CelebMix's Top Singles Of 2018

The brand new year, 2019, is here; and, in the spirit of the celebration, we’ve decided to take a look back on the singles that have been released 2018. There has been so much music released that it’s been ever so difficult to choose one defining track that made up that year.

We’ve all got our favourite songs though. That one song that manages to speak to us like no other song can. Usually, it’s because we’ve played that song on repeat so much, it’s embedded itself in our heads. Whatever it is, it’s usually from an artist that we’re a fan of.

So, we spoke to our writers and asked them to choose their favourite single of 2018. With the massive range available, we all found it ever so hard to choose just one. Here’s our round-up of our top singles of 2018, it sure has been an amazing year.

Claire Richards – On My Own / Chosen by Kelly McFarland (CelebMix Editor)

“Claire Richards did not disappoint with her long-awaited debut solo track. The track is uplifting and very catchy and showcases Claire’s amazing vocal abilities.”

Becky Hill – Sunrise In The East / Chosen by Katrina Rees (CelebMix Editor)

“Becky Hill has been around for a long time but I feel as if she truly came into her own in 2018 with the release of ‘Sunrise in the East’. The track stands out as one of my favourites from 2018, thanks to Becky’s sensational vocals and the song’s infectious chorus. Along with her vocals on MK and Jonas Blue’s ‘Back & Forth’, Becky has definitely stood out to me as one of pop’s most talented artists.”

INNA – Iguana / Chosen by Jonathan Currinn (CelebMix Editor)

“I hadn’t planned to choose an INNA track for the second time in a row, having chosen ‘Ruleta’ last year, but with the release of ‘Iguana’, I just had to listen to the song on repeat. It’s effortlessly catchy with some personal lyrics from this Romanian artist, hitting us emotionally with the song. It deserves to become one of her most popular tracks. It’s her second single off her upcoming fifth studio album, titled YO, following previous single ‘RA’ and it showcases a new direction for her as it’ll be her first full Spanish-language album release. The singles and album come under exclusive licence to Jay-Z’s record label, Roc Nation, which was one of her biggest steps of 2018. INNA just continues to prove her worth and her talent with every release.”

PENTAGON – Shine / Chosen by Michele Mendez (CelebMix Editor)

“For anyone familiar with the K-pop music scene, PENTAGON’s ‘Shine’ is easily one of the best songs released in the genre, during 2018. Its uplifting, addictive beat makes the listener fill with happiness with every listen. The track’s hard-hitting choreography is equally addictive, especially at its chorus, which puts the popular ‘shoot dance’ at the forefront.”

Shawn Mendes – In My Blood / Chosen by Azra (CelebMix Writer)

“2018 has been filled with so many good singles (so, so, so many), but when I was forced to pick, ‘In My Blood’ was the first one that came to mind. It’s the song that I related to in many aspects, and just to hear that someone (let alone a celebrity) is going through something that you can relate to is… rather comforting. The instrumental and the vocals are just on point. While many may argue that Lost In Japan is Shawn’s best 2018 single, I’ll always have a soft spot for ‘In My Blood’.”

Ariana Grande – God is a woman / Chosen by Byaregal (CelebMix Writer)

“It’s been an incredible year of Ms Grande and her musical output for 2018 has been nothing but spectacular. ‘God Is A Woman’ for me definitely stands head and shoulders above any other single received in 2018 and there isn’t anything about the song I don’t love.”

Avril Lavigne – Head Above Water / Chosen by Mark Willis (CelebMix Writer)

“Since 2002, Avril Lavigne has always been my favourite singer so I was incredibly excited to hear her comeback single in 2018. I’m very happy to say that ‘Head Above Water’ didn’t disappoint. The beautiful ballad recounts Avril’s traumatic battle with Lyme Disease and it’s arguably her most personal track to date. The Canadian superstar’s vocals and lyrics are phenomenal throughout; you really can hear the passion and pain in every word she sings. Along with Avril’s follow-up single ‘Tell Me It’s Over’, ‘Head Above Water’ is easily one of my most played songs of 2018. I, personally, can’t wait to hear the rest of her sixth album.”

BTS – FAKE LOVE / Chosen by Ellie Nicholas (CelebMix Writer)

“‘Fake Love’ is by far my favourite single of 2018. From the heartfelt lyrics about a person’s own suffering after a failed love, to the infectious emo trap beat riddled throughout the song and powerful raps from RM, J-Hope and Suga, ‘Fake Love’ became the perfect comeback single for BTS and lead them to claiming their first ever Billboard Top 10 entry, in May, of 2018.”

Lennon Stella – Bad / Chosen by Evelin Mercedes (CelebMix Writer)

“Lennon Stella’s ‘Bad’ was interesting because of its context. The beats/rhythm is unique to her voice. I later found out that she was on the TV show Nashville and after watching an episode, it made me like her style of voice even more.”

State Champs – Our Time To Go / Chosen by Charlotte Freeman-Coates (CelebMix Writer)

“‘Our Time To Go’ was easily my favourite song of 2018. It’s a catchy song with perfect mix of emotions that’s always leaves me smiling once I’ve listened to it “

Ariana Grande – breathin / Chosen by Kay Simpson (CelebMix Writer)

“Grande uses her signature angelic voice to highlight the topic of anxiety to inspire her fans to keep on breathing through the worst. We applaud artists who uses their music to tackle such difficult topics such as mental health.”

Amaia & Alfred – Tu Canción / Chosen by Lynn Macgillivray (CelebMix Writer)

“As soon as I heard this song, I fell in love with it. It is beautiful from beginning to end, I have listened to it repeatedly (especially at Eurovision time) and still love it as much as I did when I first heard it. It is just magical to me and the love Amaia and Alfred shared in their performances was so special. They were robbed at Eurovision!”

