The Aura Farmer, Horror Skunx's grinning brown horse in gold-rimmed aviator sunglasses, a quiff and a pink polka-dot jacket, beside Larper Larry, a white rooster with a red comb squawking at him, against a blue sky on the cover of the 'TAF (The Aura Farmer)' single

mymy magazine: what the world’s top songs really mean

Music Magazine

New release · Horror SkunxThe Dutchman behind a horse called TAFRead the review

Artwork: Horror Skunx ('TAF' single)

Two people kiss in a field of red flowers under a deep blue sky, one in white and one in a red top, the whole scene broken up as if reflected in rippling water, on the cover of Daddy Yankee's 'BOTZ' single

'BOTZ': a kiss song that keeps God in

Is 'BOTZ' a Christian song? No: Daddy Yankee's title stands for 'Bésame otra vez', kiss me again, sung to a woman. Its pre-chorus still credits God for her.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: DY Records ('BOTZ' single)

A member of Onset Music Group with close-cropped hair, a silver chain and a blue and white jumper smiles at the camera with his hands pressed together against a dark background, in the official 'Maphupho Fezeka' video

A 2022 amapiano line, an a cappella, a 2026 Shazam run

The voices on 'Maphupho Fezeka'

'Maphupho Fezeka' means 'dreams come true'. The hook is in DJ Zandimaz's 2022 'Maphupho'; Justin Vibes's remix, on 11 Shazam charts, has Onset's voices.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Onset Music Group OMG / YouTube ('Maphupho Fezeka')

Al Shami, his dark curly hair swept up and his beard trimmed short, in a black leather jacket, looks into the camera against a blurred blue night background, in the music video for 'Taa'

New release · Al Shami

'Taa', No. 1 on YouTube in Sweden

Al Shami's 'Taa' is a plea built on one Levantine word, 'come', with a chorus sung four times; the video adds a quiet ending that returns to the first verse. Its daily YouTube views rose four days running to a new high on its seventh day on the global chart, where his singles from June and July had peaked on their second.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Al Shami / YouTube ('Taa' official video)

sombr, his dark curly hair falling over smudged dark eye make-up, in an open black shirt with a thin chain at his neck, looks into the camera in front of blurred green trees, in the music video for 'My Body Isn't Ready'

No. 9 in the UK in its 19th week

sombr, 'Yellow' and a shared pace

Does sombr's 'My Body Isn't Ready' sound like Coldplay's 'Yellow'? In speed, 89 against 86 bpm. Not in key or lead instrument, and there's no sample.Read the storyMin Key

Still: sombr / YouTube ('My Body Isn't Ready' official video)

Miracle LRE, in a black flat cap, black suit, white shirt, red tie and black gloves, leans out of the window of a rusted green and red truck and looks into the camera, in his YouTube Music artist picture

A Ghanaian song, Shazamed in Uganda

From Ghana to Uganda's Shazam No. 1

Who is Miracle LRE? A rapper from Ghana who says he speaks eight or nine languages. 'Sorry I'm Different', a talk with death, hit No. 1 on Uganda's Shazam.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Miracle LRE (YouTube Music artist picture)

Prince Royce, his dark curls slicked back, in a sleeveless cream knit vest and silver rings, looks over his shoulder into the camera with his hands pressed together against a dark blue background, in his YouTube Music artist picture

A 2010 album track, No. 31 on Shazam worldwide in 2026

'Rechazame': the plea Shazam found

'Rechazame' means 'reject me': Prince Royce's 2010 bachata asks a secret lover to say no. An album track, it was No. 31 on Shazam worldwide on 8 November.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Prince Royce (YouTube Music artist picture)

Alex Crichton, his brown hair swept up, in a black leather jacket over a white T-shirt, looks into the camera in low evening sun in front of autumn trees and tall dry grass, in the picture on his YouTube channel

A Christmas song that hit Spotify's weekly charts in July

Alex Crichton took the Christmas out

'What If I Call' reworks Alex Crichton's 2024 Christmas song without 'Merry Christmas' or the November verse. Is he in Bleachers? No, but fans pair the songs.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Alex Crichton (YouTube channel picture)

Alfie Castley, his auburn hair tousled, in a cream T-shirt, looks into the camera with a slight smile in front of a white panelled door lit in soft purple, in a video on his YouTube channel

New release · Alfie Castley

Three silences before Alfie Castley's chorus

Alfie Castley's 'Killer, Baby' is an electronic dance-pop love song about staying with someone dangerous, with true silence cutting the line into its first chorus three times. It has no bridge and ends by repeating half its chorus, and on Shazam it is climbing in Ukraine and Belarus.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Alfie Castley / YouTube (his songwriting video)

Harry Styles, in a grey pinstripe jacket over an open red-collared shirt with a blue and orange print and a small gold brooch on his lapel, sits by a table of coffee urns and white mugs in a red-walled hall and looks to the side, in the music video for 'Coming Up Roses'

Started as a Christmas song, counted in threes

The 12/8 song on Harry Styles' new album

Is 'Coming Up Roses' a waltz? Its sheet music is in 12/8, four slow beats split in three, not 3/4. It is the only song in threes on Harry Styles' new album.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Harry Styles / YouTube ('Coming Up Roses' official video)

SHEAN, with tousled dark hair, a white T-shirt with a chest pocket and a red-rose guitar strap over one shoulder, looks into the camera in front of a window with yellow bars in the music video for 'ako ang bagyo'

A guitar song in August, a band single by October

SHEAN's storm: No. 1 in the Philippines

'ako ang bagyo' is Tagalog for 'I am the storm': SHEAN's song wishes an ex and a new partner no happiness. It hit No. 1 on Spotify's Philippine daily chart.Read the storyMin Key

Still: SHEAN / YouTube ('ako ang bagyo' official video)

Olivia Rodrigo, her dark hair pinned in rolls at the front and falling in long waves, wears a white nurse's cap, a pale pink nurse's dress and red lipstick and looks into the camera as she sings, in the music video for 'the cure'

Two songs a semitone apart, and one loud minute

Where 'the cure' meets 'Everlong'

No 'Everlong' sample in 'the cure': Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro are its only credited writers. It comes nearest 'Everlong' in its loudest minute, from 3:20.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Olivia Rodrigo / YouTube ('the cure' official video)

