It's that time of year again. It's time to look back at all of the good, the bad, and the absolutely ridiculous of the past year. While you all have been voting for your favorites in the BWU Awards 2010, I have sifted through the year in, everything, to find what's worthy of notice.
So, without further ado, here are the biggest comebacks of 2010!
5. Enrique Iglesias - He blew up during the Latin Invasion of the late 90's, but his career fizzled out at the turn of the new millennium, with his last hit being 2001's "Hero". Thanks to the Gaga-bred dance-pop explosion this year, the Latin lover caught an epic second wind. "I Like It", the first single off his latest album Euphoria, reached the top 10 of many countries, including the United States, where it reached #4. His next single, "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)", is already burning its way up the iTunes chart, guaranteeing him success well into 2011. I guess we missed the mole more than we thought.
4. Usher - The King of R&B returned to his throne this year with very successful album Raymond v. Raymond, which spawned the ubiquitous smash "OMG", which #1 on the charts. He also celebrated the success of his protege Justin Bieber, who just won Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. After the disappointment that was 2008's Here I Stand, 2010 was proof that Usher was the premier male pop star of the moment. Now if only he would get that haircut..
3. The British Royal Family - Let's be honest: the thirteen years since the passing of Princess Diana have been relatively uneventful. Sure, Charles married Camilla, and Harry became the troublemaker after bouts with swastika costumes and pot, but compared to the years of Diana, it's been quiet. That changed when Prince William, the second in line to the throne, announced that he would finally be marrying his long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton. Almost instantaneously, the world went absolutely bonkers over the engagement. The world's media plastered them across the front pages, speculating on everything from the wedding date to Kate's future role. Her status as a future pop culture figure has already been set; she was featured on Barbra Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People and the dresses she's worn in public have become instant best-sellers. The world, who probably didn't care less about the Windsors two months ago, now wait with baited breath over the April nuptials of the future King and Queen.
2. Rihanna - OK, so it's not really that much of a comeback, but Rihanna definitely regained lost ground on the pop landscape this past year. The Bajan beauty featured on the biggest record of 2010, Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie", and scored two #1 hits of her own with "Only Girl (In The World)" and "What's My Name". Her new album Loud gave her the highest first week sales of her career, although she hasn't been able to get that coveted #1 spot, yet. Also, she has fans cracking up with her witty, shady comments on Twitter and guessing about her love life, in a good way. It's nice to see that she's moved past the drama of last year.
1. Kanye West - He's a douchebag. He's an asshole. He's a scumbag. He's one of the most provocative musical artists on the past decade. Of course, he knows all of this. After the Taylor Swift debacle last year, it seemed like Kanye might have finally pushed the public too far. Well, being Kanye, he took the criticism and unleashed one of the most critically lauded records in recent memory, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Part-ego trip and part masterstroke, Kanye re-worked the conventions of rap and pop with impressive critical and commercial results. Yes, he's still got his antics (replacing his bottom row of teeth with diamonds, the Today Show interview disaster), but no matter what he does, we still have love for the college dropout. So let's have a toast for Kanye, who kept us on our toes in 2010.
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