Though the top ten spots on the year-end Canadian Hot 100 are dominated by international acts — with Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers”, Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” claiming the biggest songs of the year — Canadians made a strong showing on the rest of the top 100.
The year-end chart takes into account chart performance throughout the year, with longevity sometimes counting for more than high placement and measuring charts dated Nov, 19, 2022, to Oct 21, 2023 — which explains why a big song like December chart-topper “greedy” gets left off. (Read more about how the year-end charts are calculated here.)
Here are eleven Canadian songs that combined chart performance with staying power this year, landing on the year-end Canadian Hot 100:
No. 11: The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Die For You”
With this remix of the single off of his 2016 album Starboy, The Weeknd made chart history, claiming the longest rise to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 (that is, aside from Christmas songs — Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” recently completed a 65-year ascent to the top.)
No. 18: Drake & 21 Savage, “Rich Flex”
Her Loss, the Toronto superstar’s collaborative album with 21 Savage, has had a strong run on the charts, debuting at No. 1 last fall on the Billboard 200. While all of its sixteen songs have charted, “Rich Flex” went all the way to No. 2 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada — a flex for sure.
No. 23: Talk, “Runaway To Mars”
Ottawa singer Talk released the soulful ballad “Runaway To Mars” in 2021, but it wasn’t until last year that it went viral on TikTok, prompting it to hit No. 1 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in January 2023. Talk released his debut album, Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees in October.
No. 26: Preston Pablo & Banx + Ranx, “Flowers Need Rain”
Timmins, Ontario’s Preston Pablo links up with Quebec production duo Banx + Ranx on this melancholy dance-pop track, which reached the top ten on the Canadian Hot 100 this year. Pablo, who won the Breakthrough Artist Award at this year’s Juno Awards, also has traction right now with his solo radio hit, “Dance Alone.”
No. 29: Charlotte Cardin, “Confetti”
Quebec pop sensation Charlotte Cardin had a big year, with the release of her sophomore record 99 Nights and the success of single, “Confetti,” and its low-key dramatics. The song has spent 34 weeks on the Canadian Hot 100, peaking at No. 10. She released it in English and in a bilingual version, showing herself as a true crossover.
No. 41: Tiësto Featuring Tate McRae, “10:35”
Perhaps surprisingly, the Tiësto-helmed 10:35 is Billboard Canada Breakthrough Artist Tate McRae’s highest entry on this year-end chart — as opposed to her hit single “greedy,” which topped both the Canadian Hot 100 and the Global 200 charts. But “greedy” entered the charts late, and until then, the Calgary star still has two songs on this year’s year-end chart, with “uh oh” appearing further down at No. 87.
No. 46: Drake, “Search & Rescue”
With the October release of his latest album, For All The Dogs, Drake broke the Billboard record for most No. 1 albums on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, surpassing Jay-Z’s fourteen No. 1s. While For All The Dogs dropped too late in the year for its singles to wind up on the year-end chart, stand-alone single (and Kim Kardashian-sampling) “Search & Rescue” comes in at No. 46, having peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100.
No. 54: Jamie Fine, “If Anything’s Left”
Ottawa’s Jamie Fine is perhaps best known as half of the musical duo Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine, but she’s stepped out on her own and is making a big name for herself in Canada. With her producing partner, Fine won the first season of reality showThe Launchand went on to notch a series of gold singles, as well as the double-platinum “Ain’t Easy.” Fine’s uplifting 2023 single “If Anything’s Left” helped her make her mark on the charts as a solo artist.
No. 58: The Weeknd, Playboi Carti & Madonna, “Popular”
While The Weeknd’s 2023 foray into prestige TV may not have been a success — his series with Sam Levinson, The Idol, received lacklustre reviews and viewership — “Popular,” originally written for the series, was a hit with Canadian listeners. The throwback R&B track reached No. 10 on the Canadian Hot 100 and No. 20 on the Global 200.
No. 66: Loud Luxury, DVBBS & Kane Brown, “Next To You”
Two Canadian production duos team up with American singer Kane Brown on the catchy dance-country track “Next To You.” Country and country-pop are having a big impact on the charts, as indicated by this Canadian-American collab reaching No. 34 on the Canadian Hot 100 this year.
No. 68: Rêve, “Whitney”
Montreal’s Rêve is a performer on the rise, and “Whitney” is her highest chart performance yet, reaching No. 29 on the Canadian Hot 100 this year. The dance track interpolates Whitney Houston’s “I’m Every Woman” and namechecks Rêve’s icon inspirations like Marilyn Monroe. Claiming a Juno nomination for Breakthrough Artist this year, the singer is likely to have higher appearances on this list in years to come — stay tuned for 2024.
Other Canadian tracks that landed on the year-end Canadian chart include:
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
