The Best Pop Music of 2016

A year-end review of the best pop music of 2016.

Introduction

It was a banner year for pop music, with huge hits from artists like Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Drake, Rihanna, and many more. But which songs were the best of the best?

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite pop songs of 2016, featuring everything from club anthems to heart-wrenching ballads. Check out our picks below.

What is Pop Music?

Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms “popular music” and “pop music” are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many diverse styles. “Pop” and “rock” were synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they became increasingly differentiated from each other.

Generally, pop music is understood to be commercially recorded music with the goal of being widely liked by listeners of different ages. Pop music has been shaped and influenced by many different genres, including rock, hip hop, soul, R&B, disco, and country. It has also been influenced by Latin American, African, and Asian cultures.Pop music often blends elements from other genres, such as rock, hip hop, soul, and country.

The popularity of pop music continued through the 1970s and 1980s with artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince, George Michael, Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, Patsy Cline, Rick Springfield, Lionel Richie), Gloria Estefan), Paula Abdul), Billy Joel), Elton John), Queen (with lead singer Freddie Mercury), Barbra Streisand), Eagles (with lead singer Don Henley), Carly Simon), Melissa Manchester), Bruce Springsteen), Donna Summer), Diana Ross) Madonna was the most successful pop artist of all time according to Billboard magazine.

The Best Pop Songs of 2016

“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 soul pop track that features piano and baroque strings. Upon release, the song was well received by music critics, who compared it favorably to her previous work and praised the song’s lyrics and Adele’s vocal performance. It was recorded in London’s Metropolis Studios.

In October 2015, Adele previewed “Hello” during commercial breaks on The X Factor in the United Kingdom. The song was released as a digital download at 00:01 GMT on 23 October 2015, accompanied by a video directed by Xavier Dolan. “Hello” debuted atop both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, becoming Adele’s first number-one single in the US since “Rolling in the Deep” (2010) and her first number-one in the UK since “Someone like You” (2011). It became Adele’s fastest selling single in both countries, selling one million downloads within five days of its release. Commercially, “Hello” set records for most weeks at number one as well as most simultaneous weeks atop three main Billboard charts: Adult Contemporary (first twelve weeks), Adult Pop Songs (first eleven weeks) and Radio Songs (first ten weeks); all three records have since been broken. Globally, it has achieved similar success peaking at number one in almost every country it has charted including Australia where it spent fourteen consecutive weeks atop of their singles chart—the second longest run at number one ever after Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise which achieved sixteen non-consecutive weeks atop of their singles char.”

“Work” – Rihanna ft. Drake

“Work” is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). The song was released as the lead single from the album on January 27, 2016. “Work” is a dancehall and hip hop track that incorporates elements of R&B and contains an apathetic tone in its lyrics. Lyrically, the song focuses on forgetting an ex-lover by getting intoxicated and finding someone new to occupy one’s time.

“Sorry” – Justin Bieber

“Sorry” is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album, Purpose (2015). The song was released as the second single from the album on October 22, 2015. “Sorry” is a dancehall and R&B track produced by Skrillex and Blood. It has vocoder effects, making Justin’s voice sound like that of a robot. The instrumentation consists of synth pads, drum machine claps, 808 sub-bass kicks, hi-hats and brass stereo Sampled from Coffee Roasts – (Coffee Roast Guide)
Heading: Light roasts
Most roasters have specialized names for their favored roasts and there is very little industry standardization. This can cause some confusion when you’re buying, but in general, roasts fall into one of four color categories — light, medium, medium-dark and dark.

Many consumers assume that the strong, rich flavor of darker roasts indicates a higher level of caffeine, but the truth is that light roasts actually have a slightly higher concentration. The perfect roast is a personal choice that is sometimes influenced by national preference or geographic location. Within the four color categories, you are likely to find common roasts as listed below. It’s a good idea to ask before you buy. There can be a world of difference between roasts.

Light roasts are usually light brown in color with no oil on the surface of the beans because they are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface. Some examples of light roasts are Light City, Half City and Cinnamon.

Medium roasts are usually medium brown in color with a stronger flavor and no oil on the surface of the beans because they are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface. Some examples of medium roast coffees are City roast, American roast and breakfast roast.

Medium dark roasts are rich, dark brown in color with some oil on the surface of the beans and often have a slight bittersweet aftertaste. Some examples of medium dark roast coffees are Full City Roast and Vienna Roast.

Dark roasts produce shiny black beans with an oily surface due to longer roast times that allow the oils to break through to the surface. These coffees often have a pronounced bitterness and less acidity than other types of coffee since darker roasted beans have less caffeine content overall. Some examples of dark roast coffees include High Roast, Continental Roast and New Orleans Roast .

“One Dance” – Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla

One Dance is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his fourth studio album Views (2016). The song features guest vocals from Wizkid and Kyla. It was released to radio on April 5, 2016, as the album’s lead single by Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records. “One Dance” samples Caribbean music including dancehall and soca. Upon its release, “One Dance” became both Drake’s and Wizkid’s first number-one single as lead artists on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also became Kyla’s first song to reach the top position in the UK, peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart for three non-consecutive weeks. The song spent ten weeks at number one in Canada, becoming both Drake’s longest-running number one single and the country’s longest-running number-one single of 2016.

