While the world continues to believe that there is great freedom in what we say, the truth is that there are consequences for being daring
It’s not easy to be daring these days. While the world continues to believe that there is great freedom in what we say, the truth is that there are consequences for being daring.
While daring is something I’d like to believe comes from the artist, controversy is something that labels, producers, and the media like to manufacture. It is also important to note that just because a song dares, it doesn’t mean the content or even the song is worth our time.
Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” felt less daring, and more controversial because the track used its music video to prove a point home that already felt deliberate. Additionally, it’s not a particularly strong song. Aldean has had better singles and is a better musician than this mess that sadly gave him his first #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit.
Having said that the list below features songs and artists who dared to think, perform, write, produce, and create differently and we salute them for this. Here are The 10 Most Daring Singles of 2023.
RICH MEN NORTH OF RICHMOND – Oliver Anthony
I believe Oliver Anthony when he stated that his number 1 single “Rich Men North Of Richmond” was not directed at any specific political party but rather the state of the working class versus the elite politicians of both parties, out of touch with their constituents. I’m grateful Radiowv gave Anthony a platform and the song went viral due to its content. A song this daring by any established artist in this day and age would sadly likely make them a political target or end their career (remember the Dixie Chicks?). Still, while many chased controversy to prove unnecessary points, here was honesty wrapped in genuine frustration making for perhaps the most authentic moment of the music year.
MOTION – Ty Dolla $ign
With a title like “Motion”, the normal thing to have expected Ty Dolla $ign to give us would have been a mid-tempo hip-hop jam about s-e-x. Instead, we got acid house, an Ty$ taking us to the club with a soulful groove and haunting piano chords. I love it when artists leave their normal wheelhouse behind and give us something new, something that’s equally them without it feeling like a calculated move. “Motion” had us moving all summer and it’s no wonder even Chris Brown jumped on a remix!
ICE CREAM MAN – RAYE
RAYE literally pours her heart out on “Ice Cream Man”, perhaps the saddest, truest, boldest, more daring single to have released all year. We don’t hear songs like this usually, but her brilliance in the ability to take those wounds and create a haunting melody and then go one step further to leave listeners feeling empowered—that’s art. A daring move by an artist who showed the world how independence can not only lead to freedom but also healing.
I REMEMBER EVERYTHING – Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves
“I Remember Everything” isn’t really a daring single in the traditional sense. It’s an awesome duet—perhaps the best one this year—between Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves. Here, it’s the lyrical content that makes the song resonate and also frankly start conversations. At a time when the beat and the artist’s social media standing tend to dictate what makes for a Top 40 hit, this single dared to actually talk about the truth in a past summer romance. The ballad became both artists’ first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 proving that sometimes the truth can be a smash.
ATTENTION – Doja Cat
Doja Cat had been receiving quite a lot of negative attention prior to the release of this single. Between losing followers, shaming them, and even questioning the point of it all, we got a track that was so gangster, it kind of further flipped the bird at the very folks that made her a star. But somewhere in the midst of the daring single, there are two truths. 1. Doja Cat is going to do whatever the fuck she wants and we are still going to listen. 2. She is a talent we can’t tame.
“Attention” was a straight-up callback to all the haters who thought the artist was lacking talent or bars – she slayed in both departments and the rest we know…the town’s been red ever since.
FAST CAR – Luke Combs
I love it when there is no calculation attached to an artist covering another artist. For all the hullabaloo attached this year to many country artists and songs, there was a purity in Luke Comb’s cover of Tracy Chapman’s iconic “Fast Car”. A heartfelt cover that didn’t add any bells and whistles and just paid tribute to the original track doesn’t sound like a daring thing to do but in this political climate, it certainly was.
ONE OF YOUR GIRLS – Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan already was pushing the limits with the music video for “Rush” but “One Of Your Girls” pushed it even further. Sivan’s strength has always been to show his vulnerability and juxtapose his angelic voice and face with music that always offers a level of melancholy. Here, it is put forward beautifully as we realize his insecurities and his confidence are intertied and putting that forward was a daring choice, albeit one that paid off very well for the singer.
SHAKIRA: BZRP MUSIC SESSIONS, VOL. 53 – Shakira, Bizarapp
The diss anthem of the year happened to come from Shakira. The Columbian powerhouse dared to air her personal dirty laundry in this Bizarapp session and we absolutely loved it. Something about the relability and bad-ass confidence the singer showed off made for one of the best singles of the year and no doubt, one the year’s most daring!
SEVEN – Jung Kook, Latto
Balls. That’s all I’ve got to say. It takes balls to sing “I’ll be fucking you right” with such innocence. K-pop Moms were left with jaws dropped when they heard their daughters singing along to “Seven”. If they heard it on the radio, of course, it was the sweeter “loving” word used, but Jung Kook did it right, proving in one word that he had blossomed into a mature solo artist, and well, K-pop will never be a strictly G-rated world again.
NEW YORK TRANSIT QUEEN – Corinne Bailey Rae
A 7-year itch this was not. The pleasant pop of Corinne Bailey Rae went punk rock this year. “New York Transit Queen” is more M.I.A. than Rae but that’s not to say we lose the “Put Your Records On” star in this wild but hella awesome pivot. The track speeds along much like the mass transit itself (on a good day!) and proves to be a daring move for an artist who gave us one of the finest and most memorable pop songs of the past 20 years.
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