With about a month and a half left of 2019, things are winding down and award season will soon descend upon us to provide the yearly music roundup. To save you the effort of racking your brain trying to remember the slew of music released this year, I will be preemptively summing up the greatest of each genre sure to win awards in the coming months. There is a 100% chance these songs will, at the very least, receive nominations at the Grammys, AMAs, and BBMAs. But don’t quote me on that.
The nature of these award shows is that the most played songs are generally the ones getting nominated, so it’s likely you’ve heard these songs before. If not, I hope you’ll at least get some new song recommendations out of this, or maybe just a cynical reaffirmation that music production nowadays is mainly commercial and award shows are popularity contests. Either one’s cool.
R&B: “EARFQUAKE” by Tyler, the Creator; “Nights Like This” by Kehlani; “Be Honest” by Jorja Smith ft. Burna Boy; “Talk” by Khalid ft. Discourse; “Love Again” by Daniel Caesar ft. Brandy
Hip Hop/Rap: “Panini” by Lil Nas X; “Juicy” by Doja Cat ft. Tyga; “Cash Sh*t” by Megan Thee Stallion ft. DaBaby; “Taste” by Tyga ft. Offset; “Goodbyes” by Post Malone ft. Young Thug
Pop: “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers; “You Need To Calm Down” by Taylor Swift; “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish; “Dancing with a Stranger” by Sam Smith ft. Normani; “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo
Country: “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus; “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay ft. Justin Bieber; “Butterflies” by Kacey Musgraves; “Look What God Gave Her” by Thomas Rhett; “The Bones” by Marren Morris.
(Okay, “Butterflies” was released in 2018 but we’ll let it slide–it’s an honorary nomination.)
Alternative: “Light’s Up” by Harry Styles; “10/10” by Rex Orange County; “Are You Bored Yet?” by Wallows ft. Clairo; “DHL” by Frank Ocean; “Doin’ Time” by Lana Del Rey
Source: http://www.justjaredjr.com/2019/10/11/harry-styles-releases-new-song-lights-up-listen-now/
Latin: “24/7” by Becky G; “Con Calma” by Daddy Yankee ft. Snow; “La Canción” by J. Balvin, Bad Bunny; “Loco Contigo” by DJ Snake; “Perreito” by Mariah
So, there you have it. Though this list is compacted, I feel it’s a good indicator for what’s to come. Again, I am very certain that these songs will end up with nominations, but again, don’t quote me – only time will tell. In the meantime, pull up your Spotify and listen away to the (objectively) best songs of 2019!