Universal Conquest Awards: The 2012 Winners

The time has finally come! The polls have been down for a couple of days, but getting anything done over the Christmas holidays is nearly impossible. Finally, after a bit of help from a friend and resourcefulness on my own end,  the UCAs have come to a close. The winners are below, but first, I would like to take the time to be a little sentimental and sappy.

This year, I exceeded my goals not only once, but twice. Last year, I only received around 150 votes. This goes to show you how far things have come over the past year. This time around, my goal was to have at least two hundred votes for Song of the Year -- and I doubled it. Thanks to you, the readers and the artists who Facebook, tweeted, and called up their relatives (yes, it happened), the song of the year category alone got over 400 votes, and if you were to tally up all the votes from all the categories, TOTU scored over 1,000 votes. I cannot express how grateful I am for  your continued support and love.

Now for the winners -- some of them may surprise you.

Best Debut - Holly Elle "Infinitude"

Holly Elle has come out of nowhere this year with her debut EP "Infinitude". Although it's first single "Freak" didn't leave much of an impression on me, she rebounded quickly with "Don't Come Home" which stole my heart, as well as the hearts of many others. Well deserving of "Best Debut", she will certainly have continued success in her career.

Best Drag Song - Pollo Del Mar "How Embarrassing"

Pollo Del Mar, the queen of San Francisco media, came out with her debut single earlier this year. She is one of the few queens bringing camp into their music (hell, even Mimi Imfurst's group lacks that classic drag queen camp!), and she does one hell of a good job doing it. It may not be the top grossing drag tune out of the music business this year, but her song out-voted Drag Race vets. That's gotta say something to it's merit, right?

Best Lyric - Kwanza Jones "I'm a gladiator in a thong."

What started out as a bit of a gag category has now turned into something very serious. After a long and close race, Kwanza reached in an snatched this title -- and rightfully so. This lyric has been burning underneath the surface, ready to break through. Kwanza's stellar "Supercharged" finally saw the light of day in 2012, and it's opening line "I'm a gladiator in a thong" has made it's way into TOTU's hall of fame!

EP of the Year - Kieran Strange "Adamanatine Heart"

Kieran Strange has come a long way from her first release. "Adamantine Heart" is the culmination of a genre change for her, but one in the right direction. A little more electro pop, a lot more rock, and far more polished, she has put out a release that has not only garnered her more fans and tour dates (including those in the US and overseas), but also won her the award for EP of the year for 2012.

Album of the Year - Side FX "Spin Me Ever After"

 

This is one of the biggest surprises to come out of the UCAs this year (for the biggest, look down one more entry). Side FX may have been a top forty group, but they beat out world famous artists such as Alphabeat and Scissor Sisters. This is not to say they don't deserve it! Side FX, fronted by singer/songwriter Kim Cameron has payed their dues, and this award is proof of it.

Song of the Year - Adam Barta & Octomom Nadya Suleman "Sexy Party"

Isn't it strange that one of the most controversial songs of the year has also won the award for Song of the Year? This was one of the closest races I've ever seen. At the last moment, Adam and Nadya regained the lead and kept it just long enough to win it. So what if the song is the biggest hot mess of the decade? It's fun, and got some hilarious lines to boot. Plus is friggen Octomom!

Song of the Year (Editor's Pick) - Scissor Sisters "Only The Horses"

This was the only one this year that I selected myself. Looking through the list of songs available for "Song of the Year", I found myself conflicted. I hand picked each of the tracks, so they were all very near and dear to me, so it took me a very long time to make my decision. At the last minute, I went with my heart, owned by the Scissor Sisters.

I would also like to give a special shout out to the runner up on Song of the Year, responsible for over a hundred of the votes and a constant supporter of my site for the past two years. Thank you very much, Mason Black. I wish you continued success!

There you have it -- The 2012 Universal Conquest Awards. Did your faves win? Forget to vote? Miss everything entirely? Well don't worry. The UCAs will return next year with even more insanity and surprises. What will 2013 have in store for us?