IDOLTHREAT International Top 20 of 2019
Lizzo’s only at #12, I look forward to your tweets
This is the seventh year I’ve put together this list; each year there’s an International List and an Australian list. This is the International list; the top 20 songs that originated outside of Australia.
People talk about music cycles, and how we’re just in a certain music cycle at the moment but “it’ll come back around soon”, but the truth is that the music that get people’s attention is always the music that cuts through and makes people feel things. Music that stands out, that feels fresh and exciting while still connecting with who we are as humans. This list features 20 songs (well, 21) which will hopefully make you feel something.
For the IDOLTHREAT Australian Top 20 of 2019, click here.
BUT FIRST, A VERY IMPORTANT 21:
21. SHADOWS — Alphabeat
20. IF THE WORLD WAS ENDING — JP Saxe and Julia Michaels
19. ABOUT WORK THE DANCEFLOOR — Georgia
18. I DON’T THINK I CAN DO THIS AGAIN — Mura Masa and Clairo
17. MINE — Slayyyter
16. THINKING BOUT ME — Cecily
15. SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA (S.H.I.T.)— Princess Nokia
14. HOSPITALIZED — Broods
13. MILIONÀRIA —ROSALÍA
12. GOOD AS HELL — Lizzo, and eventually Ariana Grande
She did have the #1 interview of the year though, with The Project:
11. ALL THE TIME — Zara Larsson
10. KILL THIS LOVE — BLACKPINK
For the record, this goes off in Just Dance.
9. HIT ME UP — Omar Apollo, Dominic Fike, Kenny Beats
Could easily play this on repeat.
8. DON’T START NOW — Dua Lipa
In 2020 she’ll be releasing Future Nostalgia. I’m not ready, and likely will never be ready.
7. DEATH STRANDING — CHVRCHES
Didn’t play the video game, but the theme tune from CHVRCHES sets the tone beautifully.
6. LOSE YOU TO LOVE ME — Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez came back with the best release of her career in Lose You To Love Me. Julia Michaels on the co-write. Stunning.
5. SIREN SONG — MARUV
The song that would have represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2019, had Ukraine’s broadcaster not screwed her over and made her quit after she won their national selection. Shame really, because she would have won the whole thing.
Two videos here, cw: flashing light patterns and kinda NSFW for the first:
and cw: blood and probably NSFW for the second, the official video:
4. SIRENS — LORYN
See also: Something New
“Boy, you better run, before the sirens come” might be my favourite lyric of the year.
3. BAD GUY — Billie Eilish
See also: everything i wanted, bury a friend, my strange addiction
If you get it, you get it.
2. THOUGHTS — Sasha Sloan
I haven’t felt this way on first listen to a song since I first heard Bittersweet Symphony.
1. GONE — Charli XCX and Christine and the Queens
The production. The artists. The visual. The dance breakdown.
2019’s most perfect pop song.
