Leaving 2023, it is evident the music industry had a great year. From new albums, legendary music videos, and sold out world tours, music kept the world charmed. With the Grammys coming up in February, let’s reflect on the artists who thrived in 2023.
Although the American singer and songwriter SZA dropped her album SOS on December 9, 2022, it maintained its popularity throughout 2023. Even though its peak was at the beginning of 2023, hit songs like “Kill Bill,” “Nobody Gets Me,” and “Open Arms” were persistently played throughout the year. While “Kill Bill” was at the second spot for Spotify’s most played songs of 2023, SOS was clearing the competition at the top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart. SZA was the first woman artist to have an album stay at the number one spot for a 17-week period. While she took over the winter of 2023, she dominated in the summertime as well.
On July 28, American rapper Travis Scott released his album Utopia. SZA was featured in one of Scott’s songs entitled “Telekinesis.” Just like the title, “Telekinesis” is an enthralling piece that took over summer 2023. Joining in on the last verse, SZA adds an electric touch to the song. “Telekinesis” was ranked first on Billboard’s Utopia rating and SZA definitely had a substantial impact on this.
Going into 2024, viewers can look forward to superstar SZA’s world tour for her superior album SOS and her new album Lana. 
After dropping her last album Plastic Hearts in 2020, singer and songwriter, Miley Cyrus, returned to the music industry to drop her hit song “Flowers” on January 12, 2023. The pop song with a rock touch discusses Cyrus’s breakup with ex-husband Liam Hemsworth. Although the song has a despairing message, Cyrus makes sure to hide the sorrow with empowering lines and a buoyant beat. The song has great style and messages, so it is no surprise it was the most listened song of 2023.
The folk pop industry grew significantly this year because of singer and songwriter Noah Kahan. Ever since he released his major hit “Stick Season” in July of 2022, he has gained more fans and popularity dailyy. Noah Kahan’s album, Stick Season, was released in October of 2022 and made its way to number 14 on the Billboard 200 albums chart right before the new year. Kahan’s eccentric, indie music is extremely captivating. We do not see many pop artists with his style, so it is unsurprising people are addicted to his music. To top off his success in 2022, Kahan released five new songs. In July 2023, he collaborated with American rapper Post Malone in releasing “Dial Drunk,” a song which climbed its way to the top of Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart. On September 15, 2023, he released “Call Your Mom” featuring artist Lizzy McAlpine and “She Calls Me Back,” which features Kacey Musgraves, in October. The following month he released “Northern Attitude ” featuring Hozier, and the folklore stars worked exceptionally together with the song rising to the number 12 spot of Hot Rock and Alternative songs. Concluding 2023, he released “Everywhere Everything” with Gracie Abrams. All of these collaborations gave a dimension which led these songs to the next level. Fortunately for fans, he is bringing his songs to the spotlight (or stage) on his “We’ll All Be Here Forever” world tour which starts in 2024.
Moving away from folk and transitioning to rap, rapper Ice Spice added a new layer of depth to 2023’s music. From her hit songs to her visionary music videos, the hip pop star carried 2023. She first gained popularity in 2022 when she released her song “Munch”, which was the runaway hit that turned Ice Spice into one of the trendiest rappers in hip-hop. But moving into 2023, she went totally viral with her single “Princess Diana.”
In this past year, she proved her eccentric rapping style succeeds in duets. She contributed to some of the most popular songs in 2023, first accompanying rapper PinkPantheress on her song “Boys a Liar Pt. 2.” Ice Spice’s contribution to the song created a huge surge in popularity for the hit. PinkPantheress released the original “Boys a Liar” in November of 2022, but the addition of Ice Spice caused people to fall in love with the song all over again.
After making her two year comeback, singer and songwriter Oliva Rodrigo took over the summer of 2023. Released in June, her song “Vampire” rose to the top of the charts, climbing to the number 1 spot before the official release of her album Guts. Guts is her unruly second album which includes multiple rock chick anthems. Her pop alternative songs like “Vampire,”,“Ballad of a Homeschool Girl,” “Get Him Back,” and “Bad Idea Right?” pushed the album to the number 1 spot on the Billboard only 15 days after the album’s release. Thankfully for fans, we do not have to wait another two years for Rodrigo to make her legendary comeback because she will be going on her Guts tour in 2024.
The well known singer and songwriter Taylor Swift has always thrived in the music industry, but she dominated 2023. As the top global artist of 2023, she gave us new songs, videos, albums, and a life changing world tour. She started 2023 with her world tour, The Eras Tour, which took fans into a glimpse of all her musical eras. The Eras Tour, which started in March 2023, is the highest grossing concert tour of all time reaching one billion dollars in revenue. The tour had a huge cultural impact that allowed both hardcore and new fans to come together to appreciate Swift’s wholesome music.
During the tour, Swift announced her re-release of her album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which came out in the summer of 2023. She included her iconic hits, “Dear John,” “Back to December,” and “Enchanted,” while also giving us six new songs from the vault. Her new songs, “I Can See You,” “When Emma Falls in Love,” “Timeless,” “Electric Touch,” “Foolish One,” and “Castles Crumbling” give off the enchanting fairytale feel of the album. Less than a month after the album’s release, it hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart making Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) one of the top albums of 2023.
During her last tour performance in the United States, Swift publicized the anticipated release of her album 1989 (Taylor’s Version). The pop-funk album includes the classics “Style,” “Welcome to New York,” “Bad Blood,” and “Blank Space,” and mesmerizing vault tracks which led to the album to be one of the five best selling albums of 2023. One of the vault tracks, “Is it Over Now,” was undeniably one of the highlights from the album and one of the finest songs of the year.
From new albums to new eras, Taylor Swift always keeps her fans’ interest. In 2024, we can expect more tour highlights and content because this artist never goes out of style!
