Tystenac staff members choose their favorite songs of 2015

by BRANDON UTLEY, JESSICA HOLLAN, ANDRE DREW, and NICK BUCHANAN
Tystenac staff members and editors

Some members of the Tystenac staff have counted down their favorite songs of the year. Each member was required to limit his or her list to include only one song per artist -- which is a struggle, believe us -- and the songs had to have either been released this year or gotten a significant boost of popularity this year. Click "read more" to read our lists and listen to our favorite 2015 tunes!

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BRANDON'S LIST

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​10. "Kiss Me Quick"
​by Nathan Sykes

Nathan Sykes, former lead vocalist of The Wanted, slayed the game with this upbeat, jazzy hit. His wide vocal range mixed with the amazing instrumental track makes this song seem classic while retaining its modern vibe.

9. "All I Want For Christmas is You"
​by Kurt Schneider & Chase Holfelder

From the day this song came out, I was hooked. Kurt Schneider, with the help of Chase Holfelder’s beautiful vocals, created this dark masterpiece by performing Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit in a minor key. Add in a sadistic change of lyrics with a alternative rock feel, and this song is an instant smash.

8. "The Hills"
by the Weeknd

If you listened to the radio at any time in 2015, you have heard this song. The fact that this song was so overplayed, yet I still am obsessed with it, is enough to make it on this list.

7. "Cheerleader"
by Omi

Okay, I know most people hate this song because I was one of those people. But this is not the repetitive, annoying song that everyone knows; I am talking about the slowed-down original before Felix Jaehn ruined it. It truly brings a Jamaican vibe to the beautiful lyrics.

6. "One Call Away"
by Charlie Puth

Unless you have been living under a rock in 2015, you have heard at least one of Charlie Puth’s songs. "One Call Away" is a beautiful mix of his stunning tenor vocals and an exquisite instrumental piano track.

5. "Love Yourself"
by Justin Bieber

​In my opinion, this is the best song from Bieber’s comeback attempt. It brings a “cliché pop song” vibe and proves why Justin is famous to begin with. The amazing lyrics mixed with a beautiful instrumental track is what creates this ideal masterpiece.

4. "Hello"
by Conor Maynard feat. Anth

​Although Adele’s original was perfection, I chose to include this cover/remix by Conor Maynard and Anth. Not only does Conor’s tenor vocals add an extra sense of angst, Anth’s rap verse swoops in at the end to hit you right in the feels.

3. "Fools"
by Troye Sivan

If you do not know who Troye Sivan is yet you need to go look up all of his music because this kid is amazing. This song is my favorite from his debut album Blue Neighborhood. The song is perfect enough as it is, but pair it with the melancholy music video and it truly proves why this kid needs to be a superstar.

2. "White Iverson"
by Post Malone

​"White Iverson" is a slowed-down rap song that manages to still be catchy. Post Malone does not follow in the stereotypical rap song path and gives the listeners an instrumental track with minor beats thrown in. Truly a masterpiece in my eyes. 

1. "Afterlife"
by Greyson Chance

Does anyone remember that 13-year-old kid who sand Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2010? Well he is back with a more adult sound. Although his vocals are very similar to those of Troye Sivan, the lyrics and instrumental track are what makes this work of art stand above the rest.

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JESSICA'S LIST

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10. "Worth It"
by Fifth Harmony feat. Kid Ink

Why? ‘Cause baby, I’m worth it. This song is powerful and sexy with the most jam-worthy instrumental break ever written (at least since Jason Derulo’s "Talk Dirty").

9. "Bad Blood"
by Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar

Why? Two words: Music. Video. T-Swift’s video for Bad Blood was the buzz of the year. Our favorite blonde gathered together her killer squad, including Zendaya, Lily Aldridge, Hayley Williams, Gigi Hadid, Ellie Goulding, Hailee Steinfeld, Lena Dunham, Jessica Alba, Cara Delevingne, and Selena Gomez (and that’s not even all of them), and slayed in a bomb video that had a strong story quality that gave a whole Suckerpunch vibe.

8. "Trap Queen"
by George Dalton

Why? Why else? I like pie. (Fetty might have slayed this song, but nothing beats a 12 year old covering it and making it ACTUALLY about pie. Definitely check out this song and music video for a good laugh.)

7. "The Hills"
by the Weeknd

Why? This song was created to be played in a hazy club at 2 a.m.

6. "Marvin Gaye"
by Charlie Puth feat. Meaghan Trainor

Why? Every single time these two perform this song together, they end the performance by heavily making out and then denying they are a couple. And let’s be honest: I ship it.

