Year-End
From phone reporting to point-of-sale tracking to Luminate’s current data system, Billboard has published year-end music roundups for 80 years. Since 1943, a hit parade of swinging jazz tracks, scorching rockers and hip-hop bangers have ranked as the year’s top song. As 2023 wraps, here’s a look at the genre jubilee in our back pages.
A Jazzy Start
Based on a points system that “gives an approximation of comparative disk sales,” the Jan. 2, 1943, issue crowned Glenn Miller’s “Kalamazoo” as the “top recording” of 1942. Of the 20 entries on the list, 18 were from big bands — the exceptions being Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Spike Jones’ propaganda polka “Der Fuehrer’s Face.” In the Jan. 4, 1947, issue, Billboard unveiled its “First Annual Chart Count,” based on 106,000 reports from “sheet music jobbers… record dealers, disk jockeys and juke box operators [and] radio stations” — and declared Perry Como’s orchestral pop single “Prisoner of Love” to be 1946’s top tune.
Mambo, No. 1
Latin music spiced up 1955, and the Jan. 7, 1956, Billboard reported that Pérez Prado’s mambo hit “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” was the “top popular record” per “retail sales [and] juke box plays.” That year, rock was crowned king thanks to Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel.” “As could be no surprise to anyone, [Presley] has had a larger number of records on the national pop retail chart this year than any other recording artist,” the Dec. 22, 1956, issue reported. “Rhythm and blues and rock and roll together represent a big chunk of the singles market.”
First Timer
The Dec. 30, 1972, Billboard declared Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to be the year’s top Hot 100 song. The Dec. 29, 1973, issue said soul music was becoming “more sophisticated, with ‘productions’ rather than the raucous music traditionally associated with soul.” Plus, the genre was receiving “a great deal more attention on television” thanks to Soul Train and variety shows, which fueled sales.
Hollywood Hits
The silver screen’s power to promote hits peaked in the 1990s. Dangerous Minds helped make Coolio featuring L.V.’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” the biggest Hot 100 song of 1995 — the first hip-hop track to achieve the feat. “It’s the fourth time in the ’90s that the top single of the year has come from a motion picture,” the Dec. 23, 1995, issue noted. “Singles from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves [by Bryan Adams], Boomerang [by Boyz II Men] and The Bodyguard [by Whitney Houston] headed the year-end charts in 1991, 1992 and 1993, respectively.”
Pop Life
When Kesha’s “Tik Tok” was crowned the Hot 100’s top song of 2010, Billboard reported that “pop reigned supreme.” By 2018, hip-hop was dominating the charts, with rappers credited on seven of the 10 biggest songs. Drake’s “God’s Plan” was the top track, and the Dec. 15, 2018, issue reported that he “rewrote the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 by any artist in a single year.” For 2023, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” ruled — the first Hot Country Songs chart-topper to do so since Faith Hill’s “Breathe” in 2000.
This story will appear in the Dec. 16, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Seeing the list of stars we’ve lost in the calendar year is always a shock. But there’s something comforting about British artist Chris Barker’s annual visual homage to stars who’ve left this mortal coil, which this year includes yet another unfathomable tally of beloved singers, actors, public figures and personalities.
As always, Barker organizes the faces using the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover as the template, with this year’s model featuring Pogues singer Shane MacGowan front-and-center above the bass drum, flanked by Tina Turner and Sinead O’Connor. Just a few spots down, Tony Bennett smiles next to British guitar great Jeff Beck, with beloved comedian/actor Pee Wee Herman copping a squat in the foreground.
In a statement to Billboard about his eighth go-round, Barker — who has frequently pledged to make each year his last — says that after cramming all his work into November in the past, this year he began compiling his list in September because he knew this year would be jam-packed with subjects.
“This is the most overwhelming number of huge significant losses I remember in the eight years doing this since 2016. The front two or three rows are all really recognizable legends. It’s a bit much to be honest,” Barker says of the list that includes the above mentioned, as well as beloved British actor Barry “Dame Edna” Humphries, Raquel Welch, Friends star Matthew Perry, CSNY singer David Crosby, composer Burt Bacharach, De La Soul’s Trugoy the Dove and Calypso singer/civil rights activist Harry Belafonte.
Barker said he was glad that Pogues and Smiths fans were sharing the image of MacGowan and Smiths bassist Andy Rourke. He pointed out some other small touches he was happy to include were late artist Jamie Reid’s Sex Pistols flag under Herman’s feet, replacing the flag more earnestly commemorating Queen Elizabeth II in last year’s montage. “I also quite like the way I’ve used Steve Mackey from Pulp’s actual cardboard cutout from the Different Class album cover,” he says.
“I know it’s a very sad topic, it’s a very strange hobby and I really don’t know how I’ve ended up as this weird custodian of international grief, but people do really seem to like it so I’m kind of stuck with it now!” Barker says.
