The Best Fit Fifty Essential Songs of 2016

Having made her name as a song writer and collaborator with the likes of Little Jinder and Steve Angello, Swedish singer/producer Julia Spada struck out on her own with the stunning "You're Mine".

A lovelorn dancefloor banger, it's the kind of song you wait for, holding off asking that person you've had your eye on all night until the DJ drops this glorious track. The timing is perfect; it's the last song before the lights come up, a relationship that's over before it started...but at least it's one night of something - passion, closeness, friendship, whatever - before the realities of the day kick in.

From the sharp beats and finger-click percussion, to the synths which sound like everything from sampled choir to twinkling starlight, to the way Spada's voice moves from plaintive in the verses to an incredible pleading falsetto in the chorus, it’s near-perfect pop.

- Andrew Hannah

Harlea was quite a mystery when she dropped her explosive debut single "Miss Me" in September and the case remains the same. The North Londoner hasn't released anything since, nor given a whisper of an interview. But her no-frills ode to the addictive pains of a relationship has been enough to keep us fuelled for what's next.

On "Miss Me", Harlea's husky '60s croon soars above a bold backdrop of muscular drums and sassy glam-rock guitars - replete, even, with striking guitar solos. It's not the kind of music we expected to set the blogosphere alight in 2016, but it was the kind of entrance that couldn't be missed.

- Charlotte Krol

Peckham newcomer Cosima has won us over with a handful of gorgeously dreamy R&B cuts, but it's “Had To Feel Something” that keeps galloping round our brains. Cyclic bass and mechanical beats cast a spell that lulls all in earshot into a trance, but the South Londoner keeps you rapt with a velvet voice that slices through the woozy mist. The path that Cosima leads you down may not be technically the best for those involved – but it's impossible to resist. Sometimes you just have to give in.

“It's about feeling so powerless that you'd do anything to get some type control back,” Cosima says, “even if it means self destructing.”

- Larry Day

“Witness” marked the welcome return of Mikhael Paskalev upon its release only a few short weeks ago, with '80s-tinted synths, big rock'n'roll melodies, and a bittersweet euphoria coursing through every breathless beat and forcing you up onto your feet. The Liverpool-based, Norwegian-Bulgarian maestro summons immense power during “Witness”, a rare, climactic anthem that stops you right in your tracks – it's an emotional sucker punch, drawing you in deep with charm and pop panache before socking you upside the heart with a devilish one-two. The visual accompaniment – a short film about dealing with Death with a capital D – is jaw dropping, and well worth checking out.

- Larry Day

This year, there have been few voices more distinctive than the rich baritone of London-based Rationale (real name Tinashé Fazakerley). After a previous unsuccessful attempt breaking into the music industry, Fazakerley found himself writing for recent Brit Award Critics Choice winner Rag N Bone Man before relaunching his own career in 2015.

It was 2016, however, that had Fazakerley holding the world in the palm of his hand; netting a support slot on tour with Bastille, and plaudits from the omnipresent Pharrell. “Something For Nothing” premiered on this site back in January; the first of Rationale’s four singles released this year. The track – heavily influenced by his mother’s diverse record collection - sees Fazakerley laying soulful vocals over a steady guitar groove. The handful of flittering synths dotted over the expansive, yearning chorus keep the track sounding fresh and current, but Fazakerley songwriting expertise ensures that, at its core, “Something For Nothing” is as classic and timeless as the many influences stocking his arsenal.

- Pip Williams