Trending In: Central Europe

After a first trip in the Philippines, we’re now heading to Central Europe to check the pulse of the regional trends and see who has been topping the charts in the past months.

And to give you an authentic local outlook, we asked Patrycja Lobaczewska and Jehan Paumero, both Head of Label & Artist Solutions at Believe CEE, to share some intel on these chart-topping songs.

Released early June, “Santa Cruz” has been among the biggest summer hits in Poland. “This catchy summery pop and rap song was created as part of a music challenge initiated by the influencer collective EKIPA, which involved a competition between several singles.” explains Patrycja.

“The song was an instant hit; it gained over 2.2 million streams and views within the first 72 hours and debuted at #1 in the Billboard Polish Charts”” she adds.

Since then, “Santa Cruz” – which also features the girl band Modelki - has raked more than 21 million streams on Spotify, while the music video – shot in less than 24 hours – has been viewed more than 17 million times on YouTube; and even received a gold certification in September.

As controversial as it is popular in Romania, manele is a music genre rooted in Romani folk music that has evolved to blend with modern genres like pop or hip-hop. And Babasha is maybe modern manele’s most renowned figure, thanks to his voice and dynamic scene presence.

The young singer is a certified hitmaker who regularly breaks the charts. Early October, he still had four songs in Billboard’s Top 25 Romania Chart, with “Cometa” in 1st place.

“The song captures the current club vibe of the era with its unique blend of tradition and contemporary sounds, combined with a heartfelt narrative of life-changing love,” notes Jehan, going on to add “even in the dance-pop arena, Babasha is unstoppable in showcasing authentic Romanian music”.

If you don’t know Czech hip-hop culture, here's your chance to discover the cream of the crop of the local scene. As Patrycja points out “this remix brings together some of the biggest names in the Czech rap game for a unique collab”.

Taken from Yzomandias and PTK's collaborative album Painkiller, the original track went viral on social media and took Czech clubs by storm.

But Pintlich’s remix, “blending generations and styles, mixing the sharp wit of Robin Zoot, the charisma of Nik Tendo and Ektor’s legendary flow, turned a hit into an anthem” says Patrycja. With over 6 million plays on Spotify, the “KSN” remix remained at the top of the charts for over ten weeks. And it still is at the time of writing.

“DESH broke onto the Hungarian music scene as the partner in crime of international phenomenon Azahriah” explains Jehan, noting that “the young artist and producer is also a very active solo artist”. Indeed, Desh already has one album and two solo EPs to his name.

The title track from his latest release, “Talpra Cigányok” (“Get Up, Gypsies”), is a huge charting hit. In this pop-rap song with raw lyrics, Desh does what he does best: “proudly representing his gypsy heritage. Showcasing your roots have a huge impact in Hungary these days” adds Jehan.

Another proof Desh is on the rise? Tracks from his BAKPAKK EP with Young Fly are still trending in Hungary’s Top 50 Spotify playlist more than a year after its release.

In two years, Drevo became the main sensation of the new Ukrainian rock scene. His way of merging traditional Ukrainian themes with contemporary rock sounds and infusing his songs with pure energy earned him an ever-growing audience.

While some of his previous releases have been quite successful, “Смарагдове небо” (“Emerald Sky”) is a turning point in Drevo’s career. “It’s a great example of Drevo’s talent” comments Patrycja. “He instinctively poured his feelings in a song that immediately resonated with his audience, making it the most popular hit of the moment in Ukraine”

Released last May, the song has racked up over 23 million views on YouTube and has been in the local top charts of major music streaming services for five consecutive months.