Among the other faces in the crowd are: actors Richard Roundtree (Shaft), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter), Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), Lance Reddick (The Wire), Angus Cloud (Euphoria), Suzanne Somers, Richard Belzer, Gina Lollarigida, Jerry Springer and game show host Bob Barker, singers/musicians Sixto Rodriguez, Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Jimmy Buffett, Yukihiro Takahashi (Yellow Magic Orchestra), Tom Verlaine (Television), Robbie Robertson (The Band), Steve Mackey (Pulp), Tim Bachman (BTO), John Gosling (The Kinks), Fred White (EW&F), Lisa Marie Presley, Randy Meisner (Eagles), Anita Pointer (Pointer Sisters), Astrud Gilberto, Dwight Twilley, Van Conner (Screaming Trees), Jane Birkin, The 45 King, Gary Wright, Paul Cattermole (S-Club 7), Gary Young (Pavement), Denny Laine (Wings) and Smash Mouth’s Steve Harwell.
In keeping with Barker’s comprehensive determination to keep the image as up-to-date as possible, the most recent iteration features two images of Hollywood icons we lost just last week, Love Story star Ryan O’Neal and legendary sitcom producer/writer Norman Lear (Good Times).
Check out the image and the key for the 2023 edition below.
12/11/2023
This year’s picks for top 10 tracks include music from Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Tyler Childers and more.
12/11/2023
Multi-genre superstar Kanye West is Billboard’s Top Gospel Artist of 2023, marking three straight years that he claims the top honor. He’s the first act to be the year-end Top Gospel Artist in three years since 2017, when Tamela Mann claimed her third triumph.
On the Billboard charts dated Sept. 11, 2021, Donda started with a bang. It debuted in the penthouse on the all-genre weekly Billboard 200 plus Top Gospel Albums and Top Christian Albums with 309,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S., according to Luminate.
Explore All of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Charts
It marked West’s 10th Billboard 200 leader and his second No. 1 on Top Gospel Albums (as well as Top Christian Albums).
Donda followed his first spiritual LP, Jesus Is King, which crowned both lists as well, plus the Billboard 200. King started with 264,000 weekly units in November 2019, which was a record at the time on the two faith-based lists.
On the Top Gospel Albums year-end tallies, Donda is No. 1 and Jesus Is King is No. 5.
Also, Donda has ranked at either No. 1 or No. 2 on the weekly Top Gospel Albums chart so far this year. Jesus Is King has also remained strong, holding in the Top Gospel Albums top 10 throughout 2023.
Since Top Gospel Albums launched in 1983, Donda is the longest running No. 1 (over 100 weeks), and Jesus Is King is second (over 65 frames).
Billboard’s top duo/group of 2023 and No. 2 among all acts is the Atlanta-based worship collective Maverick City Music. The popular act repeats from 2022 in the rankings.
Old Church Basement, the collaborative project with Christian act Elevation Worship, ranks as the Top Gospel Albums No. 2 LP of 2023. The set, which opened at No. 1 on Top Gospel Albums in May 2021 with 19,000 units and spent 17 frames at the summit, has been in the top five for all of 2023.
The Nos. 4, 6 and 10 albums of 2023 are also from Maverick City Music. At No. 4 is Kingdom: Book One, a collaboration with gospel star Kirk Franklin. The LP opened at its No. 2 peak in July 2022 with 8,000 units. Maverick City, Vol. 3: Part One is the No. 6 set of 2023; and No. 8 is Move Your Heart with Upperroom.
Maverick City Music finished 2023 with the release of The Maverick Way Complete: Complete Vol. 2 with Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine. It arrived atop the weekly Top Gospel Albums list dated Nov. 11 (which places it within the 2024 chart year) with 11,000 equivalent album units. Concurrently, it also crowned the weekly Top Christian Albums chart.
Also, the year-end No. 1 on Hot Gospel Songs is “Jireh,” a collaboration from Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music featuring Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine. The song debuted at No. 1 in April 2021 and has spent the sum of 2023 in the top three.
Gospel icon CeCe Winans is the leading woman of 2023, ruling the year-end Top Gospel Artists – Female tally, and No. 3 on the overall Top Gospel Artists recap. Her hit “Goodness of God” led Gospel Airplay for four weeks starting on the Feb. 18-dated tally, giving Winans her fourth leader. It’s No. 5 on the year-end Gospel Airplay Songs roundup. Plus, it’s the leading track of the year on Gospel Digital Song Sales.
The No. 1 Gospel Airplay Song of 2023 is Erica Campbell’s “Feel Alright (Blessed),” which dominated the weekly version of the chart for two frames beginning July 29, 2023. Campbell, who has tallied three Gospel Airplay chart-toppers so far, comes in as the that chart’s leading artist of the year. In the top female category, Campbell finishes fourth. Billboard’s Top New Gospel artist of the year is the Hampton Roads, Va.-based choir Voices of Fire, which is led by Bishop Ezekiel Williams, who is Pharrell Williams’ uncle. Voices of Fire’s “Joy (Unspeakable)” featuring Pharrell Williams peaked at No. 7 on Hot Gospel Songs in July.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
Just as he did in 2021 and 2022, 30-year-old singer-songwriter Morgan Wallen is Billboard’s Top Country Artist. Concurrently, the Sneedville, Tenn.-born star is Billboard’s Top Country Artist – Male. He also wraps the year with No. 1 placings on the year-end recaps for Hot Country Songs, Hot Country Songs Artists, Country Airplay Artists, Country Airplay Songs, Country Digital Song Sales Artists, Country Streaming Songs, Country Streaming Songs Artists, Top Country Albums Artists and Top Country Albums.