5. "Good for You"
by Selena Gomez feat. A$AP Rocky

Why? Your girl Selena is hot and powerful and any hot and powerful song she spits deserves to be on this list.

4. "Stitches"
by Shawn Mendes

Why? It will hit you in the feels while somehow not being slow and depressing. So to quote Ron Weasley, “You’re gonna suffer, but you’re gonna be happy about it.”

3. "Irresistible"
by Fall Out Boy feat. Demi Lovato

Why? Because it’s FALL OUT BOY AND DEMI LOVATO. TOGETHER. FOR THE MOST POWERFUL SONG OF THE AGES. Seriously though: Listen. To. This. Song. NOW.

2. "Gasoline"
by Halsey

Why? This song speaks to my soul. Halsey is incredibly talented and relatable, and I just adore her. This song is my jam right now. I could listen to it forever.

1. "Fools"
by Troye Sivan

Why? If I could, I would put his entire album Blue Neighbourhood as my number one song. But since I can’t I chose my favorite song from the entire album... I love this song more than my life. More than your life. More than anything. If you do nothing else, you should definitely listen to this album. Troye has more talent than anyone I’ve ever seen. I love him. I love this album. I love this song. Check it out, fam.

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ANDRE'S LIST

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10. "Cheyenne"
​by Jason Derulo

You know that girl who you weren’t supposed to fall in love with? Yeah, Jason Derulo can sum that up for you.

9. "No Sleeep"
by Janet Jackson feat. J. Cole

This one could have applied to finals week for me, but Janet makes it all better.

8. "Drag Me Down"
by One Direction

One less Directioner? No problem.

7. "Can't Feel My Face"
by the Weeknd

This song can apply to Ohio weather when it’s cold.

6. "Marvin Gaye"
by Charlie Puth feat. Meghan Trainor

After that lip lock with Meghan Trainor at the AMA’s, Charlie can Marvin Gaye with pretty much anyone.

5. "On My Mind"
by Ellie Goulding

Ellie’s been on my mind since this song came out. Now, only if she’d promoted it more...

4. "Focus"
​by Ariana Grande

I'm focused on Ariana now more than ever after listening to the song and seeing the video.

3. "Hello"
by Adele

Adele’s back! I guess after she was rolling in the deep, she wants us to remember her.

2. "Same Old Love"
by Selena Gomez

Selena slays with this mature and sultry song about a break up, which really could apply to any type of relationship.

1. "Cool for the Summer"
by Demi Lovato

This song really got me ready for summer of 2015. Lovato delivers again with this pop-rock anthem for the season.

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NICK'S LIST

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I actually counted down my 50 favorite songs of the year on my blog; this is a list of only my top ten. For the remaining 40 tracks, please visit Aural Fixation Reviews.

10. "Player"
by Tinashe feat. Chris Brown

For her upcoming second album, Tinashe has seemingly pulled out all of the stops. "Player" is her strongest number to date, aiming straight for the club jugular as a lovechild of PBR&B and synthpop. The song waits nearly 90 seconds to finally kick into overdrive, and when it does... wow. It slams listeners with a wall of electronic sound, with extraneous sythesizer hits coming in at all the right times. And fortunately, Tinashe's malleable soprano voice isn't compromised when embedded in this sea of sound, and it blends nicely with Chris Brown's as they tag-team the final chorus.

9. "Borders"
by M.I.A.

Political unrest, racial inequality, and hot social issues have always been the cornerstones of M.I.A.'s art form, so it's about time she spit her thoughts on this year's state of affairs over a banging club beat. The song references her youth, when she was a Sri Lakan refugee, and parallels it to the Syrian refugee crisis. Also in the mix is commentary on society's obsession with pop culture as opposed to sociopolicital concerns; each issue is then met with a snarky "what's up with that?" banter. The song has been slammed as "pro-terrorist" and "blatant propaganda," but I'd like to argue that it's simply pro-human; in a nutshell, the only request made here is that we co-exist.

8. "Style"
by Taylor Swift

I was in the large "STYLE FOR THE NEXT SINGLE" camp since the release of 1989 (or perhaps even before that when I had heard just the small snippet of the song in Swift's Target commercial) and was elated when our demands were met towards the beginning of this year. Everything about the song, from the sultry guitar-led verses to the blossoming choruses, puts it towards the top of the list of Swift's best pieces to date. But on a final note: of the five singles released from the album, "Style" was one of the two not to reach the summit of the Billboard Hot 100. I don't know how we let this happen, America. We dropped the ball on this one.

