The Top Pop Songs of 2016

It’s hard to deny that pop music has taken over the airwaves in recent years. From Justin Bieber to Taylor Swift, there are many popular artists that have captured the attention of the masses. But what are the top pop songs of 2016? Let’s take a look.

“Hello” – Adele

“Hello” is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 23 October 2015 by XL Recordings as the lead single from her third studio album, 25 (2015). Adele co-wrote the song with her producer, Greg Kurstin. “Hello” is a piano ballad with soul influences, and lyrics that discuss nostalgia and loss. Upon release, the song was well received by music critics, who compared it favourably to Adele’s previous works and praised the song’s lyrics and Adele’s vocal performance. It has also been noted for its indigenous usage of the muted hi-hat technique.

Commercially, “Hello” topped the charts in almost every country it debuted in, including Adele’s native United Kingdom as well as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland,[2] New Zealand,[3] South Africa,[4] and Switzerland. In the United States, “Hello” debuted at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 before climbing to number one in its fourth week; this gave Adele her sixth US number one (“Someone like You”, “Rolling in the Deep”, “Set Fire to the Rain”,[5]”Skyfall”,”Don’t You Remember”), making her only the second female artist after Mariah Carey to have achieved that many number one songs on the chart.[6][7] The song also became Adele’s first chart-topping single in nearly four years since “Set Fire to the Rain topped charts internationally in 2011.”[8] By comparison with lead single releases from 21 and 25,”Hello” sold 800,000 digital copies in its first week in America which marks a personal record for Adele and is double that of her previous best statistic.[9][10] Additionally,”Hello” became only ever ninth single release to selling over 1 million copies within a week worldwide.[11][12][13] The song went on to sell 3.38 million copies in America during 2015[14][15][16] becoming highest selling digital song of 2015 globally with 12.3 million units sold.[17] Furthermore,”Hello” became only fourth song after “Smile” (1954), “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About The Way You Look Tonight”[a](1997)and “Radioactive”(2013) to spend 10 weeks at top of Billboard Hot 100 chart.[18]”Hello”‘s success marks several chart feats including becoming one of twenty five songs achieve Diamond certification by Recording Industry Association of America.[19]”Hello”‘s music video was directed by Xavier Dolan and released on 22 October 2015.

“Formation” – Beyonce

“Formation” is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her sixth studio album, Lemonade (2016). The song was written by Beyoncé, Mike Will Made It, and Pluss. The song was released on February 6, 2016, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records as the lead single from the album. A hip hop and trap-influenced anthem, “Formation” features a heavy bass and marching band-like horns. Its lyrics discuss Beyoncé’s heritage and her pride in being African American. The song samples Antony Hegarty’s “Hope There’s Someone”.

The song’s music video was released on the same day as the single and was directed by Melina Matsoukas. It was shot in Los Angeles and New Orleans after the city had declared a state of emergency due to the 2016 Louisiana floods. In the video, Beyoncé pays homage to southern culture and African American women. The video was nominated for nine MTV Video Music Awards, winning eight, including Video of the Year; it marks Matsoukas’ first win in that category. Upon its release, “Formation” debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100; it is Beyoncé’s highest charting single as a solo artist since “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” peaked at number 3 in 2008.Following its release as a single, “Formation” entered many international charts. In Australia, it peaked at number 8 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In Canada, it entered at number one on both the Canadian Hot 100 sponsored by Bell Media and streaming-based Radio Airplay chart published by Mediabase; it is also certified double platinum by Music Canada (MC). In France and Wallonia, “Formation” debuted at numbers seven and 41 respectively on SNEP Digital Single Sales Chart published by Syndicat National de l’Édition Phonographique (SNEP) while peaking at number two on Belgium Urban Chart compiled by Billboard magazine affiliate Humo; it is also certified double platinum both countries by Belgique Francophone (BEA) denoting sales of over 40,000 units in each territory.. In New Zealand, despite not being released as a single there commercially,” Formation” peaked at number 8 on both RIANZ Singles Chart and Heatseeker Albums Chart sponsored by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ);It also peaked at number 18 in Spain.

“Work” – Rihanna ft. Drake

Work” is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). The song was written by PartyNextDoor, with additional writing from Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, andlineage. It was produced by Boi-1da along with Sevn Thomas and Allen Ritter. A dancehall and trap song, “Work” is lyrically about Rihanna not being able to get her work done because she is distracted by her lover’s continuous texting; over an old school hip hop beat, she questions him about his late-night escapades.

“Work” debuted at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week of February 13, 2016, giving Rihanna her 24th top 10 single on the chart, extending her record as the female artist with the most top 10 songs in the chart’s history. The song also became Rihanna’s fourteenth number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, tying her with Mariah Carey for fourth place among female artists with the most US number one singles. Internationally, “Work” topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand, and peaked within the top five in Australia, Denmark, France, Ireland and Switzerland.

“One Dance” – Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla

“One Dance” is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, released as a single from his fourth studio album, Views (2016). The song features guest vocals from Nigerian singer Wizkid and British singer Kyla. “One Dance” became Drake’s first number-one single in the UK as a lead artist, and Wizkid’s second after featuring on Brown Girl in the Ring by Boney M. in 1978. It spent fifteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming both Drake’s longest-running number one and the longest-running number one by a male artist in 2016. The song also broke several streaming records upon its release.

“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” – Justin Timberlake

“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for the soundtrack to the film Trolls (2016), his fifth studio album, Man of the Woods (2018), and served as its lead single. The song was written and produced by Timberlake, Max Martin, and Shellback. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 69th Golden Globe Awards, despite not being eligible for an Academy Award nomination.

Conclusion

It’s been an amazing year for pop music, with hits from established artists like Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, and Drake, as well as breakout stars like Zara Larsson and The Chainsmokers.

Here are our picks for the top 10 pop songs of 2016:

1. “Formation” by Beyoncé
2. “Sorry” by Justin Bieber
3. “One Dance” by Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla
4. “Work” by Rihanna ft. Drake
5. “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” by Mike Posner
6. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” by Justin Timberlake
7. “Cheap Thrills” by Sia ft. Sean Paul
8. “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” by Adele
9. “This Is What You Came For” by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna
10. “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes

The Top Pop Songs of 2016

Introduction