New data from Hitched reveals the songs that feature the most often on Spotify’s public wedding playlists, as well as the most popular wedding singers
- Ed Sheeran is the most popular wedding singer to feature across public wedding party playlists, appearing on more than 241 Spotify playlists featuring the word “wedding” and more than 341 using the term “first dance”
- The most popular wedding song is I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston, featuring on more than 130 wedding playlists, while the most popular first dance song is Perfect by Ed Sheeran, listed on more than 146 playlists using this term
- ABBA are newly listed as top ten wedding artists since releasing new music in 2021, with Dancing Queen one of the top 20 wedding songs for 2023
- TV stars Callum Scott and James Arthur both named as top wedding singers with songs on more than 320 first dance playlists combined
As we slowly electric shuffle our way into Wedding Season for another year, experts at one of the UK’s leading wedding destinations,Hitched.co.uk have delved deep into Spotify’s millions of playlists to uncover which songs newlyweds will be bopping away to on the dancefloor this year.
To do this, experts used Spotify’s Playlist Miner to uncover the most popular songs from the most popular public playlists that used the terms “weddings” and “first dance” within them, and can now reveal the most popular wedding songs — and wedding singers — for 2023.
Most Popular Wedding Song 2023
Featuring on more than 130 wedding playlists, Whitney Houston’s iconic I Wanna Dance With Somebody is the number one track couples will be dancing the night away to on dancefloors across the country this year. Following Whitney is the UK’s own Ed Sheeran in positions two and three thanks to pop hits Perfect, with appearances on over 107 public playlists, and Thinking Out Loud which features on another 102 playlists.
Appearing within the top 20 wedding songs for 2023 include classic love songs This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole, which features on more than 87 playlists, and Etta James’ At Last appearing on more than 72 wedding playlists.
The top 20 also features songs less romantic in nature, but guaranteed to get the party started nonetheless. Usher’s Yeah! (feat. Lil John and Ludacris) is number 18 while ABBA’s Dancing Queen is guaranteed to get guests on the dance floor, and features at number 20 with appearances on more than 57 wedding playlists.
Most Popular Wedding Singers 2023
ABBA are also named as one of the top wedding singers of 2023, thanks to the combined number of tracks featured on public wedding playlists on Spotify this year. As well as Dancing Queen, the Swedish quartet also have hit Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) listed on more than 30 public playlists, meaning the Eurovision winners appear on at least 87 wedding playlists over all.
In top place is once again Ed Sheeran, whose three tracks in the top 100 see his music listed on more than 241 wedding playlists, making him the most popular wedding singer of 2023. While Beyonce also has a number of tracks featured in the top 100, the Queen of Pop’s appearance on Ed Sheeran’s third most popular track Perfect Duet means she has the most individual songs which feature on wedding playlists, they just don’t feature as much as Ed’s do overall.
Indian singer songwriter Pritam also has a number of songs which feature within the top 100, making him the 5th most popular wedding singer of 2023. Tracks Badtameez Dil, Dilliwaali Girlfriend and Ghagra see Pritam’s music on more than 102 wedding playlists, according to Spotify.
Most Popular First Dance Songs 2023
Walking down the aisle is one of the biggest moments from any wedding day, so the song that plays during this event is something many couples will spend a lot of time deciding on together. According to Spotify, the most popular first dance song for 2023 is once again by British crooner, Ed Sheeran.
The Surrey star’s track Perfect features more than any other on public playlists with the term “first dance”, appearing over 146 times. In total, Ed Sheeran features on more than 341 first dance playlists, making him also the most popular first dance singer for 2023 too.
Following Ed is fellow Englishman and Britain’s Got Talent contestant, Callum Scott, whose smooth vocals can be found on more than 199 public playlists which feature the term “first dance”. Callum isn’t the only TV star within the top ten, with X Factor winner James Arthur’s songs Say You Won’t Let Go and Falling Like the Stars featuring on more than 127 “first dance” playlists overall.
American Country Music artists Dan & Shay and Chris Stapleton also feature heavily within the top ten as well, proving that romantic love songs are not limited to any one genre or music style.
Rima Barakeh, deputy editor of Hitched.co.uk says: “It’s no surprise to see Ed Sheeran topping all the lists and featuring heavily with a number of top hits. With so many wedding-appropriate classics under his belt, we can always rely on Ed when it comes to romantic songs that pull at the heartstrings.
“Whilst the theme of romance dominates the list of most popular wedding and first dance songs, it’s good to see that the top 20 still holds space for those party floor-fillers and singalong bangers, as well as music that spans genres, generations and cultures as well!”
For the full list of this year’s most popular wedding songs, or to enjoy the playlists on Spotify, please visit: https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-songs/popular-wedding-songs/
