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Bieber tops, Katy Perry flops: 8 acts that won and lost this summer

 
Justin Bieber is featured on three of this summer’s biggest singles. (Getty Images)
Justin Bieber is featured on three of this summer’s biggest singles. (Getty Images)
Published Aug. 1, 2017

Justin Bieber: Despacito showed that Biebs knows when to hop on a hit. Over the past three years, he has parlayed his tween-idol status into a lucrative side career singing for A-list DJs and rappers like Diplo, Skrillex, Major Lazer and DJ Snake. He's currently featured on three of this summer's biggest singles: Despacito, DJ Khaled's I'm the One and Calvin Harris' 2U. He may have just canceled his world tour, but it's not like the dude hasn't been busy.

AND THE WINNER IS: Why you can't stop hearing 'Despacito' everywhere this summer

Migos: Just checking — are there any songs left in 2017 that don't feature the Bad and Boujee trio? You can find them as a group (Katy Perry's Bon Appetit, Harris' Slide, their own Slippery) or individually. Quavo is on I'm the One, Post Malone's Congratulations and Liam Payne's Strip That Down. Offset is on Metro Boomin's No Complaints and Gucci Mane's Met Gala. Takeoff is on Harris' Holiday and his own Intruder. There's a good chance you could persuade Migos to feature on Happy Birthday at your next office party.

Rihanna: The queen of the modern charts single-handedly lugged DJ Khaled's lazy Santana warm-over Wild Thoughts into the Top 5, and she also notched hits with Future (Selfish) and Kendrick Lamar (LOYALTY.). Not bad for what was supposed to be a summer off.

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Lorde: Not only has the New Zealand singer's Melodrama been one of the most acclaimed albums of the year, it has spawned some genuine left-of-center summer bangers, including the ecstatic Green Light and pulsing, cinematic Supercut.

DJ Khaled: He's a magnetic personality and (ostensibly) talented producer. For his album Grateful, featuring the hits Wild Thoughts and I'm the One, he assembled an all-star Avengers of pop and hip-hop, including Bieber, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Drake, Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys and Harris. But aside from being outshone on every track he has ever produced ... what does DJ Khaled actually do?

Drake: Is there any excuse for last year's Song of Summer winner (One Dance) not having a bona fide contender in 2017? Definitely not. Especially when his most recent album, More Life, produced several songs that merited consideration. The best, Passionfruit, peaked just outside the Top 5. Not good enough for the 6 God.

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Katy Perry: The long, slow rollout to Perry's Witness seemed like it was building to a big summer anthem. But Chained to the Rhythm peaked early, and Swish Swish and Bon Appetit didn't get as big as Perry had hoped. It wasn't a total flop, but it also didn't push Perry back to the top.

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One Direction: As 1D's members all drop solo projects, will we ever see one huge hit rise above the rest? Harry Styles got good reviews for his self-titled, classic rockish solo debut, an album I mostly found snoozy. Louis Tomlinson's midtempo Back to You is a bit quixotic. Zayn Malik's Still Got Time is a glitchy exercise in sensitive-boy dancehall on which he's overshadowed by PartyNextDoor. Niall Horan's soul- and Americana-tinged Slow Hands isn't bad, and neither is Liam Payne and Zedd's Get Low. But none have been anywhere close to the Song of Summer debate. What gives, blokes?