Róisín Murphy, her fair hair swept back, looks into the camera in a pink jacket with darker star-shaped panels over a patterned shirt collar, against a grey background, in the picture on her YouTube channel

From an Emmy-winning dance to the Halloween costume walk

The camera flash in 'Ramalama (Bang Bang)'

'Ramalama' is just a sound word. Róisín Murphy's 2005 song with the line “taking a picture of you” is about a heartbeat and a flash, now a costume walk.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Róisín Murphy (YouTube channel picture)

AYLIVA, her long dark ponytail tied with a black velvet bow, holds a black polka-dot lace glove to her temple and looks over her shoulder, on the cover of her 2023 album 'Schwarzes Herz'

New release · AYLIVA

A crash at 1:02 in AYLIVA's 'Für immer'

'Für immer' has AYLIVA begging a love to last, afraid of saying that his name is all she still knows, and the video's car crash comes on the first chorus. It opened at No. 2 on Spotify in Germany and No. 1 on YouTube's German daily video chart, on about half the plays of her January single's best day.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: AYLIVA ('Schwarzes Herz' album, Whiteheart Records, 2023)

Zavyre's masked figure in a white lace balaclava and a hooded white fur coat stands at a microphone, blue eyes showing, in a still from the video 'This Is Zavyre'

Five million views behind a white mask

Zavyre's AI labels, and a near-namesake

Is Zavyre a real person? The masked act says so and calls AI a tool. 'Don't Let Go' has no AI label; the 5 newest solo songs do. Zavyer is another name.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Zavyre / YouTube ('This Is Zavyre')

Justin Bieber, aged 18, sings into a headset microphone in black sunglasses and a white sleeveless top, a gold-gloved hand at his chest, under blue stage light at the Target Center in Minneapolis on 20 October 2012

A 2012 song that Coachella brought back, and that has not left

Bieber at 18, back on the charts at 32

Justin Bieber was 18 in 'Beauty And A Beat', Nicki Minaj 29. After Coachella the 2012 song went No. 1 on Spotify's global chart; 198 days on, it's top 50.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Joe Bielawa (cropped), CC BY 2.0

New release · Anuel AA

Anuel's 'come back' song, and Karol G

'Vuelve' is Anuel AA asking an ex to come back, and the 'unblock me' to Karol G is in his Instagram caption, not in the lyric. On our measure the 'Mami, vuelve' plea is quieter than the explicit lines around it and the second verse. It is a Southern Cone streaming hit, No. 4 on Spotify in Argentina, that US Latin radio has not picked up.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Anuel AA / YouTube

Mauvais Djo, in a white durag and a white sleeveless top, sleeps on a grey sofa with a gold wrestling championship belt around his waist and the edge of another propped behind his head, on the artwork for his single '4'

The club MC behind 'Pilé', and a choir no footage shows singing

Mauvais Djo is real. The choir is a question

Is Mauvais Djo AI? No: the Franco-Congolese singer performed 'Pilé', Congo's name for 'Beat It', in Cannes. Is Kano Choir's gospel 'Pilé' AI? Unproven.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Mauvais Djo ('4' single, Nojoke Record, 2026)

The 'Shotta's.' single artwork: a pale green snake coiled around a dark, blurred shape on a black background, with a parental advisory label below

Self-released, with no interviews to go on

Season 25's 'Shotta's.' and its TikTok clips

Season 25, S25 on TikTok, self-released 'Shotta's.' on 25 September. The R&B song is in 39 national Shazam charts and reached No. 5 on Spotify in Germany.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Season 25 ('Shotta's.' single, 2026)

The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 soundtrack artwork: three anime characters sit among crates and scrap on a littered street at night, a tall man in a long grey coat standing behind them under a burst of light

New release · Petite Meller, Kalman Chodakiewitz & Eli Shiffman

The Edgerunners 2 song people are looking up

'In Love With Myself' starts small and plucked and turns loud at a chorus our software hears as grunge and rock; in the printed lyrics, one hook comes back ten times in under three minutes. It sounds made for a closing scene, and a week after Netflix released the series, listeners in the United States, Poland and the Baltics were already playing it away from the show.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 soundtrack, Milan Records

The 'Happy Halloween' single artwork: a cartoon girl with pink, yellow and pale blue hair and swirling lilac eyes, in a purple jacket with striped sleeves, is shown in a red classroom under the song's candy-lettered title

Kagamine Rin's trick-or-treat night, back every October

Why Japan replays 'Happy Halloween' each year

Who sings 'Happy Halloween'? Kagamine Rin, a Vocaloid voice, in Junky's 2014 trick-or-treat song, No. 1 on Japan's Shorts chart on 31 October 2024 and 2025.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Junky ('Happy Halloween' single, 2018)

RnBoi, in a dark red leather jacket, looks down with his mouth closed in a dim room in the 'J'assume' clip

New release · RnBoi

RnBoi owns up to a toxic love in 'J'assume'

Over a quiet guitar verse and a swaying chorus, RnBoi turns 'own it' from an order to a lover into his own admission. Sung this softly, a song about two people hurting each other is easy to love, and the same softness makes the hurt sound sweet.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: RnBoiVEVO / YouTube

BLOK3, in a loose white shirt with an in-ear monitor, smiles as he sings 'Sebebi Yar' into a black microphone under purple stage light at Beşiktaş Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul

A Turkish heartbreak song that travelled south

Why 'Sebebi Yar' blames the beloved

In English, 'Sebebi Yar' is 'the beloved is the reason': BLOK3 blames a lover's eyes. 45 days at No. 1 on Spotify in Türkiye, No. 2 on Shazam in Morocco.Read the storyMin Key

Still: BLOK3 / YouTube

Edward Maya, producer of 'Stereo Love', smiles over his shoulder in a dark suit, white shirt and tie in front of a red curtain, at a meeting in January 2010

A 2009 dance hit, cut down for Shorts

Which 'Stereo Love Funk' the charts count

'Stereo Love Funk' song: the one YouTube counts on its Shorts charts is Cotneus, PVNZER and Kngmn's 77-second edit of Edward Maya's 2009 'Stereo Love'.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Eldar Mansurov (cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0

Teddy Swims, bearded, with tattoos on his face and neck, tinted rimless sunglasses and chains, sings in black and white in a close-up from the 'Mr. Know It All' video

