By Leah Mandel, Vrinda Jagota, and Brandon Ousley of Third Bridge Creative
This edition of our biweekly Trending Tracks report spotlights two country songs making an impact, a visually inspired change-up from a British production duo, the return of a 2004 R&B track to the conversation, and a new hit from a Korean-Canadian K-pop singer.
Dylan Gosset: “Coal”
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 4,009
Genre: Country
Country: U.S.
Endearing Texan country musician Dylan Gossett isn't just having beginner's luck. With only two songs out, “To Be Free” and “Coal,” the wistful and reflective tracks have both blown up this summer — the former currently has over 2.46 million streams on Spotify. But “Coal” has become a minor sensation, going viral on TikTok in early July after the singer recorded himself singing the song in his backyard. A latecomer to TikTok, Gossett's lyrical candor about heartbreak and sobriety has struck a chord on the app, where videos about the song have been viewed 23.4 million times on TikTok. The twangy melancholy tune now has 13.1 million Spotify streams, a 3.4 million increase in the past week, in addition to over 2.4 million views across various YouTube uploads and 10k playlist placements on Spotify.
Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves: “I Remember Everything”
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 86
Genre: Country
Country: U.S.
It's lonely at the top, but Zach Bryan has Kacey Musgraves to keep him company. On September 5, the two snagged their first No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “I Remember Everything,” a heartbreaking duet from Bryan’s new self-titled album. For Bryan’s avid fanbase (21.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify), the track feels like a new staple in his discography — one TikTok user even considers it his version of Taylor Swift's "All Too Well." With over 77k posts using the song on TikTok, it's no surprise that "I Remember Everything" debuted at No. 1 since its release late last month. Within five days of its release, the track garnered 13.4 million Spotify streams; it’s grown to 41.6 million in just over two weeks.
Jungle: “Back On 74”
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 607
Genre: Electronic/Dance
Country: U.K.
British duo Jungle make sleek funk and disco songs featured in everything from HBO’s Looking to Peloton commercials. They’re also known for their one-shot dance videos, which band member Josh Lloyd-Watson often choreographs. The music video for “Back On 74,” off their upcoming project visual album Volcano, is going viral on TikTok, where users replicate the stunning choreography created by Shay Latukolan. The song has been used in 8.8k videos since it was first posted on August 15th, and the YouTube video has 4.25 million views since its August 10th release. Since the video’s release, Jungle’s Chartmetric rank has gone up by 1,250 slots.
CeeLo Green feat. Timbaland: “I’ll Be Around”
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 1,285
Genre: R&B/Soul
Country: U.S.
@ceelogreen Friday mood 😎 #ceelogreen #illbearound #fyp #ceelogreenchallenge ♬ I'll Be Around (feat. Timbaland) (Radio Mix) - Cee-Lo
Hip-hop and soul icon CeeLo Green is the latest beneficiary of TikTok's power. The go-go bounce of his 2004 Timbaland-produced single, “I’ll Be Around,” backdrops a viral dance challenge, where various TikTok creators take on a well-known line dance routine, the Baltimore Strut. Thanks to its use in over 101k TikTok posts, which have generated hundreds of millions of views since Green first posted a TikTok of the song’s old music video in late July, the dance trend’s growing popularity has paved the way for the song’s renewed success. To date, “I’ll Be Around” sits among CeeLo Green’s most popular songs on Spotify, with a playlist reach of 4.9 million and streams doubling in the last few weeks to a total of 8.3 million—a far cry from the single’s moderate No. 52 showing on Billboard’s Hot Hip-Hop/R&B charts nearly two decades ago.
JEON SOMI: “Fast Forward”
Chartmetric Artist Rank: 273
Genre: K-Pop
Country: South Korea
Korean-Canadian singer JEON SOMI is used to doing it big: She got her start by winning a reality show that made her the center of the temporary K-Pop group I.O.I, and her third single as a soloist, “Dumb Dumb,” went viral on TikTok in August of 2021 via a dance challenge that led to the sound being used in 156.7k posts. After two years away, she’s back with a new song, “Fast Forward.” The accompanying music video garnered 14 million views in less than 24 hours, and the song has racked up 20.6 million streams on Spotify. Fans in the comments on YouTube are excited about her new musical direction with this deep house track and the prospect of her introducing more EDM elements to K-Pop.
Graphics by Nicki Camberg and cover image by Crasianne Tirado; data as of Sept. 11, 2023.
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