Who gets the final say on the Song of the Summer? Is it TikTok, which crowned Tommy Richman’s “MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS)” and Tinashe’s “Nasty” its songs of the summer earlier this month? Or is it Spotify, which has released its five songs of the summer today, Aug. 28?
Perhaps there’s a personal song of the summer in each of us.
Spotify named five songs that defined summer 2024 and presented them without a rank, instead organized by the artist’s name. The songs include viral sensation and earworm “Espresso” from Short n’ Sweet Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar’s triumphant Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” off Billie Eilish’s latest album. Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey rounded out the list.
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In a press release, Spotify explained its methodology, writing that these tracks were “hand-picked by Spotify’s global music editorial team” and “represent the various sounds and moments that defined summer 2024 for listeners across the Northern Hemisphere.” In the past, the music streaming giant only picked one song of the summer. But it should be said that “Espresso” has the most streams to date of the chosen five, with over one billion streams.
Both “Not Like Us” and “HOT TO GO!” received their biggest streaming spikes of the summer after viral performances — Lamar’s Juneteenth concert and Roan’s Gov Ball set, respectively.
“Not Like Us” and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” were the only songs on both Spotify and TikTok’s lists. Notably, neither list included any tracks from Charli XCX’s Brat despite its undeniable cultural impact.
