This summer came and went in the blink of an eye. Whether it’s a new and upcoming artist, or a renewed album from a legend, music can be a crucial part to enjoying the free hours granted by summer vacation. Here is the most popular music from the last few months, hopefully helping to extend that summer feeling.

In The Claw’s opinion, here are the 5 hottest songs of the summer:

“good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo
“Maybe I’m too emotional, but your apathy is like a wound in salt,” Rodrigo sings in this heartbreak pop song. Rodrigo’s debut album, “Sour”, includes several other emotional tunes like this, all capturing her experiences through innovative lyrics.

“MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X describes his experience in understanding and expressing his identity as a gay male in the rap industry in this upbeat song, including several lines about his past romantic relationships. The rapper also hints to the 2017 film of the same name, which he describes as “one of the first gay films he ever saw.”

“Kiss Me More, feat. SZA” by Doja Cat
This pop tune by hip-hop sensations Doja Cat and SZA is just 1 of the many songs who have benefited from exposure on apps like TikTok. While some claim the lyrics aren’t exceptionally deep, the song has still managed to gain fame all over the internet, receiving millions of streams.

“STAY (with Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI
Yet another popular duo joins forces to detail several aspects of a relationship, including forgiveness, and admiration in this song. Although Justin Bieber has been making a bit of a slow comeback to the music scene, be on the lookout for a new project from him in the next few months.

“Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran
In this fusion of pop and electronic music, the pop veteran details his past nightlife persona, and the improvements he has made to his life since then. The meaning behind this song is fitting, as Sheeran has recently become a father, and transitioned into a new chapter in his life.

While the top music charts can say a lot about the current song trends, students have their own thoughts about the current music sphere.

Freshman Courtney Rogers said, “I’ve started to enjoy BTS music a lot more, especially [their song] ‘Butter’. I never really understood their appeal, but now I really like their music”. Rogers isn’t the only 1 enjoying K-Pop band BTS. BTS is officially the most streamed group of all-time on Spotify, with 16.3 billion plays across all of their releases.

Many other big-name artists have made a comeback and released hit albums in the past few months as well, receiving a large amount of support from their fanbases. For those who are members of those fandoms, catching up with an artists’ new releases is a great way to pass time, and stay up-to-date with the music sphere.

“I think the albums I listened to the most [this summer] were evermore and Folklore by Taylor Swift. It’s been a while since she has released a complete album, so getting a ton of new songs from her was super exciting” said freshman Alexis Awad.

Taylor Swift’s summer releases have been a major topic of discussion this summer in the world of pop culture. With “evermore” racking up 220 million streams so far, Swift has been one of the most talked about artists of the summer.

While the summer may have gone by quickly, it was filled with new, young, artists joining the scene, and old favorites jumping back into the industry.