Burna Boy, Ayra Starr make Obama’s annual Summer Playlist again
Nigerian singers have made it to Barack Obama’s annual summer playlist for the second year in a row.
The former president turned cultural tastemaker shared what he recently listened to on Thursday, July 20, in the annual tradition of sharing his summer lists.
This year includes tracks from Nigerian Grammy-winning superstar Burna Boy with his latest record ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’.
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His country counterpart Ayra Starr’s 2023 release ‘Sability’ also making a list.
They join international superstars such as Jorja Smith, SZA, J Hus, Drake, Nas and Rosalia on the classic and new record playlist.
The former president of the United States began sharing his recommendations for music, books, films, and TV shows during his time in the White House and has continued the tradition since.
Obama took to social media to share the list of songs in his playlist, writing: “Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer – a mix of old and new. Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed.”
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Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new. Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed. pic.twitter.com/H2Do2iaD1p
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 20, 2023
This year’s summer playlist comes a month after Obama confirmed that his famous playlists are actually curated by him, refuting claims that someone else pieced together the compilations.
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These 41 songs make up Obama’s summer 2023 playlist:
- J Hus and Drake – ‘Who Told You’
- SZA – ‘Snooze’
- Pretenders – ‘I’ll Stand By You’
- Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro – ‘Vampiros’
- Luke Combs – ‘Fast Car’
- Tupac, Roger, & Dr. Dre – ‘California Love’
- Leonard Cohen – ‘Dance Me to the End of Love (Live)’
- Martha Reeves & the Vandellas – ‘Nowhere to Run’
- – ‘Parabolic!’
- Jorja Smith – ‘Try Me’
- Burna Boy, 21 Savage – ‘Sittin’ on Top of the World’
- Janet Jackson – ‘Got ’Til It’s Gone’
- La Doña – ‘Penas con Pan’
- The Bangles – ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’
- The Beths – ‘Watching the Credits’
- The War and Treaty – ‘That’s How Love Is Made’
- The Rolling Stones – ‘Soul Survivor’
- Aretha Franklin – ‘Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business)’
- John Coltrane – ‘Blue Train’
- Ice Spice, Nicki Minaj – ‘Princess Diana’
- Toots and the Maytals – ‘Funky Kingston’
- The Righteous Brothers – ‘Unchained Melody’
- Golden Lady – ‘Stevie Wonder’
- Jackson Browne – ‘Doctor My Eyes’
- Ayra Starr – ‘Sability’
- Boygenius – ‘Not Strong Enough’
- Otis Redding – ‘(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay’
- Bob Dylan – ‘Everything Is Broken’
- Ella Fitzgerald – ‘Cry Me a River’
- Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma – ‘LA Bebe (Remix)’
- Money Man & Babyface Ray – ‘Drums’
- Nas – ‘The World Is Yours’
- Four Tops – ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’
- Pearl Jam – ‘Just Breathe’
- J’calm – ‘Tempted’
- Kelela – ‘Contact’
- Marvin Gaye – ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’
- Ike & Tina Turner – ‘River Deep/Moutain High’
- Janelle Monáe – ‘Only Have Eyes 42’
- Ashley McBride – ‘The Devil I Know’
- Michael Kiwanuka – ‘Love & Hate’
This is the second year in a row that Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Rosalía and SZA received a shoutout from Obama.
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