Music is also working a nostalgic angle in 2023

Dua Lipa (L) and Calvin Harris (R) are among the artists likely to appear on charts for the year of 2023, according to a study. Image: ANGELA WEISS / AFP

When summer ends, artists and record companies alike wonder which songs will make it into the year-end music charts. According to a recent study, there's a good chance that the hit rankings of 2023 will have a very retro feel to them, in particular nodding to the Noughties.

These projections were put together by online gaming site Slingo based on an analysis of the songs included in 130 playlists on Spotify. While this panel is modest in size, it may provide an idea of the contents of the next Spotify Wrapped, the year-end retrospective from the Swedish music streaming leader.

Two tracks share the top spot in this ranking, the results of which were shared by the Evening Standard. Those tracks are "I'm Good (Blue)" by David Guetta featuring Bebe Rexha and "(It Goes Like) Nanana - Edit" by Peggy Gou. These two songs both appear in all the Spotify playlists analyzed.

But that's not the only thing they have in common: they're both very retro-sounding, in particular evoking the hits of the Y2K era. Y2K is commonly used to refer to the return of trends from the 2000s in fashion as well in the music industry.

This nostalgic resurgence is giving rise to unexpected covers and remixes, such as David Guetta and Bebe Rexha's take on Eiffel 65's Eurodance anthem "Blue (Da Ba Dee)". The melody of "(It Goes Like) Nanana - Edit" by South Korean DJ and producer Peggy Gou also recalls emblematic hits from this highly danceable musical genre, which was a huge hit across the European continent between 1992 and 1998. Examples include ATB's "9pm (Till I Come)" and "Around the World (La La La La La)" by A Touch of Class.

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A number of tracks included in this analysis surf the Y2K wave, such as David Guetta's "Baby Don't Hurt Me" featuring Anne-Marie and Coi Leray (#5) and Calvin Harris's "Desire" featuring Sam Smith (#8). Which just goes to show how much nostalgia for the 2000s is now setting the pace in music.

The influences behind some of the songs on this list are from the same vintage if not from a slightly older era. Dua Lipa's "Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)" (#4) and Miley Cyrus's "Flowers" (#6), for example, borrow from disco --a musical genre born in the early '70s -- while Harry Styles' "As It Was" is more reminiscent of the '80s. Proof, if proof were needed, that retro is the new cool.

Also read: Dua Lipa's 'Dance the Night' or Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer', which songs will be the next dance floor-fillers?

Discover Slingo's full ranking of the ten songs most likely to appear in the next edition of Spotify Wrapped below:

1- "I’m Good (Blue)" by David Guetta

1 - "(It Goes Like) Nanana - Edit" by Peggy Gou

3 - "Miracle" by Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding

4 - "Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)" by Dua Lipa

5 - "Baby Don’t Hurt Me" by David Guetta featuring Anne-Marie & Coi Leray

6 - "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus

7 - "Prada" by cassö

8 - "Desire" by Calvin Harris featuring Sam Smith

9 - "Cruel Summer" by Taylor Swift

10 - "As It Was" by Harry Styles