Top 100 Songs of 2023 (60 – 41)

Previously:
Songs 100 – 81
Songs 80 – 61

60. Ayanna “Change Your Life”

Ayanna is one of the new girls out of London and I don’t know much about her yet, but I have my eye open…

More from Ayanna:
Good Ex

59. The Maine “blame”

For me, The Maine is a holdout from all those other emo/pop-punk bands that popped up in the mid 2000s, but their latest self-titled album (and “blame” especially) is a big step forward into some other musical territory.

More from The Maine:
how to exit a room
leave in five
funny how?

58. Adanna Duru “ur a bitch”

In 2012, Adanna made it to the Top 64 of The Voice Season 3.

In 2015, Adanna made it to the Top 11 of American Idol Season 14.

And while singing competitions may not be her thing (she doesn’t really have that kind of TV voice for those shows), songwriting definitely is, because her songs are catchy and her lyrics are hilarious. “ur a bitch” had me giggling out loud the first time I heard it.

More from Adanna Duru:
POP!
Write On Me
if i was a boy 😉

57. Ashanti “Falling For You”

Ashanti PenGame Douglas dropped this one-off single toward the tail end of 2022 after her interview with Angie Martinez. I’d hoped it was the precursor to a full project, because it shows her songwriting in top form, but a new album has yet to materialize. Let’s hope it drops in 2024!

56. Chris Lane “Mistake”

Year after year I keep waiting for Chris Lane to finally become a bonafide country music superstar, but so far, I think he’s most famous for being married to Bachelor Season 20 winner Lauren Bushnell. Big mistake on the part of the public!

More from Chris Lane:
Betcha
Find Another Bar

55. Amaarae “Disguise”

Bouncing between the US and Ghana, Amaarae is quickly becoming a queer icon with hypnotic beats and some sultry music videos. Her second album has landed on many Best of 2023 lists, so make sure you spin this whole project.

54. PinkPantheress “Boy’s a liar” Pt. 2 feat. Ice Spice

I’m so sorry, but I love a “go girl, give us nothing” low energy somebody. I too am exhausted so I feel you. The only reason this song isn’t in my Top 50 is because PinkPantheress seems to have only one trick, and Miss Frozen Seasonings needs to stop performing and just stay in the booth falling asleep at the mic.

53. Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke “Nonvignon”

Gretchen Parlato of Los Angeles and Lionel Loueke of Benin have been performing together in NYC’s jazz scene for two decades now. During the pandemic, these two decided to put that magic into a project and out came a collaboration showing the two of them at their best. “Nonvignon” isn’t a new song, but it’s new for these two together on a record and it was on constant repeat in my house.

More from Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke:
If I Knew

52. blink-182 “One More Time”

Nostalgia overload! blink-182 is very much all grown up and the video for “One More Time” takes a trip down memory lane to their most iconic music video backdrops. There are punchier songs on this album, but this song is the most honest, with the three of them honoring their history, remembering their breakup, and lamenting their personal tragedies. It’s so personal that Travis even got behind the mic for a few words.

51. FendiDa Rappa “Point Me 2” feat. Cardi B

“Point Me to the Sluts” could have just been a little regional hit in Chicago from a new lesbian rapper, but it went viral on TikTok, Cardi heard it, and she reached out to hop on the remix. History was made, with FendiDa Rappa notching her first Billboard hit and Cardi proving once again that, even without an album in six years, she still has bars on bars.

50. Beauty School Dropout “beautiful waste”

Beauty School Dropout is a band out of Los Angeles being guided by none other than Mark Hoppus of blink-182. The album came out late last year so I haven’t really dug into anything past the lead single, but I plan to investigate a little more this year.

49. James Mac & Vall “The Boy Is Mine”

When DJs get hold of a good 90s song and put their own spin on it (where it doesn’t ruin the original), I’m almost always here for it.

I’ve never heard of either of these DJs btw. The song was playing at an afties I went to so I Shazam’d it.

48. Tristan Kenneth “Heaven”

As soon as the track opens, you can tell Tristan Kenneth knows and appreciates the R&B singers before him. From the falsetto to the vocal arrangement, “Heaven” makes the case that GenZ isn’t all TikTok and two-minute soundbytes.

47. Tinashe “Needs”

Janet’s Daughter released a project last year and did not miss once again. It’s hard to straddle that line between bedroom, cookout, and dance class, but Tinashe keeps riding it.

More from Tinashe:
Treason
Talk To Me Nice
Gravity

46. Jessie Ware “Free Yourself”

Speaking of finding a lane, Jessie Ware put on a caftan, went to a discotheque at the beach, and has not left yet. We love to see it!

More from Jessie Ware:
Begin Again
Beautiful People
Pearls
Freak Me Now
These Lips

45. Leela James “Thought U Knew”

Leela James burst onto the scene almost 20 years ago with a big press push highlighting the maturity of her voice in a singer that young. Fast forward to an older Leela whose chronology has caught up to her sound, and the press seems to forgotten her, but she’s still out here, making quality R&B and keeping soul music at the front of the conversation.

44. Queens of the Stone Age “What the Peephole Say”

Josh Homme is still leading this current iteration of Queens of the Stone Age through their third album together, their first in six years. Unlike the first two from this lineup, In Times New Roman takes it back to classic QOTSA with a darker sound from the late 00s. Check it out if you were a fan of their early stuff.

More from Queens of the Stone Age:
Paper Machete
Obscenery
Time & Place

43. (G)I-DLE “I Want That”

(G)I-DLE stands out among the mass of K-Pop girls group for one very important reason: they have creative input with group leader Soyeon writing most of the songs. For their push into the English language market, they handed control over to writers like Ryan Tedder and Melanie Joy. Jury’s still out as to whether that was a good idea or not, but they’ve definitely been given a Lady-Gaga-Born-This-Way-Era tilt on their latest offerings.

42. Drake “Rich Baby Daddy” feat. Sexyy Red and SZA

I don’t have much to say about this collaboration other than I be throwing ass to it just like Sexxy Red told me to.

41. Ashley McBryde “Made For This”

Ashley McBryde might not be a star (yet), but she’s been releasing albums since 2006 and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry ahead of her latest album The Devil I Know. If you miss the Rebas, Wynonnas, and Shanias of the early 90s, go ahead and put that on.