CD Radio's Top 36 Songs of 2023 - Part 1

What a year…moved into my dream crib, experienced my first layoff, went to Ireland to be on TV with Nick Cannon, started medication for the first time, traveled way too much, and learned a lot more about myself. Music narrated all of it. I had an incredibly fulfilling year at work, meeting and working with Victoria Monét, Summer Walker, Keke Palmer, Coco Jones, Doja Cat, Doechii, FLO, Villano Antillano…I even got to interview Coco!

While the year wasn’t easy, music always made the journey feel more cinematic. Whether it was listening to a new artist I discovered through work or trying to drown out all the bullshit of life, music was a constant grounding force in my life. Many of my friends joke about how often I play music, but I don’t think they realize it’s the only thing that makes my brain work properly.

The year was defined by Kelela’s Raven, Amaarae’s Fountain Baby, Victoria Monét’s Jaguar II, Janelle Monáe’s The Age of Pleasure and SZA’s SOS. I also adored Jai’Len Josey’s Southern Delicacy, Chloë’s In Pieces, Troye Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other, Tinashe’s BB/ANG3L, Leon Thomas’ Electric Dusk and Q’s SOUL,PRESENT.

But 36 tracks really stood out to me this year, so I ranked ’em top to bottom. Per usual, I tried to limit artists having multiple entries so I could represent a wide variety of albums and artists. Don’t hate me if your particular fave song didn’t cut it — this list could’ve just been Kelela, Amaarae, Janelle, Victoria and Chloe, but that wouldn’t be any fun would it?

Let’s get it….

Playlist [SPOILER ALERT]

36. Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 — PinkPantheress feat. Ice Spice

I really love all of the tracks on PinkPantheress’ album Heaven Knows (shoutout “Bury me”, “Nice to meet you”, “Ophelia” and more). She really rose to the occasion that is the elusive Major Label Debut. Across an album full of genre-bending and structurally innovative tracks, PinkPantheress is understandably less of a fan of its radio-ready lead single. However, I opted to include Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 on this year’s list because it’s quintessentially 2023. It’s a hit made in a factory, but like, the PinkPantheress kind — Jersey Club meets UK garage topped with an infectiously written Ice Spice feature, one that helped cement her as a serious artist amidst a meteoric 2022 debut. While we lost our minds and questioned the state of the world, we found solace in PinkPantheress and Ice Spice dancing on NYC fire escapes in pastels — yassifying the pain away, just like all of us.

35. Hasta Cuando — Kali Uchis

You can imagine how a good a song has to be for you to Shazam it while peaking at Coachella. “Hasta Cuando” encapsulates what we love about Kali Uchis and what I like to call ~LA R&B — breezy, easy, cool. “Hasta Cuando” is designed for top-down car rides and Beach trips, with its bouncy, driven beat and airy layered vocals. The song is about owning your truth, even if it seems someone is going to make you the villain: “Whatever makes you feel better/Paint me as the villain if that makes you feel better.” An Anti-Hero-esque tale — we’ve all been there. And yes, the way Kali whispers “Yeah, everybody hates me” at the end is truly hilarious. You can say she’s farming for a viral Tik Tok sound, but I say she’s just doing what so many great writers do. Writing about a universal feeling simply and plainly, in our own words, and being cool while doing it.

34. ASAP — NewJeans

For years, as part of my personal quest to always be on top of whatever is new and popular, I’ve been hoping and praying for someone to deliver me organically to KPOP. I’ve listened to a bunch of BTS and even seen BLACKPINK live this year but none of it ever hit quite right. That’s until NewJeans dropped their 2nd EP Get Up earlier this year, which was co-written with Danish R&B up and comer Erika de Cassier. The group closes the record with the breezy 2 minute “ASAP”. It’s a simple jam in both its content and production that rushes you through NewJeans’ confident but soft voiced charm, inviting you to come float along with them “just for a minute”. The song ultimately thrives when there’s no one singing at all. A simple flair in the beat and echo on the singer’s voice sways you slowly and allows you to take some peace and have some fun with the hottest new girl group out. It kinda feels a moment of knowing eye contact with a crush at a party, before you both start giggling about how funny it would be if… — Mo Eltahir

