Brace yourself for a heat wave and some bops: The summer of 2019 is upon us, and the jams are already thick. We don’t know which track will take the Song of the Summer title just yet, but the ones in contention are some of the best ever.
It’s been a pretty great year for music already, with major album drops from Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Maren Morris, Khalid, Diplo, BTS, and Tyler, the Creator. And that’s just the first half of 2019 — we know new music is still expected this year from Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Ellie Golding, Halsey, and more. If even half those people give us a summer drop, the whole season will be full of the sounds of some of the best women musicians working right now.
So what’s going on your backyard BBQ, hot summer in the city, chilling at the shore, laying out, and eating up the sunshine playlists? We have some suggestions to keep it tight. And at least one of them will end up with the crowning title of the Song of the Summer for 2019.
Lil Nax X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus "Old Town Road (Remix)"
Before summer came "Old Town Road." The huge amounts of attention that the song’s banning by country radio and it’s subsequent amazing video thrust it right back into our minds and apparently our streams — it’s the jam everyone is still blasting as we mosey into summertime.
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello "Señorita"
If it’s not the song of the summer, it might be the crushed out song of the summer.
Megan Thee Stallion feat. Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign "Hot Girl Summer"
It was a hot girl summer everywhere you went so Meagan made it a hot girl anthem. BOP!
Lil Tecca "Ransom"
Whether it was your song of the summer or not, this track was the most streamed song all summer in the U.S. on Spotify.
Dababy "Suge"
YouTube counts this as a big winner for the summer of 2019 — it landed at No. 6 on their most streamed songs of the summer list for the U.S.
Billie Eilish "bad guy"
Eilish is on the festival circuit this summer and has been smashing it with this jam in particular. It doesn’t have the usual hallmarks of a song of the summer, but it’s certainly the song everyone is playing this summer.
Lizzo "Truth Hurts"
Yeah, so this song came out in 2018 but thanks to Netflix’s Someone Great it’s 100% a 2019 summer jam.
Taylor Swift "You Need To Calm Down"
If it’s not the song of the summer, it’s certainly the song of Pride Month for an awful lot of people (including all the guys from Queer Eye, Adam Lambert, Toddrick Hall, and numerous others who make a cameo in the video). We can’t calm down.
Katy Perry "Never Really Over"
Perry’s track tops Spotify’s picks for songs of the summer because Katy’s reign over summer will never really be over.
Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber "I Don’t Care"
It’s the inspiration from island beats in this song that gives it that sweet summer feel.
Khalid "Talk"
"I’ve never felt like this before," Khalid sings on this romantic summer single and honestly it’s a sweet vibe.
DJ Khalid feat. SZA "Just Us"
Khalid’s new album dropped with a big splash, and Pandora listeners are already picking this one to be a song of the summer contender.
Martin Garrix feat. Macklemore & Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy "Summer Days"
With a little help from his friends, Garrix makes a traditional play for song of the summer with a song about…summer. May be basic, but it also scratches a particular itch.
Tyler, the Creator "Earfquake"
Also an unexpected contender, but streaming services from Spotify to Apple Music don’t lie: People are obsessed with Tyler’s first single. Maybe it’s the clean, nostalgic style of the song or the semi-sappy lyrics. Or maybe it’s just summer’s first black horse bop.
Maren Morris feat. Brothers Osbourne "All My Favorite People"
If you like your summer hits with a little less rock and roll and a little more country, Maren’s duet with the Brothers Osbourne is the track you’ve been looking for.
ITZY "달라달라(DALLA DALLA)"
Spice up your playlist with a little k-pop inspired by the Spice Girls. Their smash track has all the hallmarks of a big song of the summer, and it will keep your toes tapping.
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Source: Refinery29 – Courtney E. Smith