Skiddle's artist of the year 2023

Ah, 2023. What a ride it’s been. 

With the year now coming to a close, many of us use this this time to reflect on the year we’ve had. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do now but with a focus on our favourite and most important bit: the music!

A fantastic year for music, so much has happened these past 12 months. Taylor Swift had a huge year with her Eras tour, as did Beyoncé with her Renaissance tour. Boygenius made one of the best albums of 2023 with The Record, and so did JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown with Scaring The Hoes. Some incredible songs dropped like Baddadan by Chase & Status and Bou, Boy’s a liar Pt.2 by Ice Spice and PinkPantheress, and (It Goes Like) Nanana by Peggy Gou. We even celebrated 50 years of hip-hop!

But amongst all these huge artists, these legends, there’s always one who just does it differently. One who we collectively couldn’t get enough of, one who blew us away and had us dying to see them behind the decks at a rave. This is our artist of the year. 

Of course we had to hand the crown to Hannah Laing! It was a no-brainer. The Dundee DJ and producer absolutely smashed it this year with huge tracks like Good Love, Party All The Time, Be The One, and Get Busy. Alongside her success in the charts, Hannah was everywhere, bringing those party vibes to raves and festivals all over, including some of the best clubs in Ibiza, The Warehouse Project, Creamfields, FLY Open Air, Tidyland Weekender (which she'll be headlining next year), and loads more massive events.

And we couldn’t forget about her massive Welcome To The Doof tour and all those free, secret parties she put on. With only a handful of tickets available for the free parties, they were all gone in minutes. The event page for her free party in Glasgow alone had over 55,000 views. That same event saw 8,959 of you sign up for tickets, with over 1,500 of you on the waiting list, which is just phenomenal.

While Ben Hemsely was your most-searched artist overall this year, Hannah was a close second, overtaking him in searches in the second half of the year. Views on Hannah’s Skiddle artist page increased by 10,417% compared to last year. Honestly? Mind-blowing.

From one of our DJs to watch in December last year to dominating searches, selling out massive venues on her own like Liverpool’s Blackstone Street Warehouse, and dropping the inescapable banger Good Love, which is certified gold in the UK after selling over 400 thousand copies and earning over 100 million streams across platforms, Hannah has had an unreal year. 

Photo: Hannah Laing / Facebook.com

A former dental nurse, Hannah took the plunge and decided to quit her day job to focus on music late last year after balancing the two by touring on weekends, working at the dental practice, and event going to the studio after work, where she’d stay until the early hours. Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it? But certainly worth the graft. And we’re sure you guys agree she made the right choice when she transitioned to full-time party starter. 

Whether you’re already in love with Hannah Laing or fancy seeing what she’s all about yourself, click or tap here to see her artist page and give her a follow to ensure you’re the first to know about any events she announces with Skiddle. Expect to see more of this fantastic DJ and producer in 2024 because we’re certain she’s just going to keep rising and rising. 

Check out our What's On Guide to discover more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.