Director: C Prinz
Production Company: Freenjoy Productions
Nominated for 2 MTV Music Video Awards
From their vocals, outfits, dance moves, and screen presence, it’s clear in the music video for “Do It” that Chloe x Halle are proteges of Queen Bey herself, Beyoncé. The first single off their 2020 album The Ungodly Hour, “Do It” is all about going out with your friends, having a great time dancing, and overall just having a fun time. Tinged with a blend of 90s R&B aesthetics and sound (with outfits reminiscent of Aaliyah or TLC) with a modern/contemporary twist, it’s no wonder that this video has 32 million views since its release in May 2020.
Director: Colin Solal Cardo
TIME labeled the opening track one of “The Best Songs of 2020”
Beautiful, emotional, and raw are the best words to describe the music video for “La vita nuova” by Christine and the Queens. Though more of a short film with visual and musical samplings of various songs from the 2020 EP of the same name, it’s nonetheless a music video at heart. Filled with unbridled and passionate artistic expression, the video weaves
through different performances where the dynamic between Chris and The Faun, a creature with a satanic presence, is explored. Stunningly theatrical in its visuals, “La vita nuova” features expressive dancing done in gorgeous costumes in and around the grand Palais Garnier in Paris. With 1.6 million views and stellar critical reviews, “La vita nuova” definitely earns its spot on this list.
Directors: Lope Serrano and Nicolas Mendez
Production Company: Canada
Won “Best Visual Effects” at the MTV Movie Awards
Filled to the brim with vibrant hues of purples, magnetas, teals, reds - literally every color that the eye can see, “Physical” is a masterclass in camerawork and visual effects. Cutting between animated scenes inspired by 90s anime like Sailor Moon, the music video focuses on the relationship between Lipa and a dancer as they navigate color stages with an 80s aesthetic and compelling set design. With a song that’s heavily 80s inspired, the music video, which has 216 million views, is truly a fantastic experience to behold.
Directors: Bradley & Pablo
Nominated for a MTV Music Video Award
Harry Styles cements his artistic and musical expression in the music video for “Watermelon Sugar”. As the final single for his 2020 album Fine Line, “Watermelon Sugar” is all about tenderness and the power of touch. Styles, dressed in outfits similar to Paul McCartney from the late 60s and 70s, surrounded by beautiful models in bikinis of the same era, eats watermelon suggestively and jovially on a Malibu beach, soaking up the euphoric and idyllic nature of it all. This music video exists in a utopia of beachside escapades, sensuality, and a happiness that’s truly infectious. From the wonderful visuals, catchy song, and Styles’ star power and charisma, “Watermelon Sugar” has a well deserved 115 million views.
Director: Ali Kurr
British singer Rina Sawayama’s debut album, Sawayama, dropped in January 2020 and while a bevy of events, both socially and music-wise, have happened, it has still left an impact. The biggest and boldest impact being the music video for the single “XS”. Satirical and critical, both the song and video are a commentary on the overindulgence and consumerism of the society we live in. In the video, Sawayama plays a robotic QVC-type saleswoman shilling out a product. Rolled up with purposefully kitschy outfits and great practical effects with a early 2000s R&B pop song infused with rock instrumentals, Sawayama truly made herself known with the music video for “XS”, racking up over 4 million views.
Director: Taylor Swift & Aaron Dessner
Nominated for an MTV Music Video award and by American Music Award for “Favorite Music Video”
Taylor Swift is no stranger to iconic music videos and “Cardigan” can be added to the list. This music video enchants viewers with a beautiful landscape filled with mossy greens and waterfalls and a dreamlike atmosphere takes a huge inspiration from the popular cottagecore aesthetic. The folk-inspired single, off her eighth album Folklore, rose to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the video itself has 68 million views. The fact that Swift herself directed just shows how much and involved the artist has become during her lengthy career.
Director: Seo Hyun-seung
Nominated for a People’s Choice Award for “Music Video of 2020”
The pastel-hued video for this collaboration between K-pop girl group BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez is bound to make you feel like summer never ended. The song (co-written by Ariana Grande) peaked at #13 on the Billboard Top 40, becoming the group’s first and the video has already gained 383 million views since August 2020. Before that, it amassed 79 million views within its first 24 hours of being released, which made it the third largest 24 hour debut for a music video on Youtube.
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Nominated by American Music Award for “Favorite Music Video”
Another collaboration, this time between Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, two artists that have had their fair share of popular and well-renowned music videos. The video for “Rain on Me” is set in a sci-fi futuristic world and sees Gaga in a familiar element, but Ariana Gradne in a brand new one and the combination works extremely well. So well, in fact, that
the video already has 243 million views and global nominations including from MTV Brazil, MTV Europe, and radio station awards in Spain and France. Oh, and it’s directed by famed and award-winning director Robert Rodriguez, just to add more reasons why you should check it out.
Director: Colin Tilley
Nominated for 3 People Choice Awards, 1 MTV Music Video award, and 2 American Music Awards
It was one of, if not the, most talked about songs and videos of summer 2020. Of course it has to be on the list. Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s video for “WAP” was talked about all over Twitter and the song and choreography became a trend on TikTok. With it’s trippy visuals, upfront lyrics, and bevy of costumes, it’s not surprising that “WAP” rose in popularity and that the music video has 275 million views. From the star-studded cameos featured throughout the video from the likes of Normani and Kendall Jenner and the powerful combination of Megan and Cardi, “WAP” truly will be a video that will go down in 2020 history.
35 million views
Director: Joshua Kissi
Won an award at the UK Music Video Awards
Trying to pick one music video from Beyonce’s visual album Black Is King is a difficult task, but the video for “Already” inches out above the rest. Filmed in Ghana and reveling in the culture and landscape, the music video is a visual feast and sees Beyonce at a creative peak. The celebration of the vast beauty that is in the African continent is a well-timed statement for Beyonce to make during a tense year when it came to race. But of course, anything Queen B touches turns to gold and the music video has garnered 35 million views, which doesn’t even count how many people watched the video in the film Black is King on Disney+. Black is King alone gave the platform 3 million more subscribers and has been hailed as Beyonce’s magnum opus by various sources. A list of the top music videos of 2020 wouldn’t be complete without an entry from Beyonce!
These videos are an exemplary example that art and creative vision can always lift us up even when it feels like the world is falling apart. Music videos may just be seen as frivolous companions to help sell songs, but 2020 has shown that a little bit of good artistry can really go a long way.
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