The ultimate playlist for saying goodbye to 2020

Roddy Ricch has had quite an impressive year for a newcomer. In addition to winning his first Grammy Award, his hit single “The Box” became one of the year’s biggest records. The single spent 11 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is nominated for Song of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards.  

Just three years after her self-titled debut was released to rave reviews, Dua Lipa returned with her highly-anticipated sophomore album, “Future Nostalgia.” One of the album’s standout singles is the electro-disco inspired track, “Levitating.” The song is all about finding love and wanting to take one’s partner to an extraterrestrial realm.

SAINt JHN’s single “Roses” was originally released in 2016, however, it saw new life when Imanbek Zeikenov gave it a new remix. The remix not only became a worldwide hit, but it earned a 2021 Grammy Award nomination for Best Remixed Recording. The song reached over a billion streams on Spotify and over three million TikTok videos using the song as a background. The song definitely helped put more fans on notice for SAINt JHN’s latest album “While The World Was Burning.”

As a single from her upcoming album “Girl from Rio,” Brazilian pop star Anitta teamed up with Cardi B and Myke Towers on her hot track, “Me Gusta.” The Spanglish track is all about women being empowered, confident, and going after what they want.

Hailey Whitters is one to watch in the country scene. Her sophomore album “The Dream”—also the perfect title in regards to what she is trying to pursue, has garnered rave reviews. One of the album’s standout tracks is “All The Cool Girls” in which Whitters tries to determine the difference between how women portray themselves and what they represent to others.

After three years since her breakthrough album “Ctrl.,” SZA returned with a highly anticipated single, “Hit Different.” Ty Dolla $ign’s raspy tone floats effortlessly alongside SZA’s silky vocals. The song also finds super production duo The Neptunes getting back into their R&B bag.

After a four-year hiatus since her previous album, Lady Gaga released her sixth album “Chromatic.” The album’s second single “Rain On Me” is a joint collaboration alongside fellow pop star Ariana Grande. Since the two are powerhouse singers, these types of collaborations may bring skepticism from listeners, but on “Rain On Me,” the singers’ tones complement each other well across the uptempo, disco-inspired beat.

2020 was a record-breaking year for The Weeknd. His 80’s-inspired single, “Blinding Lights” became his fifth No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 41 weeks in the chart’s top ten. While the song was first released in November 2019 and spent the last year taking over the airwaves, The Weeknd also recruited rising star Rosalía on a remix.

K-pop is in a league of its own and pop band BTS is helping to lead the way. Not only did their hit song “Dynamite” become a number one hit, but it earned the band a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, making them the first K-pop act to be nominated in Grammy history.

When the hot girls and Beyhive unite, it’s a match made in heaven. Megan Thee Stallion was already gaining traction with her single, “Savage.” However, when Beyoncé graced the remix with an extra verse and ad-libs, it took the song to another level. It’s safe to say Megan and Queen Bey made H-Town proud with this collaboration.

Reggaeton singer Ozuna knows how to keep his fans moving. His single “Caramelo” which in English translates to “candy” is a sweet and savory banger with a video that showcases a Candyland theme. Ozuna also teamed up with Myke Towers and Karol G for a new taste of “Caramelo” with a remix.

Although British rap duo Young T and Bugsey released “Don’t Rush” in late 2019, the song became a viral hit the following spring thanks to TikTok. People started participating in the #DontRushChallenge, in which people record themselves in lounge or bedtime attire, then cover the screen with a makeup brush or hairbrush, and finally reveal themselves in glam attire. The #DontRushChallenge really helped the song take off into a life of its own.

Just two years after their previous album, The 1975 returned with their fourth album “Notes on a Conditional Form.” One of the album’s standouts “Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)" immediately draws listeners in with its smooth sample of The Temptations' “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).” The song finds the lead singer crushing on a potential partner and hopes that the feelings are reciprocated.

Chris Brown and Young Thug had previously worked together on a few songs, so many fans were interested when the two announced a joint mixtape, “Slime & B.” The project’s lead single “Go Crazy” added its own twist to The Shopboys' “Drag Rap” song and it became even more popular when social media influencer Mufasa created the dance #GoCrazyChallenge.

One of the cool things about country music is how the artists collaborate with stars outside the genre. Country newcomer Gabby Barrett already secured a big hit with her debut single “I Hope,” but then she decided to add pop singer Charlie Puth to the remix. While Gabby keeps the first verse to tell her side, Puth comes on the second verse to give the song a male perspective.

Everyone’s favorite “regular degular shmegular girl” Cardi B has been at the forefront of hip-hop for the past two years. With many fans anticipating her sophomore album, it was only right for Cardi to team up with fellow rising rapper Megan Thee Stallion on her new single, “WAP.” Fans can only hope that this song will be the spark of more female rappers coming together for hit anthems.

