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Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cragg, and a host of contributors.[1]

The website seeks to celebrate commercial popular music and does this using humour, user interaction, and contacts within the music industry. Its writing style has been compared favourably by a number of critics[like whom?] to that of the now defunct Smash Hits magazine, in that it mixes a passion for pop music with a surreal and biting wit.

The website was relaunched in January 2006 with more features, music downloads and online shop. In November 2006 Popjustice won a Record of the Day PR & Music Journalism Award in the Best Online Music Publication category, with another individual award going to Peter Robinson in the Breaking Music: Writer Of The Year category.

After a semi-hiatus since mid-2021[2] and two posts during 2022, as of 2023, the journalism component of the website has migrated to Substack,[3][4] with the Popjustice forums remaining at the original location.

On 10 April 2026, it was announced that the site’s forum would be shutting down on 26 April 2026.[5]

Popjustice £20 Music Prize

Main article: Popjustice £20 Music Prize

In 2003, Popjustice set up the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, in order to find the best British pop single of the year, as a parody of the Mercury Music Prize and held on the same night, usually at a bar in Central London.

Winners of the Popjustice £20 Music Prize
Year Artist Song
2003 Girls Aloud “No Good Advice”
2004 Rachel Stevens “Some Girls”
2005 Girls Aloud “Wake Me Up”
2006 Girls Aloud “Biology”
2007 Amy Winehouse “Rehab”
2008 Girls Aloud “Call the Shots”
2009 Girls Aloud “The Promise”
2010 Example “Kickstarts”
2011 The Saturdays “Higher”
2012 Will Young “Jealousy”
2013 Chvrches “The Mother We Share”
2014 Little Mix “Move”
2015 Little Mix “Black Magic”
2016 Zayn “Pillowtalk”
2017 Little Mix “Touch”
2018 Rita Ora “Anywhere”
2019 Georgia “About Work the Dancefloor”
2020 Dua Lipa “Physical”
2021 Laura Mvula “Got Me”
2022 Harry Styles “As It Was”
2023 Raye featuring 070 Shake “Escapism”
2024 Charli xcx and Lorde “The girl, so confusing version with Lorde”
2025 Jade “Plastic Box”

Popjustice books and albums

A series of Popjustice books called Popjustice Idols were published in March 2006. They are illustrated by David Whittle. Drawing inspiration from Roger Hargreaves‘s Mr Men books, these feature amusing looks at the lives of pop stars. The initial titles were Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Robbie Williams and Eminem with a Take That version released in April 2006. Four more were released in November 2006 featuring Pete Doherty, Elton John, Britney Spears and Michael Jackson.[6] A compilation album was also released in October 2006, titled Popjustice: 100% Solid Pop Music.

References

  1. ^ “Contacting Popjustice”. Popjustice. Archived from the original on 8 January 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. ^ Robinson, Peter (3 September 2021). ““You asked me not to leave, well here I am again” • Popjustice”. Popjustice. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  3. ^ Popjustice (18 November 2022). “Fine, let’s do a Substack then”. Popjustice. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  4. ^ Robinson, Peter. “Popjustice | Peter Robinson | Substack”. popjustice.substack.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  5. ^ Robinson, Peter. “Sometimes goodbye though it hurts in your heart is the only way for destiny”. Popjustice. Archived from the original on 10 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  6. ^ Robinson, Peter (19 March 2006). “Popjustice’s Peter Robinson on the bit of fun that turned into a phenomenon”. The Observer. Retrieved 5 April 2024.