Top 10 Pop Albums of the 2010s
With 2020 approaching, MODA Blog rounds up the best, worst, and most iconic phenoms of the 2010s.
In the last 10 years, pop has taken us places. From the inside of the mind of a woman trying to break free (Bangers, not on this list) to a bubble-gum Utopia (Teenage Dream, also didn’t make the list) we have loved, laughed and cried with some of pop’s greatest. With the decade coming to a close, it feels apt to try and crystallize the best parts of the last 10 years in pop music. I’m not really qualified to be the one to do that but I will try anyway.
10. Red (2012)
Taylor’s finest work, Red was the album that skyrocketed her to international pop-stardom. An account of a girl rising in popularity, but still desperate to experience everything, she manages to make her incredibly glamorous life relatable and meaningful. Standout singles like “22” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.”, as well as often-overlooked gems like “The Last Time” and “Treacherous” keep this album relevant almost 8 years later.
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9. El Mal Querer (2018)
The only non-english language album in my top ten, El Mal Querer was truly a breakthrough in pop-fusion. The way Rosalia melded her native Flamenco music with the techniques and production of pop music was unexpected and welcome. The album houses tracks that make their home in the club "(Malamente) and ones that make a home in your ~heart~ (Maladicion).
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8. Joanne (2016)
I am one of the few holders of the unpopular opinion that Joanne is Lady Gaga’s best album. It is authentic, personal and incredibly well-written. Its biggest issue was timing; Had Joanne been released closer to the release of A Star Is Born, it would be viewed as the essential companion piece to Ally, Gaga’s character in the film. Both Artpop and Born This Way are honourable mentions on this list.
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7. Electra Heart (2012)
One of Marina’s (formerly Marina and the Diamonds) three amazing albums from the decade, the iconic Electra Heart still remains her best. She takes us through all the different personalities she maintains, whether it is the “Teen Idol”, “Homewrecker”, “Primadonna” and so on. Marina presents all these different versions of a person, and never makes us chose which we are, because one can be everything and more.
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6. Golden Hour (2018)
Another genre-bending album on this list, Golden Hour is the true pop-country album Taylor Swift tried to make for 6 years, while always too close to one genre or the other. Kacey Musgraves absolutely nailed the boarder between the two, and she netted a Grammy for “Best Album” because of it.
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5. Born to Die (2012)
Before she was what seems like the tourism director for the California Coast, Lana was nobody, and then overnight, everybody. Born to Die was an album far different than the saccharine pop we were listening to at the time. It was moody, entrancing and riddled with daddy issues we didn’t know we had until Lana said we did. The indie-pop genre fully entered the mainstream, and every soft, well written bedroom ballad since has this album to thank.
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4. Body Talk (2010)
A collection of three mini-albums all released in 2010, Body Talk symbolizes the transition from Robyn as a European teen idle to a mature, global artist. “Dancing On My Own” continues to be the decade’s most recognizable song that nobody recognizes at first, and “Call Your Girlfriend” is honestly in the same boat too. It took Robyn 8 years to recover from these mini-albums and release Honey (2018), another honourable mention for this list.
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3. Beyonce (2013)
The album that coined the term, there was a time before a surprise release was known as “pulling a Beyonce”. Feeling almost made for the social media age, this is one of the most catchy and quotable albums of all time. Serving attitude, confidence, and an incredibly polished final product, Beyonce will go down as a true competitor with Lemonaide (another honourable mention) as Beyonce’s best.
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2. Pop 2 (2017)
Industrial, experimental pop has no better guardian angel than Charli XCX. An entire album of sounds that would terrify your parents, Pop 2 is still pushing the boundaries of how wild pop music can be, while still being enjoyed by the masses. “Unlock it” makes me scream-sing whenever it comes on, “Lucky” has me balling and “Track 10” is liquid gold. Go stream “Track 10”.
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1. Melodrama (2017)
This album… what is there to say? It says something about the quality of a work that I need to wait for another one to decide when I get to move to the next stage of my life. “Liability”? We are sobbing. “Perfect Places”? We are dancing. “Supercut”? We are sobbing AND dancing. Nobody has distilled what it is to transition from teendom to adulthood like Lorde
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