Music
Get to know these 12 viral and chart-topping artists from around the world.
Get to know these 12 viral and chart-topping artists from around the world
Holly Gordon, Melody Lau, Andrea Warner · CBC Music
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Sports and music intersect frequently, but rarely with the global spectacle that is the Olympics. One of the best things about being an at-home armchair expert of the Olympics is discovering how deeply and quickly you care about things like "clean" dives and landing dismounts. The other best thing is finding out everything you can about all of the competing countries as you fall in love with different athletes from all over the world.
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One way to get to know a country is to check out what's charting and trending — musically, at least. CBC Music has chosen a selection of songs from around the world to highlight a dozen countries and their homegrown musical superstars as a way to get to know the sound of this year's Olympic Games.
Country: France
Artist: Gims and Dystinct
Song: "Spider"
Congolese French singer and rapper Gims teamed up with Belgian Moroccan singer Dystinct for this song of the summer that's been topping France's charts for weeks — and has nearly 38 million views on YouTube. Paired with a video filmed on the Champs-Elysées and Place des Victoires in Paris, "Spider" has the perfect visuals and energy to match the Olympic host country.
Country: Hong Kong
Artist: Keung To
Song: "You're Out of This World"
A member of the popular Cantopop boy band Mirror, Keung To made his solo debut in 2019 and has topped the Hong Kong Songs charts numerous times since with singles like "My Dear Friend" and "Dummy." His latest No. 1 is "You're Out of This World," a piano ballad he released as a gift to fans on his 25th birthday on April 30.
Country: Ukraine
Artist: Dorofeeva
Song: "Хартбіт"
The solo project of famed Ukranian singer-songwriter Nadia Dorofeeva, Dorofeeva released this propulsive Ukranian English electro-pop single a little over a month ago and has already earned more than 4.5 million streams on YouTube and Spotify.
Country: Chile
Artist: FloyyMenor, Cris MJ
Song: "Gata Only"
While FloyyMenor's reggaeton-inspired track "Gata Only" was originally released last December, it's enjoyed a recent bump thanks to a new feature from fellow Chilean artist Cris MJ and some viral success on TikTok where it's soundtracked over two million videos. As of this writing, "Gata Only" has spent 14 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, marking the first time any Chilean artist has been in its Top 10 in 25 years.
Country: Sudan
Artist: Hyper249
Song: "Kanat Ayam Ya Watani"
In January of this year, Hyper249 recorded "Kanat Ayam Ya Watani," for Rab Shar 3, an Egyptian YouTube channel highlighting hip-hop artists. His lament for Sudan and the track's indictment of corruption, greed, and war has struck a powerful chord with more than 800,000 views and a shout-out from Okayplayer as one of the best North African songs so far of 2024.
Country: Canada, India
Artist: Karan Aujla
Song: "Tauba Tauba"
Karan Aujla made history this year as the first Punjabi Canadian artist to win a Juno Award, and now his Bollywood single "Tauba Tauba" is one of the only Canadian songs on theBillboard Canadian Hot 100 right now. Written for the Hindi comedy Bad Newz, Aujla told the BBC of the dance-floor-ready track: "I really wanted it to be easy to catch for the people that don't know Punjabi too much. But I also wanted to keep it [Punjabi] and not have it like a Bollywood sound."
Country: Thailand, South Korea
Artist: Lisa
Song: "Rockstar"
With the Tame Impala-sampling "Rockstar," Lisa becomes the third Blackpink member to score a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Building off her previous singles, 2021's "Lalisa" and "Money," "Rockstar" is a genre-bending showcase for Lisa's dynamic rapping, and its music video pays homage to her Thai culture, featuring scenes shot in Bangkok, Chinatown and Yaowarat Road in Thailand.
Country: Palestine, Chile
Artist: Elyanna
Song: "Ganeni"
The 22-year-old Palestinian-Chilean musician released her debut album, Woledto, just a few months ago and already the single"Ganeni," which mixes reggaeton, tabla, trumpets and more, has almost 40 million streams on YouTube and Spotify.
Country: U.S.A.
Artist: Megan Thee Stallion
Song: "Hiss"
Diss tracks are hitting hard in the States right now, and Megan Thee Stallion's "Hiss" is one of the sharpest of the year. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and no matter whom she's taking aim at — Nicki Minaj? Drake? Tory Lanez? — she's definitely holding the upper hand.
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Country: Japan
Artist: Omoinotake
Song: "Billions of Light Years"
Japanese piano-pop-rock trio Omoinotake scored a big hit in 2021 when they wrote and performed the theme song for the Netflix anime series Blue Period. This year, they peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 with another TV theme, "Billions of Light Years," for the Japanese drama, Eye Love You.
Country: Italy
Artist: Tony Effe feat. Gaia
Song: "Sesso e Samba"
This smooth single just dropped in May, and became the first No. 1 hit for both Italian rapper Tony Effe and singer Gaia. While both artists told Vanity Fair Italia that their collaboration was all about mood and not numbers, "Sesso e Samba" is reaching millions of people on all streaming platforms anyway.
Country: Colombia
Artist: Karol G
Song: "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido"
Karol G is one of the biggest Latin pop stars in the world, so it's no surprise that her newest single, "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido," has more than 213 million streams and views since its release on June 20.
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