They say the easy part is getting to the top, and it's staying there that’s the tricky part. Nobody seemed to tell this generation of UK rap artists. Led by a Glastonbury-headlining Stormzy and pushed by hungry got-nexts including the Mercury Prize-winning Dave, AJ Tracey and Aitch, we were once more blown away by their authenticity and invention in 2019. Meanwhile, female artists relentlessly pushed pop into thrilling new places, with our own Mabel joining Billie Eilish and Lizzo in soundtracking our year. And a shout-out to singer-songwriters armed with huge choruses: nice young men including Lewis Capaldi, Dermot Kennedy and Tom Walker will remember 2019 fondly.