Alternative Airplay is a music chart published in the American magazine Billboard since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played songs on alternative and modern rock radio stations. Introduced as Modern Rock Tracks, the chart served as a companion to the Mainstream Rock chart, and its creation was prompted by the explosion of alternative music on American radio in the late 1980s. During the first several years of the chart, it regularly featured music that did not receive commercial radio airplay anywhere but on a few modern rock and college rock radio stations. This included many electronic and post-punk artists. Gradually, as alternative rock became more mainstream, alternative and mainstream rock radio stations began playing many of the same songs. By the late 2000s, the genres became more fully differentiated with only limited crossover. The Alternative Airplay chart features more alternative rock, indie pop, and pop punk artists while the Mainstream Rock chart leans towards more guitar-tinged blues rock, hard rock, and heavy metal.
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it. The current number-one song on the chart is "Don't Lie" by The Chainsmokers and Kim Petras.
"Walkin' on the Sun" is a song by American rock band Smash Mouth from their first album, Fush Yu Mang (1997). Smash Mouth released it as their debut single in June 1997, the song was Smash Mouth's first major single, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. It was also a success abroad, peaking at No. 3 in Canada and Iceland, No. 5 in Italy and Spain, and No. 7 in Australia, where it is certified platinum for shipments exceeding 70,000 units.
Pop Airplay is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the United States. The rankings are based on radio airplay detections as measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, a subsidiary of the U.S.' leading marketing research company. Consumer researchers, Nielsen Audio, refers to the format as contemporary hit radio (CHR). The current number-one song on the chart is "Die With a Smile" by Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga.
"Fall" is a song by Nigerian singer Davido. It was released as the second single from his second studio album, A Good Time (2019). The song was produced by Nigerian record producer Kiddominant. On 25 June 2017, "Fall" was ranked second on Playdata charts' list of the Most Played Songs in Nigeria. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "Fall" was one of the top-100-most-Shazam-searched singles in America in January 2019, and was a top-10 record on Shazam in New York. In February 2019, "Fall" became the longest charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. It was ranked 163 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Songs of the 2010s. As of August 2021, "Fall" has received over 60 million streams on Spotify, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA and Music Canada.
Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a style per se, and more of a descriptor for the fusion of sounds flowing out of Nigeria and Ghana. Genres such as hiplife, jùjú music, highlife, azonto music, and naija beats, among others, were amalgamated under the "Afrobeats" umbrella.
Amapiano is a subgenre of kwaito and house music that emerged in South Africa in the mid-2010s. It is a hybrid of deep house, gqom, jazz, soul and lounge music characterized by synths and wide, percussive basslines. The word "amapiano" derives from the IsiZulu word for "pianos".
For music from a year in the 2020s, go to 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
"Essence" is a song by Nigerian singer Wizkid, featuring fellow Nigerian singer Tems. It was released on 30 October 2020, as the fourth single from Wizkid's fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. "Essence" was produced by P2J and Legendury Beatz. The "sensual" song sees the duo express their desire for each other. A music video was released on 9 April 2021, shot in Accra, Ghana. "Essence" is the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200. The song received a nomination at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Performance.
"Woman" is a song by American rapper and singer Doja Cat from her third studio album Planet Her (2021). It has been described as a fusion of Afrobeats, pop, and R&B, with the lyrical themes of divine femininity and feminism. After gaining popularity in Europe, where it entered the top 10 in countries like Greece, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Lithuania and Portugal, the song impacted Italian radio airplay as the album's fourth single on October 1, 2021. It was sent to American mainstream and rhythmic contemporary radios on December 14, 2021. The song was a sleeper success, spending several months on the charts before slowly climbing to the top 10. For the chart dated May 7, 2022, the song reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, nearly a year after it debuted. "Woman" received three nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards including Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.
