The battle for song of the summer has just begun, with many of pop’s biggest stars vying for the spot. While the title is usually subjective, the top contenders can indicate the Grammy hopefuls and trends for the year.
Last year, Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” achieved over “600 million streams globally between May 29 and August 22” according to Spotify, making it the most streamed song of Summer 2021, and making Rodrigo Best New Artist at the 2022 Grammys. With “Beggin’” by Måneskin at number two, pop rock and alternative indie sounds have been very popular. Also popular were nominated hits like Lil Nas X’s “Montero,” Justin Beiber’s “Peaches,” and the Grammy-winning duet “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA. Upbeat with radio-friendly sensuality, these R&B pop hits had everything you could want in a summer anthem.
This year’s early contenders include the pop royalty of Lizzo and Harry Styles, who both released new music in the past week. Lizzo performed two new songs on Saturday Night Live, and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” topped charts, making it 2022’s most streamed song globally in a single day, as well as breaking the global record for most single-day streams for a song by a male artist.
Lizzo is great at incorporating a message of self-love into her music, and “About Damn Time” is a triumphant return to the style she’s developed. It fits right in with her previous works like “Juice” and “Good as Hell,” while still speaking to what she’s learned in the years since. In one word, it’s joyful, something that Jon Batiste’s critically acclaimed gospel album We Are also exemplified. While it’s too early to say how these will perform this summer, they’re quickly becoming favorites of marketing teams. I think I heard four different Batiste songs in the commercial breaks of the Grammys, and I’m pretty sure every ad slot before the “About Damn Time” video is for Tiffany Haddish’s new TBS show.
Harry Styles’ “As It Was” draws on the indie pop momentum, with quick percussion and an 80s synth motif. It’s bright and fun, with similarities to “Golden” off of Styles’ 2019 album Fine Line or the 2000s rock of Vampire Weekend. With more than 1.5 million videos on TikTok using snippets of the song, it’s clearly sensational. Beach Bunny, the alt/indie-pop band that has also found success on TikTok before, has released two singles off of their upcoming album Emotional Creature. “Oxygen” was released in October, and “Fire Escape” at the end of March. Neither of them has achieved the instant virality of their previous album, Honeymoon, but I wouldn’t count this album out just yet. Maybe I’m just biased towards the album art, it has been my phone background for the past couple of months.
If summer songs and happiness isn’t really your thing, Ricky Montgomery and Phoebe Bridgers also released new music this week. Montgomery’s EP It’s 2016 Somewhere includes acoustic versions of previous hits “Mr Loverman” and “I Don’t Love You Anymore.” Montgomery really thrives on somber, intimate tracks, and lead single “Sorry for Me” is no exception. Bridgers’ new single “Sidelines” is featured in the trailer for the new Hulu show Conversations with Friends, from the team that created Normal People. “Sidelines” is Bridgers’ first original song since Punisher, and it keeps her signature style: soft vocals and raw, powerful lyricism.
As a final note, writing about music is an idea I’ve been kicking around for a while and I’m planning on developing it more next semester. I enjoy discussing the music industry and the music I’ve been listening to lately. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Ezra Furman, specifically the 2011 album Mysterious Power. Furman also writes the original soundtrack to Netflix’s Sex Education. I’m always looking for new music to listen to and am open to suggestions, especially indie artists and Stevens musicians.
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