Can You Guess Which Minnesota Artist is on Obama’s Summer Playlist?

Last updated on September 19th, 2019 at 04:05 pm

Summer is coming to an end, which can bum a lot of people out. But have no fear, Minnesota: we’re here to cheer you up! 

We already have cooler nights, the State Fair, and the Renaissance Festival. Eventually, there’ll be apple orchards. It’s a good time to look back to our summer playlists and the new music that brought an extra boost of sweetness to our sunny, hot days. 

Barack Obama recently tweeted his summer playlist, which got me thinking about what my summer jams were. First, let’s chat about the Obamas and their rad taste in music.     

I recently read Michelle Obama’s book Becoming, so I wasn’t surprised by their upbeat modern playlist. You probably already knew that Barack was pretty with it. 

Their summer mix includes modern R & B, rap, pop, a few rock songs, and some great staple songs like Frank Sinatra “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison. The Obamas listened to upbeat music with a steady beat to pair with their summer, songs like  “100 yd dash” Raphael Saadig and “Burning” Maggie Roberts. 

There were love songs and contemplative songs listed as well. It was great to see Minnesota artist, Lizzo make the list for her song “Juice”, in addition to one of my 90’s favorites, “Doo-wop” by Lauryn Hill. Exciting “Con Altura” by Rosalia & J Balvin could make anyone move their hips.    

I appreciated this blend of artists of varying styles, most with a nice driving beat. I prefer songs that keep time moving, keep me dancing, or entertain me while stuck in traffic. 

A nice mix of strong female musicians made the list, like Jill Scott in “It’s Love” and pop culture favorites like “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas featuring Bill Ray Cyrus. 

So which Minnesotan made the list? Yes! It was Lizzo with her song “Juice”

My own new summer faves have been John Van Deusen’s new release “Whatever Makes You Mine” and Frank Turner’s new hit “Sister Rosetta.” I also went through all the Green Day albums one humid July week.     

Did you discover anything new on the Obamas’s summer playlist? What are your fave summer tracks? Do they have the pull to last through Fall?