WHAT’S HEATING UP AS SUMMER NEARS?

As Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” (pgLang/Interscope) continues to top streaming charts in the U.S., let’s take a look at the latest new songs catching fire right before summer.

The return of Warner maverick Zach Bryan should not be taken lightly. His new single, “Pink Skies,” is obviously doing well—Top 5 at Apple Music and Top 10 at Spotify U.S.—but that’s only a small piece of the puzzle when looking at Bryan’s song activity. The demand for his catalog never went away. On 5/26, Bryan had three songs from three different albums in the Top 30 on Spotify. Bryan’s “I Remember Everything” f/Kacey Musgraves is the most-streamed song (350m+) of 2024 so far. He says a new album is on the way. Overall, Bryan just keeps getting bigger.

Among the hottest prospects to come out of the U.K. recently, Central Cee is off to a big-league start after signing with Columbia last year. Could Cee be the first British rapper to find major commercial success in the U.S.? Over Memorial Day Weekend, his “BAND4BAND” f/Lil Baby rose to #10 at Apple Music—an incredible sign of approval from U.S. hip-hop fans. A run of collabs with Drake, J. Cole and Lil Baby might do the trick.

Another rap breakout, gamma.’s Sexyy Red, continued to make waves with a surprise mixtape released on 5/24. Sexyy’s “U My Everything” f/Drake joined “Get It Sexyy” to give Red two tracks in Apple’s Top 10 over the holiday weekend.

Post Malone f/Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” (Big Loud/Mercury/Republic) continues to put up major streaming numbers, trailing only Lamar’s Drake diss in the U.S. Malone and Wallen’s duet is also booming at radio.

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (EMPIRE) is proving to be more than just a moment. Following the song’s viral April—which included a weekend of Stagecoach appearances—“Tipsy” is still in “song of the summer” contention. The track is Top 3 at TikTok in the U.S.

Globally, Billie Eilish’s “LUNCH” (Darkroom/Interscope) has held #1 on Spotify since 5/22. It exploded in the middle of Eilish’s release week, reaching a new peak of 12m+ daily streams on 5/24.

Stay tuned to see which heaters stay hot this summer.