Spotify Wrapped shows 2021 had two clear breakout artists

Spotify Wrapped, the streaming giant’s annual look back on the year, has categorized 2021’s top artists, albums, songs, and podcasts. The study looks at the songs and artists that the company’s 381 million users have gravitated toward as they go about their lives.

Topping the artists globally was Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who saw over 9.1 billion streams this year. More impressive, he did that without releasing a new album. This is the second consecutive year Bad Bunny has topped the list, but he became a bigger pop culture figure for many people, appearing in commercials for Corona beer alongside Snoop Dogg and actually wrestling in the WWE’s WrestleMania 37. (Drake topped artists in the U.S.)

Taylor Swift is ranked second among the most streamed artists, but the other real breakout star of 2021 is Rodrigo, who boasted two of the most globally streamed songs of the year—“Driver’s License,” which topped the list, and “Good 4 U,” which was fourth. The songs claimed the top two spots in the U.S. Her debut album, Sour, was also the year’s most streamed full album.

While new music was, of course, most popular with users, Spotify says there was a clear trend toward older tunes as well, with people rediscovering old favorites (or hearing them on TikTok or other social media channels).

Among the most streamed classics were “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

Joe Rogan had the most popular podcast, though true crime and news continued to be popular genres.

Here’s how the lists broke down:

Most streamed artists

Most streamed songs

Most popular podcasts