Mary J. Blige, Lil Tjay, Kendrick Lamar & Migos Were the Most-Searched Artists on Google
Also trending on Google in 2022 were Will Smith, Serena Williams, Chris Rock, HBO drama Euphoria along with apps Wordle and Heardle.
Our favorite celebrities, pop culture moments and gaming apps all made the year-end Google Trends list. The website unveiled their Google's Year In Search 2022 record, with Mary J. Blige, Lil Tjay, Kendrick Lamar and Migos being four of the five most-searched artists in the United States.
Blige, who kicked off 2022 as a co-headliner during the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak, released her fourteenth studio album, Good Morning Gorgeous in February. Blige, who has since scored five 2023 Grammy Award nominations, also held her inaugural Strength of A Woman Festival in Atlanta during early May.
Bronx rapper Lil Tjay was shot in June while in New Jersey, undergoing emergency surgery which he later recovered from. In August, he released single "Beat the Odds," which peaked at No. 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The following month, Lil Tjay made his return to music festivals at Rolling Loud New York.
Kendrick Lamar also made Google's Trending Artists list, as 2022 marked the long-awaited release of his fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Along with festival spots, the Compton native embarked on his global The Big Steppers tour with fellow pgLang artists Baby Keem and Tanna Leone in June.
Tragedy stuck rap trio Migos in early November, as member Takeoff was shot and killed at Houston's 810 Billiards & Bowling. Takeoff's death saw a surge in Google searches for Migos, who has not released an album together since 2021's Culture III.
Also making Google's Year In Search were Will Smith in the top-five sections of 'People' and 'Actors,' Chris Rock at #4 under 'Actors,' and Serena Williams under 'Athletes' at #2. App games Wordle, Quordle and Heardle made the top-five 'Games' search list, while Euphoria and Stranger Things were top-searched TV shows at #1 and #2, respectively. Featured on the top-five 'Movies' round-up were Thor: Love and Thunder, The Batman and Everything Everywhere All At Once.