What’s the 2026 song of the summer?

Does the “song of the summer” still exist? Each year, a debate ensues over what the soundtrack of the season is, and historically there’s been a clear frontrunner, whether it was 2009’s “I Gotta Feeling,” 2017’s “Despacito,” or 2019’s “Old Town Road.” Just think about how, a couple summers back, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing someone humming to themselves about “that me espresso.”

But as our musical landscape continues to evolve, it’s also becoming more splintered. Those getting their music recommendations from bite-size chunks on TikTok and Instagram Reels are hearing very different hits from those who still turn to old-school formats like the radio. Even different streaming platforms, each with its own algorithms, can offer a varying sense of what today’s top bops are.

If we were to go off chart performance alone, this year’s “song of the summer” would undeniably be “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley. The country singer-songwriter’s first number-one hit has now spent 19 nonconsecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, tying as the longest-running nonholiday song to hold that number-one spot. Despite the song’s massive popularity, however, when I mentioned it to my very culture-savvy coworkers, some had never even heard the title before. Meanwhile, this summer has also seen releases from a number of major pop stars, including Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Ariana Grande, and Drake. My point: Our musical attention is being pulled in a million directions—and often, different ones.

But perhaps that’s the beauty of the music industry today. Our tastes can be influenced by a whole slew of platforms, but ultimately we get the power to curate what we listen to. For that reason, when asked to choose the song of the summer, Harper’s Bazaar editors had quite the diverse range of answers.

Ahead, see our staff’s picks for their personal songs of summer for 2026.

“Stupid Song,” by Olivia Rodrigo

On her very first single, Olivia Rodrigo used the teenage milestone of earning her driver’s license as a lens for lamenting the end of her first real relationship. “You said forever, now I drive alone past your street,” she sang, wistful at a mere 17. Now, with more years and wisdom under her belt, Rodrigo is not as new to the adventures of dating. But on “Stupid Song,” she starts to pick up speed and realizes that she has no way of stopping. “I'm a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake,” she wails on the third single from her magnificent new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.

The now-23-year-old star has always possessed a flair for depicting the uncontrollable feelings of youth, and on “Stupid Song,” falling in love has never felt so terrifying yet irresistible. She’s unraveling, she’s melting, she’s “aflame,” and, to her, “nobody’s wanted somebody more.” The song starts off as a slow piano ballad before building into a breakneck pop-rock banger, taking the listener from zero to 60 in just 3.5 minutes. And like the rest of the album, it masterfully captures the ways in which catching feelings can be both euphoric and sickeningly all-consuming. Rodrigo may want her paramour more than “any stupid song could ever say,” but this track sure does a pretty great job of encapsulating the feeling. It’s a ride I’ve been taking over and over again since it dropped in June. —Joel Calfee, assistant editor

"Sexy Nana," by Nakamura and La Rvfleuze

The fact that Aya Nakamura’s “Sexy Nana” is entirely in French and is still one of my most-played songs in recent months says almost everything about how viral it is. I first came across the track on TikTok and was immediately hooked by its catchy beat and Nakamura’s unapologetic confidence when singing her verses. Whether or not you’re fluent in French—shoutout to Duolingo for my 721-day streak in learning the language—listening to this song makes you feel like the baddest, sexiest person to ever walk planet Earth. What more could you want in a top song of the summer? —Tiffany Dodson Davis, beauty commerce editor

“Call Security,” by Chxrry

Chxrry is the rising pop girlie to watch. The first woman to be signed to the Weeknd’s label, XO, she burst onto our TikTok For You pages with “Main Character” last year. Early this summer, she was cemented as one of the internet’s favorite rising stars with her first studio album, U, Me & My Ego, and the fan-favorite track “Call Security.” The visuals for the song only add to the fierceness—just her, her ego, and a blue water gun rolling around a 2000s suburban Tuscan mansion. Trust me when I say you will gag, as I have, and then continue to listen to the track on repeat for weeks on end. I want her, and this song, everywhere. —Zizi Strater, social media manager

“Questions,” by Maisie Peters

I’ve been a fan of Maisie Peters since her debut album, but with her latest project, Florescence, she takes things up a notch. In fact, “Questions” might be her greatest song of all time. Throughout the album, the rising British artist marries her confessional singer-songwriter habits with a bit of pop magic, capturing the feeling of falling in love and leaving the past behind through hyperspecific imagery and infectious melodies you’ll be tempted to scream. The fan-favorite track perfectly puts into words all the unanswered questions you’re left with after a breakup—including a reminder that, more often than not, you’ll have to find closure yourself. It’s as playful as it is cathartic, with the perfect amount of cheeky pettiness and a refrain that truly feels like letting go. (Just wait for the lyric change; you’ll be hitting replay immediately.) —Sophie Wang, weekend editor

