10 Surprising Things That Happened in Music on YouTube This Year

Earlier this week, we shared our annual list of the top 25 music videos that made us wiggle in 2014. In sifting through the data, we also uncovered some surprising facts about the artists and songs that made a splash this year. Here are ten of our favorites, coming at you like a dark horse:

1. These numbers don’t lie: 2014 was the Year of Shakira. With two songs in the Top 10 and more than 1.8 billion views to her channel this year, she was bigger than Nicki Minaj and Jason Derulo combined. Her channel also saw the biggest growth in views of any artist, year over year.
   
   
2. Another Latin icon, Enriqué Iglesias, is also keeping the magic alive. With 1.5 billion views, he had more eyes on his channel this year than One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer combined (!).
   
   
3. With nearly three-quarters of a billion views, Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” wasn’t just the biggest music video on YouTube in 2014, it’s the biggest video on YouTube this year – period.
   
   
4. While Katy Perry holds the crown for top video of the year, Meghan Trainor wins the prize for biggest breakout star. Since her channel launch in February, Trainor went from near obscurity to worldwide fame (and 400 million views) with “All About That Bass” - one of 2014’s top 10 music videos worldwide.
   
   
5. India’s T-Series (a record label) is one of the 20 most popular channels in the world this year, with over 5B total views, thanks to favorites like “Baby Doll” and “Chaar Botal Vodka Full” from this year’s Bollywood hit, "Ragini MMS 2."
   
   
6. Some might have called 2013 “the year of Yoncé,” but on YouTube, 2014 has been Queen Bey’s biggest by far, with her channel racking up well over 1B views this year alone.
   
   
7. EDM music accounted for 50 percent of the top 10 live performances of the year, with Tomorrowland’s first weekend live stream receiving the most commentary - more than 1M comments over the course of the show - of any YouTube video this year.
   
   
8. Since its debut in March, DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” has inspired more than 20,000 tributes, parodies, and other demonstrations of getting #turnt.
   
   
9. Though posted at the end of 2013, Pharrell’s “Happy” kept the party going well into this year, becoming the most liked (2.4M thumbs up and counting) music video of 2014.
   
   
10. And how could we let this list go without a hat tip to "Frozen"? “Let it Go,” the Disney movie’s top musical number, was one of the most viewed and covered songs of the year, netting more than 1 billion views across its top 5 official YouTube videos.

-- Christine Huang, Bonnie Gleicher, and Claire Stapleton

Trending This Week: 'Star Wars,' Seinfeld, and Miranda Sings

With the year dwindling down to its last embers, we affixed our eyes to the screen and feasted on these viral beauts this week:



Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser

Unless you’re living in another galaxy, you’ve probably gotten wind that there’s a new "Star Wars" installment in the works. Released last weekend, the first trailer (aka 90 seconds of pure nerd bliss) was so widely viewed that Time declared that “basically everyone has seen [it].” It got 60 million views across the official trailers, and better yet, it’s been wondrously parodied and remixed: check out the Lego, Wes Anderson, and George Lucas fan takes.



Miranda Sings - Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee - Jerry Seinfeld and Miranda Sings

What do you get when you cross a 20th century comedy legend with a tween idol? You get ... this. In the latest episode of his web series, Jerry Seinfeld enlisted Miranda Sings, an offbeat, you-won’t-get-it-but-your-kids-will character created by actress Colleen Ballinger, who’s a bonafide YouTube sensation with 2.7 million subs and counting. Apparently, Seinfeld’s kids begged him to collaborate with Miranda, and the pairing was a hit: later in the week, they took their bit to Fallon for a cringe-worthy (and great) game of Pictionary, which picked up over 2 million views.



One of the unique afflictions of life at YouTube is pervasive earworm (I’m looking at you, Meghan Trainor); nonetheless, we jumped at the opportunity to relive all the songs that got stuck in our head this year. The aptly named DJ Earworm has made an annual pop mashup for the past seven years, and this year’s installment is just as clever, nostalgic, and--yes--CATCHY as ever.



Brittany Boll - Waking up our puppy to his favorite song

We literally can’t let go of “Let it Go.” This year’s entry into the annals of "Frozen"-inspired video history features the film’s furriest, snooziest fan. Guess mornings never bothered him anyway :)

-- Claire Stapleton

Trending This Week: A Celebrity Supergroup for Ebola

With temps turning arctic (at least at YouTube Trends HQ) and the holidays careening ‘round the corner, might we suggest curling up by the hearth with a steaming mug of viral videos?

This week on the Spotlight channel, we heard the moving voices and vlogs of the transgender community and unearthed the incredibly bizarre, fascinating ASMR phenomenon.

And here’s what else hit it big this week:



Band Aid 30 - Do They Know It’s Christmas?

