Star 94 has modestly shifted its sound in July by restoring many softer pop/rock hits it dropped in 2020 when it adopted a dance-heavy format. Artists once in heavy rotation during the 1990s and 2000s are back on the playlist, including Nickelback (“How You Remind Me”), OneRepublic (“Counting Stars”), 3 Doors Down (“When I’m Gone”), Plain White T’s (“Hey There Delilah”), and Train (“Drops of Jupiter”).
Ballads the dancier version of the station previously avoided have also returned, such as Adele’s “Someone Like You” (2011), One Direction’s “Night Changes” (2014), and Lukas Graham’s “7 Years” (2015).
Program Director Emily Boldon said there was no official format change. “Just playing some different titles." The playlist remains expanded in one key way: hip-hop classics from the 1990s and 2000s that Star never played when they were new, including 2Pac’s “How Do You Want It,” Gucci Mane’s “Bricks,” and Jeezy’s “And Then What,” continue to air.
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| Emily Bolden |
In 2020, Star made its largest change in more than 30 years by pivoting heavily to dance and hip-hop under the branding “The Rhythm of Atlanta,” emphasizing “feel good” and “throwback” music. It briefly mixed in disco-era tracks by Donna Summer and the Bee Gees, 1980s hits from Madonna and Prince, and current songs by Dua Lipa and The Weeknd.
Songs from the 1970s were later cut, followed more recently by nearly the entire 1980s catalog and many pure dance tracks from the 1990s and 2000s.In the most recent Arbitron ratings, Star ranked 13th overall and seventh among women 25-54. Closest competitor B98.5 has consistently outperformed Star and ranked fifth overall in June with more than double Star’s audience share.