Self Titled – 5 Seconds Of Summer
5 Seconds Of Summer was really thriving as newbies back in 2014. The Aussie quartet embarked on their second tour with One Direction opening at stadiums including the iconic Wembley Stadium, their first single as a signed artist, ‘She Looks So Perfect’ dropped, and #FinallyA5SOSAlbum trended following the announcement of the self-titled record. The album had another three singles: ‘Don’t Stop,’ ‘Amnesia,’ and ‘Good Girls,’ as well as promotional singles ‘Kiss Me Kiss Me’ and ‘Everything I Didn’t Say.’
The album gave them their first number-one on the Billboard 200, marking it as the biggest first-week sales for a debut album by a group since 2006, as well as making 5SOS the first Australian act to achieve a number-one album with their debut album. It was also certified platinum in four countries and gold in ten more. Such an incredible start to 5SOS’s career!
1989 – Taylor Swift
We’ve already been basking in the nostalgia from this album with the release of Taylor’s Version, but 2014 marks 10 years since we first heard 1989 for the first time. It marks the fifth album from Miss Swift and birthed the iconic singles ‘Shake It Off,’ ‘Blank Space,’ ‘Style,’ and ‘Bad Blood,’ with the latter also receiving a remix featuring Kendrick Lamar. The album was awarded two GRAMMYs: Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. The album has since gone platinum in 17 countries and Gold in six countries. That’s our Taylor!
Dark & Wild – BTS
K-POP legends BTS released their debut full-length studio album, Dark & Wild, in 2014, with ‘Danger’ and ‘War Of Hormone’ serving as the singles. The septet had already been winning people over with their mini albums, so Dark & Wild was a highly anticipated full-length project by ARMY. The album debuted at number two on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart while also peaking at number three on the Goan Monthly Chart in August. It went on to enter various Billboard charts in the U.S., where it ranked at numbers three and 24 on the World Albums and Top Heatseekers, respectively, making it the second time a BTS release charted on Billboard’s album rankings.
Both singles made it onto the World Digital Songs chart, with ‘Danger’ peaking at number seven and ‘War of Hormone’ peaking at number 11. The album as a whole spent a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks on the World ranking. Not to mention it also won them a Bonsang in the Album Division at the Golden Disc Awards. This is true Bangtan style!
My Everything – Ariana Grande
Can you believe My Everything is also on the list of albums turning 10 this year?! Miss Ariana Grande strutted back to the music scene and was at the beginning of her ‘it’ girl journey. The album housed five singles: ‘Problem’ featuring Iggy Azalea, ‘Break Free,’ ‘Bang Bang’ featuring Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, ‘Love Me Harder,’ and ‘One Last Time.’ The album topped the Billboard 200, giving Ariana her second consecutive number-one in the US and making her the first female artist to accumulate two albums and debut at number one since Susan Boyle with her two albums in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The album has since gone platinum in 15 countries and Gold in four. Ariana has always been that pop queen!
FOUR – One Direction
Also on our list of albums turning 10 this year is a real THP favorite. FOUR was the fourth album by One Direction and was bittersweet as it was the last album as a five-piece. ‘Steal My Girl’ and ‘Night Changes’ were the two official singles with five promotional singles: ‘Ready To Run,’ ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go,’ ’18,’ ‘Girl Almighty,’ and ‘Fool’s Gold.’ The album earned the top spot on the UK Albums Chart, certified gold within the first week and platinum within its fourth week. The album also debuted on the Billboard 200, making One Direction the first musical group to have their first four albums debut at number one within the first week of sales.
Due to the album’s era ending earlier than intended, fans initiated ‘Project No Control,’ a DIY single that they would promote as if it were an official single. Within six days of the project’s initiation, the Thunderclap campaign had over 34,000 supporters and a reach of over 55 million people. It even received recognition from the likes of BBC Radio 1, The Late Late Show With James Corden, and other various media outlets, giving FOUR the positive end to its era as it deserved!
CRUSH – 2NE1
It truly gets us emotional when we realize that 2NE1’s second and final full-length album will be joining the many iconic albums turning 10 this year. The album gave us two singles: ‘Come Back Home’ and ‘Gotta Be You,’ while ‘Happy’ also received a music video. The album debuted at number 62 at the Billboard 200, where it broke two records: the best-selling K-POP album in the country and the highest-charting album by a Korean artist on the Billboard 200, where they held the record for two and a half years. It also placed at number two on the Goan Album Chart. We still miss our second gen queens!
Self Titled – Nick Jonas
2014 was almost a Jonas Brother-less year. They had split towards the end of 2013, and we were just beside ourselves. Suddenly, along comes Nick Jonas in his leather jacket and motorcycle, dropping his new self-titled album, and everybody wanted a taste! The album gave us ‘Chains’ and ‘Jealous’ as singles, while promotional singles included ‘Numb’ featuring Angel Haze, ‘Teacher,’ and ‘Wilderness.’ The album placed number six on the Billboard 200, as well as charting in several countries, including the UK, Mexico, Australia, and Canada. The album had a rerelease the following year under Nick Jonas X2, which gave us seven additional tracks, including ‘Levels’ and ‘Area Code.’ This album will always be held closely to our hearts!
Sucker – Charli XCX
Charli XCX was the ‘it’ girl of 2014. She was truly thriving! Sucker was her second studio album which had four singles: ‘Boom Clap,’ ‘Break The Rules,’ ‘Doing It’ featuring Rita Ora, and ‘Famous.’ The lead single featured on the soundtrack of The Fault in Our Stars and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Earning Charli her first top 10 hit as a solo artist (aside from her features on Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’ and Icona Pop’s ‘I Love It.’) and has since gone platinum in six countries and gold in three. Meanwhile, Sucker debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard 200, earning the British pop star her first album to enter the chart. It also debuted at number 15 on the UK Albums chart and ranked sixth on Rolling Stone’s 50 Best Albums of 2014. What an era!
X – Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran has come a long way since his second studio album, X, released 10 years ago, and yet back then it felt like he had achieved so much already. The album spawned five singles: ‘Sing,’ ‘Don’t,’ ‘Thinking Out Loud,’ ‘Bloodstream,’ and ‘Photograph.’ The lead single earned Ed a debut on the top spot of the UK Albums Chart, it earned our favorite redhead his second number-one album in the UK, occupying the number-one spot for 12 nonconsecutive weeks in the UK, breaking Adele‘s record in 2011. It was also the best-selling album in the UK, going five-time platinum. It also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, giving him his first U.S. number-one record, and the second-largest debut for a pop album in 2014. The album overall hit number one in 16 countries, certified platinum in 15 countries, diamond in three, and gold in four. We’ll always feel nostalgic with this album!
Meet The Vamps – The Vamps
Looking back to ten years ago, we can’t get over how fresh-faced and young The Vamps look! Meet The Vamps was their debut studio album and housed singles ‘Can We Dance.’ ‘Wild Heart,’ ‘Last Night,’ ‘Somebody To You,’ and ‘Oh Cecelia (Breaking My Heart).’ It charted at number two in both the UK and Ireland and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 40, and Top Tastemaker Albums at 24. Two other editions of the album were released, a U.S. version and later in the year a Christmas edition that had several festive covers, making for the perfect present for any fan. A new version of ‘Somebody To You’ featuring Demi Lovato was released as the single version of the song, which peaked at number 4 on the UK singles chart, earning the group’s fourth top 5 single in the UK. This album seriously soundtracked our summer!
Do you still listen to any of these albums? What other albums turning 10 in 2024 do you love? Let us know by tweeting us at @TheHoneyPOP or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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