OMI's 'Cheerleader' is the Song of the Summer for 2015
Oh, we think we found ourselves a song of the summer. When you reflect on the lazy days at the beach, chances are you'll remember hearing the jubilant, reggae-inspired "Cheerleader." It's everywhere, and now it's the official song of the summer.
Billboard determines which song is crowned as the season's most prominent tune based on cumulative performance on its charts from Memorial Day to Labor Day. "Cheerleader" has been downloaded 2.2 million times since its release.
The song is the first chart-topper for Omar Samuel Pasley, better known to his fans as OMI. The 29-year-old Jamaican native told Billboard he comes from a country full of talented artists.
"Every artist from Jamaica wants to thrive in the U.S.," he said. "There are so many great songs that deserve the recognition that 'Cheerleader' has had. I'm just grateful."
The song overtook Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again," which started the summer strong. Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" rounded out the top three.
This isn't the first official "Song of the Summer." Billboard has named the most popular summer song for each of the past 30 years, with past winners including hits from everyone from Madonna to Beyonce.
Get in one last dose of summer before it's over with this blast-from-the-past playlist: all the "Songs of the Summer" from 1985 to now.
Song lyrics may not be appropriate for all ages.
Here are the songs that Billboard chose each year:
1985
"Shout" - Tears For Fears
1986
"Papa Don't Preach" - Madonna
1987
"Alone" - Heart
1988
"Roll With It" - Steve Winwood
1989
"Right Here Waiting" - Richard Marx
1990
"Vision Of Love" - Mariah Carey
1991
"(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" - Bryan Adams
1992
"Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix-A-Lot
1993
"Can't Help Falling In Love" - UB40
1994
"I Swear" - All-4-One
1995
"Waterfalls" - TLC
1996
"Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" - Los Del Rio
1997
"I'll Be Missing You" - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112
1998
"The Boy Is Mine" - Brandy & Monica
1999
"Genie In A Bottle" - Christina Aguilera
2000
"Bent" - Matchbox Twenty
2001
"Let Me Blow Ya Mind" - Eve feat. Gwen Stefani
2002
"Hot In Herre" - Nelly
2003
"Crazy In Love" - Beyonce feat. Jay-Z
2004
"Confessions Part II" - Usher
2005
"We Belong Together" - Mariah Carey
2006
"Promiscuous" - Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland
2007
"Umbrella" - Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
2008
"I Kissed A Girl" - Katy Perry
2009
"I Gotta Feeling" - The Black Eyed Peas
2010
"California Gurls" - Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg
2011
"Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
2012
"Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen
2013
"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke
2014
"Fancy" - Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX
2015
"Cheerleader" - OMI
What's your favorite summer hit of all time? Let us know in the comments.
