Best Music of 2021... So Far

Taylor Swift's Evermore (2020) was technically released last year. I did overlook it. Just as I overlooked her album Folklore (2020), which also came out last year. However, the record's success and Swift's talent can't be ignored. Evermore is Swift's eighth, consecutive album to debut at number-one. She's now only the third woman to have eight, number-one albums behind Madonna and Barbra Streisand. Evermore also broke the Guinness World Record for shortest gap between number-one records for a female act. It immediately became one of the best-selling albums of 2020, and it even topped the charts three, nonconsecutive times in 2021. It was number-one twice in January and then number-one again in June.

Swift also made headlines for yet another number-one album. In April, she released Fearless (Taylor's Version). It's a re-recording of her album Fearless (2008). Swift recorded all the songs on her 2008 album all over again in order to create new masters. She had trouble with her record label and her manager, Scooter Braun over ownership of the masters for her first, six albums. Braun basically bought her masters when Taylor herself wanted to own them. Instead of fighting Braun, Swift decided to re-record all six albums and re-release all six.

Morgan Wallen first hit the scene in 2014. He competed on the sixth season of NBC's The Voice when he was only 20 years-old. The next year, he had a record deal and was putting out hit music. His debut album in 2018 reached number-one on the country charts. In October 2020, he was scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live but his appearance was postponed after he was shown violating COVID-19 protocols. In February, video of Wallen using a racial slur hit the Internet, causing his record label to suspend him and the Academy of Country Music to deem his current work ineligible for awards. Wallen issued an apology and tried to ease tensions. Despite the controversy, his current record, Dangerous: The Double Album (2021) surged in sales.

In fact, Wallen's Dangerous: The Double Album debuted at number-one, the week of January 23 and spent 10 consecutive weeks at #1 despite his controversy. It's the first country album to do so and the only country album to spend more than seven, consecutive weeks at the top. It's also the first album since Whitney Houson's Whitney (1987) to spend 10 weeks as #1.

While Wallen was breaking records, at the same time Olivia Rodrigo who was recently at the White House was also shattering milestones. Rodrigo's "Drivers License" is a song that now has the most single-day streams for a non-holiday song. According to Spotify, it achieved 15 million streams on its fourth day. "Drivers License" spent 8 consecutive weeks at #1. At age 17, she was the youngest artist ever to debut at number-one on the Hot 100. Much has been made of Rodrigo's dominant impression with this track that some are predicting that it'll be nominated for Song of the Year at the 64th Grammy Awards.

However, when it comes to record-breaking songs, the other blockbuster has to be "Butter" by BTS, the South Korean boy band that has become a worldwide phenomenon. "Butter" had 11.042 million streams on its first day, according to Spotify, which is enough to earn it a Guinness World Record. It also got to 100 million streams in eight days, which is another milestone. The song is BTS' fourth #1 in nine months, which makes BTS the first group to do so since the Jackson 5 in 1970. As of July 17, it's spent seven, consecutive weeks at #1.

The song though that has gotten the most press, if not the most streams or weeks at #1 is "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X, the openly gay rapper from Georgia who's only 22. The song isn't that remarkable and if it had just been released by itself, it would've probably come and gone. What got the song attention is the video that Lil Nas X made for it. The video features the rapper giving Satan a lap dance in one of the most homoerotic sequences released from an artist that would now be considered mainstream. Live performances he's done at Saturday Night Live and at the 2021 BET Awards of that song have certainly turned heads and generated more headlines.

Interestingly, another queer artist also did a song that also included some eroticism or subversion of the idea of the devil. Demi Lovato came out last year as queer and this year as pansexual or fluid. Her 2021 album, which is one of the best of the year, addresses a lot of her issues. Her song "Met Him Last Night" engages with that devil idea. Lovato deals with that idea lyrically, whereas Lil Nas X deals with it visually, which is obviously more provocative. Lovato doesn't need to be provocative though. Her music speaks for itself.

But, Lovato and Lil Nas X aren't the only queer artists on my list this year. Black queer artists like Chika who was nominated for Best New Artist at the 63rd Grammy Awards also made my list. There's also Kevin Abstract who is the lead of the band, known as Brockhampton. There's also Josiah Wise aka Serpentwithfeet. Finally, there's Matt Palmer whose new EP, The Good Parts (2021) is a R&B and pop smash. Mykki Blanco who is transgender released an EP called Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep. Rostam from the band Vampire Weekend also released an album this year. All have done amazing work and I'm happy to spotlight them. I didn't include him on my list, but Todrick Hall, another Black queer artist, also released an album this year, one that is arguably more gay than Lil Nas X.

Here is my list for the best of the year... so far.

Best Folk / Country

BE HERE INSTEAD by Parker Millsap
TOPAZ by Israel Nash
FLOWERS FOR VASES / DESCANSOS by Hayley Williams
ROSEGOLD by Ashley Monroe

Best Rock / Alternative

LONG LOST by Lord Huron
BUTTERFLY 3000 by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
EUROPIANA by Jack Savoretti
OBVIOUSLY by Lake Street Dive
SILVER DREAM by Moon Taxi
CREATED FROM FILTH AND DUST by Lilith Czar
SURFACE SOUNDS by Kaleo

Best Pop / Electronic

DANCING WITH THE DEVIL... THE ART OF STARTING OVER by Demi Lovato
SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
KALEIDOSCOPE EYES by Sheppard
SKETCHY by Tune-Yards
OLYMPIA by Gorgon City
OPTIONS by Inigo Pascual

Best R&B / Soul

BACK OF MY MIND by H.E.R.
NOT YOUR MUSE by Celeste
SHELLEY FKA DRAM by Shelley FKA DRAM
PINK PLANET by Pink Sweat$
ON EARTH, AND IN HEAVEN by Robin Thicke
WE ARE by Jon Batiste
NINE by Sault

Best Hip Hop / Rap

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST by Tyler the Creator
ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE by Brockhampton
BROKEN HEARTS AND BEAUTY SLEEP by Mykki Blanco
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH: THE INSPIRED ALBUM by Various artists
ONCE UPON A TIME [EP] by Chika
PARALLEL WORLD by Cadence Weapon
SMILING WITH NO TEETH by Genesis Owusu
SIN CITY THE MIXTAPE by Ski Mask the Slump God
RHYTHMS OF ZAMUNDA by Various artists

Best Individual Song From Non-Listed Album

"Sun Goes Down" by Lil Nas X
"Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd & Ariana Grande
"Sometimes" by Mac Ayres
"This Is Heaven" by Nick Jonas
"Fellowship" by Serpentwithfeet
"Lost One" by Jasmine Sullivan
"Candlelight in the Dark" by Judith Hill
"Mood" by 24KGoldn with Ian Dior
"Give Me a Sign" by Deap Vally
"Photo ID" (Remix) by Remi Wolf
"Sweet & Dandy" by Tash Sultana
"This is Canon Now" by Czarface & MF Doom