Best Pop Songs of the Year

Lil Nas X proved to be more than a one-hit wonder with his “Old Town Road” follow-up, “Panini.” The song is reportedly the first ever recorded by the 20-year-old rapper in a professional studio, as opposed to at home.

Taylor Swift released her LGBTQ-friendly single “You Need to Calm Down” during Pride month. While not everybody was thrilled with the song — some viewed its message and accompanying video as a form of cultural appropriation on Swift’s part — it managed to soar to No. 2 on the Hot 100 and became the best-performing single from the diva’s seventh studio album, “Lover.”

Cardi B was among the year’s biggest names in music, thanks in part to her single “Money.” The rapper performed the track at the 61st Grammy Awards and won the award for Best Hip Hop at the 2019 MTV VMAs, also thanks to the song’s visually sophisticated music video.

Cardi B scored another hit with her follow-up single to “Money,” “Please Me.” The song is a collaboration with singer Bruno Mars and appeared on numerous pop, hip hop, and dance charts.

“Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” is the final single released from Ariana Grande’s chart-topping album “Thank U, Next.” The song features lyrics from *NSYNC’s “It Makes Me Ill” and was co-written by one-time *NSYNC collaborator Max Martin (writer and producer of “It’s Gonna Be Me”), making it a gem for fans of either act.

The country music duo of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney scored a hit with “Speechless,” inspired by their feelings when seeing their wives on the days of their weddings. The song not only reached the No. 24 position on the Hot 100, but also No. 17 on the radio airplay pop chart and No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Drake — who surpassed The Beatles in 2019 to become the artist with the second-most Hot 100 top 10 hits, behind only Madonna — reached No. 7 on the chart with his song “Money in the Grave.” Drake included the song as part of his two-song “The Best in the World Pack” release in celebration of the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Championship.

“Youngblood” is the best-performing song by Australian band 5 Seconds Of Summer of the group’s 14 songs to chart in the Hot 100. The song also reached the No. 1 position on the U.S. Mainstream Top 40, which tracks the top-played songs on pop radio.

Post Malone’s song “Better Now” spent a full year’s time on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 3. The single, in which Post laments his loss of an ex, earned the musician a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

“ZEZE” is the highest-charting song by Florida native Kodak Black. The song, which features Travis Scott & Offset, climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared on Black’s album “Dying to Live,” which went to No.1 on the Billboard 200.

Post Malone teamed up with rapper Young Thug for “Goodbyes,” which peaked at No. 3 in July of this past year. The hard-edged breakup song was released with a similarly explicit music video in which Malone is stabbed and returns as a zombie.

Until his single “Senorita” with Camila Cabello topped the Billboard Hot 100 last August, the pop-rock tune “If I Can’t Have You” had been the highest charting single for Shawn Mendes, the 21-year-old Grammy-nominated singer from Canada. The song debuted at No. 2 in May, denied the top spot by the monster hit “Old Town Road.”

Lil Tecca, a 17-year-old rapper born Tyler Sharpe in Queens, New York, topped the Billboard Rhythmic chart earlier this year with “Ran$om,” which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Ran$om” was streamed tens of millions of times in the weeks after its release.

Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” spent three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 in early November. The sad ballad from the 23-year-old Scottish singer-songwriter was his first chart-topper. The song got a boost in October when it was played during a segment of “Dancing With the Stars.”

The 25-year-old Atlanta rapper Lil Baby did time for petty crimes, but after his release from jail in 2017, he embarked on a successful rap career. His collaboration with Gunna, “Drip Too Hard,” was Lil Baby’s second song to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart after his Drake collaboration, “Yes Indeed.”

“Middle Child” is the biggest single yet for reluctant celebrity J. Cole from North Carolina, rising to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February and No. 2 on Billboard’s MainstreamR&B/Hip-Hop chart.

DaBaby was born Jonathan Kirk in Cleveland, Ohio, but he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. The 28-year-old has had his problems with the law over the years. Even so, the rapper has carved out a successful career, including the single “Suge,” which climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Sweet But Psycho” was the breakthrough single for pop singer-songwriter Ava Max, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, though it peaked at No. 1 in six countries. The video is a send-up of slasher movies, with Max wielding an axe and knife and taking revenge on boyfriends.

The rockers from Los Angeles scored the latest of their four Billboard 100 chart-toppers, collaborating with rap star Cardi B on “Girls Like You.” The song about female empowerment spent seven weeks atop the Hot 100. Its video — which features cameos from Jennifer Lopez, Ellen DeGeneres, and Camila Cabello — received 2 billion views in less than 10 months.

“No Guidance” from Chris Brown featuring Drake rose to No. 5 in October and was Brown’s 16th chart-topper on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The song was nominated for Best R&B Grammy and was the 17th Grammy nomination for the 30-year-old musician.

