Incredibly, 2018 is almost up. And that means one thing — the return of our annual Top Tracks countdown!
As usual, the team from wiwibloggs voted for their favourite 2018 releases and recordings by and featuring Eurovision stars. Songs which competed at Eurovision or national finals were excluded (they’ve been analysed to death in our jury reviews), as were artists who have yet to compete on the Eurovision stage.
After considering well over 100 songs, we finally settled on our top 50. And now we’re ready to share it with y’all. We’ll publish ten tracks daily between now and New Year’s Day.
What song will join Loreen’s “We Got The Power”, Emmelie De Forest’s “Drunk Tonight”, Lena’s “Traffic Lights”, and Loïc Nottet’s “Million Eyes” and “Mud Blood” in our Hall of Fame?
Let the countdown commence!
50. MOLLY “Under My Skin”
What we said: She was the only original member of girl-group Serebro from Eurovision 2007. But in October Olga Seryabkina announced she would finally be leaving the group in 2019 after 12 years of involvement in order to focus on her solo career under the name MOLLY. She gave us “Under My Skin”, which has a chorus that’s perfect for getting you on the dance floor (Jonathan).
Previous top tracks: “Chocolate” with Serebro (#11 in 2016), “Slomana” with Serebro (#39 in 2016)
49. Francesca Michielin “Tropicale”
What we said: Rather than heading off to an exotic destination, the music video sees the “No Degree of Separation” singer performing in an empty warehouse with three sets of dancers donning blue, red and green clothing. We also see her using a small looper system attached to a microphone — although whether she was necessarily inspired by reigning Eurovision winner Netta is up for debate (Jonathan).
Previous top tracks: “Vulcano” (#2 in 2017), “Un cuore in due” (#46 in 2016)
48. Il Volo & Gente de Zona “Noche Sin Día”
What we said: “Noche Sin Día” — which translates to “Night without day” — is not Il Volo’s first release in Spanish. But “Noche Sin Día” is the first time the trio have sung in Spanish and in a reggaetón style. The group announced the single on social media, noting that it was a “special project for Latin America”. This suggests that Il Volo aren’t quite ready to ditch their popera style yet. A music video for the song features Il Volo and Gente de Zona in a lavish night-time carnival setting. Around them, party people — including women dressed as angels — dance to the reggaetón grooves (Robyn).
Previous top tracks: “L’amore si muove” (#15 in 2015)
47. Sergey Lazarev “P’yanym, chem obmanutym”
What we said: He’s the Russian heartthrob who loves to experiment and explore new rhythms — both in his personal life and his musical one. And this year Sergey Lazarev did it again, revealing that he is the artist behind “P’yanym, chem obmanutym” — a song that he released on social media under the fake name LVS. Mr Lazarev’s “P’yanym, chem obmanutym” (Better Drunk Than Deceived) is incredibly current. It has a darker sound than we’re used to hearing from Sergey and it feels more underground lounge than Top 40 pop. But just as Sergey can work black leather trousers and costumes out of the Vatican, he slips into this new sound with ease (William).
Previous top tracks: “Prosti Menya” with Dima Bilan (#11 in 2017), “Lucky Stranger” (#21 in 2017), “Idealniy Mir” (#14 in 2016)
46. SuRie “Taking It Over”
What we said: Like “Storm”, it’s music with a motivational message. Unlike the classic anthem style of SuRie’s Eurovision entry “Storm”, her new song has a sultry electro-pop sound that is rooted in 2018. The song highlights SuRie’s rich soul vocals, but it also gives her the chance to get sultry and seductive. The minimalist production of the verses lets SuRie’s voice deliver some ASMR realness, before the chorus bursts in with a bold electro-pop sound (Robyn).
45. Aminata “Zero Love”
What we said: Continuing her edgy pop stylings, “Zero Love” sees Aminata singing to a person who she wants to be with, but doesn’t want to show this to the other party: “I want your love / But you never know / Keep showing, I got zero love”. In the music video, we see the “Love Injected” hitmaker strutting her stuff in a series of red, yellow and black outfits. There’s even a resemblance to The Humans’ Eurovision 2018 staging for Romania as she walks in between a series of mannequins in a warehouse (Jonathan).
Previous top tracks: “Prime Time” (#23 in 2017), “Fighter” (#15 in 2016), “Red Moon” (#34 in 2016)
44. Francesca Michielin “Bolivia”
What we said: “Bolivia” sees the Italian singer wanting to head to the South American country to be in solitude: “Take me to Bolivia to change everything / I’ll turn off the cellphone / I’ll be free and independent / Mom, no / I don’t need anything”. The music video shows Francesca rocking braided hair and getting married in a peculiar ceremony involving badminton rackets and American football helmets, before heading onto a plane that has been overrun with plants and greenery (Jonathan).
Previous top tracks: “Tropicale” (#48 in 2018), “Vulcano” (#2 in 2017), “Un cuore in due” (#46 in 2016)
43. Blanche “Wrong Turn”
What we said: The song cements Blanche’s place in the dark-pop genre, bringing together a sense of melancholy, longing and digital sounds. Thematically she sings of feeling like a drifter, clearly lost in the romantic world she longs for with that special someone. There’s a strong sense of unrequited love, which works well with her fragility (William).
