I’ve said it many times and I won’t stop repeating it: 2022 has been a great year for music.

After the forced break caused by COVID-19, more artists than ever–especially mainstream ones–have dropped new projects throughout the year, starting with Dawn FM by The Weeknd and ending with S.O.S. by SZA.

With this music-galore, I think you can imagine how hard it was for me to choose only 50 songs to feature in my Top Songs of the Year list. So much so that I ended up expanding my list to 75 tracks–and believe me, it was painful nonetheless.

You can find my list below with an ultra-short commentary of the top 25 tracks. You can also listen to the playlist I created on Spotify, for your convenience. Comencemos.

Positions 75-26

75. Look In Your Eyes, Emeli Sandé

74. Yuck, Charli XCX

73. papi bones, FKA twigs feat. Shygirl

72. Should’ve Been Me, Mitski

71. I Heard You’re Married, The Weeknd feat. Lil Wayne

70. Late Night Calls, Imogen Mahdavi

69. 29, Demi Lovato

68. psychofreak, Camila Cabello feat. WILLOW

67. Winter is Hopeful, King Princess

66. I LOVE YOU, Yseult

65. ANTAGONISTA, Belén Aguilera

64. Or Something, Buddy

63. Té De Piña, Bruses

62. COSÌ STUPIDI, Ernia

61. Pull Up, Koffee

60. Hold The Girl, Rina Sawayama

59. Shadow Of Mine, Alec Benjamin

58. Ovule, Björk

57. We Not Humping – Remix, Monaleo feat. Flo Milli

56. Karma, Taylor Swift

55. El Pañuelo, Romeo Santos feat. ROSALÍA

54. Simulation Swarm, Big Thief

53. Big Steppa, Flo Milli

52. No Merci, Little Simz

51. Cometa, Juliana

50. No drama, Babi

49. CUFF IT, Beyoncé

48. I Can See The Future, Tinashe

47. En La Mía, Mariah Angeliq

46. Sin Carné, Bad Gyal

45. Woman Life Freedom, Sevdaliza

44. Do Betta, DaBoii feat. Cash Kidd

43. Body, 070 Shake feat. Christine and the Queens

42. SEJODIOTO, KAROL G

41. Blood In The Wine, AURORA

40. Toy Story, Lola Indigo

39. hover like a GODDESS, WILLOW

38. PUNTO 40, Rauw Alejandro feat. Baby Rasta

37. King, Florence + The Machine

36. Mercury, Steve Lacy

35. BILLIE EILISH., Armani White

34. INTRO / GO SHORTY, Swavay feat. James Blake

33. Ogbunabali, Craig Vill

32. Blind, SZA

31. SEKRET, Ronela Hajati

30. The Devil, BANKS

29. Control, Shirel

28. Money, Ronisia

27. Mrs. Worldwide, Yung Gravy

26. Over, Lucky Daye

Positions 25-1

25. LL Cool J, Leikeli47

Playful and catchy, Leikeli47’s feature style is encapsulated in this signature track titled like the notorious MC.

24. IDGAF, BoyWithUke feat. blackbear

The hipster vibe is undeniable and the vocals are immaculate; blackbear’s rapping is a nice addition.

23. L’enfer, Stromae

Stromae absolutely blew me out of the water with this deeply personal track exploring suicidal ideation, plus some African folk choirs.

22. Escapism., RAYE feat. 070 Shake

“Escapism.” is arthouse in music form. Perhaps one of the best-structured songs of the year, it’s got a dreamy, cinematic vibe to it. 070 Shake’s vocals complete the ensemble.

21. The Lasty, Santigold

Santigold’s insanely high vocals seem to come from another dimension in “The Lasty.”

20. everything, Kehlani

“And how many bitches that became your missus can maintain the status? / That was before me, you childish, you done with your wildin’ / Now you can be wild with me.

If these lines don’t give you alpha female vibes, I don’t know what does.

19. Vine solita, Natalia Lafourcade

Natalia Lafourcade’s raw confessions and even more raw vocals left me absolutely astonished.

18. Give Me a Kiss, Lolo Zouaï

Lolo Zouaï’s internet girl extravaganza is best represented by this highly-electronic track.

17. Win / Sin, AMARA ctk100

Though having only a few songs under her belt, AMARA ctk100 throws everything sbe’s got at the listener in this futuristic banger.

16. About Damn Time, Lizzo

Despite her unbeatable charisma on social media, the omnipresent Lizzo finally came back with this 80s-inspired banger featuring a flute solo.

15. Whole Milk, Lucy Loone

A leading song that actually builds anticipation for what’s ahead, Lucy Loone’s “Whole Milk” is dark and mysterious enough to leave you waiting for more.

14. Cooped Up, Post Malone feat. Roddy Ricch

Posty’s slow banger is a personal reflection with hypnotic vocals and a verse by Roddy Ricch.

13. Wasting Time, Devvon Terrell

This track makes me want to dance every time I listen to it. Devvon’s vocals are great too.

12. demon time, Mura Masa feat. BAYLI

BAYLI’s vocals slap in this hyper-electronic overture to Mura Masa’s homonymous album.

11. BANG THAT, Vince Staples feat. Mustard

From that second minor chord at the beginning, you can expect a great performance by Vince Staples.

10. Shlut, Shygirl

“WAP,” but actually decent.

9. Energy Freq, M.I.A.

M.I.A.’s intentions to blend the East and the West culminate in this half-sacred, half-profane track which makes a beat out of a religious Tamil chant.

8. Maléfica, Cazzu feat. Maria Becerra

The Argentinian duo absolutely brings the heat in this dark banger.

7. Sangoma, Ibeyi

The vocals. Absolutely orgasmic.

6. AMERICAN GURL, Kilo Kish

Kilo Kish’s 80s-inspired extravaganza is best represented by this unstoppable banger.

5. Churchill Downs, Jack Harlow feat. Drake

Although the song received a lot of negative reviews, I appreciated the beat and the duo’s flow.

4. Piketaison, LUNA KI feat. Lola Indigo

A testament to LUNA KI’s signature style, “Piketaison” got me out of bed many times.

3. Sabré Olvidar, Silvana Estrada

A heartbreaking track, Silvana Estrada’s vocals and rhetoric absolutely hit you in “Sabré Olvidar.”

2. HENTAI, ROSALÍA

Worth listening to for the metralletas alone, ROSALIA’s ballad is both aggressive and tender.

1. Rich Spirit, Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick proved once again that his signature style can be adapted in many ways. “Rich Spirit” is a hypnotic track with a killer beat.

Listen to these tracks on Spotify

Cover image credits: Leikeli47