It's Album of the Year time and we've had the hardest of times whittling down this year's best records to just five. Our 2019 wouldn't have been the same without these epic releases - on the other hand, there can only be one winner at the Female First Awards 2019.

Nominee: FKA Twigs - Magdalene

Few albums have ever managed to stir our emotions quite as much as Magdalene. It's FKA Twigs' first album in five years and chronicles her palpably painful experiences of heartbreak. Twigs' voice on songs like Holy Terrain featuring Future and Cellophane reveals a tenderness and a vulnerability that is hypnotic as much as it is emotional.

The seductive melancholy of this dreamy sophomore record has drawn wide critical acclaim and while it might not be a chart-topping sensation, it's without question one of the most raw and honest releases of the year.

Nominee: Sleater-Kinney - The Center Won't Hold

We couldn't help having mixed feelings about this record given that it marked the last record with long-time drummer Janet Weiss. The end of an era is always sad, but it was also the start of something new as they brought on pop extraordinnaire St Vincent on board as producer. It was quite obvious from the first notes of The Center Won't Hold that St Vincent is someone who just gets the Riot Grrrl aesthetic of Sleater-Kinney.

With songs like Hurry On Home and Can I Go On, the band succeeds in maintaining musical relevence with production that manages to be sleek without losing any of that raw attitude that made them so iconic in the 90s.

Nominee: Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

When the pop world opens its arms to someone as unique and experimental as Billie Eilish, you know there's still hope for real music. It's difficult to know where to start when unpacking When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?; it blends innocence and naivete with poignant depth and darkness, presenting an album that is both stompingly fun and fantastically unsettling.

It's obvious that Billie and her producer brother Finneas O'Connell never set out to create a chart-topping album, but their combined skill and sonic chemistry has culminated in one of the greatest pop records of the decade.

Nominee: Lana Del Rey - Norman F***ing Rockwell!

Lana Del Rey has done it again with her epic latest release Norman F***ing Rockwell. It seems the singer's songwriting talents know no bounds as she somehow manages to produce a record that feels both patriotic and apocalyptic. Her soft psych-rock approach leads with 70s nostalgia and, like most of her releases, leaves us feeling like the Summer never left.

Norman F***ing Rockwell is as mellow as albums come but thematically stronger than her previous releases. But what makes it even better is that she's already started work on her next release which is due in 2020.

Nominee: Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent

We're happy to have Scottish sweetheart Lewis Capaldi as our token male nominee, but as well as making us laugh in his social media videos and interviews, he's been tugging at our heartstrings with the devastatingly romantic Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent.

It's the raw honesty that we love about Lewis; the hilarious truthfulness he presents in his everyday persona next to the candor of his lyrics, delivered in his trademark tear-inducing gravelly vocal. Noel Gallagher may not be a fan, but he's certainly got a place in our hearts.

MORE: Musician of the Year

And the winner is...

Photo Credit: PA Images
Photo Credit: PA Images

That's two Female First Awards Billie Eilish has bagged this year!


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk