In the entertainment industry, sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game, or other entertainment product that was unpromising on release but became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have little promotion or lack a successful launch but gradually develops a fandom following media attention, which in turn increases its public exposure and public interest in the product. As Variety puts it, "A 'sleeper hit' can be defined as the kind of show that catches us by surprise—programs whose popularity grows over time and can ultimately outshine the preordained hits." A sleeper hit often lacks star performers or high production values, but prevails, at times against its own makers' expectations, on the strength of such qualities as narrative, approach, or novelty, as well as market accidents. Sleeper hit films benefit theater owners because the owners keep a larger percentage of money from ticket sales.
Caterina Valente is an Italian-French multilingual singer, guitarist and dancer. She speaks six languages and sings in eleven. While she is best known as a performer in Europe, Valente spent part of her career in the United States, where she performed alongside Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Perry Como, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others.
"Dreams" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written by singer Stevie Nicks for the band's eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). In the United States, "Dreams" was released as the second single from Rumours in March 1977, while in the United Kingdom, the song was released as the third single in June 1977. A stage performance of "Dreams" was used as the promotional music video.
"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American singer Kesha, who co-wrote the song with its producers Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. It was released on August 7, 2009, as the lead single from her debut studio album, Animal (2010). The opening line of the song came from an experience where Kesha woke up surrounded by beautiful women, to which she imagined P. Diddy being in a similar scenario. The experience prompted the writing of the song which she later brought to her producer, Dr. Luke, who was then contacted by P. Diddy in hopes of a collaboration; he came to the studio the same day and recorded his lines, and the song was completed. The official remix features American rapper Pitbull.
"Like I Can" is a song by English singer Sam Smith. It was released as a digital download on 5 December 2014 as the fifth single from their debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour (2014). The song was written by Smith and Matt Prime and produced by Steve Fitzmaurice, Jimmy Napes and Mojam. It debuted and peaked at number 9 in the United Kingdom, becoming Smith's fifth UK top 10 single.
"Space Song" is a song by American dream pop duo Beach House, released in 2015 as a promotional single from their fifth studio album, Depression Cherry. In 2022, the song was certified gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Ashlyn Rae Willson, better known as Ashe, is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2019 single "Moral of the Story", which was featured in the Netflix film To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) and was produced by Noah Conrad with additional production from Finneas O'Connell. Ashe also co-wrote Demi Lovato's 2017 single "You Don't Do It for Me Anymore" and has toured with Louis the Child, Lauv and Whethan. She was nominated for a Juno Award for her gold-certified single "Let You Get Away" with Shaun Frank. Her debut studio album Ashlyn was released on May 7, 2021. Her second album, Rae, was released on October 15, 2022.
Ashton Nicole Casey, known professionally as Ashnikko, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her 2019 single "Stupid" with (Yung) Baby Tate gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok and was certified platinum in the United States and Canada. Ashnikko's debut mixtape, Demidevil, was released in January 2021, and spawned the singles "Daisy" and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia.
This article describes trends in popular music in the 2020s.
Tamia Monique Carter, known professionally as Flo Milli, is an American rapper and singer. She rose to prominence after her 2018 single "Beef FloMix" and its 2019 follow up, "In the Party" reached virality on the media platform TikTok; the latter received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In late 2019, she signed a recording contract with Justin Goldman's '94 Sounds, an imprint of RCA Records.
"Savage Love ", originally known as "Savage Love", is a song by New Zealand music producer Jawsh 685 and American singer Jason Derulo. The song was officially released on 11 June 2020, following the resolution of sample clearance issues between the two artists.
"Be Happy" is the debut single by American social media personality Dixie D'Amelio, released on June 26, 2020, through Hitco and Dam Fam as the lead single from her debut studio album A Letter to Me.
Nathan Evans is a Scottish singer. Evans first gained fame in 2020 by posting videos of himself singing sea shanties on social media service TikTok. In 2021, he released a cover of the folk song "Wellerman" which peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart and also charted in several other countries.
Priscilla Ann Block is an American country music singer–songwriter. After graduating high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue a career in the country industry. In 2020, her song "Just About Over You" went viral on TikTok, reaching Nashville music executives who signed her to Mercury Nashville. Released as a single, "Just About Over You" was on the American country chart in 2021.
Hitesh Sharma, known professionally as Tesher, is a Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter and producer. He is best known for his singles "Young Shahrukh" and "Jalebi Baby", both released in 2020. A remix version of "Jalebi Baby" was released in 2021 with Jason Derulo.
"Fancy Like" is a song recorded by American country music singer Walker Hayes. It was released on August 2, 2021, from his fifth EP Country Stuff via Monument Records Nashville. Hayes co-wrote the song with Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, and Shane Stevens, and co-produced it with Joe Thibodeau and Shane McAnally. A remix featuring guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Kesha was released on September 10, 2021.
Victoria Beverley Walker, known professionally as PinkPantheress, is an English singer and record producer. Her songs, which are frequently short in length and include samples of music from the 1990s and 2000s, span a number of genres, including bedroom pop, drum and bass, alt-pop, and 2-step garage.
Nimco Elmi Ali, better known by her stage name Nimco Happy, is a Somali singer known in her country for her numerous hits and has staged several plays in Somalia.
Jacob Dodge Lawson, known professionally as Jvke, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and social media personality. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he started creating TikTok videos for his songs, one of which, "Upside Down", went viral in 2021 with it being used in over 14 million TikTok videos. His debut album, This Is What ____ Feels Like (2022), peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200, while the song "Golden Hour" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"If I Were a Fish" is a song by American singer-songwriters Corook and Olivia Barton, released on April 21, 2023. Prior to its release, the song became a viral hit on TikTok via a video of the artists performing the song on acoustic guitar, which reached over 16 million views by May 2023. Upon its official release by Atlantic Records, the song debuted on several Billboard charts, including Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Digital Song Sales, and received airplay on BBC Radio 1.
