If 2020 was the year that flipped the world on its head, 2021 was the year that we got used to seeing things upside down. With normal thrown out the window, people around the world started to embrace the unknown-and in doing so, championed all of the things that make each of us unique.
Spotify's 2021 Wrapped celebrates this idea-the millions of weird and wonderful ways to listen and live in a world that continues to keep us on our toes. Today, we unveil the top artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and more that defined how more than 381 million people around the world listened and discovered audio during a year that turned unprecedented into, well, precedented.
As usual, Wrapped helps us reflect on the large role audio played in the lives of our listeners-and how our favorite creators soundtracked the world around us.
The top artists, songs, and albums globally For the second year in a row, Puerto Rican Reggaeton star Bad Bunny takes the title of most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify. And what's more: He's received over 9.1 billion streams without releasing a new album this year. He is swiftly followed by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, whose Red (Taylor's Version) gave old and new fans alike a reason to relive the artist's early groundbreaking work. Rounding up 2021's top three is BTS. The globally beloved k-pop group had a standout year thanks to their single Butter. Canadian hip-hop artists Drake-who released Certified Lover Boy in September-and Justin Bieber-whose 2021 album Justice featured collaborations with artists from across the globe-take spots four and five, respectively.
Another year at the top for #BadBunny! Congratulations to 2021's most-streamed artist #SpotifyWrapped pic.twitter.com/mCl8fFxoXM
Spotify (@Spotify) December 1, 2021
The top song of 2021 globally is Olivia Rodrigo's runaway drivers license, which garnered over 1.1 billion streams. Lil Nas X's viral MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) dances its way to second place and heralded the artist's first studio album. The Kid LAROI enters the ranks for the first time, with his Justin Bieber collaboration STAY taking third. The fourth spot sees Olivia Rodrigo once again, this time with good 4 u, which also earned the title of 2021 Spotify Song of the Summer. The fifth most streamed song to rise in the ranks is Dua Lipa's Levitating (feat. DaBaby).
When it comes to top albums of 2021 globally, Olivia Rodrigo once again claims the crown-her debut album SOUR clearly held a bit of sweetness. Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia ranks second, with Justin Bieber's Justice, Ed Sheeran's =, and Doja Cat's Planet Her coming in third, fourth, and fifth.
The top podcasts globally Coming out of its first full year as a Spotify exclusive, The Joe Rogan Experience remains the number-one podcast on Spotify globally. It is followed by the fearless Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy, which also became exclusive to Spotify in 2021. True crime and news continue to be popular genres within the medium, with Crime Junkie, TED Talks Daily, and The Daily rounding out the list.
Notable trends of 2021 When we looked at trends on Spotify in 2021, the top songs, artists, albums, and podcasts weren't the only things we found. We learned about the moments that united listeners-and the ones that were notable for their uniqueness.
Nostalgia played a role in people's listening in 2021 as fans rediscovered old favorites-and new generations adopted them as well. Let's face it: There are certain songs and albums that just sound like home (in a good way).
--
Speaking of home, 2021 saw people take plant parenthood to new heights. And they took the theory that music helps plants grow to heart.
Certain social media trends from throughout the year were also reflected on Spotify. These included musical genres that hadn't been celebrated for . . . decades, to say the least, as well as celebrations of rest (and cuteness) that inspired playlists to match.
Earlier this year as vaccines started rolling out globally, fans celebrated the best way they knew how: by creating topical, themed playlists for rolling up their sleeves.
Throughout it all, people kept looking up at the stars-whether to see if life is out there, or to determine what life may have in store for us-and streaming all the while.
In addition to the world's top-streamed music and podcasts, don't forget to check out your own 2021 Wrapped personal experience in the Spotify app to see the story of your year in audio. Learn more about what you'll find on your personal Wrapped hub in the Spotify app.
The wait is over: Here are the full lists of the top songs, artists, albums, and podcasts that defined 2021.
Most Streamed Artists Globally
Bad Bunny
Taylor Swift
BTS
Drake
Justin Bieber
Most Streamed Artists in the U.S.
Drake
Taylor Swift
Juice WRLD
Kanye West
Bad Bunny
Most Streamed Albums Globally
SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa
Justice by Justin Bieber
= by Ed Sheeran
Planet Her by Doja Cat
Most Streamed Songs Globally
drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo
MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) by Lil Nas X
STAY (with Justin Bieber) by The Kid LAROI
good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo
Levitating (feat. DaBaby) by Dua Lipa
Most Streamed Songs in the U.S.
drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo
good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo
Kiss Me More (feat SZA) by Doja Cat
Heat Waves by Glass Animals
Levitating (feat. DaBaby) by Dua Lipa
Most Popular Podcasts Globally
The Joe Rogan Experience
Call Her Daddy
Crime Junkie
TED Talks Daily
The Daily
Most Popular Podcasts in the U.S.
