In 2023, popular singers, rappers, and artists dropped top-charting albums and highly anticipated tours across the US. There were record breaking tours and songs that absolutely blew away fans. These strides in the music industry really set the bar high for what’s to come in 2024. 

BEST ALBUM: In my opinion, the #1 album of 2023 was Drake’s For All The Dogs. The beats in each song are so catchy and the music behind the lyrics pulled each song together. Although there were a few songs that could’ve been better, songs such as “8am In Charlotte”, “Away From Home”, and “First Person Shooter” had some great responses from fans. Although some people were disappointed in Drake due to their opinion that his album consisted of 5 or 6 great songs out of 23, others were really happy to experience the nostalgia that the album brought. Fans say that For All The Dogs reminds them of previous albums like Take Care, which is Drake’s #1 ranked album according to Rolling Stones. 

BEST SONG: My favorite song of 2023 was “Sleep Well” by d4vd (pronounced David). D4vd is known for songs that were top charting and trending on social media such as ‘Romantic Homicide’ and ‘Here With Me’. He recently went on tour with a top artist named SZA, who has had a remarkable year as a singer/songwriter. The reason why “Sleep Well” was my #1 song is not only because of the lyrics and sound it holds, but also it reminds me of one of my best friends because we blast it every time we’re together. This song stands out to me amongst the others that make up my playlist because it’s a slow song with a very different vibe than the usual rap that I listen to. D4vd’s style of writing is very poetic which explains why his songs have beautiful lyrics.

BEST TOUR: No surprise here; the #1 tour this year was Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour. Although I haven’t actually been to one of her concerts, what she has accomplished on tour in the past year is record-breaking and truly remarkable. According to Forbes, Swift and her Era’s Tour have amassed over $1 billion and now stands at the spot for highest-grossing tour ever. The setlist features popular songs from each of Swift’s albums and, additionally, she plays two “surprise songs” at each venue. It became a trend to trade bracelets at her concerts and dress up as one of her ten albums which allowed fans to bond and made an already spectacular experience even better. The only downside to the tour were the astronomically priced tickets. You couldn’t find any tickets that were below $1k which was limiting to people who weren’t financially able to pay that much money. To aid this, Swift made a movie titled ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ that encapsulates the entire concert experience which instantly became a hit due to the tickets’ cheap price. Although there were other tours in 2023 that were notable, Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour really changed the tour game and exceeded the already high expectations for her show.