Year-In-Review: The music of 2022

2022 was a big year for music. Major artists returned to the spotlight, successful debuts were made and we lost some important figures in the music industry. Let’s take a look at a Year-In-Review of the tunes of 2022.

The year began with the release of The Weeknd’s “Dawn FM” on Jan. 7. Inspired by the 80’s new wave genre, “Dawn FM” contains 16 dance/synth pop songs, an exciting follow up to his 2020 album “After Hours,” of a similar style. Connected with a radio show voice over, The Weeknd went above and beyond with his creativity for this album, creating a groovy listening experience and a smashing start to the new year.

May was massive for the music industry, seeing many top artists release albums. It began with the release of Bad Bunny’s album “Un Verano Sin Ti,” on May 3. The album would eventually become the No. 1 Best Selling Album of 2022 with a whopping 3.4 million copies sold, according to Billboard. May 13 marked the return of one of the most acclaimed hip-hop artists of all time: Kendrick Lamar. The critically-acclaimed smash hit album, titled “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers,” was his first album since his 2017 release “DAMN.”

May 20 was a huge day for pop music and for Harry Styles fans. “Harry’s House” immediately wowed “Harries” and the industry alike. With hit songs “As it Was,” “Late Night Talking” and “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,”  “Harry’s House” ended up being one of the more consistently quality performances by an artist. His fusion of pop, funk, disco and folk made for a solid, all-around album. Harry’s House was so acclaimed, it won Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.

July introduced summer competition. July 15 saw the release of Steve Lacy’s “Gemini Rights.” With hit singles “Bad Habit,” “Sunshine” and “Mercury,” plus the popularity of “Static,” Lacy’s newest project is one of the most celebrated albums of the year — ushering in a new style of R&B-funk-pop fusion. Later in July, Beyoncé released “RENAISSANCE,” another one of the biggest albums of the year and a new style of music for Beyone’s career. Its disco-funk-pop mix made for a strong addition to Queen B’s discography, and hit songs like “Break My Soul,” “Cuff It” and “Summer Renaissance” will remain in the hearts of music fans for years to come.

2022 also provided a warm welcome to many new artists and left audiences looking forward to what upcoming rookies will offer in years to come. JVKE’s “this is what ___ feels like” stunned listeners with tracks like “golden hour” and “this is what falling in love feels like.” Although he has been making music since 2017, Omar Apollo’s debut studio album “Ivory”  ushered in a new era and dazzled fans thanks to tracks like “Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All).” Amber Mark released her debut studio album “Three Dimensions Deep”, which quickly became  one of the best pop and R&B albums of the year with songs like “What It Is.” 

High profile tracks from film and TV contributed to the music scene more than expected this year. The highly acclaimed biopic “Elvis” was released on June 24 and immediately blew audiences out of their seats. Shortly after, Elvis Presley’s music came back strong and dominated the charts alongside the new hit song “Vegas” from Doja Cat, a track that samples the “Hound Dog” originally by Big Mama Thornton and later covered by Elvis. “Vegas” spent 29 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100,  peaking at No. 10 on the list. Top Gun: Maverick was arguably the most popular film of 2022, and OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” overlapped with one of the most rewatched movie scenes of the year (you know… the one on the beach). 

Stranger Things has significantly influenced the music charts creation in 2016, and once again, it made a major splash in the music pool this year. Season 4’s biggest song “Running up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush quickly became a current favorite. Originally released in 1985, the song has seen a resurgence in streams thanks to the popular Netflix series and reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Top 100.

October was a big month for Swifties. “Midnights” is Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album and shocked the world with hits like “Anti-Hero” and “Lavender Haze.” The album was an instant sensation and became the second best selling album of the year behind Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti.” The album was so big that when tickets for Swift’s upcoming “Eras” tour were released on Ticketmaster, the website completely crashed due to the amount of traffic. Safe to say that Taylor Swift still remains a major figure in the music industry since her debut album’s 2006 release.

The year wrapped up with the birth of SZA’s “SOS.” This R&B album hit the charts immediately due to SZA’s immense following and acclaim. Songs like “Kill Bill” and “Nobody Gets Me” are a magnificent addition to her portfolio of music. Her soothing yet powerful voice was a grand way to end the year and will certainly give 2023’s releases a run for their money.

There were big returns to the limelight this year among several artists. In addition to Kendrick Lamar, Meghan Trainor returned with her popular song “Made You Look,” an incredibly popular song on TikTok.  Another notable revival was found in Carly Rae Jepsen and her acclaimed album “The Loneliest Time.” It’s been a while since Jepsen has been in the limelight, but her hit song with the same title, “The Loneliest Time” with Rufus Wainwright dominated social media. The album was conceived during the height of world-wide quarantines in the COVID-19 pandemic and gets influences from 80’s synth and 70’s folk.

We lost a few musicians in 2022. Olivia Newton-John, the co-star of Grease, died at the age of 73. Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away this year at the age of 50. The music community was shocked by his loss immensely and continues to thank him for his contribution to music as a whole. Takeoff, one-third of the rap group ‘Migos’ died this year as well at the age of 27. All those who passed away will be missed and will remain beloved by all those who listen to what they left behind. 

We must celebrate the successes of the year and enjoy them for what they are: Pure artistry. From The Weeknd to Beyoncé, Harry Styles to Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar to SZA and everyone in between, thank you to the artists that filled 2022 with memorable tunes that will remain long after they are all gone. 

Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com

Copy Edited by Lauren Courtney