33. riseatsunset — Krishna Canning

Lush, cinematic, resonant were all words I used to describe Krishna’s debut single, “goodguy,” last year. “riseatsunset” is a fundemental building block of this lush and resonant sonic universe. But this time, we are a bit more restrained and careful — more endemic. Krishna’s whispered, breathy falsetto paired with fortified ascending piano chords and absolutely wonky production create such a unique track. Coin flips, thumping syncopated percussion, and many seemingly disparate elements converge slowly to birth the sonic journey that is “riseatsunset.” And it perfectly encapsulates the disorient of rising at sunset — if you’ve been there, you know how destabilizing it can be.

It is no surprise the track and its remixes have accrued over 5 million streams since release — the track is impressively and peculiarly mosaic. It feels like a gasp for air, an underwater submerge — a representation of the proximity between disappearance and desperate searching. “How can I feel you in the fallen minutes?/How can I breathe when I’m wrapped in linens.”

Well, how can you?

32. Water — Tyla

South Africa’s rising superstar, Tyla, stormed the mainstream with her major label debut single, a dark horse contender for the song of the summer. With a little help from a water bottle and a nod to South Africa’s Bacardi dance, “Water” and its subsequent social media challenge became a defining 2023 TikTok trend, amassing over 3 million videos, a half billion views, and counting.

Beyond the social media hype, “Water” is a wildly infectious song with a vulnerable sexuality that’s been lacking in mainstream R&B as of late. Tyla opens the song backed by sultry synths and a stacked chorus, “Make me sweat/Make me hotter/Make me lose my breath, Make me water”, demanding and assured. “Can you blow my mind/Instead of my whole body?” she asks coyly, while pondering going through with this steamy tryst. Tyla’s inhibitions audibly melt, excitement escalating as the song reaches its pre-chorus, “I don’t wanna wait/Come take it/Take me where I ain’t been before”, before erupting into that unforgettable hook.

Tyla evokes the quiet sensuality of R&B titans like Aaliyah and Janet Jackson, while putting her own stamp on the genre courtesy of Sammy Soso’s Amapiano production. Blending R&B and Afrobeats, “Water” starts off with a quiet splash, and cascades throughout its 3-minute duration, accentuated by punching log drums and cooing ad-libs. By its climax, Water leaves the listener gasping for air and wanting more, begging for another replay. At 21, Tyla displays an understanding of herself as an artist well beyond her years, and I’m certain this won’t be the last time she captivates me and the world at large — Michael Santos

31. vampire — Olivia Rodrigo

I really love Olivia Rodrigo’s second single “Deja Vu” because it feels like a diss track. The mid-tempo joint pairs meticulous details with malicious intent to make an unavoidable hit that kinda ruined her ex’s next relationship (petty queen)! The song, and ensuing album, sent him running to GQ (twice), then to mental health podcasting and then finally to Jesus.

On “vampire,” Rodrigo strikes a similar pose on a new target. The song starts with a slow piano build similar to ‘driver’s license’. But as she twists her voice to its peak at the end of the chorus, she takes a sharp left turn inventing my favorite phrase of the year, “FAME FUCKER”. With the simple, cold and devastating line Olivia takes all the power back from a manipulative and opportunistic ex. The ballad then builds pace as she sing-raps through a myriad of reflections on how she fell prey to such an obvious loser, despite warnings, and how he used her for clout. She brings it crashing down with a triumphant final chorus, singing with a fuller reassured voice, sending herself to a place of resolution and another man running to the pages of GQ — Mo Eltahir.

30. BREEE! — Bree Runway

While most people in my circle are aware, I need to remember the world is big and vast. So let me repeat myself: Bree Runway is a superstar. While her latest EP “Woah, What a Blur” was technically a late 2022 drop, it defined 2023 for me and the semi-eponyous track “BREEE!” is the highlight.

