The music industry is a highly competitive environment. And before launching a new single, most artists come to the stark realization that there are thousands of songs being released every day. So, there’s a very slim chance to make your music stand out.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.

If you’re really dedicated to mainstream music as an artist—and would love to get the fame and fortune that comes with commercial success—then there’s one mantra you’ll have to adopt right now.

You’ve got to become an avid consumer of the charts. You’ve got to make it a daily habit to check out all the music content that’s trending. The idea is to absorb as much as you can from mainstream content, and incorporate the new features into your music.

So, in this piece, we’ll be discussing the process of how to write a hit song that stands out, regardless of the genre you specialize in.

If you’ve never taken the time to sit down and ruminate on other styles of music, then you’re in for a treat.

This article will definitely be an eye-opener for any upcoming artist. And we recommend that you allocate at least an hour a day to practice some of the guidelines we will mention below.

Indeed, some of these hacks might be the missing ingredients to your next hit single.

Why It’s Important to Do A Breakdown of Hit-Singles in 2019

Have you noticed that trending music always follows a similar pattern in terms of arrangement and structure?

It’s these similarities through the years that’s created the different sub-genres we’ve come to know and love today.

For example, we have dancehall and ragga; both sub-genres of reggae. There was crunk back in 06, and now there’s trap music in hip-hop today.

In short, we can refer to arrangement as a set of guidelines that artists adopt to create music that’s trending for the general population.

Call it the ‘quick fix’ if you like.

An excellent example of arrangement is how artists in the mainstream industry have adopted 3 minutes and 30 seconds for most of their songs.

Sure, this feature spans back to the radio era; but it still holds merit today.

Why?

Because we live in a world where consumers are exposed to multiple distractions and a wide array of selections every second.

So you need to act fast:

Your content needs to be as brief as possible to hook the masses. That’s why intros have become much shorter these days.

Just have a look at the charts right now, and you’ll notice that most songs don’t have an intro longer than 15 seconds.

What’s more, you’ll see that the first verse immediately transitions into the chorus. Even for a song that starts without an intro, the chorus will be sampled 60 seconds into the song.

Makes sense? Definitely!

With a plethora of songs being released every day, people want to instantly know whether they like your song or not.

Plus, our social media addictions haven’t made things easier.

So, if someone decides to listen to your song, it means that you have a tiny window of opportunity to convince them that you’re the real deal.

The good news is that you can easily spice things up to get them hooked with your single.

Why not include a new harmony to the song? Maybe even shift the groove, or eliminate some boring monotone sections.

Now that will spark someone’s interest!

Mind you, it doesn’t have to be a significant change either.

Just something that will elevate the energy levels and tempo of the song while still staying true to the flow.

As such, most chart-toppers have adhered to the structure below:

A short intro

A transition to the verse and then the chorus. In some exceptional cases, there might even be a sub-chorus.

A transition to the bridge, or commonly known as the departure of the song.

After this, we proceed to the climax, which is the high-energy section of the song.

Lastly, the song finishes off with the conclusion.

So, What’s A Trending in 2019?

For the first time in history, tables have turned.

In 2018, hip hop surpassed pop music to become the most prevalent genre in the mainstream industry.

In turn, many artists and record labels have adopted some of the most common features of hip-hop content to capitalize on the new wave.

This is why most songs that top the charts, or enjoy plenty of Spotify promotion, have the following features.