LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Ten of the as determined by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman, in no particular order. Dive in.
鈥淥n My Mama,鈥� Victoria Mon茅t
Buckle up for some positive affirmations! The Victoria Mon茅t, once best known as a hit-maker for Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony and Chloe x Halle, is getting her flowers these days as a soloist 鈥� and passing them right along to the mothers listening. Her blockbuster single 鈥淥n My Mama" is a loving tribute to her mom and her daughter, with Mon茅t鈥檚 buttery voice and bright brass production carrying throughout. It may very well be the best R&B track of the year 鈥� with one of the best samples, utilizing Chalie Boy鈥檚 2009 banger 鈥淚 Look Good.鈥� It takes a real talent to borrow from such a recognizable sound. Mon茅t doesn鈥檛 just manage to do that 鈥� she makes it her own.
鈥淢onaco,鈥� Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny鈥檚 , 鈥淣adie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Ma帽ana,鈥� is a reclamation of his past sound, the hard-hitting rap that preceded his mainstream superstardom. Perhaps it's an exercise in getting back to the basics while unraveling the complications of fame, the source material for most of the album's lyrics. At any rate, the combination makes for a more restrained, pointed listen: a true success on the stellar 鈥淢onaco,鈥� a Latin trap song with a need for speed that wouldn鈥檛 feel too far removed on his debut album, 2018鈥檚 鈥淴 100PRE.鈥� Benito鈥檚 smooth, somber baritone carries the track, as does the rush sound of a that bleeds into baroque production.
鈥淔lowers,鈥� Miley Cyrus
There鈥檚 a thin line between courageous and corny when it comes to uplifting pop records. Far too often, an empowering song with an ascendant chorus loses all tension and hits the ear like a too-sweet dessert. But on Miley Cyrus鈥� Grammy-nominated 鈥淔lowers,鈥� her first No. 1 hit in a decade, the pop superstar makes magic happen. It鈥檚 a teeming with optimism born out of divorce. 鈥淣o remorse, no regret / I forgive every word you said,鈥� she sings 鈥� the musical equivalent of someone saying, 鈥淚鈥檓 bored with this conversation鈥� 鈥� before launching into a self-help mantra. Then, she finds an emotional solution and musical resolve in her chorus: 鈥淚 can love me better than you can.鈥�
鈥淏oy鈥檚 A Liar Pt. 2,鈥� PinkPantheress and Ice Spice
It is the 鈥� heck, the year 鈥� and it came out in January. The dream team of Bronx rapper Ice Spice and hyperpop-punk hero PinkPantheress made 鈥淏oy鈥檚 a Liar Pt. 2鈥� an examination of modern dating with an undeniable hook. It is so space-y as to take flight; a lackadaisical remix for the current moment. Plus, the pronunciation of 鈥淟iar鈥� like 鈥淟eo鈥� in the song鈥檚 chorus is . What鈥檚 not to love?
鈥淚 Remember Everything,鈥� Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves
Country artist Zach Bryan knows a thing or two about writing the loneliness of heartbreak into song with cutting specificity. It is one of the reasons his 2022 major label debut 鈥淎merican Heartbreak鈥� was named one of And it is part of the reason why his 2023 single and first No. 1 track, 鈥淚 Remember Everything,鈥� is one of our favorites of this year. It鈥檚 confessional, rich, balladic songwriting amplified by his full-hearted voice 鈥� those open, resonating notes 鈥� and the sweetness of Musgraves鈥� tone.
鈥淐rave,鈥� Paramore
Long gone are the burnt orange pop-punk days of Paramore鈥檚 youth. The Tennessee rock band flirts with , experimenting with asymmetrical synth production that mirrors internal anxieties and the external forces that augment them. 鈥淐rave鈥� is the latter reflecting on the former: a propulsive, matured band dancing around a prickly guitar riff. But at its core, like in all great Paramore tracks, is frontwoman Hayley Williams stretching her vast vocal range, belting out frustrations and excising misguided desires.
鈥淩ush,鈥� Troye Sivan
The opening track and lead single from Australian pop powerhouse Troye Sivan鈥檚 third full-length album, 鈥淪omething to Give Each Other,鈥� is all falsetto, locker room chants, and utopic homoeroticism: 鈥淚 feel the rush / Addicted to your touch,鈥� a group of men harmonize on the perfect pop of his lead single, "Rush.鈥� Bravado is instituted only to drive home a sort of sweaty sexuality, all fun and light atop house and EDM beats. Sivan offered AP a kind of mantra for the song earlier this year: 鈥淭hings are good. Life is fun. Sex is great.鈥�
鈥淒umbest Girl Alive,鈥� 100 gecs
What came first: the chicken or the egg, 100 gecs or the Internet genre of hyperpop? It doesn鈥檛 matter. The duo of Laura Les and Dylan Brady are not in the market for sense; rather, their musical art is fueled by pixelated chaos. In the case of 鈥淒umbest Girl Alive,鈥� a choice cut from their sophomore LP 鈥�10,000 gecs,鈥� the only thing that matters is the nu-metal bass lick and distorted vocals that deliver unintelligible lines like 鈥淧ut emojis on my grave / I鈥檓 the dumbest girl alive.鈥� It's 2023's best song that sounds like getting sucked into a computer simulation, fun and dumb in equal measure.
鈥淥MG,鈥� NewJeans
In 2023, girl groups dominated the K-pop conversation. At the fore is , with their Y2K-nostalgic sound that pulls from the turn of the millennium's R&B and pop music. 鈥淥MG鈥� was the catalyst for their fame, with its addictive trap rhythm, propelled by U.K. garage-inspired production, tasteful cowbells (you read that correctly) and a sticky staccato synth that lays a strong foundation, brought to the next level by the quintet's ebullient harmonies. Oh my, oh my god, indeed.
鈥淭antor,鈥� Danny Brown
Danny Brown鈥檚 absurdist approach to contemporary rap has made him for years, and 鈥淭antor,鈥� the teetering lead single from his long-awaited sixth studio album 鈥淨uaranta,鈥� is proof. The Alchemist-produced track is, in moments, prog-rock avant-rap, a retro-futuristic hip-hop filtered through, like, 鈥淩obocop.鈥� If cyborgs aren鈥檛 your thing, look away 鈥� but then you鈥檇 be missing one of the most welcomingly clangorous and charming tracks of 2023.
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In a story published Dec. 4, 2023, about the top songs of the year, The Associated Press erroneously reported lyrics from Miley Cyrus鈥� 鈥淔lowers.鈥� The lyrics are 鈥淣o remorse, no regret / I forgive every word you said,鈥� not 鈥淣o remorse, no regret / I forget every word you said.鈥�
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