The early 2000s coded twinkly keyboard on “BREEE!” creates immediate nostalgia and pairs perfectly with Bree’s husky, commanding voice and smooth sultry vocals. While many other artists combine rapping and singing all while remaining solo, “BREEE!” is special in that it truly feels like “Bree Runway feat. Bree Runway.” The song is deservedly cocky as well: “I know what he likes and it ain’t you hoes/It’ s the B-R-E-E.” The song is a deliciously brash intro to Bree Runway the artist. And don’t play with her! Bree Runway’s time is coming and tracks like these will be returned to en masse — for now the girls that get it, get it.

29. Spirit 2.0 — Sampha

Though Sampha’s “Spirit 2.0” first came out in late June of this year (serving as Lahai’s lead single–his second solo project and first solo release since 2017), I sunk my teeth into it upon the album’s release in late October.

The song found me deeply depressed, my spirit sickened by the onslaught of violence suffered by Palestinians at the hands of the IOF. Bearing witness to such violence these last 80+ days–and the unempathetic response of many around the world–has left me faithless and heartbroken. But like the continued actions of groups working to spread awareness, protest the brutality of Israel’s apartheid government, and fight for Palestinian liberation within our lifetimes, this song gave me something else to fixate on besides ongoing genocide in Gaza, Sudan and Congo.

Yussef Dayes’ hypnotic, syncopated drums invite the listener to fall deep into the wavelike trance of “Spirit 2.0:” let the song catch you, just as “friends will catch you / time will catch you.” Sampha’s mantra is a meditative reminder: amidst the anguish of hurtling into the unknown, some things remain reassuringly cyclical. Yet, despite the peace the first 4.5 minutes of Sampha’s smooth vocalizations against steady synth provide, Yaeji’s additional vocals at the end perfectly capture the feeling of screaming ceasefire into what feels like a void: translated from Korean, “Where did the words I wanted to say go?”

This is what I so admire about Sampha’s lyrically and sonically rich Lahai: its Afrofuturistic embodiment of bright hope, while embracing the grief that may still exist within that hope. Every time I listen, my spirit becomes anew: finding mourning and comfort; anxiety and determination; cold sorrow and tender hope— LEMMONS

28. What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture Barbie] — Billie Eilish

When the Barbie soundtrack was announced, I was intrigued to see how Billie’s signature brooding and embellished sound would fit — or if she’d make her first bright, upbeat pop song. Expectedly, she stuck to her brooding guns and personified Barbie instead: “Looked so alive/Turns out I’m not real/Just something you paid for/What was I made for?” As Billie describes in a video (which is my new favorite obsession), the song simply had to be sung in that breathy, restrained whisper. That choice takes the song to a completely otherworldly place. You can feel the shakiness in your eardrum and grasp the tension and pain found within her recognition of inanimateness — her storytelling is on ten.

Billie is a generational talent, and she never ceases to amaze me with her range, depth and artistic commitment. “What Was I Made For?” is another successful hit, and I’m expecting it to receive lots of gold trophies next year.

27. Never Lose Me — Flo Milli feat. Lil Yachty

I think in the last 4 weeks of 2023, Flo Milli somehow released the best song of her career.

While I live for Flo’s more bombastic personas and production, I didn’t realize I needed her on a Southern laid back & synthy hip-hop beat. She leaves a lot more space than she usually does, taps into singing for the first time and still succeeds in all her charismatic glory. The song feels like a cousin to Doja Cat’s “Agora Hills,” but it has its own flare that makes you want to drive real slow around somebody’s neighborhood. Lil Yachty is a perfect feature as well — and I’m always appreciative of a male feature that actually elevates a song.

The public seems to agree too, as the remix has quickly became the best performing song of Flo Milli’s career. Is this criminal considering this is the woman who made “In The Party”? Definitely. But its still exciting to see our girls get their first proper mainstream look — and it’s even sweeter when the song is this damn good.

