The Weeknd comes out on top with “Blinding Lights” which streamed almost 1.6 billion times in 2020. Following is “Dance Monkey” by Australian singer Tones and I. She wrote the song in 30 minutes. The third most-streamed track of 2020 was The Box by Roddy Ricch. The song largely benefited from TikTok. Fourth place comes “Roses – Imanbek Remix” by Imanbek and SAINt JHN – another track popularized by TikTok. Fifth is Dua Lipa with the mega smash “Don’t Start Now”.  You couldn’t turn on your radio this summer without hearing the track on the radio.

Halsey comes out and hits the The Grammys hard. She says that her criticism could cause her to be blacklisted. If that were the case, it’s pretty sad how low it could go.

It is true that The Grammys is shrouded in secrecy. Why is so much of this process behind closed doors?

“The Grammys are an elusive process,” she wrote. “It can often be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine, with just the right handshakes and ‘bribes’ that can be just ambitious enough to pass as ‘not-bribes.’ And if you get that far, it’s about committing to exclusive TV performances and making sure you help the Academy make their millions in advertising on the night of the show.”
“Perhaps sometimes it is (!!) but it’s not always about the music or quality or culture. Just wanted to get that off my chest. @theweeknd deserves better, and Manic did too [shrug emoji] perhaps its unbecoming of me to say so but I can’t care anymore. While I am THRILLED for my talented friends who were recognized this year, I am hoping for more transparency or reform. But I’m sure this post will blacklist me anyway.”
The Weeknd said The Grammys remain corrupt,” and tweeted. “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”

Zeplyn aka Rachel Wilkinson drops a new track Bad Love. You’ll love it especially if you like uptempo experimental pop. Having worked with Producer Dan Lancaster (Alissic, The Hunna, One OK Rock), the latest is her fourth single and probably her best. She’s garnered support form BBC Introducing and landed on Spotify’s editorial playlists. Zeplyn notes, “It’s definitely more upbeat than my last track, which was deeply personal. This one has a kind of danceability to it. I can’t stop my shoulders moving once the second part of the chorus hits’. Check out the video here.

In response to United Kingdom’s stringent COVID lockdowns and their effects on live music, the “My Brown-Masked Girl singer Van Morrison and legendary music artist Eric Clapton will release an “anti-lockdown” song next month. This will support Morrison’s “Save Live Music” campaign and raise money for the people who can’t work.
“There are many of us who support Van and his endeavors to save live music; he is an inspiration,” Clapton said in a statement Friday. “We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess. The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover.”

Thus is the time of year when artist release Christmas songs. As each year more passes we get more and more, but like with everything else only a few stand out, and a small handful become classics. I do like Saint Djuni’s ‘Good To Be Home’. It’s fun, wintery, and Christmassy and will definitely work at the holiday gathering. The duo is made up of Clifford Goilo (Bakermat, Jeremy Renner & Bone Thugs N Harmony) & Rasmus Viberg (Next To Neon, MOMENT). Two friends met in 2 different countries (Estonia & France).