The Joe Rogan Experience
Crime Junkie
Call Her Daddy
The Daily
NPR News Now
Europe Stories
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
19/12/2025
19 Dec 2025
VEON's Mobilink Microfinance Bank Launches Islamic Banking Oper...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
19/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz drives the future of mobility at CES 2026 At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rohde & Schwarz will present a powerful lineup o...
19/12/2025
RT is proud to return to the RDS to support the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist & T...
18/12/2025
Canada's largest indoor arena has transformed its live production capabilities with a full ST 2110 infrastructure and Calrec's compact Argo S console. S...
18/12/2025
Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...
18/12/2025
18 Dec 2025
VEON Upgraded to Nasdaq Global Select Market, Enhancing Investor Visibility Dubai, December 18, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital o...
18/12/2025
Thursday 18 December 2025
Sky Sports remains the exclusive home of the Masters ...
18/12/2025
Using the additive process of 3D printing, layer after layer gets printed until an object is as close to the final shape needed as possible. Historically, machi...
18/12/2025
In 2025, RT proudly supported 185 arts and cultural events across the island of Ireland, reflecting significant growth since the scheme was re-launched in 2014...
18/12/2025
RT Sports Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
18/12/2025
RT lyric fm presents a very special Winter Solstice edition of Ambient Orbit, l...
18/12/2025
At 7.45pm on 1st January 1926, the precursor to RT , then 2RN, delivered the fledgling new Irish state's first public radio transmission. From those first c...
18/12/2025
December 18 2025, 05:30 (PST) The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhib...
17/12/2025
Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...
17/12/2025
The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...
17/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
17/12/2025
Wuppertal December 17, 2025
Riedel Builds Global Communication and Commentary ...
17/12/2025
December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...
17/12/2025
Wednesday 17 December 2025
Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...
17/12/2025
RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...
17/12/2025
With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
16/12/2025
Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor Improves Streaming Video Quality and Boosts Viewer Engagement SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 16, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: ...
16/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December.
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier t...
16/12/2025
Singer -songwriter Brian Kennedy has been announced as the final celebrity dance...
15/12/2025
Cape Town, November 13, 2025 - SES and International artist and humanitarian, Fo...
15/12/2025
Luxembourg, December 15, 2025 - SES, a leading space solutions company, and Abra Group launched fast and reliable multi-orbit inflight connectivity service on t...
15/12/2025
15 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan Delivers First Starlink Direct to Cel...
15/12/2025
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor finds himself the topic of year's cracker jokes
Oasis, David Harbour, Celebrity Traitors and Angela Rayner all feature in this y...
15/12/2025
Comscore Expands Cross-Platform Campaign Measurement to Include Audio and Social New capabilities strengthen cross-platform campaign reporting suite; CCR rebran...
15/12/2025
RT .ie has reached one billion page views this year and is on track to finish 2025 2% ahead of last year. Average time spent on the site is up 3% on 2024, with ...
12/12/2025
Last month, Spotify announced a new collaboration with the ATP Tour, the global governing body of men's professional tennis, aimed at bringing the next gene...
12/12/2025
Friday 12 December 2025
Ted is back! Seth MacFarlane's live-action comedic ...
12/12/2025
Uachtar n na h ireann, Catherine Connolly visited RT Raidi na Gaeltachta's...
12/12/2025
Ireland AM host Eric Roberts has been revealed as the sixth contestant taking to...
11/12/2025
Thomson and the Center for News, Technology and Innovation (CNTI) convened a two-day workshop in Sarajevo bringing together more than 35 journalists, editors, p...
11/12/2025
Having the right song soundtrack your moves can make all the difference when gam...
11/12/2025
It's been a big year for Taylor Swift. Her highly anticipated album The Life...
11/12/2025
11 Dec 2025
VEON's Banglalink Receives Regulatory Approval to Launch Digita...
11/12/2025
Thursday 11 December 2025
Sky Arts paints a picture of Britain's beauty as ...
11/12/2025
It's not every day we're asked to create a website for a classical musician!
So, we were delighted to help pianist Georgina Duncan as she embarks on he...
11/12/2025
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Irish golfing hero Shane Lowry...
11/12/2025
RT Sport Awards 2025 live on RT One and RT Player at 8:05pm on Saturday 20 December
On Saturday 20 December live on RT One and RT Player at the earlier ti...
If 2020 was the year that flipped the world on its head, 2021 was the year that we got used to seeing things upside down. With normal thrown out the window, people around the world started to embrace the unknown-and in doing so, championed all of the things that make each of us unique. 