26. Sossaup — KAYTRAMINÉ, Amaarae

Aminé and KAYTRANADA’s collaboration album was one of the most highly anticipated efforts of the last year. What do you mean the sexy East African rapper and the sexy gay house king are putting out a joint project? I’ll be there. Given the volume and cohesion of both their existing bodies of work, many anticipated KAYTRAMINÉ would have a different sound and atmosphere than we ultimately got. It ended up being less deep house and more… chilling in the house. And it was good, don’t get me wrong (in fact, I think the entire album is a standout precisely because of its subversion. These are tracks that are smooth and classic, and whose grooves will only grow more well-worn in with time) — but if there’s any song on the album that delivered on the vibe and energy folks were yearning for, it’s “Sossaup.”

From the first moment, the groove is simultaneously laidback and upbeat — and undeniable. Aminé slides in, laying out his plans to “sossaup” the girl he’s seeing: “I feel like Beyoncé/I’m finna Upgrade U.” He’ll ice her out, break her back, and make some good music while doing so. It’s fun to hear a man, a rapper in particular, speak to how well he’s going to treat the woman he desires and how excited he is to do so. One of the most fun moments of the song comes as he reiterates that “if the dick can’t hang then the beat don’t bang!” He wants to spoil his girl and so do you — why wouldn’t you wanna Sossaup when it feels so groovy?

Things really kick into overdrive as Amaarae pops onto the second verse. The queer Ghanaian starlet is known for hypnotic melodies, playfully horny lyrics, and innovative Afro-fusion, and she takes this beat (which sounds like it was made for her) as an opportunity to show off her prowess in the arena. She plays off Aminé’s earlier line: “I feel like Riri-ri, I pon di replay you.” She flips typically heteronormative terms and actions on their head: “He a slut/He fuck me while I throw a couple ones on him.” She, like Aminé, is excited to spoil the object of her affections, and she doesn’t care about their gender. In fact, she relishes in the subversion: “I treat my nigga like my bitch/I treat my bitch like my nigga.” As Aminé returns to the final chorus, we’re left with a feel-good summer kickback bop — Skylar-Bree Takyi

25. Deli — Ice Spice

Ice Spice is a master of a few things:

• The quintessential NY hood nigga practice of creating slang out of slang with words that (others would say) aren’t real words but make so much damn sense.

• OOTAS ON OOTAS THEY KNOW HOW TO OOO!

• Being in and of the zeitgeist at all times

• Having a signature look (NPC vibes)

• Girl drill

Ice Spice really hit the scene like crack in the 80s and while many have and continue to doubt her, I’ve hopped on the train. After seeing her stellar opening set for Doja Cat a few weeks ago, I’ve accepted how uniquely rare it is for an artist barely 20 months into her career to have the ability to perform 45 mins of bangers and have the audience rap along the entire time. “Deli,” the opener, was my favorite though. Thumping bass, a blaring repetitive alarm, and a classic NY Drill beat generate a sense of urgency and lay the framework for some her most iconic lines to date: “He want the WAP but I just want the Fetty”; “I’m the shit I’m that bitch I’m Miss Poopie” to name a few. The song translated tremendously well live — it confirmed Ice Spice’s spot.

We need to continue uplifting women rappers who do not benefit from colorism like Ice. But the existence of a rapper with a cadence so spe-cific and pa-cific, an approach to rap unlike so many other of the mainstream girls, is evidence that we are hopefully getting closer and closer to a world where we don’t have to choose — we can have it all.

24. What Is This — Charlie Belle

Austin-hailing sibling-duo Charlie Belle took the world by storm as toddlers and tweens, crushing shows across Austin at SXSW and Austin City Limits, getting co-signed by outlets like NPR and receiving awards like “Austin It-Girl” (shoutout frontgal Jendayi Bonds).

College happened, life happened, and the two are back and all grown up. While they still revel in the indie-pop, alternative pocket that gained them attention in the 2010s, their triumphant return in 2023 brings a neo-soul sound and more mature writing that a lot of their original tracks did not deal in: “Helicopters flying/Filming people dying/Got a roof and its downtown/I can hear the sirens.”

Jendayi wrote so aptly about the care it takes to have anxiety and the resulting (and contrasting) nihilism that plagues so many young people living in our very complicated world. We also get the novel treat of hearing percussionist Gyasi Bonds’ sweet baritone voice as a lower melody in the chorus: “Scared of something that doesn’t exist/What is this?”

