To kick off my winter break after a very stressful first semester of college, I decided to give y’all a little insight into the songs I definitely had on replay throughout 2018. This year, pop lovers like me were blessed with releases from so many essential pop artists such as Troye Sivan, Ariana Grande, Kim Petras, MØ, and even Lady Gaga gave us a soundtrack to enjoy (and cry) to. Not only did we receive pop music galore this year, but alternative artists like the Arctic Monkeys and The 1975 also delivered albums that kept everyone buzzing. As for the rap world, well, you’re delusional if you think I kept up with that.

Here are my top ten songs of the year, ranked and ready to go on some playlists.

10. Muscle Memory / Banoffee.

This up and coming artist did not fail to get her name out there this year. Joining Charli XCX on Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour and her series of after parties in multiple tour stops across America, Banoffee managed to earn a place in many sucker-for-pop’s hearts. I had the pleasure of experiencing her set at Charli’s Femmebot Fantasy party in Dallas and while there were many other talented small artists performing that night, Banoffee’s catchy rhythm and girly charm grabbed my attention the most. “Muscle Memory” is the prime example of her unique sound coming to life. It’s safe to say my body will remember dancing to this on repeat during these last few months of 2018.

More from Banoffee: Bubble.

9. Want To / Dua Lipa.

Sporting Dua Lipa’s self-titled album cover, Want To lands a well deserved spot on my list. On this track, not only does Dua show us what she can do as a vocally talented artist, but she reassures us that she deserves the fame she’s received this past year — especially this summer when she took over radio stations across the country with her hit feature on Calvin Harris’ “One Kiss”. The only downside to this release is the mere fact that it was underappreciated by the general public, with mostly only Dua’s dedicated fans streaming and sharing the song. This is another artist I became obsessed with this year, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for her next year especially during the 2019 Grammy’s where she will be up for two awards — ”Best New Artist” and “Best Dance Recording”.

More from Dua Lipa: Scared To Be Lonely.

8. Breathin’ / Ariana Grande.

I’m not going to sit here and lie and say that I’ve always loved Ariana Grande. This year, however, she has shown us a new, more raw and genuine side of her which has me in a complete trance. Her newest album, “Sweetener”, was nothing short of pop perfection. This track embodies a certain kind of dreamy feeling to it, and it sort of makes me feel like I’m on a fluffy cloud. When Ariana was asked about the meaning of “Breathin’”, she responded with a tweet saying “A N X I E T Y”, which I totally feel.

More from Ariana Grande: R.E.M.

7. you should see me in a crown / Billie Eilish.

When this song came out in the summer, I was blasting it in my car non-stop. The overwhelming bass drop that comes only 40 seconds into the song is enough to have you hooked for the rest of it. Billie has proven herself worthy of being a rising star in the industry by selling out shows in just seconds, and appealing to almost every kind of person out there. Her soft voice is a sort of facade for her tomboy-ish appearance which we can see in her style choices and Instagram stories. Not only has Billie created an extremely diverse fan base for herself, but she has also exemplified what “the best of both worlds” really means.

More from Billie Eilish: bitches broken hearts.

6. Why Did You Do That? / Lady Gaga.

Let’s talk about the heartbreaking film that is A Star Is Born. Even in between Ally’s personal troubles with Jackson, she was able to give her fans one of the best pop songs of the year, on film and in real life. If you haven’t yet watched this movie, then what are you doing? And if you have, then I know you’ll agree that Ally deserved better, and Jackson deserved WAY BETTER. Leave it to Gaga to write a better soundtrack for an imaginary persona than her actual Joanne album, which dropped 2 years ago.

More from Lady Gaga: Hair Body Face.

5. Baby / Clean Bandit ft. Marina & Luis Fonsi.

I had a very strong urge to add “& The Diamonds” to Marina’s name. This year, she decided to only keep “Marina” as her stage name, and it makes you wonder if that will reflect onto her music. “Baby” had so much potential to be a radio banger especially having been the return of one of our pop queens AND featured Latin heartthrob Luis Fonsi. The catchy lyrics and beat are sure to make any jam session ten times more fun. Even the music video has all sorts of exciting elements that tie everything together and make it one of the most underrated pop songs of the year.

More from Clean Bandit: Disconnect ft. Marina & The Diamonds.

4. Close Your Eyes / Kim Petras.

Everyone knows October 1st is the start of Halloween, and apparently Kim Petras was ready to hand out treats from the go. Kim hadn’t formally released an album before “TURN OF THE LIGHT, VOL 1”, but she had been teasing her fans with multiple singles sporting the same album cover — her signature bunhead outline. Some big questions for Kim are, when are we getting a non-themed album? Will it be self-titled? Can we maybe expect it in 2019? Let’s hope so. Kim definitely has the look and sound to be the next big star in pop music, and by joining Troye Sivan on the North American leg of The Bloom Tour, she’s gotten her name out into the right crowd.

More from Kim Petras: Hills ft. Baby E.

3. Hunger / Florence and The Machine.

It just wouldn’t be my top 10 songs of 2018 list without a little Florence and The Machine in the top 3. I’m not exaggerating when I say I didn’t listen to anything but this song for a week straight when it came out as the second single of Florence’s latest studio album, High as Hope. The song starts off with Florence’s naturally beautiful vocals which then play throughout the background of the entire track. It’s lyrics are emotionally raw and show a more blunt side of her than we’ve ever seen before. The live performance of this song is also beyond gorgeous, which makes me wonder why this production wasn’t nominated for a Grammy.

More from Florence and The Machine: Big God.

2. 1999 / Charli XCX ft. Troye Sivan.

Coming out of the movie theatre sobbing after watching A Star Is Born, then seeing your two of your most favorite artists released a song together is a feeling like no other. I’ve never been more confused, but I cried for both reasons anyways. I’m a 2000’s (‘00, not like ‘03, gross.) baby so it feels a bit wrong to blare this song on replay, but I also watched Charli perform it live for the first time at the Dallas Femmebot Fantasy party, so I get a pass. Troye and Charli know how to get a crowd pumped up and nostalgic. Both of these artists are nearly perfect on their own, but together they form on another level.

More from Charli XCX: I Got It ft. Brooke Candy, CupcakKe, and Pabllo Vittar.

More from Troye Sivan: Bloom.

1! Dance To This / Troye Sivan ft. Ariana Grande.

There are songs that you listen to and you just relate to the lyrics due to a situation you might be in, and then there are songs that you listen to and relate to SO much that it’s like it those lyrics were made for you and you only. Being a homebody made me feel a little bit isolated in high school, especially when I would see other people out at parties, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that if I’ve been to one party, I’ve been to all and I’m not missing out. The meaning behind this song is that you can still have fun with a certain person, and even better than that, you can be yourself. You don’t have to surround yourself by many acquaintances to live. That’s one of the many reasons this song earned the top spot on my list, other than the amazing production and vocals that Troye and Ariana clearly put their emotions into.

S/N: If I could’ve made the entire Bloom album #1, I would’ve.

More from Troye Sivan: My My My!

More from Ariana Grande: thank u, next.

If you click on any of the song titles, you’ll be redirected to a Spotify link to listen to them.

However, I have made a playlist with all the songs which you can listen to here.