“Card Declined,” by Charli XCX

Although this summer was not painted in brat green like 2024’s, Charli XCX has undoubtedly left her mark on the season yet again with her latest album, Music, Fashion, Film. Her deadpan delivery of the lyric "card declined" perfectly captures the apathy of summer. It's ideal for slow, lazy days in the sun, paired with a crisp Aperol spritz and blasé attitude. —Olivia Alchek, senior designer

“Ain’t in LA,” by Adéla

There’s something deeply nostalgic, poignant, and undeniably catchy about Adéla’s “Ain’t in LA.” Its chorus makes me feel like I'm 16, driving around my hometown with the windows down, which seems to be exactly how Adéla intended this sweet homage to her Slovakian roots to feel. It’s less about disparaging Los Angeles than it is about rebelling against the aesthetic and capitalist ideals that the city represents in our cultural imagination. In other words, you don’t need plastic surgery, green smoothies, or fame to be a baddie; beauty can be found everywhere, including in the overlooked places that you previously wanted to escape. It’s a message that feels especially urgent in a time when unattainable lifestyles and beauty standards are being shoved down our throats 24/7. As much as this song makes me want to dance and sing at the top of my lungs, it also makes me want to cry and call my hometown friends. To me, it’s the perfect song for summer 2026. —Nicole Frazzini, senior content strategy manager

“Slick,” by Victony

Victony has had a steady rise in the world of Afrobeats, but with his history of turning out hits—like “Soweto,” “Holy Father,” and “Stubborn”—the Nigerian artist has more than proven that his music has international appeal. Victony’s latest drop, this summer’s “Slick,” is infectious and sexy, and it feels sonically unique in a time of boring algorithmic bops. The track is quickly becoming his biggest hit, and from the moment you hear it, you’ll know why. It begins with a clearly articulated chant, “Baby do you love / Do you want me / Put your hands all on my body / No worry / Go crazy,” and goes on to declare itself a certified “banger.” Lyrically, Victony blends English, Pidgin, Igbo, and Yoruba, all over a simple African-style bass line and guitar loop. Despite its relatively streamlined production, this song is endlessly deliciously fun to dance to. —Dani Kwateng, executive managing editor

“The Cure,” by Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo’s June album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, has taken over my life since it was released. Rodrigo is simply the master of romantic sad-girl music. I relate to everything that led her to write the record—as in being super in love and then going through a breakup and being super sad—which is why my summer has been a journey between “Honeybee,” “Stupid Song,” “Expectations,” and “The Cure.” Whenever there’s a lingering silence in the air, that last track’s chorus takes over in my head: “And my head is full of poison, and my heart is full of doubt / I got toxins in my bloodstream, you tried hard to suck ’em out / And it feels like medication, and it's good for me, I’m sure / But it don’t matter how your love feels anymore / It will never be the cure / It’ll never be the cure.” —Rosa Sánchez, senior news editor

“Coconut Water,” by Trim

If the song of the summer is the one that you truly can’t get out of your head all season, then “Coconut Water” has to be mine. Words like catchy and infectious don’t do justice to Trim’s Geechee-accented articulation of her hydrating, innuendo-infused refrain. The 19-year-old rapper from Charleston, South Carolina, first truly gained traction for her 2025 single “Boat” and has been racking up Nicki Minaj comparisons ever since. But with 2026 releases like “Coconut Water” and her “Nobody” remix featuring Monaleo, she’s cemented herself as an undeniable rising talent with her very own chops and star power. “Coconut Water” is the perfect summer earworm: electrolyte-rich, endlessly repeatable, and impossible not to shake your ass to. Plus, its 2010s-inflected production brings us back to simpler times. I can’t wait to watch Trim’s trajectory as she continues to refresh us. — Sarah Burke, interim deputy culture director

“No One Lasts Forever,” by Charli XCX featuring David Cronenberg

I hate to admit it, let alone write it down, but summer is ending. I thought for a long time about what my song of the summer would be, wavering between revisited classics like Céline Dion’s “Immortality” (with a killer Bee Gees chorus) or one of the many hits from Olivia Rodrigo’s new album. But when I really admitted to myself that we’re nearing the final days of the sunny season, I felt “No One Lasts Forever” by Charli XCX felt more appropriate (bear with me). This somber ballad closes out the pop star’s emotionally raw, friendship-powered album Music, Fashion, Film, featuring a voiceover from body-horror king David Cronenberg. Here, Charli and Cronenberg reflect on how our time alive is temporary, complete with a chorus chanting “nothing’s gonna last forever” over a distorted hyperpop beat. The song may seem too morbid to truly deserve “song of the summer” status, but for me, the reminder that life is brief refuels my lust for living it. —Maxwell Rabb, associate culture editor

This article originally appeared on harpersbazaar.com/US in August 2026.

Lead image: Getty Images / Design by Sarah Olivieri

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