Its no secret that chillout music can help us unwind and relax. Music is a form a creative expression that can uplift, inspire, and even unify. All of us can experience moments of tense anxiety, which is why in our list, we have listed thirty chill-out music songs for you to go listen to. All the ambient music you can listing via our Chillout Radio online anytime and anywhere.
It’s possible that may know a few of these already, but we’re hoping that some of the others will catch your attention.
- Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish
Originally released in 2016, but recently given the recent success of Billie Eilish, this song has seen great success. Written as a dreamy ballad, the song has a soft soothing tone with airy vocals that captures the similar feeling of ocean waves. She wrote the song when she was 14, giving great credit to her personal talents as a musician.
- Glitter by BENEE
BENEE is an upcoming artist from the aisle of New Zealand. BENEE created this shortened stage name from her full name Stella Bennett. Regarding the popularity of this song, it gained massive publicity after its catchy chorus was turned into a TikTok video dance challenge. The song has an energetic bop that helps to quickly bring the vibes into a room.
- Bright Blue Skies by Mitch James
We couldn’t resist mentioning two New Zealand artists right after each other. Just like BENEE, Mitch James also comes from the Auckland area in New Zealand. He is a talent guitarist with most of his songs featuring simple layers.
- I Said Hi by Amy Shark
Hailing from the Gold Coast in Queensland, Amy Shark is an indie Aussie pop singer. In 2018, she released her debut album titled ‘Love Monster’ which chartered very well. ‘I Said Hi’ was the lead single off the album. The song lyrics themselves are very captivating with a messaged centered on perseverance even during the hard times. Since her breakout into the music scene, Amy Shark has collaborated with The Chainsmokers in the song ‘The Reaper’ which was released December 2019.
- Mess by Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan is a relatively unknown American songwriter and singer. He is well known for infusing folk in his pop songs.
- Mess is Mine by Vance Joy
We could have equally chosen Riptide, another classic song however we wanted to maintain our niche focus and ended up choosing ‘Mess is Mine’ from the same debut album ‘Dream Your Life Away.’ This song has upbeat rhythm and delicate vocals that blend together well. Vance Joy also has a wide vocal range with use of falsettos adding emotion. Just like ‘Riptide’ the catch guitar riff at the beginning, sets the tempo and flow of the entire song.
- Inappropriate Behaviour by Lime Cordiale
Lime Cordiale is a pop rock duo from Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The band had been playing and working together for many years before releasing their own original content. In 2018, the single ‘Dirt Cheap’ ranked 86th in the Hottest 100 list for that year. Later in January 2020, the band had four of their songs rank within Triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2019. ‘Inappropriate Behaviour’ ranked 13th with their other single ‘Robbery’ ranking highest at 7th spot.
- Confidence by Ocean Alley
Just like Lime Cordiale, Ocean Alley is another acclaimed Aussie Sydney Band from the Northern Beaches. While they too have a rock heavy style, their music is more alternative with a twist of reggae. Their most popular single ‘Confidence’, our song pick by them, is their most popular and won the 2018 Triple J Hottest 100. The song itself has an irresistible ooze with wah-wah peddles and catchy lyrics that transitions nicely to the chorus. The bassline in the song thumps throughout layered with echoing synthesizers.
- Tieduprightnow by Parcels
Tieduprightnow is one of Parcels most popular hits. Immediately when you hear the opening bars, you’re welcomed to the familiar feel of the band. Being an electro-pop group, Parcels takes inspiration from many 70’s era bands in both sound and appearance. Tieduprightnow was the first of three different singles the band released in 2018 prior to their debut album.
- Suddenly by British India
Suddenly by British India is a refreshing departure from their usual vibe. Being an indie rock band from Melbourne, many of their other songs features more jarring tones without as much of a soft acoustic focus. It’s because of its softer melody and warm lyrics that we added this to our list. During the chorus we get a small taster of the usual British India style, after which the versus continue and the musical layers thin once again.
