Yahoo News The 10 best tracks of 2017: from Lorde to N.E.R.D & Rihanna
Take a quick glance through the 2017 music charts and you’ll find the usual names cropping up again and again...
However, while it’s true that pop stalwarts Drake, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran dominated the charts for weeks on end this year, 2017 was also been big year for breakthroughs acts.
Five of the artists in our top ten released their first album in the last 12 months, while many featured went from relative obscurity to internationally-renowned pop stars in 2017.
It also proved to be an interesting year for the UK, with London’s grime and R&B artists leading the way for large parts of the year.
From N.E.R.D & Rihanna to Stormzy and Lorde, these are the best tracks of the year.
10. Stormzy - Big For Your Boots
When he wasn’t supporting Grime 4 Corbyn or calling Theresa May a ‘paigon’, Stormzy spent the rest of the year releasing great music and establishing himself as the most important name in grime in 2017. Big For Your Boots was the standout track from his debut album Gang Signs & Prayer, which reached number one back in February.
Buy Stormzy's Gang Signs & Prayer
9. Cardi B - Bodak Yellow
New York hip hop star Cardi B became a household name in 2017, but her route to fame is one of the most unconventional of recent times.
The stripper-turned-Instagram-star became an internationally renowned musician following the release of her huge number one single Bodak Yellow in June. She also became the first female rapper to achieve a US number one single in 19 years, following Lauryn Hill’s "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998. It’s a pretty incredible achievement, and Bodak Yellow more than justifies its place as one of the biggest singles of the year.
8. Rae Morris - Do It
Rae Morris followed up on her promising 2015 debut album this year with the knockout single Do It, completing her transition from introvert singer-songwriter to pop provocateur.
As well as featuring a great video, shot on the streets of New York, the playful track is one of the most finely-crafted songs of the last 12 months, with an irresistible chorus refrain.
7. Mabel - Finders Keepers
British R&B is in a better place now than than it has been for years, and it’s down in part to the success of acts such as Mabel. The 21-year-old singer, whose parents are Neneh Cherry and Massive Attack producer Cameron McVey, enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2017, with Finders Keepers announcing her onto the public stage. It’s a genuine floor-filler with 21 million YouTube views to its name, and also features the vocal talents of London rapper Kojo Funds.
Buy Mabel's mixtape Ivy to Roses
6. Sigrid - Don’t Kill My Vibe
Norway’s Sigrid produced one of the quirkier hits of the year, when she released Don’t Kill My Vibe in February. The track was the highlight of a breakthrough year for the singer, who also developed a reputation for great live performances. She’s a hugely promising talent, and if she keeps producing tracks like Don’t Kill My Vibe we’ll be seeing a lot more of her in years to come.
Buy Sigrid's Don't Kill My Vibe EP
5. Dua Lipa - New Rules
The term “meteoric rise” has become a cliche in the world of music criticism, but Dua Lipa is more deserving of the description than most. Over the last 12 months the model-turned-singer has gone from relative unknown to household name, and dropped a handful of impressive tracks along the way.
New Rules, a flirtatious summer house groove with a killer hook, reached number one and helped announce her as the biggest breakthrough star of 2017.
Buy Dua Lipa's debut album here
4. Charli XCX - Boys
Whether you prefer the original version, or the Gemma Collins remix, Charli XCX’s Boys ingrained itself in the pop zeitgeist more than most singles in 2017.
Charli XCX does bubblegum pop better than most, and the track is arguably her strongest to date. It’s also one of the strongest videos of the year, with the likes of Joe Jonas, Charlie Puth, Joey Bada$$, Mark Ronson, Ezra Koenig, Wiz Khalifa, Tinie Tempa and Riz Ahmed all cameoing.
3. Kendrick Lamar - Humble
After the huge success of jazz-influenced album To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar was back in 2017 was the darker, angrier album DAMN. The record saw Kendrick tackle weighty social issues and cement his status as the most expressive rapper of his generation. Along with the incredible DNA, Humble saw the 30-year-old on peerless form, and more than deserves to be regarded as one of the tracks of the year.
2. N.E.R.D & Rihanna - Lemon
What do you get when you cross Pharrell Williams,one of the world’s best producers, with one of the world’s greatest pop stars? Lemon by N.E.R.D & Rihanna.
Everything Rihanna has touched over the last few years has turned to gold, and the same was true of Lemon, which is the most infectious dance track of the year.
Buy N.E.R.D's album No One Really Dies
1. Lorde - Green Light
After announcing herself with her debut album four years ago, 2017 was the year Lorde confirmed her status as one of the brightest musical talents of her generation.
We already knew the 21-year-old was a frighteningly accomplished songwriter and performer from her 2013 breakthrough Pure Heroine, but her second album Melodrama took her sound to expansive new places. Lead single and number one smash Green Light is four minutes of pure pop euphoria, and the standout tune of 2017.
