The brand new year, 2019, is here; and, in the spirit of the celebration, we’ve decided to take a look back on the music videos that have been released in 2018. There have been plenty of stunning visuals, interesting storylines, and a lot of great energy. Yet, these are totally the ones that made us go wow!
Take a look at our favourites from 2018, some are certainly going to become iconic; whereas others will definitely become classics. There are a few that deserve many more hits, and others that have not received the attention or the recognition that they clearly deserve.
So, here we go. Check out which music videos we chose as our favourites below. We reckon there are loads more, that are just as good as our choices.
BTS – IDOL / Chosen by Michele Mendez (CelebMix Editor)
“No end-of-the year playlist could be complete without BTS’ “IDOL.” The music video itself is a visual masterpiece that cannot be understood with just one watch. At first glance, non-K-pop fans might feel confused or overwhelmed by the images in the video, but each frame carries significance. BTS have decorated the entire four-minute video with symbolism that points to various themes of idol and Korean culture. The video overall exudes feelings of celebration and festivity, which is fitting since the music video achieved the record for the most-watched YouTube video in 24 hours.”
Brandon Stansell – For You / Chosen by Jonathan Currinn (CelebMix Editor)
“This is the second year in a row that I’ve chosen a Brandon Stansell music video, after 2017’s ‘Spare Change’, and I really didn’t plan it, his music videos just speak to me in an emotional way. I almost chose his latest release ‘Hometown’ as it’s a personal story that many LGBTQ+ people will identify with – I sure did; however, ‘For You’ just spoke to me on a whole other level. We watch Brandon Stansell and Eureka O’Hara turn up to a party, where they become outcasts and they cheer each other up. This was literally me during my first year of university, going to all the parties but never fitting in until I found a social group that accepted me for who I was which gave me the confidence to come out. It takes real friends to open that closet door push aside the clothes that are hanging and let that outcast know that it’s okay to be who you are. This is what I get from this music video when Brandon Stansell cheers up Eureka O’Hara, and that’s why I chose it as my favourite music video, which also has a comedic side to it.”
Jax Jones & Mabel – Ring Ring (feat. Rich The Kid) / Chosen by Katrina Rees (CelebMix Editor)
“I loved ‘Ring Ring’ as soon as I heard the track, and its fun music video just made me love it even more. I love Mabel and Jax’s synchronised dance moves, the costume changes, Mabel’s sass, and the old school vibe of the visual. Every time I come across the video on a TV music channel, I have to stop to watch it.”
Little Mix – Woman Like Me (feat. Nicki Minaj) / Chosen by Kelly McFarland (CelebMix Editor)
“This video was such a fun concept and really suited the catchy song and was a great first release from LM5.”
Ariana Grande – thank u, next / Chosen By Ashley Gale (CelebMix Writer)
“I love this music video because the iconic teen films shown in the videos such as Mean Girls and Legally Blonde, they are my favorite movies and the guest stars just make the video 10x better.”
Taylor Swift – Delicate / Chosen by Brittany Sims (CelebMix Writer)
“‘Delicate’ is so simple yet so powerful. I am really mad it’s not nominated for more awards. I love figuring out all the little hints in it.”
Scotty McCreery – This Is It / Chosen by Lynn Macgillivray (CelebMix Writer)
“I have supported Scotty since his American Idol audition at the age of sixteen and his latest single “This Is It” was the perfect love song. The video included footage from Scotty’s wedding to his long-time girlfriend Gabi and it was so magical, their love just shines through, especially when Scotty sees Gabi walk down the aisle. “
Anne-Marie & James Arthur – Rewrite The Stars / Chosen by Rachel Dempster (CelebMix Writer)
“In addition to loving the music video for this track, I am still as obsessed with this track as I was when it was first released. Both James Arthur’s and Anne Marie’s vocals are incredible and the music video correlates with the movie. I honestly just love everything about both the track and music video!”
