A new study of the most-searched touring artists in 2022 across the United States reveals K.Dot as the undisputed No. 1.
My Telescope, a market research startup specializing in search data analysis, released new findings this week regarding the most popular musicians who have gone on tour so far in 2022, zeroing in specifically on how fans across the country are searching for them — and how frequently.
The most telling and notable piece of data? That Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar is the most-searched artist overall, additionally ranking No. 1 in eight different states across the US: Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
So this should come as no surprise that after dropping one of the year’s most hotly anticipated albums, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Since the LP debuted, K.Dot has been hot in the streets and in the search bar. He embarked on a journey to Ghana during which Spotify filmed a short documentary, he debuted an all-new Cash App ad campaign, and his ongoing Big Steppers Tour is sending sold-out crowds from Milan to Milwaukee into frenzy after frenzy.
According to a press release, the My Telescope data is a state-by-state breakdown of top touring artists according to Google search volumes that take into account when users search for things like concert tickets. The artists are then ranked by a “Share of Search” metric that gauges overall user interest based on intentionality.
In this case, it seems Kendrick fans have been fervently searching his name in hopes of finding out when The Big Steppers Tour is coming to a city near them.
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Other highlights from My Telescope’s research include:
- Chicago rapper Lil Durk came in second to Kendrick as the most popular touring artist of 2022 on search engines, finishing No. in five states.
- Bad Bunny took the title in Texas and New York, the respective No. 2 and No. 4 most populous states in the US.
- T-Pain was a surprise winner in Hawaii.
- The list of artists winning in two states includes Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Greta Van Fleet, Harry Styles, Jack Harlow, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Post Malone, and The Weeknd.
- The genre breakdown in descending order by number of states won is Hip-Hop and Pop (both 20), Rock (4), Latin (3), Country (2), and Indie (1).
“Share of search is powerful in that it gives a more accurate measurement of consumer and business purchasing intent and demand,” said Rodrigo Graviz, CEO of My Telescope. “Data can be geo-fenced by state or country to accurately reflect searching trends by geography. When combined with specific keywords, Share of Search data can give valuable insights on what people are going to do, what they think, how they feel, and what they’re going to buy.”
All told, what this mean for the sport of rap is that it’s not going anywhere soon. And that’s a beautiful thing.
As Mitch once said in the classic film Paid in Full: “But if I leave, the fans gon’ still love me?” The Google machine doesn’t lie; the love is wall-to-wall.
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