Georgie Dann's spirit must be restless these early days of July, realizing that, no matter how many years go by, the vague concept of the summer hit continues to hover over fairs, beach bars, and dance floors in Spain. Once again, nobody has a clear idea of which song it will be or how it is decided (nobody does, of course), although Spotify presents its own list of candidates and social media is filled with contenders united by their festive tone, the quest for a catchy chorus, and lyrics that steer away from the darker side of life to focus on the beach, relaxation, and above all, love. A long list of songs fitting this pattern compete to be the most listened to, including the following, released or making a comeback in 2024 with the imprint of heavyweight contenders like Karol G, David Guetta, Lola Índigo, or the everlasting Raffaella Carrà.
Sabrina Carpenter
'Espresso'
Mesmerizing voice, fresh rhythms, and a seductive look, the umpteenth Disney girl, at 25, boasts a prolific music career that was further enriched this summer with a new album (her sixth) featuring Espresso, a catchy chorus she debuted at the past Coachella festival. Infused with a pop-funk vibe and a music video reminiscent of the 50s Californian surf aesthetic, she, who was Taylor Swift's opening act on her Eras Tour, proudly claims to have men under her control, activating them “like Nintendo”, self-assured when she sees they can't sleep because of her or they can't stop calling her. A natural evolution for this young talent who took her first steps in a talent competition organized by Miley Cyrus before gaining recognition among the child audience for her role in the film Adventures in Babysitting.
Omar Montes, Lola Índigo, Las Chuches
'El pantalón'
Flamenco rumba, handclaps, barrel organs, and a music video filmed at the Su Eminencia market, in the neighborhood of Las 3.000 viviendas in Seville, come together to breathe new life into one of the songs that Las Chuches became known for two decades ago, when Melody was part of the trio “Como rone”. Sara and Martina have answered the call of Omar Montes, who, after the success of La sevillana, continues his flamenco journey in the company of Lola Índigo in search of “pants that fit me tight, that look cool on me.” With this unbeatable premise, the song aims to conquer party nights, fair booths, and of course the markets, praised in the song for their dubiously authentic products offered at very competitive prices amidst the hustle and bustle of dust and humanity.
Karol G
'Si antes te hubiera conocido'
A few weeks away from conquering Madrid with her quadruple concert at the Bernabéu, La Bichota presents a summer candidate with a homage to the Dominican Republic (where the music video was filmed) in the form of a catchy and sweet merengue. Few surprises in the story of “Si antes te hubiera conocido,” a jealous daydream about a friend who could have been something more, serving the artist from Medellín, the recent winner of the Latin Grammys, to showcase her talents beyond reggaeton as she did before with salsa, bachata, cumbia, or corrido tumbado. This is the second song that Karol G releases this year after presenting Mañana será bonito in 2023, the fourth album that solidifies her as one of the Latin music queens.
David Guetta
‘I don’t wanna wait’
Fasten your seatbelts to travel to the final stages of eurodance with this version of Dragonstea din tei, the hit that made everyone dance, and which nowadays is almost impossible to hear without the chorus “pluma gay” added later by Los Morancos ringing in our heads. In this version, the French DJ features the voice of Ryan Tedder, lead singer of One Republic, who treads the path of the ballad. A style far removed from the sampled campiness that crowned the dance floors with a song that means “love in the limes,” and that was the great success of O-zone, a Moldovan-Romanian trio that released the song in 2002 only to dissolve shortly thereafter in search of new successes as solo artists.
Estopa
'La ranchera'
Although it will hardly compete with the megalomaniac figures of dance music, David and Jose Muñoz are putting forward their candidacy to add a new notch to the countless local festivals and beer concerts that dot the entire country during the summer. To do this, they rely on La ranchera (as they have named it), Estopa's first foray into the Mexican genre, with which they reaffirm their eternal love for alcohol as a social glue, responsible for bringing friends together and promoting happiness.
Isabel Aaiún
'Potra Salvaje' (Hard Remix)
The most unexpected surprise on this list comes from a small village in Segovia - Venganzones - and the passion for horses of its author Isabel Aaiún, a horse riding instructor and budding musician since she published Potra Salvaje in 2021 at the age of 34. After achieving some success in Castilla y León, the song has returned to the spotlight thanks to the techno remix by amateur DJ Fernando Moreno from Teruel. This mesetarian combination results in a piece full of heroism in the style of the legendary Flying Free, singing about freedom, forgetting, and forgiveness. The success of the song, which has reached number 1 on Spotify without any promotion or support from a record label, is evidenced by its use in the celebrations of Real Madrid for winning the Champions League, or Espanyol for their promotion to the top tier.
Lola Índigo
'La reina'
With the dance floors in mind comes La reina, an elaborate production where the rhythm of merengue merges with an electronic sound for the glory of the dancing skills of the artist from Granada. This sets the stage for a future EP to follow El dragón, her third studio album. The icing on the cake is called Llorando se fue, a song that inspired the success of the lambada in the 80s, later revived by Jennifer Lopez in the disco hit On the floor. Now it's Lola Índigo who crafts the chorus based on this song born in 1981 by the Bolivian trio Los Kjarkas, which achieved international success in 1989 thanks to the Franco-Brazilian group Kaoma and a dance that became synonymous with beach and summer like few others.
Raffaella Carrà
'Pedro'
Like Greek gods in a Sophoclean tragedy, Internet memes have decided to resurrect the Italian diva who passed away in 2021 at the hands of Pedro. The tale of the romantic idyll experienced by the Italian in the Argentine town of Santa Fe, published in 1980 within the album Mi spendo tutto, has been brought back to life. A techno version started circulating on Tiktok last April by the German DJs Jaxomy & Agatino, and a user of the platform decided to synchronize the music with the image of a raccoon that seemed to dance to the syncopated rhythm of the song. The result: 200 million listens on Spotify alone, including those of Pedro Sánchez's followers who chose the track as their battle anthem to support the president during the five days of reflection he took two weeks after the remix was released.
Mushkaa & Bad Gyal
Sexesexy
Irma and Alba Farelo, also known as Mushkaa and Bad Gyal, starred in one of the most highly anticipated collaborations of the year, resulting in Sexesexy, an afrobeat track with highly erotic content typical of the sisters' respective careers, one well-established and the other budding, both united by urban sounds. Catalan and Spanish blend in the lyrics of a song that arrives shortly after the younger of the two from Vilassar, Mushkaa, released her first album at the age of 20, Sexy Sensible, positioning her as a benchmark in urban music in Catalonia. In this aspect, she equals her sister, seven years her senior, who, despite having had a long musical career, did not release her first full-length album, La Joia, until that same year, in 2024.
Ozuna & Bad Gyal
'Guay'
Reggaeton could not be missing among the candidates for the summer hit, this time with the signature of Puerto Rican artist Ozuna, who teams up with Bad Gyal in a song presented for the first time during the concert that the Catalan artist gave at Wizink Center, with the presence on stage of the author of Hey mor, who once collaborated with Shakira on Monotonía. Swagger, twerking, and not-so-subtle sexual innuendos form the backbone of a canonical song within the genre, accompanied by a music video recorded in Madrid, transformed for the occasion into a sort of American-style urban development.