As we all know, the year of 2020 did not go as expected. As the world began to shut down, the music world began to take a turn through drastic changes. This meant no more concerts, live music or jamming out to a favorite song with friends. Fortunately, as the interaction between people began to stop, music began to take action more than ever before. Songs portrayed a light of hope in the world as artists began to express emotions that listeners could connect to for the crazy year.
Kicking off the year, “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd became the most-listened to song in 2020. “Blindings Lights” “is a neon-hued synth-pop pulse racer,” according to Billboard’s 2020 top music charts. Even though the song became a hit after the release date on November 29, 2019, the fame did not stop there. The records went off the charts as the song gradually continued to become more and more popular into later months of 2020. This song not only hit the limit with listeners on the radio, but all over the world on social media including TikTok, Spotify, Instagram and Facebook. “Blinding Lights” “has proven to be the right song at the right time for total 2020 radio omnipresence,” according to Billboard’s 2020 top music charts.
Looking into the first couple months of the new year, two rap artists came out with songs that had everyone jamming out during quarantine. Influencing many young listeners, “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion became a hip-hop sensation. Released on March 6, the rap song became a hit-sensation that soon turned into a collaboration for an even bigger success. Megan Thee Stallion soon came out with a newer version of the hit song called the “Savage Remix” released on April 29. Fans became obsessed as the song took a turn when the song featured a very special artist. Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé paired up for an amazing collaboration of “Savage Remix.” This song soon blew up over all social media platforms creating the all-known dance challenge on TikTok that went viral. According to The New York Times, “‘Savage Remix’ is fantastic, far more involved and intricate than most blink-and-you’ll-miss-it collaborations.” Next up, the song “Rockstar” by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch immediately became a hit. According to Billboard, “‘Rockstar’ is both a streaming juggernaut — this week, the song spends its ninth week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, with 471.1 million U.S. on-demand streams to date, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.” The song continued to reach millions, impacting listeners with not only the beat and rhythms but also with the meaning behind the lyrics.
Coming in hot with two new albums in 2020, Taylor Swift surprises the world with yet another album. With only about five months between the two, Swift outdoes herself in the year of 2020. Released on July 24, Folklore became Swift’s eighth studio album as “Cardigan” received the title of No. 1 on the BillBoard Hot 100. According to RollingStone, “Beyond its 1.1 billion on-demand audio streams, Folklore was the highest-selling album of the year, with over 1.2 million sales.” Only four months after her release of Folklore, Swift surprises her fans with another album, Evermore. Released on December 11, Taylor finds a new sound through both albums she released. According to CNN Entertainment, Swift does this through, “wistful melodies and indie-inspired soundscapes,” that entice her listeners.
On August 14, Morgan Wallen released the song of the summer, “7 Summers.” The song achieved many records including, “No. 3 on Spotify’s hip-hop-dominated U.S. Top 50.” Wallen releases a laid back, warm summer breeze feeling song that keeps country music alive during 2020. A week after the release date, the song “racked up 23.5 million streams overall,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Blown away from his hit single in August, “7 Summers” set a tone for the summer and the rest of 2020.
On the next round of songs, the all-known pop stars Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber get together and collaborate on a song near the end of 2020. Released on November 20, “Monster” became a hit when Mendes expressed his inner feeling about superstardom. Unsurprisingly, “Monster” starts at the top streaming charts and is, “Credited with 1.390 million opening day US streams.” Fans take a liking to the new collaboration of Mendes and Bieber as they perform live from 2020 AMA’s singing the hit single, “Monster.”
Last but not least, the single that concluded the end of 2020, “Good Days” by Sza. Released on Christmas Day, Sza shares her second solo track that soon becomes a big sensation. In Good Days,” Sza, “sings about moving on from the negatives of the past and looking forward to better days,” according to Justrandomthings.