A sound-alike, put through our tools

What 'Mr. Know It All' shares with Gotye

Does Teddy Swims' 'Mr. Know It All' sample Gotye? No. No Gotye writer is credited and the chords differ, and it is not Sting's or Kelly Clarkson's song.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Teddy Swims / YouTube

Jamie Miller in dark sunglasses tips his head back and smiles at the sky, wearing a blue ringer T-shirt with 'Baby Doll' written across it in white script, on the 'Babydoll' single artwork

A Welsh No. 1 that a TV fandom adopted

How 'Babydoll' got tied to Off Campus

Is 'Babydoll' in Off Campus? Not in season 1, out in May, before Jamie Miller's 7 August release. The UK No. 1 has a duet with the show's Antonio Cipriano.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Republic Records ('Babydoll' single)

Shakira, singer of 'Waka Waka', with long wavy golden-brown hair, dark eyeliner and a red-and-gold beaded top, looks into the camera on the Latin Grammy Awards red carpet in Seville, November 2023

Ten videos, ten routes, measured

Why YouTube's top 10 music videos never stop

The most viewed music video on YouTube is 'Despacito', 9.15 billion views on 25 October 2026. We measured what keeps all ten playing, and forecast 2030.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Junta de Andalucía (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0

Patrick Sébastien, with long white hair and a white shirt printed with blue and yellow flowers, sings into a microphone and raises a thumb under a round orange stage lamp, in concert at Somain, France, on 2 July 2022

A 2015 album track, danced to far from France

Four knocks, and a joke for grown-ups

What language is the 'Toc Toc' song? French. Patrick Sébastien's 2015 track is four knocks at night, full of double meanings, in 17 Shazam top 100s.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Serge Ottaviani (cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0

A grief song from a singer who never shows his face

Doz, the masked voice of 'TU N'ES PLUS LÀ'

Doz has not said if he uses AI; none of his 16 videos has YouTube's AI label. The masked 'TU N'ES PLUS LÀ' singer's stadium clips match no concert we found.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Doz (YouTube channel picture)

A large red risograph print of an open mouth on yellow paper, close up, from the single artwork for ANOTR and 54 Ultra's 'Talk To You'

Why a 2026 house hit sounds older than it is

No credited sample in 'Talk To You'

ANOTR's 'Talk To You' credits no sample or older song, just six writers. The vintage voice is 54 Ultra, who released his own version of it in June 2026.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: No Art ('Talk To You' single)

The words 'my Sweetie' in shiny lilac chrome script glow above a wet, empty street at night under a starry sky, with a lit Ferris wheel and city lights behind, from the artwork for nissi and 25Hzz's 'Wyw my sweetie #JerseyClub'

The dance-clip hook people type when the title escapes them

The “come back and back” song has a name

What is the “come back and back” song? 'Wyw my sweetie' by nissi and 25Hzz, in 49 Shazam top 100s. No singer is credited; some uploads carry an AI label.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: VBR ('Wyw my sweetie #JerseyClub' EP)

A paper-cut drawing of a small white house with a red roof, stained-glass windows, a wooden double door and a menu board, among green forest leaves, from the cover of Aoi Teshima's single 'Mori no Chiisana Restaurant'

The NHK fairy tale that ends with a last meal

The forest restaurant with no dessert

What does 'Mori no Chiisana Restaurant' mean? 'A small restaurant in the forest.' Aoi Teshima's 2023 NHK song, not an anime theme, ends with a grave.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Aoi Teshima ('Mori no Chiisana Restaurant' single)

Faouzia, in a sheer white lace-edged veil over long dark hair, with dark eyeliner and pink lips, looks into the camera in a wooded clearing at dusk, on the cover of her single 'UNETHICAL'

The voice listeners keep second-guessing

The voice on 'UNETHICAL' is Faouzia's own

Faouzia is real, not AI. She sang her 2025 song 'UNETHICAL' live on China's Singer 2026 in July; in October it hit No. 73 on Spotify's global daily chart.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Faouzia ('UNETHICAL' single)

Haute, with an orange bob, white clown make-up, drawn-on brows and a ruffled white collar, looks straight at the camera in front of a circus strongman lifting a barbell, on the cover of Haute & Freddy's album 'Big Disgrace'

The Carrie song that sounds older than it is

Carrie's 'Shy Girl' is from 2025, not 1985

Is the 'Shy Girl' song in Carrie from the 1980s? No. Haute & Freddy released it in April 2025. The 1985 'Shy Girl' is Stacey Q's, a different song.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Haute & Freddy ('Big Disgrace' album)

JADE, in a silver tinsel outfit with red eye make-up and painted freckles across her brow, sings into a hand-held microphone on a stage in Brussels in March 2026

A 2024 single, two days after one runway walk

Kylie Jenner's runway song, two years on

What song did Kylie Jenner walk to at Victoria's Secret? JADE's 'Angel of My Dreams', from 2024. Two days later it was on Spotify charts in 12 countries.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Tomica (cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0

Romeo Santos, in a brown leather jacket with a silver chain, sings into a gold microphone held close to his mouth under a blue stage light at Chile's Estadio Nacional in January 2015

A 2011 bachata on Spotify's weekly charts in seven countries

'Let them die', a bachata love song

'Que Se Mueran' means 'let them die'. Is it a love song? Yes: Romeo Santos, singing as a man of 24, curses gossips judging him and his partner of 30.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Fernando Navarro Urrutia (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0

Ashe, with a blonde bob, dark eyeliner and red lipstick, in a red sequinned halter gown, looks back over her bare shoulder at the camera against a black backdrop

A slow-burn hit and the wedding behind it

Ashe's two weddings, in one song

Ashe wrote 'Stop The Wedding!' about her own first wedding at 23; the idea came on the day she wed again. It has reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 34 in the US.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Elizabeth Marsh (cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0

Jason Derulo, in an open patchwork denim jacket, a black vest, a chain and ripped black jeans, dances on stage against a white haze at the Superbloom festival in Munich in September 2023

A summer hit, and who is credited with singing it

Who sings 'Mi Chico', by the credits

Is 'Mi Chico' an AI song? Nobody behind it says so. DJ Goja's original credits one singer, himself; Jason Derulo's version appears to share its backing track.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Moiyeah (cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0

Four members of manifest, in a brown satin jacket, a black leather jacket with leopard cuffs, a white shirt and a pearl collar, pose in front of brick council flats framed by broken glass on the cover of their single 'TRALALA'

