Soundtrack to 2016
This year was an interesting one for the music industry. You probably found yourself with Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” stuck in your head during physics class or maybe you heard the dining hall staff blasting Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” on a Sunday afternoon. You might have scoured the internet in search of Kanye West’s most recent album, “The Life of Pablo”, before giving up and buying a Tidal account since that is the only streaming site where it is available. If you went to a hockey game, you likley heard Dj Dira’s “Welcome to My House” while the Zamboni resurfaced the ice. One thing is for sure, you will probably never forget the song “Pumping Blood” by Sara James in Exeter’s admissions video.
Many elementary school favorite artists made a comeback this summer including Justin Bieber, One Direction and Selena Gomez. “Good for You” by Gomez made it onto Billboard’s Top 20 Songs of Summer. The lyrics and rhythm of the song suggested that the former Disney star has indeed grown up. The song also featured A$AP Rocky, a rapper who is known for songs such as “Everyday.”
As for Bieber, if you were a “Belieber” a couple years ago, you probably love him even more now, and if you weren’t a fan back then you have to admit that his latest album, “Purpose”, shows positive improvement. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. In November, he released “Purpose: The Movement,” a series of videos for each track on the album featuring different types of dance. The project can be played in sequence to form a 30-minute dance film. If you told your friend, “Mark My Words, I’ll Show You Justin’s new album is actually really good,” they probably responded “Sorry, What Do You Mean?” Bieber’s ability to collaborate with new artists and change his sound shows his growth from his former identity as the “Canadian YouTube star with the flowy hair.” This inspirational album was also meant to be taken as an apology for his various misdemeanours and negative media presence in the recent past.
According to Billboard, the number one song of last summer was “Cheerleader” by OMI. The upbeat and catchy song was perfect for dancing and singing out loud while in the heat and sun. Similar songs such as “Bad Blood” by Swift, “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weekend and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson were also on the list of Top Songs of Summer. Rap songs such as “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and “Watch Me” by Silento also found a place in everyone’s summer playlists.
In November 2015, the world said “Hello” to Adele’s third album, “25”. Following in the footsteps of Swift, who pulled her music from Spotify in 2014, the album was not made available on any music streaming sites, including Apple Music. These artists are working together to impact the modern music industry by encouraging the public to buy physical albums instead of downloading and streaming.
With the release of his seventh album, “The Life of Pablo”, West also strayed away from Spotify. He only made his music available on Tidal, a music streaming site where users must pay for a subscription. However, this may not have been the best choice for West who is now in 53 million dollars of personal debt.
During winter break, you may have heard carolers sing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or you might’ve heard Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” Another trending song during this time was the rising artist Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches.” The 17-year-old artist first became popular from posting song covers on the app Vine in 2013. Since then he has released his debut album, “Handwritten”, which featured other popular songs such as “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
Your Spring Break playlist probably included “I Took A Pill In Ibiza—Seeb Remix.” The lyrics and base drop during the chorus may seem too good for Mike Posner, however, the artist has recovered from his 2010 “Cooler Than Me” phase. Maybe Avicii really did peer pressure Posner into making better music.
In March of 2015, Zayn Malik announced his separation from the boyband One Direction, and in March of 2016, the remaining four members of the band began a one year hiatus for individual projects. This split came as no surprise to most; however, what did come as a surprise was how good Zayn’s first album, “Mind of Mine”, sounded. He dropped the album in March of 2016, a year after going solo, and dropped his first single, “Pillowtalk,” in February. Zayn also has worked with artists Lil Wayne and Chris Brown in the past year. “Mind of Mine” has a pleasant downbeat vibe to it. His provocative lyrics prove to be defiant to his “Boy Band” phase.
The album also features an intermission song, Flower, which is sung in Urdu in recognition of his Pakistani heritage. Malik may very well be the ‘Justin Timberlake’ of One Direction.
This year’s Grammy Awards was unforgettable; Lady Gaga’s tribute to David Bowie was electric and Kendrick Lamar’s performance literally woke up the audience while he walked out in chains and his band played behind jail bars. Up against songs such as Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space,” Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and The Weekend’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ upbeat “Uptown Funk” won Record of the Year. This didn’t stop Swift’s 1989 from snagging the Album of the Year. Sheeran was also recognized for his songwriting of “Thinking Out Loud” when it won Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
Artists seem to have grown up and begun to fight for their art. Between Bieber and Gomez’s change in sound and feel, boy band’s breaking up, teen pop stars rising from social media apps and Swift, West, Coldplay and Adele pulling music from Spotify, the music industry has seen quite a lot of change throughout this year.