There’s truly nothing we love more than a celebrity supergroup coming together for charity (we still can’t think about “We Are the World” without getting a little tingly, and it’s been like 30 years). Thirty years after leading his first “Band Aid” single, Bob Geldof brought together big names like Bono, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, and One Direction this week to raise money for Ebola. The track is headed for #1 on the British pop charts, but views and downloads aside, the only important metric is the money it raises for the cause – and the organization announced they raised $1 million in the first five minutes. Big claps for this charitable kick-off to the holiday season.



The Holderness Family - All About That Baste

You know this family: sporty, squeaky clean, super healthy-looking, dad who’s literally impervious to embarrassment … they’re now on YouTube. The Holderness family has been pumping out wholesome parodies (see their back to school spectacular “Baby Got Class” or last year’s resplendent holiday offering “#XMASJAMMIES”) for a year and picked up over 30 million views in total. We’d say “keep it up,” but we’re pretty sure they don’t need the encouragement.



The Hoonigans - KEN BLOCK’S GYMKHANA SEVEN: WILD IN THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES

Stunt driver and general insane human being Ken Block is back with a new installment in his “Gymkhana” series. Captured via some epic cinematography, he races a souped-up, 845 horsepower Mustang around the sexy streets of L.A., and the result is a captivating, stomach-churning watch. The Gymkhana videos have been massive YouTube hits – episode five racked up 68 million views – and the latest installment is proving no exception, with over 10 million views in the first 48 hours on YouTube.



OrsaraRecipes - How to pronounce Worcestershire Sauce?

Our “aww”-inducing pick of the week features 75-year-old YouTube chef Pasquale Sciarappa of New Jersey trying (and failing) to pronounce the classic British sauce (he also gets points for his great “no sweat, no sauce” tee). Gramps: this hug’s for you.

--Claire Stapleton

Trending This Week: Taylor Swift, Plus the Saddest, Sweetest Video We’ve Ever Seen

This week on the Spotlight channel, we bought whatever these fake commercials are selling and feted Movember’s finest moustaches.

And here’s what else bedecked our upper lip:



Taylor Swift - Blank Space

While a Swift hit is hardly @breakingnews here at YouTube, we’d be remiss not to mention the week’s single biggest kahuna. Bolstered by a surprise release and a tantalizing subject matter (Taylor’s mascara-streaked self-parodying as a crazy girlfriend), “Blank Space” set a new personal record for first-day view count, with over 4 million hits on Monday. Forget Kim K: from where we sit, it was Taylor Swift who broke the Internet this week.



Epic Rap Battles of History - Ghostbusters vs Mythbusters

At this point, ERB’s a bonafide institution. Back for their fourth season, their first video, a face-off between the ‘busters, proves their schtick’s still starp, the raps’re still smart, and they’re still bringing the views to the yard (over 6M in a couple days).



Obese2Beast - My Biggest Insecurity: Loose Skin

We recently wrote about YouTube’s body image empowerment videos, but we haven’t seen one like this. John David Glaude recently lost 160 pounds, and has a YouTube channel motivating others with tips, workouts, and Q&As. His latest video focuses on the loose skin left in the wake of extreme weight loss, but whether or not you can relate to this journey, his candid confrontation of the thing about himself he hates the most feels incredibly courageous. And with over 4 million views in three days, it clearly struck a chord.



K.C. Hohensee - Blackbird with Lennon

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night/Take these broken wings and learn to fly.” If there’s a more intimate, touching, tear-jerking "Blackbird" cover, we haven’t seen it. In this clip, which went viral this week, musician Chris Picco serenades his newborn son Lennon, who’d been delivered via emergency C-section after the sudden passing of Picco’s wife. The gentle tribute (shot just a day before little Lennon passed away) has drawn tears around the world.

-- Claire Stapleton

Trending This Week: Christmas Penguins and Kimmel’s Kids

This week on the Spotlight channel, we bugged out over kids who got moves, paid tribute to a guy who only gets cooler and more relevant as time goes on (Bill Murray), and rounded up some captivating, try-this-at-home magic tricks.

And here’s what waddled in and stole our hearts this week:



Jimmy Kimmel - YouTube Challenge - I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy

Kimmel is a bonafide YouTube hitmaking machine (he’s had 750 million views so far this year), but we think this gag is his sweet spot. For the past four years, he’s challenged parents to trick kids about their treats, and doggonit, their priceless reactions get us EVERY TIME. Like “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets,” his Halloween YouTube challenge is an enormous fave: the four installments add up to over 120 million views. Sweeeeeet.



John Lewis - Christmas Advert 2014 - #MontyThePenguin

The blood on Halloween may not even be dry, but ho, ho, ho, we’re lumbering on to Christmas. British retailer John Lewis brought their A-game to this beautiful little Christmas advert about the friendship between a boy and a CGI penguin (a timeless tale, really). John Lewis first had a viral Christmas hit in 2011 with this gem, and this year, they’ve got Monty the Penguin all queued up for a book (“Monty’s Christmas”), an app, and an in-store experience. This truly is the #magicofChristmas.



