by Anastasiia Torianyk on IconScout
Life after getting a degree is pretty rough, not gonna lie. I’m just endlessly shooting my shot trying to get hired somewhere. I never thought I would miss having semesters. At least I knew when my suffering would end! So, to combat my fatigue, I have been revisiting artists whose music I like according to the stats I’ve collected. I was going back and forth on whether this article should be on my Patreon or not. Since this article is about neither kpop nor Eurovision, I decided to make it a personal update. And this topic might have multiple parts because I listened to a lot of music.
Nerdy explanation time!
I have a spreadsheet of every pop song I like going back to 2007. But even then, the list never felt complete. I discover songs by checking past Billboard charts and records of songs that appeared on the MuchMusic Countdown. However, I know for a fact that there are artists who have caught my eye who don’t chart on Billboard. Being the completionist I am, I concocted a plan to scoop up this missing music like a pool boy with a net.
I started by making a rule that if I liked at least 3 songs from a given artist, I would listen to singles from any of their forthcoming albums regardless of whether they charted on Billboard. If I liked a song and it wasn’t on my list yet, it would get added to my spreadsheet. And if it was a really good song, I might even reconsider my yearly ranking.
I soon realized that this list of artists would rapidly expand and that I might be obligating myself to listen to artists whose music I don’t really like anymore. So I made another rule: if I like at least 10 songs from a given artist in the span of 10 years, I will continue to listen to their discography. If not, I’m not obligated to continue listening to them. Only 3 artists satisfied this rule, but I’ll talk about them some other time.
34 artists represented my music taste from 2007 to 2016. 5 of these artists did not release any forthcoming albums within this time period: Timbaland, Selena Gomez & The Scene (Gomez alone didn’t release a forthcoming album until 2020), Fefe Dobson, Victoria Duffield, and Adele. 9 artists only released one album. These are the artists I want to highlight in this article.
One album wonders!
Jonas Brothers — Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009): Obviously, I love “Fly With Me.” It’s one of my favourite songs from 2009. The rest of the singles I didn’t care much for. Sorry!
P!nk — The Truth About Love (2012): You know, I used to think that “Try” was really corny (and overplayed). But listening to it again after all this time, I was really touched by the message. Especially considering how much I’m struggling right now.
Katy Perry — Prism (2013): I think this is where she started losing me. I mean, “Roar” was fun, and I liked “Never Really Over,” but they don’t hit me in the gut the way “Thinking of You” or the songs from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection did.
Shawn Desman — Alive (2013): I gave myself a cavity listening to these songs. They’re so corny and sweet but 2013 Megan thought these songs were super catchy!
Lights — Little Machines (2014): That bridge from “Up We Go” still goes hard. And again, very appropriate song for the stage of life I’m in.
Maroon 5 — V (2014): Despite my best efforts, I can’t be sad when listening to “Sugar.”
Kelly Clarkson — Piece by Piece (2015): I really like “Heartbeat Song” (and “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World, no shade intended). Not gonna lie, the more gospel-inspired “Invincible” wasn’t as interesting to listen to. I think Clarkson’s voice stands out more when backed by a rock band.
Miley Cyrus — Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015): Probably the most disturbing album I had to react to. But I’m pretty sure that was her intention.
City and Colour — If I Should Go Before You (2015): What a palette cleanser after the Miley Cyrus album. Very pleasant, but not super remarkable to me.
Stay tuned for part 2!