Khalid, six-time Grammy Award nominated R&B singer, has had five top 10 hits, and his single “Better” climbed to No. 8 in April. “Better” was one of three songs from the Florida native to top the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.

The accolades were many for “Shallow,” a collaboration between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who performed it in the movie “A Star is Born.” The Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper won the Oscar for Best Original Song, Grammy Awards for Best Song Written for Visual Media and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture

Meek Mill has had a troubled history, spending time in jail and $30 million in legal expenses over the last decade. Even so, the Philadelphia-born rapper (born Robert Rihmeek Williams) has built a successful singing career. “Going Bad” is his first song to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, surging to No. 6. The song features Canadian rapper Drake, and the video includes appearances by, among others, T.I., Nipsey Hussle, Mustard, and YK Osiris.

Benny Blanco, collaborating with Halsey and Khalid, had his highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Eastside.” Blanco also earned his first Mainstream Top 40 chart-topper as a credited artist. He’s previously had success as a co-writer and co-producer for songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Kesha, Katy Perry, Taio Cruz, Gym Class Heroes, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and Major Lazer.

It’s unsurprising that a collaboration by pop superstars Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber would become a hit. “I Don’t Care” — a part of Sheeran’s collaboration album, “No. 6 Collaborations Project” — peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in May 2019, though it failed to overtake “Old Town Road.”

“Senorita,” which paired Canadian native Shawn Mendes with Camila Cabello, topped the Billboard Hot 100 last August. The song was Mendes’ biggest single to date and his first No. 1 hit. The song’s smoldering video has had more than 800 million views.

English singer Sam Smith released his collaboration with American singer Normani, “Dancing With a Stranger,” in early 2019. The breakup track spent 45 total weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 7, and was the most played song on radio worldwide for 2019.

Detroit-born rapper/songwriter Lizzo, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, scored her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September with “Truth Hurts.” The single also topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song chart.

“Thank U, Next” peaked at No. 1 in November 2018, but it held the top position into 2019. The endlessly catchy single was certified 5x Multi-Platinum in February 2019 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The Las Vegas-based emo-pop group Panic! At The Disco posted its highest-charting single in January with “High Hopes,” which rose to No. 4. “High Hopes” was the group’s second top 10 success, following “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” which reached No. 7 in 2006. “High Hopes” was one of the singles from the band’s album “Pray For the Wicked,” which went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The Jonas Brothers scored their sole No. 1 hit to date this year with “Sucker,” which peaked on the Hot 100 on March 16. The song was the group’s first single following a six-year hiatus, proving that good things come to those who wait. “Sucker” has been nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the Grammys.

“Sicko Mode” was the first single by 28-year-old Houston hip-hop artist and producer Travis Scott to reach the Billboard 100 summit, which it did in December. Scott, born Jacques Webster, has had seven top 10 hits.

The cherry on top of singer Khalid’s successful 2019 was undoubtedly his single “Talk,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in June. The bouncy track features production by British electronic duo Disclosure and has been nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys.

Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” reached the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 in February 2019 and stayed there for the next two months. The track — which reinterprets Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things” — has been nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the Grammys.

Masked DJ Marshmello has collaborated with musicians, including Chris Browne, Kahlid, and Selena Gomez. His biggest hit to date is the song “Happier,” which was created in collaboration with the British indie pop band Bastille and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in February 2019. Bastille frontman Dan Smith told the BBC that he had originally written the track for Justin Bieber but was eventually convinced to record it himself.

Rapper, singer, and songwriter Post Malone has succeeded in blending hip-hop, pop, trap, and rock into his repertoire to become one of the biggest stars in pop music. The Dallas native and six-time Grammy Award nominee has had nine top 10 hits, including “Wow.,” which peaked at No. 2 in April.

Among the past year’s greatest success stories is that of teenager Billie Eilish, who rose to fame with a repertoire of songs she wrote along with her brother Finneas. The most popular of these is “Bad Guy,” which shot to No. 1 in August 2019. The single won both critical and popular praise — it’s been streamed more than 1 billion times on Spotify — and has been nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance at the Grammys.

New Jersey wild child Halsey, born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, notched her first chart-topper in January. The song spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The 25-year-old, who took her name from a New York City subway stop, has had five top 10 hits

Post Malone’s best performing song to date is a collaboration with rapper Swae Lee from the soundtrack to the movie “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.” The song peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in January of 2019 and spent a lengthy total of 53 weeks on the chart. “Sunflower” has been nominated for both Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards.

“Old Town Road” dominated the pop charts in 2019 and occupied the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record 19 weeks. The song features the quirky pairing of Atlanta-based rapper Lil Nas X (born Montero Lamar Hill) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, whose previously most successful single was “Achy Breaky Heart,” which climbed to No. 4 in 1992.