A Turkish girl group's English single

No. 4 in the world, mostly from Turkey

manifest's 'TRALALA', the Turkish girl group's English single, was No. 4 on YouTube worldwide in its first week. Turkey supplied 85% of the views.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Hypers Music ('TRALALA' single)

Daddy Yankee, in a navy New York Yankees cap, a grey plaid jacket and a white T-shirt, smiles and raises one hand on a rooftop at dusk with the Manhattan skyline behind him, in his 2025 'Sonríele' video

The words under a Shorts sound

'Me Quedo' says he never stays behind

Daddy Yankee's 'Me Quedo' hook means 'I never stay', a 1990s boast from a DJ Playero tape, remade in 2003. In October it made 16 countries' Shorts top 50.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Daddy Yankee / YouTube ('Sonríele' video)

Tate McRae, with long wavy blonde hair, a white lace-trimmed corset top and jeans, leans against a stone column among cypress trees and smiles at the camera in the 'Housewife' music video

The stay-at-home dream, self-funded

'Housewife', and who pays the bills

Tate McRae's 'Housewife' is about paying for her own comfortable life, with a man she wants, not needs. No. 1 on Spotify worldwide on 16 October, then No. 4.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Tate McRae / YouTube ('Housewife' video)

A young man in a dark beanie and dark clothes sits alone on a low ledge outside a lit glass-walled house at night, in the black-and-white photograph on the cover of Thekidszn's single 'IMPULSIVE'

A name that sounds like someone else's

Not The Kid LAROI: who Thekidszn is

Is Thekidszn The Kid LAROI? No. He's a rapper releasing since 2019 whose channel lists the US. His February single 'IMPULSIVE' hit Spotify charts in October.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: SANA / LISTEN TO THE KIDS ('IMPULSIVE' single)

SZA, with long curly red hair and a grey striped jacket and wide trousers, smiles with her eyes lowered as she crosses the stage against a dark blue stadium in London in July 2025

Rockstar's Launch Trailer, matched to the single

The GTA 6 trailer song, second by second

The GTA 6 Trailer 3 song is Justice's 'Flower in a Hurricane' with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard. We mapped the cut and tested the Dire Straits link.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Raph_PH (cropped), CC BY 4.0

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, in a plaid shirt over a white T-shirt with a red heart, holds up a microphone and a red cup and looks down, against blue stage smoke at Flow Festival in Helsinki in 2019

A second wave, two months after the cinemas

'Loser' at home: Shazam top 50s, 26 to 49

Tame Impala's 'Loser' is the Spider-Man: Brand New Day party song. Once the film went digital, it spread from Shazam's top 50 in 26 countries to 49 in a week.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Raph_PH (cropped), CC BY 2.0

An illustrated singer in a red shirt and a gold chain holds a microphone close against a pink-red background, on the cover of HUGEL and SOLTO's single 'Jamaican (Bam Bam)'

300 days in Shazam's global top 50

Sister Nancy sang it in Kingston in 1982

The voice on 'Jamaican (Bam Bam)' is Sister Nancy's, from 1982. What her Patois lines mean, which ones HUGEL and SOLTO cut, and its 300 chart days on Shazam.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: MoBlack Records / Make the Girls Dance Records

A young woman with long dark hair glances back over her shoulder in front of a dark apartment door at dusk, on the cover of MEOMURU's single 'The Adult I Dreamed Of'

On YouTube's Korea charts since 27 July

A Suno-sung ballad that YouTube found first

Is MEOMURU AI? The voice is Suno's, every single says so, and the words are human. 'The Adult I Dreamed Of' climbed YouTube in Korea before Melon's No. 3.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Glory Wave Sound ('The Adult I Dreamed Of' single)

Two members of BESTie in black-and-white houndstooth dresses, one with long light-brown hair and one with a purple bob, on the cover of their 2013 single 'Love Options'

No. 53 to No. 12 on YouTube's Korea chart in five weeks

A 2013 K-pop wish list, back on the charts

What does BESTie's 'Love Options' mean? A wish list sung as if she wants nothing. Thirteen years on, it reached No. 1 on YouTube's Shorts chart in Korea.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: YNB Entertainment ('Love Options' single)

Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C., in a grey shearling jacket, holds a microphone and looks to one side in front of a crowd under umbrellas at Rough Trade West, London, in April 2019

Looked up almost three times as often since 18 September

The MobLand theme people look up on Fridays

What TV show is 'Starburster' in? MobLand: Fontaines D.C.'s 2024 single opens the Paramount+ drama, and readers of its Wikipedia page jump each Friday.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Paul Hudson (cropped), CC BY 2.0

DA TI in a leather jacket looks out of a dark window beside a round lamp, in the black-and-white photograph on the cover of his single 'Take Me There'

In Shazam's top 50 in 12 countries

The Georgian voice behind 'Take Me There'

Who is DA TI? A singer from Georgia who lives in Budapest and records for Warner. 'Take Me There', out in April, is in Shazam's top 50 in 12 countries.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Warner Records ('Take Me There' single)

Sienna Spiro, her long dark hair swept to one side and her eyes lined in black, looks into the camera against an orange backdrop on the cover of her album 'Visitor'

Top of the UK chart for three weeks

She keeps the man she imagines

'Great Expectation' meaning: Sienna Spiro takes the man she imagines over the real one, who answers only when he needs her. No. 1 in the UK for three weeks.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Capitol Records ('Visitor' album)

A member of A2O SOUL with a brown fringe and a black laced jacket stands still under a backlight against a grey-blue haze in the 'SUPERSTAR' music video

Lee Soo-man's boy group, measured

Lee Soo-man's boys chase an unreachable star

Lee Soo-man's new boy group, A2O SOUL, debuts with 'SUPERSTAR': 15 members from five countries and 4:08 of what his label calls New Synthwave.Read the storyMin Key

Still: A2O Entertainment / YouTube ('SUPERSTAR' music video)

A member of A2O LITE with a layered black bob and a plain white T-shirt looks straight into the camera against a blue concrete wall in the 'NEON' music video

Melon's fastest group debut No. 1 since 2021

Nine teenagers, a No. 1 in 29 hours

A2O LITE are Lee Soo-man's new K-pop girl group: nine members aged 13 to 17, six from outside Korea. Debut 'NEON' topped Melon 29 hours after release.Read the storyMin Key

