#HitsOfTomorrow – A Weekly Rundown of the ‘Should-Be’ Hits

First things first, this week’s Hits Of Tomorrow is going to look a little different. Why? Well, because this week marked quite a monumental milestone in pop history. Forty years ago, Madonna released her first single “Everybody” and the pop landscape was never the same again. Nearly every artist who has arrived since then has in some shape or form been inspired, influenced or impacted by the “Queen of Pop.”

The R&B-infused debut single failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100, but did mark Madonna’s first appearance on any chart, in this case, the Hot Dance/Club Play Chart.

Madonna would go on to become truly a legend of that chart. Just last month, to celebrate that feat and the 50 number ones she scored on that chart, Warner Records released the remix album “Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones.” In many ways, it’s a full-circle moment that even after four decades in the business, the dance chart is the only one Madonna continues to slay with every new release. Case in point, we even saw Beyoncé feature Madonna’s classic “Vogue” on her “Break My Soul – The Queens Remix.” Beyond giving thanks to the many black singers that came before her, Queen B gave the first shoutout to “Queen Mother Madonna.”

Beyond “Vogue,” time has also been incredibly kind to most of Madonna’s discography, in that the majority of her pop hits and albums have aged surprisingly well. Unfortunately, whether we’d like to admit it or not, the health choices the singer made in her personal life and the good fortune she’s had not to bid us a premature adieu like so many of her pop contemporaries (umm…Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince, George Michael, to name but a few) have created this illogical framework in the world’s mind about her impact on the musical landscape. Thankfully, despite her own generation’s hesitations or the incessant nostalgia for 80s Madonna or 90s Madonna, younger generations are discovering the singer, and her collaborations with young artists like Dua Lipa, Sickkick and Saucy Santana have given her a new life.

One of the most infamous early interviews of Madonna was on the dance program American Bandstand, where veteran host Dick Clark asked the young performer about her aspirations and she boldly stated “to rule the world.” She may not be the leader of the free world, but she has ruled the charts and more importantly, shifted music and pop culture so dramatically that even if she’s banned or not played on Top 40 radio anymore because of her age, even today, the Hits Of Tomorrow artists owe a debt of gratitude to the Queen who paved their way. With that said, here is this week’s list and thank you Madonna for making sure, “everybody” got a place on the radio and the charts.

LOVESICK – Nono

SCANDALOUS – Gryffin, Tinashe

DON’T GO – Rory, Pink Sweat$, Sinead Harnett

IT’S ONLY LOVE – Be Charlotte

HABIBI (MY LOVE) – Faouzia

HUSH – Ari Abdul

BITTERSWEET GOODBYES – Joyce Wrice

GIRLS LIKE ME DON’T CRY – Thuy

NOT ANOTHER ROCKSTAIR – Maisie Peters

WHITNEY – Reve

Listen To #HITSOFTOMORROW Playlist on Spotify!