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#HitsofTomorrow – A Weekly Rundown Of The “Should-Be” Hits

From Maluma to 24kGoldn to Craig David and more

Amit Vaidya

Oct 01, 2022

We wrapped up September this week, which means two things. One, Grammy eligibility period for 2022 is official over with today’s releases being the last tracks eligible for this year. Two, we have just three months remaining for the end of the year, so we will soon segue from hot new releases to holiday music and, well, here’s hoping for some surprise albums like the upcoming Taylor Swift one! This week, we see the return of Paramore on the instantly likeable “This Is Why” while Shawn Mendes and Charlie Puth yet again release additional singles with “Heartbeat” and “Charlie Be Quiet!” respectively. And Ed Sheeran joins the Pokemon world with “Celestial.” Unlike other artists like Katy Perry, Post Malone and J Balvin who have previously collaborated with Pikachu and company, this track actually has a shot at becoming a big hit because, well, it’s Sheeran and every single of his turns to gold, somewhere! With that said, here are this week’s Hits Of Tomorrow – the should-be hits of the current week that deserve that extra little bit of attention.

“Junio” – Maluma

So Maluma is one of the biggest stars in the world and it’s probably not like he needs any extra love or attention. Having said that, he’s still been unable to break through on the mainstream charts without being featured on a single by an English-speaking artist. That should change with the romantic “Junio,” a track that even if you don’t speak Spanish would work perfectly sandwiched between Harry Styles and Lizzo on the Top 40 charts. The single is perfect for the Fall and if programmers can show him the same love they’ve shown Bad Bunny this year, we’re about to have a whole new audience fall in love with Maluma.

“Mistakes” – 24kGoldn

It’s a bizarre thing that 24kGoldn struck such gold with “Mood” (with Iann Dior), but since then has struggled to achieve a solo breakout hit. It hasn’t been without valiant attempts from the artist’s side as he’s been delivering should-be hit after should-be hit. “Mistakes” is the latest in a line of singles that should have taken him back to the top of the charts. The track is understated and thus perfectly fits into the landscape of today’s sound. It really would be a big mistake for Top 40 not to embrace this smash.

“Obvious” – Craig David, Muni Long

We’ve heard R&B jams from Craig David for more than 20 years now, which is kind of crazy. It’s also kinda insane that the singer is still making hits all these years later when many counted him out. David has recently done a very smart job of collaborating with performers you’d not necessarily think would make sense (um hello, Bastille?) but they work, and they work really well. With the release of his 22 album, the standout track has to be “Obvious” featuring Muni Long, who is oh-so-hot at the moment. The single has everything needed to become a slow jam classic, but will Long help David reach a new generation? Here’s hoping so!

“Life Worth Living” – BLEU, French Montana

Alabama native BLEU returns, this time collaborating with French Montana on the life-positive “Life Worth Living.” The rapper takes us back to the ’90s with this instant hit as there are hooks, rhymes and joy that far too often of late are hard to find in hip-hop. Programmers should take note and make the single a Top-40 staple. After Jack Harlow achieved mainstream success this year, it is BLEU’s well-deserved turn. In another era, this would be a number 1 smash – even a Top 20 hit would suffice today.

“Bugs” – Khai Dreams

The indie music scene has spent years enjoying the musical flavorings of Khai Dreams. His latest, “Bugs,” fits perfectly into his growing catalog of streaming successes. But the track also has the potential to break out from playlist placements to achieving mainstream radio success. The single is exactly the kind of indie one-off record that would help a budding indie artist break out into the mainstream and with so little variety these days, the single could be the little hit that could.