Not ashamed to say it, the only reason Idina made this list if because of "Let it Go", I don't even know any of her solo songs or that she even released an album this year. "Let it Go" is an anthem and will forever slay.
♫ 12 - Jana Kramer ♫
One of country's most under looked females, Jana released an amazing single "Love" that deserved to do much better on the radio. Either way, Jana has always been consistent with her recordings and will hopefully see a breakthrough in the industry someday.
♫ 11 - Lorde ♫
Teenage hottie has a massive year to say the least. Not only did her album "Pure Heroine" dominate the markets but she was part of the Mockingjay Part 1 soundtracks with amazing new tracks. Although it is unclear if she'll see similar success with future releases, she's already made a huge dent in the industry.
2014 was "Iggy Szn" and we were all just lucky to be a part of it. Just kidding, but Iggy did release an album that's production was outstanding. "Fancy" and "Black Widow" were everywhere on radio this year and with her rerelease "Reclassified" we got the superb "Trouble" collaboration with Jennifer Hudson. Call her pop, call her rap, call her trash but one thing is for certain - she dominated the charts this year.
♫ 9 - Danielle Bradbery ♫
Danielle's year was quiet, but she did release her debut album last November and it has some really great songs that define the mind of a seventeen year old girl. She has a voice beyond her years, and hopefully she'll be here to stay.
Kacey had a huge year. Winning two Grammy Awards, an ACM and a CMA she's proven that she is now at the top tier of female country artists. Along with being one of the finest songwriters in the whole industry you can't help but be happy for her success. Earlier this year she wrote the clever "Trailer Song" which could not be more perfect. Kacey is a star, and with peers like Katy Perry she is destined to have a long successful career.
♫ 7 - Sara Evans ♫
I was not expecting me to enjoy her album "Slow Me Down" as much as I did. The album was able to perfectly blend country song writing with pop production which created an album filled with flawless tracks. Sara could of quite possibly could have been my most played artist of the year had she not release so early. Either way, she may have no had a commercial successful comeback but she did have a critically successful comeback.
♫ 6 - Lady Gaga♫
Lady Gaga just proves that she'll always be in the public eye. She may have not had any successful singles released this year but her catalogue held her ground and it was often songs from "The Fame" and "The Fame Monster" that were played repeatedly this year.
Katy Perry starts off the top five artists this year. "Prism" was a solid collection of pop anthems that all had replay value, except "Double Rainbow". "Dark Horse" was a massive hit and only grew with time and she released the cheerful "Birthday" which had to be one of my favourite songs on the album. Not to mention, The Prismatic World Tour was quite possibly the best concert I have ever attended. She easily earned her spot of being the only non-country act to reach the top five.
♫ 4 - Cassadee Pope ♫
Cassadee is another artist who just continues to amaze me. She released her second single "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart" which is and excellent song. She is another female I feel deserves more success in the country world, but sadly it won't happen due to her past pop roots. I was fortunate enough to see her live this year as well, and man does she ever put on a show. Definitely one of the best talents to emerge in the last few years.
Oh Miranda Lambert, the darling of country music. It would be wrong for anyone to ignore the year she had. For starters, she released "Platinum" which may be the best album she's ever recorded. Not to mention, it only got an 86 on MetaCritic (which is higher than BEYONCÉ) and saw her have her best first week sales in her career. The album is filled with some of the sharpest and finest songs Miranda has ever recorded. The two singles released so far "Automatic" and "Somethin' Bad" both were catchy in their own ways, and were able to contrast Miranda's serious and bad-a$$ sides to her. With her sweep the 2014 CMAs, she'll most likely repeat this next year at the Grammys and at the ACMs. It's well deserved for a small Texas girl who was once living in poverty like conditions.
Taylor switched into the pop industry was able to beat the main pop girls at their own game. Not only did "1989" see Taylor's third 1M+ album opening, but she was able to get back to back number ones with pop anthems "Shake it Off" and "Blank Space". Taylor was everywhere, and she is a classic reminder of why all our favourites are flops compared to her. She's easily cemented her status of being the Michael Jackson of our generation. There is no other artist out there right now who has been able to have as much impact in the industry as she has, in such a short period of time. Meet you back in two years when we discuss Taylor's sixth album and whether it'll open with 1.5M or 2M.
I'm confident that she'll be able to deliver with future releases.
