Love songs are cool and all, but it's time we give songs about being single their kudos. Maybe it's because I'm a Libra, but I love verses about making eyes at someone from across the club as much as I love the power-ballads about loving your partner until the end of time. What's not to love about sexy chance meetings, banter with a crush, the thrill of the chase, and most of all, the freedom the single life can allow for?
Especially on the heels of a breakup, singledom is often portrayed as a time of moping, grieving, and second-guessing your worth. But these 14 songs challenge that misconception. Being single is dope AF. Your schedule is wide open for new experiences, lovers and adventures. You get to listen to whatever music you heart desires in the car, no need to compromise. You get to watch whatever movie you want on nights in. You probably have more time to spend with your crew, your family, and on yourself. You have all the time in the world to hustle, travel, and dream without having to consider anyone but you. Below, 14 songs that will remind you just how wonderful the single life really is.
Half the fun of being single is getting your flirt on, so stream "Indigo" by NIKI as you respond to thirsty DMs and make your d*ck appointments. While NIKI typically writes sultry bops about late-night pining, she starts "Indigo" with a bang, singing, "You know I'm your type, right?" The song is a fun jam about a whirlwind fling you'd love to get lost in.
thank u, next was Ariana Grande's ode to moving on from a breakup, so of course Ariana included a carefree song about being on the rebound. Over bossy, bombastic horns, Grande literally says, "Don't want you in my bloodline / Just wanna have a good time." I'll take one very dance-able, casual hookup anthem to go, please.
Marilyn Monroe might have been onto something with that whole "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" thing. Bea Miller brings that idea into this century with "buy me diamonds." So what if f*ckboys and f*ckgirls break your heart and leave you lonely? Diamonds would never do that.
Charli XCX has come along way from 2014's "I Love It." For her self-titled album, released in September 2019, she teamed up with queer French pop legend Christine and the Queens for a sexy, aloof banger. If you're single and mingling, it's easy to get tired. This song just gets that. As Charli and Christine sing, "Don't search me in here, I'm already gone, baby."
Whatever Normani does, she comes to slay. Period. So apart from breaking the internet and reliving 2000s nostalgia with her video for "Motivation," the upbeat, flirty song should be number one on your single-life music rotation.
Enter, another song full of 2000s musical nostalgia and performed by Fifth Harmony member, Samoan baddie Dinah Jane. Nothing beats the glorious post-breakup feeling of ignoring your ex when they want to get back together and you know they're no good for you. At some point, as Dinah Jane sings, you've "heard it all before" — the excuses, the lies, the everything. The lines "Now you blowing up my line, I decline you / No, I don't wanna come through" is a big, powerful, single-life mood.
Pansexual icon Janelle Monáe's song "Take A Byte" reads like a poetic "u up?" text. The song's title and lyrics are full of tech puns, appropriate for Monaé futuristic Dirty Computer album. In the first verse, she sings "I'm not the kind of girl you take home to your mama now / I tell you no lies / Your code is programmed not to love me, but you can't pretend / Oh, what a surprise." She goes on, daring her crush to "take a byte." Monáe's song is funky and seductive, like an updated Prince song. If you're feeling bold, send your crush or FWB this song. They'll get the message loud and clear.
You might remember Monet from her collab with Ariana Grande on "Monopoly" back in April 2019 (the song that had a bunch of queer folks on Twitter wondering if Grande was coming out!). In this bop, Monet sings about the loyal "ten new friends" she's focusing on post-breakup — that is, her ten fingers and their ability to provide self-love. Being single comes with the added benefit of more time to explore solo sex and figuring out what really makes you (and you alone) feel good.
If you want songs that are tinged with melancholy but kind of make you want to shake your *ss too, listen to Lennon Stella. "La Di Da" is all about cutting off negative influences in a playful way, aka sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "la di da." When you're single and dating around, remember that you have the freedom and autonomy to cut off any hookup, FWB, or potential partner as soon as they start acting up.
With the same boldness as Monáe in "Take A Byte," Ally Brooke teams up with Tyga for a spicy siren call in "Low Key." This song is the ideal soundtrack for the passionate, secret hookup in your life.
Whether you need a diversion from post-breakup feels or are simply in the mood for sex, Kehlani has you covered with the perfect "distraction." In her song from Sweet, Sexy, Savage, Kehlani croons the perfect line to send that crush you've been feeling loads of sexual tension toward: "Are you down to be a distraction, baby? (But don't distract me, let me ask you baby)." It the perfect balance of "Please, let's hook up and have fun, but also, we're not in a committed relationship, because I don't need any distractions from work or school right now." Love to see it!
Hey Violet's 2019 singles, such as "Better By Myself," have been all about self-reliance. Similar to Taylor Swift's 1989, Hey Violet's triumphant "Clean" is all about growth and healing. As the chorus goes: "My conscience is (Clean) / I broke it up (Clean) / I wash my hands of you (Clean) / I wiped the slate (Clean) / There ain’t a trace (Clean) / I wash my hands of you / Like Hallelujah." Cheers to the relief that comes with being single and breaking off unhealthy relationships or situationships.
As is the case with many of Rosalía's songs, "Millionària" will remind you that you are a bad b*tch who can take the world by storm. In this song, Rosalía sings about caviar, yachts, owning leopards, and shutting down the Louvre. At one point, she says she was born to be a millionaire. No, money isn't everything, but sometimes, you've got to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's and pop some champagne because you deserve it.
Similar to NIKI, Kiana Ledé writes about every side of situationships: the good, the bad, and the ugly. In "Title," Ledé celebrates no-strings-attached hookups, singing "Tell me if it's cool to keep it untied." Because sometimes, DTR-ing isn't the most important thing. Sometimes, it's more fun to have a casual fling and just embrace wherever it goes. There is no "right" way to have a relationship, as long as everything is consensual, safe, and mutual.
Listen to this soundtrack to single life here.
