Caleb’s NEWHD Top Ten Countdown: Drake, Bruno Mars, Shaboozey, Sabrina Carpenter, Michael Jackson and the Sound of May 29
Caleb’s NEWHD Top Ten Countdown returns to NEWHD Los Angeles this Friday night at 10 PM Pacific, bringing listeners the biggest songs in America and the stories behind the artists shaping the moment. This week’s May 29 edition is more than a chart recap. It is a hard look at what today’s music culture sounds like when streaming, radio, social media, country crossover, hip hop, pop, soul, and legacy hits all collide in the same hour.
Hosted by Caleb, the countdown tracks the songs moving through America right now, based on streaming, downloads, radio airplay, and online conversation. The result is a show that feels alive. It reflects what people are playing in the car, sharing on their phones, requesting from friends, and carrying with them through the week.
This week’s show features major chart energy from Drake, Bruno Mars, Shaboozey, Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims, Morgan Wallen, Ella Langley, Olivia Dean, Alex Warren, and Daichi. It also includes a 2010 flashback, a listener request, a Zoomer Song of the Week, and a bonus spotlight on one of the most important songs ever recorded.
Number 10: Teddy Swims – Lose Control
The countdown opens with Teddy Swims and “Lose Control,” a song that continues to show extraordinary staying power. In a music world built around quick trends, short clips, and constant turnover, “Lose Control” has refused to disappear. The reason is simple. It sounds real. Teddy Swims sings with the weight of someone who has lived every word, and that kind of vocal honesty still matters.
The song blends soul, pop, and heartbreak into a record that feels timeless without sounding old. It is emotional without being weak, polished without being empty, and powerful without needing gimmicks. “Lose Control” reminds listeners that great vocals can still become the main event.
Number 9: Daichi – Anxiety
At number nine is Daichi with “Anxiety,” one of the breakout records gaining attention online. The title alone speaks to the current generation of listeners. Today’s biggest songs often work because they give language to feelings people already have. “Anxiety” fits that space, turning pressure, uncertainty, and internal conflict into something public and shareable.
The rise of songs like this shows how much the emotional center of popular music has shifted. Listeners are not only looking for escape. They are looking for recognition. They want music that sounds like the inside of their own lives. Daichi’s momentum reflects that change.
Number 8: Morgan Wallen – Just In Case
Morgan Wallen checks in at number eight with “Just In Case,” continuing country music’s enormous presence in the mainstream. Wallen remains one of the most powerful streaming artists in America, and his ability to move between country radio, pop playlists, and online culture has helped redefine what country crossover means.
“Just In Case” lands because it carries the familiar strength of country storytelling while still fitting inside the modern streaming world. Wallen’s songs often feel direct and conversational, which gives them a powerful connection with listeners who want music that feels personal, not manufactured.
Number 7: Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild
At number seven, Sabrina Carpenter continues her run with “Manchild.” Carpenter has become one of pop’s sharpest personalities, mixing humor, style, confidence, and a strong sense of identity. She understands that modern pop is not only about a chorus. It is about attitude, timing, presentation, and the ability to make fans feel like they are part of the joke.
“Manchild” works because it has edge without losing its pop appeal. It is playful, cutting, and instantly memorable. Carpenter’s strength is that she can make a song feel polished and personal at the same time. In a crowded pop field, that balance is rare.
Number 6: Olivia Dean – Man I Need
Olivia Dean reaches number six with “Man I Need,” bringing soul and elegance into the countdown. Dean’s music stands apart because it does not chase chaos. It creates space. Her vocal delivery, smooth production, and emotional restraint give the song a classic quality while still sounding completely current.
In a chart environment where volume often wins attention, Olivia Dean proves that quiet confidence can be just as powerful. “Man I Need” feels warm, human, and carefully built. It is the kind of record that grows stronger with repeated listening.
2010 Flashback: Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
Before the countdown enters the top five, Caleb takes listeners back to 2010 with Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg on “California Gurls.” This was not just a hit. It was a full pop culture takeover. The song captured the bright, exaggerated, candy colored sound of early 2010s pop and helped define one of the biggest eras of Katy Perry’s career.
“California Gurls” was built for summer. The hook was huge, the production was glossy, and the Snoop Dogg feature gave the track a relaxed West Coast personality. It was everywhere because it was designed to be everywhere. Radio, parties, clubs, television, and pop playlists all made room for it.
Number 5: Ella Langley – Weren’t For The Wind
At number five, Ella Langley lands with “Weren’t For The Wind.” Langley represents the newer wave of country artists pushing emotional storytelling into the center of mainstream music. Her sound has grit, character, and a sense of lived experience that cuts through the clean surface of many modern hits.
Country crossover continues to be one of the defining music stories of the last several years, but the artists who last are the ones who bring identity with them. Langley does that. “Weren’t For The Wind” feels grounded, and that grounded quality is exactly what gives it strength.
