ALBUM OF THE YEAR: "Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse" - Like most people who actually took the time to really listen to this album, I was floored. I'm really proud of lambs this go around because while it tanked harder than ever and the promotion/singles picked were laughable, everyone has really repped for it. Production wise, it's one of her best. Lyrically, it's a big step up from previous albums. Vocally, she kills almost every song. It's just amazing.
Runner Up: "Crush" by 2NE1 - These girls have come such a long way and really GREW up with this album. I still play it to this day. It landed on so many Top 10 lists in America, which is crazy because K-Pop has still not made a mark here.
SINGLE OF THE YEAR: "Mr. Mr." by Girls' Generation - My FOMM'ers may not have an appreciate for Asian music the way I do, but GG knocked it out of the park with this one. With it going from electro-pop in the verses and to then going into a 80's inspired chorus, I was hooked! It's a shame people can't get passed the language barrier.
ARTIST OF THE YEAR Beyonce - Her album came out in 2013, but between her album being played well into 2014, hits like "Drunk In Love," "Partition," "Flawless," and now "7/11," she ruled for me.
SONG/NON-SINGLE OF THE YEAR: "Faded" by Mariah Carey - This song has become one of my favorite Mariah songs ever. It's so emotive and the ending leaves me breathless each time. You can tell she felt what she was singing. I wish it had been released.
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR: "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea - While I'm not team Iggy at all, this video takes it back to "Clueless" and I found myself watching the video over and over again. It was fun and really marked the Summer.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Ariana Grande is not a newcomer, but she solidified her hit making status this past year. As Carlos said, while her album sales and personality could use a boost, her singles were big hits and her albums are promising.
MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR: The Release of Mimi: When we got to hear Mariah's album for the first time on iTunes; I was in San Diego for a conference and highly jet lagged and with a sinus infection... STILL stayed up to listen!