This edition of the new chart is my last one for 2022. The next edition will kick off 2023 on January 2, 2022. I’ll have one more edition of the BILLCS New Music Report in two days, but the report will not publish next week as I will be preparing my Top 100 of 2022. I expect to count down the list on Twitter in three parts starting Thursday December 29. The full list will be published on December 31, and that evening an online radio broadcast of my Top 30 of 2022 will happen first on Radio GTA and then on Mix88.ca. So there’s lots more coming to put a wrap on an interesting year in music!
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For the final chart of the year, “Yours” by Conan Gray is locked in at #1 for a second appearance at the top. But also, where will the song finish on my year end list next week?
Both “Golden Hour” by JVKE (above) and “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez (also above) have been bookends making a deliberate pace up the chart. “Golden Hour” however moves 6-3, and “Until I Found You” inches up 5-4, which will also allow them to finish off well on my year end list. JVKE also has a new song which you shouldn’t miss. It was a surprise for me to f,ind out that “Hero” was recorded with Martin Garrix and it’s definitely turning into a new favourite. Check it out below with its cool animated video.
Charlie Puth’s short but thoughtful “Charlie Be Quiet” moves up 8-5 and becomes his third Top 5 song on this chart. The other two were “Attention” (#1) and “We Don’t Talk Anymore” (with Selena Gomez, #5).
The top of the chart is heavy with action as Darin’s “Satisfaction” (above) climbs 14-6 and is the Fastest Riser on the chart for a second chart in a row. His other entry, “What’s The Point” (below), jumps 25-20.
“The Power” is looking to become Matoma’s personal best on the chart. The rollicking sports anthem moves up 10-7, one position behind the peak of his 2016 release “False Alarm” with Becky Hill.
I’ve really had a sweet spot all year for ballads or softer songs recorded by new male singers. You can add Toronto’s Shawn Molko to that list as his lovely “I Will Wait” climbs 11-8.
Continuing to rev up the dance charts is “Lionheart (Fearless)” by Joel Corry and Tom Grennan which rises 13-9.
Toronto duo Crash Adams get their first Top 10 placement on the chart with “Give Me A Kiss”, which jumps 12-10.
Zac Poor’s poignant bop “Ghost Boy” kicks into high gear and moves up 22-16.
The Highest Debut on the chart belongs to Greyson Chance with “Black Mascara” at #25, another stunning track from his Palladium album. His beautiful performance of the song from his December 1 show in Toronto sticks in my memory and compelled me to revisit it, now one of my favourites from the album. As his song “Athena” departs the chart this week after peaking at #6, Greyson continues to have to songs on the chart as “My Dying Spirit” holds at #2.
At #26 is the unanticipated collaboration of dance music legend Armand Van Helden and British house music queen Karen Harding. The song is “Wings (I Won’t Let You Down)”, an Armand release from 2016 built around the refrain of Ph.D.’s 1981 Top 5 UK hit “I Won’t Let You Down”, which has been revamped to include original lyrics and vocals from Karen. Even better, the song keeps the late Jim Diamond’s vocal intact in the chorus. It’s an upbeat song made into something euphoric thanks to the talented team. While “Wings” is Armand’s first appearance under his own name on this chart since 2007 (since he’s also a member of Duck Sauce), it’s also his sixth entry, which includes two #1’s, the house classic and UK #1 “U Don’t Know Me” (with Duane Harden, 1999) and “My My My” (2005). “My My My” in fact is an early example of a dance producer building a new song around an old one, which in that case was Gary Wright’s “Comin’ Apart”. Karen has also worked on other tracks like this, for example ALTÉGO’s “I Wanna Know”, which I wrote about recently, is a similarly styled reboot of CHIC’s “Soup For One”. “Wings” is Karen’s 7th entry on the chart.
The last new entry at #27 is the dance music radio firecracker “Spiral” by NYC’s Lena Leon at #27. This song has quickly moved up into the Top 10 of the national dance music radio charts. It’s well-deserved, with an excellent vocal driving a unique house music release. It’s Lena’s second entry on the chart, her first being earlier this year with Mahalo and Milkwish on “Careless” (#3).
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
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Listen to The Big 20 from 10pm to Midnight EST on Wednesdays as “The Musicman” James Rogers and I bring you the latest in new songs. The show also repeats on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. EST and Sunday mornings at 2:00 AM EST. You can hear past episodes of The Big 20 at this link.
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The 3D Variety Show by Planet Radio Canada
I’m featured Tuesdays between 7 and 7:30 pm EST with my New Music Pick of the Week which debuts every week on “The 3D Variety Show” with “The Musicman” James Rogers, and I also join occasionally for looks at music from our past through some live segments. A repeat of “The 3D Variety Show” airs on Wednesdays at 7pm EST on Radio GTA. My pick of the week airs 20 times during the week and you can view its schedule by clicking here. You can hear past episodes of The 3D Variety Show at this link.
Addictive Energy (currently on hiatus until January)
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