Happy 2014!
That's right folks, we have successfully made it through the past 12 months of music and can start gearing ourselves up for what could be the best year of music to date. But in the mean time, let's cast our minds back to some of the music highlights of the last year:
Haim
Anyone who has ever met me in person understands how much I love these edgy sisters from Los Angeles. Their impressive debut album, Days Are Gone, went straight to #1 in the UK charts during the last few months of 2013 and their popularity has rapidly grown, leading to sold out UK shows all across the country. It was refreshing to see them perform on Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny on New Years Eve on BBC2, with Don't Save Me, Forever, and Oh Well, and most definitely helped to give the programme that great universal appeal that you expect to see from a Jools Holland music show. I expect to hear a lot more musical greatness from the band over the next year. Just you wait!
Lily Allen
The UK department store, John Lewis, knew they were on to a winner when they came up with their 2013 animated Christmas advert. And the bigger winner happened to be Lily Allen's immaculate cover of the Keane classic, Somewhere Only We Know, which also went in at #1 close to the end of the year. Allen's rendition of the song matched the tone and atmosphere of the advert perfectly and catapulted Allen back into the forefront of the industry once more.
Some of the other music highlights of the past year have got to be Tom Odell being the first male to win the Critics Choice Award at The Brit Awards 2013, Bastille releasing their first studio album, Bad Blood, back in March, London Grammar's incredible single, Strong, The Killers performing at Wembley Stadium in June, and The Milk Carton Kids in all their live performance glory.
This year already looks like the one to beat, with the likes of Taylor Swift, The Backstreet Boys and Elbow touring the UK in the coming months. Oh, and for all of you #DA2014 fans out there, be prepared for the ultimate music comeback of the year from the incredible David Archuleta.
It's going to be a sensational year of music. Now it's time to get listening!
