The year was 1998 — a moment in time when pop music stood on the edge of a new millennium, blending glossy production with raw emotion, global influence and unmistakable star power. It was a year when radio waves were packed with anthems that still hit hard today, while the world itself was racing toward Y2K with equal parts excitement and uncertainty.

It’s the featured year on this week’s HOT Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop, taking place every Sunday from 12 to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM.

Globally, 1998 was a year of contrast. Google was founded in a garage, the FIFA World Cup lit up France, and the Good Friday Agreement brought renewed hope to Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, cinema-goers were still wiping away tears after Titanic dominated box offices — and airwaves — with My Heart Will Go On, a power ballad that became one of the biggest songs of all time. Love songs were everywhere, but they came wrapped in new sounds and bolder production choices.

Pop was evolving fast. Teen acts ruled the charts, with perfectly choreographed confidence and glossy hooks.

Everybody turned boy-band pop into a global movement, while British acts like Brimful of Asha proved that alternative sounds could cross into the mainstream. It was also a year when artists weren’t afraid to reinvent themselves — dramatically.

No reinvention was more striking than Believe, which didn’t just top charts, but quietly introduced the world to Auto-Tune as a creative effect. At the same time, Ray of Light marked Madonna’s spiritual and sonic rebirth, fusing electronica with deeply personal songwriting and signalling where pop music was heading next.

South Africans weren’t just listening — they were contributing. Local acts stood proudly alongside international giants, with bands like Naked, Watershed and Tree63 carving out their own space in the soundtrack of the year. It was a reminder that 1998 wasn’t just imported pop culture; it was lived, danced to, and sung along with right here at home.

Did you know?

Iris wasn’t originally written for radio at all — it was composed specifically for the film City of Angels. The band used an alternate guitar tuning and a rare “Lennon guitar” to achieve that haunting, ringing sound. Ironically, a song written for a movie became one of the most-played radio tracks in history.

Looking back, 1998 feels like the final deep breath before the digital age truly took over. These songs captured love, heartbreak, confidence and hope — and decades later, they still sound like memories waiting to be rediscovered.