As the year starts to come to a close, Marquette Radio’s music department decided to reflect on this year’s releases and pick their favorites of the bunch. Here our Assistant Music Director Lily Wellen’s picks, in no particular order:

Sorry – Justin Bieber

As someone who has been a big fan of Justin Bieber from the beginning, it was exciting when his new album came out. This album showed his maturity and had some great new tunes. “Sorry” was one of my favorites because of its great beat and catchy lyrics. I mean seriously, you can’t help but dance and sing when this comes on.

When We Were Young – Adele

Adele has always been my favorite singer, so the anticipation for “25” was so real for me. Once it came out, I immediately listened to her album on repeat. The song “When We Were Young” instantly became one of my favorites. Adele obviously has a wonderful, powerful voice that is breathtaking, especially in this song.

Marvin Gaye – Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor

This song is just so dang catchy. I would find myself singing and listening to this all the time. Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor also just have voices that harmonize so well together.

Electric Love – BORNS

BORNS is a breakout artist. He came out of nowhere with these great smooth, unique songs. He is a very talented vocalist, which helps makes his songs even more enjoyable. As soon as you hear it, you will want to listen to it over and over again.

Stressed Out – Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots are just great. Their songs are catchy, have a great beat and good messages that are relatable. “Stressed Out” fits that exactly, which is why I love it so much.

Our Own House – Misterwives

MisterWives are very up-and-coming and really caught my eye this year. The lead singer, Mandy Lee, has a very soulful voice that could grab anyone’s attention. This song in particular is so upbeat and fun, it easily made it to the top of my list for this year.​

Hallelujah – Panic! At the Disco

I am a little biased on this because Panic! At the Disco is my favorite band, but this song is worthy of being on anyone’s list. It was a great comeback anthem. It is Brendon Urie just belting it out, which is really all you truly need from his music.

Chandelier – Sia

First off, Sia is just extremely talented. I mean, listen to her set of pipes. Second of all, “Chandelier” was a song that constantly played and instead of instantly getting sick of it, I only played it more and more. It was definitely one of the more memorable songs of the year for me with its catchy beat and Sia’s incredible voice.

FourFiveSeconds – Kanye West, Rihanna, Paul McCartney

This song is memorable because the collaboration is so odd. Who would have thought former Beatle, Paul McCartney, would team up with Rihanna and Kanye to make this hit for 2015? I certainly wouldn’t have, but I am glad it happened because McCartney’s guitar playing fit so well with Kanye’s rapping and Rihanna’s singing. The only downside was people thinking McCartney was a new artist on the rise instead of a legend who has helped a modern artist out.

Can’t Feel my Face – The Weeknd

The moment I heard the song, I instantly loved it. The beat was fun and great for dancing along to. After hearing his sultry, smooth song “Earned It,” it was cool to hear him doing something more upbeat.  Overall, it is a feelgood song with some catchy lyrics and a groovy beat. ​

Be sure to also check out Dan and Ian’s top tracks of 2015!