Music kept us sane, gave us hope and set the tone for whatever this road map to the future looks like.
A countdown of the 50 songs that shook me, moved me and grooved me in 2021.
Follow along on the #SongsOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #50: @thetrews - I Wanna Play
After a seemingly endless lockdown, it was an angsty, stadium-ready rock anthem that captured the heart of our collective desperation.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #49: Ralph - Love Potion
A heaping scoop of savoury baseline whisked with a cup of sugary vocals. Ralph's dreamy pop elixir is a trip worth revisiting.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @songsbyralph
#Songsof2021 #48: @dunmorebrothers - Step Closer
@AyabaPoetic's sermon about rekindling deeper connections flirts with a dangerous beat from Britain's sibling duo.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #47: @Hadiyageorge - Hot Flavor (Godmode Smash Bros Rmx)
The line between celebration and dissent blur in a mid-tempo mix that puts George's political lyrics on a pedestal.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #46: @ewanmcvicar_ - Tell Me Something Good
Throwing Rufus and Chaka Khan's classic into an erratic electro-blender seems like sacrilege...until the beat drops.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@ewanmcvicar_ #Songsof2021 #45: @alessiacara - Lie to Me
Toronto producer @Boi1da casts the pop sweetheart as a woman scored in a pitch-perfect return to late '90s R&B.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #44: Dan D'Lion - Peachy
Peaches were in season this year. And Dan Bartlett's alter ego was the vitamin-fuelled sweet spot to Justin Bieber's chill pill.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @dandliondlion
#Songsof2021 #43: @majidjordan - Waves of Blue
For three minutes and 28 seconds, everything seems right in the world.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@majidjordan #Songsof2021 #42: @shungudzo - White Parents
The Zimbabwean-American activist crashes guitars and drums against the uglier side of a mixed-race relationship.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #41: Charlotte Jane - Down Days
A frank confessional from the Yorkshire songwriter finds parallels with the vulnerabilities many confronted in lockdown.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@iamcharl0tte
#Songsof2021 #40: @elderisland - Sacred
The Bristol trio map out the fluidity of emotional chemistry in a periodic table of chimes, bubbles and electronic blips.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #39: @GorgonCity - You've Done Enough
A sharp vocal by Via Rosa of @TheDramaDuo is outdone only by the mysterious and implied trauma that lingers on this track.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #38: H.E.R. - Fight For You
Such a pure tribute to Marvin Gaye that you can almost hear the record crackling and popping.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @HERMusicx
#Songsof2021 #37: @sza - Good Days
Hazy like a summer morning.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #36: @joycrookes - When You Were Mine
A complicated stack of feelings run through this neo-soul reflection about an ex-boyfriend spotted in a relationship with a man.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #35: Chloe Moriondo - I Eat Boys
The listless "girl with guitar" sound of the early aughts is turned on its head with a feel-good morbidity.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @kidzwithbugz
#Songsof2021 #34: @TKAYMAIDZA - Where Is My Mind?
Buzzing electronics and haunting vocals layer an otherworldly take on the classic Pixies track by the Zimbabwean-born Australian singer.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #33: @IDK & @offset - Shoot My Shot
The closest we have to a time capsule for Clubhouse, the 2021 app that gave guys you ignored at the bar their own chatroom.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #32: @KaceyMusgraves - Breadwinner
Gender dynamics, relationship negotiations. It's all sharply written, at once deeply personal and equally universal.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@KaceyMusgraves #Songsof2021 #31: @DojaCat - Kiss Me More (feat. @sza)
Beyond the iconic TikTok "ding!" lies a simple, cutesy pop song that arrived like a warm hug in some very cold times.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #30: @cadenceweapon - On Me
Part grime track, part audio essay. The @PolarisPrize winner turns his acute focus on tech's role in racism & surveillance with a fiery urgency.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #29: @serpentwithfeet - Same Size Shoe
Black queer domestic bliss as told through the year's best metaphor: a marriage of footwear.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #28: @ambermark - Worth It
An exercise in self-affirmation that would've shone brightly any year, but was especially vibrant in 2021. Mark's vocals break through the clouds.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #27: @Tinashe - Undo (Back to My Heart)
Breaking from her record label led Tinashe to make her best album. And Undo showed you don't need execs to craft the sound of a smash.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #26: Skiifall - Ting Turn Up Part II
Praised for his UK rap sound, Montreal's secret weapon raised the bar, inviting London's @Knucks on a sequel to his 2020 track.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @skiifalls
#Songsof2021 #25: Aldous Harding - Old Peel
A jaunty, hypnotic ball of wonderful, lyrical nonsense.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #24: Alex Porat - Dimension
Spidey's multiverse is no match for the Toronto YouTuber-turned-pop singer who's hauntingly obsessed with a broken relationship.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @alexandraporat
#Songsof2021 #23: Willow - Transparent Soul (feat. @travisbarker)
Eleven years after "Whip My Hair," the younger Smith proves she can rock as hard as she rattles preconceptions.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #22: Sun-El Musician - Higher (feat. Simmy)
Eight minutes of pure, dewy-eyed spiritual healing.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @sunelmusicianza @simmymusicsa
#Songsof2021 #21: @boburnham - That Funny Feeling
Seemed like a "Year in Review" for 2020. Turns out, it was a roadmap to 2021. Or is it 2022?
