Retroverse Year

2021

Fifteen-second clips crown kings — songs blow up because a dance challenge caught fire, and labels scramble to sign what the algorithm already anointed. Olivia Rodrigo channels teenage heartbreak into the year's defining debut while Kanye, Drake, and Adele remind everyone that event albums still land. Discovery feels democratic and chaotic at the same time. Discovery feels democratic and chaotic at the same time, ruled by dances nobody planned in advance.