Rounding off another incredible year of music, 2015 saw British musicians and their art reach the masses and affect popular culture like never before. No boundary was left uncharted as the continued dominance of future greats, as well as the emergence of new ones, heralded breakout hits, surprise smashes, and undercover personal favourites across all genres. After days of intense back and forth, we've finally settled on an order for our best songs of 2015—some of the acts who made our mid-year list have even managed to make it again. If we've missed out your favourite track, then please do let us know. Endless paragraphs of complaints are always welcome.
See also: 15 UK MCs To Look Out For in 2015
See also: 2015: Complex UK's Highlights From The World Of Music Journalism
20. Justin Bieber — "What Do You Mean?"
Taken from his fourth number one album, Purpose, Justin Bieber's chart-topping track "What Do You Mean?" was a defining moment for music in 2015. Released in August to resounding critical acclaim across a variety of influential journalistic platforms, Justin's tropical, experimental foray into a genre-less pop formulaic was a breath of fresh air and marked his maturation from an immature teen heartthrob to a serious artist setting trends in the music industry. Working with a brilliant team of writers, producers and consultants on this album, "What Do You Mean?" stands out as a brave breakaway from the bubblegum pop that bore Justin, elevating him to a level where his R&B and hip-hop contemporaries respect his talent but also fear his competition. —Milly McMahon
19. Fekky f/ Skepta — "Way Too Much"
18. Loyle Carner — "Ain't Nothing Changed"
17. Hudson Mohawke — "System"
16. Wiley — "Standby"
Wiley gave us a lot to choose from this year—the #8 EP alone gave us a whole raft of tracks to consider. However, "Standby" was the winner for us with its sawtooth synths and some of Wiley's best bars to date. It's also worth mentioning that besides these releases, Richard Cowie's had a hell of a year that's seen his name literally cemented in history outside of his old Bow Boys School with The MOBOs creating a whole new category just for him. What's more is that he didn't even release an album! Seriously, only Wiley could pull that one off. —James Keith
14. Little Simz — "Dead Body"
"Do you wanna see a dead body?" Simz asks in the opening line before answering "probably not." And yet, this year Simz left a trail of rappers and MCs' corpses in her wake. This track is arguably her strongest track to date and just to make everyone else look extra bad, she followed it up with "Dead Body Parts 2 + 3" featuring Kano and Stormzy. At least give the competition a sporting chance, Simz. Jheeze! —James Keith
13. Roots Manuva — "Facety 2:11"
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Because the message didn't reach south London's Roots Manuva. While most of UK hip-hop's "bygone" era have dwelled in obscurity at 90BPM, Rodney Smith hasn't missed a step. In fact, he's kept ahead of the times—and it doesn't get more futuristic than "Facety 2:11", where he laces a loopy Four Tet production with witty lyricism and an effortless flow. It's good to know Roots Manuva is still out there showing the new generation that legends never die. —Jerry Gadiano
12. Faze Miyake f/ Inga Copeland — "Ice Cold"
When Faze Miyake's self-titled album dropped this year, anyone with ears that work knew there'd probably be at least a handful of decent tracks. What they might not have expected was a genre-hopping, exciting and progressive collection of club bangers, experiments and high-profile features. Everything was balanced perfectly; the bangers were still nuanced enough to be interesting; the experiments never got self-indulgent and none of the collabs had even a hint of cynicism. "Ice Cold", featuring the ever-wonderful Inga Copeland, married all three aspects of the album perfectly and, true to form, Copeland delivered one of the most arrestingly beautiful vocal turns in recent memory. —James Keith
11. NAO — "Bad Blood"
10. Krept & Konan — "Freak Of The Week"
From rhyming about thuggery in Gipset to winning MOBOs in their sleep, Krept & Konan have come a mighty long way. It was only two years ago that they were UK-loved mixtape kings, but today, now, they're internationally known. "Freak Of The Week"—taken from their debut LP, The Long Way Home—was essentially what broke Krept & Konan overseas, and with Jeremih on the hook and DJ Mustard on the beat, it was bound to get a global look. Dominating London (BBC Radio 1) to New York (Hot 97) airwaves, the turn-up anthem eventually hit the singles chart at No. 8. Now considered a big name in rap full-stop, the boys from Gypsy Hill done good. —Joseph 'JP' Patterson
9. Adele — "Hello"
I don't care who you are or what you're into—grime lover, trap lord or metal head—you know you were excited to watch the video for "Hello" as soon as it hit the internet. Adele is a rare kind of musician, someone who is so good, and so real, her music touches everyone. Don't act like her dulcet tones don't immediately have you catching feelings one line into each song. Plus, she feels like someone you could know, and who'd be great to go for a drink with. She's got the same London accent she had when she first got signed, she's got a silly laugh she can never hold in, she gets starstruck by Beyonce and she's bored of waiting for Frank Ocean's album (seriously Frank, how you gonna keep Adele waiting?). All that, plus she makes some real tunes.
"Hello" was a huge return. Ignore the memes, and the music itself is fantastic. Then add the chatter surrounding the video—shout-out the A1 casting for her ex-lover and the use of a burner phone—AND the Lionel Richie mashups that abounded, and there's no way this song couldn't have a spot on this list. Nuff luv for Adele x —Megan Munro
8. J Hus — "Dem Boy Paigon"
In September, months after making his mark with a slew of freestyles, controversy struck J Hus as he became embroiled in an ugly stabbing incident. Showing maturity, the east London rapper followed suit in learning the lessons of those before him, those who've made the transition from street star to bonafide musician, by continuing to lean and bop and let his music serve as response. Ironically, it was his January single—a shot at the hypothetical "pagans" that would later attempt to derail him—that sent J Hus on his way. Fusing elements of rap, grime, and Afrobeat, "Dem Boy Paigon" was refreshingly melodic, bursting with lines of wit and heaps of character. As testament to his impact, a well-deserved nomination for the BBC's Sound Of 2016 rounded the year off nicely for one of the UK's brightest new talents. —Tobi Oke
7. WSTRN — "In2"
6. Section Boyz — "Trapping Ain't Dead"
5. Kelela — "Rewind"
In 2015, Kelela—the queen of R&G—blessed us with another masterpiece in the mood-shifting Hallucinogen EP. Much like Cut 4 Me, her 2013-released debut mixtape, pitch-perfect vocals atop grime-licked production was the pocket she remained free and safe in; though it was the feel-good, Miami bass of "Rewind" that had us pressing rewind the most. "I wanted a song that would give you that feeling of barbecue, summer, getting ready to go to the club," she told Complex of the cute cut, "but still have it feel like Kelela." And long may she reign!
—Joseph 'JP' Patterson
4. Jamie xx f/ Young Thug & Popcaan — "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)
A record that speaks on the allure of divisive oddball Young Thug, the standout single from Jamie xx's In Colour album also features reigning dancehall champ, Popcaan. Yet and still, it was the ATLien rapper who stole the show with his brand of nefarious rap, laden with non-sequitur and bountiful imagery. Sampling The Persuasions' 1971 single, "Good Times", Jamie xx attached shimmering steel pans with an electronic bounce, which resulted in this wonderful celebratory carnival anthem. —Tobi Oke