Still: A2O Entertainment / YouTube ('NEON' music video)

Juhi Chawla in a blue embroidered lehenga and Govinda in a cream kurta dance with their arms raised before a crowd under strings of lights in the 'Aayi Hai Diwali Suno Ji Gharwali' song sequence

Four or five chart days each Diwali

The song India saves for Diwali

'Aayi Hai Diwali Suno Ji Gharwali' is from Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya (2001), sung by Udit Narayan and five more. India's top music video, Diwali 2025.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Goldmines Gaane Sune Ansune / YouTube (film clip)

Ayra Starr in a glossy gold mini dress and a purple metallic gele fires a pink beam of light from her outstretched hand against black, on the cover of her album 'Starrgirl'

Ten times the searches, for one hour

Searched at halftime, not played after

'Heaven Baby' meaning: Ayra Starr doubts, ZAYN answers. After her NFL London halftime show, searches for her name rose tenfold for an hour; video views fell.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Mavin / Republic Records ('Starrgirl' album)

A member of Travis Japan in a dark red jacket and a thin necklace, close up against a pink and red sky in the 'EGO' music video

New release · Travis Japan

Travis Japan's 'EGO': love equals ego

A tight, hook-first dance song with a one-line thesis, bought in its first day and a half by a loyal Japanese fandom and not yet streamed far beyond it.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Travis Japan / YouTube ('EGO' music video)

A spotted dog in a spiked collar bares its teeth, legs splayed, on a deep blue field: the single artwork for NSQK and Jean Dawson's 'Dientes De Fierro'

New release · NSQK & Jean Dawson

NSQK bares iron teeth with Jean Dawson

A dark, guitar-heavy love-as-death song that gives Jean Dawson the title line and NSQK the hook, out three days before the album that could bury it.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: Nsqk, 'Dientes De Fierro' (Honey)

The AI-made Thiago Navarro persona, a bearded man with short curly hair in a white shirt with gold triangles, laughs over a cup of coffee at a flower-lined café in the 'Bonito, Bonito' video

32 of 32 videos labelled AI

An AI singer with a human lyricist

Is Thiago Navarro a real person? No: face and voice are AI, its makers say; lyricist Anier Cruz Revilla is real. 'Bonito, Bonito' tops Shazam in Costa Rica.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Thiago Navarro Music / YouTube (AI-made 'Bonito, Bonito')

Vishal Mishra, eyes closed, sings into a red microphone in a red kurta before a flower-decked shrine of the goddess, on the artwork for 'Meri Maa Ne Bulaya Hai'

New release · Vishal Mishra

A bhajan built for the garba floor

A prayer that turns into a dance after 30 quiet seconds, timed to the first morning of Navratri. It has nine nights to become the garba song of 2026, and a late first chorus to overcome.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: T-Series ('Meri Maa Ne Bulaya Hai' single)

The word Alfaaz written in red Urdu letters on a pink field strewn with loose letters, with the names Hamza Malik and Zain Zohaib, the single artwork for 'Alfaaz'

Song meaning

'Alfaaz': no words, in two languages

What does 'Alfaaz' by Hamza Malik and Zain Zohaib mean in English? 'Words': none can praise the one he loves. No. 1 on Spotify Pakistan and Shazam India.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Hamza Malik and Zain Zohaib ('Alfaaz' single)

Udit Narayan, in a black blazer over a white T-shirt with a tilak on his forehead, smiles at the camera

The data behind YouTube's No. 1

Why India's voices rule YouTube's chart

Who is the most viewed artist on YouTube? Weekly, India's Alka Yagnik, No. 1 since October 2022; all time, Bad Bunny. Why India leads, and what AI changes.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Camaal Fotografia (cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0

A watercolour of a smiling Nepali mother in a pink hoodie taking a box that holds a green bead necklace with a gold tilhari, from ST Man's 'Tilhari' lyric video

New release · ST Man

A gold tilhari, earned abroad

A soft-sung promise from a Nepali worker abroad to a mother left alone, timed to the first day of Dashain. The festival gives it nine days; a lyric video has to carry it.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: ST Man / YouTube ('Tilhari' lyric video by Blue Lakhe)

ALIE BLACKCOBRA, in a black bob with a fringe, looks straight at the camera in front of green trees in the 'SOMEONE (สรณะ)' video

New release · ALIE BLACKCOBRA

A plea for refuge, then candles and blood

A tender, fast-sung Thai plea for someone to hold on, sold by a video whose new family turns into a ring of candles and a crown of twigs.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: ALIE BLACKCOBRA / YouTube ('SOMEONE (สรณะ)' video)

A woman with long braids and round glasses prays with her eyes closed, a tear on her cheek, a worshipper in the official visualizer for Sunvera Scott's 'Pray for Me'

One AI label in 65 uploads

Kenya's top Shazam song: whose voice?

Is Sunvera Scott a real person or AI? Unproven: a self-described Chicago gospel singer, 1 AI label in 65 uploads. 'Pray for Me' is No. 1 on Shazam in Kenya.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Sunvera Scott / YouTube ('Pray for Me' official visualizer)

Beyblade X characters leap across a blue sky beside a spinning top, on the single artwork for &TEAM's 'Fearless'

New release · &TEAM

An anime opening that hits at 0:18

An anime opening built to hit fast: heavy at 0:18 and back twice more, with a 17-second electronic turn in the middle. The fan base showed up at once; whether it grows is the test.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: © Homura Kawamoto, Hikaru Muno, Posuka Demizu, BBXProject

A painted black-and-white portrait of one of the two friends in 'Dorothy', bearded, in a checked shirt, leaning on a rail, from the lyric video for 'Kanagamani'

New release · Ilaiyaraaja

His words, his voice, at 83

Slow, spare and sung by the 83-year-old who wrote it: two chant-like peaks, a cello and flute interlude, a music box of bells, then a voice fading into its own echo.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Sony Music South / YouTube ('Kanagamani' lyric video)

Bulin 47 in black wraparound sunglasses and a pink mesh shirt, a gold watch on his tattooed wrist, on the artwork for 'Dame Hombro'

Dembow, copied

A freestyle at a restaurant door

Who is Bulin 47? A Dominican dembow star whose street freestyle in Spain became 'Dame Hombro', No. 1 on YouTube's trending chart at home and No. 4 in the US.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Bulin 47 and Kevin Wai, 'Dame Hombro'

