Every year, Spotify releases their year-end streaming numbers with 2019 being an exceptionally great year. The list includes some of the most streamed artists as well as the most streamed album. It seems that the results show that 2019 was really a year for bangers, belts and bops with a bit of country to through into the mix. One might conclude that this list of the top five song streams was both surprising and predictable.

5. Old Town Road – Remix – Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus

Around a decade ago it would cost record labels an estimated $78,000 to make a chart hit. These days however all you need is an audio recording device, talent, $30, some luck and you just might be able to get yourself into the charts. At least that is how Lil Nas X did it. A couple of years ago he was a little-known independent artist. He purchased a unique beat from record producer YoungKio for $30 and created ‘Old Town Road’, a country/rap song.

This song was actually scored as the most danceable English-speaking track in a recent research by Betway with a score of 88/100. It quickly became popular in social media outlets such as TikTok which propelled it to the masses. So popular in fact that they convinced old school country singer Billy Ray Cyrus to be part of the remix. The song proved that music does not need to rely on the industry’s traditional machinations to make a splash. Fast forward a few months and ‘Old Town Road’ has managed to break the record “for most weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100”. It is a fun and happy song that’s great to sing along to. Our Score: 4.5/5

4. 7 Rings – Ariana Grande

‘7 Rings’ was Ariana Grande’s second single on her album ‘Thank You Next’. The song samples from The Sound of Music’s ‘My Favourite Things’ and brings it into the 21^st century. Ariana created a materialistic record by referencing diamonds and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She sings “Whoever said money can’t solve your problems/Must not have had enough money to solve ‘em”. The single is an empowering banger that celebrates friendships, singleness, and money. The music video only enhances the experience of the song with its relaxed vibes and Japanese aesthetics. If you haven’t had the chance to hear it yet, then make sure to give it a listen next time you’re on Spotify. Our Score: 4/5

3. Sunflower- Post Malone, Swae Lee

Back in 2017, Post Malone took the world by storm with his autotuned hip-hop. It wasn’t long until he added a soundtrack to one of the most anticipated films in recent times to his musical resume. ‘Sunflower’ was the lead single to the animated film Spiderman: Into the Universe and continues to carry out his chill sound that he is best known for. Post Malone and Swae Lee sing about devotion, loyalty and the longevity of relationships and compare them to sunflowers. “It’s a sweet and vulnerable contrast that fans of the singer’s past material have been drawn too amongst all the hip-hop themes and production” says music reviewer Thomas Bleach. Overall, it is a rather good song with striking instrumentations and remarkable vocals from both artists. Our Score: 4/5

2. Bad Guy- Billie Eilish

‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish is a great song and it shows us exactly why Eilish is such a prevalent figure in today’s pop era. The song comes off her most recent album ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ and it is one of her more upbeat songs from the album. It combines minimalist sounds with rap and at times, shocking lyrics. It is quintessential Eilish. According to IFPI, “The song was an instant hit, topping the charts in more than 15 countries around the world, including the US, Australia, Canada and Mexico”. Eilish herself said when speaking to NME “I knew I liked the song a lot, but I had no idea what to expect”, its undeniably nothing like what we are used to hearing, especially from 17 year olds. But Eilish yet again proved to us all why she very much deserves her success. Duh! Our Score: 5/5

1. Señorita – Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes

Drum roll… Señorita was the most streamed song on Spotify in 2019. We always knew it was popular, as we seem to hear it wherever we go, be it as work, shopping or listening to the radio. Even though, the song is as generic as it comes when we listen to other similar songs these days, perhaps that is all it takes to be the number 1 most streamed song on Spotify. With more than 1 billion streams to be precise on the platform itself. Our Score: 3/5