Wallen won the day in plenty of categories in 2023, and if there’s one area where he added to his portfolio, it’s pop radio, where the country star is officially a crossover artist now on the strength of “Last Night,” which reached No. 5 on both Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay.
Explore All of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Charts
“Last Night,” which is the leading song of the year on the streaming-, airplay and sales based Hot Country Songs chart as well as the top Country Airplay track of the year, also became Wallen’s first song to top the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It’s also the year-end No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs recap.
In March, “Last Night” — which was authored by John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Ryan Vojtesak — blasted from 5-1 on the Hot 100, marking the artist’s first leader on the all-format list. “Last Night” is from his 36-track album, One Thing at a Time, released March 3.
When “Last Night” led the Hot 100 for its first week on the March 18 dated tally, it was also stationed atop Hot Country Songs.
It marked the first track to lead both tallies since Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” on the charts dated Nov. 27, 2021 – and the first by a solo male unaccompanied by any other acts in more than 42 years, since Eddie Rabbitt’s “I Love a Rainy Night” ruled Hot Country Songs for a week in January 1981 and the Hot 100 for two weeks that February-March.
“Last Night” dominated Hot Country Songs for 25 frames commencing in February, becoming the fourth-longest-ruling title since the chart was launched in 1958. The longest is Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s crossover smash, “Meant to Be,” which spent a whopping 50 weeks in the penthouse beginning in December 2017.
“Last Night” is also the year-end No. 1 on Country Airplay Songs. It dominated the weekly chart for eight weeks starting in May, giving the artist his ninth of 10 No. 1s. He added his 10th in October with “Thinkin’ Bout Me.”
Wallen’s One Thing at a Time album, which houses 36 songs, opened atop Top Country Albums as well as the all-genre Billboard 200 with the largest streaming week ever for a country album, as well as the biggest week by equivalent album units (501,000 in the tracking week of March 3-9, according to Luminate) for any album, among all genres.
The artist made history that week by taking over Hot Country Songs with an unprecedented nine tracks in that week’s top 10.
One Thing at a Time is both No. 1 on the year-end Top Country Albums recap and the all-genre Billboard 200 Albums roundup.
Swift Leads Women: On the strength of her release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift is country music’s top woman of 2023. Speak Now is the No. 4 LP on the Top Country Albums list of the year.
Released July 7, the set — the third of Swift’s planned six re-recorded albums — arrived with 716,000 equivalent album units earned, with 507,000 in traditional album sales.
With Speak Now, Swift earned her eighth No. 1 on Top Country Albums. Also that week, Swift lobbed seven songs into the Hot Country Songs top 10.
Megan Moroney Shines: Singer-songwriter Megan Moroney, who hails from Savannah, Ga., scored her first top 10 on the weekly Top Country Albums chart in May when her first entry, Lucky, arrived at its No. 10 peak with 18,000 equivalent album units.
The set marked the first top 10 debut for a woman’s first title on the chart since Gabby Barrett’s debut LP Goldmine arrived at No. 4 in July 2020.
Moroney, a graduate of the University of Georgia, also claimed her first top 10 on Country Airplay as well as Hot Country Songs with rookie appearance “Tennessee Orange,” which hit No. 4 on Country Airplay and No. 10 on Hot Country Songs.
There’s no doubt that 2023 was a huge year for country music.
In July, country songs filled the top three rankings on the Hot 100: Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” topped the list, followed by Wallen’s “Last Night,” with Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” at No. 3.
It marked the first time that country hits occupied the Hot 100’s top three spots in a single week, dating to the chart’s inception in August 1958.
A little controversy also hovered over one of country music’s top stars. Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” created a stir when its video was pulled from rotation by CMT after just three days on the air, creating a firestorm of media coverage.
Aldean addressed the polarized response to the video during his Highway Desperado Tour stop July 21 at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center. “It’s been a long week and I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that,” he told the crowd. “I feel like everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to; it doesn’t mean it’s true. What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here … I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that, I can tell you that right now.”
The contention didn’t hurt sales. “Try That in a Small Town” is the No. 1 title for 2023 on Country Digital Song Sales. On the July 29 dated tally, “Small Town” hit No. 1 with 228,000 sold. It became Aldean’s first Hot 100 leader while also reigning on Hot Country Songs for two weeks, becoming the artist’s 10th No. 1 on the latter list.
Meanwhile, the No. 2 Hot Country Songs title of 2023 is Luke Combs’ version of Chapman’s Hot 100 top 10 from 1987, “Fast Car.”
Combs’ update of “Fast Car” led Hot Country Songs for its first of four weeks on the Sept. 30 dated survey giving the artist his sixth No. 1. Here’s what Combs told Billboard when he heard the news: “What an awesome way to end the ride for ‘Fast Car’,” said the artist. “It has been so cool to see everyone enjoying this song over the past few months, whether it was people who were hearing the song for the first time or people [for whom] it brought back memories of Tracy’s timeless recording. I’m just glad this song got another life because it deserves to be around forever; it will always be one of my favorites. I’m glad we got to park Tracy’s song at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart, where it should be.”
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
Singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle is Billboard’s Top Christian Artist of 2023, plus the top female Christian Artist of the year.
