Who were the most played musical artists of 2021?

An 18-year-old Disney Channel star ranked as No. 1 among Spotify’s top songs list.|

Olivia Rodrigo had the best year ever.

The pop music upstart – up for seven Grammy Awards off the strength of her breakout debut single “drivers license” – is one of the most streamed music acts across all forms of music in 2021.

According to the Digital Media Association, which compiles data from Amazon, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify and YouTube Music, Rodrigo is the top of the pops – followed by K-pop supergroup BTS and Doja Cat.

The 18-year-old Disney Channel star ranked as No. 1 among Spotify’s top songs list with “drivers license,” which was also No. 2 on Apple Music and No. 5 on Amazon Music. Spotify also identified Rodrigo’s debut opus, “Sour,” as the most streamed album.

The “Brutal” singer had the most nominations of any artist for the 2021 American Music Awards, including album, song, record and best new artist, the latter which she won.

Meanwhile, BTS landed in the top spot on Apple Music’s top songs list.

On Spotify, the South Korean-born teen heartthrobs were number 3 among the leading streaming platform’s top artists.

The digital music advocacy organization also noted the continuing trend of major rap and reggaeton acts, such as Bad Bunny and J Balvin, who are responsible for the exploding popularity of Latin music on streaming platforms.

“The story of music in 2021 was defined by the amazing artists, both familiar and new, who were able to harness the power of streaming to connect with fans,” Digital Media Association CEO Garrett Levin said with the announcement. “This year, we celebrated the gradual return of live music a year after most in-person concerts were shuttered, while recognizing that challenges still remain. A bright spot amidst the continued Covid-related uncertainty is that we again saw growing numbers of fans eager to discover new artists and follow their careers, reconnect with old favorites, and listen to the artists and songwriters they love via streaming.”

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