Justin Bieber – “SWAG II”: Another surprise release, astonishingly better than the preceding album from July 11. With an additional 23 tracks, almost all of which were better than every song on the first “SWAG”, there are a few major potential hits which would be great follow ups to “DAISIES” (#5 on Top 40/#19 on Spotify) and the now-trending “YUKON” (#42 on Top 40/#47 on Spotify). Check out tracks “SPEED DEMON” (my personal favorite) “EYE CANDY”, “I THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL” and “LOVE SONG”, likely the next single based off the fact it was the first track on New Music Friday last week. It’s also the most streamed of them all so far.
Sabrina Carpenter – “Tears”: Another song that nobody needs to be convinced of adding. Her album “Man’s Best Friend” has nine tracks in the Spotify US Top 20. “Tears” is the second single (after “Manchild”) and is currently Spotify’s #2. Some stations are uncomfortable with “I get wet at the thought of you” and “tears run down my thigh.” I wonder how many people are listening that closely? It’s silly, double entendre stuff which has been the soul and appeal of pop music and artists for half a century. Remember that a much dirtier “Super Freaky Girl” by Nicki Minaj was a top five song on Pop radio. Nonetheless, “Tears” is already #15 on Pop airplay, most likely a #1 by October. This week, our #13 request.
Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”: One of the smoothest, most original and catchy songs to come out this year. Even with negligible US airplay beyond SiriusXM’sTikTok Radio, we’ve gotten enough requests for the song to make #17 on our Top 20 this week, ahead of airplay. It’s currently #16 on Spotify in the US and #11 globally. The 26-year-old from England has been putting out music since 2017. A true pop song with multi-format appeal and the promise of longevity.
Doja Cat – “Jealous Type”: A major artist release that many people were looking forward to, but we’ve found disappointing. She said she was done with pop music and wanted to be taken seriously as a rapper. So why a pop song with heavy ‘80s influences, only a brief rap interlude, and the Max Headroom tribute on the MTV VMAs this past Sunday? So far, we’ve had no requests for it. We’re hoping the new album Vie on Sept. 26 brings more of what people love her for.
Buried Treasure of the Week
Vance Joy – “Riptide”: A #1 song on Alternative radio in 2013 that is now one of the most streamed songs from that era, especially among Gen Z. It’s constantly in and out of the Spotify Top 100, but we also get a lot of requests for it too. Never did much on Top 40 radio though, only peaking at #18 and quickly fading (though it got to #7 on Hot AC). Today, the song has 3.2 billion streams and is his one enduring hit. Another great example of old or forgotten songs making a strong comeback but also being ultra familiar with no burn. Worth an add to your Golds if you want something new and passion
(@livelineradio)This story first appeared on radioinsight.com