A member of V.O.S in a black jacket over a white T-shirt, his bandmates at the edges, on the cover of 'Will I See You'

New release · V.O.S

Old hits first, then an autumn ballad

A classic V.O.S autumn ballad, written by Choi Hyun-joon, with a nine-second hush before the last push. The million views came for the old songs; this one has to earn its own.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: Dingo Palette ('Will I See You' single)

Kim Ji-won as the surgeon of 'Doctor X', in a white coat and blue scrubs, on the cover of Kwon Jin-ah's 'Another Day'

New release · Kwon Jin-ah

A quiet wish for a surgical thriller

A gentle thank-you for days when nothing goes wrong, set against a series about a surgeon who never fails. It keeps its biggest moment for lines it sings only once.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: Studio S / Genie Music ('Another Day' single)

SOYEON, in a white dress with a company lanyard, looks away wearily in the office scene of the video for 'I'm gonna TOESA'

Korea's office anthem

A resignation letter at No. 1

What does 'TOESA' mean? It is Korean for quitting your job. SOYEON's 'I'm gonna TOESA' tops Melon and Circle; we measured the 2005 hit it borrows from.Read the storyMin Key

Still: i-dle / YouTube ('I'm gonna TOESA' official video)

Candu Domínguez in a white gown and a sheer white veil sings in the rain in the official video for 'Repitiendo Promesas'

New release · Candu Domínguez

A whisper, then the storm

A turn to the big ballad: a near-silent first verse, then a chorus well over twice as loud. The long wait is the risk; the payoff is real.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Candu Domínguez / YouTube ('Repitiendo Promesas' video)

Karim Mohsen lies in a red hammock in a studio full of keyboards on the cover of his album 'Ibn El Nas'

New release · Karim Mohsen

Seven songs out, one favourite

A breakup song in which the singer gets to be proved right, built on his own sax-like hook. Fans picked it out of seven overnight; the sound plays it safe, and the title line is what people will repeat.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: Karim Mohsen, 'Ibn El Nas'

P!nk, her platinum hair swept up, sings into a microphone in a black halter dress on The Truth About Love Tour in March 2013

A 2013 No. 1 comes back

Back in 28 charts, 13 years on

Why is P!nk's 'Just Give Me a Reason' charting again? It's on 28 Spotify country charts, up from one in July, and we found no remix or tour behind it.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: blumonkey14 (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0

Lexnour, in a striped T-shirt, lifts his face in prayer in the video for 'God I Need You'

New release · Lexnour

A prayer, then a doorbell

A plain, sincere prayer built on the formula of his best video of the past year. The sound will not stop a stranger; the story in the video might.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Lexnour / YouTube ('God I Need You' official video)

Artwork for FloyyMenor's 'Off The Planet': the Earth in copper tones seen from space, South America glittering like diamonds on its surface

New release · FloyyMenor

Life after 'Gata Only'

A hook that opens the song and a title built for shouting back, on a thin and explicit lyric. The first-day crowd is his own; Chile's chart is the test he has failed since February.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: FloyyMenor, 'Off The Planet' / UnitedMasters

Artwork for Bjorn Bonebreaker's 'Mama, Don't Close Your Eyes': a woman with long braids and runes painted on her face cups a burning ember

Made with AI, found on Facebook

A Viking channel's Facebook ballad

Is Bjorn Bonebreaker AI? YouTube labels 33 of the act's 39 videos as made with AI. Its ballad is now in 27 Shazam charts, carried there from Facebook.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Bjorn Bonebreaker, 'Mama, Don't Close Your Eyes'

Cover art for ano's 'From Hate To Love!': a drawing of ano, cheeks in her hands, with Keroro of Sgt. Frog waving below her

New release · ano

Sgt. Frog's opening, heard as punk

A cartoon opening with a punk song inside: a weather-forecast title, a growl in the middle and a chorus its first listeners single out. Anime openings travel, and this one has the hooks to.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: ano, 'From Hate To Love!' / TOY'S FACTORY

Bogdan DLP in a red leather jacket, a striped tie and small dark sunglasses, under gold stage lights in the official video for 'În locul meu'

New release · Bogdan DLP

Sixteen No. 1s, then a long wait

Short, loud from end to end and built to be sung back. His fans came on day one; the charts decide whether the wait for a No. 1 ends.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Bogdan DLP / YouTube ('În locul meu' official video)

ADÉLA, long hot-pink hair under a crown of white flowers, in a beaded white bandeau top in the music video for 'Ain't In LA'

Two hits, one map

Two ADÉLA hits, and the map between them

What does 'Ain't In LA' mean? A Bratislava song for girls told their dreams live elsewhere. It now outranks ADÉLA's 'Nicole Kidman' in 12 countries.Read the storyMin Key

Still: ADÉLA / YouTube ('Ain't In LA' music video)

Emmanuel Cortes, in sunglasses and a black shirt, a hand on his chest, sings on a beach lined with towers in the official video for 'Amor'

Back on the charts

The wedding song, climbing again

What does 'Amor' by Emmanuel Cortes mean in English? A plain promise of love over cumbia. Out since 2023, it is climbing YouTube charts in Latin America again.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Emmanuel Cortes / YouTube ('Amor' official video)

YENA in a yellow dress, belt and headband, a finger to her temple and her lips pursed, in the official music video for 'Catch Catch'

Why it spread

A chase song, 100 million views

What does YENA's 'Catch Catch' mean? A crush played as a chase, over a nearly wordless hook. She hoped for 5,000 dance videos; it passed 100 million views.Read the storyMin Key

Still: YENA / YouTube ('Catch Catch' music video)

pupsies, in glasses with a large white flower in her hair and a jewelled necklace, sings at night in the official visualizer for 'misery.'

