We can all agree 2020 was quite a year. So many crazy things happened over the year, and many events occurred that were unexpected and often unpleasant. However, throughout the crazy whirlwind of a year that was 2020, there was always good music to keep us going. The music of the year gave us something to dance to, cry to, and laugh to. It seemed there was music for every possible feeling and moment. 2020 was a year of new trends, breakthrough music styles and genres, and music of every style and vibe. There were so many new trends in genres, artists and styles that it’s impossible to cover them all, but here are some of the top highlights as far as the most popular genres, artists and songs that got us through 2020.

Many of the most popular songs in 2020 gained their popularity from the app TikTok.  Throughout the year, TikTok  gained popularity as many people spent quarantine doing TikTok dances to certain songs. Although the majority of these “TikTok songs” were released as originals by artists, they gained a lot of their popularity through the viral dances created to them. Although just about every popular song released this year have had TikToks created to them, some of the most viral “TikTok songs” of the year included “Death Bed” by Powfu, “Lottery” (Renegade) by K Camp, “Say So” by Doja Cat, “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion, “Supalonely” by Benee, “WAP” by Cardi B,  “Like That” by Doja Cat, and “Savage Love” by Jawsh 685 with lyrics and vocals by Jason Derulo.

Leaving the realm of Tiktok, there was a plethora of new music released in the music industry across many different genres last year. Many genres gained more popularity than they had in previous years. One genre that gained massive popularity in 2020 was KPop. KPop stands for “Korean Pop” and it is basically music that has a similar vibe to mainstream American Pop, but it is sung and produced by Korean bands. Kpop is often known for having high quality production and fast beats, switching between languages (typically Korean and English), and often incorporating singing and dancing at the same time. Although there were many Kpop songs released in 2020, two main songs that consistantly topped the charts in the US were “Dynamite” by BTS, and “how you like that” by Blackpink.

2020 also brought lots of new releases in the world of Country music. Country music is often known for being natural and raw, and often contains themes of empowerment, nostalgia, and overall good times. The country songs of 2020 definitely brought all of that to the table, as well as much more. Some of the biggest hits of 2020 in the country Music world were “I Hope” by Gabby Barret, ” Be Like That” by Kane Brown, “More Than My Hometown” by Morgan Wallen, and “Happy Anywhere” by Blake Shelton. 

Yet Another Popular Category of Music in 2020 was Rap Music (also known as Hip Hop). Rap Music often includes lots of drums and backing beats and typically features fast rhythmic speech along with singing which really makes Rap stand out amongst other varieties of music. Rap/Hip Hop was also one of the most listened to genres of music in 2020. Some of the most listened to and most broadcasted rap songs of the year include “Circles” by Post Malone (released in 2019), “Mood” by 24kgold, “Rockstar” and “The Box” by Roddy Rich, “Lemonade” by Internet Money, and “Roses” by SAINt JHN, to name a few.

Last but certainly not least, we have Pop music. There are so many different types of pop songs out there for every emotion and mood possible, it almost seems as though there is always a perfect pop song to listen to for every situation. 2020 definitely came through on delivering a wide range of pop music. From songs that evoke deep emotions to songs simply for jamming out with friends, 2020 had it all. On the mellower side of the spectrum of pop there were many older songs of Lewis Capaldi’s that topped the charts such as “Before You Go” and “Someone You Loved”, both released in 2019- as well as Conan Grey’s “Heather” which gained popularity on Tiktok as well as mainstream radio. 2020 was also a big year for Taylor Swift, who released two new albums, Evermore and Folklore, which both generated chart topping songs such as “Cardigan”, “Exile” (featuring Bon Iver), “August”, and “Betty”, among many others. Another popular artist in 2020 was Harry Styles, with many songs off his 2019 album “Fine line” such as “Watermelon Sugar”, “Adore you”, and “Falling” becoming very popular at the beginning of the year, and continued to grow in popularity as the year went on. There were so many other singers that released great music this year that it would be impossible to list all of them, but some of the songs that topped the charts this year included “Don’t Stop Now” and “Break My Heart”- both by Dua Lipa, “Rain On Me” by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, “Bang” by AJR, “Lonely” and “Intentions” by Justin Beiber, “Kings and Queens” by Ava Max, “Wonder” by Shawn Mendez, “Therefore I am” by Billie Eilish, “Fallin” by Why Don’t We, “Dance Monkey” by Tones And I, and of course the most played song of 2020: “Blinding Lights” by The Weekend.

 It’s definitely safe to say that no matter what kind of music you like to listen to, 2020 definitely came through with great music for everyone to enjoy.