My Favorite Albums of 2019

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2019 was such a great year for music! So many of my favorite musicians released new music this year, as well as a few newer artists that I also really loved! In today's post, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on my favorite albums of the year - Enjoy! 

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? // Billie Eilish


I've loved Billie's music ever since her first EP came out two years ago and I'm so happy she has been getting the recognition she deserves this year. In my opinion, Billie is the perfect representation of where I see the future of music going in the next decade. Her music is so different than what so many others have been doing in the alternative pop genre, the style and production of every song she has is so complex and revolutionary in so many ways. Her brother Finneas, who produces and co-writes every song with her, truly elevates her music to a new level, they really make a great duo! - I also love his solo music too, which I'll be mentioning later in this post! I'm sure her style (music-wise and fashion-wise) is going to be heavily replicated in the coming years by others, but there will never be anyone who can do it as well as Billie (and Finneas) can. She has never tried to be anyone other than herself, which makes her journey of monumental success at such a young age so much more inspiring. She keeps getting better and better with every release and I'm so excited to see what's next from her! 

my favorite songs:
bad guy
xanny
my strange addiction
ilomilo
I love you

Fine Line // Harry Styles


With Fine Line, I can tell Harry wasn't afraid to take a chance on making something new and different, and stray away from the style of music many may have expected him to make. Elements of Fine Line were clearly inspired by artists like The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, and David Bowie (to name a few), but he took their sound and made into something modern and all his own. In a world where so many mainstream male pop/rock singers make mindless music that all sounds the same, I love that Harry actually makes interesting and different creative choices that are more out of the ordinary. That is something that overall makes him as an artist so special. In comparison to his debut album, Fine Line is so much more honest and confident and his evolution as an artist in just the past two years is clearly evident. He experimented with a fun psychedelic sound on many of the songs which worked really well for him and is again, something many artists wouldn't do. Listening to Fine Line in it's entirety is really an emotional rollercoaster and so incredible in every way. Everything that Harry has released feels so natural with such a strong positive message - I really love everything he stands for.

 I'm seeing him live in NYC for the second time next summer, which I'm so excited for! When I went to his concert in 2018, it was one of the best live experiences I've ever had and I'm sure this will be no different! He's one of my favorite performers, so I'm sure Fine Line live is going to be so incredible! 

my favorite songs:
Golden
Adore You
She
Sunflower, Vol. 6
Treat People With Kindness
Fine Line

Norman F*cking Rockwell! // Lana Del Rey


Lana Del Rey is one of the defining artists of the 2010s for me (which I'm going to write more about in my next post), and NFR! is really the perfect introduction to the next decade and chapter in her career. NFR! has the same nostalgic sound/feeling as the rest of her previous work, but also incorporates a new self-aware and culturally-relevant side of her. Her melodies are so beautiful and her lyrics are so poetic, as always. On this album she worked primarily with Jack Antonoff, who is one of my favorite producers/songwriters/musicians ever, and is a collaboration that I think really brought her sound to the next level. He worked on many of my all-time favorite albums, so it's no surprise that I love this as much as I do too. (I heard they're already working on her next album together, which I'm so excited about!) I have really loved every album and era of her career, but her first album, Born to Die, has always been my favorite and I thought was something she could never top - but NFR! comes very close to my love for that. 

my favorite songs:
Venice Bitch
F*ck it I love you
Love song
California
The greatest
hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have, but I have it

Lover // Taylor Swift

Even though I've loved Taylor's music for over a decade, I honestly didn't have very high hopes for this album based on the first two singles she released (Me! & You Need To Calm Down). But I'm SO glad that those two songs aren't anything like the rest of the album at all, it actually has some of the best songs she's ever written! Lover is like as a retrospective of Taylor's music because it incorporates the best qualities of all of her past albums, but made it into something fresh. I haven't loved an album this much from her since 1989 came out five years ago. This is some of the best music she's ever made!  