The AI question

Human singer, machine-sounding hit

Is pupsies AI? No: a 19-year-old from North Carolina. Her 'misery.' is No. 1 on YouTube Shorts in four countries, and our software heard a 'synthetic' voice.Read the storyMin Key

Still: pupsies / YouTube ('misery.' visualizer)

A singer in a black fedora, round sunglasses and a gold-buttoned black suit opens his arms on a pier at sunset, in the video for 'O sa fie bine'

New release · Florin Cercel & Edward Sanda

The duet that has to beat its own singer

A warm, crowded four minutes with a chorus built to be sung back. Its hardest competition is Florin Cercel's own catalogue, and on day one that catalogue was winning.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Florin Cercel / YouTube ('O sa fie bine')

A rapper in sunglasses and a loose white shirt stands in a dark studio, in the black-and-white video for 'Glasine' by Klijent and Jala Brat

New release · Klijent & Jala Brat

Glasine: a new song, an old feeling

A homecoming more than a debut: the comments hear Jala Brat's older records, and the charts are following. A regional hit already, not yet Klijent's own.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: IMPERIA / YouTube ('Glasine')

The cover of Quavo's 'QRÖMELIFE': a close-up of Quavo's face behind chrome visor glasses spelling the album's title, a diamond grill on his teeth

New release · Quavo

Quavo's song, Tyler's comment section

The loudest, busiest new song we measured this week, and the verse everyone is talking about is not the host's. A moment for Tyler; not yet a hit for Quavo.Read the reviewMin Key

Artwork: Quavo, 'QRÖMELIFE' / Quality Control Music

The cover of Drake's 'HABIBTI (FOMO)': an old photograph covered in strips of masking tape, with only a pair of dark-lined eyes left showing

The borrowed hook

Drake slows down a country No. 1

Is Drake's 'Solar Eclipse' a 'Choosin' Texas' remix? Yes: Ella Langley and her co-writers are on its 13-name credit list, and it runs 8% slower and darker.Read the storyMin Key

Artwork: Drake, 'HABIBTI (FOMO)' / OVO, Republic Records

The artwork for 'Bye Bye Inhibitions': a glowing pink hand set with jewels, winged rings on three fingers, the names Alok and NAYEON (TWICE) on the palm

New release · Alok & NAYEON

A Brazilian DJ, a K-pop crowd

Built for a festival, heard first by a fandom. To become a hit it needs Brazil to join in, and on day one Brazil was not in the room.Read the reviewMin Key

Single artwork: Alok, NAYEON / Insomniac Music Group

brakence, in a striped shirt against a tree at night, studies a gold puppet glove on his hand, in his video for 'ready or noT'

New release · brakence

crystallized: loved first, heard later

A fan record first: one like for every three and a half early views, but it shares its day with a second song and has no video. Not a chart hit yet.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: brakence / YouTube ('ready or noT')

ADÉLA, in a pinstripe jacket, holds a box of popcorn and a drink in the beam of a cinema projector, in her music video for 'Nicole Kidman'

The name game

Named for Kidman, now read more than her

What does ADÉLA's 'Nicole Kidman' mean, and what does it sample? A night in a corset, a 1986 gospel record, and a song now No. 3 on Spotify's global chart.Read the storyMin Key

Still: ADÉLA / YouTube ('Nicole Kidman')

Aria Vega, long dark hair over one shoulder, stands against a sunlit clay wall in a sequined leopard-print top and sarong and looks at the camera, in her music video for 'CULE POCO'

New release · Aria Vega

COMPA COLETO: Shazamed Before It's Played

Shazam hears it first: No. 1 in Colombia and No. 3 in Peru, where Spotify still has it at 72. A coastal song still travelling.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: ARIA VEGA / YouTube ('CULE POCO')

Thousands of phone lights glow blue across a packed, dark stadium during a concert

The Issue

BTS Sweeps Its Three VMAs With 'Swim'

BTS's 'Swim' won Song of the Year and Best K-Pop at the VMAs on 27 September, five years after 'Dynamite' lost the same race. Lisa's 'Dream' won Best Pop.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Thomas Lamars / Unsplash

A hand holds an iPhone open to a "Social Media" folder of app icons, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and X, the black X icon at bottom right

The Issue

Meta's AI 'Muse' Took the Band's Old Handle

Meta's new AI assistant is called Muse. The rock band with that name lost @Muse on X and Instagram, and searches for both spiked this week.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Julian / Unsplash

Karol G, her hair in a long braid with a green drop earring, smiles in a cream knit sweater during a 2018 interview

New release · Karol G

'BbY WOW': Nearly Cut, Now No. 1 in 12

Karol G almost cut it; on our read of YouTube's weekly chart it's No. 1 in 12 countries, six of them missing from Billboard's count of nine.Read the reviewMin Key

Photo: Programas Telemedellín (cropped), CC BY 3.0

An old black sedan on a wet road below the Ankara skyline and the Atakule tower at night, from the cover art of Ankara Echoes' 'Beni Al' Afro House remix

New release · Ankara Echoes

'Beni Al': a 2022 song, found again

Not an AI hit but a second life: a writer's 2022 song, re-recorded by the band he belongs to and sped up for the dance floor, now charting from Bulgaria to Morocco.Read the reviewMin Key

Cover art: Ankara Echoes

Taylor Swift in a flowing pale blue gown turns on stage with her eyes lowered and a microphone in her hand during the Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in August 2023

The Encore

'Cleveland!' and the town in the chorus

Why is it called 'Cleveland!'? The Heights is Travis Kelce's hometown, and Taylor Swift never says his name. What the song and our measurements show.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Paolo V (cropped), CC BY 2.0

Taylor Swift in a pale pink lace gown sits on a moss-covered stage and sings with her eyes lowered during the Eras Tour in Arlington, Texas, in April 2023

Coming Friday

'Patient Zero' and the letter O

When is 'Patient Zero' out? 25 September. What Taylor Swift has confirmed, why the title began as a misread letter, and which upload to skip.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Ronald Woan (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0

Illustrated woman with her eyes closed and face tilted up inside pale floating rings, a large pale sun and a small black sphere behind her on a coral sky, from the cover art of Kimo Sounds' 'Rise Slow'

New release · Kimo Sounds

A patient song from a very fast catalogue

An AI-assisted song about taking your time, still on the charts four months on. Its lesson holds for the song itself, not for the 160 releases around it.Read the reviewMin Key

Cover art: Kimo Sounds

Illustrated woman with long auburn hair and black headphones, eyes lowered, sparks falling over a rainy city behind her, from the cover art of Imael Angel's 'Bad Times'

The experiment

What an AI copy of 'Bad Times' shows

A free AI copied Imael Angel's 'Bad Times' in 35 minutes, tempo and key included, but not its bright sound. Why that cannot prove the song is AI.Read the storyMin Key

Cover art: Imael Angel

Ultra Naté with a red shaggy cut and a metallic striped top tilts her head toward the camera in the 'Movin' To The Sun' performance clip

New release · HUGEL, Imael Angel & Ultra Naté

Machine-made start, human-made finish

A human record built on an AI idea, and a fair preview of how AI music will reach the charts.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Ultra Naté / YouTube

Illustrated woman with long auburn hair and headphones, eyes lowered, in front of a dancing crowd and stage lights, from the cover art of the 'Bad Times' dance remix by Imael Angel

New release · Imael Angel

Who is behind 'Bad Times'?

