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In 2009, the music industry saw breakthrough artistes, booming records, and skyrocketing sales. At the same time, it had to navigate through some bumps along the way as it experienced shock, grief and some ruffled feathers. Here are some of the best and worst of the music world last year.

Some of the best:

Lady Gaga’s shot to stardom

Whatever people may think of her, Stefani Joanne Germanotta undoubtedly breathed new life into the music scene with her funky songs and eccentric music videos complete with out-of-the-world outfits and unusual dance moves. Despite all the naysayers, Gaga has proven herself to be able to hold her ground, claiming awards for her singles such as Love Game and her album, The Fame. This lady with the poker face sure is not going anywhere for a while.

Black Eyed Pea’s domination

Admit it, most of us have, at one point or another, had at least one BEP song stuck in our heads. In 2009, the band rocked the scene hard with hit party tunes Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling. They broke the record previously held by Usher in 2004 for spending the most number of consecutive weeks (26 weeks in total for both aforementioned singles) occupying the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Britain apparently really has got talent...

Susan Boyle’s sudden fame

When 48-year-old Susan Boyle appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, the judges were sceptical and the audience was dismissive of her. After all, she seemed like another one of those hopefuls whose dreams get crushed because they do not have any talent to flaunt in the first place. But she proved everyone wrong when she took the world by storm with her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream. Her compelling performance earned her overnight success and fame that eventually led to a record signing and a breakthrough in the music industry.

Taylor Swift’s booming success

If there is anyone who practically owned 2009 in the music world, it is Taylor Swift. Her debut album, Fearless, sold 217,000 copies in the first day of sales. A sweet, good girl image coupled with songs made up of pre-teen and teenage frustrations, growing pains, and puppy loves earned Taylor a spot in many fans’ hearts.

And some of the worst:

Michael Jackson’s passing

On June 25, the world mourned the loss of the King of Pop who was pronounced dead due to an alleged overdose of Propofol. A wave of shock and disbelief coursed through the music industry as celebrities and fans alike learned that the music legend had passed. Despite all the controversies surrounding his death, it was evident how well-loved Michael was among people from all over the world as messages and videos dedicated to him began flooding the media. RIP MJ, you’ll always be remembered for your talents and especially your ability to reach out, inspire, and love.

Kanye West’s public lash out

Oh, who can forget about Kanye stealing the spotlight from Taylor Swift as she accepted her award for Best Female Video at the Video Music Awards (VMAs)? Kanye was adamant that Beyoncé deserved the award more, thus successfully rendering Taylor speechless and Beyoncé embarrassed, and leaving the rest of us with raised eyebrows, wondering when this man will stop earning himself more criticism.

Threw "passionate and daring" performances

Adam Lambert’s challenge to boundaries

The eyeliner-wearing, leather-clad Adam came in as a strong opponent against the guitar-slinging boy-next-door Kris Allen in the eighth season of American Idol. Despite coming in second to Kris, Adam proved himself to be a great entertainer as he wowed audiences again and again with his passionate and daring performances but he pushed the envelope a bit too much in the American Music Awards (AMAs), where he shocked and offended audiences with his scandalously inappropriate performance of For Your Entertainment.

Chris Brown’s dark side revealed

When news got out that Chris had physically abused Rihanna, most people rushed to defend Rihanna while criticizing Chris, causing a media frenzy. Throughout the ordeal, Chris had to face a decline in his reputation as an artiste while trying to right his wrongs. Regardless, he took it like a man and faced the music while Rihanna saw soaring sales as she released Rated R to expose a raw side of herself to her fans.