Barack Obama Names Beyoncé’s ‘America Has a Problem,’ Tyla’s ‘Water’ and More as His Favorite Songs of 2023

What was former President Barack Obama jamming out to this year? “America Has a Problem” by Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar, Tyla’s “Water” and “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski, to name a few.

Obama revealed his annual list of favorite songs via social media on Friday, and as per usual, it spans a wide array of genres. His selects include Latin bangers “TQG” by Karol G and Shakira and “La Bebe (Remix)” by Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma; country and folk tracks “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves, “The Returner” by Allison Russell and “Cast Iron Skillet” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit; rap hits “Sprinter” by Dave and Central Cee and “Sittin’ on Top of the World” by Burna Boy featuring 21 Savage; and indie rock selections including Blondshell’s “Joiner,” Big Thief’s “Vampire Empire” and “Younger & Dumber” by Indigo de Souza.

“Here are some of my favorite songs from this year,” Obama captioned his post, asking his followers to “let me know if there are any artists or songs I should check out.” At the end of each year, the former president also shares his favorite films and books. “Oppenheimer,” “American Fiction,” “Past Lives” and “Anatomy of a Fall” were featured on his movie list this year, along with three films his production company Higher Ground produced: “Rustin,” “Leave the World Behind” and “American Symphony.” He added “The Color Purple” to his list after the fact, writing on Twitter, formerly known as X: “Update: I just saw The Color Purple and loved it. I’m adding it to this list as one of my favorite movies of the year.” As for books, Obama enjoyed bestsellers like James McBride’s “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Story,” David Grann’s “The Wager” and Jonathan Eig’s “King.”

See his full list of favorite songs below.