked song, and the 11 to your absolute favourite track. You don’t have to use your 0 or your 11 if you wish to do so.
- Commentary is only allowed for your zero and eleven. If you send me commentary for any other songs, I will not be including it.
- Please, for the love of Lorde, send me your ballots using the PM format below. I do not want to see spreadsheets, Google Docs, etc. If I receive one of these, you will be prosecuted.
- Don't be a fucking troll.
DEADLINE: JAN 14th, 2023
PLAYLIST LINKS: Spotify / Apple MusicPM-ABLE LIST:
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