Top songs of 2015

The year 2015 has come and gone in a flash, but it leaves behind a stellar soundtrack – hit songs that will continue to occupy playlists for years to come. According to Entertainment Monitoring Africa, the best-performing singles in South Africa over the past year, in no particular order, are as follows:

ED SHEERAN – THINKING OUT LOUD

Thinking Out Loud was the third single off the album X from English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. In October, the song became the first to be streamed over 500 million times on Spotify, and is also one of the most streamed songs in the UK. It reached number one in South Africa end January and continues to receive massive airplay. Thinking Out Loud is nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

MARK RONSON FEATURING BRUNO MARS –UPTOWN FUNK

This was Bruno Mars’s fourth collaboration with Ronson and possibly the most successful yet. The single received widespread critical acclaim from music critics, receiving two Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance. The song was also a global commercial success, spending 14 consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

BLACK COFFEE FEATURING NAKHANE TOURE –WE DANCE AGAIN

Multi-award winning record producer Black Coffee teamed up with Nakhane Toure, releasing one of the most successful South African collaborations to date. It is titled We Dance Again and is taken from his new studio album Pieces of Me.

DBN NYTS FEATURING ZINHLE NGIDI AND TRADE MARK –SHUMAYA

The kwaito group, Durban Nyts had people singing Shumaya Shumaya Shumaya-ye-eh-eh-eh for weeks after its release. Oskido searched for the band on the streets of Yeoville after hearing the song and signed them right on the spot.

JUSTIN BIEBER – WHAT DO YOU MEAN

Released as the first single from Justin Bieber’s fourth studio album Purpose, What Do You Mean debuted at the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for one week. It also topped various other charts worldwide, including local charts, reaching number one in SA in the week ending S e p t e m b e r 29.

ELLIE GOULDING – LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO

As the soundtrack to the film Fifty Shades of Grey, this song was a global smasher. Love Me like You Do quickly became Goulding’s most successful single, as well as her first number one in various countries. The song was also included on her third studio album, Delirium.

MAROON 5 –SUGAR

Sugar went viral after the band showed up at real weddings as the surprise wedding band for the song’s spontaneous music video. It was a novel idea and one that worked in their favour. The song was praised for its catchy feel and retro vibe.

OMI – CHEERLEADER

Cheerleader, by Jamaican singer OMI, reached number one in 20 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Germany. The tropical-flavoured deep house track is still one of the year’s catchiest tunes and great for singa-long.

ADELE –HELLO

Hello, by Adele, is a piano ballad with soul influences and reached number one in 28 countries. The music video for the song broke the previous Vevo Record by achieving over 27.7 million views within a 24-hour period. The song stayed number one on South African radio for five consecutive weeks.