This time, too, it is not so easy to choose the summer hit. No song is obvious. But there are candidates. Raffaella Carrà, who died three years ago, plays a role.
Unlike in previous years, there is no sign of a major summer hit on Germany’s music market in 2024. “Summer has been a long time coming – and the summer hit is also taking its time,” says GfK Entertainment, the investigator of the Official German Charts. There is still no clear candidate.
Last year it was similar: “Last year it also took longer for the summer hit to be decided. “Girl on a Horse” was chosen at the end of August 2023,” explains GfK-Entertainment in Baden-Baden. The year before, “Layla” by DJ Robin & Schürze was already confirmed as a summer hit at the end of July as an outstanding party song.
No Ballermann hit wave this year
The continuation of a blatant Ballermann hit wave that some people expected has not yet materialized. Only at the beginning of the season did songs like “Oberteil” by Isi Glück and Marc Eggers, “Oben ohne” by Julian Sommer or “Handwerker” by Mickie Krause and Julian Sommer reach a little beyond the Mallorca party public.
Speaking of Krause: This year there was an anniversary. The first so-called Ballermann hit “Ten Naked Hairdressers” by Mickie Krause celebrated its 25th anniversary.
The tradition of the official summer hit is that the song comes from rather unknown artists – or those who have not yet had a big hit, at least in Germany.
“Dragostea din tei” and “Despacito” were big summer hits
Just think of “Macarena” by Los del Rio (1996), “Dragostea din tei” by O-Zone (2004). However, this apparent rule has been broken several times, for example in 2021 with Ed Sheeran (“Bad Habits”) or in 2019 with Shawn Mendes (“Señorita”, together with Camila Cabello).
The famous summer hits in German pop history also include “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry (2008), “I Follow Rivers (Magician Remix)” by Lykke Li (2012) as well as “Wake Me Up” by Avicii (2013) and “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee (2017).
There are a few possible summer hit candidates this year based on their chart success. According to GfK Entertainment, one of them is “I Like The Way You Kiss Me” by Artemas.
Artemas (24) is a British music producer who landed a worldwide hit with this electronic song and catchy tune – not least due to a lot of Tiktok usage. Experts explain that the piece contains a post-punk instrumental with high-pitched voices.
Another candidate is “Move” by Adam Port, Stryv, Keinemusik, Orso & Malachiii.
Berlin DJ Adam Port has made an international name for himself with his collective Keinemusik. He performs at festivals such as Coachella, Burning Man and Fusion, and is celebrated in clubs in Berlin and Ibiza. His electronic track “Move” offers a real summery sunset sound.
Also in the shortlist for the summer hit ’24 is “Pedro” by Jaxomy, Agatino Romero & Raffaella Carrà.
The danceable track is a new version of the Italo-disco classic of the same name by Raffaella Carrà. The original by the Italian singer, who died in 2021 at the age of 78, was released in 1980. “Pedro” is one of Carrà’s best-known hits, along with “A far l’amore comincia tu” (also known in German as “Liebelei”).
The version by Jaxomy and Agatino Romero is a homage to disco, diva, dolce vita – to the cliché sound of summer holidays in Italy. Motto: off to the land of pizza, Vespa and ice cream.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
