After an intense month of dedicated fans voting, we can finally announce the winners of the 2018 CelebMix Awards! The dedication and passion fans have showcased while voting for their favourites truly show that they have a special bond with their idols.
We want to congratulate every single winner along with their fans, who made sure that they can now call themselves winners at the CelebMix Awards 2018.
Single of the Year – Familiar – Liam Payne ft. J Balvin
The winner for the 2018 Single of the Year is ‘Familiar’ by Liam Payne featuring J Balvin. While there were many top contenders for single of the year in 2018, it comes as no surprise that this song was a fan favourite. Familiar is catchy, without being one of those songs you can’t wait to get out of your head.
Since he started his career solo, Liam has focused on putting out music that’s important to him and creating a sound that’s all his own. This song is a show of that as well as a look into the dedication he puts into his craft. Liam has really come into his own with his solo career and it’s one that we’re enjoying more and more with each new release. Oh, and the music video for this tune? It’s really…easy on the eyes.
Album of the Year – Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes
Album of the Year goes to Shawn Mendes’ self-titled collection of songs that really allowed fans to get a deeper sense of who he is as an artist. In an interview with The Recording Academy, Shawn said this about the making of this album: “For me, it was just about exploring myself musically and not just sticking to one genre, and allowing myself to create the music that my heart really wanted to make.” With songs like ‘In My Blood’, ‘Lost In Japan’ and ‘Youth’ featuring Khalid, Mendes touched on a number of topics; each with a unique sound and personality. There’s a bit of magic that happens when an artist is true to themselves in the process of creation when they’re focused on a sound that suits them. We’ve had this album in rotation since it debuted, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Best New Artist – Billie Eilish
It’s been a big year for Billie Eilish – and we couldn’t be more proud of this up-and-coming star. After starting the year on the Where’s My Mind Tour, she collaborated with Khalid for the single “Lovely”, and released her own singles “Bitches Broken Hearts” and “You Should See Me in a Crown”. She promised her album in 2018, and whilst that hasn’t arrived just yet, we were treated to “When the Party’s Over” in October. We can’t wait to see what 2019 holds for the star – she’s going to be huge!
Best Male Artist – ZAYN
If you’ve been waiting on ZAYN’s sophomore album, 2018 has been long and painful. This year, the singer kept releasing new singles, such as ‘Let Me’ and ‘Entertainer’, with accompanying artistic videos that kept us begging for more. Finally, ZAYN released his critically acclaimed album Icarus Falls on December 14 and the album was everything we expected and more. The album consisted of an astounding incredible 27 tracks, which he co-wrote. In 2018, ZAYN proved that he is an artist in every possible way; from his songwriting to producing to his creativeness in his videos. We have no doubts that he will continue to dominate the music industry in 2019.
Best Female Artist – Ariana Grande
2018 has been a busy year for Ariana Grande. She released her long-awaited fourth studio album ‘Sweetener’ in August and the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. As if one successful album wasn’t enough, Ariana announced that she will soon be releasing her fifth album. She released the first single off the upcoming album, thank u, next, which became her first ever number one song in the US. It didn’t only break multiple records, it has quickly become one of the most memorable songs of the year. 2018 was a blessing for all Arianators and we’re so excited to see what 2019 brings.
Best Group – BTS
2018 was undoubtedly the year of BTS. Becoming the first Korean artist to hit Number One on the Billboard Top 200, and the first group since One Direction to score two Number One albums in one year, the boys have gone from strength to strength with their latest releases ‘Love Yourself: Tear’ and ‘Love Yourself: Answer’ solidifying themselves into the Western market. 2018 saw BTS embark on the Love Yourself world tour, selling out arenas and stadiums all over the world, becoming the first Korean artist to perform and sell out an American stadium and even scoring themselves a Grammy nomination. Despite achieving all of this, the boys have remained incredibly humble and kept the special fan and artist relationship with their ARMY. 2019 will only be bigger and better for BTS and we are so excited to see what more they can achieve
Rising Star of the Year – Why Don’t We
2018 has been a successful and busy year for Why Don’t We. The boys toured America with the Invitation Tour before announcing their first-ever European, Asian and Australian tour. During the month of August, the boys released their first album 8 Letters before also bringing out a book in October called ‘In The Limelight’ revealing some unseen pictures and stories of the band. They revisited Europe before finishing off their year with some Christmas shows including the American Jingle Bell Ball. All of this shows that Why Don’t We are on the rise to become the next great thing and we will undoubtedly see even more of them soon. 2018 has truly been a jam-packed year and we can’t wait to see what the boys accomplish in 2019!