Ariana Grande – no tears left to cry / Chosen by Isla Williams (CelebMix Writer)
“As well as being one of the best single releases of 2018, ‘no tears left to cry’ was also one of the best music videos of the year. It is by far Ariana’s best music video to date, packing creativeness and amazing visuals. The video sees Ariana through several different scenes that feature the concept of disorientation in life, as she walks through a revolving hallway and dances on the sides of a skyscraper. The video also ends with a touching tribute to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing, as a bee can be seen flying off-screen.”
Maroon 5 – Girls Like You (feat. Cardi B) / Chosen by Azra (CelebMix Writer)
“Is this even a question? Any video featuring Gal Gadot and Ellen DeGeneres is listed under my favourite videos. It’s a beautiful music video, simply made yet well thought-out, and it was so inspirational to see so many successful women in one place and learn their story. I can watch it for hours.”
Jack And Jack – No One Compares To You / Chosen by Sofia Esposito (CelebMix Writer)
“The video is full of bright colours, effects, and glitches. I love how there isn’t an obvious story to it but you can follow along by the lyrics “
Cub Sport – Hawaiian Party / Chosen by Niki Smith (CelebMix Writer)
“The Dolan Twins made their acting and directing debut in this summer feel good anthem. The song tells a story of love and happiness and Ethan and Grayson Dolan relayed that story perfectly through video. The video has a strong message of ‘Love is Love’ and focuses on relationships both heterosexual and same sex. Also, Ethan stars in love scenes and looked incredible doing so!”
Marianas Trench – I Knew You When / Chosen by Charlotte Freeman-Coates (CelebMix Writer)
“Marianas trench videos are always up there for me and ‘I Knew You When’ was no different. The simplicity of the concept and dancing captives you well, creating a sense of calmness and maturity a possible hint at the style of the new album which will be released in 2019.”
Twenty One Pilots – Jumpsuit / Chosen by Georgia Brown (CelebMix Writer)
“‘Jumpsuit’ is one of those songs I’ll always remember where I was when it came out. The video is my favourite of 2018 because of how it introduces you to the world of Trench. If you’re a big twenty one pilots fan you’d have probably read all the theories and know about the dmaorg.info website, so when the video dropped it was mind blowing. But for both fans, and those who maybe haven’t heard of Twenty One Pilots before, it’s a glimpse into what the band are about and how their music is more than just what’s on the surface.”
Logic – One Day (feat. Ryan Tedder) / Chosen by Katherine Jiang (CelebMix Writer)
“Logic has never shied away from delivering important messages in his music and videos, no matter how much more conversation it might start or backlash he might receive – and I absolutely love it. He painted such a strong narrative with the One Day music video that definitely gets you thinking twice about the things going on in our world today. A lot of people only hear about things happening to others, but don’t really acknowledge them. This video humanizes an issue, using his platform to represent the struggles and dynamics of current issues. “
Childish Gambino – This Is America / Chosen by Byaregal (CelebMix Writer)
“Props to Gambino for one of the most pivotal music releases of our times. The visuals to ‘This Is America’ makes such an important statement and is a must watch.”
Dorian Electra – Career Boy / Chosen by Toby Bryant (CelebMix Writer)
“Dorian Electra’s ability to bring their tongue-in-cheek pop tracks to life is quite some talent. ‘Career Boy’ sees Electra frolicking in an office, poking fun at that dated image of the breadwinning, hyper-masculine working man. The video is hilarious and charismatic, plus the track is one hell of a bop too. Electra is in their element when shooting music videos and ‘Career Boy’ is definitely the best you’ll have come across in 2018.”
Little Mix – Strip (feat. Sharaya J) / Chosen by Annemarie Cutruzzola (CelebMix Writer)
“I am fully behind Little Mix’s LM5 era, including the release of the ‘Strip’ music video. The video and song incorporate everything great about Little Mix – female empowerment, friendship, and positive messages about self-acceptance. The video itself is pretty ‘stripped’ back, but it pairs well with the song and is very Little Mix. Plus, I loved the cameos their mothers made in the video, like they did with the ‘Power’ video last year.”
