2009 vs. 2019: Our Favorite Songs, Then and Now

The music produced in 2009 laid the foundation for what the next decade of music would sound like today. According to Pop Dust, 2009 was “the year that introduced a whole spate of new pop megastars, said goodbye to a number of old ones, and established a number of trends that would prove pervasive in American pop music.” 2009 was when Lady Gaga became one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, the Black Eyed Peas hit the peak of their popularity and when America met David Guetta.

According to Billboard Hot 100, in 2009, the number one song of the year was “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas, followed by “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga. Other top songs of 2009 included “One Time” by Justin Bieber (which was the kickoff to his career), “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas (produced by David Guetta), “Love Story” by Taylor Swift, “Heartless” by Kanye West and “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé.

“I’d have to say that my favorite music video of 2009 was “Heartless” by Kanye West. I loved that he used animation so heavily and thought it was very unique,” said freshman Breanna Seshun.

Despite Kanye West’s infamous outburst during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Music Video Awards in 2009, he is still one of the most critically acclaimed artists of all time and continues his successful music career 10 years later. He still making music and continues to change his sound by experimenting in a variety of different genres.

“I think rap has become more influenced by rock and lo-fi sounds. Also, hip hop beats are now being used in other genres besides hip hop,” freshman Melissa Harrel said.

Over the past ten years, a lot of things have changed but the influences of 2009 are very prominent in today’s music.

“A lot of new genres have emerged such as SoundCloud rap. Also, indie r&b, are gaining popularity by the minute,” Breanna Seshun said.

So far, music in 2019 has started out with a bang. Ariana Grande continues to release top hits such as the track “7 Rings” hitting number one on the Hot 100. Grande also announced that she is coming out with a new album in February titled “Thank You, Next.”

It is predicted that 2019 will be another great year for music and looks like we have a lot to look forward to. Albums by Lana Del Rey, Kanye West, Weezer and Vampire Weekend are all highly anticipated albums to come in 2019. But will it be enough to outshine 2009? We will have to wait and see.