Top 10 Most Popular YouTube Music Videos of 2015 - TopX

#10: Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) Silentó

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What better way to start our list than with a brand new artist? This song was Silento’s debut single and it took the YouTube community by storm, spawning hundreds of homemade videos of people performing the dance moves. For his own video, Silento keeps it pretty simple, sticking to a high school gymnasium where dozens of people perform the various moves. Recognizing the viral sensation status of his song, however, he also includes several fan-made videos sent in by the viewers, including the video by the adorable Heaven King and her dance crew.

Shia LaBeouf is just a lightning rod for controversy. Sia’s “Elastic Heart” features LaBeouf alongside Maddie Ziegler, who starred in Sia’s “Chandelier” video, and received criticism from some commentators for portraying a pedophilic relationship between the two. Both LaBeouf and Ziegler appear in ragged nude outfits while interpretively interacting with each other. The two also make numerous dramatic facial expressions, including a scary moment where Ziegler leaves the cage, enraging LaBeouf. While Sia ended up apologizing because of the controversy, several critics have praised the emotional intensity of the video.

Can Fifth Harmony become the new Spice Girls or Destiny’s Child? With smash hits like “Worth It,” they appear to be well on their way to stardom. Fifth Harmony was formed during the second season of “The X Factor USA” back in 2012, but this song is by far their most successful track to date. The video portrays the girls as CEOs, and was praised by critics for its strong feminist message, proving that feminism can be sexy. If one thing’s certain, each one of these girls is definitely worth it.

It just wouldn’t be a countdown of the best videos of the year without an entry from Nicki Minaj. On this track, she teams up with French DJ David Guetta to give us this bangin’ club track. As the third collaboration between the pair, reviewers praised the song’s beat and sound, while the lyrics received some criticism for being misogynistic. The video features all four artists and is set in the middle of a desert while scantily clad men and women dance and drive ATVs. It was released around the same time as “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which may or may not be a coincidence.

#6: Bad Blood Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar

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One of the distinguishing features of Taylor Swifts “1989” was the surprise guests she brought on stage with her seemingly every night. We see that trend continue in her video for “Bad Blood,” which features a number of different celebrities, including Cara Delevingne, Jessica Alba, and Cindy Crawford. The main antagonist in the video is Selena Gomez, who may or may not be a stand in for Katy Perry, the alleged target of the song. After Gomez betrays her, Swift and her gang prepare for an all out assault on her former bestie. Careful, Calvin Harris – a pissed off T-Swift can kick some serious ass.

#5: Hello Adele

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If we can make it to the end of this entry without crying, it will be a miracle. It could be said that the only reason this video isn’t #1 is because it was released towards the end of October. Adele’s “Hello” earned an astounding 27.7 million views on VEVO in just 24 hours, shattering the previous record of 20.1 million views held by our previous entry. The song focuses on the themes of regret and nostalgia and has received universal acclaim from critics, with some calling it her best ballad to date.

#4: Love Me Like You Do Ellie Goulding

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Whether you are a fan of “50 Shades of Grey” or not, you have to admit that this song is incredibly catchy. The track quickly became Goulding’s most successful single and earned her several award nominations, including the Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards. Critics praised her strong vocals and the song’s sultry tone, which fit in perfectly with the film’s plot. The video features Goulding singing and dancing and contains several scenes from the film. Actually, after removing all of the ridiculous dialogue, the film doesn’t look half bad.

What do you get when you combine a distinctive sound, catchy lyrics, and exotic dancing? The third most popular video on YouTube in 2015! Major Lazer and DJ Snake teamed up to provide the banging beat while Danish singer MØ handled the vocals. The track reached the number one spot in several countries and became the most streamed song of all-time according to Spotify. The video, which features all of the artists engaging in various dance sequences, was inspired by Major Lazer’s tour of India where they discovered they had a massive fan-base. Admit it – at least some of you watching this thought the lyrics were “Focus, fire a gun”.

Any video that takes its inspiration from “Wedding Crashers” is bound to be a success. The third single from Maroon 5’s fifth studio album, “Sugar” was a commercial and critical success, but it’s the video we want to focus on. Directed by David Dobkin, who also directed the film, the video features Adam Levine and the rest of the band travelling around Los Angeles and crashing various weddings. Only the grooms were told ahead oftime, and even they were only informed that a popular band would be performing, meaning everyone’s stunned reactions are genuine. Just to ensure the bride was happy, the band also performed an acoustic version of “She Will Be Loved” off-camera. Before we get to the #1 Most Popular Music Video of 2015, here are a few honorable mentions. HM1: The Hills The Weeknd HM2: What Do You Mean? Justin Bieber HM3: FourFiveSeconds Rihanna And Kanye West And Paul McCartney HM4: Drag Me Down One Direction HM5: Good For You Selena Gomez HM6: One Last Time Ariana Grande

#1: See You Again Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

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When “Furious 7” was released, the main question on everyone’s mind was how would they handle the tragic passing of Paul Walker. This song, which was made specifically for the film, served as a tribute to Walker and became an instant success. It is the first hip-hop song to receive over 1 billion views on YouTube and has been nominated for several awards. The video, which has over 8 million likes, features both Puth and Khalifa interspersed with footage from the film. It ends with the final scene of the film, as Toretto and O’Conner head off down different roads into the sunset, a graceful goodbye for someone who left us far too soon. That’s it for our countdown of what truly was a great year for music videos. Be sure to check us our on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, vote for new lists on our suggest page, and for more awesome top tens published everyday, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.