It’s been a phenomenal year for music across the globe from the superb Barbie soundtrack to Olivia Rodrigo’s bad ideas, Kylie Minogue’s comeback and Taylor Swift’s huge worldwide tour.
Yesterday, CelebMix brought you some of our top songs of 2023 and now we’re ready to finish the countdown with numbers 25 all the way to the big number one. You’ll remember this year’s biggest hits and maybe even still find your favourite song of the year below.
Do let us know which tracks made your year over @CelebMix on Twitter.
25. ‘GROWING UP ON THE INTERNET’ – NOAHFINNCE
A sneering supercut of life under the spotlight of the internet, NOAHFINNCE dropped his most impressive track to date in 2023 as he cements himself as a fully-fledged artist. ‘GROWING UP ON THE INTERNET’ is a true sizzler and the perfect springboard into next year’s debut album.
24. ‘exes’ – Tate McRae
Releasing tracks such as ‘exes’, it’s no surprise to see Tate McRae becoming a titan of the pop industry. This track is so infectious and is served with some killer moves that has earned the star comparisons with Britney Spears.
23. ‘Watch’ – Maisie Peters
In many ways, Maisie Peters is the UK’s answer to Taylor Swift with her ability to churn out catchy and endearing tales of love and heartbreak. The star never misses but as far as songwriting goes, ‘Watch’ could be her very best. It’s super trendy and those call-backs in the chorus are genius.
22. ‘My Love’ – Leigh-Anne & Ayra Starr
Leigh-Anne is carefully measuring each step as she arrives as a solo artist and the intention is clear to hear on ‘My Love’. The tropical curveball quickly established the Little Mix star’s upcoming project as one of the industry’s most exciting given her ability to turn her hand to anything.
21. ‘Vampire’ – Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo continued her rise to super stardom in 2023. The plodding ‘Vampire’ was potentially a brave first single choice from GUTS but the star’s huge vocal performance over meandering production makes for something hypnotic and, when it climaxes, something to scream at the top of your lungs.
20. ‘Dang’ – Caroline Polachek
Pop pioneer Caroline Polachek constantly thinks outside the box and ‘Dang’ is another huge success from her brilliant mind. This is extraordinarily fun pop music that comes from the star’s own playbook.
19. ‘DIZZYNUMB’ – NEVE
Rising star NEVE casually dropped the best hook of 2023 on ‘DIZZYNUMB’. A certified earworm, behind the infectious “dizzydizzynumb, dizzynumb”, is a brave exposition on anxiety. Top tier stuff.
18. ‘Rodeo’ – Bimini
Another one of 2023’s most convincing interpolations was Bimini’s decision to turn James Gang’s ‘Ashes The Rain And I’ into a big, fat club banger. This is a track you need on your party playlists as the star whips up a frenzy with her riotous vocal delivery.
17. ‘Super Shy’ – New Jeans
Widely heralded as the best K-pop song of 2023, New Jeans scored a winner with ‘Super Shy’. Everything about this release sparkled, from the track’s giddy production to its viral reception and dance challenges.
16. ‘UNHEALTHY’ – Anne-Marie & Shania Twain
Pop titan Anne-Marie donned a cowboy hat and roped in Shania Twain for the foot-stompingly good ‘UNHEALTHY’. The two icons’ chemistry is brilliant and makes for a track you never want to skip.
15. ‘Red Flags’ – Mimi Webb
A mammoth pop flick from the UK’s new obsession Mimi Webb. ‘Red Flags’ is a brilliantly written single that is brought to life with the star’s charismatic vocal production and the song goes off with a bang in the live show.
14. ‘Not Strong Enough’ – boygenius
The boygenius trio ease their way into a stadium-sized piece of soft rock on ‘Not Strong Enough’. The band takes a leaf out of pal Taylor Swift’s playbook for a fist-raising bridge that tops off a piece of perfection.
13. ‘Rush’ – Troye Sivan
An off-the-wall lead single from Troye Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other, ‘Rush’ had the nation sweating this summer. The pop star is at his most confident to date on the track and the accompanying music video had all eyes on Sivan’s album rollout.
12. ‘head’ – Maisi & piri
Up-and-coming pop disruptors Maisi and piri saw their worlds collide on ‘head’. The two pals take down a primadonna over pulsing drum and bass-influenced production which peaks with a rallying call of, “I’ve got bigger fish to fry than your bulls**t!”
11. ‘Welcome to My Island’ – Charli XCX & George Daniel & Caroline Polachek
Charli XCX doesn’t tend to put a foot wrong and as soon as now-fiance George Daniel fires up the sirens at the start of this Caroline Polachek remix, you know it’s going to be red hot. XCX casually drops some of her cheekiest lyrics to date as the duo elevated the groundwork of Polachek.
10. ‘Flowers’ – Miley Cyrus
Little need to be said about the song that had the globe in a chokehold for the first few months of the year. There’s something so effortless about Miley Cyrus at her most potent and the ease with which she rattles through ‘Flowers’ helps make it so universally adored.
9. ‘Catch Me (Beautiful Fall)’ – twst
This understated piece of ethereal pop is a magical listen. There are echoes of Robyn as the track whirrs to life before rising star twst shifts gears for a flick that feels like you’re flying at superspeed. This year’s most underrated bop.
8. ‘orbit’ – Henry Moodie
There’s a lot of excitement around Henry Moodie and all of the songwriter’s singles in 2023 deserve attention. The very best came at the end of the year as he took his introspective writing into space on the head-spinning ‘orbit’.
7. ‘What Was I Made For?’ – Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish poured every part of her artistry into her songwriting for the hit Barbie film. The Grammy Award winner intertwines her own story into that of Greta Gerwig’s main character and, at the same time, speaks to millions who feel the same way. If you shed a tear when this played at the cinema, you weren’t alone.
6. ‘A&W’ – Lana del Rey
There’s over seven minutes of ‘A&W’, which is lengthy by any measure, but when Lana del Rey is taking you through every iteration of her life, you sit and listen. Just as the track appears to end it fades into a snarling ending for a final moment of flare.
5. ‘Padam Padam’ – Kylie Minogue
The legendary Kylie Minogue proved she’s more than willing to move with the times as she dipped into a bag of electropop goodness and merged it with her years of pop excellence. The single’s roll-out from visuals to performances helped create one of 2023’s most defining songs.
4. ‘bad idea right?’ – Olivia Rodrigo
While Olivia Rodrigo has the vocals and lyricism to pull off ambitious tracks such as ‘drivers license’, it’s a joy to see just how adept she is at creating moments of unbridled fun too. The playfulness of ‘bad idea right?’ is its recipe for its success as Rodrigo delivers the pre-chorus of the year.
3. ‘Tattoo’ – Loreen
When Loreen debuted ‘Tattoo’ at Melodifestivalen, there was only truly ever going to be one winner of Eurovision. The Swedish star’s breathy vocals compliment the track’s super-tight production which teases you right until it fully lets rip in its final moments.
2. ‘Dance the Night’ – Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa’s eyes must have lit up when she got the call from Mark Ronson and saw the house party scene in Barbie. Nonetheless, soundtracking the movie moment of the year is no easy task and Dua Lipa delves back into her Future Nostalgia bag for that retro disco sound that she does so unbelievably well.
1. ‘Meltdown’ – Niall Horan
Niall Horan has it right on so many levels on ‘Meltdown’. The former 1D man delivers a sincere promise to show up when it matters over an unrelenting riff as he builds a bridge over troubled waters. “Just know this too shall pass, I’m tellin’ you now, tellin’ you now, when it all melts down I’ll be there,” he sings on what is likely his best single to date.