The brand new year, 2019, is here; and, in the spirit of the celebration, we’ve decided to take a look back at the success stories that made up 2018. There has been some great and brilliant successes from stars of 2018 that we had to include this brand new category.
2018 saw some incredible stories of successes including viral hits, winners of talent shows, reunions, award winners, and some amazing comebacks. These are the unforgettable success stories of 2018 that we loved. We wonder what 2019 will have in store for us.
Israel’s Netta Winning The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 With The Song “Toy” / Chosen by Jonathan Currinn (CelebMix Editor)
“She was the bookies favourite from the start until the rehearsals started; Netta, with the song ‘Toy’, triumphed over other favourites, including Cyprus’ Eleni Foureira with ‘Fuego’ and Austria’s Cezár Sampson with ‘Nobody But You’, in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. It’s the first time that Israel has won the Eurovision in over 20 years, with Dana International last winning for Israel in 1998 with the song ‘Diva’. Netta has gone on to perform in America and meet Prince Charles. In 2019, the contest will be hosted in Israel’s Tel Aviv, for the very first time, with Netta planning on releasing a brand new single ‘Bassa Sababa’ very soon – much like ‘Toy’, which had chicken noises as a loop arrangement, this new one contains sounds to do with rhinocerouses – I cannot wait to hear it.”
Westlife Announcing Their Reunion / Chosen by Kelly McFarland (CelebMix Editor)
“Westlife announced their reunion, a tour, and new music to come in 2019, and it made Westlife fans year.”
James Graham Winning The Four / Chosen by Katrina Rees (CelebMix Editor)
“I have been a fan of James Graham’s golden vocals ever since he competed on The X Factor UK. When I heard that he was taking part in The Four, I was delighted to know that his outstanding vocals would be shared with the world. He had an interesting journey on the show, including being knocked out in week six and making a comeback in week seven. However, he delivered world class performances of tracks such as ‘Hello’ and ‘Fix You’ each week and ultimately was crowned the well deserving winner of the show.”
BTS Winning 2018 MAMA ‘Artist Of The Year’ / Chosen by Michele Mendez (CelebMix Editor)
“BTS’ success story is so inspirational because they overcame many hardships to get to where they are now, including thoughts of disbanding in early 2018. They revealed how they felt during their award speech at the MAMA awards, leaving everyone shocked. It took a lot of courage to open themselves up like that and be vulnerable. It just shows how much pressure they feel being the faces of K-pop right now. With support from their fans, they persevere and continue to work hard to create meaningful music for the world to hear.”
Jake Quickenden Winning Dancing On Ice / Chosen by Mark Willis (CelebMix Writer)
“After a four year break, Dancing On Ice skated back onto our TV screens in 2018. My favourite success story of 2018 would be seeing Jake Quickenden and professional skater, Vanessa Bauer, rightfully crowned as the winners of the show. As with everything he does, Jake put his heart and soul into the competition so it was fantastic to watch all of his training and hard work pay off. From an emotional routine dedicated to his late father and brother to a stunning performance of the world famous Bolero, Jake proved to the world that he has a real talent when it comes to ice skating. Off the ice rink, Jake also had a successful 2018 by: playing live shows across the country, performing with The Dreamboys and starring as Prince Charming in Cinderella. He also recently released a brilliant new single titled ‘When You Kissed Him’ and announced that he’ll be playing George Berger in the 50th anniversary tour of Hair the Musical.”
Avril Lavigne’s Comeback With ‘Head Above Water’ / Chosen by Azra (CelebMix Writer)
“I’m not the biggest Avril fan, but it’s impossible not to admit that I loved her music. I was glad to hear she was making a comeback because, quite frankly, I thought that the music industry needed her. ‘Head Above Water’ is such a powerful song, and she delivered it just when we needed it the most.”
Hayley Kiyoko Wins A ‘Push: Artist Of The Year’ At The VMA’s / Chosen by Evelin Mercedes (CelebMix Writer)
“I saw her live in concert twice in 2018 and she was the sweetest/most deserving person of this Moon Person. I’ve seen her go through many tough times through social media and I just think she deserved it.
Drew Thomas / Chosen by Rachel Dempster (CelebMix Writer)
“Jack Maynard ran a competition, whereby music artists had the chance to support him at his London tour date. Drew Thomas won the competition and it’s been great to watch him grow since that time, including the release of his fantastic debut single ‘Left Behind’.”
Lily Allen And The Release Of Her Book Titled “My Thoughts Exactly” Being Well Received By Critics / Chosen by Dominic Beck (CelebMix Writer)
“‘My Thoughts Exactly’, was an honest and brave entry from Lily Allen. A woman who has had her life flipped upside down quite a few times and yet still comes out winning. It follows suit of her 2018 album, ‘No Shame’, and she has literally got no shame. In the book, she opens up about her press image and how it has played its part in her real life, ups and downs with family, and personal life. It’s one of those books you will pick up and not put down.”
