Apple Music reveals ‘Top Tracks and Trends’ of 2022
Seeking some music to get you through Friday? Apple Music has published its 2022 So Far: Top Tracks and Trends playlist, comprising a selection of tracks the music editors think reflect current listening trends.
What the Apple Music experts think
Apple employs real music professionals who manage and curate its lists. To create the new playlist, it spoke with them to see what they had identified as key trends of the music we’ve been playing so far.
The trends make interesting reading:
Gen Z pop embraces the classic, introspective ballad
“One thing we’ve noticed about some of pop’s younger class is how surprisingly adult they sound,” the write up states, describing “earnest, introspective ballads that probably could’ve been written 30 years ago, not to mention geared toward audiences 30 years older.”
The Revival of Bad Boy-style sampling
“It could just be nostalgia, nothing grabs audiences as easily as what we already know, but it could also be a counter-reaction to rap’s massive creative leaps over the past decade: the rise of Atltanta trap, emo rap, Drake… sometimes it’s nice just to have a little comfort food.
The sounds of Afrobeats, Alte and Amapiano continue to travel
African pop has had an international presence at least since the late ‘60’s, the swerivde tells us. “If Billboard’s establishment of a dedicated chart for Afrobeats this March is any indication, we’re only going to be hearing more going ahead,” they write. Myself? Africa is rich in music heritage and has incredible diversity, have you ever listened to Ofege?
Drum n Bass gets a long overdue rewind
The subtle return of drum and bass, the service says, citing artist as diverse as Sheeran, Luude D, Colin Hay as representative of its growing trans-genre influence.
[Also read: 21+ things you can ask Siri to do in Apple Music Voice Plan]
K-Pop’s global expansion continues
BTS aren’t just the biggest group in K-pop, they’re the biggest group in pop, period, Apple music says. It cites a bundle o artists, BlackPink, NCT Dream, Aespa and others to show how the genre is breaking oout. “Maybe they’ll eventually drop the K and call it what it is: pop,” they write.
Whether it's the massive return of sampling in hip-hop, Africa's influence on global pop, or the return of drum 'n' bass, a lot has already happened in 2022.
Dive into the 2022 So Far: Top Tracks and Trends playlist: https://t.co/ZvAEyCmtsd pic.twitter.com/WK6xs01TWe
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) June 23, 2022
“Whether it’s the massive return of sampling in hip-hop, Africa’s influence on global pop, or the return of drum ‘n’ bass, a lot has already happened in 2022,” the obligatory Tweet reads.
You may also want to learn how to share Apple Music lyrics in Messages and Insta.
PS: Apple also increased prices for student Apple Music users by a dollar…
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