Today we turn our attention onto some of the most incredible female popstars who have graced the charts this year. Not only have they entertained us with their latest albums, they've taught us some valuable life lessons along the way. Here are our four nominations for Musician of the Year at the 2018 Female First Awards, and our ultimate winner.
Nominee: Ariana Grande
It's been a turbulent year for Ariana. Not only has she had to deal with the stress of last year's events, this year she has also faced grief and heartbreak on a major scale. So how has she managed to push through these difficult times?
She has been spreading positivity with her fourth album Sweetener. With uplifting songs like No Tears Left to Cry, The Light is Coming and Breathin', she is teaching the world to sing and dance their troubles away.
Our favourite moment, however, was the way she embraced all her former lovers just weeks after splitting from Pete Davidson in Thank U, Next, making him look damn stupid for the things he said in public following their split with her own maturity and unyielding love for the people in her life.
Nominee: Cardi B
It's not easy for a woman to make it in an industry so dominated by men as the rap game, but Cardi B has managed it this year with her stellar debut album Invasion of Privacy. This same year she has also given birth to her first child and split from her husband, so the last few months have been far from easy.
But the fact that she can still have a smile on her face after juggling a blossoming career with motherhood, her own personal problems and, of course, some rather negative media attention, is the very reason why her fans love her so much.
Plus, she's about to appear on Carpool Karaoke with James Corden, and we already know from the preview that we're going to absolutely love that.
Nominee: Janelle Monae
While we totally understand why celebrities who don't consider themselves straight might refuse to identify themselves with any kind of queer label, it's important to realise that there are people out there who find labels help them find a sense of belonging. So when a celebrity expresses publicly that they are in fact queer, bisexual, pansexual etc., it not only encourages their queer fans to accept themselves, but society in general to accept them too.
Which is why when Janelle Monae publicly acknowledged being a queer black woman who has identified with both bisexuality and pansexuality we were so moved. She'll probably never understand how her coming out has positively impacted her queer fans but it is so appreciated.
Her latest album, Dirty Computer, touched on a lot of themes relating to sexuality and she herself has described it as an "homage to women and the spectrum of sexual identities". It's currently a contender for Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammys and deservedly so.
Nominee: Little Mix
There's something quite amazing about Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards. Their friendship and support for one another is such an important lesson for young girls; that women should lean on one another and raise each other up rather than compete and tear each other down.
When Jade got emotional on stage in London last month, her fellow pop songstresses immediately rallied around her. They've helped each other overcome bereavements, difficult relationships and body confidence issues, and their new album LM5 is full of empowering anthems like Woman Like Me and Joan of Arc.
We don't care what Piers Morgan says, these girls are amazing role models for women everywhere.
- Day 1: TV Actress of the Year
- Day 2: Movies Actress of the Year
- Day 3: Reality TV Star of the Year
- Day 4: Musician of the Year
- Day 5: Video Game Performance of the Year
- Day 6: Author of the Year
- Day 7: Social Media Influencer of the Year
- Day 8: Comedian of the Year
- Day 9: Athlete of the Year
- Day 10: Villain of the Year