my favorite songs:
Cruel Summer
Lover
Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince
Cornelia Street
London Boy
Daylight

thank u, next // Ariana Grande


Sweetener is my favorite album by Ariana, so initially thank u, next being a follow up to that was kind of disappointing. But throughout the year, this really grew on me. Because of how closely Sweetener & thank u, next were released, they actually compliment each other really well and are a continuation of the same story. She's been through so much in the past three years and her strength really shines through this music. The past year and a half have been the biggest for her career and I think that's because she is so much more genuine now and isn't trying to be someone she isn't, which is something more people can actually connect with. Before Sweetener, it felt like the majority of her albums were based around the singles and what would sell commercially, but it seems she has since deviated from that mindset and is making music for a different purpose now.

my favorite songs:
imagine
needy
bloodline
7 rings
thank u, next

Hollywood's Bleeding // Post Malone


I love Post Malone & all of his past albums, but Hollywood's Bleeding is by far the best music he's done yet. He incorporates many different musical influences and styles into a unique blend that really can't be defined by one genre, which is something many can't pull off in the way he does time after time.

my favorite songs:
Hollywood's Bleeding
Circles
Die For Me (feat. Future & Halsey)
Take What You Want (feat. Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott)
Staring At The Sun (feat. SZA)
Wow. 

Late Night Feelings // Mark Ronson


Late Night Feelings is made up of collaborations between Mark & several different female vocalists - some more mainstream (like Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello, and Alicia Keys) and others who are lesser-known, but incredibly talented (like King Princess, YEBBA, and Lykke Li). Every song flows seamlessly together while also having a distinctly different sound to each that is representative to that particular artist. Other than the hits, I never really listened to Mark Ronson's music before this year, but I'm so glad I did because it ended up being one of my most played albums of 2019!

my favorite songs:
Late Night Feelings (feat. Lykke Li)
Pieces of Us (feat. King Princess)
Nothing Breaks Like a Heart (feat. Miley Cyrus)
True Blue (feat. Angel Olsen)
Why Hide (Diana Gordon)
2 AM (feat. Lykke Li)

Cheap Queen // King Princess


Like I said about Billie Eilish earlier, I can also see King Princess being one of the stand out artists in the next decade of music. She's doing something so different that no other pop singer is doing right now / can do as well as her. She is definitely one of my favorite lyricists right now as well, because of how open, honest and effortless she comes across. Her music and style has already evolved so much since her first EP last year, Make My Bed, which makes me so excited to see where she goes in the future! 

my favorite songs:
Tough on Myself
Cheap Queen
Prophet
Trust nobody
If You Think It's Love

Blood Harmony // Finneas


If you're already a fan of Billie Eilish, then it's no surprise that Finneas is an incredible producer and songwriter. I've loved all of the singles he's released over the years, but I'm so happy he finally released a full length EP! His production style and use of imagery in the lyrics of these songs is so interesting and compelling (and also a huge reason why I love Billie Eilish's music so much). Every song is solely written, produced and performed by Finneas himself, which is just another example of his incredible musical talent. I'm very excited to hear what comes next from Finneas as a solo artist, I've never heard a song from him that I didn't love!

my favorite songs:
I Lost a Friend
Shelter
I Don't Miss You At All 
Let's Fall in Love for the Night

No. 6 Collaborations Project // Ed Sheeran


This album is a collaboration between Ed and over a dozen different musicians, which truly showcases his versatility as an artist. This album brings together an incredible group of musicians from every genre that you probably would never expect Ed to collaborate with. There's at least one song for everyone on this album, regardless of your music taste. Since I don't listen to many of the featured artists, I really didn't think I was going to like this album as I do, but those songs actually ended up being some of my favorites!

my favorite songs:
Beautiful People (feat. Khalid)
South of the Border (feat. Camila Cabello & Cardi B)
Antisocial (feat. Travis Scott)
Remember the Name (feat. Eminem & 50 Cent)
BLOW (feat. Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars)

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comment section below what your favorite albums of the year were & what you thought of mine! For my last post of 2019, I'll be sharing my list of my favorite albums of the decade, so be sure to come back soon for that! Happy Holidays! ♡


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