Radio LBB: Music Triumphs of 2020

Whilst we eagerly move on from 2020 into a new year (and a new lockdown), I wanted to highlight the triumphs of our creatives, pinpointing how quickly we adapted to suit the needs of ‘the new normal’. It’s not all been terrible! 

From where I stand, 2020 was a year with a lot of time for self-reflection. Like Pop culture and fashion, the music industry often looks to the past for inspiration. But, in a never-ending hunt for what's new and now, do we move on too quickly? 

2020 has allowed us to slow down and embrace life's simplicities. In a year where music production slowed down, we looked to the past as a means to inspire fresh creativity. And the new context of the pandemic provided a new meaning to many of the songs we’ve loved for years.

Sure, cover songs have been mainstream in advertising for a while. But increasingly last year we saw mainstream artists release stand-alone cover songs that weren't just for ads and TV. A favourite cover of mine from 2020 was They Might Be Giants’ ‘Istanbul (Not Constantinople)’. Originally released as a cover in 1990, this track resurfaced in season 2 of Netflix’s, The Umbrella Academy. And TikTok culture has gifted our gen z’s with the most random musical throwbacks. For example the inescapable, ‘You’ve Got The Love’ now covered by Madism, ft Louise CS. Albeit in a range of very similar dance music formats, this platform is allowing our favourite tracks of the past to just sit a little, have a little bit more air time and I for one am here for it! 

The younger generation throwing back to old legends shows how music triumphs and evolves over time. I like to think that this has brought demographics closer and encouraged a deeper appreciation for what we already have. 2020 cared less about creating something new, it forced us into utilising what we already have, finding new uses and new perspectives. You could argue that’s what we have always done; drawing inspiration from the past. But, would we have stopped to reflect and to recycle tracks to this extent? 

I am a firm believer that the pandemic has been a huge breeding ground for creativity. Budgets were cut across the media landscape, yet the demand for more content grew. Our ideas endured magnificent tests and they paid off! Music continued its popular streak of audience discovery through adverts, TV shows and social media videos but this time, we opted less for invention and more for innovating the old. 

Here are my favourite tracks from ads, TV and TikTok from 2020.