JubileeProject - Comfortable: 50 People 1 Question

Whether it’s the Dove Sketches or Meghan Trainor crooning “All About That Bass,” there are a lot of examples of empowering body image videos on YouTube (check out a sample here). Nonprofit Jubilee Project had 3 million views this week asking 50 people what they’d change about their body and highlighting how drastically body image changes from childhood to adulthood. Its simple, magical message is something we can get behind.


-- Claire Stapleton

Trending This Week: Catcalls, Ten Second Songs, and PewDiePie

Halloween is one of YouTube’s favorite holidays, and this year on the Spotlight channel, we celebrated with some of our hallow’ed traditions: cool DIY costumes and scaring the heck out of people. This week was also doubly special as we celebrated the birthdays of two of YouTube’s greatest raisons d’etre: the Internet and Katy Perry.



Street Harassment Video - 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman

This video, commissioned by an advocacy group called Hollaback, started with a simple concept: follow a young woman for a day, capturing all the catcalls, “hey baby’s,” and harassing remarks that come her way (more than 100 after 10 hours, as it turned out). But it had a complicated response – sparking controversy, conversation, and a lot of close reading. Editorializing aside, the buzz made for a blockbuster view count (over 18 million in 48 hours).



PewDiePie - MEET MY FAMILY!

There are two types of people in this world: people who know about PewDiePie and people who don’t. And never the twain shall meet. For that latter group, here’s the deal: the Swedish gamer is the current sine qua non of YouTube, holding the top slot for number of subscribers (his channel has had just shy of 3.5 BILLION views so far this year). But even if you’re not a member of the #BroArmy, you can get down with this charming chat sesh with Pewds’s mom, sister, and a pair of pugs. Shall we raise our hands in brofist (editor’s note: a Brofist is a friendly greeting or farewell and the main symbol used by PewDiePie to his bros)?



Ten Second Songs - Michael Jackson - Thriller

Impersonator impresario Anthony Vincent has a reliable formula: cover songs in 20 different styles, ten seconds a pop. (Improbably, he can pull off everyone from Kurt Cobain to Frank Sinatra, the Spice Girls, and DMX ). He hit it big with a “Dark Horse” cover in March, and has had over 35M views since then. This week he threw on some facepaint and covered "Thriller" to rapturous Internet praise. We think this YouTube commenter put it best: “dude. subbed for eternity.”



Abby Holcowitz - Kelly Clarkson “Shake It Off” Taylor Swift Cover

With the world in the vice-like grip of Swift mania, we were surprised to realize that the most-viewed Taylor Swift video on YouTube this week doesn’t exactly feature Ms. Swift herself. Fan-shot footage of country-pop singer Kelly Clarkson putting a stripped-down, soulful spin on the ubiquitous hit at a recent concert got the coveted Swift stamp of approval. And if you – like us – can’t get enough of celebrities covering celebrities, feast your ears on this playlist.

-- Claire Stapleton

Trending This Week: Nun Covers 'Like a Virgin'

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s meme? This week’s vid crop was so bountiful as to make us forget that over here at YouTube Trends HQ, winter is coming. On the Spotlight channel, we tackled some of our favorite subjects: tattoos, feelings, and famous pets.

And here’s what else brought sunshine to our pallid, computer-nerd complexions:



Sister Cristina - Like a Virgin

Who could forget the Voice of Italy's singing nun, one of this year’s most formidable memes? Well Sister Cristina is back with her first real single, and we’ve got to admit that our first reaction was: scusi? Yup, the pious songbird has chosen to cover the ... less-than-pious Madonna classic. The video, which has the nun galavanting around Venice and cavorting with lions in full habit and crucifix, is nothing if not an intriguing watch, and for that … we are blessed.



Rob Cantor - Shia LaBeouf Live

Every now and again the Internet produces something very special and important. Rob Cantor, aka the guy who duped us all with his "29 Impressions," was behind this week’s meme miracle, and it’s called “'Shia LaBeouf’ Live.” Come for a mini-musical about a cannibalistic version of the actor, stay for the L.A. Gay Men’s Chorus, the 3-D papercraft Shia LaBeouf heads, and a truly surprising twist ending. We give this one a standing ovation.



Dachshund’s Creek

Halloween season always reignites our passion for marveling at small animals in costumes. So picture our delight at coming across this video from filmmaker Michael Immerman, a re-imagining of the '90s teen melodrama "Dawson’s Creek" ... but with dachshunds. Need we say more?



The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - Bradley Cooper and Jimmy Can’t Stop Laughing

They say that laughter is the universal language. So it’s no surprise that this footage of late night kahuna Fallon and Hollywood juggernaut Cooper in the midst of a giggle attack was a hit this week. So popular was this video of two silly geese that Fallon released a second uncut version that is basically just four more minutes of them yukking it up. Not exactly the high comedy hit of the year, but it’s definitely worth its weight in hehe's.

--Claire Stapleton