“It’s been an incredible year,” Daigle tells Billboard after hearing that she earned the top honor. “New creative collaborators, a new producer, new writers and most of all new friends. Our fans on the road have been so incredible and we can feel their love and their energy every single night, and for me that connection (to our music) is inspiring. I am so unbelievably grateful to them, to be able to do what I love and look forward to so much more in ’24.”
Explore All of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Charts
In 2023, we saw new music from Lauren Daigle for the first time since 2018. On May 12, Daigle released a 10-song self-titled album with the promise that the deluxe version with 10 more tracks would come later. The LP paired the 32-year-old Daigle with new producer Mike Elizondo and was also her first through Atlantic Records, which her longtime label, Centricity, formed a partnership with in January.
The new set was her first new music since Look Up Child, which opened at the Top Christian Albums summit in September 2018 and proceeded to ring up a record 102 frames at No. 1. It was bolstered by the crossover smash “You Say,” which dominated Hot Christian Songs for an also unprecedented 132 weeks starting in July 2018.
On Christian Airplay, “You Say” reigned for 18 weeks. It also crossed over, crowning Adult Contemporary for two weeks.
Plus, “You Say” is the No. 1 track of 2023 on Christian Streaming Songs.
Look Up Child remains strong, placing as the No. 2 LP of 2023 on Top Christian Albums, second only to Kanye West’s Donda, which is the lead LP of the year on the Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums tallies.
Daigle’s self-titled set launched at No. 1 on Top Christian Albums list dated May 27 with 25,000 equivalent album units, including 20,000 in album sales, in the May 12-18 tracking frame, according to Luminate. It marked Daigle’s fourth leader on the list.
Daigle returned to the Top Christian Albums penthouse on the May 16-dated survey. Her self-titled set, made available as a deluxe version, added 13 tunes to the original 10-song album.
After the deluxe edition was released Sept. 8, the set (with both versions combined into one chart listing) rebounded 5-1. It earned 13,000 equivalent album units (up 388%), with 8,000 in album sales. On the all-genre Billboard 200, it re-entered at No. 79, after it opened at its No. 21 high in May.
Daigle’s 2023 self-titled album finishes in the top 10. It’s No. 7 on the Top Christian Albums year-end ranking.
Meanwhile, lead single from Lauren Daigle, “Thank God I Do,” is No. 2 on the Hot Christian Songs year-end chart.
“Thank God I Do” became her fifth chart-topper on Christian Airplay, where it dominated for a week in July. On Hot Christian Songs, it awarded Daigle with her sixth No. 1, dominating for its first time in May.
Daigle is the only artist to date who has banked two Hot Christian Songs No. 1s that dominated for 20-weeks or more: “You Say” and “Thank God I Do.”
“Thank God I Do” is also tops on the year-end Christian Digital Song Sales tally.
Brandon Lake Leads: Singer-songwriter Brandon Lake wins a major category for the first time, crowning Billboard’s Top Christian Artists – Male roundup.
To say that Lake had a big year is quite the understatement, as he leads as the top Christian Airplay and Hot Christian Songs artist this year.
Lake’s hit “Gratitude” is the top song of 2023 on Hot Christian Songs. It gave Lake his second No. 1 in February and his first where he’s unaccompanied. Lake co-authored “Gratitude” with Dante Bowe and Benjamin Hastings, while Jacob Sooter produced it.
The artist added his third leader (among five top 10s) when “Praise You Anywhere” hit the Hot Christian Songs pinnacle in November.
On Christian Airplay, Lake added his second No. 1 and fourth top 10 this year. “Gratitude” led the list in March and “Praise You Anywhere” hit No. 3 on Oct. 7.
Elevation Worship Gets High Praise: 2023 marks the first time that Elevation Worship, the music collective based in Charlotte, N.C., leads Billboard’s Top Christian Artists – Duo/Group recap. The act places second in the overall Top Christian Artists category.
On the charts dated Jan. 21, the act earned its second leader on Hot Christian Songs and its third on Christian Airplay as “Same God” topped both surveys.
“Same God” is the No. 12 song of the year on Hot Christian Songs and No. 14 on Christian Airplay.
In June, Can You Imagine?, which includes eight songs, was co-produced by the collective’s frontman Chris Brown along with Steven Furtick. The LP was recorded in front of a live audience at Elevation Church in Charlotte Jan. 13.
Can You Imagine? awarded Elevation Worship with its seventh No. 1 among 13 top 10s on Top Christian Albums.
‘This Is’ Phil Wickham: No. 1 on the year-end Top Christian Airplay Songs tally is is Phil Wickham’s “This is Our God,” which led for two frames staring on the June 3-dated chart. It gave Wickham his fourth chart-topper among 10 top 10s.
The 39-year-old singer-songwriter from San Diego co-penned the song with Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick and Brandon Lake. It was produced by Jonathan Smith.
Wickham places as the No. 5 Top Christian Artists overall and No. 2 in the male category.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
It’s taken a decade, but for the first time, a country artist is No. 1 on Billboard’s year-end Streaming Songs Artists chart.
… and a country song is No. 1 on the year-end Streaming Songs chart.
… and the top 10s of both rankings are chock full of both country artists and songs.
Point is, 2023 was a banner year for country on the streaming charts. And that’s after 2022’s year-end Streaming Songs Artists tally featured a country artist in the top 10 for the very first time in Morgan Wallen.
