2015 predictions from Ask.com, Bing and Shazam

Search engines Ask.com and Microsoft’s Bing came out with predictions for 2015 based on user queries. And music discovery app Shazam tried to predict next year’s hit makers from user data.
Ask.com, a unit of IAC/InterActiveCorp, analyzed top questions from its 100 million users to predict headlines for the upcoming year. Based on those queries, it made the following predictions:

• “Keeping up with the Kardashians” is canceled after its 10th season.
• Wyatt breaks into the top 100 baby names for girls.
• The Bulldog dethrones the Labrador as America’s most popular dog.
• Stephen Colbert is crowned king of the late night talk show wars.
• Personal robots will sell twice as many models in 2015 than were sold in 2014.
• Adele’s rumored new album tops the charts and breaks her own previous album release record.

Bing made the following 2015 predictions about culture, sports and entertainment:

• Fashion: Turtlenecks and other ’70s fashions return, including denim tuxedos, belted scarves and harem pants.
• Sports: The New England Patriots play the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, with Tom Brady leading the Patriots to victory.
• Grammy Awards: The fan favorites are Sam Smith for Best New Artist and Beyonce for Album of the Year. Record of the Year: “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX. Song of the Year: “Take Me to Church” by Hozier.
• Food: Bing is seeing a major spike in people’s interest in Middle Eastern food, from dishes they want to try at home to restaurants they plan to visit, people are loving the flavor-packed dishes from the Middle East. (Hummus, falafel, etc.)

Shazam predicts that the following music artists will be hit makers in 2015:

• Young Thug: Every track Young Thug has touched in 2014 has been massive. The next 12 months look bright for this 22-year-old rapper.
• Echosmith: This teenage band has slowly built over the last 16 months to become one of the most Shazamed acts in the U.S. Echosmith enters 2015 on a crest of a wave with “Cool Kids” having caught on and a successful summer headlining the Warped Tour.
• Rae Sremmurd: Rae Sremmurd had two of the biggest rap singles of the past six months. They’ve worked with Nicki Minaj and are currently being mentored by the in-demand producer, Mike Will Made It.
• Oliver Heldens: This Dutch 19-year-old is already a massive DJ and a huge draw at festivals but 2015 could see him go to the next level of dance music stardom. His new track, “Koala,” is currently one of the most reactive dance records on Shazam.
• DeJ Loaf: This Detroit rapper has had one of the breakthrough songs of the year with “Try Me.” She’s now been signed to Columbia and Drake’s a noted fan. Her new mixtape is already receiving a great reaction on Shazam.
• Sam Hunt: Sam Hunt is set up to be one of the next big country music stars. His song “Leave The Night On” was the second most Shazamed country song of 2014 and his album is already receiving a massive reaction with Shazam users.
• James Bay: This British singer songwriter is already being talked about as the next Ed Sheeran. His songs have been hugely reactive from minimal radio play - most notable from a few early spins on Radio One in the U.K.
• Maddie & Tae: This act has been number one in Shazam’s country charts for over 8 weeks. The Texan duo may be headed for cross-over success when their album drops sometime next year.
• Years & Years: This English act could be the next big pop act. They were featured on “Sunlight” by The Magician, a big radio hit in Europe. Their debut album is expected sometime in 2015.
• Tchami: This French producer is one of the few acts that have broken into the Shazam charts with only specialist radio and club playing his music. His song, “Promesses,” is going to be a big cross-over hit early next year.

Last year’s Shazam list of up-and-coming chart toppers was mostly a wash-out except for Sam Smith. Shazam didn’t predict the huge successes of Iggy Azalea, Meghan Trainor, Bastille, Charli XCX, Tove Lo and others.

Photo: Pop rock group Echosmith.