2023 Ultimate Voting Guide

Question 1 asks whether the Ultimate Rate should be skipped for the first year since 2018; after all, it seems to be common consensus that blockbuster releases were few and far between. Based on previous criteria for these rates, there are two indisputable locks. **Olivia Rodrigo** continued her hot streak with another #1 hit and loads of critical acclaim, and people were determined to dissect her (ultimately fairly standard) career trajectory judging by the amount of comments I saw about a purple bandage. **Doja Cat's** album may not have sold as many album units as people expected, but it is undeniable that her openly rejecting her pop audience and getting two pop smashes in the process made for an immediately memorable era. However, by skipping the Ultimate entirely, it would open up Olivia and Doja for rate matchups that focus on their pop/rock and hip hop roots, respectively.

Question 2 brings us to the potential matchups for these two. There are numerous options on the table that have their strengths and weaknesses:

- The cultural phenomenon of the summer was **Barbie,** and that extends to its soundtrack, which spawned three global smash hits and an assortment of other beloved songs from Popheads favorites. But Ultimate rates have historically celebrated the art of embodying Main Pop Girl energy, and a compilation album, no matter how successful, simply lacks that depth of flavor. Are we feeling the Barb enough to break from tradition?

- If the lineup for this rate was determined by basically any solely objective criteria, **Karol G** should be a lock for this rate: she has the best selling female album released in 2023 globally and in the USA, and even embarked on a stadium tour that barely missed out on the top 10 highest grossing tours of the year. But in terms of audience, latin pop/reggaeton is leagues further away from pop than hip hop is, especially on Popheads. There are plenty of bops here, including a Shakira collaboration, but is on-paper appeal enough to overcome the relative lack of name recognition on the subreddit?

- **Miley Cyrus** had a true weddings/graduations/funerals ubiquitous smash hit in an era where those are rare, and it felt like the culmination of a career of struggling to gain respect as a musician. Then the album released and some very vocal people went right back to disrespect, and Miley disappeared after a single Disney+ special (to allegedly join a religious cult). That being said, there are plenty of albums with mediocre reviews that have been included in Ultimates; is the reception enough of a dealbreaker to keep Miley down?

- An undeniable main pop girl, **Nicki Minaj** actually delivered an album (well, not really to people who preordered the vinyl) after nearly everyone wrote her off. Despite being bogged down by Christmas music, Everybody and FTCU both seem like hits in the making, not to mention Super Freaky Girl, her first solo #1, being included on the album ~~to increase first week sales.~~ However, Nicki is undeniably a controversial figure, and her album might be too bloated to make for a fun rate experience on a logistical level. Is it truly a good idea for rates to visit Gag City?

- **Tate McRae** had a bizarre start to her career, gaining a faceless smash hit in You Broke Me First that was clearly trying to appeal to Billie Eilish fans over trying to forge a unique artistic identity. Then came She's All I Wanna Be, which bopped and made people remember she was a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance, but ultimately still kept her in the shadow of other artists on the pop/punk wave. It would be easy for Tate to fade into obscurity afterwards, but she decided to hit the slay button with her global #1 hit Greedy, which established her as a choreo queen and mid 2000s throwback icon amongst Gen Z. Although she is clearly on the upswing, is Tate's success still too fresh to honor with an Ultimate appearance?

- Given her monumental year in the spotlight, **Taylor Swift** has a strong argument for inclusion with her vault tracks. However, being parts of two projects rather than a single project would be quite the creative liberty to take, even if they have some of the biggest and most talked about songs of the year in them. Is this Taylor's chance for redemption after her paltry performance last year, or do we need to wait for next proper studio album?