Ed Sheeran back in the social media grind

After a hiatus of almost a year from social media, British musician Ed Sheeran recently returned to Twitter and Instagram, prompting his millions of followers to speculate that new music will be coming out soon. The singer-songwriter’s post was a mere blue square and bore no captions. It was intriguing, however, because his past two albums’ covers were set on solid colors, too: “+” (orange) and “x” (green).

Why not Harry, Ms Swift?

Taylor Swift recently surprised music fans when she dropped in online music stores and streaming services—without prior announcement or teaser—the song, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” which will be part of the soundtrack of the movie, “Fifty Shades Darker.”

Even more surprising was the pop star’s choice of collaborator: Zayn Malik, ex-One Direction bandmate of Swift’s ex-boyfriend Harry Styles. The song’s sultry, R&B vibe had fans wondering if Swift, who had not released new material since her 2014 album, “1989,” would be pursuing a new musical direction in the future.

Spotify’s top artists

The Chainsmokers

Which artists were the most popular among Filipino music fans in 2016?

According to Spotify Philippines’ year-ender lists, the most streamed act for the past year was American EDM duo The Chainsmokers, whose music had been wildly popular, especially among millennials. Their electro-pop hits had been so ubiquitous that three of them were hailed the most streamed: “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Closer” and “Roses.”

Completing the top five most streamed artists are—in descending order—Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Charlie Puth and One Direction.—ALLAN POLICARPIO