Calum Scott – No Matter What / Chosen by Mark Willis (CelebMix Writer)
“When it comes to music videos released in 2018, nothing quite touched my heart like ‘No Matter What’ by Calum Scott did. The powerful video shows a young boy coming to terms with his sexuality before coming out to friends and family later in life. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I could relate to the story on every level and it very nearly brought a tear to my eye. Coming out can be one of the hardest but most liberating things to do. Sadly, not everyone in the world receives the acceptance they deserve but it’s important to know that you’re never alone. Even when it may not feel like it, there’s lots of people out there who will love you for you. It’s fantastic to see Calum, an openly gay artist himself, helping others with his music. ‘No Matter What’ is an incredibly important and beautiful release.”
Anne-Marie – Perfect To Me / Chosen by Nicola Craig (CelebMix Writer)
“A beautiful song with a beautiful video to match and an important message being shared. Seeing Anne-Marie and others describing what perfect means to them whether it’s a ‘Barbie body’ or the feeling of being ‘truly you’ it gets you thinking about what perfect actually is. Is there even such thing? Taking on the topic of artists being changed to fit a particular image which isn’t really them it results in the real, stripped back Anne-Marie just having a great time being her and who she wants to be. It’s such a feel-good video that it’ll be one of my all-time favourite videos.”
BTS – Fake Love / Chosen by Ellie Nicholas (CelebMix Writer)
“The music video for ‘Fake Love’ was intense, artistic and addicting from the get-go. Explosions of debris, the ground caving in beneath the members and the flood gates opening, the video left fans on the edge of their seats scurrying to figure out where this linked in amongst the narrative that BTS videos carry. ‘Fake Love’ is a masterpiece of a music video that you cannot help but replay.”
Ellie Goulding, Diplo & Swae Lee – Close To Me / Chosen by Kay Simpson (CelebMix Writer)
“Goulding is back with a huge bop after a very long hiatus. Fans have been asking for so long for new music and with this new song she did not disappoint, she looks fabulous as ever and has collaborated with American DJ ‘Diplo’ and rapper Swae Lee.”
Tierra Whack – Whack World / Chosen by Ashley Bulayo (CelebMix Writer)
“I randomly came across Tierra Whack’s album recently through my boyfriend. If you give it a listen or if you watch the music video without any context of the album, you might be confused. Each song is about 1 minute long and this super impressive video weaves the entire short album into hilarious scenes. I still have yet to hear the entire song for each of them but I’m OK with hearing the shortened versions!”
Lauren Sanderson – Shut Em Up / Chosen by Evelin Mercedes (CelebMix Writer)
“The music video for Lauren Sanderson’s “Shut Em Up” is so insanely well done that it mesmerized me the first time I saw it. The scenes, outfits, and graphics were all uniquely catered to Sanderson’s style in fashion, music and creativity. It’s a music video that deserves a lot of recognition because it’s really so well done.”
Janelle Monáe – Dirty / Chosen by Dominic Beck (CelebMix Writer)
“Janelle Monáe owned 2018 and her album, ‘Dirty Computer’, released back in April 2018 really is physical proof of that. Not only did she release the album, she released an ‘emotion picture’ alongside the album’s release. Initially, it is a visual of the entire album featuring music videos for each album track to create an entire film. The album itself has been nominated by the GRAMMY’s for Album of The Year.”
We chose some incredible music videos for this list, although there are a tonne more that we missed. Many great music videos dropped in 2018 but they weren’t the only favourites of ours. Check out our 2018 favouriteAlbums, EPs, Singles, Debut Artists, Films, TV Series‘, YouTube Videos, Events, Celebrity Moments, Memories, Success Stories and CelebMix Articles; all chosen by our writers.
Did we include your favourite music video on this list? If not, tell us what your favourite music video of 2018 was on Twitter @CelebMix.
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