We reached out to a handful of the hundreds of in-store/overhead music curators that we work with and asked them to provide us with their top music releases from 2021: the songs they programmed the most in their channels, their personal favorites and their favorites from Shoplifter! Below is what we received, enjoy!
Also, we compiled them all into a few playlists for your own listening enjoyment.
Steve Zanardi, Music Curator at Spectrio
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Good 4 U – Olivia Rodrigo
* Leave the Door Open – Silk Sonic
* Save Your Tears – The Weeknd
* Levitating – Dua Lipa
* Bad Habits – Ed Sheeran
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* How High – The Record Company
* Madelyn – Anderson East
* Like a Kid – Michigan Rattlers
* Tell Me How it Feels – Cardinal Black
* Dancing On My Own – Willie Watson
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Breadwinner – Kacey Musgraves
* The Underdog – Big Mother Gig
* Up All Night – Aaron Lee Tasjan
* Freedom – Jon Batiste
* Dancing in the Kitchen – LANY
Dallas Osborn, Head of Music Curation at Rockbot
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Saint PHNX – Happy Place
* Forrest Nolan – Summer Vibe
* Tai Verdes – A-O-K
* Fitz – Head Up High
* Pale Waves – Easy
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* nothing,nowhere – Trauma Factory
* illenium – Fallen Embers
* remy – you only call me when you want something
* KennyHoopla – survivor’s guilt mix tape
* The Maine – XOXO: From Love & Anxiety In Real Time
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Cynthia Erivo – The Good
* Arden Jones – Parking Lot
* LANY – Dancing in the Kitchen
* Saint PHNX – Happy Place
* Tai Verdes – A-O-K
Patrik Jungo, Content & Program Manager at DMD2
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* OneRepublic – Someday
* Alexander 23 – Songs from his EP “Oh No, Not Again!”
* Ed Sheeran – Overpass Graffiti & Shivers
* Adele – Single Easy On Me & Songs from LP 30
* Vance Joy – Missing Piece
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* Valerie June “The Moon And Stars…”
* Almost Monday – Cool Enough
* Twenty One Pilots – “Formidable”
* Tom Odell – Monsters
* Jungle – “Loving In Stereo”
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Jungle – Loving in Stereo (LP)
* Kacey Musgraves – Justified
* Lila Drew – 2023
* Vance Joy – Missing Piece
* Maya Delilah – “Queen” & “Breakup Season”
Miranda Deubert, Head of Music at CloudCasting UK
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Elton & DUA
* Paco Versailles – Unwind
* Mehro – Coastline
* Years & Years – Starstruck
* Almost Monday – Till the end of time
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* Elton & Dua – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
* Rag n Bone Man – All you ever wanted
* The Weeknd – Take my breath
* Years & Year – Starstruck
* Jack Savoretti ft Nile Rogers – Who’s hurting who
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Arlo Parks – Hurt
* Big Mother Gig – My Unveiling
* Elton & Dua – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
* Jungle – Talk about it
* Wet Leg – Chaisse Lounge
Nick Bewes, Head of Music at KVH Studios
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Olivia Rodrigo – Driver’s License
* Ed Sheeran – Bad Habits
* Ella Henderson, Tom Grennan – Lets Go Home…
* Jonasu – Black Magic
* David Guetta/Galantis/Little Mix – Heartbreak Anthem
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* Silk Sonic – Leave the Door Open
* Wolf Alice – The Last Man On Earth
* Jessie Ware – Remember Where You Are
* Griff – Black Hole
* James Blake – Say What You Will
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Gryffin – The Best is Yet To Come
* Celeste – Tonight Tonight
* Jessie Ware – Please
* Dayglow – Close to Me
* Wet Leg – Chaise Longue
YiPei Chen-Josephson, VP of Licensing & Label Relations at The Playlist Generation
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* NEIL FRANCES “finding rhythm”
* Helado Negro – Far In – LP
* Hana Vu – Public Storage – LP
* Jose Gonzalez – Local Valley – LP
* Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert – LP
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Jungle -Loving In Stereo LP
* Dayglow “Close to Me”
* Arlo Parks “Hurt”
* Lionel Boy – Lionel Boy LP
* Jessie Ware “Please (Radio Edit)”
Al Jones, Music Video Programmer at ClubCom/GymTV
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* AJR – Way Less Sad
* The Weeknd – Save Your Tears
* Nelly & Florida Georgia Line – Lil Bit
* Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar
* Dua Lipa – We’re Good
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
* War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
* Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Georgia Blue
* The Record Company – Play Loud
* The Black Keys – Delta Kream
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* ATB – Your Love (9PM)
* Riton – Friday (Dopamine Remix)
* Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
* Gryffin with Kyle Reynolds – Best Is Yet To Come
* Diplo & Damian Lazarus ft. Jungle – Don’t Be Afraid
Libby Zabriskie-Farr, Music Director at Vibenomics
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Olivia Rodrigo – Drivers License
* Olivia Rodrigo – Good For You
* AJR – Bang
* Elton John /Dua Lipa – Cold Heart
* Mat Kearney – Pontiac
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* Silk Sonic – Leave the Door Open
* Foo Fighters – Waiting On A War
* Maneskin – Beggin’
* Jon Batiste – I Need You
* Milky Chance – Colorado
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Jon Batiste – I Need You
* Milky Chance – Colorado
* Darren Criss – River
* Jungle – Talk About It
* Wild Feathers – Alvarado
Craig Martin-Roseberry, Exclusive Music Curator for Kiehl’s
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Amber Mark “Foreign Things”
* Róisín Murphy “Assimilation”
* Elderbrook & Bob Moses “Inner Light”
* Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls (Lockdown Version)”
* Arlo Parks “Hurt”
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* Adele ’30’
* Lady Blackbird ‘Black Acid Soul’
* Helado Negro ‘Far In’
* Jordan Rakei ‘What We Call Life’
* Rüfüs Du Sol ‘Surrender’
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Jungle ‘Loving In Stereo’
* Diplo & Damian Lazarus “Don’t Be Afraid ft. Jungle”
* Jessie Ware “Please (Radio Edit)”
* Kacey Musgraves “justified”
* Petit Biscuit ‘Parachute Remix Album’
Jonathan Knox, Senior Music Consultant at RX Music
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Dua Lipa – We’re Good
* Coldplay – My Universe
* Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away
* Vance Joy – Missing Piece
* OneRepublic – Someday
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* Adele – 30
* Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders – Promises
* Turnstile – Glow On
* Black Midi – Cavalcade
* Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Jessie Ware – Please (Radio Edit)
* Halsey – I’m Not A Woman, I’m A God
* Vance Joy – Missing Piece
* OneRepublic – Someday
* Kacey Musgraves – Breadwinner
Greg Nisbet, The Maestro at RadioMogul
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
* Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
* Jon Batiste – Freedom
* Tai Verdes – A-O-K
* Vance Joy – Missing Piece
* Riton – Friday (Dopamine Re-Edit)
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
* Jon Batiste – Freedom
* Jon Batiste – I Need You
* Easy Life – Skeletons
* Tai Verdes – A-O-K
* Jungle – Talk About It
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
* Jon Batiste – Freedom
* Easy Life – Skeletons
* Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
* Alan Walker, Imanbek – Sweet Dreams
* American Authors – Nice and Easy
* Diplo – Don’t Be Afraid (feat. Jungle)
* Vance Joy – Missing Piece
* Tai Verdes – A-O-K
* Jessie Ware – Please
* Riton – Friday (Dopamine Re-Edit)
* ATB, Topic – Breaking Me