THE BEST AND THE WORST OF THE YEAR BY MAXIMILLIEN de LAFAYETTE, GISELE VON GUNTENBERGERSEN AND WACJ EDITORIAL STAFF
The
year witnessed two stars scale the ladder of global superstardom. In the
laydeez' corner is Beyonce Knowles, who became a solo phenomenon thanks to a
whole lot of rump-shaking. The all-conquering man is Justin Timberlake, who
collected a fistful of MTV awards - and caused a ripple by dirty dancing with
Kylie Minogue at the Brits. He was denied a solo UK chart-topper, but shared
the spoils of the Black Eyed Peas' best-selling single by providing backing
vocals to Where Is The Love? While their stars went stratospheric, other
colossal musical forces saw their fortunes falter. Madonna, 20 years at the
top of her game, released American Life to fans' delight and mixed critical
reaction But
her
collaboration with Britney Spears - sealed with a Sapphist clinch - seemed a
less canny move, and their single faltered at 38 in the US charts. Lesbianism
briefly became an integral part of pop music earlier in the year, courtesy of
Mother Russia. School uniform-clad teen duo Tatu created a stir with their
self-styled mutual love - and scored a number one smash. The pair represented
their country at the Eurovision Song Contest, behaved impeccably on the night
and came a creditable third behind Turkey. Le Royaume Uni's fortunes made far
more of a splash, as hapless pair Jemini finished at the bottom of the heap
without a single point.
But it wasn't all red faces for British music
- new offerings from Coldplay, Blur and Radiohead picked up plenty of points
from fans far and wide. Homegrown songstress Dido returned to the fray,
repeating the formula of her debut and turning in the swiftest-selling album
of the year. It was the unheralded Suffolk town of Lowestoft that provided the
year's most unusual musical success story.
Spandex catsuits,
ear-piercing falsettos and the retro flavor of rock seemed an improbable hit
recipe in 2003 - but The Darkness made their mark.
See
The Darkness perform I Believe In A Thing Called Love on TOTP
Photo: Justin Timberlake and Kylie Minogue's raunchy routine sexed up the dour Brit Awards.
Photo:
The most scandalous kiss on the American tube.
Rock with a touch of goth topped the charts courtesy of Arkansas's Evanescence, who became the darlings of black-clad teens across the land. Kylie Minogue's star continued to shine in the UK, although she caused a few ripples in November when the star famous for her skimpy costumes said she was "horrified" by the amount of sex portrayed in the music industry. On the bling scene, hard-bitten rapper 50 Cent emerged as a major star and cleaned up at the Mobo Awards, while Jamaican Dancehall seeped into the mainstream thanks to Sean Paul.He hogged the charts with three solo hits, and hooked up with divas Beyonce and Blu Cantrell to make an even greater dent in the hit parade. While Ms Dynamite crept out of the limelight to have a child, the crazy strains of Dizzee Rascal caught on with the Mercury Music Prize judges. The Brit Awards were a low-alcohol affair punctuated by fistfuls of anti-war sentiment from the stars, especially winners Coldplay. Away from the winners' rostrums, reality TV talent still filled the music scene, but interest was beginning to fall off. Elfin teen Alex Parks soared to glory in Fame Academy, but her predecessor David Sneddon quit the pop arena. Girls Aloud ended the lives of boy rivals One True Voice, but Cheryl Tweedy captured the front pages with a conviction for assault. Original Pop Idol Will Young bounded back to huge success, and is unlikely to be troubled by his successor in the year that lies ahead.
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