A good year (particularly the last year I liked anything from Rihanna) but 2009 was one of the best in recent memory.
2009 sticks out so clearly in my mind. Gaga really hit her stride that year (such a meteoric rise to fame
), her Paparazzi performance at the VMAs etc. The VMAs in general that year were really exciting, with the Taylor/Kanye moment especially. Single Ladies. And of course these aren't good things, but Chris/Rihanna and then Michael Jackson's death were also huge events in pop culture. Pretty crazy year.
Musically I really loved it, with TFM (Gaga), Brand New Eyes (Paramore), She Wolf (Shakira), Guns Don't Kill People... (Major Lazer), The Element of Freedom (Alicia), The END (BEP... a bit of a letdown in the long run, but I was super hyped for it at the time), the xx debut, Chester French debut... and most importantly, I saw No Doubt live for the first time and they started working on their new album finally! <3 It's all so memorable and special to me
