No. 47 - 2023 Trends edition
A non-exhaustive look at the trends that drove popular music over the past 12 months
For those who celebrate, a playlist of my favourite songs from the past 12 months.
2023 in music trends
Taylor Swift owned the year.
The Eras tour is a monster, and she scored three number-one singles, two number-one albums, and a number-one film.
But Swift’s power is increasingly in her back catalogue.
Two of those chart-topping singles and one of the chart-topping albums weren’t even written this decade.
Country music is now the most popular type of music.
With hip hop and Nickelback its new spirit animals.
Zach Bryan had the breakout of the year.
Just don’t call him country.
Pop music is no longer the most popular kind of music.
“Pop stars essentially make genre records”
Drake continued to dominate the charts, even if the music is starting to lose its charm.
But hip hop as a whole increasingly feels like a world of its own.
Technology continues to warp musical time and space.
The year AI got very could at making subpar music from your favourite artists.
“Stomp-Clap-Hey” folk music is back, baby!
Noah Kahan is the new Marcus Mumford.
TikTok continues to elevate artists to new heights.
Though what makes a good TikTok doesn’t always square with an artist’s discography.
Tracy Chapman is this year’s Kate Bush (not my joke).
Ca$hin’ cheque$ from her couch
Indie Sleaze didn’t happen.
But the aesthetic persists.
But pop-punk continues to be Gen Z’s early-2000s music of choice.
Blink-182 are the new Led Zeppelin.
Boomers keep booming.
Absolutely no one: …
The Rolling Stones:
Ian Gormely is a freelance music journalist based in Toronto.
Write to koolkidsmusicclub@gmail.com for questions, criticisms and submissions.