The Music of 2015

I was at the gym the other day and had a conversation with a 92-year-old man. He still drives himself to the gym every day. He had some wise words for me. Actually, they are wise for all of us. I asked, “Ray, what is the secret to a long and healthy life?”

He replied, “Music and humour.”

In honour of that wisdom, let’s recap the top tracks of 2015. Despite a most chaotic year with incredible acts of horror, disregard for life and Nature continuing to break records of extreme weather, I find it very interesting that the music reflects back to us a lighter side.

Pop music has always been a social barometer of the collective consciousness. Interestingly, during this dark period in humanity, what shines back at us is more gentle loving music. The majority of the most popular global tracks have been light in lyrics, light in beat and melody, with soprano vocal style and themes of love, family and connection. It’s quite different from the previous few years of broody self-deprecating pop ballads and hard, metallic, almost alien-sounding dubstep beats.

So as we look to this past year and prepare for the year to come, let’s focus on joy and consider the most popular positive possibilities pop music that helped make millions of people feel really alive. May this top 10 playlist be an elixir that makes you smile, dance, laugh and celebrate all that is good in the world as we look towards a more peaceful 2016.

10) Coldplay – Adventure of A Lifetime, with over 46 million views in 1 month.

9) Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You, with over 123 million views in 8 months.

8) Kygo – Firestone, with over 159 million views in 9 months.

7) Jesse J – Flashlight, with over 187 million views in 8 months.

6) Alesso: Heroes (We Could Be) featuring Tove Lo has been streamed on Spotify over 235 million times and racked up 107 million views in just over a year. He is a DJ and EDM music producer from Stockholm, Sweden who has quickly gained mainstream appeal.

5) OMI – Cheerleader with 299 million views on this video:

and then another 320 million views on the official video:

4) Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean with over 526 million views in 4 months

3) Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud with over 907 million views in just over 13 months (Even though this track was released in 2014, it has kept itself in the global top charts consistently for the whole year!)

2) Wiz Khalifa – See You Again, with over 1.2 billion views in 7 months.

1) Uptown Funk Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, with over 1.25 billion views in just over a year.

Rishi bioSince 1994, Rishi Deva, founder and CEO of RishiVision and entrepreneurial coach, has empowered thousands of businesses. Rishi has an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurial studies and a BBA in accounting. He has spent nearly twenty years coaching, consulting, managing and supporting thousands of businesses from new startups to active global leaders.

For more information on Rishi, please visit rishivision.com.