By Leah Mandel, Michelle Hyun Kim, Colin Joyce, and Jaelani Turner-Williams of Third Bridge Creative

In this edition of our Trending Track Report, we’re exploring a Stranger Things actor-turned-musician, an Italian pop star with global appeal, a country-pop star dominating California and TikTok, a 2000s Atlanta club classic, and British indie-pop.

Djo: “End of Beginning"

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 342
Genre: Pop
Country: U.S.

“Chicago is just THAT girl, you know?” one user commented on a TikTok post that asks “What is so great about Chicago?” The background audio used is the chorus from “End of Beginning” from Djo, AKA Stranger Things actor Joe Keery, released in 2022 and currently having a major viral moment. It’s been streamed over 61.6 million times in the past month, reaching over 95.6 million streams on Spotify where it is #3 on the Viral 50 Global chart, and debuted on Billboard’s Alternative chart at #28. This sudden rise seems to combine both love for and curiosity about the Windy City, and Djo fans finding out that the man behind the indie band is the guy who played Steve Harrington (“Wait I’m djo?” Keery recently posted on TikTok). That it’s a legitimately great song doesn’t hurt: the wistful line “and when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it” is evoking emotions for many (for instance, these 24.3k commenters) of “That city where you belong. You fit in. And you’re not even sure why,” be it Chicago or elsewhere.

Mahmood: "TUTA GOLD"

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 815
Genre: Pop
Country: Italy

Mahmood was born and raised in Italy, but his ancestry hails from Egypt and Sardinia, resulting in a unique take on pop pulling from musical traditions across the Mediterranean and North Africa. The two-time Eurovision competitor made another bid for entry with “TUTA GOLD,” which didn’t end up being Italy’s final selection but still soared to No. 1 on the Daily Top 50 Spotify chart in his home country, as well as in the top 10 for Switzerland and Luxembourg. The high-energy dance track with elements of R&B and funk carioca has amassed 25 million YouTube views since its February 6 release, with its easy hand choreography also sparking a dance challenge on TikTok (21.5k posts). As pop artists increasingly pull from global genres (à la Rosalía), “TUTA GOLD” exemplifies the boundless sound of future international hits. 

Dasha: "Austin"

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 903
Genre: Country
Country: U.S.

Over the past few years, the young California-born singer-songwriter Dasha has developed a devoted following on TikTok, but one of her latest singles, “Austin,” is making an impact on the platform that feels fresh. After teasing snippets of the heartbroken ballad — which features a timeless pop-country chorus — she hyped up the track with a line dance video she created, inspiring a dance trend and gaining the attention of non-country audiences. It’s now been used in over 41k videos on TikTok and is starting to make an impact editorially, too — it’s been featured on big on the internet, Pop Rising, teen beats, Pop Sauce, and more.

Crime Mob: "Knuck If You Buck"

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 16,682
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.S.

A club smash near the mid-aughts, 2004 Crime Mob breakout “Knuck If You Buck” has been reintroduced to a new generation of listeners, aside from millennial HBCU crowds seeking southern hip-hop nostalgia. In early February, the single – most recognizable as a paragon of the ‘crunk’ subgenre – was cleverly placed in the trailer for the upcoming animated series Knuckles.  Tied to the song’s twentieth anniversary, “Knuck If You Buck” grew to 70.5 million Spotify streams, a 2.2 million increase since the start of the year. Also relevant on the platform’s throwback editorial playlists, like Bling Era and I Love My Down South Classics, “Knuck If You Buck” continues to prove its timelessness. 

Rachel Chinouriri: "Never Need Me"

Chartmetric Artist Rank: 8,744
Genre: Pop
Country: U.K.

English singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri scored a viral moment with her indie-pop single "Never Need Me," after a fan reposted a clip of its music video on Twitter that has racked up 12.6 million views and 11k retweets. While the song hasn’t equally taken off on Spotify (1.8 million streams) or TikTok, where Chinouriri has 384.9k followers, it has gained 873k YouTube views since the music video’s January 18 release. Much of the video’s engagement seems to be from fans of Florence Pugh, who plays the part of Chinouriri’s best friend. The success of “Never Need Me” reveals that well-crafted music videos (especially those with celebrity cameos) can still be impactful for increasing fan reach, but it still doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have a short-form hit on your hands. 

Graphics by Nicki Camberg and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of March 4, 2024.

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