For the second year in a row, I’m adding a special countdown for all the pop music (ie: anything that isn’t Korean or Japanese) I loved in 2022. I’ve slowly dipped my feet back into international music markets, highlighted by the blog’s “Global Round-Up” posts that kicked off this February and will continue into the future.

Here’s the first half of this year’s countdown: songs number forty to twenty-one!

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Honorable Mentions:

Ciara – Jump
Demi Lovato – Skin Of My Teeth
Benjamin – N-Y-T / Gay
Diplo & Miguel – Don’t Forget My Love
Darren Hayes – All You Pretty Things
Tove Lo – 2 Die 4
Theoz – Det Kommer Bli Bra
David Guetta – Crazy What Love Can Do
Bree Runway – Somebody Like You
Darin – Superstar

2022 YEAR-END MASTERPOST

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40. Oliver Tree & Robin Schulz – Miss You

I love high-octane dance music, especially when coupled with a vocal so searing and otherworldly.

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39. Lil Nas X – Star Walkin’

Lil Nas X goes full-on “anthem” with Star Walkin‘s stirring pop chorus.

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38. Alok & Bastille – Run Into Trouble

An addictive, hazy dance track with a stellar beat drop during its hypnotic hook.

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37. Carly Rae Jepsen – Western Wind

I still don’t know what to think of Carly’s newest album, but this was a lush, understated return.

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36. Darin – Satisfaction

The always-excellent Darin experiments with brittle 80’s funk to brilliant effect.

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35. Latto – Big Energy

Technically, this came out in 2021. But, it became ubiquitous this year. That Tom Tom Club sample never fails.

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34. Lizzo – 2 B Loved (Am I Ready)

This should have been massive. What a perfect pop chorus!

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33. Sophie And The Giants – We Own The Night

This stylish bit of dance pop scratched my itch for early-10’s era maximalism.

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32. Ava Max – Million Dollar Baby

It’s all about those stacked vocals and that swirling dance-disco instrumental.

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31. Robin Packalen – Magic (ft. Maejor)

Robin continues his dive into synthwave sounds. We all benefit from this musical transformation.

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30. Harry Styles – As It Was

One of the biggest hits of the year for good reason. It sunk its talons into me, as well!

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29. Silence Wang – Dance Club

A little-known Chinese track that feels as if it was created just for me. I love its surging dance sound.

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28. Rina Sawayama – Hold The Girl

A glitchy anthem with one of the year’s most rousing bridges. It gets better with each listen.

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27. Tove Lo – No One Dies From Love

Coupled with an eye-catching, emotional video, this is perfect tears-on-the-dancefloor heartbreak fuel.

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26. Omar Rudberg – Todo De Ti (All That She Wants)

A cheeky reinvention of the classic Ace Of Base hit, Todo De Ti is the rare update that works.

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25. Jessie Ware – Free Yourself

In a year with plenty of disco retreads, none sounded quite as authentic as Free Yourself.

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24. Sophie Ellis-Bextor x @WuhOh – Hypnotized

It’s nice to have Sophie’s arch, mile-a-minute phrasing back in pop music. This is addictively off-kilter.

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23. Madison Rose – Technicolor

Madison Rose was a huge discovery for me this year, and Technicolor offers a bright taste of her excellent album.

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22. Charli XCX – Used To Know Me

Robin S’s immortal Show Me Love became a popular touchstone this year, but few harnessed the sample with more panache than Charli XCX.

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21. Jonas Blue x Why Don’t We – Don’t Wake Me Up

This is just straight-up EDM bliss with a massive pop chorus that aims straight for the jugular.

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NEXT: 20-1