There are so many platforms for promoting and selling music, and people are now exploring different genres more than ever. TikTok is the most used app or website, even outperforming Google, and music is heavily promoted here. So, it’s truly impressive when a pop artist comes on top and manages to capture the attention of millions of people all over the world. Of course, the trending list frequently changes so stars that were popular 3 years ago, can easily fall into obscurity. Here we will talk about the year 2021 and see who were top-performing or most popular pop artists.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande has been going strong for the past 3 years. She was the top pop artist in 2019 and practically maintained her position in 2020. The trend even persisted throughout 2021, and the song that topped the charts was 34+35 (Remix) with Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion. She also made an appearance on The Weekend’s Save Your Tears remix. We will see if Ariana will be able to maintain this momentum through 2022. Even if she doesn’t, being one of the top stars for 3 years in a row is very impressive.
Billie Elish
Billie Elish didn’t start 2021 with any massive hit but she was featured on multiple magazine covers and even in a documentary on Apple+. In February we got The World’s a Little Blurry hit which was followed up a few months later with Happier Than Ever. This was basically a continuation of the story from 2019 “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” The new album dropped in July and we could see a slightly different version of Elish. She finished the year with a Grammy and she already has several nominations for the 2022 award ceremony.
Cardi B
Cardi B was still riding on the WAP hype train when the year 2021 began, but she did have a good follow-up hit called “Up.” Even if this hit was good it was the only new song, and she is a solo performer there. Right now artists who want to pursue top charts usually do collaborations, but Cardi was busy in 2021 as she had her second child in September.
Harry Styles
Harry started in a boy band One Direction and then decided to pursue a solo career after the 2016 fallout. His solo endeavors seem to be going well, as he became one of the top picks after the release of Fine Line. Another massive hit was Golden along with Treat People With Kindness.
These were the top artists of 2021, and it will be fun to see if Ariana and Billie will be able to keep their position until the end of 2022.
