somewhere else, we noticed hip-hop and drill music carry on to dominate our charts, as feminine region artists ongoing to generally be key creative forces and dance-pop continued to thrive. And exactly where viral moments at the time manufactured for unanticipated hits, in 2021 we observed them revitalize more mature music from the likes of Kali Uchis and Italian rock revivalists (not forgetting reigning Eurovision champs) Måneskin.

To witness the delivery of a star can be a scarce point—but in 2021, we witnessed two. it absolutely was just each week into January that Olivia Rodrigo’s “motorists license” arrived, a debut single so immediate and so relatable that it swiftly turned a pop cultural landmark, a track from the 12 months-degree assertion that felt like a confirmation: Here was a singer-songwriter poised Otherwise destined to outline another 10 years just as The natural way as she would the remainder of the year. Add to that the ascent of music playlist Doja Cat, whose kaleidoscopic eyesight of pop was thoroughly recognized on this 12 months’s correctly titled World Her—an album that felt like the radiant existing and in close proximity to long term unexpectedly, liquefying elements of rap, reggaetón, Afropop, R&B, dance music, and so considerably more.