The past and the future combined in , a year of satisfying comebacks from veteran artists and exciting breakouts from newer ones. Read the list below, with a Spotify playlist of all at the bottom. An unlikely combination of three very different alt-leaning acts, "I've Been Waiting" is far more seamless than it has any right to be, finding common ground in the artists' shared pop sensibilities. As it toggles between vocals from all three, it's impossible to tell where the verses stop and the chorus starts -- it's all hooks, really, a song where every part feels like That Part. In a more just world , this would've been the song to get the late Lil Peep his first Hot top 40 hit. Now please, get off his lawn. There are a lot of "what ifs" when a relationship ends, but the title of Lady Antebellum's latest heart-wrenching hit has to be one of the scariest. The song -- which recalls the same yearning tone as the country trio's breakout single "Need You Now" -- perfectly captures that fear of the unknown, thanks to Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley's hopeless harmonies. We all know the desperate feeling of struggling to move on, and we all should know there's a light at the end of the tunnel eventually
Lizzo – Tempo (feat Missy Elliott)
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The fact that The Highwomen even exists is impressive. They make that statement over an unabashedly pretty melody, going in and out of duets and harmonies with seamless, generous sweetness. Carly Rae Jepsen has built a cult following on the power of her brand of pure, heart-on-your-sleeve pop. Her widely-praised third album was even nakedly called Emotion. Bandana , the widely acclaimed album from rapper Freddie Gibbs and producer Madlib, was forged in trying circumstances: Gibbs says he wrote most of the record in an Austrian jail while awaiting his eventual acquittal from sexual assault charges. And that something is a propulsive, infectious disco sensibility. With a retro-sounding melody that resonates across generational tastes, the song has already become a dancefloor mainstay. The combination is potent and haunting, hinting at the diversity of Latin music and the creative future it is inevitably heading toward. Whether people went online to criticize it, dance to it or remix it, everyone interacted with it some way, continuously pouring fuel as it set record after record.
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As draws to a close, so too does a stellar year of streaming on Spotify. You may be reflecting back on the past 12 months, thinking about your own music discoveries and the songs you repeated over, and over, and over. We dove into the newcomers, showstoppers, and top performers who united the globe with music and podcasts this year. And ahead of the brand-new decade, we also looked back on the last 10 years in music to reveal who dominated global listening. This year, Post Malone claimed the spot of most-streamed artist with over 6.
New year, new music: is already proving to be one of the biggest years for musical hits. With new songs from some of our favorite artists and those who are making their debut in the new year, there is bound to be multiple standout singles throughout the year. Some of these songs might make you shed a tear, while others will have you running to the dance floor and busting your favorite move. Billie Eilish has been living on cloud nine lately. She finally met her life-long celebrity crush Justin Bieber in person and everyone's been raving about her set at Coachella.