Oh, right, the No. 1 artist and song of 2023. It’s Wallen.
Explore All of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Charts
After breaking through as the first act releasing music primarily in the country genre to appear in the Streaming Songs Artists survey’s top 10 at No. 4 in 2022, Wallen leads it in 2023, while his “Last Night” crowns the songs-based list, also marking the first time a country tune ranks atop that chart; both year-end recaps began in 2013, the same year Streaming Songs became a weekly Billboard chart.
“Last Night” was the only song of Wallen’s to reach No. 1 on the weekly Streaming Songs list. But it was far and away the year’s biggest song there, reigning for 19 weeks beginning in March. Barring a return to No. 1, the song concludes its run one week short of the record for most frames atop Streaming Songs, held by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.
It was so comparatively massive, in fact, that the next-closest songs released in 2023 in terms of overall weeks at No. 1 were Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves, and Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers.” Currently, both boast four weeks apiece atop the survey.
Streaming was, as a result, a critical component of “Last Night” and its sizable run at No. 1 on the weekly multimetric Billboard Hot 100, reigning for 16 weeks.
But though “Last Night” was Wallen’s only No. 1 of the year, the weekly Streaming Songs tally was dotted with the 30-year-old’s tracks in 2023, both via his monster 2023 LP One Thing at a Time and from previous releases. In all, Wallen appears six times on the 75-song-deep year-end Streaming Songs ranking, with “Last Night” followed by “You Proof” at No. 6.
Country’s hold on Streaming Songs wasn’t limited to Wallen, either. Four of the top 10 on Streaming Songs Artists in 2023 largely released music in the country genre, while a fifth, Taylor Swift, appeared on the weekly survey with country songs a few times via her Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) re-recording. Compare that number to 2022, when six country acts made the entire 25-position Streaming Songs Artists year-end list, Wallen the only one of the group in the top 10.
Joining Wallen in the top 10 are three acts who were part of that group of six last year. Zach Bryan ranks at No. 5, followed by Luke Combs at No. 6 and Bailey Zimmerman rounding out the club at No. 9.
Bryan’s “Something in the Orange,” originally released in 2022 as part of the album American Heartbreak, soared to new heights in 2023 (it was No. 12 on the year-end 2022 Streaming Songs tally), rising to No. 3 the year-end survey. Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” also reaches the top 10 at No. 7, giving country four of the top 10.
Give a shoutout to other genres, too. R&B was well presented by SZA, who ranks at No. 2 on the year-end artists ranking while her “Kill Bill” is the No. 2 song. It became her first No. 1 on the weekly chart (four weeks beginning in December 2022) and helps SZA to her best-ever ranks on either year-end list. Her previous best on Streaming Songs as a lead artist had been “Good Days” in 2021 (No. 29), the same year she appeared at a then-career-best No. 22 on the artists rundown.
And while Bad Bunny didn’t quite retain the dominance he enjoyed in 2022 as the No. 1 on Streaming Songs Artists (chalk that up in part to his latest album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, only having come out in October, eligible for the 2024 year-end rankings), not only did he still appear at a respectable No. 15 – Latin music was also represented in the top 10 thanks to Peso Pluma, whose meteoric rise caps off with a No. 7 placement. Concurrently, his collaboration with Eslabon Armado, “Ella Baila Sola,” ranks at No. 9 on the year-end Streaming Songs ranking.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
When Bad Bunny dropped his debut album, X100PRE, in 2019, he established a league of his own: The Puerto Rican’s winning chapter endures effortlessly as he caps 2023 as Billboard’s Top Latin Artist for a record fifth consecutive year. No other artist has been the year-end Top Latin Artist five times since the category began in 2011.
Benito jubilantly navigates through a championship he now owns for half a decade. Only one other artist has pulled a back-to-back winning streak since the category launched in 2011: Romeo Santos, who took home the first-place trophy in 2014 and 2015.
Explore All of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Charts
Unsurprisingly, Benito also echoes his past four years of achievements on the albums front: Thanks to Un Verano Sin Ti’s stronghold, the album wraps at No. 1 on the year-end Top Latin Albums chart for a second consecutive year. Adding to his blockbuster year — with seven awards at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, including Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year and Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year — Benito also boasts four songs on the year-end Hot Latin Songs rundown, including “Un X100to” with Grupo Frontera at No. 3. His first foray into regional Mexican music became the second regional Mexican track to break the weekly top 10 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Regional Mexican music, however, also fired up the fruitful Latin music narrative. The genre had a sizzling year, unlocking achievements and making notable contributions across Billboard charts with compositions by artists who married the traditional color of the format with unconventional aesthetics. The result is eight regional Mexican acts on the year-end Top Latin Artists chart, with six of them in the top 10.
Peso Pluma, Mexico’s breakout artist, commands the movement. The Zapopan-born singer-songwriter gave a different voice to the underdog format, which has been historically marginalized in the mainstream world. Born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, Pluma modernized the culture with a different level of regional diversity, thus crosses the finish line atop the 2023 year-end Top Latin Artist – New survey. When his album Génesis launched at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 in July, Pluma made history, achieving the highest charting regional Mexican album ever. Plus, it marked the biggest week, by units earned, for a regional Mexican album ever (dating back to when the tally began ranking by units in December of 2014). On the weekly Top Latin Albums chart, it set spent 15 weeks at No. 1, leading to a bronze medal on the year-end Top Latin Albums ranking.