Number 4: Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
At number four is Shaboozey with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” one of the most important crossover records of the modern chart era. The song blends country, hip hop, and party anthem energy in a way that feels natural rather than calculated. It is the sound of genre lines breaking down in real time.
What makes “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” powerful is its simplicity. It is built for people to sing together. It belongs in bars, cars, stadiums, backyard parties, and streaming playlists. The track proves that the most effective songs are often the ones that make people feel included. Shaboozey did not just make a hit. He made a gathering point.
Listener Request: Imagine Dragons – On Top Of The World
This week’s listener request comes from a fan who listens to Caleb’s countdown every Friday night while driving around after work with a younger brother. Their request is Imagine Dragons and “On Top Of The World,” a song that still carries the feeling of movement, optimism, and release.
Released during the rise of Imagine Dragons as one of the biggest alternative pop bands of the 2010s, “On Top Of The World” remains a feel good anthem because it sounds like forward motion. It is bright, rhythmic, and built around a chorus that invites everyone in. That makes it a perfect listener request for a Friday night show.
Number 3: Alex Warren – Ordinary
Alex Warren reaches number three with “Ordinary,” one of the surprise breakout hits of the year. Warren’s rise shows how much the path to pop success has changed. Artists no longer need to arrive through one traditional lane. They can build their audience through personality, vulnerability, social media connection, and songs that feel emotionally direct.
“Ordinary” connects because it does not sound distant. It feels close to the listener. That closeness is one of the defining qualities of modern pop. The biggest songs are not always the loudest. Sometimes they are the ones that make listeners feel seen.
Number 2: Bruno Mars – I Just Might
At number two, Bruno Mars holds strong with “I Just Might.” Bruno Mars remains one of the few modern artists who can bring old school showmanship into contemporary pop without sounding like a throwback act. His music works because it is built on craft: melody, groove, vocal performance, and precision.
“I Just Might” continues that tradition. It has smooth production, crossover appeal, and the kind of vocal confidence that makes Bruno instantly recognizable. In a streaming world that often rewards speed, Bruno Mars still rewards musicianship.
Zoomer Song of the Week: Usher featuring Pitbull – DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love
This week’s NEWHD Zoomer Song of the Week goes back to 2010 with Usher featuring Pitbull on “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love.” The song captured the dance pop explosion of the early 2010s, when club energy, radio hooks, and electronic production became central to mainstream pop.
Usher brought the vocal authority and performance history. Pitbull brought global party energy. Together, they created a record that still feels tied to a specific era of radio, nightlife, and celebration. It is a perfect Zoomer throwback because it brings back the sound of a moment when pop music wanted to be big, bright, and impossible to ignore.
Bonus Track Spotlight: Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
Before the number one song is revealed, Caleb spotlights one of the most legendary records ever made: Michael Jackson and “Billie Jean.” Released from Thriller, the song became one of the defining records of the 1980s and one of the most recognizable tracks in pop history.
The bassline alone is enough to identify it within seconds. The production, shaped by Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, is tight, mysterious, and still modern more than four decades later. “Billie Jean” also helped change the relationship between music and television. Jackson’s presence on MTV became a cultural turning point, opening doors and expanding what a music video could mean.
The song is also tied forever to the Motown 25 performance, where Jackson introduced the moonwalk to a national television audience. That moment did not simply promote a single. It transformed pop performance. It proved that a song could become a visual event and that one artist could change music, dance, fashion, and television at the same time.
Number 1: Drake – Janice STFU
This week’s number one song belongs to Drake with “Janice STFU.” Huge streaming numbers, major playlist support, and nonstop online conversation helped push Drake to the top of Caleb’s NEWHD Top Ten Countdown. Drake remains one of the defining figures in modern music because he understands how attention works. His songs do not simply enter the chart. They enter the conversation.
Drake’s strength has always been his ability to blur lines between rap, pop, melody, confession, confidence, and conflict. Whether listeners love him, criticize him, debate him, or quote him, he remains central to the culture. “Janice STFU” continues that pattern, giving fans another track that moves quickly through streaming platforms and social conversation.
The Sound of May 29
This May 29 countdown shows where popular music stands right now. Country crossover is no longer a side story. It is a major engine of the chart. Hip hop still drives conversation. Pop is becoming sharper, funnier, and more personality driven. Soulful records still cut through when the vocal is undeniable. Throwbacks from 2010 now carry real nostalgia. And classics like “Billie Jean” still stand above trends because great records do not age the same way ordinary songs do.
That is what makes Caleb’s NEWHD Top Ten Countdown work. It is not only a list. It is a weekly snapshot of what people are hearing, feeling, remembering, and discovering. From Teddy Swims to Drake, from Katy Perry to Michael Jackson, from Shaboozey to Sabrina Carpenter, this week’s episode connects the present tense of music with the songs that still echo from the past.
Listen to Caleb’s NEWHD Top Ten Countdown every Friday night at 10 PM Pacific on NEWHD Los Angeles, LA’s rock, pop, and hip hop. Stream worldwide on the NEWHD Radio App and at NEWHDRadio.com.
