As we are a few weeks into 2020, I wanted to reflect on my music choices from 2019. 2019 brought a lot of different and unique sounds to the music scene, with newcomers like Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X, who helped define the year in music.
Eilish brought a personal feel with her music: songs like “Bad Guy” and “Xanny” which depicted teen rebellion and the feeling of being left out, both notions tied with teenage years. Billie Eilish’s persona has been comparable to past teen icons like Lorde and Avril Lavigne, but truly takes a form of her own with her rise to fame.
Lil Nas X rose to the scene with the song of the summer, “Old Town Road”, featuring a remix with Billy Ray Cyrus. “Old Town Road” may have seemed like a one-hit wonder but was proven to be wrong with the success of Lil Nas X’s, “Panni”, which became popular from the use of the app, Tik Tok. He is also very active on social media, with a heavy presence on Twitter.
Eilish and Lil Nas X are just two of the artists that made 2019 a great year for music. Here are my top 5 favorite albums of 2019.
5) Weezer, Weezer (Teal Album)
An album of diverse covers, Weezer takes on classics such as the beloved 80’s song, “Africa” and the 90’s R&B hit, “No Scrubs”. The inspiration behind “Africa” was the recommendation of fans for the band to cover it, and this made it a record hit. My personal favorite was “Mr. Blue Sky” This was Weezer’s first album in 3 years.
4) Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next
Ariana Grande used her songwriting skills as a way of coping over the loss of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and the breakup of her and ex-fiancé Pete Davidson. Songs like “ghostin” and “fake smile” have the somber tone that the album was created from, while “thank u, next” and “7 rings” have more of an upbeat, growth feel.
3) Harry Styles, Fine Line
Harry Styles’ second studio album from the departure of One Direction brings a dose of fun that Styles claims was missing from his past works. Fine Line is an expression of Styles’ true self with songs like “Cherry” expressing his sadness over his breakup with Camille Rowe and an upbeat, 70’s rock inspired song, “Canyon Moon”, about a happy experience in his past.
2) Lizzo, Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)
Lizzo is unabashedly herself and that is expressed all throughout her album, Cuz I Love You. Upbeat songs like “Truth Hurts” and “Exactly How I Feel” talk of self-love. “Tempo” is also a slower tempo song but still has the sense of empowerment that is evident all throughout the album. Lizzo is also a body positive icon who does not let others tell her how to live.
1) Taylor Swift, Lover
Taylor Swift’s 7th studio album is quite the opposite of her previous album, Reputation. Lover is her strongest album yet, with uplifting songs like “ME!” and “The Man” and more somber hits like “Soon You’ll Get Better” and “It’s Nice To Have A Friend”. What all these songs have in common, though, is the underlying theme of staying true to yourself and the rest will follow.