Eslabon Armado also became a strong regional Mexican player on the charts in 2023, tracing its successes to global achievements. The group’s “Ella Baila Sola” with Pluma, which comfortably rests at No. 1 on the year-end Hot Latin Songs chart, became the first regional Mexican song to dominate the Billboard Global 200 chart (for six weeks). Further, as it scored a top 10 entry on the Hot 100, it became the first regional Mexican tune to achieve the feat in the chart’s 65-year-old history. “We didn’t expect for the song to make so much noise!” Pedro Tovar, lead singer for Eslabon, told Billboard. The group can thank TikTok for helping the song gain traction, the track quickly became a viral hit on the app two days after Tovar previewed it on his Instagram account stories.
In the female realm, Karol G repeats as the only woman to make it to the year-end Top Latin Artists ranking, closing the year at No. 3. While her Mañana Será Bonito album takes the runner-up slot on the year-end Top Latin Albums chart.
Karol G Unmatched: Karol G has become a staple of Latin music since she first broke into Billboard charts in 2016. Although her career-spanning trek is somewhat short, her outsized impact makes her the only Latin woman to snatch a spot on the top 25 of the overall year-end Top Artists list, at No. 23 (the only Latin female artist on the all-genre overall survey), while finishing at No. 6 on the Top Artists-Female ranking. Plus, she snags the highest honor for a woman on the year-end Top Latin Artists tally for a fifth consecutive year, restating her 2021 finale, at No. 3. The Colombian has placed 29 songs on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart during the year-end eligibility period, including “TQG,” with Shakira: The song’s No. 4 finish is the highest charting title by a female artist on the year-end Hot Latin Songs chart. The team-up, which also earned both Colombians their first Global 200 No. 1, stems from Karol G’s No. 1 album Mañana Será Bonito, the first all-Spanish-language leader by a woman in the history of the Billboard 200, which dates to 1956.
Shakira’s Radio Support: The year-end radio tallies see Shakira return in a big way, thanks to a strong push across stations throughout the year, most notably at the pop format. The Colombian becomes the only artist to place three songs in the top 10 on the year-end Latin Airplay Songs chart, starting with “TQG” with Karol G at No. 1. “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”, her partnership with Argentinian Bizarrap, caused plenty of social media chatter about its content, enough to take the pair to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform the song in March. The track’s radio uptick puts it at No. 2 on the year-end radio ranking, while “Monotonía” with Ozuna closes at No. 4. Both songs ruled Latin Airplay for four weeks in 2023, the second-most after Frontera & Bad Bunny’s “Uno X100to” (six weeks atop).
Fresh Faces, New Rewards: Grupo Frontera: Despite placing the highest charting song for a regional Mexican group on the Hot 100 with Bunny’s push (“Un X100to,” No. 5 high in May), the Edinburgh, Texas-based group buoyed its success on cumbia hits “No Se Va” and “Bebe Dame,” with Fuerza Regida. With the latter the group claims a No. 5 finish on the year-end Hot Latin Songs chart and a No. 16 high on the year-end Latin Airplay Songs. The ensemble has become a heavyweight at the format, taking the No. 2 on both, the year-end Top Latin Artist-New and the year-end Latin Airplay-Artists rundown.
Yng Lvcas: Mexico’s trap and reggaetón interpreter Yng Lvcas made his first appearance on a Billboard albums chart when LPM debuted at No. 8 on Top Latin Albums in April, picking up his first top 10 there. The set’s cut “La Bebe,” with Peso Pluma, flourished swiftly on TikTok reaching global audiences with a No. 2 high on both Global charts in April. The song’s staggering popularity gives the 24-year-old a silver medal on the year-end Hot Latin Songs chart and a No. 3 finish on Top Latin Artists-New.
Bizarrap: Aside from his “Vol. 53” with Shakira taking center stage, the popular Latin producer spins another entry on the year-end Latin Airplay Songs chart: “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” with Quevedo at No. 20. The partnership with the Spaniard rapper earned him a first top 10 on Hot Latin Songs in Nov. 2022. Further, Bizarrap unveiled three more “Music Sessions” on the multimetric tally, enough to become the only Argentinian to score an entry on the year-end Hot Latin Songs Artist recap, at No. 13. All in all, Bizarrap’s bona fides speak for themselves, and nabbing the No. 4 slot on the year-end Top Latin Artists-New is proof.
Young Miko: Puerto Rican Young Miko’s career has been rising with enough velocity that she’s scored four entries on Hot Latin Songs since the top 20 “Classy 101” with Feid in July. The Puerto Rican is the only Latin rhythm female newcomer to conquer the year-end Hot Latin Songs, with the collab at No. 19. Further, the song gives her a top 40 finale on year-end Latin Streaming Songs (at No. 37).
