It's been a similarly fruitful year for emerging artists still trying to establish their audience, with exciting results. The seven best songs we've heard so far this year are listed here.
1. Olivia Rodrigo, “Drivers License”
Listeners swarmed social Facebook with thoughts about the IRL meaning and probable love triangle hinted in the tragic lyrics, which were released in early 2021 by 17-year-old Olivia Rodrigo. The rumor mill around the year's big pop ballad is, however, its least intriguing offering: Rodrigo established herself as a fascinating voice and songwriter way beyond her years with just one song. The stirring chorus builds to a sweeping "I guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me," cementing "Drivers License's" obvious charm and launching Rodrigo's reign as pop's most engaging new storyteller.
2. Silk Sonic, “Leave the Door Open”
Teddy Pendergrass' 1978 bedroom smash "Close the Door," written and produced by Philly soul maestros Gamble & Huff, is referenced in the title. The nostalgia/kitsch component has been accentuated in the video and select TV performances, with '70s clothing and 'dos, but the beautiful, swoon-worthy record makes apparent that their passion is genuine. From the Police-style funk-wave hybrid "Locked Out of Heaven" to the new jack swing of the "Finesse" remix, Mars' biggest successes have brought back legendary sounds from the past, and "Door" confirms that he is pop music's most savvy revivalist. His jukebox is not just unusual, but also well-stocked and a never-ending source of inspiration.
3. The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears” (Remix)
The artist born Abel Tesfaye teamed up with Ariana Grande for a duet version of the breezy "Save Your Tears" that became their sixth Hot 100 No. 1; while the collaborative version is fairly faithful to the already beguiling original, Grande imbues it with a bittersweet poignancy that makes "Tears" go by beautifully.
4. Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby, “Levitating”
The gift of "levitating" is one that goes on giving. Dua Lipa revived the disco-fueled dance track with a fresh verse from DaBaby five months after the original version first hand-clapped its way into our hearts on Future Nostalgia in late March 2020. Since then, the star-studded track has only risen higher and higher: it reached a new No. 2 peak on the Hot 100 last month, and it's back up to No. 3 this week.
5.Kali Uchis, “Telepatía”
With ultra-melancholic lyrics about making love telepathically, "Telepata" brilliantly nailed the wistful vibe of 2020. In fact, the synth-pop dreamlike music is structured around hooks throughout, making every verse — in English or Spanish — memorable and TikTok-friendly, which helped propel the song to streaming popularity.
6. Pooh Shiesty feat. Lil Durk, “Back in Blood”
The raw, no-frills energy of its Chicago-set, King Von-tributing music video helped "Back in Blood" take off in early 2021. The song, which sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie and is both scary and pulse-racing from the first notes of its piano hook, is certain to become an anthem (which, in a way, it is).
7. SZA, “Good Days”
SZA's "Hit Different" music video's two-minute outro foreshadowed her biggest solo Hot 100 hit to date, the forward-looking ballad "Good Days," which peaked at No. 9. SZA uses biblical stories about Jericho, Job, and Jesus to analyze her past tribulations, all the while continuing to seek her mental paradise and motivating listeners to do the same.
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