2016’s Best Pop Music

From Ariana Grande to Justin Bieber, 2016 was a great year for pop music. Here are our favorite tracks of the year!

Introduction

It’s safe to say that 2016 was an incredible year for pop music. We saw the return of some of our all-time favorite artists, as well as the emergence of fresh new voices that are sure to leave a lasting impression.

There were so many great pop songs released this year, it was impossible to narrow them down to just 10. So instead, we’ve compiled a list of 20 of our favorite pop songs of 2016. From catchy earworms to heart-wrenching ballads, these are the tunes that we just couldn’t get enough of this year.

Best Pop Songs of 2016

It’s been a great year for pop music, with a wide variety of catchy and well-produced songs released throughout the year. Here are our picks for the best pop songs of 2016.

“Formation” – Beyoncé

“Formation” is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her sixth studio album Lemonade (2016). The song was released on February 6, 2016, along with a music video. “Formation” peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming Beyoncé’s sixth single to be certified four times platinum in the United States. The song also charted in Canada, France and the United Kingdom.

The song won Best Pop Solo Performance and was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, “Formation” won Best Choreography, while its music video won Best Editing and Best Cinematography. “Formation” was nominated for Best Pop Video and Video of the Year at the 2016 UK Music Video Awards.

“Work” – Rihanna ft. Drake

“Work” is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). The song premiered on Tidal on January 27, 2016 and was released to radio stations on February 23, 2016 as the album’s lead single. “Work” is a dancehall, R&B and trap song with a musical direction toward Caribbean music. Lyrically, the song finds Rihanna and Drake boasting about their successful lives and career while informing their love interests that they always make time for them despite their busy schedules. “Work” peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Canadian Hot 100. It also became Rihanna’s fourteenth top-ten single in the United Kingdom and reached number-one in France and Switzerland.

“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 2016 film Trolls. The song was written and produced by Timberlake, Max Martin and Shellback. It was released on May 6, 2016, by RCA Records as the lead single from the soundtrack. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is a disco, funk and R&B song.

Best Pop Albums of 2016

In a year of excellent comebacks and equally excellent debuts, these are the 10 best pop albums of 2016. From Beyonce to Frank Ocean to Ariana Grande, 2016 was a great year for pop music.

“Lemonade” – Beyoncé

Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” is one of the best pop albums of 2016. The album is a visual album and was released on Beyoncé’s own label Parkwood Entertainment. “Lemonade” is a mix of genres including R&B, pop, rock, hip-hop, and country. The album was critically acclaimed and was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning two.

“Anti” – Rihanna

Rihanna’s “Anti” was one of the best pop albums of 2016. Released in January, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 1.4 million copies in its first week. “Anti” features the hit singles “Work” and “Needed Me.”

“Trolls” – Justin Timberlake

In 2016, Justin Timberlake released “Trolls,” an album of pop songs based on the DreamWorks film of the same name. The album was a commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart and selling over three million copies in the United States. “Trolls” was also met with positive reviews from critics, who praised Timberlake’s vocal performance and the album’s catchy melodies.

Conclusion

From Justin Bieber’s long-awaited return to the charts to DNCE’s infectious debut album, 2016 was a great year for pop music. There were plenty of other stand-out moments and albums too, so it was tough to narrow it down to just 10.

Here are 2016’s best pop music moments:

1. Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” was the song of the summer
2. DNCE’s “Cake By The Ocean” was an instant earworm
3. Selena Gomez’s Revival was a critical and commercial success
4. Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman was one of the year’s best albums
5. Zara Larsson’s “Never Forget You” was a huge hit worldwide
6. Little Mix’s “Shout Out To My Ex” showed they’re not afraid to take on their exes
7. Fifth Harmony proved they’re a force to be reckoned with on 7/27
8. Sia continued to dominate the charts with hits like “Cheap Thrills”
9. Britney Spears made a comeback with her album Glory
10. Troye Sivan became one of the biggest new artists of the year