‘Here I Am,’ Says Tropical: Despite a slow takeoff in 2023, Tropical music saw a growth during the year, picking up where it left off with its ever-growing audience. Bachata, especially, made a high-water mark across charts, with songs on the format racking up a spot on Tropical Airplay: Manuel Turizo, Rosalía, Shakira, Ozuna, Prince Royce, Tommy Torres, Chayanne, even Justin Timberlake with his Romeo Santos collab, “Sin Fin,” secured a spot on the list. One artist, however, made a significant achievement among the bachata craze: Luis Figueroa, whose song “Bandido” became the first salsa track to crown Tropical Airplay among the five tropical tunes that notched their first weeks at No. 1 in 2023. The Puerto Rican is the only newcomer to secure two entries on the year-end Tropical Airplay Songs: “La Luz,” at No. 15 and “Fiesta Contigo” at No. 17.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
After Bad Bunny and Harry Styles ruled the 2022 year-end global rankings, 2023 is all about the ladies: Taylor Swift finishes as the No. 1 Billboard Global 200 Artist and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Artist, while Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” is the No. 1 title on the year-end Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. recaps.
While the 2023 year-end tracking period began with the Nov. 19, 2022-dated chart, Cyrus rang in the calendar year almost immediately, with the Jan. 12 release of “Flowers.” By the end of the month, it debuted atop both global charts, and made itself at home. The song reigned for 13 weeks on Global Excl. U.S. and for 12 on the Global 200, tying Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the longest run at No. 1 on the former list (dating back to its Sept. 2020 launch).
Explore All of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Charts
Throughout the year, “Flowers” appeared on 39 of Billboard’s Hits of the World charts and topped lists in 26 international territories, including those in Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. In North America, it crowned the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 for eight non-consecutive weeks, winding up No. 2 on its year-end tally.
Eight songs appear in the year-end top 10 of both global lists. In addition to “Flowers,” there’s Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down,” “SZA’s “Kill Bill,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” The Weeknd & Ariana Grande’s “Die For You,” Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” and last year’s champion, Harry Styles’ “As It Was.”
The Global 200 top 10 is rounded out by Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage at No. 9 with “Creepin’” and Morgan Wallen at No. 10 with “Last Night.” On Global Excl. U.S., the two final missing pieces are Tom Odell’s “Another Love” at No. 9 and Jung Kook’s “Seven,” featuring Latto, at No. 10. Last year, both charts’ top 10s contained the same songs, albeit in slightly different order.
Both lists’ top 10s are performed entirely in English. In each of their three annual recaps so far, “Dakiti” by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez is the only non-English song to hit the top 10, at No. 6 for both in 2021. Still, six non-English songs topped the weekly Global Excl. U.S. survey during the 2023 tracking period, up from four in 2022 and three in 2021. This year’s haul includes the first Japanese-language song the reach the summit, via YOASOBI’s “Idol.”
Bolstered by the hangover success of last year’s Midnights, plus the July release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift finishes as the No. 1 Billboard Global 200 Artist and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Artist. In all, she landed 54 songs on the former survey and 46 on the latter. In addition to new hits like “Anti-Hero” and “Karma,” featuring Ice Spice, Swift’s year on the charts was bolstered by buzz surrounding The Eras Tour. Though the trek never went beyond North America in the tracking period (the tour continues throughout next year, traveling from continent to continent), global buzz via word-of-mouth and social media spring boarded various hits across Swift’s eras onto the charts.
As the tour continues, so likely will her global chart success. Already in the 2024 tracking period, she has hit No. 1 on the Global 200 twice – first, with 2019’s “Cruel Summer,” and then with “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” one of 19 top-40 debuts from 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
Aside from Olivia Rodrigo as 2021’s No. 1 year-end Global 200 Artist, Cyrus and Swift are the first artists from the mainland U.S. to crown annual global recaps. BTS (South Korea) and Dua Lipa (U.K.) covered the other three in 2021, and Bad Bunny (Puerto Rico) and Harry Styles (U.K.) reigned over 2022.
Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd appear in the top 10 of both charts’ artist lists for the third year in a row. While global-chart-era hits like “Shivers” and “Save Your Tears” have been key to their sustained success, they’ve each maintained consistent weekly marks for older titles like “Perfect” and “Shape of You” for Sheeran and “The Hills” and “Starboy” for The Weeknd.
Just as Styles repeats in both top 10s with last year’s champ, “As It Was,” Bad Bunny is back on both artist tallies, at No. 2 on Global 200 Artists and No. 3 on Global Excl. U.S. Artists. Like Swift, he is setting himself for a successful 2024, as 19 songs from Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Manana debuted on each chart in the first week of the ’24 tracking period, including “Monaco” at No. 1 on both.
In year-end recaps for 2021 and 2022, Bad Bunny was the only Latin act to reach the top 10 of any of the four global charts. This year, he is joined in the top 10 by Peso Pluma (No. 6 – Global 200 Artists; No. 7 – Global Excl. U.S. Artists), plus Feid and Karol G, at Nos. 8-9, respectively, on Global Excl U.S. Artists.
NewJeans is the highest-ranking K-Pop act, at No. 9 on Global 200 Artists and No. 4 on Global Excl. U.S. Artists.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
Morgan Wallen rules Billboard’s 2023 year-end Hot 100 Artists chart, while his smash crossover single “Last Night” leads the year’s Hot 100 Songs recap.
He is the first artist that primarily records country music to top Hot 100 Artists since 1981, while “Last Night” is the first year-end Hot 100 Songs No. 1 by a solo male to have led the weekly Hot Country Songs list since 1959.
