Everyone loves a good road trip and, in a country as beautiful and scenic as South Africa, the longer the drive the better.

Because it isn’t really a road trip without your favourite music to soundtrack the journey,  Spotify explored just what people are listening to as they shift into ‘drive mode’.

At the start of the year, South African users had created over 80 000 playlists related to road trips and in-car listening – and Spotify is sharing the songs and artists which topped these playlists. 

No surprise, Ed Sheeran is the king of South African road trip playlists followed by Khalid and pop sensation Justin Bieber. When it came to the favoured tracks, classic carpool karaoke favourites, featuring finger tapping, belt out lyrics and beats like ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ by Journey, ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd,  ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy, the Queen hit  ‘Bohemian Rhapsody – Remastered 2011’ and TOTO’s ‘Africa’ came out tops.

Noticeably, the majority of these playlists include decades-old, sing-along hits with 38% of the top 100 songs on road trip playlists released before the 2000s. The 2010s were an especially popular musical decade, with 46 of the top 100 songs coming from this era.

More recent songs that made the road trip playlist favourite lists included hits such as ‘Bad Habits’ by Ed Sheeran, ‘drivers license’ and ‘good 4 u’ a by Olivia Rodrigo and ‘STAY (with Justin Bieber)’ by The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber as well as ‘Cold Heart – PNAU Remix’ that samples four classic hits from Sir Elton John and features, DUA Lipa.

Interesting to note that popular phrases included in the titles of South Africans’ road trip playlists are ‘late night’ and ‘late night drives’, a clear indicator that late night driving requires a curated upbeat playlist.

While it’s fun to get out on the road with your favourite playlist, do remember your safety driving tips as you head to your destination. 

Here’s some inspiration when curating your next road trip playlist:

Top 10 artists included on road trip playlists curated by South Africans

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Khalid 
3. Justin Bieber 
4. The Weeknd 
5. Maroon 5
6. Taylor Swift
7. Post Malone
8. Dua Lipa
9. Imagine Dragons
10. Drake 

Top 10 songs included on road trip playlists curated by South Africans

1. Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
2. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd
3. Riptide by Vance Joy
4. Bohemian Rhapsody – Remastered 2011 by Queen
5. Africa by TOTO
6. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynryd Skynryd
7. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers
8. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran
9. Mr Brightside by The Killers        
10. Shotgun by George Ezra

Top 10 songs released in 2021 included on road trip playlists curated by South Africans

1. Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran 
2. drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo 
3. STAY (with Justin Bieber) by The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber 
4. good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo 
5. Cold Heart – PNAU Remix by Elton John, Dua Lipa, PNAU
6. Shivers by Ed Sheeran
7. Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon) by Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar, Giveon
8. Easy On Me by Adele
9. Kiss Me More (feat. SZA) by Doja Cat, SZA 
10. Where Are You Now by Lost Frequencies, Calum Scott 

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