TikTok officially became the music industry’s ultimate kingmaker. Tracks like Lil Nas X’s "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" utilized viral, controversial music videos and TikTok-native marketing to secure Billboard dominance. Even older catalog tracks found new life; Fleetwood Mac and sea shanties (The "Wellerman" trend) proved that the algorithm could turn anything into a global trend overnight. Mega-Star Comebacks

From the dystopian playgrounds of South Korea to the sea-shanty trends of TikTok, here is a comprehensive retrospective on the entertainment and trending content that defined 2021.

The music industry in 2021 was driven by teenage breakthroughs, highly anticipated comebacks, and the absolute dominance of catalog music.

The data from 2021 tells a clear story of an entertainment industry that was fundamentally reshaped by the pandemic.

In 2021, the battle for streaming supremacy intensified. Major platforms shifted from a growth-at-all-costs mindset to a fierce competition for cultural relevance. The defining characteristic of the year was the unprecedented globalization of content. The Rise of Non-English Content