Explore All of Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Charts
Wallen commands Billboard’s 2023 year-end Hot 100 Artists chart, with “Last Night” one of 40 songs that he logged on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 during the chart year; five hit the top 10, all from his album One Thing at a Time – the No. 1 title on this year’s Billboard 200 Albums recap.
Notably, Wallen is the first artist that primarily records country music to claim the top Hot 100 Artists title since late legend Kenny Rogers in 1981.
“Last Night” leads the 2023 year-end Hot 100 Songs chart, having topped the weekly ranking, which blends streaming, radio airplay and sales data, for 16 weeks beginning in March – the most for a non-collaboration in the survey’s 65-year history. It led the Country Airplay chart for eight weeks and crossed over to No. 5 peaks on the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay charts.
The track also crowned the Hot Country Songs chart for 25 weeks. It’s just the third year-end Hot 100 Songs No. 1 to have led the weekly Hot Country Songs list, joining Faith Hill’s “Breathe” in 2000 and Johnny Horton’s “The Battle of New Orleans” in 1959, the only such hit by a male artist.
Meanwhile, with “Last Night” parent LP One Thing at a Time topping the 2023 Billboard 200 Albums recap, the year-end No. 1 on Hot 100 Songs is from the leading title on the Billboard 200 Albums tally for the first time since 2011, when Adele’s 21 and “Rolling in the Deep” doubled up, respectively. Wallen claims the first such twofer by a solo male since 2004, when Usher’s Confessions reigned as the year’s biggest album and its single “Yeah!,” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, wrapped as the top song. Only two other solo males have achieved the feat: In 2003, 50 Cent finished with the No. 1 Billboard 200 album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and Hot 100 song, “In Da Club,” after George Michael ruled in 1988 with, respectively, his album Faith and its title track.
“Last Night” is also the No. 1 title on the 2023 year-end Streaming Songs chart.
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SZA claims the No. 2 spot on the 2023 year-end Hot 100 Artists retrospective, thanks to 25 Hot 100 hits during the chart year. She achieved her first two Hot 100 No. 1s in that span, with “Kill Bill,” for a week in April, and as featured on Drake’s “Slime You Out,” for a week in September.
Taylor Swift ranks at No. 3 on Hot 100 Artists, followed by Drake at No. 4 and Luke Combs at No. 5. Swift’s “Anti-Hero” became the longest-leading Hot 100 No. 1 of her career, notching its eighth and last week on top in January; Drake upped his count to 13 No. 1s, thanks to “First Person Shooter,” featuring J. Cole, in October – tying Michael Jackson for the most leaders among solo men; and Combs hit No. 2 on the weekly chart with his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” outperforming the original’s No. 6 peak in 1988. Combs’ remake ruled Country Airplay for five weeks, Hot Country Songs for four frames and Adult Pop Airplay for two weeks.
Rounding out the 2023 Hot 100 Artists top 10 are Miley Cyrus (No. 6), Zach Bryan (No. 7), 21 Savage (No. 8), Peso Pluma (No. 9) and The Weeknd (No. 10).
Cyrus’ “Flowers” places at No. 2 on the 2023 year-end Hot 100 Songs chart. It also dominates the Radio Songs ranking, having led the weekly list for 18 weeks – the most for a song by a woman since the chart began in 1990. The song, which became Cyrus’ second Hot 100 No. 1, after “Wrecking Ball” in 2013, and reigned for eight weeks from its debut in January, is also No. 1 on the year-end Adult Contemporary Songs and Adult Pop Airplay Songs charts.
SZA’s “Kill Bill” slashes its way to No. 3 on the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart, followed by Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” which leads the Digital Song Sales recap, at No. 4 and Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’” at No. 5.
Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” and The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” finish at Nos. 6 and 7, respectively, on the 2023 year-end Hot 100 Songs chart. Notably, both songs were not originally duets – Gomez joined on “Calm Down” and Grande was added to “Die for You” – and both traveled lengthy routes to their chart peaks. “Calm Down” was originally released in February 2022 by Rema; its mix with Gomez arrived that September; and the song hit No. 3 on the weekly Hot 100 this June. It also tops the year-end Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, having run up its record reign to 58 weeks in October, and the Pop Airplay Songs tally.
“Die for You” was even more vintage when it hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in March, sparked by the arrival of its remix with Grande. It led six years, two months and three weeks after it debuted on the chart in December 2016, then from early interest on The Weeknd’s album Starboy – the longest such run to No. 1 ever among non-holiday songs.
Closing out the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart’s top 10, Combs’ “Fast Car” ranks at No. 8, SZA’s “Snooze” places at No. 9, and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” finishes at No. 10. In addition to Combs’ remake of Chapman’s classic, “Snooze” brought co-writer Babyface back to the weekly Hot 100’s top 10, with his history in the region dating to the ‘80s, while Guetta and Rexha’s collaboration reworks Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee),” a No. 6 hit in 2000.
Meanwhile, thanks to Wallen, Swift and Drake, among other artists, Republic Records tops Billboard’s 2023 year-end Hot 100 Labels chart. The label defends its 2022 title, after it also led in 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. Plus, Swift rules Hot 100 Songwriters, with writing credits on 44 entries on the weekly ranking during the chart year, while Joey Moi, who produced “Last Night,” wraps at No. 1 on Hot 100 Producers.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.