Shazam’s Songs of Summer: What Will Be This Year’s ‘Despacito’?

Last summer, “Despacito” had the whole world dancing (and singing), but it’s time for someone to steal the crown from Luis Fonsi & Co. Who will it be this summer?

Shazam’s ‘Songs of Summer’ has become an annual tradition where we predict the songs everyone will be listening to during the season of beach parties and BBQs.

The track selection was based on Shazam’s data—including Shazam chart toppers, movement, trends and of course, the knowledge of our music experts.

“This year’s list is a mix of fantastic tracks from artists making big returns—including Ariana Grande, Childish Gambino and Drake—along with global superstars teaming up for stunning collaborations,” said Julian Marshall, Global Head Of Content. “The combinations of Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa, Nicky Jam & J Balvin and David Guetta with Sia are proving irresistible to Shazam users this summer. It’ll be interesting to see who among them ends up with the most Shazamed summer track of 2018.”

Read on to see what the songs of summer will be, and listen to them here!

• Nicky Jam & J Balvin - “X”
  This instant classic has almost 5 million Shazams already—proof that last summer’s Latin crossover shows no sign of cooling as the weather heats up.
• Ariana Grande - “No Tears Left To Cry”
  The first release from her forthcoming new album, “No Tears Left To Cry” has seen a steady week-over-week increase and is now Top 5 worldwide.
• Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa - “One Kiss”
  Spending a month as the most Shazamed song in the world is a pretty big clue that this track will help define summer 2018!
• Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin - “I Like It”
  On the heels of strong growth through April and May, “I Like It” sounds so much like summer, you can smell the barbeque!
• Clean Bandit ft Demi Lovato - “Solo”
  With “Solo” heading straight to No. 1 in the UK, Clean Bandit have delivered another summer smash and there are no signs of it slowing down.
• Childish Gambino - “This Is America”
  “Redbone” was one of the most Shazamed hip hop tracks of last year. “This Is America” secured almost half a million Shazams after exploding on to the scene in May, and we expect it to continue to pick up steam—not just in America.
• Drake - “Nice For What”
  With a new album coming in June and tracks dropping almost weekly, “Nice For What” could be one of a handful of Drake tunes to define summer 2018. For now, though, 2.1 million Shazams in two months will suffice.
• David Guetta & Sia - “Flames”
  This pair has been a dream team since the release of “Titanium” back in 2011. “Flames” is sitting inside our Worldwide Top 5 right now, and has been discovered on Shazam more than 2 million times.
• Ella Mai - “Boo’d Up”
  On fire in the US, “Boo’d Up” has almost a million Shazams and a spot in our Top 5—and this R&B tune is still growing.
• Dan + Shay - “Tequila”
  Comfortably sitting in the Top 5 of the Shazam Country Music chart, the first taste from this duo’s new album has major crossover appeal.

Shazam classifies trending artists in three categories:

• WATCH list: Early signs of growth potential
• TRENDING list: Strong trend, sustained growth
• HOT list: Flying through the charts