As 2020 draws ever closer, it’s time to look back at the music that got us all hot and bothered in 2019.
Now, yes, we are a predominantly gay men’s lifestyle magazine, but it seems that we men idolize our female pop goddesses. We’ve compiled a list of the absolute best female led songs of the year! Enjoy!
10 – Normani – Motivation
Coming in at ten is the pop behemoth that is ‘Motivation’. Normani’s first official single was everything we wanted from her. Smooth, effortless, cool. Normani is already a star, and we predict 2020 will turn her into a superstar
9 – Tinashe – Perfect Crime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4gKnXzF-Uw
Tinashe has been the butt of every flop joke for too long! And we think she knew, because ‘Songs for You’, her newly released album, put to bed any doubt that she might not be commercial enough. Filled to the brim with beautiful music, Perfect Crime is an absolute standout. The airy chorus, the chilled RnB vibe throughout, Tinashe did the damn thing.
8 – Kim Petras – Icy
Miss Petras really elevated her entire persona this year. She’s gone from strength to strength musically, and she is showing no sings of slowing down. Icy is a perfect winter bop, full of hooks and those vocals? Woo ah!
7 – Kesha – Raising Hell
Kesha came back in a huge way with 2017’s Rainbow. Her entire point of view shifted, and how we saw her as an artist had changed. Gone was the grimy, glittery pop-rap girl, and here was an enlightened, fully rounded person. Raising Hell continued this ride, and Kesha sounds more confident than ever. We love You Kesha, and we love this banger.
6 – Roisin Murphy – Narcissus
At number 6, and rightfully so, is Roisin Murphy’s ‘Narcissus’. Roisin is firmly at the front of the disco train; she’s practically driving it. She welcomes in the changing pop landscape, but it never feels forced. She’s doing what she likes, and that’s arguably the best thing about this song.
5 – Camila Cabello – Cry for Me
I joke every day that ‘Cry for Me’ is the greatest song ever recorded. Clearly, it’s not, as its at 5 on this list, but its genius lies in its simplicity. It firmly plants itself into your brain after the first listen and doesn’t let go. It has drama, it has gumption, ugh can you hang on a second, I’m just going to listen to it for the 400th time today.
4 – Georgia – About Work the Dancefloor
Well, this was a sneaky one wasn’t it! A song that may not seem much different to the synthpop soaked landscape today, but once it gets to the chorus, it wallops you around the head. It almost callas back to the 80’s and 90’s, at the same time sounding like the year 3000. Georgia is the next big thing in pop, mark our words.
3 – Halsey – Nightmare
It is beyond me why Halsey has decided to leave this song off her album, but at least we have it. It’s sour, it’s sweet, it’s hard, it’s soft. Lyrically, it’s brilliant, musically, it’s transcendent. The video is out of this world. Nothing about this song isn’t perfect.
2 – Katy Perry – Never Really Over
Katy Perry had been… lost for the past couple of years. Her last album ‘Witness’ was poorly received, her behavior was disillusioning fans, and honestly, she could have been over. Instead, she decided she wanted to be one of the best pop stars out there again, and a collaboration with Norwegian singer Dagny produced this summer’s fizziest bop. It encapsulates the feeling of sun-soaked skin, pop euphoria and elation perfectly, and is more than deserving of its number 2 spot here.
1 – Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
We finally arrive at number one, and what a track this is. Miley has consistently brought the energy we’ve been hungry for ever since Britney danced with that snake, and boy she threw her all into this one. ‘Mother’s Daughter’ is a feminist anthem, telling everybody to f*ck right off. Its her body, its her rules, and she can break them if she wishes.
So that’s it! 2019 over, finished, done! What did you think of our list? Did we miss anything, or did we get it right? Whatever the case may be, it’s been a huge year for female stars, and we couldn’t be happier to see the power that they have.
We have created a playlist of the Instinct’s Top Ten Female Bops of 2019 on Spotify.
Happy new year!
This list was compiled by one of our contributing writers and may not be the selections of all the contributing writers.