It seems amazing to think that 2019 marks the end of the decade. For many of us, that time represents the move from primary school, to secondary, to sixth form and well into university – but it isn’t just us that have changed. The world is a completely different place than it was ten years ago, and our writers have been looking into the big stories in entertainment news that have defined the decade.
2015
Zayn Leaves One Direction – Morgan McMillan
On 25th March, 2015, Zayn Malik decided to go another direction. Fans were screaming, hearts were broken, and the world was falling apart, because the beloved five-some became a foursome – ironically after they’d just released an album entitled Four. Zayn’s departure came as a shock to many fans across the globe as One Direction were in preparation for their fifth studio album. However, Zayn cited that he “felt it was the right time” to leave the group as he wanted to live a “normal life”. His departure served him well, as he released two hit solo records since and has done duets with Taylor Swift and Sia, showing he chose the right direction.
The rest of the band only lasted one more album before calling it a day themselves and going on hiatus, and since then each of them have joined Zayn in becoming successful soloists in their own right.
2016
This year will, unfortunately, go down in history for the seemingly relentless torade of heartbreaking celebrity deaths. The year started with the news that the legendary David Bowie had passed away (sparking that ‘David is dead!’ incident on Celebrity Big Brother with Angie, his ex wife, and Tiffany Pollard), followed closely by the wonderful Alan Rickman, and then iconic broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan. The following month, To Kill A Mockingbird author Harper Lee passed away. Comedians Ronnie Corbett and Victoria Wood and boxer Mohammed Ali were next, and then we heard the devastating news that Prince had joined them, along with Caroline Aherne, Gene Wilder. The year came to an end with the news that George Michael and Carrie Fisher had also passed away. There are not enough words to do each of these incredible people justice, but fans were united in a cloud of grief for the stars they had idolised from childhood to adulthood. They – and the many others – will be sorely missed.
2017
Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi Ad – Morgan McMillan
World peace can be done simply by promoting peace and love down the street and getting a supermodel to hand a can of Pepsi to a police officer. Crazy idea? We know, but that didn’t stop the Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad from doing so. The two-and-a-half-minute advert features Kendall being photographed in a fashion shoot. As she sees a multicultural protest outside, she becomes inspired, taking off her wig and dramatically wiping her lipstick off to join the crowd. The ‘short film’ was criticised for appropriating the Black Lives Matter movement as the imagery was similar to photos of Ieshia Evans, a protester who was arrested by law enforcement while protesting the death of Alton Sterling at the hands of police.
2018
Kylie Jenner, Baby! – Morgan McMillan
Out of the blue, Kylie Jenner announced the birth of her baby girl (Stormi Webster) with Travis Scott after keeping the pregnancy a secret for its entire duration. On 4th February 2018, she released a video titled ‘To Our Daughter’ which features a series of home videos from throughout Kylie’s pregnancy. The video is heart-warming and shows all the private intimate moments we were not able to see (which for the Kardashian/Jenner family is a rarity). For example, her former best friend, Jordyn Woods said “when you’re 20 years old, you are just figuring out your life, you don’t know what you want, you’re an indecisive teenager and you’re just becoming a young adult. And there is one thing your mom knew for sure, and that was you”. This one line formed tears for many fans (including myself), and since this, Stormi and Kylie have gone on to create the amazing ‘rise and shine’ meme.
Banksy’s Shredder Stunt – Elizabeth Sorrell
This decade, one of our most beloved contemporary artists, Banksy, made arguably his boldest artistic statement yet.
In October 2018, one of his most famous pieces ‘Girl with Balloon’ took on the new title ‘Love is in the Bin’, after being partially shredded, having just been sold at an auction for just over £1 million.
Sotheby’s auction house in London, along with art aficionados worldwide, were completely baffled, and the shredded painting has now become its own unique piece.
Even now it still raises the same questions: Was it all just a cheap publicity stunt? Or, was it the decade’s greatest prank that happened to further increase the value of the work? Or, better yet, perhaps it was a dig at the art market, where his painting’s value increased as it was destroyed? This was the prank that finally cemented his status as an artistic icon as this decade comes to a close.
2019
This year seems to have been a blur, really – as has the whole decade! Some highlights were: Stormzy becoming the first grime artist to headline Glastonbury; RuPaul’s Drag Race making its way to the UK; Game of Thrones breaking records for its final season (including Guinness World Records for global demand, the most nominated show ever at the Emmys, and streaming records); and, the best of all, the long-awaited return of Gavin & Stacey.
Here at The Edge, we wish you all a Happy New Year – and a wonderful decade! Who knows what will happen next!
