2022 was a fantastic year for the music industry, with record-breaking hits and chart-topping artists that won’t leave our playlists anytime soon. I’ll attempt to cover a handful of the highlights, but because music is subjective, everyone had their own unique listening history over this past year. The numbers, however, show that many worldwide enjoyed listening to a handful of highly talented artists and allowed for the connection of thousands, if not millions, of fans and music enthusiasts. Whether or not you enjoyed the slew of new releases this year, it’s important to acknowledge the success of many underdogs and the flawless return of some of the world’s favorites like Beyonce and Taylor Swift. I hope that everyone at Myers Park is entering 2023 with a similar anticipation for record-breaking hits, exciting underdogs, and plenty of new songs for their playlists.
It would be impossible to review the music released in 2022 without highlighting some extraordinarily successful artists who made history with their releases. Taylor Swift’s Midnights was easily her biggest success yet, breaking multiple records for Spotify listeners. Earlier in the year, pop icon Harry Styles released his eclectic new project Harry’s House. When you look back on this album, you can’t help but remember “As It Was,” the stellar pop hit that spent months atop the billboard charts but other songs, like my favorite track, “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” add to the album’s depth. Not only did these iconic artists make music history, but the Rap and R&B genres flourished in 2022 with releases from SZA, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Drake, Future, Jack Harlow, and many more. To finish out the year strong, R&B legend, and my favorite artist, SZA released her new album SOS five years after her grammy-nominated 2017 album CTRL. The massive project has 23 tracks, including 3 released prior to the album, spanning across a handful of genres and weaving together seamlessly to create a record-breaking collection. The album, alongside its most popular song “Kill Bill,” broke Spotify records and put SZA just behind Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande as the third most streamed female artist in history. SOS’s R&B genre popularity rivals iconic artists like Mariah Carey who broke similar records for popularity. While biased as somewhat of a SZA superfan, SOS was one of my favorite releases of the year. Of course, “Kill Bill” is amazing but unexpected successes like “Ghost in the Machine” featuring Phoebe Bridgers and the short rap track “Smoking on my Ex Pack” spoke to the versatility and talent of SZA as an artist.
While these artists broke records and appealed to millions, breakout stars and underdogs stole the show throughout 2022. Omar Apollo’s amazing mix of Spanish ballads and English love songs on his second album Ivory had some of my favorite songs of the year. The energetic artist made a name for himself among the year’s big hitters. Similarly, R&B artist Steve Lacy saw success to a level that he did not even expect with the release of his album Gemini Rights. While “Bad Habit” took Tik Tok by storm, the album’s other, more overlooked tracks like “Sunshine” featuring Foushee and “Helmet” have a similar funk as Bad Habit without the overplayed radio-hit energy. Another of my personal favorites was the eclectic collection of folk music from the band Big Thief. Great for campfires, sleepy nights, or study focus, their new album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is a heartwarming collection of music that can only be described as comfy, especially my favorite track “Simulation Swarm.” While there are hundreds more artists, songs, and albums that could be highlighted from last year, everyone had their own music taste. What did you listen to and what were some of your favorites?