Best K-Pop Artist – BTS
This was most definitely the year of K-POP entering into the global music market, with BTS being at the forefront of the K-POP industry abroad and in Korea. In 2018, BTS achieved the best-selling album of the century on Korean charts with Love Yourself: Tear selling a staggering 1.782m copies (as of 8/12/18) and remain the only act to achieve 1,000,000 sales for a non-repackaged album on both the Gaon and Hanteo chart. The boys have become Korea’s Pride, joining President Moon Jae-in in France-Korea Friendship Concert in Paris and have been awarded the Order of Cultural Merit for their outstanding achievements with their music and the promotion of Korean culture worldwide. To round off a phenomenal year, BTS won the MAMA Award for Album and Artist of the Year, becoming the only artist to win Artist of the Year three years in a row. 2018 was undoubtedly the best year in BTS’ career thus far and we cannot imagine what 2019 will bring to these seven boys, but it will most definitely be incredible.
Best Tour – Harry Styles: Live on Tour
This year, Harry Styles embarked on his first solo tour to support his self-titled debut album from 2017. The tour began began with intimate venues in 2017 and continued on to arenas worldwide in 2018 with 89 shows in total. This tour didn’t just prove that Harry is a true rock star with an enormous stage presence, it also showed that he has a heart of gold. Harry Styles: Live on Tour raised a total of $1.2 million in charity donations from ticket and merchandise sales for 62 charities worldwide. In addition to this, it registered hundreds of new voters in the US via the non-profit organisation HeadCount. Furthermore, Harry teamed up with Reverb, an environmental non-profit, in order to conserve water. This resulted in his fans saving the equivalent of 10,000 single-use water bottles and his band and crew saving 3,200. They also recycled more than 6,500 gallons of water from buses, offices, dressing rooms and other backstage areas on the tour. It’s safe to say that this tour did more than just make our lives a whole lot better, it also made an effort to make our world a better place.
Best Fandom – Directioners
One Direction has been on hiatus for three years, which is the same amount of years Directioners have won the CelebMix Awards for Best Fandom. Directioners keep proving that they have their boys’ backs through thick and thin – as a group or solo artists. It doesn’t matter if One Direction are still on hiatus, their fans continue to be in their corner and we’re certain that they will still be a family long into the future.
Best Dancer – Maddie Ziegler
With more than four billion total views of her dancing on YouTube and over 12 million followers on Instagram, it’s safe to say that Maddie Ziegler is pretty popular. Although she’s only 16 years old, she already has an impressive resume that includes several Sia music videos, movie roles and a book deal. 2018 was a busy year for the young dancer and we cannot wait to see what she’ll do next!
Social Media Personality – Shane Dawson
The key to being a successful social media personality is to remain unique and diverse, which is exactly what your winner Shane Dawson is. He has been one of the original YouTube stars, starting his career back in 2008 and he still remains one of the biggest stars on the platform. This year saw Shane’s channel skyrocket due to his unique content, such as the investigative docu-series ‘The Mind of Jake Paul’, ‘The Secret Life of Jeffree Star’ and the infamous Tanacon 3-part series, which all garnered a minimum of 14million views per episode. His diverse content also includes videos on reuniting with his father whom he had not seen for multiple years, to switching lives with blind YouTuber Molly Burke in order to fully understand what hardships she faces daily. The sharp contrast to his uploads from back in 2008 when he began his career has driven an army of subscribers behind him, and he is now one of the most subscribed to YouTubers on the platform with a staggering 19 million supporters and remains one of the most relevant channels. Shane is currently on a well-deserved break from uploading but has already teased a possible makeup collaboration with Jeffree Star and the return of his well-loved Conspiracy Theory series, 2019 is set to be another huge year for Shane Dawson.