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #20: MUNA - Silk Chiffon (feat. @phoebebridgers)
A glorious, summertime queer pop anthem that demands you roll down the windows and crank it up.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @whereisMUNA
#Songsof2021 #19: Jackie - My Best Years
Throwing caution to the wind, the Toronto trio trade melancholy for tenacity in a hopeful pop confessional.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @itsjackiemusic
#Songsof2021 #18: @oliviarodrigo - Deja Vu
Teen break-up driftwood becomes trapped in an undertow of furious heartbreak and explosive resentment.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #17: @wizkid - Essence (feat. Justin Bieber, Tems)
A remix with the Beebs lets WizKid's overlooked yet alluring 2020 track slip onto this list. Consider it a correction.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #16: The Weather Station - I Tried to Tell You
Toronto folk artist Tamara Lindeman sees truth in the natural world as she considers signs that were ignored.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @TheWeatherStn
#Songsof2021 #15: Jayda G - All I Need
"Nothing has changed" is a tough sell in 2021. But this bouncy, unabashed retro house track makes the notion sound comforting.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #14: @remiwolf - Grumpy Old Man
If "Groove is in the Heart" was microdosed by a California nu-hippie with a knack for killer sing-along choruses. It just feels rad, man.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #13: Squid - Narrator (feat. @Martha_Skye)
Anger and apprehension crescendo in a kaleidoscopic sensory nightmare.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @squidbanduk
#Songsof2021 #12: @_elderbrook, Bob Moses - Inner Light
Two of dance music's classiest names are yin and yang for an ominous electronic storm.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @Bobmosesmusic
#Songsof2021 #11: Art d'Ecco - Head Rush
Glam rock theatre is resurrected in a song that evokes and provokes in equal measure.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@artdeccomsic
#Songsof2021 #10: @JessieWare - Please
Drawing on decades of dancefloor classics, Ware serves up a reminder of the freedom and connection in movement.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #9: @silksonic - Leave the Door Open
Retro fantasy that's so authentically vintage that it's easy to get swept away by the sexual healing.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@silksonic #Songsof2021 #8: Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet
Dreamy '80s synth-pop that clings to hope there's brightness past the fog.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @Jbrekkie
@silksonic @Jbrekkie #Songsof2021 #7: @Charlottecardin - Daddy
Intriguing, mysterious, dangerous. Simply, delicious.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #6: Flight Facilities - Lights Up (feat. @channel_tres)
A symphonic seduction conducted by Channel Tres' alluring baritone voice.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @flightfac
#Songsof2021 #5: bbno$ - Edamame (feat. @richbrian)
A rowdy and raunchy banger from Canada's king of hooks who's still on his fratboy throne.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@bbnomula
#Songsof2021 #4: Polo G - Rapstar
Demons lurk in the whirlwind of success. And the Chicago rapper's ukulele-driven track offers a forboding perspective on chasing the prize.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @Polo_Capalot
#Songsof2021 #3: @SELFESTEEM___ - I Do This All The Time
A note to a past lover. A love letter to self. Standing on the shoulders of Baz Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)."
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #2: Caroline Polachek - Bunny is a Rider
Bunny doesn't do rules. Neither does Polachek who samples baby coos and stutters through this incredible curiosity.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @carolineplz
#Songsof2021 #1: @LilNasX - Montero (Call Me By Your Name)
In an era when few can shock and surprise, Lil Nas X's audacious track will inspire and embolden a generation of young creators.
The song:
My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021
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