A song with 43 million views and a Shazam No. 1, by an artist whose own pages describe a deep house producer and Reiki master; how it was made is still unsaid.Read the reviewMin Key

Cover art: Imael Angel

Dua Lipa, hair slicked back, in a black strapless top and a diamond necklace at a film premiere in Berlin, February 2026

Live vs studio

'Training Season': live beats studio

Dua Lipa's 'Training Season' live video has 138.8M YouTube views, 39M more than the music video. We measured both to see why, and what the song means.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Harald Krichel (cropped), CC BY-SA 4.0

A KATSEYE member with platinum hair and a silver fringed dress poses with one hand behind her head against a red wall in the 'Animal' video

The K-pop question

KATSEYE's 'Animal' and the K-pop question

Is KATSEYE K-pop? Their song 'Animal' is in YouTube's weekly top 10 in 16 countries, but not Korea, Japan or Thailand. What the chart map says.Read the storyMin Key

Still: HYBE LABELS / YouTube

Gradine Toto in a dark green double-breasted suit, a brown fedora and gold chains, hands clasped, on the cover of 'Mayday Rachael'

New release · Gradine Toto

Who is Gradine Toto?

A rumba distress call to someone who read every message and answered none; the singer's passport is unclear, his music is plainly Congolese, and his stage is Kenya.Read the reviewMin Key

Cover art: Gradine Toto

Katy Perry with long dark purple hair smiles at the Australian premiere of 'Part of Me' in June 2012

The comeback

How TikTok revived a 2011 ballad

Why is Katy Perry's 'The One That Got Away' back? A TikTok trend put the 2011 ballad at No. 1 on YouTube's weekly chart in the Philippines. Lyric and video.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Liam Mendes (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0

Ronnie Radke of Falling In Reverse, in a black leather jacket, sits on a motorbike and looks into the camera in the 'Joseph' video

Rising fast

When Corey Taylor met Serj Tankian

What does Falling In Reverse's 'Joseph' mean? A war song with Corey Taylor and Serj Tankian, No. 1 on YouTube's daily chart in 15 countries within five days.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Epitaph Records / YouTube

Shakira with long honey-blonde hair in a pink fringed top stands against a starry blue backdrop in the 'Dai Dai' video

Global No. 1

'Dai Dai': come on, in five languages

What does Shakira and Burna Boy's 'Dai Dai' mean? Four months on, it is No. 1 on YouTube's weekly chart in 19 countries, with 'come on' in five languages.Read the storyMin Key

Still: Shakira / YouTube

Anuel AA in white-framed sunglasses and a black paisley jacket leans on a glass balcony rail in the 'CAPCANA COCOA' video

New release · BLESSD x ANUEL AA

'CAPCANA COCOA' and the hug at 0:39

A luxury boast with the explicit parts left unprinted and a beat that never lets up; the moment people talked about is a hug, not a line.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: Siempre Blessd / YouTube

Miley Cyrus in a black leather jacket, her blonde hair lit orange, looks up on a city street at night in the 'Bass Persuades' video

New release · Miley Cyrus

'Bass Persuades': Miley versus the phone

A pop scolding delivered as an invitation: the chorus diagnoses a generation that will not dance, and the bass, not the singer, does the persuading.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: MILEY / YouTube

JISOO in a black lace top smiles at the camera in front of a red and white sign in the 'CLICK' video

New release · JISOO

JISOO's 'CLICK': the doubts come quietly

A song that files its objections in its quietest minute and surrenders at full volume, in a video where she is the last thinking machine in an abandoned theme park.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: JISOO / YouTube

ROSÉ with long platinum hair, a blue polo shirt and a striped tie looks into the camera in front of a painted wall in the 'new trick' video

New release · ROSÉ

ROSÉ's 'new trick', shot on a phone

Three minutes of pop punk that opens on its chorus and never explains itself. The quietest master on the chart, and the most cheerful thing she has released.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: ROSÉ / YouTube

A KATSEYE member with long blonde hair and a gold beaded top reclines on cushions and looks back at the camera in the 'Hootie Frutti' video

Global Top 10

'Hootie Frutti': one word, sung 55 times

What does KATSEYE's 'Hootie Frutti' mean? Three words are a third of the lyric, yet it hit No. 31 on the Hot 100 and top 10 on YouTube in ten countries.Read the storyMin Key

Still: HYBE LABELS / YouTube

LISA in a platinum bob and a black feathered catsuit stands with her hands on her hips in front of her dancers in the 'SaWaDiKa' video

Global No. 1

'SaWaDiKa': YouTube's No. 1, America's 69

What does LISA's 'SaWaDiKa' mean? It is top 10 on YouTube in 26 countries yet only No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100. The lyric, part by part.Read the storyMin Key

Still: LLOUD / YouTube

A BTS member in a brown corduroy jacket and a dark shirt looks into the camera in the 'Normal' video

New release · BTS

BTS 'Normal': a song with no off switch

A well-made pop single that has decided not to move.Read the reviewMin Key

Still: HYBE LABELS / YouTube

A woman with long curly hair and headphones smiles as she plays a vinyl record

Trends

Focus playlists are everywhere. Almost nobody plays them.

Do people play focus playlists? Only 36 of 302 listeners did in six months, while Party songs were played over eight times as often. Mood shelves, compared.Read the storyMin Key

Photo: Shixart1985 (cropped), CC BY 2.0

Keep it

mymy on your home screen

In Safari: Share (under ••• on newer iPhones), then Add to Home Screen.

In your browser: Share, then Add to Home Screen. Not there? Open mymytune.com in Safari.

It sits on your phone like any other app.

Open your browser’s menu and choose Install (or Add to Home screen; Safari on a Mac: File, then Add to Dock).

Then it can tell you when a new piece is up.

All the steps