From viral hits to emotional ballads, this week’s top 10 songs capture the full range of what is trending in music right now. Whether it’s high energy anthems made for the dance floor from Chappell Roan or slow tracks that hit you with the right feeling like “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, these are the songs that are dominating the playlists, charts and conversations right now. Let’s dive deeper into the sounds that are defining the moment.
(Source: Billboard Hot 100)
- “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Note: this song contains strong language – listener discretion is advised.
Released on November 29th, 2024, “Luther” is a standout track from Kendrick Lamar’s album “GNX” featuring SZA. The song plays homage to R&B legend Luther Vandross, sampling his rendition of “If This World Were Mine” with Cheryl Lynn. Lyrically, it explores themes of love and devotion, with Lamar and SZA delivering heartfelt performances. The track blends contemporary R&B and hip-hop elements, showcasing the duo’s chemistry. “Luther” achieved commercial success, topping charts in New Zealand, and reaching number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was also featured during Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance on February 9th, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was joined by SZA for a live rendition. To promote the album and single, Lamar and SZA announced the “Grand National Tour”, set to begin in April 2025.
- “Evil J0rdan” by Playboi Carti
Note: this song contains strong language – listener discretion is advised.
Playboi Carti taps into his alter ego once again in “Evil J0rdan,”a high-energy, shadowy track that showcases and highlights his signature baby-voice flow layered over eerie, bass-heavy production. The title references to basketball legend Michael Jordan, but with a sinister twist. Carti plays off the idea of greatness with a dark edge, hinting at power, dominance and untouchable confidence. The track blends Carti’s chaotic aesthetic with hypnotic beats, making it a standout for fans of his experimental style. As with much of Carti’s music, “Evil J0rdan” leads into mood and vibe over traditional lyricism, delivering a raw, rebellious energy that keeps his cult following hooked.
- “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
“Die With A Smile” is a collaborative single by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, released on August 16th, 2024. The song blends pop-soul and soft rock elements, highlighting the duo’s vocal chemistry and emotive delivery. Lyrically, it explores and dives into themes of profound love and commitment, with both artists expressing a desire to cherish every moment with their romantic partner. The music video, directed by Mars and Daniel Ramos, features a retro-inspired performance, highlighting the song’s nostalgic feel. “Die With A Smile” achieved commercial success, topping the Billboard Global 200 for nine weeks and breaking records as the longest-running #1 hit on Spotify’s daily global chart. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2025, the track won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, marking a milestone in both artists’ careers.
- “Rather Lie” by Playboi Carti & The Weeknd
Note: this song contains strong language – listener discretion is advised.
In “Rather Lie”, Playboi Carti teams up with The Weeknd for a brooding, atmospheric collaboration that blurs the lines between rage and heartbreak. The track floats over a moody, synth-laced beat, with Carti’s hypnotic ad-libs setting the tone before the Weeknd’s smooth, melancholic vocals cut through with emotional intensity. Lyrically, the song explores themes of trust, toxicity, and emotional detachment with both artists confessing they’d “rather lie” than face the pain of vulnerability. The contrast between Carti’s chaotic energy and the Weeknd’s haunting melodies create a dark, magnetic chemistry that lingers long after the beat fades. It is a bold blend of their worlds — raw, emotional, and effortlessly cool.
- “The Giver” by Chappell Roan
In “The Giver”, Chappell Roan bares her soul in a powerful, emotionally charged ballad that explores the pain of one-sided love. Known for her bold style and theatrical flair, Roan takes a quieter, more introspective route here, letting her vocals and lyrics take center stage. The stripped-back production gives the song a good twist, making it one of her most vulnerable and resonant tracks to date. “The Giver” proves that Roan isn’t just a pop singer, she is a storyteller with serious emotional depth in her music.
- “A Bar Song (Tipsy” by Shaboozey
At number six, we have a song that would make Emmett from The LEGO Movie burst through the doors of a bar and exclaim, “Yee-haw, I’m a cowboy!” Shaboozey’s foray into country is laden with acoustic guitars and includes an intro undercut with whistles reminiscent of a spaghetti western shootout. The Spider-Verse soundtrack rapper-turned-Southern-darling isn’t making a profound statement here or changing music forever – he’s just having a lot of fun making a good old fashioned party song about drinking and dancing, complete with a stereotypical drawl, and it certainly works. This song will be played at every family barbeque this summer, and will most likely remain a staple of modern country for years to come. Thank the good Lord he isn’t singing about driving around in a Chevy with a lab retriever crying over his second wife.
- “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Billie Eilish is now a familiar symbol of the eternal sad girl Tumblr movement, and she pulls out all the emotional stops on her latest album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, an album that cements her rightful place in the pop culture zeitgeist and also one that my crush has listened to more times than we’ve have conversations in the past three years. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is phenomenal, a track that showcases Eilish’s growth as a singer-songwriter since her debut and acts as HMHAS’s centerpiece. The song chronicles Eilish’s conflicted feelings over a relationship as she croons over FINNEAS’s smooth and minimalistic production, and it’s the perfect soundtrack for staring out your window with a cinnamon hot cocoa on a foggy winter’s day. This track is beckoning us into Eilish’s world, and it’s a great place to be.
- “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
Note: this song contains strong language – listener discretion is advised.
Perhaps the most notable topic of discussion in music over the last year was the all-out war between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake, who unleashed barrages of shade back and forth while J. Cole was huddled in a corner gently sobbing. Out of everything that went down, this track will live in infamy. There hasn’t been such a ruthless diss track since MGK hit on Eminem’s daughter (note to self: provoking Em in any way is a grievous error). Drake put his cards on the table, and then Kendrick pulled out a royal flush with Not Like Us. Accompanied once again by Mustard’s skillful beat production that gives the track a bouncy edge, K-Dot takes a sword to his Canadian nemesis, especially with the masterful line “tryna strike a chord, and it’s probably A minor,” which was gleefully shouted by over 65,000 fans during this year’s Super Bowl halftime performance. Coming soon: Drizzy’s retirement.
- “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan’s debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess took the music world by storm, blazing new trails in pop and simultaneously falling into a category all on her own. One of the catchiest singles from that album, “Pink Pony Club,” which Roan recently performed live with British icon Elton John, has taken the number 9 spot in the charts, and it’s a force to be reckoned with. The listener is greeted with a burst of show tune piano chords, going into Roan’s powerful yet restrained vocals, an introduction that wouldn’t be out of place in Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. Then, the chorus hits, a pop-electronic blend peppered with explosive bass stabs about defying her parents’ wishes in order to dance in Hollywood, and it will be stuck in your head for the next week. This is just one of many guaranteed hits on Midwest Princess, and her newest song “The Giver” is already climbing the charts too.
- “Anxiety” by Doechii
Note: this song contains strong language – listener discretion is advised.
Two bits of advice this year: do not pick a fight with Kendrick, and do not underestimate Doechii. The rapper from Tampa has burst onto the popular music scene in a ball of fire, with her most popular track “Denial is a River” all over the internet. She’s already got a Best Rap Album Grammy under her belt for the mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, and it’s not hard to see why. Her style is fresh, her flows are insane, and on “Anxiety” she channels heavy RnB influences with a groovy rhythm, lighting-fast lyricism to rival any major player in the game right now, and even a spoken-word section wrestling with her personal anxiety as the title suggests. Doechii is a powerhouse of a musician in and out of the studio, and she continues to blaze a trail for the next generation of hip-hop in her rise to stardom.
