You may not have missed it, but summer is definitely here. Proof : Fort Boyard resumes on Saturday and that is an unmistakable sign. It is therefore plenty of time to think about putting your foot on the brake pedal and think about vacations, long hours of chill, bursts of laughter with friends (when you have them) and those feverish nights to ignite the dance floor… On the summer hit? Yes, you will not cut it.
Whether you like it or not, a song will play on repeat for the next eight weeks, between two TV commercials, in your car radio on the Autoroute du Soleil or on the loudspeakers of your supermarket between the fish and delicatessen sections. Last year, Naps won with love, an ode to travel and a change of scenery. Who to dethrone him?
The unstoppable queens
Summer will be Beyoncé or it won’t. In addition to having created a surprise by announcing her return after six years of absence, the singer signed one of the most outstanding songs of the year with break my soul on June 20. His strength ? House music sounds that give fishing, straight out of the 90’s. But it is above all his message that has not gone unnoticed. In her lyrics, Queen B enjoins to “break free from work and time” in order to find “motivation” and “new vibrations”. “You will not break my soul”, hammers the artist in this song on the verge of becoming the anthem of the “Great resignation” in the United States. The hit of the summer and the best advice of the year?
On our side of the Atlantic, it is another queen of music who generally reigns supreme over the summer season: Aya Nakamura. And the singer lived up to her reputation by unveiling her new title a few days ago. Naughty, perfectly calibrated for the warm evenings that await us. “I’m the official, the official
/Take care of me, you owe it to yourself”, she says in particular in her chorus. The speech is much less political than Beyoncé (although, in a certain way it is a question of assertiveness), but no less effective. Enough for you to know her by heart when you come back from vacation anyway.
Tube machines
However, it will be difficult for her to cope with the musical steamrollers which are notably among the “Spotify predictions for the best hits of summer 2022” unveiled in mid-June. We thus find Harry Styles and his As It Was who has been at the top of the rankings for several weeks. A song that broke records when it was released in April. As reported the magazine’s website NMEit became the most streamed song in one day on Spotify, dethroning the cardboard Driver License by Olivia Rodrigo. As melancholy as it is catchy, As It Was should keep a nice place this summer.
In the streaming platform’s predictions based on “the number of listens, fluctuations and forecasts by the Spotify teams”, we also find Ojitos Lindos by Bad Bunny (feat. Bomba Estéreo), Potion by Calvin Harris (feat. Dua Lipa and Young Thug) but also About Damn Time by Lizzo. Effective, fresh, light titles, concocted by the masters in the field and their infallible recipes. But maybe a bit predictable, right?
Big rap sounds
And if the surprise came from Fresh La Peufra, the winner of the first season of New school on Netflix? The Belgian rapper was able to convince the jury of the competition with his title Chop, and could well do the same with lovers of French rap. According The Parisian, his single was one of the most viewed videos on YouTube last Friday, the day the final was posted, reaching 275,000 views within hours. Its strong point? A particularly hard-hitting chorus that settles permanently in the head. And that’s kind of what we’re looking for in a summer hit, isn’t it?
But beware, a major competitor stands in the way of Fresh, the association of three big names in French rap: Everything is fine by Alonzo in feat. with Ninho and Naps. The song is currently at the top of the French Spotify ranking and its clip has exceeded one million views on YouTube… It’s hard to fight against this blockbuster.
The recycling center
Like every summer, some choose to bring out the classics and repatouillent them to their sauce. Inspiration, recycling, ease… Question of points of view. But in general, it sucks. And 2022 is no exception, thanks in particular to Yanns, a singer with millions of subscribers on TikTok. After his winter card click click pan panYanns tries his luck in the summer tube race with sun and chickshis very contemporary version of Darladirladada. Unforgettable.
Soolking meanwhile, offers us a recovery of sweetly by Elvis Crespo, this song that sets the dance floor ablaze in a split second and makes you feel like a merengue god (it’s only an impression). The false good idea, this recovery? No, because it must be recognized that the version of Soolking is rather successful. The artist reappropriates the song perfectly and signs a catchy hit. This does not, however, exempt you from paying for two or three dance lessons.