The band took their comeback seriously, as an opportunity to demonstrate that same prowess and infectious sibling chemistry, with subject matter that encapsulates the time that’s passed and the growth that’s accompanied it. We are seated for what’s next.

23. Running Out Of Time — Paramore

After a six-year hiatus and two solo albums from frontwoman Hayley Williams, Paramore returned to the scene this year with their highly anticipated sixth studio album This Is Why. On an album rife with political commentary (see: the title track, “The News,” “Big Man, Little Dignity”) and personal introspection on love and loss (“Liar,” “Crave,” “Thick Skull”), one song in particular stands out among the rest for its total (and welcome) detour in message and theme.

What I call my CPT anthem, “Running Out of Time,” is about exactly what the title conveys: being late to everything. Throughout the song, Williams sings about all the things she would have done had she not run out time and all the reasons she was tardy. Plans to walk the dog past the driveway or show up to the party with an offering all foiled by traffic, spilled coffee, and, the classic, hitting snooze on an alarm one (or 20) too many times. A guitar riff reminiscent of a metronome or ticking clock adds a sense of urgency to the track, making listeners feel like they, too, are running out of time (And if you’re like me, you probably are).

While laying out all her plans and alibis, Williams owns her reputation for being unpunctual and even laughs at herself for it. “There was a fire (Metaphorically) / Be there in five (Hyperbolically)” she says in the second verse. She’s laughing at herself and wants us to laugh at her too. “Look, I showed up early for once / Now that’s a new sensation,” she continues on the bridge. Through this playful self-deprecation, Williams becomes more relatable to the listeners (at least the ones who are also always late), making us more interested in what she has to say on the rest of This Is Why. Ultimately, with this lighthearted song on an album that is anything but, Paramore reminds us that it is okay to poke fun at ourselves. They also remind us that maybe we should try to be on time, just once — Annie Harrigan

22. Barbie World (with Aqua) [From Motion Picture Barbie] — Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice

“I’ma DOLL but I still like to PARTY!” That line just hits different when you’re a queer person living in Brooklyn, I swear.

I’d say Mark Ronson deserves a raise for curating this soundtrack but he’s already rich, so let’s snap for him instead.

As an infrequent movie goer, I obviously saw all of the Barbie marketing but my most intimate experience with the film would’ve remained on social media if it wasn’t for the Hot-100 top 10 smash, “Barbie World.” With a predictable sample, Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj team up to elevate the original song into one of the cuntiest songs on pop radio in 2023. The jersey club interlude did have to grow on me but any tentativeness I have about the track is doused by the perfect chorus. The two rappers’ chemistry is on fire, as they alternate lines and coast in their conform zones. Ice’s cool, collected disposition paired with Nicki’s sharp, hot pink declarations are a flawless combination. It’s refreshing to see Nicki — well over a decade into her major label career — still a part of fresh, chart-topping crossover hits.

And one thing about Nicki…she’s going to collab with the new girls (regardless of what happens after).

21. What It Is (Solo Version) — Doechii

Look, we all know what this song was for. Doechii should’ve BEEN topping pop and urban radio formats. Doechii should’ve been in the top 40. Doechii got signed. The check cleared.

For one of my favorite artists, who I discovered through genre-bending, sonically daring masterpieces like “Crazy” and “Persuasive,” to go so blatantly mainstream and still sound so fucking good, and maintain her charisma, infectiousness, edge, and replay value is just further evidence that Doechii’s destined for stardom. An infectious “Some Cut” sample, nostalgic 2000s esque guitar and very pleasing hook combine to create one of the easiest to listen to Pop songs of the year. What’s even crazier is Doechii didn’t rap one bit, and the song has become her biggest hit to date. We should be very scared!

Now that we’ve got our girl’s first smash, I’m confident Doechii is working on a killer debut project that will blend all of her creative brilliance, and weave together Pop radio hits, house music, raw hip-hop, and everything in between, all with the same infectious and daring artistry that got us here.

Want to see the top 20? You can subscribe to CD Radio and find part 2 HERE.