TRF.
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Thank you so much @supaspaz for this opportunity to present the Lifetime Achievement Award!! Pop is a very broad term. When we, people on a website like ATRL, think of what a pop artist is, generally we think about charts. And when we think about women in pop music, we think of girls doing the most to serve choreo and looks, singing songs that are relatively straight-forward and radio/streaming-friendly, and not always very complex. This is all obviously very reductive, and if you think about it most main pop girls themselves don't fit that criteria, but subconsciously, it is what a lot of people believe there is to pop stardom. But pop entails many things. It can include larger-than-life stars like Beyoncé, Gaga or Taylor, it can be the maximalist experimentalism like that of Rosalía's LUX or Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, or the minimalism of Lorde's Pure Heroine or Oklou's Choke Enough, the absolute chaos of Jane Remover, the detailed production of SOPHIE, the eeriness of Jenny Hval or Caroline Polachek (even music made by men! unfortunately ), it can vary widely from culture to culture, country to country, it can be a thousand things and more. It can be weird. It can be uncomfortable. It can be what Björk does. And it can be more influential than you would think. The list of artists that have claimed Björk as an influence can probably be counted in the thousands. From SZA to FKA twigs, from Missy to Xtina, all acknowledge the Icelandic songstress as an inspiration. It makes sense as to why – since breaking through a solo artist with 1993's Debut, she's had an impressive career fueled by the fusion of electronic music genres that were big at the time (i.e. house, techno, trip-hop) with a more avant-garde style of songwriting that immediately threw you off, but with an ability to compose memorable hooks and honest, heart-felt lyrics that drew you in and pulled you into her world. Her work would only become more idiosyncratic as time went on, more experimental, less accessible to the average listener, but more rewarding for it. From the emotive "Hyperballad" to the volcanic beats of Homogenic, her work is, to this day, characterized by the fusion of the organic and the electronic, strings and wind instruments fused with abrasive glitches, experimental takes on a cappella music – not a single work from hers could be described as predictable, as derivative. And while someone might argue projects like Vespertine might be considered her "peak", the truth is that she still is someone with the will to innovate, with albums that sound as current and ahead of time as any of her other work – collaborating with then-up-and-coming producers like Arca or The Haxan Cloak on career highlight Vulnicura or borrowing influences from gabber and industrial-techno on her most recent full-length Fossora, her desire to push the boundaries of music to this day is what has given her legend status. And in ATRL, Björk may not be understood by everyone, but she sure is respected, and she sure is influential as well. Among those of us who are a little more alt (s/o to all the #indieheauxs and the O.G. Björk stan @Owl), she is given the recognition that is deserved, every album release is an event in a way that I, sadly, very rarely see on here from any other artist older than 50. But it makes sense why: she's constantly pushing herself as an artist, and her relevance is in constant growth still – even getting her first top 10 song on Global Spotify last year thanks to "Berghain", her collaboration with Rosalía. It is tough to explain why Björk is so important, either from a personal point of view, or from a more analytic, "music industry" kind of way. What makes Björk's music appealing to some, might be what makes it repellent to others. But one thing she'll never be is milquetoast, her work invites active thought, without ever rejecting pop as an approach even in her less conventional music. It is just a different take on it. This is why the ATRL Grammy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2026 goes out to Björk. It's what she deserves! Now Björk, do you have anything to say to accept your award?
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Eusexua robbed :(
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Very obvious win lol but not the worst choice so happy for her
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she's blonde now!
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Not mad at this at all although Black Star is imo better and Choke Enough deserved a spot on the list too but w/e
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Headphones On... now that's a deserving win.
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deserved Kendrick wins!!
