In 2023, we had a lot of great song and album releases by our favorite pop artists, old and new to the scene. Pop music has taken on a whole new meaning in recent years, with indie, alternative, emo, dance, and Afrobeats all fitting within the genre.

Influence from the 70s and early 2000s is also making a comeback to the pop radio waves, with artists like Dua Lipa and Pinkpantheress’ music styles reflecting what is popular today, not having to fit a certain mold. Singers like Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish are carrying on with their emo-girl influence, with tracks like “What Was I Made For?” and “vampire” being among the most popular songs of the year.

Heartbreak Kids

Taylor Swift released three re-recorded albums during her immensely successful year: 1989 (Taylor’s Version), The More Lover Chapter, and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). With new tracks “From the Vault” being heard for the first time ever, Swifties went wild with Swift’s matured voice singing never-before-heard songs.

Another artist who is known to have endured heartbreak and released new music in 2023 is Miley Cyrus. With Endless Summer Vacation, the singer dropped an empowering post-breakup album that fans couldn’t get enough of right at the start of the year. As long as there are songs to be written about heartbreak, these artists will never run out of new material to give to their loyal fan bases.

Whichever way pop takes a turn next, our favorite artists will continue to drop bangers that expand the genre, making music for all walks of life. As we enter the new year, more pop albums are highly anticipated from these pop icons. Take a look below at our six favorite pop songs that were released in 2023:

• 'Houdini' -- Dua Lipa

  Dua’s new “70s-era psychedelia” sound is so fun and groovy with her lead single from her upcoming third studio album. The lyrics “I’m not here for long, catch me or I go Houdini” is so fun to sing along to, and her music video is giving us Madonna vibes.

• 'Boys a Liar Pt. 2 -- Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice

  Pinkpantheress has never dropped a flop yet, so when she added Ice Spice for the part two edition of “Boys a Liar,” the world went crazy. The song is so fun and cute, guys and girls can’t help to vibe along with the bubblegum pop track.

• 'What Was I Made For?' -- Billie Eilish

  The thing about Billie Eilish is that she and her brother Finneas always know how to create the most hauntingly beautiful, heart-wrenching song. Eilish has remained true to herself throughout her career, and this 2023 track proves it. It fits perfectly for the Barbie soundtrack and for all the fans of the Mattel doll, bringing back all those nostalgic memories from when we played with Barbies.

• 'Water' -- Tyla

  The up-and-coming South African artist made waves when she dropped this Afrobeats pop track over the summer. Everyone was using this song when documenting their summertime activities on social media and has even had remixes with Travis Scott and Marshmello.

• 'vampire' -- Olivia Rodrigo

  One singer we can’t wait to watch grow as an artist is Olivia Rodrigo. Her sophomore album, GUTS, leads with this track that might very well be the best pop song of the year. With lyrics, “I used to think I was smart, but you made me look so naive. The way you sold me for parts as you sunk your teeth into me,” every teenage girl who has went through heartbreak can relate.

• 'Flowers' -- Miley Cyrus

  Cyrus released the ultimate breakup anthem right at the beginning of the year. With her eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, the musician shifted her sound once again to become more synth-pop. She has shown fans that she can adapt to whatever music style and blow us away with her singing and lyricism.

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