Biggest Music Trends in 2020
From year to year, music trends continually change due to changing tastes, culture, and new artists who sometimes blow up overnight. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, trends in music needed to adapt and grow in new ways due to people quarantining in their homes and being unable to go out and listen to live music in the way that they used to before the pandemic. Music trends were greatly impacted by this worldwide pandemic and they will definitely continue to change and develop as we leave 2020 behind and journey into the new year. If you are a fan of live music pubs, check out The Rocksteady.
One of the most impactful ways that music grew in 2020 was through the social media app TikTok. In September of 2020, a user on TikTok posted a video with Fleetwood Mac’s 1977
song “Dreams” in the background. This video quickly went viral and the song managed to hit the charts for the first time in years. TIkTok has continued to help songs gain massive popularity among the general population, leading them to streaming platforms as well as mainstream radio in a much more rapid way. Because of its viral nature, the app has helped songs new and old to trend in a way that was not possible before.
Another way that music trends changed in 2020 was that songs continued to get shorter. Due to artists wanting to get their songs played on the hit radio stations, many artists and groups began to write songs that were about 2 minutes in length as opposed to writing songs that were 3 and 4 minutes long like they had in the past. This allowed the songs to become more catchy and upbeat, which in turn made them more memorable for the listener. This, in turn, caused the music to gain more popularity and hit the charts much more quickly than they would have been able to if they were longer. Due to streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, music definitely benefited from being slightly shorter than before.
New music with an 80’s vibe also gained popularity this year. The synth sound that was popular in 1980’s pop music definitely made a comeback this year with songs like Blinding Lights by The Weeknd. All of the reasons mentioned above helped to make the synth sound a hit in 2020 that was simply just not there before. This gave pop music a more retro feel, while also feeling fresh and new for the audience. It also helped older listeners who may not have listened to the new releases feel like they could enjoy some of the new songs that came out during the year.
As music trends change from year to year, it will be interesting to see how they will change even further in 2021. 2020 brought a plethora of new music trends to the scene as well as brought some older music back into popularity in a positive way. Thanks to social media like TikTok, it is safe to assume that, although the trends will continue to change, music will continue to gain popularity and grow in a new way.