42. ALEKSEEV “Сберегу”
What we said: Despite the modern production here, Alekseev’s voice soars, and penetrates the beats. “Sberegu” is Eastern in flavour, but at the same time, has a strong Western appeal. The song combines edgy electronic production with Alekseev’s warm, R&B-tinged vocals. In the music video, Alekseev plays a hero who writes his own story by literally typing out the scenes of his life on a typewriter, inscribing his ideas on paper. Flashes from the past inspire new realities (Deban).
41. Guy Sebastian “Before I Go”
What we said: “Before I Go” is easy listening, showcasing Guy Sebastian’s powerful vocals. It doesn’t stray far from his usual brand of music, with a soulful and charismatic feel. The song has a message of perseverance and empowerment, as Guy sings the lines, “You thought that I was done but I’m stronger up against the ropes”. This is a man on a mission and we’re along for the ride (Antranig).
Previous top tracks: “Bloodstone” (#18 in 2017), “High On Me” (#47 in 2017), “Candle” (#41 in 2016), “Black & Blue” (#11 in 2015)
Our Top Tracks of 2018 ranking is determined by votes from a panel of wiwibloggers. They are William, Robyn, Deban, Jonathan, Antranig, Sebastian, Pablo, Oliver, Barnabas, Cinan, Florian, Jack, Bernardo and Padraig.
<<Our top tracks 40-31
RELATED LINKS
- Our top tracks of 2017
- Our top tracks of 2016
- Our top tracks of 2015
- Our top tracks of 2014
- Our top tracks of 2013
Francesca’s song are great, but my favourite out of this bunch are Alekseev’s and Blanche’s song. I find SuRie’s song soo annoying, and so generic. I really like Zero Love music video, the song is so so.
ALEKSEEV’s new songs ‘Sberegu’ and ‘How are you’ are actually very good, and his music videos a delight .. Would love to see him again at the Eurovision Song Contest.
“How are you” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-BbnZZK6g4
Nikita said he would love to go to ESC againe but only as Ukrainian presenter,but we know its not that easy, Vidbir is very hard contest to win with many twists and endless intrigues… anyway i wish Nikita luck, maybe his dream will come true one day 🙂
Btw about Vidbir, Belgian singer (he lives in Ukraine for few years) Paul Manandise who in 2017 alredy tried to participates in Vidbir will try againe next year, he alredy has a song in Ukranian , though i think with Tayanna, Hardkiss, Kazka and Monatik on the board (rumours said) he has no chances i guess…
If Hardkiss will participate others have zero chanses to win, they are simply fantastic band, have millions fans and jury will vote for them too.
In the end, it all depends on the song, and the stage show. If Nikita Alekseev would have had the men from the Freedom ballet in Lisbon, he would have won big time 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIF5ZgNWZmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU3P6GTkYTo
WIWIBLOGGS don’t forget her :’)
Alas, she’s not eligible for the countdown, but I’ll share with the team. Maybe one of them will write about her 😀
Thank you for the reply. Please do. It’s a good song, and it has a powerful message 🙂
Tropicale is literally the best song to ever be created but go off
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Taking It Over is one of the best pop songs released this year, I ain’t even kidding.
Bolivia and Wrong Turn deserved better positions in my opinion.
But I’m excited to see the rest of the top 50!
It’s tough ranking everything and good songs often fall by the wayside, but I promise the top 10 is very strong, even if I say so myself 😀
I hope the chicken song is not there! lol You guys seem to whorship Netta lol
Sberegu is much better than Forever
Lol, I think almost his entire back catalogue is better than Forever.
So happy to see Francesca Michielin there! She’s one of my fave artists and for sure one of the best artists we currently have in Italy. Even if she didn’t get what she deserves from Eurovision, I’m happy many people discovered her and her music.
Vulcano should have won the Wiwi top 50 last year, don’t @ me…
It was my fave. But Loic was good too.
I’m one of those people who got to know Francesca through Eurovision and now I’m listening to her music all the time. It’s not that common to find artists that can sound so current and at the same time make us know them better through their songs.
Lol, Cristian if you should have participated. Your votes would’ve elevated her further up the rankings. 😀
You’re right Padraig, but I’ve been so busy lately and to be honest I didn’t listen to many songs released by past Eurovision artists this year, it would have been quite hard for me to do a ranking xD
Let the countdown begin, how many Swedish artists? Around 10? Over 10? We shall see :))
There’s three Italian and 2 Russian songs and yet you are crying about there being too many Swedish songs… even though there are none. Tragic.
Patience, dear…Patience! The Swedish gems are being kept for the upper positions, top 10 eventually
Why don’t you complain about the number of Italians too? We always have loads of those too.
Among those I only like Francesca’s songs. I like her sound, it’s relaxing and great in trip playlists.
Hopefully you like even more out of the remaining 40.
The link between Francesca and the looper predates Tropicale. In 2016 she already used it in some live performances.
Thanks for the info! You learn something new everyday 😀