- Gold Snafu by Sticky Fingers
Sticky Fingers is yet another Sydney rock band known for its innovative indie style. The song Gold Snafu comes off their second album titled ‘Land of Pleasure’ from 2014. The song gained more popularity when it was used in a YouTube video by the popular star Casey Neistat where he ate $1000 Gold Chicken Wings. The melody of the song is hypnotizing. You honestly can’t help but bounce and feel the vibes when you listen to this song. Sticky Fingers found inspiration for their band name from the Rolling Stones album of the same name.
- The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala
Tame Impala is known for psychedelic rock. Led by the multi-talented Kevin Parker who writes, records, performs and produces all the music himself. Tane Impala is backed up by the Perth band Pond. Despite publishing music very early on, the band didn’t find major success until 2015 with their album ‘Currents’ on which the song ‘The Less I Know The Better’ featured. Just this song alone garnered them great public attention and critical acclaim worldwide. The band continues to progress in their inventive experimental style.
- Circles by Post Malone
Post Malone is well-known for his ability to blend a wide range of genres together. Whilst his previous songs are trap focused, ‘Circles’ has a very low-key vibe with a gentle acoustic groove that feels almost melancholy in places due to some swirling melodies but overall lifts the atmosphere. The rhythmic guitar strumming, times the song perfectly in such a way that you just want to sing-along.
- Snow (Hey Oh) by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Snow (Hey Oh) comes off the Red Hot Chili Peppers ninth studio album, late into their career. The song contains nice soft acoustic with lyrics unlike their primary punk rock and bass heavy funk. It wasn’t unusual for the band to experiment and try something different like this to tie in different tracks within an album and to refresh audiences. The 1999 album ‘Californication’ with the song of the same name was a major success being a defining song they released. Snow (Hey Oh) also marked a similar turning point, with an extended hiatus shortly after its release.
- Restless by Louis Berry
Louis Berry is a British musician who grew up in the rough side of Liverpool, an area known for spawning the legendary Beatles. He built a career playing around pubs in London, and throughout the UK. His song Restless took off and following that, each successive single release garners him more attention. Each of his songs is clearly written in a different style, and he isn’t shy to admit that himself, a testament to the versatility of his musical expression. When he sings, his Scouse (sort of British Scottish sounding accent) comes through to add vibrancy.
- Daughters by John Mayer
John Mayer recorded and released this song way back in 2003 where he was an award-winning Grammy for this song. Listening to the lyrics of the song, it is a great tribute to fathers who help to nurture and raise their daughters. Since its initial acoustic release, Mayer has overhauled the song with his electric blues style. John Mayer has also said that inspiration for the song came from one of his ex-girlfriends who had an absent father.
- Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
Not many songs have a story as touching as this one. Following the story of his four-year-old son Connor who tragically fell 50 stories from a New York apartment. The song lyrics themselves refer to Clapton’s tragic grief, memorializing Conor. One of the most touching lines in the song is when Clapton asks, “Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven?” It remains Eric Clapton’s best-selling single.
- Nothing to Regret by Robinson
Ok, so this should be the last New Zealand artists on this list. Anna Robinson, who simply uses her surname Robinson as her stage name, is a singer who grew up in at the top of the South Island in a town called Nelson. She has released several different singles since 2017, with ‘Nothing to Regret’ being the first to chart in the top 40. With this notoriety, she became the opening act for the pop group ‘Little Mix’ during their 2018 tour.
- Resolution by SAFIA
SAFIA is an indie electronic group formed in Canberra. One of their notable collaborations was with another Aussie band Peking Duk on the song Take Me Over and with whom they share similar influences with. Resolution is off their second studio album ‘Story’s Start or End’, an experimental project that showcases their matured songwriting abilities.
- Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
Someone You Loved is a touching ballad by the up and coming Scottish artist Lewis Capaldi. Upon release, it charted at number one on the UK singles chart for seven weeks. The song slowly grew traction until it eventually charted number one on the global billboard chart twenty-four weeks after its initial release. In interviews, Capaldi is happy to say that he spent six months working on this song and treasures it more because of the hard work and effort.
