#HitsOfTomorrow – A Weekly Rundown Of The ‘Should-Be’ Hits

November wraps up this week and so does a year of #HitsOfTomorrow. While new releases will continue to make their presence felt through December, this weekly column takes a full stop as we make time to celebrate the music of 2022 and get geared up for another exciting year of music.

December has increasingly become a challenging month for new releases. While some artists do like to drop new big singles, because of the amount of attention dedicated to Christmas and New Year’s, there is a huge spike in Holiday-themed music and most times, new singles often get lost in the shuffle.

This will mark the first full year that this column has been housed at Rolling Stone India and we have been fortunate that many of the songs we championed ended up becoming big hits and many of the artists profiled not only became breakthrough stars but also greatly appreciated our shoutouts.

This week we are looking back at some of the break-out singles from the past year that we had our pulse on the minute they released! We won’t say they are best of 2022 (that list will start being compiled this week!) but rather hits that are, you know…now!

“Calm Down” – Rema (HOT – February 12th)

More than nine months ago, Rema’s “Calm Down” was one of our #HitsOfTomorrow picks. The video has amassed more than 250 million plus views on YouTube and Rema managed to get Selena Gomez on the remix! Their video together has already garnered more than 125 million views in just less than two months! We knew Rema had star power and this little single that could, did and we are so thankful that Afrobeat isn’t just a one-artist, one-genre, one-song pony – it’s definitely here to stay!

“Tamagotchi” – Omar Apollo (HOT – March 26th)

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, sometimes the Grammys do get things right and this year they did one such thing by nominating Omar Apollo in the Best New Artist category. “Tamagotchi” was that infectious bilingual jam that struck a chord with music enthusiasts across multiple genres, making Apollo one to watch. It doesn’t hurt that the song is produced by the Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams. Will Apollo win? It’s likely the nomination is the prize here but there’s no doubt the star has an ever-bright future.

“Another” – Muni Long (HOT – April 15th)

Speaking of the Grammys, well, they did right again by acknowledging Muni Long this year, also with a Best New Artist nomination. The R&B rising star had a fantastic 2022 and one of the highlights of the year for Long had to be “Another.” The slick jam was a cut above the rest, pushing the singer beyond comparisons to her contemporaries and giving Long the ability to stand out on her own, make her presence and her voice carry to the soul-powered generation. 

“Glimpse Of Us” – Joji (HOT – June 11th)

Japanese singer Joji had quite the massive breakthrough in 2022 thanks to “Glimpse Of Us.” At first, it seemed like the bubbling under artist was set for another mid-chart peak with another above-average song, but this piano ballad was like nothing else out there, on radio, on streaming, frankly anywhere. The song ended up hitting Number One in markets as diverse as Australia to Lithuania and making the Top 10 in the U.S.!

That’s no small feat and the single is likely to show up on many year-end charts (maybe even this one!) and we are really excited for what’s to come for next from the star.

“Becky’s So Hot” – FLETCHER (HOT – July 23rd)

One of the happiest moments this year for us was seeing FLETCHER blowing up social media with “Becky’s So Hot.” While the single managed to make a dent on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, the song continues to find a home on TikTok and beyond, adding plays and more attention to the singer who’s been giving us bangers for years. This one might just be the breakout she needs to enter the big leagues.

“Enough” – charlieonafriday (HOT – August 6th)

Speaking of social media, one of the young bright spots this year has been charlieonafriday as he slowly moved up the ranks from being seen as just a knockoff to the real deal. “Enough” proved that the singer isn’t messing around. The song finally gave the young singer a Top 40 hit and something tells me this song is going to continue to have legs into 2023! Isn’t it nice when a good pop song actually gets played on the radio?

Listen To #HITSOFTOMORROW Playlist on Spotify!