Throughout the year of 2017, we’ve been graced with an incredible array of new music from Eurovision and National Final stars from across Europe (and Australia). We’ve discovered some gems through our Weekly Playlists, which are now coming to an end along with the year of 2017. Since we’ve discovered so many new songs that we love, we wanted to give you a chance to express your favourites with us, and so we’ve created 12 categories in which Eurovision fans worldwide have been voting, and now it’s time to reveal your winners!
Best Pop Act
Starting out with a strong first category, here we have the Best Pop Act. With a huge portion of Eurovision and national final artists based in the realm of pop, it was a difficult decision to choose who would be the best fit for this category, but we managed to round it down to just 6 acts who we think best represent the pop music landscape. From the ethnic pop of Hadise and Severina to the relaxed vibes of Guy Sebastian and the classic Swedish pop of Benjamin Ingrosso, all were good options, however you guys have spoken, and the winner of this year’s Best Pop Act is…
Marco Mengoni
Marco Mengoni has had a quiet year in 2017, having only released the single Onde and its various remixes, including the most popular remix by Sondr, and only recently having released a single titled Come Neve in collaboration with fellow Italian artist Giorgia. Despite having a quiet year, Onde (Sondr Remix) has been one of the music highlights of the year, and as such Marco earned his place in our Best Pop Act, and thanks to his fans, he has now won the title for 2017!
Best Alternative Act
Moving forward to the Best Alternative Act, which features acts that we don’t think quite fit into a Pop category, or for that matter, any other category since they’re all unique artists. This category features some of our personal favourites and it seems that these artists are all favourites of yours too. It was a close vote, however only one act can win, and that is…
Loïc Nottet
The young Belgian star has had an incredible year, so it’s no wonder that he finishes up as the winner of our Best Alternative Act. He began the year well by releasing his debut album titled Selfocracy which featured last year’s Eurovision Union Song of the Year, Million Eyes, as well as 11 other incredible tracks. He also released a song titled Doctor, as well as recently releasing a Christmas tune titled Go To Sleep.
Best Hip-Hop & Rap Act
It’s not to everyone’s tastes, but this genre of music is one that has been of growing importance throughout 2017. Rarely do we see this style performed at Eurovision, and perhaps one of the most iconic hip-hop and rap acts to hit the Eurovision stage was Who See from Montenegro, who were a part of this category due to their album release in 2017. Also featured was the Balkan rapper Jala Brat, who has also had a good year of music releases, as well as Swedish artist Allyawan who didn’t succeed at Melodifestivalen, but remains as one of our clear favourites. In the end, the contest came down to two Italian acts – Clementino and Rocco Hunt – and although it was a close race, either of these acts could bare the title. The winner of the 2017 award goes to…
Rocco Hunt
We didn’t see an album release in 2017 from the former Sanremo participant, but what we did get was three singles that still remain popular on Spotify. His latest single Invece No is featured as part of the MTV Italy Top 10 Hip-Hop and Rap charts, but our favourites of 2017 are both Niente da Bere and Kevvuo’.
Best Eurovision 2017 Follow Up Single
This was always going to be one of the most difficult categories to vote just one act, as every nominated act in this category has a strong entry. After Eurovision 2017, we waited for the stream of new releases from the artists, and we were not disappointed. This was one of the closest votes of the Awards, with practically each and every act on par with one another, but there was one act that inched forward to be the winner, and that is…
Joci Pápai
Not only was he one of our very favourites with his Eurovision song Origo, but then the Hungarian artist released his follow up single Özönvíz and we really did fall in love all over again. It was certainly one of the musical highlights of the year, so we’re glad the fans agree!
Best Collaboration
Sometimes two is better than one, and that was the case with these nominees who collaborated with either another Eurovision associated act, or perhaps someone beyond the Eurovision world. We had the powerhouse duo of Sergey Lazarev and Dima Bilan up for a nomination, and we also had the 2017 collaboration between JOWST and Martina Barta. With a strong field, only one act can win, and that is…
Aram Mp3 & Iveta Mukuchyan
Both former Armenian representatives were strong as soloists, but it made sense that their collaboration Dashterov would be a hit amongst Eurovision fans. The disco style of the song brings infectious happiness, but the song still feels connected to their cultural roots. It’s a hit!
Best Music Video
Sometimes it’s not just about the song, sometimes the creative element of the music video enhances the meaning and the atmosphere of the song. We had some really strong contenders in this category, many of which were artistically stunning, for example Loreen’s music video for 71’ Charger, or even Kristian Kostov’s simple music video for Glubina. We loved the humour portrayed in Francesco Gabbani and Clementino’s music videos as well, but there can only be one winner, and that winner is…
Loïc Nottet
Once again, Loïc Nottet takes the win with the music video for his song Mud Blood, which was featured on his debut album. The cinematic music video discusses conformity and superficiality, and shows the struggle between two versions of oneself. It was a strong music video, and deserving of the win.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our winners reveal to be released tomorrow! Listen to the playlist of all the nominated artists and songs here:
