Music apps Spotify and Shazam have both released their predictions for songs of the summer 2016. Both services' lists include the most recent releases from Drake, Justin Timberlake, The Chainsmokers, David Guetta and Rihanna, Desiigner, Jason Derulo and Keith Urban.
Spotify, of course, is the leading music streaming service, with over 100 million subscribers worldwide including 30 million on its paid tier, so the service is in a solid spot to name what it expects to be the hits of summer 2016. The streamer's just released list includes some of the usual suspects along with a few newcomers.
Two no-brainers on the list, which have already taken the nation by storm, are Drake's "One Dance" and Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling." The two tracks recently battled it out for the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100, and while Justin's disco-flavored feel good track knocked Drake's more modern tropical flavored R&B song off its perch for a week, Drake came roaring back to the top spot the following week. That indicates longevity for the infectious track and makes it a real contender for song of the summer.
Other songs on the Spotify list include Drake's frequent collaborator Rihanna, who this time teamed up with David Guetta for "This Is What You Came For," an anthemic EDM song to satisfy fans looking for a harder bass track than the ones featured on her hit album "Anti," exemplified by her former number one single "Work." Meanwhile Fifth Harmony's "Work From Home," which has a strikingly similar chorus to the aforementioned Rihanna track, overcame the glut of work-related songs to hit the charts and also made the list of potential summer smashes. The Chainsmokers insanely infectious EDM anthem "Don't Let Me Down" also made the cut.
Shazam, the music identification app, also released its predictions recently for 2016's top summer songs using data indicating which tracks its users were searching for, and many of the Shazam picks overlap with those of Spotify, including those by Drake, David Guetta and Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and The Chainsmokers, along with "Panda" by Desiigner, "If It Ain't Love" by Jason Derulo and Keith Urban's country smash "Wasted Time."
While all of the above are worthy contenders, summer 2016 has only just begun, and if the past is any indication, it's often songs that come completely out of left field rather than those by known hit artists that unexpectedly become summer anthems. Tracks like Nico And Vinz's 2014 smash "Am I Wrong" and Major Lazer's 2015 "Lean On" along with Omi's "Cheerleader," also from 2015, owned the summer soundtracks of their respective years without the hype and buildup of tracks by more established artists. What will be the surprise breakout of this summer? Despite all the predictions, only time will tell.