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late arrival but i'm here
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25 PinkPantheress Illegal 24 Six Sex Performance Actitud (Pose) 23 Le Diouck Émeraude 22 Swank Mami Baddiez 21 Slayyyter Beat Up Chanel$ 20 Sayuri & Sopholov Secunena 19 fakemink Easter Pink 18 Ethel Cain Nettles 17 Jim Legxacy father 16 Sudan Archives Dead 15 Lauren Duffus NUMTE 14 Juana Rozas Bad Choice 13 Kinara Underground feat. nusar3000 12 James K Play 11 Indi Over 10 Oli XL Love & Pop feat. Chanel Beads Genre: Glitch Pop, UK Bass A remix of Chanel Beads' "Idea June", pulled effortlessly into Oli XL's world. Beautiful, complex yet bouncy electronic-pop that's made to stick in your head. 9 Rosalía Berghain feat. Björk & Yves Tumor Genre: Art Pop, Orchestral, Classical Crossover Possibly one of the most insane comebacks for any major pop girl in recent memory. One of the weirdest moments in LUX, obviously I was made to love this. 8 Terra Fiebre feat. Six Sex Genre: Changa tuki Six Sex has been collaborating with a lot of artists in 2025, like Shygirl, Emilia or MCR-T, but none other shined more than her and Terra, a match made in Latin club heaven. 7 JT Girls Gone Wild Genre: Pop Rap, Ghettotech Produced by Chicken, JT dives fully into club music with this song. References to Detroit techno, Miami bass and Chicago juke sound great on their own, but JT's fun, witty lines truly sell it. 6 FKA twigs Striptease Genre: Alternative R&B, UK Bass One of EUSEXUA's highlights, twigs pushes her vocals into really interesting places, the production sounds busy, inspired by different eras of dance music, but still uniquely hers. 5 Oklou Blade Bird Genre: Alt-Pop, Indietronica The closing track in Choke Enough is also its most heartwarming moment. Inspired by a Basque poem about setting a bird free, it sounds like 00s nostalgia used with an actual purpose, a gorgeous pop song. 4 Tracey Sex Life feat. Riko Dan Genre: Dubstep, Grime One of the most memorable hooks I heard all year, a fun, unserious ode to sexual desire clearly inspired by the peak of UK dubstep and grime, but still feels very current and relevant to today. 3 Amaarae S.M.O. Genre: Dance-Pop, Gqom, Bacardi Amaarae's music has always been very sensual, but even then "S.M.O." took me by surprise. Inspired by Ghanaian classics like Ata Kak's Obaa Sima, translating that into a contemporary club-pop vibe works perfectly. 2 Addison Rae Headphones On Genre: Alt-Pop, Contemporary R&B, Trip Hop Telling someone "Addison Rae will be the one to bring trip hop back into the mainstream" in 2020 would've been crazy. And yet it's kinda true? A perfect metaphor for escapism, it's magical, probably the #realest song of '25. 1 Smerz You Got Time and I Got Money Genre: Downtempo, Bedroom Pop I have always associated Smerz with a particular style of cold, disaffected, experimental Scandinavian dark-pop. So something as earnest and direct as "You Got Time and I Got Money" feels surprising, but also what I needed most in my life. A song that feels like falling in love for the first time, a pop ballad that might seem simple, but feels so beautiful and detailed, something potentially timeless. Even Sky Ferreira was gagging! So was I!
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50 EsDeeKid LV Sandals feat. Fakemink & Rico Ace 49 Tate McRae Revolving Door 48 SPELLLING Portrait of My Heart 47 Nadah El Shazly Magnolia 46 KATSEYE Gnarly 45 Tainy & Feid Monstruo 44 Luedji Luna Apocalipse feat. Seu Jorge 43 Milo j Bajo de la piel 42 Hayley Williams Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party 41 tovi Jiggy 40 NMIXX High Horse 39 Kim Petras Freak It 38 Tyla Chanel 37 Klein rich dad, poor dad 36 Underscores Do It 35 Zara Larsson Midnight Sun 34 billy woods Dislocated feat. ELUCID 33 Rochelle Jordan Doing It Too 32 Clipse Ace Trumpets 31 haloplus+ untitled<3 30 JADE Unconditional 29 Malibu Spicy City 28 NEW YORK Together 27 Dexter in the Newsagent Special 26 After 300 Dreams
