With over 60 million Brits saying they use music to relax, new research uncovers the best songs to add to your soothing, unwinding, or getting-ready-for-bed playlist. Ava May Aromas has analysed over 76,000 tracks across ‘relaxing’ playlists on Spotify to see which songs appear the most. Asian artist Pritam comes out top as the most soothing artist overall, while Billie Eilish is the most soothing female artist. Ed Sheeran is the singer most likely to send you to sleep.
The top most relaxing songs are:
| 1. | Perfect – Ed Sheeran | 11. | Another Love – Tom Odell |
| 2. | Thinking out Loud – Ed Sheeran | 12. | Photograph – Ed Sheeran |
| 3. | All of Me – John Legend | 13. | Baarishein – Anuv Jain |
| 4. | Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur | 14. | Can We Kiss Forever? – Kina |
| 5. | Tum Se Hi – Pritam | 15. | Sign of the Times – Harry Styles |
| 6. | ily (i love you baby) – Surf Mesa | 16. | Better Together – Jack Johnson |
| 7. | Yellow – Coldplay | 17. | Where Are You Now – Lost Frequencies |
| 8. | The Scientist – Coldplay | 18. | Raabta – Pritam |
| 9. | Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi | 19. | Subhanallah – Pritam |
| 10. | Saibo – Sachin-Jigar | 20. | Sweet Creature – Harry Styles |
Ed Sheeran takes the top two positions with his relaxing melodies ‘Perfect’ and ‘Thinking out Loud’; ‘Photograph’ also appeared in the top 20. Other pop legends that feature in the top 20 include James Arthur, Lewis Capaldi, and Harry Styles.
The top most relaxing song artists are:
| 1. | Pritam | 6. | John Mayer |
| 2. | Ed Sheeran | 7. | Harry Styles |
| 3. | Coldplay | 8. | Billie Eilish |
| 4. | Atif Aslam | 9. | Drake |
| 5. | A.R. Rahman | 10. | Jack Johnson |
What makes the top most relaxing songs so calming:
Music producer, Andy Freeman from Studio Punch-Up!, has revealed what makes songs relaxing: “One thing that makes a song relaxing is an almost total lack of transients. A transient is the initial spike or attack of a sound such as the initial snap of a drumstick or a a handclap, These are all sounds with a sharp attack that goes away quickly in contrast to a sound that has no transients like ocean waves or wind, or the strings in an orchestra. These sounds gradually fade into the music rather than punctuate it. They are gentle and therefore soothing and fade into the background.”
Hannah Chapman, Founder at Ava May Aromas comments:
“Whether you’re unwinding with a book, or getting ready for bed, bringing music into the mix is a well-known way to turn up the calming vibes. From the pop sounds of Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles to the unique melodies of Pritam, we hope our ultimate soothing playlist helps spark inspiration for your next relaxing night in.”
Methodology of finding the top most relaxing songs
The statistics on people using music to relax is from a study by the British Academy of Sound Therapy
Spotify playlists mined from http://playlistminer.playlistmachinery.com/, using terms ‘chill’, ‘relax’, ‘calm’ and ‘soothing’ – 76,3281 tracks analysed overall. The top songs for each term were scored based on their position, then added together to create a combined total.