DaBaby had a breakthrough year in 2019 and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. One of his biggest singles to date is the Roddy Ricch-assisted, “Rockstar.” The song spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a number of Grammy nominations including Record of the Year and Best Rap Song. This collaboration is proof that Roddy Ricch and DaBaby are set to have a bright future in hip-hop.

When Harry Styles released his sophomore album “Fine Line,” one of the standout singles is the breezy “Watermelon Sugar.” It’s a summery, feel-good track that is perfect for the beach-themed music video. From the song’s opener in which Styles sings, “Tastes like strawberries on a summer evening / And it sounds just like a song / I want more berries and that summer feeling,” a listener can tell that Styles is infatuated with his newfound love.

2020 was a major year for artists to use their platforms to create and speak on injustice and systemic racism. In the wake of protests against police brutality, Lil Baby released his single, “The Bigger Picture.” The song has since become Lil Baby’s highest-charting single to date as it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rising rapper Pop Smoke didn’t get to see where his career was headed since he was senselessly murdered in February 2020. His posthumous album “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top Rap Albums charts. While the album boasts a star-studded feature list, his single “The Woo” featured Roddy Ricch and executive producer 50 Cent. Pop Smoke’s eerie tone being similar to his mentor 50 Cent, showcases why the two rappers along with Ricch made for a great trio. 

Pop princess Ariana Grande is not afraid to showcase her love for someone in her songs. Her 2020 single, “positions” does just that as she wants to show her partner how committed she is to a relationship. The love and newness of it all have Grande singing, “Boy, I’m tryna meet your mama on a Sunday / Then make a lot of love on a Monday,”—a simple lyric that love-struck people can relate to.

2020 was truly a year for Chloe x Halle to come into their own as artists. As the ladies move through their early twenties, their latest album “Ungodly Hour” showcases how their song content is growing with them. The album’s leading single “Do It” helped earn the duo their first Billboard Hot 100 placement and became a viral hit across TikTok dance videos.

Hip-hop’s newcomer Saweetie is no stranger to putting her own twist on a rap classic. She did just that with her single “Tap In,” in which she samples Too Short’s 2006 single, “Blow The Whistle.” Saweetie knows the type of bounce beat that will get her fellow Icy Girl fans to the dance floors.

Jhené Aiko and Big Sean are one of the few celebrity couples that not only look good together but create magical music, which is likely a reason why they formed a duo known as TWENTY88. When Aiko released “None of Your Concern,” the Big Sean-assisted single from her “Chilombo” album, fans were anticipating a new TWENTY88 album could be in the works. “None of Your Concern” finds the two reflecting on their relationship and how to move on after a breakup.

During a year that was full of uncertainty and turmoil, sometimes fans want to hear songs that uplift their spirits. WizKid did just that when he teamed up with H.E.R. on his single, “Smile.” The island breezy production gives fans the feel-good vibes that were needed all year long.

At this point in Taylor Swift’s career, breaking records is innate. While her previous projects took more of an upbeat sound, her album “Folklore” went into a different direction with a lot more ballads, and it still debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album’s lead single, “Cardigan” reflects on a newfound love as she sings, “When I felt like I was an old cardigan / Under someone's bed / You put me on and said I was your favorite.”

R&B newcomer Lucky Daye put the world on notice with his 2019 debut album, “Painted.” The singer returned in 2020 with his single, “Shoulda” accompanied by legendary artist-producer Babyface. A song that came full circle for Babyface as it samples Toni Braxton’s “Love Shoulda Brought You Home,” a song the producer wrote in 1992. With a new spin to Braxton’s hit song, fans can only hope Daye and the R&B veteran will release a “Shoulda” remix.

After a five-year hiatus, soulful powerhouse returned with her latest single, “Pick Up Your Feelings.” Sullivan is no stranger to releasing an anthem that also calls out a past lover for their wrongdoing. “Pick Up Your Feelings” showcases attitude along with how to be unbothered—typical emotions after realizing one’s worth.

One of Bad Bunny’s most popular songs of the year “Safaera” sounds like ten songs in one because the beat changes nearly just that many times. The song samples hits like Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” along with Shaggy and Rayvon’s “Big Up.” The single helped crown Bad Bunny as the most streamed Spotify artist worldwide, as the song has been played over 400 million times.

Rising country star Kane Brown teamed up with rapper Swae Lee and singer Khalid on his bouncy single, “Be Like That.” The single finds the three singing about the ups and downs of a break-up-to-makeup relationship. There are days when couples fighting may lead one to believe they’re better off being single, and other days in which they feel they can’t live without their partner, like the song says, “Sometimes it be like that.”