In just a few days we will be saying farewell to 2018, which means it’s time for my end-of-year playlist! Thankfully, 2018 was a great year for music. So many of my favourite artists like Camila Cabello, 5 Seconds of Summer and The 1975 released killer new albums and there was no shortage of bop-worthy singles.
If this year in music was any indication, 2019 is going to be amazing. New music is already confirmed to be on the way from Normani, Charli XCX, Broods and many more. I’m ready!
While outlets like Billboard release their Year-End charts based on the top performing singles of the year, I wanted to change things up! So, I’m sharing the best of the best of my monthly finds & faves playlists from 2018. This way, you’re getting the latest and greatest, plus some tunes that were just too good to leave behind. The result is a 60-song ‘2018 finds & faves’ playlist. It’s perfect and ready to go for your New Year’s parties!
Scroll down to check out the final finds & faves playlist of 2018 and five of my favourite 2018 finds.
“She Loves Control” by Camila Cabello
If I’m being honest, I was skeptical about Camila’s debut album, released back in January, but it grew on me fast and I’ve become a big fan! I still love the Latin sassiness of this track and really wish it had been made an official single. If you’re just checking out her album for the first time, I also recommend “Into It” and the heavy ballad “Consequences.” I would not be surprised if she picks up one of her GRAMMY nominations for this album in February!
“Love Lies” by Khalid with Normani
Released as a single from the Love, Simon movie soundtrack, “Love Lies” marks the first collaboration (and likely not the last) of two rapidly-rising R&B artists. It was a slow riser on the charts but dominated radio toward the end of the summer, leading to the track recently entering the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10 in the U.S. Khalid and Normani’s vocals blend together beautifully, adding to the hopeful curiosity of the song’s storyline. My love lies here with this song!
“Want You Back” by 5 Seconds of Summer
According to Spotify, this was one of my most-played songs of the year – and I understand why! I have said since the beginning that 5 Seconds of Summer is extremely underrated. They have great chemistry on and off-stage and have nailed it with catchy, upbeat singles and slow jams. If you need one group to check out and obsess over heading into the new year, make it 5SOS!
“This is America” by Childish Gambino
Donald Glover (Childish Gambino) is a genius and there’s no evidence stronger than this song. Everything from the lyrics to the symbolism in the music video to the time of release was clever and strategic and perfect. It’s been a while since I’ve heard a song so impactful and I can only hope for more in 2019.
“Eastside” by benny blanco with Halsey and Khalid
If you haven’t heard the name Benny Blanco, you’ve surely heard his work – he’s the man behind hits like “Love Yourself” (Justin Bieber), “Teenage Dream” (Katy Perry) and “TiK ToK” (Kesha). This year, he took a step forward into the spotlight releasing his debut singles as a solo artist. I love the sweet innocence of “Eastside,” an auto-biographical track about reminiscing on a blossoming young love. Since the release of “Eastside,” Benny has released three more singles, likely leading up to the release of an EP or album in 2019. Start following him now and get those first-fan bragging rights!
What was your fave song from 2018? Let me know in the comments below!
Cheers to plenty more playlists and listening in 2019 xx
(Playlist cover: Angela McLean)
