Top Songs of 2021: Global

After a year in which much of the world’s population was trapped in their homes, 2021 was all about having one foot out the door. This chart compiling the most-streamed songs across the globe on Apple Music between 16 October 2020 and 15 October 2021 is a mirror of that tentativeness and hopefulness—a mix of thrilling new hits that helped shake the world from its stasis alongside favourites we returned to when that jolt felt like too much. What they all have in common, from hip-hop upstarts to a wave of Japanese artists striving in streaming to a K-pop juggernaut primed for planetary domination, is that they brought comfort and catharsis at a time when we all needed them most. Here’s what Apple Music users could not get enough of this year. If you hear something you like, add it to your library so you can carry these hits into 2022 and beyond.