What does Pittsburgh Listen to? We took a look at the Pandora charts–it might not be what you’d expect!
What are you listening to? We saw the AMA’s in November and know the top artists, but does PGH follow that trend? (Yes, we’re being super nerdy and got some stats from Pandora–don’t judge!)
Some of the guesses I’d think would make the list? Artists like Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish come to mind. And we can’t forget about Post Malone, Lizzo, Camila Cabello, and Halsey. All of these artists released new music this year, received heavy radio plays, award show wins, magazine covers, millions of streams, and most importantly, hit songs! Ahh the key to success in the music industry! But in today’s musical landscape of streaming, you never know what new artists will break out of nowhere, or should we say an old town road. Don’t get too excited, Lil Nas X didn’t make the cut. But anyway, Pandora’s list is so cool because it enables us to specifically look at the artists that are ruling the Burgh. Let’s press play and take a look!
Drum roll please! The artist with the most streams in Pittsburgh goes to Post Malone. It’s not a big surprise–and it’s easy to see how he’d run away, run away with the top spot. His new dance groove single “Circles” is number one on the Billboard 100. And this past year he released ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding,’ which quickly became his second number one album. It was recently announced that he’ll be playing PPG on Feb 24. Post Malone got ‘em sayin’, wow.
Following in the second spot is an artist that collaborated with Post Malone, DaBaby. Who says you can only release one album in a year? The North Carolina native released two! His hit song “Suge” scored huge Grammy noms, including best rap performance and best rap song. He’ll play a show in Morgantown at the Coliseum December 6th. And then it’s off to NYC for his biggest marquee performance to date–a musical guest on SNL December 7th with host JLO. Pretty good way to end the year, right?
Breakthrough artists keep on coming! Up next is one of the most popular artists of the year, Lizzo! After this year she’s definitely feeling good as hell. The soul pop singer crushed 2019 with three uplifting singles that had fans singing along from their cars to the club. She brought down the house at award shows, had song placement in commercials, and was nominated for 8 Grammys. It’s interesting because “Truth Hurts” was actually released back in 2017, but didn’t gain momentum until this year. The song was eventually included on her new album as a bonus track and became number one on the Billboard 100. The truth doesn’t hurt at all!
One of the more surprising stats on the countdown goes to Billie Eilish, who comes in near the bottom of the list. Okay, coming into this year nobody knew who the bad guy was, but now she has 1.8 billion on-demand audio streams! ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ showcased avant-pop grooves filled with bass and soft vocals. The album was recorded in her brothers bedroom and is nominated for album of the year at this year’s Grammys. Eilish recently announced a huge arena tour, no Pittsburgh date yet. Maybe her team looked at these stats. Coincidence? Hmmm.
How about one of the most outspoken celebrities of today? Yes, Cardi B makes an appearance! She’s still riding high off her debut album ‘Invasion of Privacy,’ which has been certified triple platinum. She like it like that! And don’t worry country fans, there is one spot on the list for you–and that goes to Luke Combs. Beer never broke his heart, and neither has Pittsburgh. He actually just played PPG this past November.
So, there’s been a bunch of breakthrough artists here, but how about an iconic superstar and a record breaking Canadian artist. It’s been 20 years since ‘The Slim Shady LP’ was released (crazy, right?) and Eminem still has a very solid fanbase in the Burgh, placing 12th. Another established star on the countdown is Drake, because he’s on every chart possible. He didn’t release an album this year but still reigns as one of the most streamed artists ever. This past July, Drake announced a partnership with Pandora and SiriusXM, which will give him his own radio station. Pittsburgh will be listening!
Here’s the full list of the top artists in Pittsburgh according to Pandora:
- Post Malone
- DaBaby
- Lizzo
- Summer Walker
- Kevin Gates
- Luke Combs
- Cardi B
- Chris Brown
- Billie Eilish
- Drake
- Young Boy Never Broke Again
- Eminem
- Megan thee Stallion
Want to listen to all of your favorite artists whenever you want? Head over to the ‘For You’ section in the all-new Pandora app, which is your very own personal section of amazing music!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.