Pop Music’s Sweetest Hits: 24 Songs Inspired By Food, Drinks, And Everything Delicious

On my way to work, one can usually spot me standing in the ladies' compartment (no seats as usual) with my earphones. I pretend like I am not on the local train but rather in a faraway land where deadlines and work e-mails don’t exist. And what helps me through it is songs. Lately, though, I have become obsessed with a new genre of music, songs inspired by food.

Think about it, fashion has been incorporating food in its marketing for a long time, and music is just one step behind. One feeds the soul, the other feeds the mood. Whether it’s Sabrina Carpenter sipping on Espresso, Harry Styles getting high on Watermelon Sugar, or TWICE turning Alcohol-Free into a summer anthem, pop artists know how to make cravings catchy. Here’s a round-up of the most iconic food-and-drink-inspired songs that sound as good as they taste.

Sabrina Carpenter

 1. Go Go Juice (2025)

Fresh off her album Man’s Best Friend, the track is fizzy, flirty, and a testament to those drunk calls we’ve all been guilty of making at 2 am. Right?

2. Espresso (2024)

If 2024 had a flavour, it was Espresso. Playful, clever, and instantly addictive, this viral hit from Short n’ Sweet gave us a new kind of buzz – the pop-culture equivalent of your favourite pick-me-up.

j-hope

3. Chicken Noodle Soup (2019)

With Becky G trading bars in Spanish and j-hope spitting fire in Korean, ‘Chicken Noodle Soup’ is a comfort-food track that’s all about nostalgia, swagger, and sunshine (that’s j-hope for you!). It’s impossible to hear it and not move (or crave an actual bowl).

LE SSERAFIM feat. j-hope

4. Spaghetti (2025)

When LE SSERAFIM and BTS’s j-hope drop a track together, you know it’s going to be hot,  Spaghetti-level hot (no puns intended). A stylish anthem that twirls confidence and chaos in equal measure, it’s the kind of song that belongs on both your runway playlist and your dinner party soundtrack.

Addison Rae

5. Diet Pepsi (2024)

A sleek synth-pop song that marked Addison’s major-label arrival and charted internationally. With sultry lyrics and driving back-seat escapism, this track fuses youthful lust with a Britney Spears pop aesthetic. 

TWICE 

6. Alcohol-Free (2021)

A tropical breeze in musical form, this single from Taste of Love celebrates love-drunk euphoria without the hangover. And if you’re trying to brush up on your cocktail knowledge, the song features all the classics, from tequila to margarita.

7. Candy Pop (2018)

TWICE’s Japanese single Candy Pop is sugar rush energy personified, with pastel visuals, sweet hooks, and an overdose of cuteness. It also marked the Korean girl group strengthening their fan base in Japan.

BLACKPINK & Selena Gomez

8. Ice Cream (2020)

Flirty and full of sass, this collaboration broke the internet when it was released. Featuring Jennie and Lisa’s sassy rap, Rosé’s sweet vocals and Jisoo’s strong melody. Each verse is a dessert in itself, think bubblegum beats and irresistible charm.

Lady Gaga & BLACKPINK

9. Sour Candy (2020)

From Chromatica, this glossy dance track mixes pop bite with techno sweetness. Gaga and BLACKPINK’s voices melt together in perfect contrast, like sour gummy coating over a soft centre.

Red Velvet

10. Ice Cream Cake (2015)

The K-pop queens of duality serve dreamy vocals and playful visuals in this sugar-swirled single that feels like dessert for your ears. It’s hypnotic, addictive, and exactly what Red Velvet does best, mixing sweet and strange in perfect balance.

Harry Styles

11. Watermelon Sugar (2019)

Few songs capture the sweetness of summer romance like this hit from Fine Line. It’s juicy and delightfully euphoric. This song also marked a sweet detour from the otherwise moody songs of Styles’ previous albums.

BTS

12. Butter (2021)

Smooth and impossible to resist, Butter was a global phenomenon that spread good vibes effortlessly and further solidified BTS’s reign on the music charts and in the global landscape.

Taylor Swift

13. Champagne Problems (2020)

From Evermore, this is the opposite of bubbly, a bittersweet ballad about heartbreak and hesitation, set to piano and emotional honesty.

Justin Bieber

14. Yummy (2020)

As polarising as it is catchy, Yummy is pure pop indulgence, a neon-slick ode to desire. It is carefree, fresh, and long before you know it, you’re already humming the tune.

Orange Caramel

15. Catallena (2014)

Part disco, part sushi, part avant-garde fever dream, this cult K-pop track is as weirdly wonderful as pop gets. It’s theatrical, hilarious, and proof that no one does edible aesthetics quite like Orange Caramel.

Stray Kids

16. God’s Menu (2020)

Leave it to Stray Kids to serve a full-course concept. God’s Menu is a high-energy anthem about crafting the perfect flavour of music.

NCT DREAM

17. Chewing Gum (2016)

Cute and effortlessly fresh, this debut single captured the playful innocence of early K-pop culture.

Maroon 5

18. Sugar (2015)

The wedding-crashing hit that became a pop staple, Sugar is feel-good pop at its sweetest. Adam Levine’s falsetto is the frosting, and the video? The ultimate fairytale surprise.

DNCE 

19. Cake by the Ocean (2015)

Playful and slightly risqué, DNCE’s breakout single is tropical pop chaos in the best way possible. The kind of song one associates with the feeling of being on the beach.

Tesher (feat. Jason Derulo)

20. Jalebi Baby (2021)

An Indian-English fusion that became a global hit: catchy and a dance number. It is definitely being added to a wedding playlist as you read this sentence!

The 1975

21. Chocolate (2013)

A nostalgic indie-pop gem that captures young love, rebellion, and all things bittersweet. It’s messy and perfectly 2010s.

Troye Sivan

22. Strawberries & Cigarettes (2018)

Dreamy and melancholic, this Love, Simon soundtrack song captures the taste of first love and heartbreak in perfect harmony. It got me through college and is a perfect song for when you’re feeling the blues but still hopeful about life.

BIBI 

23. Bam Yang Gang (2024)

BIBI’s viral R&B-pop hit turns a Korean chestnut dessert into a soulful metaphor for love and longing. Hauntingly beautiful, it is proof that desserts can also sound soulful.

EVERGLOW 

24. Bon Bon Chocolat (2019)

Dark, dramatic, and decadent, this debut track introduced EVERGLOW with glossy visuals and powerful vocals. It’s a bittersweet anthem wrapped in glossy production, proving that girl crush energy can taste as rich as dark chocolate.

From espresso shots to sugar highs, music’s obsession with flavour is no coincidence; it’s how pop stars make emotions tangible. Sweetness, bitterness, spice, and fizz all find their way into lyrics, letting us taste feelings through sound. So next time your playlist makes you crave dessert, remember: pop music has always been delicious by design.