- 3 Nights by Dominic Fike
Dominic Fike is an American singer and rapper from Florida. He has had an interesting early career with run ins on the police after a battery charge. He later went to jail for violating his house arrest. 3 Nights is his first big single release with it receiving favorable reviews from music reviewers at The Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Billboard. He describes himself as a genre-mixing artist, yet much of that is yet to be seen with an upcoming debut album in the works. His song 3 Nights also chartered very favorably on Spotify playlists owing to its promoted success.
- Fast Car by Jonas Blue
Fast Car dates to 2015 when it was first released. The song was Jonas Blue’s first release with lyrics sung by the British singer Dakota. The song itself is a chilled tropic house remix of the original classic written by Tracy Chapman. Back in 1988 when Tracey wrote the song, it gained serious momentum when it was played as part of Nelson Mandella’s 70th birthday tribute. Jonas Blue’s music style originates from his younger years when he listened to a lot of ABBA music. Surprisingly, this new re-release version chartered higher than the original.
- Closer by the Chainsmokers
When it comes to the most-streamed song on Spotify, ‘Closer’ by the Chainsmokers is towards the top of that list. Sung by the American singer Halsey, the song is classified as a future bass pop song.
- My Bad by Khalid
We could have chosen Khalid’s song ‘Better’ or ‘Talk’, but instead we opted for his less well-known song. After all, these lists are about learning new songs right?! Khalid Donnel Robinson, simply called Khalid, is a professional singer and songwriter. He has released two albums, American Teen (2017) and Free Spirit (2019). Khalid has a great vocal voice in the tenor-baritone ranges citing other rappers like Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Chance the Rapper and other professional musicians like Lorde as inspiration for his work.
- Perfect by Ed Sheeran
The song Perfect by Ed Sheeran comes from his third studio album divide. It was the first song he wrote for the album. Upon release, the song quickly became a smash hit charting highly on global music ranking lists. Two other cover versions of the song have since been released. “Perfect Duet” with the talent American singer Beyoncé, and “Perfect Symphony” with the Italian singer Andrew Bocelli.
- Blank Space by Taylor Swift
Blank Space is an electropop song written and recorded by Taylor Swift. The song with its lyrics is intended to comment on the media’s coverage of her and her various boyfriend relationships. The song quickly became one of the best-selling singles of all-time ranking well alongside Taylor’s other single release “Shake It Off,” both of which come from her fifth studio album 1989. Many elements of this song have been compared to the work of musical artists Lorde. Critics of the song have gone as far to label this as one of her best songs.
- 10,000 Hours by Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber
Whilst Dan + Shay are a music duo releasing country music blended with pop. Their most recent successful song, “10,000 Hours” with pop-singer Justin Bieber is no different. The song is paced a mid-level tempo with a heavy beat for a country song. Another version of the song played solo on the piano has also been released, advertised as a wedding version. For a predominant country song, this release has shattered records with numerous streams world-wide.
- Up by Olly Murs with Demi Lovato
Released in 2014 as a single, the song “Up” written by Olly Murs marked his second single as part of his fourth album. Olly Murs had previously found success but this new release launched him back into the top charts top peak within the top 4 songs.
- Let Her Go by Passenger
Mike Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, released “Let Her Go” in July of 2012. His music has a folk-rock style with wonderful acoustic guitar rhythms. Mike has a wonderful acapella voice with the song containing poetic, melancholic lyrics. The song describes a love relationship saying that we often do not appreciate what we have until it is gone. “Let Her Go” is heavily driven by the chorus which is played five times. Because of the unfortunate timing of the songs release with Disney’s motion picture Frozen, the song is frequently confused with “Let It Go.”
- Peer Pressure by James Bay
Released by James Bay but sung with backing vocals by Julia Michaels, “Peer Pressure” is a soulful pop rock song with acoustic vibes. The opening of the song harmoniously combines graceful guitar strums with delicate lyrics. As the song progresses, it continues to build up to the point where Julia Michaels joins in. The song was first played live in April 2019 on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
Whilst these thirty ambient songs are by no means an exhaustive list, we had to give a notable mention to Hozier. These songs capture a wide variety of chillout music but don’t feel afraid to continue to seek out the best of the music scene yourself!