Drake first previewed “One Dance” on his Instagram account on February 26, 2016; the song was officially released for digital download on April 5, 2016. It was serviced to radio stations in Italy on April 15, 2016. “One Dance” samples Caribbean music genres including dancehall[12] and soca. The song contains an instrumentation consisting of percussion and horn sounds. Their use throughout “One Dance” has been described as possessing a tropical house influence. The horn stabs heard throughout the track were sampled from Crazy Cousinz’ 2008 UK Funky remix of “Do You Mind?”, which in turn sampled Raz Nitzan Music’s production of Carol Jiani’s 1981 disco hit “Hit ‘N Run Lover”.

In an interview with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, Drake stated that he was inspired by UK Garage when making the track:

The chorus of “One Dance” is sung by Nigerian afrobeats artist Wizkid. In an interview with Apple Music’s Beats 1 host Zane Lowe, Wizkid spoke about how he got involved with the track:

The music video for “One Dance” was directed by Damien Sandoval and shot in Johannesburg, South Africa.[22] It was uploaded to Drake’s Vevo channel on May 6, 2016.[23] Prior to its release, a teaser clip of the video surfaced online on April 30,[24] while behind-the-scenes photographs were published online a day later.[25] Be sneak peak video was uploaded onto Kyla’s Vevo channel showing her being filmed in an all black feathers outfit.[26] On May 23, 2016, Drake announced via Twitter that he would be premiering the official music video for “One Dance” at select Hypebeast events occurring simultaneously in Toronto and Los Angeles that same evening.[27][28][29] The video made its television debut four days later on May 27 during episode eleven of season two of OVO Sound Radio.[30]

The video features cameo appearances from South African entertainers Nasty C,[31] Cassper Nyovest,[32] Shekhinah[33] and DJ Slique.[34] American actress Bria Vinai also makes a cameo appearance in the video as Drake’s love interest.[35][36] Throughout the video, Drake is seen dancing with several women in different locations including a warehouse party,[37][38][39][40]”

“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 album overall. The song was written and produced by Timberlake, Max Martin, and Shellback; and features additional writing from Chad Hugo. It was released on May 6, 2016, as the lead single from the soundtrack. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” is a disco, funk and soul song that incorporates elements of R&B. Timberlake described it as “feel-good music” meant to evoke positive emotions.

The Best Pop Albums of 2016

It was a great year for pop music! We saw a lot of new artists break onto the scene, as well as some veteran artists releasing new albums. Let’s take a look at some of the best pop albums of 2016.

“25” – Adele

“25” is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 20 November 2015, through XL Recordings. Following the release of her second studio album 21 in 2011, Adele took a three-year break from music in order to raise her son. During her pregnancy, she wrote songs for the album with the intention of having a more personal and introspective direction than what 21 had.

The album’s composition took inspiration from several older acts such as Fleetwood Mac and Simon & Garfunkel, as well as more modern singers such as Sia Furler and Amy Winehouse. For the production of 25, Adele enlisted old friend and frequent collaborator Paul Epworth as well as new collaborators Danger Mouse, Max Martin, and Shellback. The album was recorded between December 2014 and August 2015 at several studios across the world: XL Studios in London; The Church Studios in Crouch End; Electrical Audio in Chicago; Together Recordings in Malibu; Jungle City Studios and Metropolis Studios in New York City; Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood et al.

Upon release, 25 received widespread acclaim from music critics. Many praised Adele’s vocal performance on the album, while others praised its production and lyrical content. At the 2016 Brit Awards, “25” won Best British Album. At the 59th Grammy Awards, “25” won five awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year (“Hello”), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Hello”), and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical).

“ANTI” – Rihanna

Rihanna’s eighth studio album, ANTI, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim. The album showcases a more mature and experimental sound for the singer, with production from acclaimed producers such as Boi-1da, Frank Dukes, and Glass John. Lyrically, the album is highly personal and introspective, with Rihanna opening up about her struggles with anxiety and depression. The lead single, “Work,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine weeks, making it one of the biggest hits of the year. Other popular tracks include “Needed Me” and “Kiss It Better.”

“Purpose” – Justin Bieber

“Purpose” is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Def Jam Recordings and School Boy Records. The album was supported by five singles: “What Do You Mean?”, “Sorry”, “Love Yourself”, “Company”, and “No Pressure”. Prior to the album’s release, Bieber released seven promotional singles to online stores and streaming services.

“Views” – Drake

“Views” is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on April 29, 2016, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Recording sessions took place between 2015 and 2016, with both Drake and his longtime collaborator Noah “40” Shebib serving as the record’s executive producers. Views also serves as a homecoming of sorts for Drake, whose last two albums (Nothing Was the Same and If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late) were both met with commercial success but little hometown love.

The album received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 and becoming Drake’s sixth consecutive album to do so. As of November 2016, “Views” has sold over 2 million copies in the United States and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also broke several streaming records upon its release, including becoming the first album ever to surpass 100 million streams in one week on Apple Music.

“Trolls” – Soundtrack

“Trolls” is the 2016 soundtrack album for the film of the same name, released by RCA Records. The album features contributions from a variety of pop music artists, including Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, and Earth, Wind & Fire. It was preceded by the release of two singles: Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” and Kendrick’s “Get Back Up Again”. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In September 2016, it was announced that a sequel to the film was in development. In January 2017, it was reported that Justin Timberlake would return to write and produce songs for the soundtrack.

Conclusion

From global superstars to rising independent artists, 2016 was a great year for pop music. In this article, we’ve rounded up some of the best pop songs of the year, including hits from Groups like Fifth Harmony and The Chainsmokers as well as breakout stars like Zara Larsson and Becky G. We’ve also included a few bonus tracks for good measure. So whether you’re looking for a summer anthem or a tearjerker ballad, there’s something here for everyone. What was your favorite pop song of 2016?