2017 is pretty much over, and what a year it’s been! There’s been so many great songs and albums released this year, so I thought I’d list my top singles and albums that were released in 2017!

Albums:
Youth by Tinie Tempah - Youth was released back in April after many release date push backs. I was lucky enough to attend Tinie’s Youth album launch house party, where Tinie performed many of the songs on his kitchen counter! The whole night was brilliant, and Youth didn’t disappoint either! Every song on the album is great in its own way, and I think it definitely deserved more success than it got!

Reputation by Taylor Swift - Taylor released her highly anticipated new album last month, with a lot of hype and build up leading up to it. I liked 1989, but I love Reputation! Each song on the album is lyrically brilliant with great production, and it was definitely worth the wait!

hopeless fountain kingdom by Halsey - I was never a fan of Halsey before this album was released. I didn’t like Badlands, but I thought I would give hopeless foundation kingdom a chance. I was so surprised by this album! Halsey has a beautifully unique voice and shows off her versatility throughout the album. I still listen to it now even though it was released months ago, and it hasn’t yet becoming boring - highlighting what a great album it is!

So Good by Zara Larsson - Zara’s debut album didn’t disappoint! There are some songs that really stand out for being better than the rest, for example One Misssipi and Funeral, however every song is really great! Definitely looking forward to album two!

Singles:
Blinded By Your Grace, Pt. 2 by Stormzy (feat. MNEK) - This is one of the most beautiful songs released this year. Stormzy really showed how versatile he is as an artist because of how different it is to his previous single, Big For Your Boots. I think Blinded By Your Grace definitely should have been Christmas number 1!

The Cure by Lady Gaga - During her Coachella performance, Gaga performed her new single The Cure. The Cure isn’t part of Gaga’s latest album Joanne (that was released in 2016), however it’s still brilliant. The lyrics are so beautiful, and the style of the song really reminds me of Gaga’s old roots. I just wish a music video had been made for it!

River by Eminem (feat. Ed Sheeran) - This recent release by Eminem is amazing! Ed and Eminem are two completely different artists, yet they work so well together. The whole song is powerful and catchy, and should have been the lead single for the album instead of Walk On Water (feat. Beyoncé).

Silence by Marshmellow (feat. Khalid) - I’ve had this song stuck in my head since it was released. I love Khalid’s unique vocals, as well as the production of the song as a whole.

Unforgettable by French Montana (feat. Swae Lee) - Similar to Silence, I’ve had Unforgettable stuck in my head since the first time I heard it in summer! I don’t usually listen to French Montana, but this song is definitely one of my favourites released this year!


Thank you so much to everyone who has read and supported Pop Affairs over the past year! 2018 will be full of loads more posts!
Happy New Year!

On February 21st 2018 the BRIT Awards are returning to London's O2 Arena. This is one of the biggest events of the year in the musical calendar, with lots of speculation circulating around who will perform at the show.
I am lucky enough to be attending the awards, so like every year, I thought I would publish my predictions of who will perform at the awards!
(Please note: these are just my predictions, any announcements will be made by the BRIT Awards themselves)

• Eminem 
• P!nk
• Sam Smith
• Stormzy
• Taylor Swift
• Little Mix
• Paloma Faith
• The Killers 
• Liam Gallagher 

Each of these artists have been incredibly successful in 2017, and are therefore the ones that really stand out to me as possible performers!