With 2016 over and 2017 here already, it is time to look back on the past year and analyze the big trends, styles and ideas. Something that is often reflected back on is the top songs of the year.
2016 was “the year” for many artists, including The Chainsmokers. This predominantly EDM group brought the world not one, and not even two, but three top songs according to Billboard’s Top 100 Songs of 2016. The Ohio based alternative pop band Twenty One Pilots was also sprinkled across this list, with their song “Stressed Out” at the 5 spot, and “Ride” and “Heathens” next to each other at 20 and 21. At the 1 spot is Justin Bieber with “Love Yourself”.
Music also saw its fair share of drama in 2016. To start off the year, Taylor Swift added to the firey fued between her and rapper Kanye West during her acceptance speech for Album of the Year at the Grammy’s, saying “As the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammys twice, I want to say to all the young women out there—there are going to be people along the way who are going to try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there. And that will be greatest feeling in the world.”
April 21 brought us the death of multimillion record selling artist, Prince. Prince passed after reporting that he had come down with the flu two weeks before. At only 57 years of age, his death shocked the world.
Then finally to end the year, Camila Cabello of girlband Fifth Harmony announced her departure from the group on Dec 18. She had previously done solo work, and collaborated with fellow pop artist Shawn Mendes on a song that got fairly popular, and fans of the band were outraged by the fact that her representatives announced her leaving instead doing it herself.
2016 was a hectic, yet brilliant year for the music world, and we can only hope that 2017 will bring even better memories and, of course, music. Story by Demi Lawrence.