7. "Good for You"
by Selena Gomez feat. A$AP Rocky

Goodness gracious, what an unexpected, yet very welcomed, change of pace for Selena Gomez. Following the sonic footprint of "The Heart Wants What It Wants," the lead single to her second solo album Revival impresses with sultry R&B production. Both through her vocals and the video, she gleams with confidence as she croons through the song with an accented wisp and poses in a shower. It embodies all that is seductive and sultry, with its climaxes coming from subtle bass booms and the utmost focus being placed on Gomez's voice alone.

6. "Here"
by Alessia Cara

Never have I heard a song that suits my attitude more appropriately than Alessia Cara's "Here." Far too often do we hear the typical drugs, sex, and party anthems, but not enough do we get songs for those of us who prefer late night drives with a few friends or solo Netflix binges on Saturday nights. She slides into this moody R&B track with the strongest insinuated eye-roll ever: "Since my friends are here, I just came to kick it / But really I would rather be at home all by myself / Not in this room with people who don't even care about my well-being / I don't dance, don't ask, I don't need a boyfriend / So you can, go back, please enjoy your party / I'll be here." Her smooth vocals take precedence over the sampled beat, proving the raw talent behind the buzz.

5. "REALiTi"
by Grimes

Unbeknownst to us at the time, "REALiTi" was our first glimpse at Grimes' fourth studio album, Art Angels. While it was originally a demo from the full album she scrapped, it was remastered and thrown onto the new album by popular demand -- and I couldn't be happier for that. The atmospheric video demo and the peppier final version differ in a sound and definitely each have their own perks, but in any form, this song is just undeniably amazing. The airy, reverberated vocals, the dreamy soundscape... really everything about this song embodies who Grimes is as an artist. I'm not afraid to admit that I have gotten through a good portion of this ten-hour loop of the song multiple times now -- it's that good.

4. "Love Me Like You Do"
by Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding wasn't going to stamp her name another soundtrack song, but I bet she's glad that she did. Goulding and The Weeknd were two of the main acts that surged in popularity once again via the buzz that surrounded the raunchy Fifty Shades of Grey saga this year; Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do," a passionate, Tove Lo-penned anthem, was pushed as one of the singles to the soundtrack that has outlived the legacy of the movie itself. The timeless song caused one of Goulding's strongest grips on American radio, second only to breakthrough single "Lights," and it displays some of Goulding's purest vocals over her first Max Martin production.

3. "Run Away with Me"
by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Run Away With Me" is simply pop music done right. There are so many reasons why this song deserved to match the success of "Call Me Maybe," and then some. Carly Rae Jepsen crafted this song, as well as the rest of E•MO•TION, to channel the '80s with the precision that most of her contemporaries lack. On this track in particular, a blaring saxophone run and a sea of bouncy drums and synths accumulate into ground-shaking choruses that can be outmatched by only a few pop songs out there today; rumor has it that if you blare the song loud enough as Jepsen shouts, "Baby, take me to the feeling / I'll be your sinner in secret when the lights go out," it will literally shatter the Earth. I know it has nearly broken my car windows multiple times

2. "OctaHate"
by Ryn Weaver

Okay, so I had to cheat a bit for this one to count. "OctaHate" was released last year on SoundCloud and found its first wave of popularity on the streaming site, but it received its push towards mainstream audiences this year and stalled somewhere in the top 40 range of Billboard's US Pop Songs chart. While The Fool, her debut full-length album, may be a solid piece of work overall, "OctaHate" is easily her magnum opus. Her rich, vibrato-accented vocals are highlighted in the childish, twinkling verses before they are immersed in one of the few choruses that can one-up Carly Rae's "Run Away With Me." (Those vocals come out on top even against those relentless drum machine hits in that glorious temper tantrum of a chorus.)

1. "What Kind of Man"
by Florence + the Machine

Florence + the Machine delivered one of the best albums of the year with How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, so it's no wonder the lead single to the album gleamed with power. After a fragile opening minute, the song commands attention with pounding drums and Welch's aggressive vocals. In tradition Florence + the Machine style, Welch's voice is a vital source of commanding energy, further concreting the fact that only she could get away with the music she makes. Accompanying the track, like the rest of the singles from the album, is a cinematic music video that brings the last possible bit of life to the song. It's a beautifully unpredictable and irregularly-formatted song that stands towards the top of Welch's catalog, although it is hard to choose just a handful of her best works with three extraordinary albums under her belt.