The Best of British Pop Music in 2008

It’s been a great year for British Pop music. Here’s a look at some of the best songs of 2008.

Introduction

As the 2000s come to a close, we take a look back at some of the best British pop music of the past decade. From chart-toppers to underground anthems, these are the songs that defined a generation.

2008 was a particularly strong year for British pop music. Established acts like Madonna and Take That returned with new music, while breakthrough artists like Duffy and Adele made their mark on the charts.

Some of the most iconic songs of the past decade come from British artists, including Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”. But 2008 was also a year for new talent, with Duffy’s “Mercy” and Flo Rida’s “Low” becoming instant hits.

Here are 10 of the best British pop songs from 2008:

1. Adele – “Chasing Pavements”
2. Alexisonfire – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)”
3. Duffy – “Mercy”
4. Elbow – “One Day Like This”
5. Estelle ft. Kanye West – “American Boy”
6. Girls Aloud – “The Promise”
7. Kaiser Chiefs – “Never Miss a Beat”
8. Katy Perry – “I Kissed a Girl”
9. Kylie Minogue – “In My Arms”
10. Take That – “Greatest Day”

The Best of British Pop Music in 2008

It was a great year for British pop music, with a number of artists breaking through to the mainstream. 2008 saw the rise of Duffy, Adele, and estimable second albums from Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis. There was a healthy mix of veteran and new talent in the top 10, with Take That, Coldplay, and Tina Turner all scoring hits. Let’s take a look at the best of British pop music in 2008.

Take That

Take That was a British pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group comprised Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Robbie Williams and Mark Owen. The group sold over 50 million records worldwide before disbanding in 1996. Williams left the group in 1995 and the remaining members continued as a four-piece until their final studio album, Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection (2005). Owen left the group in 2009 and Donald, Orange and Barlow continued to perform as a three-piece until 2015.

The group’s first hit was “Could It Be Magic”, a cover of the song by Barry Manilow. Their next five singles all reached number one in the UK, giving them a string of six consecutive number one singles – a record which has since been beaten only by The Spice Girls and Williams himself as a solo artist. In 1994, they released their greatest hits album titled Greatest Hits which went to number one in the UK and stayed there for seven weeks. The album featured the new single “How Deep Is Your Love”, which was their only number one single in the US.

In 2008, Take That reformed for a reunion tour with all five original members. The tour was incredibly successful, selling out arenas and stadiums across the UK within minutes of tickets going on sale. At the end of the year, they released their first album in eleven years, entitled Beautiful World. The album debuted at number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the Irish Albums Chart. It became the fifth best-selling album of 2008 in the UK, selling over 4 million copies.

Girls Aloud

Girls Aloud is a British pop girl group that was created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The group comprises of Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh. The group has achieved massive success in both the UK and Ireland with their debut album Sound of the Underground (2002) going platinum and their singles “Sound of the Underground”, “No Good Advice”, and “Jump” all reaching the top 3 in the UK charts. They have released 5 studio albums and 23 singles (including 2 charity singles) to date.

Sugababes

The Sugababes are a British pop girl group, consisting of members Jade Ewen, Amelle Berrabah and Heidi Range. The group was formed in 1998 with the original lineup of Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in the United Kingdom through London Records on 27 November 2000. The album peaked at number 26 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). After completing promotional tours across Europe and Asia, the Sugababes parted ways with Donaghy citing “different aspirations” and were replaced by former Atomic Kitten member Heidi Range.

JLS

JLS were a British boy band, consisting of members Aston Merrygold, Oritse Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill. The group initially signed to Tracklasers Music after coming together on The X Factor in 2008, where they finished in second place behind winner Alexandra Burke. They went on to release four studio albums, all of which peaked within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. Their self-titled debut album was released in November 2009 and went on to sell over one million copies in the UK, earning the group their first two Brit Award nominations. The following year saw the release of their second album, Outta This World; it peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart and generated three singles: “Everybody In Love”, “The Club Is Alive” and “She Makes Me Wanna”. In 2011, the group’s third album Evolution was released; it topped the UK Albums Chart and spawned four singles: “Take a Chance on Me”, “Eyes Wide Shut”, “Do You Feel What I Feel?” and “Hottest Girl in the World”.

The group’s fourth and final album, Goodbye: The Greatest Hits, was released in 2014. All four of its singles: “Billion Lights”, “#thatPOWER”, “#BestNight” and “One Shot” reached number one on the UK Singles Chart – giving JLS twelve number-one singles overall – before they disbanded later that year. During their time together they scaled several proud achievements including 4 #1 albums 4 #1 singles 10 Top 10 singles over 5 million record sales 100 million YouTube views A Brit Award for British breakthrough act 3 MOBO Awards for best UK act multiple MTV EMA & MTV Video Music Awards for best video And finally their hearts as friends.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, 2008 was a strong year for British pop music. There were a number of hits across genres, and many artists achieved mainstream success. Whether you were into Take That or Ting Tings, there was something for everyone. Here’s to hoping that 2009 is just as good!