Making the Cut: Variety’s 2020 Hitmakers and Hitbreakers Revealed

This was the year in which it took a village working from home to achieve a hit song. Notwithstanding all those hitmakers who were fortunate enough to get their songwriting and recording in under a wire that no one saw coming, 2020 saw legions of the biz’s finest hitbreakers zigging, zagging and Zooming to adopt to the new paradigms of record promotion and marketing. Unchanged from past years: Variety’s dedication, with our Hitmakers Impact Report, to recognizing the producers, songwriters, mixers, managers and key executives responsible for delivering the smashes. Imagine a pop landscape without their behind-the-scenes tirelessness: TikTok videos would’ve landed with a whimper not a spike; “viral” would have lost any of its lingering positive connotations; and Roddy Ricch may have never lived up to his last name.

Below: the 25 most consumed songs of the year and the Hitmakers and Hitbreakers recognized for their work on the records.

Rank

Song

Artist

Label

1 The Box Roddy Ricch Atlantic Records
2 Blinding Lights The Weeknd Republic
3 ROCKSTAR DaBaby f. Roddy Ricch Interscope
4 Life is Good Future f. Drake Epic Records
5 Circles Post Malone Republic
6 Whats Poppin Jack Harlow f. DaBaby, Tory Lanez, Lil Wayne Atlantic Records
7 Don’t Start Now Dua Lipa Warner Bros.
8 Savage Megan Thee Stallion 300 Entertainment
9 Say So Doja Cat Kemosabe/RCA
10 I Hope Gabby Barrett f. Charlie Puth Warner Music Nashville
11 Roses SAINt JHN HitCo
12 Intentions Justin Bieber f. Quavo Def Jam
13 Adore You Harry Styles Columbia Records
14 Blueberry Faygo Lil Mosey Interscope
15 Someone You Loved Lewis Capaldi Capitol
16 Dance Monkey Tones and I Elektra
17 The Bones Maren Morris Columbia Nashville
18 Roxanne Arizona Zervas Columbia
19 High Fashion Roddy Ricch f. Mustard Atlantic Records
20 Falling Trevor Daniel Interscope
21 WAP Cardi B. f. Megan Thee Stallion Atlantic Records
22 Watermelon Sugar Harry Styles Columbia Records
23 Toosie Slide Drake CASH MONEY/Republic
24 everything i wanted Billie Eilish Interscope
25 Ballin Mustard w. Roddy Ricch 10 Summers Records/Interscope