In the first days of August, the competition for the “Song of the Summer” is at its peak. The title goes to the most popular song between Memorial Day and Labor Day, as data from radio stations, streaming services and music sales show.

In May, Yahoo Entertainment predicted which songs would receive the honor. In previous years, the award went to “Last Night” by Morgan Wallace (2023), “As It Was” by Harry Styles (2022) and “Butter” by BTS (2021).

Let’s see how things are shaping up now that we’ve reached the final weeks of the competition.

🎤Popgirl summer?

Although Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande all released No. 1 albums in the spring, none of them had a breakthrough hit big enough to top the charts in the summer.

• Taylor Swift may technically have the album of summer. The “Tortured Poets” section spent 13 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, but the first single, “Fortnight,” which features Post Malone, peaked in early May.

• Billie Eilish has released her new album Hit me hard and soft in May, but their two most popular singles, “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather,” failed to break into the top four of the Billboard Hot 100 and then lost momentum.

🌟 “Middle class” stars get a promotion

Three up-and-coming pop singers with loyal followings known as “middle-of-the-road artists” may have finally gotten their big break.

• We thought Sabrina Carpenter might score a number one hit with her breezy song “Espresso,” but it was her latest single, “Please Please Please,” that scored her first chart hit. Her music is still everywhere: Spotify editors put “Espresso” at the top of their list of summer predictions, and her new album, In short, will be released on August 23rd.

• Chappell Roan officially has her first top 10 hit with “Good Luck, Babe!”, which has steadily grown in popularity since its release in April. Audience size isn’t something that matters in the race for song of the summer, but if it did, Roan would dominate.

• The new album by Charli XCX, Brat, deserves a mention, too. The song hasn’t reached No. 1 yet, nor has it had a single—”360″ peaked at No. 44—but there’s no denying that it set a mood for the season: “Brat Summer.” When Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, Charli XCX tweeted, “Kamala IS a brat,” securing her place in history.

🤠 Way Country

Beyoncé’s country crossover Cowboy Carter hasn’t made a comeback since its release in March, but other artists have found tremendous success by capitalizing on the country music moment.

• Post Malone’s country album isn’t out until August 16, but his song “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, has all but secured the title of the summer. It spent several weeks at No. 1 and is now holding steady at No. 2.

• But Shaboozey’s No. 1 hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is giving it some competition. According to data the company provided to Yahoo Entertainment, it was the most requested song in May and June on TouchTunes, an app that lets patrons choose the music played in bars from their phones.

• Morgan Wallen, winner of the 2023 Song of the Summer, has a hand in four songs currently on the Hot 100. He hasn’t announced a new album yet, but he clearly knows how to capture the summer vibe. He was the most requested artist on TouchTunes in May and June.

• Zach Bryan currently has five songs on the Hot 100, including “Pink Skies,” but he has yet to make a major breakthrough in the mainstream.

• Also gaining popularity is “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” by Luke Combs from the Twisters Soundtrack, which experienced a resurgence after the film’s release in theaters.

🥈 So close and yet so far

Technically, none of the following songs can be called the song of the summer, but depending on your musical taste, they may have helped set the overall mood of the season.

• The late spring feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake appears to have a winner, as far as the data goes: Lamar’s biting “Not Like Us” debuted at No. 1 and stayed in the top 10 for months.

• It hasn’t been a big year for rap, but Eminem’s comeback single “Houdini” peaked at No. 2 and hasn’t completely disappeared yet, and Tommy Richman’s TikTok hit “Million Dollar Baby” is still in the top 10.

• Hozier’s “Too Sweet,” Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” – all soulful radio hits – always garnered attention, but not quite enough to top the charts.

Until it’s time to finally announce a winner, you can reminisce about summers past with this playlist of summer songs from Yahoo Entertainment: