Christmas Day for music geeks is here: Today (December 1st), Spotify’s 381 million-plus users were gifted with their Spotify Wrapped, a roundup of their most-listened music of the year. Aside from individual rundowns for each user, the streaming giant also unveiled details about the world’s listening habits in 2021.
Some of the stats shouldn’t come as a surprise. Much of the world was drinking the Olivia Rodrigo Kool-Aid this year, with her smash hit “drivers license” cruising straight to the No. 1 song in the world. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny took the title of the most-streamed artist globally for the second year in a row, with Taylor Swift and BTS trailing right behind in the second and third spots, respectively.
In the US specifically, Drake was the most streamed artist, followed by T-Swift, the late, great Juice WRLD, Kanye West, and Bad Bunny. For albums, Rodrigo’s Sour took America’s No. 1 spot, followed by Dangerous: The Double Album, from controversial country star Morgan Wallen, who was caught on camera shouting the N-word. Forward-looking pop music mixed with regressive racial politics? Spotify knows America better than America knows itself.
Related Video
The streamer also tracked the most popular releases from 20 or more years ago. The top five albums ran Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors, Nirvana’s Nevermind, Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory, Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, and The Beatles by The Beatles. When it came to individual songs, we listened to Fleetwood Mac’s TikTok viral song, “Dreams,” followed by Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Coldplay’s “Yellow,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and “Every Breath You Take,” by The Police.
As far as podcasts, listeners in the US and beyond spent lots of time streaming entertainment-related shows like The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy. News podcasts were popular, as well, with The New York Times’ The Daily and NPR News Now taking top slots in the US.
And for those who take pride in their playlist curation, Spotify is looking out for you, too: Frank Ocean helped listeners flex their green thumbs, with “Ivy” being added to countless plant-themed playlists. There have also been more than 42 million streams of vaccine-related playlists in 2021, with frequently-added jab jams including by Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” (duh) and “Jolene” by our modern medicine savior, Dolly Parton.
Before you go sharing your own personal Spotify Wrapped on your Instagram story, check out the full list of the top songs, artists, albums, and podcasts of 2021 below.
Most Streamed Artists Globally
01. Bad Bunny
02. Taylor Swift
03. BTS
04. Drake
05. Justin Bieber
Most Streamed Artists in the US
01. Drake
02. Taylor Swift
03. Juice WRLD
04. Kanye West
05. Bad Bunny
Most Streamed Albums Globally
01. SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
02. Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa
03. Justice by Justin Bieber
04. = by Ed Sheeran
05. Planet Her by Doja Cat
Most Streamed Albums in the US
01. SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
02. Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen
03. Planet Her by Doja Cat
04. Justice by Justin Bieber
05. Legends Never Die by Juice WRLD
Most Streamed Songs Globally
01. “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo
02. “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X
03. “STAY (with Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI
04. “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo
05. “Levitating (feat. DaBaby)” by Dua Lipa
Most Streamed Songs in the US
01. “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo
02. “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo
03. “Kiss Me More” (feat. SZA) by Doja Cat
04. “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
05. “Levitating (feat. DaBaby)” by Dua Lipa
Most Popular Podcasts Globally
01. The Joe Rogan Experience
02. Call Her Daddy
03. Crime Junkie
04. TED Talks Daily
05. The Daily
Most Popular Podcasts in the US
01. The Joe Rogan Experience
02. Crime Junkie
03. Call Her Daddy
04. The Daily
05. NPR News Now
