See If You Can Guess the 2012 Pop Hit College Students Are Still Listening to in 2026

If you thought college students were only listening to the latest releases, some of Spotify’s newest listening data tells a different story. Spotify shared data exclusively with Dorm Therapy revealing what students have been listening to recently across five college campuses — and one very 2010s song pops up repeatedly. 

Beliebers, you will be thrilled (and unsurprised) to hear that, even 14 years after it was released, one of Justin Bieber’s songs is still a hit on college campuses in 2026.

Spotify pulled the top songs and artists from Jam sessions and Blend playlists across five college towns — Tempe, Arizona (home to Arizona State University); Columbus, Ohio (home to The Ohio State University); State College, Pennsylvania (home to Pennsylvania State University); Gainesville, Florida (home to the University of Florida); and Ann Arbor, Michigan (home to the University of Michigan) — from August 1-September 15 to give Dorm Therapy an exclusive look at what’s playing on college campuses this fall semester. 

Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj’s “Beauty and a Beat,” released in 2012, landed in the top five songs at four of the five campuses Spotify analyzed: ASU, OSU, Penn State, and UMich. It even nabbed the number one spot at Penn State. The takeaway: 2026 might just be the new 2012.

That’s not the only throwback getting consistent playtime on campuses. The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” originally released in 2003, made the list of top songs at Penn State and the University of Michigan. At the same time, newer hits like Steve Lacy’s “oh yeah?,” Malcolm Todd’s “Earrings,” and Don Toliver’s “E85” also topped the charts for college students this fall semester.

The result is a pretty entertaining mix of eras: One minute you’re listening to a song that came out this year, and the next you’re singing along to something that was on the radio when you were in elementary school, or even the year you were born. Either way, it just goes to show that a hit knows no time limits.

While “Beauty and a Beat” and “Mr. Brightside” might be the biggest throwbacks to show up in the data, they’re just a small part of what college students are listening to together. From current favorites to songs that have somehow made their way back into rotation, the top songs and artists vary a bit from campus to campus, though there are definitely some familiar names that show up again and again. Here’s what made the top five at each school.

1. Steve Lacy — “oh yeah?”
2. Malcolm Todd — “Earrings”
3. Cloonee, Prospa & Sybil — “Free Your Mind”
4. Tame Impala — “Loser”
5. Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj — “Beauty and a Beat”

1. Steve Lacy — “oh yeah?”
2. Malcolm Todd — “Earrings”
3. Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj — “Beauty and a Beat”
4. Tame Impala — “Loser”
5. Don Toliver — “E85”

1. Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj — “Beauty and a Beat”
2. Malcolm Todd — “Earrings”
3. The Killers — “Mr. Brightside”
4. Steve Lacy — “oh yeah?”
5. Rihanna — “Don’t Stop The Music”

1. Audrey Hobert — “Silver Jubilee”
2. Steve Lacy — “oh yeah?”
3. Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj — “Beauty and a Beat”
4. Malcolm Todd — “Earrings”
5. Don Toliver — “E85”

1. Steve Lacy — “oh yeah?”
2. Malcolm Todd — “Earrings”
3. Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj — “Beauty and a Beat”
4. Tame Impala — “Loser”
5. The Killers — “Mr. Brightside”

Spotify shared this listening data exclusively with Dorm Therapy to give a snapshot of what college students are listening to during fall semester hangouts. 

To hone in on what students are listening to together, the data comes from two Spotify features designed for shared listening: Jam and Blend. Jam lets people listen together in real time and contribute songs to a shared listening session, while Blend creates a shared playlist that combines the listening tastes of multiple people. 

Spotify used listening activity from Spotify Premium Student users and focused on college towns where students make up a large part of the population, then looked specifically at the period between August 1–September 15, when students were coming back to campus, to get an accurate image of the songs and artists they’re listening to at college this fall semester.