As 2021 comes to a close we are ready to end this year in the absolute best way! By listing our top songs of 2021 of course! 2021 has been one of the best years for music, everyone has been straight up killing it. From our girl Taylor Swift to BTS, to up-and-comers like Sadie Jean, we’re talking about them all!
‘Goodmood’ – Nabes
Not a single song is more suited for a drive during the summer than ‘Goodmood’ by Nabes. This track is pure serotonin and acted as a life raft for us during this year. Whenever our spirits were falling, we just turned ‘Goodmood’ on the highest possible volume and suddenly all was right in the world.
‘2011’ – 5 Seconds of Summer
Come on, it’s us, you knew we were going to include 5sos. ‘2011’ is an ode to the fans who’ve stuck with the band, an ode to the beginning, and we couldn’t love it more. 5 Seconds of Summer will always be a favorite band of ours, and one of the main reasons is because they just don’t miss. Everyone song shows growth, that’s crystal clear in ‘2011.’
‘WYD Now?’ – Sadie Jean
‘WYD Now?’ is the newest song on this list, but we’ve cried to it so much it had to make the cut! Sadie Jean is one of the greatest songwriters we’ve discovered this year. The way she was able to put so much of what we’ve been going through into such a beautifully heartbreaking song blows our minds. We’ll be singing this one long into the new year.
‘Liar Liar’ – Just Stef
Just Stef is going to take the pop world by storm, don’t just take our word for it, listen to the pop perfection that is ‘Liar Liar.’ The track is all the proof you need! We first heard this track teased on TikTok and have loved it ever since, we truly have discovered some of the most incredible tracks from that app this year.
‘Motorbike’ – Leon Bridges
Leon Bridges released an album this year that we are still blown away by every single time we listen. Gold Diggers Sound is an all-time great record, and ‘Motorbike’ is just one of the tracks we go back to daily. Leon has the smoothest voice and makes such chill music to vibe to.
‘Isabelle’ – Zach Hood
*scream “now i’m wasting time with isabelle” from the top of our lungs*
‘Isabelle’ is meant to be sung at the loudest possible volume. Even though we’re not wasting time with ‘Isabelle’ we are sure singing like we are. We just get in the best mood when we hear Zach Hood’s voice at that starting line.
‘Crisis’ – Joshua Bassett
After the three latest drops from our pop prince Joshua Bassett, there was no way we could leave him out of this year’s wrap-up. Few artists are leaving it all out there like Joshua Bassett is. ‘Crisis’ is a deeply personal, and deeply relatable song, it already touched us and is going to continue to impact so many people.
‘Jessica’ – Maja Kristina
‘Jessica’ is the post-breakup song we wish was made way more often! Not a song that blames the ‘other woman,’ but a song that ends with the girls becoming friends and ditching the crappy man. Girl power is personified in ‘Jessica,’ and we simply can’t get enough of the energy Maja Kristina brings in this track.
‘brutal’ – Olivia Rodrigo
2021 was ruled by Olivia Rodrigo, she released the Grammy-nominated album Sour, which featured so many of our favorite songs of the year. We have to say though, ‘brutal’ remains unmatched. Even though we’re in our 20s, we can fully live out our unaddressed teenage angst by screaming the words to this song.
‘Overdrive’ – Conan Gray
If you’re looking for the ultimate song to play while going for late-night drives, look no further than ‘Overdrive.’ We don’t know what Conan Gray put in this song but genuinely we haven’t been able to turn it off since the release of the track. ‘Overdrive’ is the ultimate form of proof that Conan Gray is going to be a staple in pop music for years to come.
‘Just My Type’ – Taylor Bickett
‘Just My Type’ was teased by Taylor Bickett on TikTok and thankfully finally released. We have always felt like this track was ripped straight from our diaries, the parallels in our situations to those Taylor is describing are uncanny. While we don’t support going after anyone that’s unavailable (neither does Taylor) sometimes the heart wants people even though you know you can’t have them.
‘Josh’ – Peach PRC
We fell completely in love with Peach PRC after hearing her smash, ‘Josh.’ The track is bubble-gum pop in the absolute ideal way. We have never dated a ‘Josh’ but we sing this song as if we dumped one and just can’t get over how awful he was. We’re completely fine with seeing things through peach-colored glasses.
‘I GUESS I’M IN LOVE’ – Clinton Kane
If we die without someone writing a song like this about us, then what was the point? Clinton Kane is completely down bad and it’s the purest, most beautiful thing in the world. Clinton sings with so much emotion, and ‘I GUESS I’M IN LOVE’ is the prime example of that.
‘breadwinner’ – Kacey Musgraves
It’s simple, one of the best albums of the year was star-crossed. There is no denying that Kacey is an artist paving her path and blending country with an indie flare beautifully. In our opinion, ‘breadwinner’ does that the absolute best. This song, despite us being single, has us singing about a red flag that isn’t even relevant to our current situation.
‘Stoned at the Nail Salon’ – Lorde
‘Stoned at the Nail Salon’ alone makes the years we waited for a third Lorde album well worth it. This song is the perfect song to just completely unwind while listening to. While Solar Power is a summer album, this track fits in perfectly with our mood during things winter months.
‘Play God’ – Catie Turner
Catie Turner is one of those artists that we’ll still be talking about 20 years from now, her music is truly so special. We’ve been fans since American Idol, but ‘Play God’ catapulted us into full-on stans. This dream of a song makes us want to drive around New York City at night with it blasting at the loudest volume possible.
‘Overloved’ – Greyson Chance
As avid Greyson Chance fans, we have patiently awaited the release of ‘Overloved.’ After hearing the song on the Portraits tour we completely fell in love with it and have spent the last two years listening to it through recordings from the shows. We’ll be screaming “ill be your tall lanky baby with a southern drawl” until the day we die.
‘Ex’s Side’ – Maddie Zahm
Maddie Zahm is an up-and-comer we’ve screamed from the rooftops about, and for good reason! She’s the real deal, if for some reason songs like ‘Blind Spot’ didn’t convince you, check out ‘Ex’s Side.’ This track is the exact empowering song about supporting other people who’ve dealt with your shitty ex, it’s the moment. Also, further proof that dying your hair after a breakup fixes all things.
‘Psycho’ – Maisie Peters
Maisie Peters putting out ‘Psycho’ single-handedly brought back the genre of pop that is so bubbly and overly poppy that we haven’t seen since Carly Rae Jepsen’s album, Kiss. It’s pure pop perfection and earns Maisie Peters the title of a true pop princess. Her entire album, You Signed Up For This, follows suit.
‘Butter’ (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion) – BTS
How do you make one of the catchiest songs we’ve ever heard even better? You add a feature from Megan Thee Stallion of course! The energy BTS brings to any track is already out of this world and of course Megan Thee Stallion brings it too, so this mashup of musical worlds is our dream scenario.
‘All Too Well’ (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) – Taylor Swift
It’s no secret that when we think of songs that emotionally destroyed us this year, ‘All Too Well’ is topping the list. Come on, “You kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath.” Who writes that! Only someone with the relationship to her pen like Taylor Swift has! There is truly no one like her, period. ‘All Too Well’ was already a song that’s made us ugly cry in the shower a million times, it has only been increased with 5 extra minutes of heartbreak.
Check out more of our 2021 year-end wrap-ups here!
We would love to hear from you! What was your favorite song of 2021? Let us know by commenting down below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook and Instagram!
Featured Image Source: Hailey Hastings for The Honey POP!