Most Popular Music Of 2021: Dua Lipa, Drake Top Billboards Year-End Lists
Topline
As 2021 comes to a close, music giants like Billboard, Spotify, Apple Music, iHeartRadio and more are releasing their lists for the most-listened and best-selling songs and albums of the year, and acts like BTS, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo have the lead on several chartsheres a rundown of the most popular music this year.
a performs onstage for the 2020 American Music Awards, broadcast on November 22, 2020 London, England.
Getty Images for dcp
Key Facts
Billboard: Dua Lipas Levitating was the most popular song of the year, topping Billboards Hot 100; Drake was the top artist of the year; Controversial country singer Morgan Wallen, who was caught on video using a racial slur, earned the number one spot on the Top 200 Albums chart for his work Dangerous: The Double Album.
Spotify: Olivia Rodrigos drivers license was the most-streamed song Jan. 1 to Nov. 27, around the world and in the U.S. on the streaming service; Rodrigos album Sour was the most-streamed album globally; Bad Bunny was the most streamed artist around the world for the second year in a row, garnering 9.1 billion streams.
Apple Music: BTS Dynamite was the most-played song on the streaming service between October 16, 2020, and October 15, 2021; the most Shazamed songwhen users ask Siri to identify a song thats playingwas Masked Wolfs Astronaut in the Ocean, which was requested 11.7 million times.
iHeartRadio: Dua Lipas Levitating was the most-played song on the countrys largest radio network, garnering 1.2 billion listens; Ariana Grande was the networks most-played artist, getting 2.6 billion listens.
Pandora: Cardi Bs Up topped the streaming radio services list of songs with the most thumbs up reactions from users this year.
YouTube: The platforms top music video in the U.S. was Pooh Shiesty and Lil Durks Back In Blood, which earned over 217 million total views.
Lists
Youtube Top Music Videos [U.S.]:
- Back In Blood Pooh Shiesty ft. Lil Durk
- Save Your Tears The Weeknd
- MONTERO [Call Me By Your Name] Lil Nas X
- Rapstar Polo G
- Every Chance I Get DJ Khaled ft. Lil Baby, Lil Durk
Pandora Top 100 Thumbed Songs:
- Up Cardi B
- Leave The Door Open Silk Sonic
- Easy On Me Adele
- Fancy Like Walker Hayes
- Time Today Moneybagg Yo
Billboard Hot 100 Songs:
- Levitating Dua Lipa
- Save Your Tears The Weeknd ft. Ariana Grande
- Blinding Lights The Weeknd
- Mood 24Goldn ft. ian dior
- Good 4 u Olivia Rodrigo
Billboard Top 200 Albums:
- Dangerous: The Double Album Morgan Wallen
- Sour Olivia Rodrigo
- Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon Pop Smoke
- Evermore Taylor Swift
- Certified Lover Boy Drake
Billboard Top Artists:
- Drake
- Olivia Rodrigo
- The Weeknd
- Taylor Swift
- Morgan Wallen
Spotify Most Streamed Artists Globally:
- Bad Bunny
- Taylor Swift
- BTS
- Drake
- Justin Bieber
Spotify Most Streamed Songs Globally:
- drivers license Olivia Rodrigo
- MONTERO [Call Me By Your Name] Lil Nas X
- STAY [With Justin Bieber] The Kid Laroi
- good 4 u Olivia Rodrigo
- Levitating [ft. Da Baby] Dua Lipa
Spotify Most Streamed Albums Globally
- SOUR Olivia Rodrigo
- Future Nostalgia Dua Lipa
- Justice Justin Bieber
- = Ed Sheeran
- Planet Her Doja Cat
Apple Music Most Streamed Songs:
- Dynamite BTS
- drivers license Olivia Rodrigo
- positions Ariana Grande
- For The Night [ft. Lil Baby and Da Baby] Pop Smoke
- Blinding Lights The Weeknd
Apple Music Most Shazamed Songs:
- Astronaut In The Ocean Masked Wolf
- Save Your Tears The Weeknd
- Bad Habits Ed Sheeran
- drivers license Olivia Rodrigo
- Beggin Maneskin
iHeartRadio Top Overall Songs:
- Levitating Dua Lipa
- Save Your Tears The Weeknd
- 34+35 Ariana Grande
- Kiss Me More Doja Cat ft. Sza
- MONTERO [Call Me By Your Name] Lil Nas X
iHeartRadio Top Overall Artists:
- Ariana Grande
- Dua Lipa
- The Weeknd
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Pop Smoke
Tangent
Several popular songs from last year bled over onto this years charts. Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande and Bad Bunny did not release new music this year, and their popularity in 2021 on Spotify, iHeartRadio and the Billboard charts comes from their releases in 2020. Blinding Lights was one of the most popular songs last year, and still charted on Apple Music and on Billboards Hot 100 in 2021. Dynamite was also released last year.
Key Background
Last years Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Year chart, which is based on sales, streams and radio plays , was topped by familiar names: The Weeknds Blinding Lights ranked first, followed by Post Malones Circles, Roddy Ricchs The Box, Dua Lipas Dont Start Now and DaBaby and Roddy Ricchs Rockstar. The most-popular album of last year, according to Billboard, was Post Malones Hollywood Is Bleeding. Blinding Lights was also the most-streamed song on Spotify last year.
Further Reading
Old MusicFrom Dua Lipa, Ariana GrandeOutperforms New Music In 2021 On Biggest Radio Network [Forbes]
Adeles 30 Becomes The Bestselling Album Of 2021 In Just Three Days [Forbes]
I'm a breaking news reporter focusing on arts and entertainment. I previously worked as a features reporter at the New York Post, where I covered pop culture, and at the Boston Globe and Boston.com I graduated from Emerson College in 2017 with a degree in journalism. Follow me on Twitter @MarisaDellatto or reach out at .
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