In a year when many of us felt alone and stuck at home, it’s important to recognize how creative artists still managed to team up and create music that lifted our spirits. This collection of awesome tunes covers everything from rap and reggaeton to country and K-pop. It shows that people from different places and backgrounds can come together and make something amazing.
BLACKPINK and SELENA GOMEZ: ICE CREAM
Blackpink surprised everyone when they featured on Lady Gaga’s album Chromatica in March with “Sour Candy.” Again, in August, they worked up with Selena Gomez for “Ice Cream,” a catchy summer song which in no time became a hit on Blackpink’s first album, The Album.
This collaboration showed a different side of Blackpink, with playful lyrics and a laid-back vibe. The mix of their voices with Gomez’s worked so well, making it a favorite among fans. While Blackpink is known for their bold style and energetic songs, “Ice Cream” revealed something different; a softer side. Getting recognition from both Gaga and Gomez in the same year helped Blackpink reach even more people, and their album also includes a track with Cardi B. “Ice Cream” was already a great blend of hip-hop and pop, but adding Gomez to the mix made it even better.
J BALVIN, DUA LIPA, BAD BUNNY, TAINY — “UN DIA”
2020’s yearnful anthem dwells in painfully romantic longing, it is anything but lonesome. “Un Día” (or “One Day”) captures four superstars hailing from different parts of the world — Colombia, the U.K., and Puerto Rico — and together break language barriers in one bilingual plea. Dua Lipa leads with her warm, remorseful vocals, singing of romantic despair over a somber pop piano riff.
J. Balvin and Bad Bunny chime in, offering male perspectives as they embrace their tender sides. Collectively, the all-star line-up candidly convey the universal feeling of love’s torments in this beautiful yet nostalgic slice of tropical pop. This hit was produced by Puerto Rican super producer Tainy, the man behind many a reggaeton hit of past and present. This heart-rending collaboration was put together by his own NEON16 collective — the team behind Tainy and Balvin’s “Agua,” of the SpongeBob Movie soundtrack, and 2019’s Oasis by Bad Bunny and J. Balvin. As “Un Dia” evolves into a brighter mid-tempo reggaeton tune, a meaningful message reveals: the power of self-reliance.
Megan Thee Stallion & Beyonce — “Savage Remix”
Megan Thee Stallion has had a groundbreaking, history-making, chart-topping 2020, and her run was kicked off with the immense success of “Savage.”
After taking off on TikTok, she got the ultimate co-sign from fellow Houston-born superstar Beyoncé who hopped on a remix. Beyoncé does nothing small, so she didn’t just pop in a measly little verse. It becomes a true weaving of styles, with Beyonce offering a flourish of runs and Instagram-caption ready one-liners. The remix helped catapult “Savage” to Number One, becoming Megan’s first big hit of the year — but clearly not her last.
JUSTIN BEIBER AND CHANCE THE RAPPER: “HOLY”
Staying away from his bad boy lifestyle and running to the Alter like a track star, Justin Bieber birthed a spiritual phase with the uplifting track “Holy”. With Chance the rapper alongside to ease Bieber into his new life walking in the light of his devotion, Holy approached religious salvation with the same innocence and youthful enthusiasm that was originally at the heart of the singer’s appeal.
The acoustic take on the song was also nice and Bieber ended the year recording a version with the UK’s National Health Service choir that might end up netting the song a much coveted Christmas number one hit; truly a holy blessing indeed.
DA BABY AND RODDY RICCH; “ROCKSTAR”
Rockstar” one of the biggest tracks of 2020 represents DaBaby and Roddy Ricch at the height of their powers as two of hip-hop’s biggest stars. It’s distinct guitar-driven beat is a refreshing stylistic changeup for DaBaby, who broke from his signature flow to expand on a sound that was verging on homogenous. Meanwhile Ricch’s melodic slippery vocals in the song’s latter half help put the song over the edge. Like so many other hits this year, the meteoric rise of “Rockstar” can be attributed to TikTok, where it got its own viral dance. It’s distinction almost guaranteed a hit this year, and it was only a matter of time before breaking through radio and streaming charts a few weeks later. Topping the RS 100 chart for seven weeks, “Rockstar” is by far DaBaby’s biggest hit and the second Number One Single for Ricch, whose 2019 single “The Box” is the only better-selling rap song of the year. Dababy didn’t seem to expect any less: “The second I made the song, I knew [it was a hit],” he told Rolling Stone in September. “I probably have that on camera — me saying what this song was going to be the second I made it.”
Safe to say, 2020 was a good year musically as many hit songs saw the light of the day.
English