Drake – In My Feelings / Chosen by Katherine Jiang (CelebMix Writer)

“Maybe it’s because I live in Toronto, but I couldn’t leave my house without hearing this song at least a few times this summer. It’s one of those singles that become the song of the summer that people either love or love to hate. It’s so catchy and you can’t help but get it stuck in your head.”

GIRLI – Play It Cool / Chosen by Toby Bryant (CelebMix Writer)

“When looking at my end of year Spotify lists, the single highest of all was GIRLI’s ‘Play It Cool’. London-born Milly Toomey has been a pop disruptor with her often politically-charged pop-punk tracks since 2015. After having the chance to chat with GIRLI over Easter, she made it clear that 2018 marked the launch of GIRLI 2.0. That new sound started with ‘Play It Cool’, an effervescent, tongue-in-cheek comeback. She’s teased even more new tracks for 2019, fans should be very, very excited.”

Ariana Grande – the light is coming (feat. Nicki Minaj) / Chosen By Ashley Gale (CelebMix Writer)

“Another Ariana/Nicki collab! Finally, I’ve been hoping they would collab again ever since ‘Side to Side’. The pop anthem is definitely one of my favorites off Ariana’s new album, Sweetener. “

Jess Glynne – Thursday / Chosen by Rachel Dempster (CelebMix Writer)

“This song made me so emotional when I first heard it! The lyrics throughout this track are so special and she encourages listeners to be themselves because that’s more than enough. The emotional and beauty of Jess Glynne’s vocals also stand out in this track.”

Twenty One Pilots – My Blood / Chosen by Georgia Brown (CelebMix Writer)

“As soon as I heard that first beat of ‘My Blood’, I knew it was going to be a song that would resonate strongly with me. It instantly became one of my favourite Twenty One Pilots’ songs and one of my favourite songs of all time. Despite it coming out late August; it was my second top listened to song of 2018 on Spotify. ‘My Blood’ always reminds me of the people that mean the most to me; my friends, my family, as well as the bands that have impacted me the most.”

King Princess – 1950 / Chosen by Dominic Beck (CelebMix Writer)

“King Princess is the first signee of Mark Ronson’s label, Zelig Records. She made her footprint in the music industry in 2018 when she released her debut single, ’1950’. The debut single from King Princess is an ode to LGBTQ+ love and the history of it, this caught the attention of Harry Styles. She quickly followed the single up with her debut EP, ‘Make My Bed’ and is set to go on a headline US tour in the first quarter of 2019 titled after her most recent single, ‘P**** Is God’.”

Alexander Jean – Waiting For You / Chosen by Brittany Sims (CelebMix Writer)

“Alexander Jean is such a powerhouse couple. They are emerging as a power band and this song is my fave of theirs.”

Sabrina Carpenter – Sue Me / Chosen by Nicola Craig (CelebMix Writer)

“Taken from her Singular: Act 1 album, ‘Sue Me’ by Sabrina Carpenter deserves all the awards for being one of the sassiest, feistiest and empowering tracks of 2018. Whether it’s someone you used to work for, be friends with or be in a relationship with this track can be related to many situations thanks to the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Personal favourites including ‘That’s my name, don’t wear it out though. Feeling myself can’t be illegal’ who wouldn’t feel on top of the world singing those lyrics at the top of your lungs? We feel confident, powerful and ready to face anything every time we listen to this track.”

Busted – Nineties / Chosen by Niki Smith (CelebMix Writer)

“This year, for me, it has to be Busted’s first single off their upcoming album Nineties. It’s such a pop-rock anthem and taking my favourite band ever right back to their catchy and cheeky rocky routes. The music video is BRILLIANT. So many hilarious references to the 90s. It brought me right back to my childhood watching Gladiators on a Saturday night.”

Panic! At The Disco – High Hopes / Chosen by Annemarie Cutruzzola (CelebMix Writer)

“I was beyond excited for Panic! At The Disco’s comeback in 2018, and their new music did not disappoint. My favourite single of the era was by far ‘High Hopes’ – it has a very positive and uplifting vibe that makes it the perfect studying or workout song. Brendon Urie’s vocals are on point, as always. This song kept me motivated in 2018 and reminded me to keep looking ahead and focus on the dreams I want to achieve.”

Ariana Grande – no tears left to cry / Chosen by Isla Williams (CelebMix Writer)

“The lead single to Ariana’s fourth studio album, Sweetener, was highly anticipated before its release. And Ariana did not disappoint. The dreamy pop song, which borrows elements from both disco and UK garage music, features a melancholy atmosphere behind it, but all the same it is an uptempo affair that is great to dance to and features uplifting lyrics which many can relate to. Although I am happy Miss Grande has been able to achieve her first number 1 single with ‘thank u, next’, I sometimes wish this single had topped the charts too. “

Sarah Darling – Wasted / Chosen by Laura Klonowski (CelebMix Writer)

“I have chosen this track because of very personal reasons. It was hard to whittle it down to one song as there were so many amazing tracks released over the past twelve months. But this song resonated with me so much it had to be my number one.”

Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid – Eastside / Chosen by Sofia Esposito (CelebMix Writer)

“2018 has been an incredible year full of some amazing singles but ‘Eastside’ has been on repeat since the day it was released. I love the story that comes with the song.”

We hope you’ve listened to all these incredible singles. There may have been many great releases in 2018 but they weren’t the only favourites of ours. Check out our 2018 favourite Albums, EPs, Music Videos, Debut Artists, Films, TV Series‘, YouTube Videos, Events, Celebrity Moments, Memories, Success Stories, and CelebMix Articles; all chosen by our writers.

Did we include your favourite single on this list? If not, tell us what your favourite single of 2018 was on Twitter @CelebMix.

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