Best Reality Show – The X Factor
For the third year in a row, X Factor has won a CelebMix award for Best Reality Show. The 15th season of the X Factor just finished and we’re already excited for the next. This year, Dermot O’Leary once again presented the reality show, while Simon Cowell was the only returning judge. Instead, Louis Tomlinson, Ayda Williams and Robbie Williams all joined the reality competition as brand-new judges. Louis Tomlinson was in particular popular amongst fans and contestants because of his commitment to the contestants in his category (The Boys), and although it was only his first year of judging, he managed to have two of his acts in the finale. Earlier this month, Dalton Harris was crowned the winner after impressing viewers week after week with his incredible vocals.
Best Drama Show – This Is Us
NBC’s This Is Us began back in 2016 and is now in its third season. The comedy-drama show follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames, and while it takes a bit of getting used to, you can quickly fall in love with the characters and its cast (Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Ron Cephas Jones, Jon Huertas, Alexandra Breckenridge, Niles Fitch, Logan Shroyer, Hannah Zeile, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Parker Bates, Lonnie Chavis, Eris Baker, and Faithe Herman). Fans voted the show their favourite of 2018, and it’s clear why…
Best Comedy Show – The Big Bang Theory
Now in its 12th and final series, The Big Bang Theory had to win the best comedy show of 2018. Telling the stories of Leonard and Sheldon, physicists who work at the California Institute of Technology, this show has become an institution and a favourite amongst celebrities and the general public alike. To date, there have been more than 200 episodes broadcast – and they’re all available on Netflix if you’re looking for some laughs over the Christmas period.
Best Film – Love, Simon
Love, Simon tore up the rulebook earlier in the year and became one of the most talked-about rom-coms of 2018. Sure, there have been some incredible LGBTQ+ movies over the years that have paved the way for this tale, but Love, Simon was publicised and treated like any other rom-com – and that’s what made it stand out. Starring the fantastic Nick Robinson as 17-year-old Simon Spier, this beautiful story celebrates love, friendship, and being yourself – no matter what that is.
Best Podcast – George Ezra and Friends
When he’s not releasing summer smash hits like Shotgun and Paradise or hitting the number one album spot with Staying At Tamara’s; George Ezra is busy creating his George Ezra and Friends podcast. Bringing in some of his musical friends most recently the likes of Olly Alexander from Years & Years, Ellie Goulding and Niall Horan the music-focussed chats see us finding out more about the artists time in the industry. These honest, candid and unique chats are why George’s podcast has been voted the Best Podcast.
Biggest Inspiration – Louis Tomlinson
Talented. Kind-hearted. Down-to-earth. Generous. Those are just a few words to describe Louis Tomlinson. For over eight years, Louis Tomlinson has inspired millions of people to be themselves and stand up for what they believe in. Although he has toured the world and become a millionaire thanks to his music, Louis has not forgotten where he comes from. To him, the most important thing in the world is his family, true friends, and treating others with respect. There are so many reasons why he is his fans’ biggest inspiration that it is impossible for us to state them all.
One of the best examples of Louis’ kind heart was introduced to us earlier this year during the X Factor. During Anthony Russel’s emotional audition, he revealed that Louis had reached out to him last year when Anthony had to pull out of X Factor due to his drug addiction. He explained that although Louis didn’t know him, he was worried about him and offered to help him to get better. Louis paid for Anthony’s rehab and gave him the opportunity he needed to get help and make his life healthy again. Earlier this month Anthony placed third on the X Factor after being mentored by Louis, who has now become his close friend, and Anthony says that he “would be dead now if it was not for him.” This story captures the essence of Louis’ heart. It’s in his DNA to help others and give back but he never brags about it. He doesn’t need to get anything in return. And that’s why he’s the biggest inspiration of 2018.
Philanthropist of the Year – Misha Collins
For years, Supernatural’s Misha Collins has been working to make the world a better place. When he’s not busy meeting and welcoming fans at conventions, he attends protests, encourages young people to participate in politics, and publicly stands up for what’s right. Earlier this year, Misha helped to organize the Bad Idea Tour with several of his Supernatural co-stars. On Crowdrise, they collected over one-hundred thousand dollars to help fight childhood hunger.
Misha also runs a charity, Random Acts, which is all about spreading kindness around the globe with one act at a time. On top of raising thousands of dollars for people in need, they have built a school in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, as well as created a support network for people in crisis. At conventions, Random Acts also collects items and donations for local charities. With all the work he’s done to help others, Misha Collins has definitely earned the title of Philanthropist of the Year.
Don’t forget to congratulate the winners on Twitter using the hashtag #CelebMixAwards2018
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