According to The Official Charts Company, Clean Bandit’s ‘Rather Be’ was the biggest streaming track of 2014 in the United Kingdom. It was streamed 39.7 million times on streaming services such as Deezer, Google Play, Napster and last but not least Spotify. Approximately 15 billion songs were streamed last year according to the trade body BPI. That’s a lot! Back to, Clean Bandit. The giant hit features Jess Glynne on vocals and was initially released in December 2013. Dubbed baroque pop on Wikipedia, the song succeeded the previous single ‘Dust Clear.’ The song was a huge a huge international success, reaching No.1 in Sweden among other markets. It even crossed over to the UK – peaking at No.10 – making a hugely successful year for the Brits. It is nominated as “Best Dance Recording” at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Clean Bandit – Rather Be ft. Jess Glynne [Official Video]
Make sure to check out Clean Bandit’s complete album via Spotify below.
No, the American girl group Fifth Harmony has not done a cover of Peter Gabriel’s 1986 hit ‘Sledgehammer.’ Moving 75-40 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, a brand new Fifth Harmony track is growing fast in its popularity.
Famous for her two current US hits ‘Lips Are Movin’ (No.4) and ‘All About That Bass’ (No.5), Meghan Trainor is also a respected and successful song-writer for other artists. ‘Sledgehammer’ is lifted off Fifth Harmony’s upcoming debut set “Reflection” and was co-written by Trainor, Jonas Jeberg and Sean Douglas.
The Danish song-writer Jonas Jeberg is famous for hits such as The Pussycat Dolls ‘I Hate This Part’ and Shontelle’s ‘Impossible.’ Sean Douglas wrote Jason Derulo and 2Chainz’s ‘Wiggle’ as well as Demi Lovato’s ‘Heart Attack.’ Production was held by Jeberg and Harvey Mason, Jr. who worked with Whitney Houston and Justin Timberlake.
In other words, a great set-up for the girl group who found fame via the second season of The X-Factor USA. As their previous hit ‘Bo$$’ peaked at No.43, ‘Sledgehammer’ has already become the biggest hit to date.
The members of Fifth Harmony began their career in The X Factor as solo singers, but they later formed a group. Throughout the competition they first named themselves LYLAS, later to be changed to 1432. Amongst other tracks, they performed ‘We Are Never Getting Back Together’ (Taylor Swift) as well as ‘Skyscraper’ (Demi Lovato). In 2013 they issued the debut EP “Better Together,” which will be followed by their debut set [“Reflection”].
Fifth Harmony – Sledgehammer
Fifth Harmony – Bo$$
‘Bo$$’ was released in July 2014 and was a bigger hit in the UK, where it peaked at No.21. As mentioned above, it peaked at No.43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Fifth Harmony – All I Want For Christmas Is You
Fifth Harmony recorded the cover of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ for the Epic set “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” The record label compiled a set of Yuletide songs including artists like Meghan Trainor, Fiona Apple and Tamara Braxton.
Catfish and the Bottlemen formed in Llandudno in North Wales and was initially signed to Communion Records. The group issued the three singles ‘Homesick,’ ‘Rango’ and ‘Pacifier’ in 2013. Last year, Catfish and the Bottlemen changed labels and is now part of Island Records’ imprint.
Awarded the BBC Introducing Award
The current single ‘Kathleen’ was produced by Jim Abiss of Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian and Adele fame. The track was one of the hottest on MTV back in April last year, and the group has toured more than 30 festivals in mainland Europe.
In December 2014, the group was awarded the BBC Introducing Award. Although they have achieved critical acclaim, the group is yet to crack the heights of the charts. ‘Cocoon’ is the highest peaking single in the UK yet (No.78). ‘Kathleen’ reached No.88, haven peaked at No.39 on the US Alternative chart.
The debut album “The Balcony” was issued in September last year, peaking at No.10 in the UK at the end of that month. It will be released in the US later this year.
The infographic below shows the latest updated number of plays and listeners trends from Spotify and last.FM. As you can see, Catfish and the Bottlemen’s audience has grown steadily since June 2014 (from approx 1,000 to 4-5,000 listeners).
Infographic showing the latest available Spotify and last.FM data for Catfish and the Bottlemen
Catfish and the Bottlemen – Kathleen
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Catfish and the Bottlemen – Kathleen
Snapshot from the Realtime Billboard + Twitter Chart for Emerging Artists
Née Omar Samuel Pasley, the Jamaican reggae singer OMI initially released ‘Cheerleader’ back in 2012 on Oufah Records. The German producer Felix Jaehn remixed the track at the end of 2014 and is currently the biggest hit in Sweden at the moment.
‘Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)’ entered the Swedish singles chart in mid-October at No.55. It quickly moved 55-30-7, catapulting to the top spot in its fourth week and has stayed there ever since.
I will update you guys on how OMI fares on this week’s chart as it unfolds later today.
How ‘Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)’ took over Spotify
The infographic below shows how ‘Cheerleader’ made its way to No.1 on Spotify and how OMI steadily grown his listener base on last.FM. In its initial tracking week 42, the remix appeared on the Swedish Spotify chart at No.41 based on 351,029 plays (1,015 listeners on last.FM). The track reached its peak in week 46 when it amassed no less than 2,138,016 plays on Spotify.
The infographic shows how the popularity of ‘Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Radio Edit)’ on Spotify and last.FM.
The second infographic shows how ‘Cheerleader’ quickly grew its fanbase on Swedish Spotify. The track increased its popularity with 79% in week 43, reaching an additional 80% growth the week after. After week 46, the track’s popularity declined even though it stayed atop the Spotify chart for an additional three weeks before it was replaced by Avicii.
Weekly change of Spotify airplay for OMI’s Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Radio Remix Edit)
OMI ‘Cheerleader’ chart positions
OMI – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix) [Official Video]
OMI – Cheerleader (Ricky Blaze Remix)
OMI also issued an additional remix on Spotify signed Ricky Blaze. It has so far racked up 221,568 plays (2/1, 13:47 CET).