Bryan Dechart / Chosen by Georgia Brown (CelebMix Writer)
“He’s an amazing actor who gained a lot of attention after his performance as Connor in the PS4 exclusive video game, Detroit: Become Human. He’s won the 2018 Golden Joystick Award for Best Performer for Detroit: Become Human and was nominated for an award of the same name at The Game Awards too. Bryan has hosted meet ups at different conventions where he’s been able to meet fans. He’s also collaborated with gaming YouTubers such as Jacksepticeye. Bryan Dechart is a kind and caring person, who’s incredible at his job and spreads positivity wherever he goes. “
Shin Lim Winning America’s Got Talent / Chosen by Charlotte Freeman-Coates (CelebMix Writer)
“I’ve always championed magicians on talent shows as I love magic but his calm confident delivery set him apart straight away. As each performance became stronger and stronger, it was clear that he was a deserving winner.”
Jack Maynard’s Comeback / Chosen by Niki Smith (CelebMix Writer)
“Jack had a rough end to 2017 after his 3 day stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! But in 2018, he dusted himself off, worked on his ‘headlines’ tour, made some incredible YouTube content, created really great music with brother Conor, and has put a lot of focus and energy into doing everything he can to fundraise for the ‘Make a Wish’ charity. He also was interviewed by me which is a massive highlight for him.”
Mason Ramsey The Walmart Yodel Kid / Chosen By Ashley Gale (CelebMix Writer)
“As corny as that sounds, Twitter went crazy when someone uploaded a video of a boy yodelling at Walmart. Mason Ramsey became a big hit and even played at 2018’s Coachella.”
Roger Clark / Chosen by Kay Simpson (CelebMix Writer)
“Roger Clark is a motion capture actor, who played Arthur Morgan in gaming phenom ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’. He is very new to gamers, not a lot of people recognised the name or the voice, but as players got to know Roger, on and off screen, they grew to adore the loveable Irish gent. Success came to him very quickly as high praise from gamers led to game award nominations. He eventually won the ‘Game Award’ for this performance as Arthur. It was very highly deserved and his first of possibly many award wins.”
BLACKPINK Square Up Comeback / Chosen by Ellie Nicholas (CelebMix Writer)
“I am so happy and proud for the success that BLACKPINK have achieved after their ‘SQUARE UP’ comeback! BLACKPINK made history for Korean girl groups after being the first to enter the UK and Billboard charts with a pure Korean song with ‘DDU-DU DDU-DU’ and really cemented themselves in the industry. I hope that in 2019 they can continue this success with hopefully their debut full-length album!”
Amanda Bynes’ Comeback / Chosen by Brittany Sims (CelebMix Writer)
“Amanda Bynes has always been one of my faves. When she came back on the cover of PAPER, I was so excited. I hope to see her in more movies soon.”
Why Don’t We Realising Their Album Hit Number One In The US / Chosen by Sofia Esposito (CelebMix Writer)
“As a fan of Why Don’t We for nearly two years and seeing them grow with their music, the release of their album was huge for me as a fan. Hearing the music develop from other releases was an incredibly touching feeling.”
Amaia Romero Winning Operación Triunfo / Chosen by Lynn Macgillivray (CelebMix Writer)
“This woman is a breath of fresh air in the music industry. Truly beautiful inside and outside, humble, down to earth, hard-working and so, so talented. She blew everyone away week after week on the show with her performances and made it look effortless. It was a fantastic contest and to see her win was amazing! She is going to be a star!”
Rita Ora / Chosen by Nicola Craig (CelebMix Writer)
“Rita Ora has had a great 2018, with the release of her second album Phoenix in November she also featured on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack when she teamed up with Liam Payne for ‘For You’. Setting a new UK chart record for the most top 10 singles by a British Female Artist with ‘Let Me Love You’ becoming her 13th top 10 hit. Her big musical comeback and first album release in over six years saw Rita win over hearts again with older fans or for the first time with new fans joining her on her journey. With her Phoenix World Tour kicking off in March we can’t wait to see Rita performing live again and making 2019 and even more successful year than 2018 has been.”
Alphadog Management / Chosen by Toby Bryant (CelebMix Writer)
“There’s no such thing as luck in the music industry. The harder you work, the further you get. Alphadog Management and their artists are a group that embodies that down to a tee. 2018 has been a deservedly triumphant year for Blair Dreelan and co. There aren’t enough words in a short paragraph to describe headline artist HRVY’s success during 2018, but luckily you can read it here, whilst boy band RoadTrip near 1 million YouTube followers and easily reach 500,000 views per video. The most astonishing thing about Alphadog Management and all involved is the attitude behind every piece of content. This is the most warranted success story of 2018, their potential from here on is frightening.”
There have been many success stories in 2018, and we’re excited to see who goes on to have amazing success this year, and we sure hope there are some big-name comebacks too. Check out our 2018 favourite Albums, EPs, Singles, Music Videos, Debut Artists, Films, TV Series‘, YouTube Videos, Events, Celebrity Moments, Memories, and CelebMix Articles; all chosen by our writers.