Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, LEGO Movie Among MTV's 'Best Of' 2014

MTV today announced its year-end "Best of 2014" top ten lists naming MTV VMA and GRAMMY®-nominated Sam Smith as Best Artist, Iggy Azalea's smash hit "Fancy," as Best Song, and the insanely humorous and clever "The LEGO Movie" as Best Movie. Each list was selected by a committee of MTV editorial, music and talent executives based on social influence, awards and recognition, as well as overall pop culture impact over the year. To view all of MTV's year-end content visit BestOf.MTV.com.

For the first time ever, fans will be able to respond and collectively build lists of their own through a new interactive voting rank system built in tandem with Playbuzz, the authoring platform for publishers. As the first media company to use Playbuzz's new Ranked List Format, MTV will empower audiences to up- or down-vote their favorite artists, songs and movies from an expanded list of 25 options. Social and shareable, this user-generated content will be open for voting for two weeks, closing on December 24, when MTV will announce a fan-pick winner for each category.

MTV's Best Artists of 2014:

Celebrating a breakout year, MTV selected 22-year old singer-songwriter Sam Smith as its number one artist of 2014. Smith not only dominated the charts and headlines this year with the release of his debut album, "In the Lonely Hour," which topped charts worldwide and became the second biggest selling album in the U.S., but also dominated the MTV landscape. From being named a "2014 MTV Artist to Watch," to performing on the "mtvU Woodie Awards" in March and delivering an outstanding performance of his hit single "Stay With Me" at the "2014 MTV Video Music Awards," Sam has undoubtedly earned the title of Best Artist.

"Thank you so much MTV for making me Artist of the Year, this honor completely puts the cherry on the cake of such an incredible year. I am so thankful and appreciate all of your support." - Sam Smith

"Sam Smith took the world by storm this year showcasing his raw vulnerability with emotionally charged vocals and songs that chronicled universal heartache," said Amy Doyle, Executive Vice President, Music Content and Platform Strategy, MTV and VH1. "We've had the pleasure to work alongside of him this year to help him grow his fan based as he crossed genres and re-defined the concept of a modern day pop star."

Smith is the fourth artist to receive the distinction of being named MTV's Best Artist of the Year with past honorees including Miley Cyrus (2013), Katy Perry (2012) and One Direction (2011).

The top ten for 2014 include:

1. Sam Smith

2. Beyoncé

3. Taylor Swift

4. Iggy Azalea

5. Ariana Grande

6. Nicki Minaj

7. Ed Sheeran

8. Drake

9. Charli XCX

10. Fifth Harmony

Also making the cut this year is "Artists to Watch" alumni, Fifth Harmony, coming in at number ten. Named one of 12 rising star acts to watch in 2014 via the network's "Artists to Watch" campaign, MTV showcased Fifth Harmony's music across all platforms and screens throughout the year. In advance of the group's debut album release in 2015, the first single, "Bo$$," has already made its mark on the charts as the group's highest-hitting track and accounts for their highest first-week sales to date. MTV will announce the 2015 "Artists to Watch" class early next year.

MTV's Best Songs of 2014:

With a fresh blend of attitude, style and indescribable magnetism Iggy Azalea emerged as one of the year's biggest new stars due in part to the success of her single "Fancy," which tops the list for MTV's Best Songs of 2014. In addition to holding the number one spot on Billboard's Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, "Fancy," broke multiple chart records, including holding two top slots of the chart during the same weeks. Recognized as the most streamed song in America, "Fancy" topped charts all over the globe. Additionally, the music video was nominated for four awards at MTV's "2014 Video Music Awards" and the hit became a pop culture phenomena.

The top ten for 2014 include:

1. Iggy Azalea - Fancy

2. Nicki Minaj - Anaconda

3. Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

4. Ariana Grande & Iggy Azalea - Problem

5. Sia - Chandelier

6. Meghan Trainor - All About that Bass

7. Sam Smith - Stay With Me

8. DJ Snake ft. Lil Jon - Turn Down for What

9. Chris Brown - Loyal

10. Alesso ft. Tove Lo - Hereos

MTV's Best Movies of 2014

Selected as MTV's Best Movie of 2014, "The LEGO Movie," proved to be a crowd-pleasing populist flick that's not just for kids. A global box office sensation, "The LEGO Movie," was the first film of 2014 to bring in over $400 million worldwide and touted a star-studded cast including major culture and media influencers like Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Channing Tatum and Will Ferrell. The soundtrack and surprisingly smart plot made the movie enjoyable for audiences of all ages.

The top ten for 2014 include:

1. The LEGO Movie

2. Boyhood

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

4. The Fault In Our Stars

5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

6. Obvious Child

7. Gone Girl

8. 22 Jump Street

9. Hunger Games Mockingjay - Part 1

10. Interstellar

The MTV "Best of 2014" fan-voted lists are powered by Playbuzz, a free authoring platform that enables publishers, bloggers and brands to engage users, increase web traffic and reach an audience of millions via Playful content. Over 5,000 websites and mobile app publishers use Playbuzz to create, distribute and embed quizzes, listicles, polls and more to exponentially increase their content reach, user engagement and viral distribution.

About MTV

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. Outside of the United States, MTV is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

Photo courtesy of MTV

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