Who ruled the 2017 summer season in music? Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, to be sure. The track finished up the summertime as the No. 1 Song of the Summer. But while “Despacito” loomed large, there were other songs, albums and artists that burned brightly during the season.
Thanks in large part to the strong performance of Kendrick Lamar’s Billboard 200-topping DAMN. album, the rapper finished the season as the top artist of the summer (see list, below). The tally blends performance on both the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart during the summertime season (May 26 through Aug. 31). Rounding out the top five on the artist list are Bruno Mars, DJ Khaled, Ed Sheeran and Imagine Dragons. Lamar’s DAMN. is the top album of the summer, having earned 792,000 equivalent album units during the season, according to Nielsen Music.
In terms of the most -treamed tunes of the 2017 summer, “Despacito” takes the crown, with 599.75 million on-demand audio and video streams combined. It was far ahead the No. 2 most streamed track: Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO TOUR Llif3,” with 325.44 million streams. “Despacito” was also the biggest selling song of the summer, with 1,582,000 downloads sold.
But not every list was led by “Despacito,” as the biggest song on the radio during the season was Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like.” The track collected 1.847 billion in audience impressions across all of the radio stations that are included in the all-format Radio Songs chart. (“Despacito” was the second biggest song on the radio, with 1.793 billion impressions.)
Top 10 Artists of the Summer (Based on Combined Performance on the Billboard Hot 100 & Billboard 200)
1. Kendrick Lamar
2. Bruno Mars
3. DJ Khaled
4. Ed Sheeran
5. Imagine Dragons
6. Lil Uzi Vert
7. Justin Bieber
8. Sam Hunt
9. Future
10. Shawn Mendes
Top 10 Albums of the Summer (Based on Overall Equivalent Album Units)
1. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN. (792,000)
2. DJ Khaled, Grateful (770,000)
3. Imagine Dragons, Evolve (619,000)
4. JAY Z, 4:44 (506,000)
5. Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide) (470,000)
6. 2 Chainz, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music (462,000)
7. Drake, More Life (440,000)
8. Katy Perry, Witness (431,000)
9. Lil Uzi Vert, Luv Is Rage 2 (431,000)
10. Calvin Harris, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (428,000)
Source: Nielsen Music. Total units for an album reflect activity for the duration of the summer tracking period (May 26-Aug. 31), including track sales and streams registered by songs before their parent album was released.
Top 20 Songs of the Summer (From Billboard’s Songs of the Summer Chart)
1. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito”
2. Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like”
3. DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne, “I’m the One”
4. DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller, “Wild Thoughts”
5. Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You”
6. Imagine Dragons, “Believer”
7. Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.”
8. French Montana featuring Swae Lee, “Unforgettable”
9. Sam Hunt, “Body Like a Back Road”
10. Post Malone featuring Quavo, “Congratulations”
11. Shawn Mendes, “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back”
12. The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, “Something Just Like This”
13. Lil Uzi Vert, “XO TOUR Llif3”
14. Zedd & Alessia Cara, “Stay”
15. Charlie Puth, “Attention”
16. Future, “Mask Off”
17. Childish Gambino, “Redbone”
18. Niall Horan, “Slow Hands”
19. James Arthur, “Say You Won’t Let Go”
20. Kygo x Selena Gomez, “It Ain’t Me”
Top 10 Most Streamed Songs of the Summer (On-Demand Audio and Video Combined)
1. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito” (599.75 million)
2. Lil Uzi Vert, “XO TOUR Llif3” (325.44 million)
3. DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne, “I’m the One” (319.77 million)
4. DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller, “Wild Thoughts” (305.72 million)
5. Post Malone featuring Quavo, “Congratulations” (296.59 million)
6. French Montana featuring Swae Lee, “Unforgettable” (290.13 million)
7. Kendrick Lamar, “Humble.” (276.07 million)
8. Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” (268.19 million)
9. Future, “Mask Off” (239.74 million)
10. Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You” (211.82 million)
Source: Nielsen Music (May 26-Aug. 31).
Top 10 Radio Songs of the Summer (Total Audience Impressions on Stations Included on the All-Format Radio Songs Chart)
1. Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” (1.847 billion in audience impressions)
2. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito” (1.793 billion)
3. Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You” (1.645 billion)
4. Zedd featuring Alessia Cara, “Stay” (1.518 billion)
5. The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, “Something Just Like This” (1.448 billion)
6. Imagine Dragons, “Believer” (1.323 billion)
7. Shawn Mendes, “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” (1.298 billion)
8. DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne, “I’m the One” (1.201 billion)
9. Kygo x Selena Gomez, “It Ain’t Me” (1.177 billion)
10. DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller, “Wild Thoughts” (1.146 billion)
Source: Nielsen Music (May 26-Aug. 31).
Top 10 Selling Songs of the Summer
1. Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber, “Despacito” (1,582,000 downloads)
2. Niall Horan, “Slow Hands” (643,000)
3. Imagine Dragons, “Believer” (642,000)
4. DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne, “I’m the One” (610,000)
5. Sam Hunt, “Body Like a Back Road” (595,000)
6. Shawn Mendes, “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” (559,000)
7. Charlie Puth, “Attention” (554,000)
8. DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller, “Wild Thoughts” (507,000)
9. Liam Payne featuring Quavo, “Strip That Down” (462,000)
10. Post Malone featuring Quavo, “Congratulations” (421,000)
Source: Nielsen Music (May 26-Aug. 31).
