As the sweet sounds of summer (sadly) come to an end, today Pandora releases its Top 10 songs of the season after posting annual predictions in May.
Everyone remembers the first time they heard, “Yeah, I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road,” and Pandora listeners were here for it. Unsurprisingly, Lil Nas X reigns No. 1 for the most-streamed song with “Old Town Road,” after topping the chart for a record 19-straight weeks.
Other superstars landing in the Top 5 include “Talk,” the first single off Khalid’s second studio album, Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi’s breakthrough song “Someone You Loved,” Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” (enough said), and Billie Eilish’s haunting pop song “bad guy.”
These songs prove that country rap, R&B, pop ballads, and soul rap have earned their spot while breaking traditional music trends and chart placements.
“Seeing names like Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and Lewis Capaldi listed as the highest spinning songs come as no surprise,” says Tiana Lewis, Head of Pop and R&B Programming at Pandora. “Listeners are less concerned with genre labels and are all about songs and artists who speak to their experiences and represent them.”
In addition to these genre-defying artists, we see J. Cole’s “MIDDLE CHILD” (the highest charting single of his career), country crooner Luke Combs with “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” DJ Khaled’s sampled hit “Just Us” (an early Pandora prediction), Post Malone ft. Young Thug’s breakup hit “Goodbyes,” and DaBaby’s lead single from his debut album “Suge.”
These artists speak to fans, new and old, by moving past traditional songwriting rules.
“For so long pop music looked and felt a specific way. However, in today’s landscape, fans are in control. They’re clamoring for artists who are shattering stereotypes of what a pop star should look or sound like and instead of celebrating the music that moves and connects,” adds Lewis.
It’s also great to see newcomers reign alongside established artists.
“Great songs that stray from popular music trends can clearly break through and dominate the important summer season,” says Alex White, VP of Content and Programming at Pandora. “Take Lizzo and Billie Eilish — both broke the mold of what a traditional chart-topping female pop artist should sound like.”
We’re looking forward to seeing which artists smash records and climb their way to the top next.
Listen to Pandora’s 2019: Songs of Your Summer Playlist HERE while you celebrate the last golden days of summer, and check out our list of the Top 10 most-streamed below:
- Lil Nas X, Old Town Road (including remixes)
- Khalid, Talk
- Lewis Capaldi, Someone You Loved
- Lizzo, Truth Hurts
- Billie Eilish, bad guy
- Cole, MIDDLE CHILD
- Luke Combs, Beer Never Broke My Heart
- DJ Khaled, Just Us
- Post Malone, Goodbyes ft. Young Thug
- DaBaby, Suge