"Peru" is a song by Nigerian singer Fireboy DML. It was released on 20 July 2021, through YBNL Nation, and distributed by Empire. "Peru" was written by Fireboy DML, Ivory Scott, & Kolten Perine and produced by Shizzi & Perine. On 23 December 2021, a reworked version of "Peru" was released, in collaboration with English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The music video for the version with Sheeran was released on 24 December 2021. An additional remix, featuring rappers 21 Savage and Blxst was also later released. The song was nominated at the 7th annual African Entertainment Awards USA for Song of the Year. The song is not about the country of Peru, but rather a reference to Nigerian singer Peruzzi; the government of Peru nonetheless reacted positively to the song on Twitter.
"Free Mind" is a song by Nigerian singer and record producer Tems. It first appeared on 25 September 2020 as the third track from Tems's debut extended play, For Broken Ears. Tems wrote and produced the song alongside co-producer Omeiza. The song debuted on 2 April 2022 at number 5 on the then newly launched Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart.
"Calm Down" is a song by Nigerian singer Rema, from his debut studio album Rave & Roses (2022). It was released on 11 February 2022 through Jonzing World and Mavin as the album's second single. The song charted across Europe, reaching number one on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40 and Dutch Single Top 100. In the United Kingdom, "Calm Down" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and spent 27 non-consecutive weeks in the top ten of the chart.
Tyla Laura Seethal, known mononymously as Tyla, is a South African singer. Her musical style is characterised by a fusion of the pop and amapiano genres, with many publications dubbing her "Queen of Popiano".
"Water" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her debut studio album, Tyla (2024). It was released on 28 July 2023 by Fax and Epic Records as the album's lead single. An amapiano song with elements of pop, R&B and afrobeats, it sees Tyla expressing a desire for a passionate, intimate tryst. Remix versions of the song by American rapper Travis Scott and record producer Marshmello were released on 17 November 2023.
Tyla is the debut studio album by South African singer Tyla. It was released on 22 March 2024 by FAX and Epic Records. The deluxe edition titled Tyla + was released on 11 October 2024. Musically, Tyla blends elements of amapiano, pop, Afrobeats and R&B and its lyrical themes include empowerment and relationships. In an interview with Nandi Madida, Tyla expressed her desire to launch her album with a South African sound.
"Truth or Dare" is a song by South African singer Tyla from her 2024 self-titled debut studio album. It was released by FAX and Epic Records as a promotional single from her 2023 self-titled extended play, before impacting rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on 13 February 2024, as the second single from the album. Written by Tyla, Ariowa Irosogie, Imani Lewis, Corey Marlon Lindsay-Keay, Jamal Europe, and its producer Sammy SoSo, "Truth or Dare" is an amapiano track infused with elements of afrobeats and contemporary R&B influences.
"Jump" is a song by South African singer Tyla, American rapper Gunna and Jamaican rapper Skillibeng, from Tyla's self-titled debut album. The song was written by Tyla, Mocha, Believve, Gunna, Skillibeng, and its producer Sammy SoSo. Musically, "Jump" is a genre fusion of Afrobeats, dancehall and hip hop. It features throbbing bass, amapiano percussion, and a chant of the Zulu language expression "haibo". Tyla reflects on her rise to fame with braggadocio in the lyrics and references Johannesburg, the city where she was born and raised, by its two colloquial names, Joburg and Jozi.
The discography of South African singer and songwriter Tyla consists of one studio album, fifteen singles, three promotional singles and ten music videos. Tyla released her debut self-titled studio album on 22 March 2024, consisting of her digital extended play (EP) of the same name released on 1 December 2023, it debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was supported by four singles; "Water", which peaked within the top 10 in multiple countries and was awarded multi-platinum certifications in many countries, "Truth or Dare", "Art" and "Jump", and a promotional single "On and On".
"Push 2 Start" is a song recorded by South African singer Tyla. It was released in tandem with the deluxe edition of her self-titled debut studio album on 11 October 2024, by FAX and Epic Records. It is a reggae-infused Afro-pop and amapiano song about Tyla imploring her partner to give her affection.
