See Who Is on Barack Obama’s 2023 Summer Playlist: SZA, Nicki Minaj, Stevie Wonder, Luke Combs and More!

'Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed,' the former POTUS wrote alongside the list

President Barack Obama photographed at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC on November 17, 2020.
Photo:

Shaniqwa Jarvis

Barack Obama is showing off his music taste with his summer playlist.

On Thursday, the former president, 61, unveiled his favorite music for the summer — a tradition he has carried on since his days in the White House. This time, his picks are eclectic, ranging from classic to modern, rising artists to hall-of-fame musicians, and pop to country.

“Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new,” he wrote alongside the list on his social media. “Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed.”

SZA’s “Snooze” from her recent album SOS made the cut, plus “Princess Diana” by Ice Spice and Nikki Minaj and Boygenius’ “Not Strong Enough.” Luke Combs represented country on the list with "Fast Car."

Dr. Dre’s forever fan-favorite “California Love,” Bob Dylan’s “Everything is Broken,” and Ella Fitzgerald’s “Cry Me a River” can also be found there. He also gave attention to up-and-coming stars like nobigdyl and Arya StarrStevie Wonder was represented on the list by "Golden Lady."

"A song i wrote about my experience as a black christian boy raised in the rural south + recorded in my garage is on President Obama’s summer playlist," nobigdyl wrote on Instagram after learning his song "Parabolic!" is on the list. He later added that he "just got off the phone with mom" and "the groupchat is goin nuts."

People have taken to the comments to give the former commander-in-chief what he asked for — recommendations.

“There’s not a single Taylor Swift song. Swifties, do your thing,” one person wrote. "Give James Marriott - slow down a listen," another wrote.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The playlist came out the same day as Obama’s summer reading list, another annual occurrence, which included Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond, Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby, What Napoleon Could Not Do by DK Nnuro, Blue Hour by Tiffany Clarke Harrison and four others.

In his caption, Obama made a similar request as in his music picks. “Here’s some books that I’m reading this summer. Check them out and let me know what I should be reading next," he wrote.

He followed it up with another post that read, “With so many books being banned across the country, @DPLA has launched The Banned Book Club to give readers access to e-books that have been banned. Learn more at http://TheBannedBookClub.info.”

Obama’s 2022 playlist included Beyoncé's single "Break My Soul" and "More Than You Know" by Dr. John. Tems' "Vibe Out," Harry Styles' "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" and Burna Boy's "Last Last" also made the list along with "Mighty Love" by The Spinners, "Persuasive" by Doechii and "Feelin' Alright" by Joe Cocker.

Related Articles