The Year In Dance/Electronic Charts 2021: Lady Gaga Remains on Top
She's now topped the year-end list five times, including a three-year stewardship from 2009-11.
Lady Gaga was Billboard‘s Top Dance/Electronic Artist for the second straight year in 2021, continuing her 2020 momentum. She’s now topped the year-end list five times, including a three-year stewardship from 2009-11.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts dated Nov. 21, 2020, through Nov. 13, 2021. The rankings for MRC Data-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-November time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by MRC Data.
Explore All of Billboard’s 2021 Year-End Charts
As in 2020, Gaga finishes the year as the No. 1 Top Dance/Electronic Albums Artist, once again owning the top two spots on the year-end Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart (although flipping positions) with The Fame (No. 1) and Chromatica (No. 2).
Chromatica, released in 2020, added 14 weeks at No. 1 in the 2021 chart year, giving it 36 in all. That’s already the fourth-most for any title since the chart’s 2001 inception, only trailing her own debut The Fame (152 weeks at No. 1), The Chainsmokers‘ 2017 release Memories… Do Not Open (46 weeks) and Gnarls Barkley’s 2006 effort St. Elsewhere (39).
The Fame, from 2008 and featuring Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s “Just Dance,” featuring Colby O’Donis, and “Poker Face,” tallied an additional 32 frames at No. 1 in 2021, easily the most of any title. Other than Fame and Chromatica, no title earned more than a single week at the summit of the consumption-based Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart this year.
Gaga nabbed one of those one-week leaders with her remixed set Dawn of Chromatica, which debuted at No. 1 on the Sept. 18-dated chart. That week, Gaga held the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart’s top four positions, with Dawn of Chromatica (No. 1), Born This Way (No. 2), The Fame (No. 3) and Chromatica (No. 4) marking the first time any act ever claimed the top four spots in an individual week. Plus, she tied Louie DeVito for the most No. 1s, seven, in the chart’s history, and tied DeVito for the most No. 1 debuts with six. She also increased her lead for the most toppers among female acts (M.I.A. and Lindsey Stirling are next, with four each). With three No. 1s in 2021, Gaga was the only act with more than one leader in the 2021 chart year.
Looking at the 2021 year-end, multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, Travis Scott and Lithuanian producer HVME take top honors with “Goosebumps.” The collab collected 19 weeks at No. 1 during the chart year, the most of any title. SAINt JHN‘s “Roses (Imanbek Remix)” follows at No. 2 on the 2021 Hot Dance/Electronic Songs list, remaining in the top five through September after amassing 23 weeks at the top in 2020. That alone allowed SAINt JHN to take the No. 1 spot on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Artists list, as in 2020. Plus, “Roses” rules the 2021 Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs survey
Speaking of streaming, The Chainsmokers are champions of the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs Artists list, up from No. 2 last year. The duo did it with three songs in the top 10 of the year-end Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs survey: “Closer,” featuring Halsey (No. 3), “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay (No. 6) and “Don’t Let Me Down,” featuring Daya (No. 9). Also of note, The Chainsmokers finish the year at No. 2 on the Top Dance/Electronic Artists chart for the second straight year, after ending at No. 1 from 2016-2019.
Returning to the year-end Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, Tiesto breezes in at No. 3 with “The Business.” Although it never hit No. 1 during the year, “Business” bagged 14 weeks at No. 2, the most of any title, and enjoyed 45 weeks in the top 10, tying with “Goosebumps” for the most of any song. Tiesto, who also drew success in 2021 with “Don’t Be Shy,” with Karol G (reaching No. 4), completes the year at No. 2 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Artists list.
The veteran Dutch DJ/producer also ends 2021 at No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales Artists list, with “Business” booming at No. 2 on the year-end Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart, only edged out by Elton John and Dua Lipa‘s “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix).” The collab also ended the year at No. 8 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs list, collecting four frames at No. 1 during the chart year (and which continues to grow as of press time).
John’s fellow veteran U.K. act Pet Shop Boys places at No. 3 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales Artists, with “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” ending at No. 5 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales list. The 1986 Hot 100 No. 10 hit gained renewed traction following its use in an Allstate Insurance Super Bowl commercial.
Turning toward newer acts, HVME ends 2021 at No. 1 on the Top New Dance/Electronic Artists list, in deference to his success with the aforementioned “Goosebumps.” Australian act Shouse follows at No. 2 on Top New Dance/Electronic Artists, all thanks to “Love Tonight,” which reached No. 8 in August on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (in large part due to a new David Guetta remix).
For his part, Guetta, who ended 2015 at No. 1 on the Top Dance/Electronic Artists list, finishes this year at No. 5 on that chart. His “Bed,” with Joel Corry and RAYE, lies at No. 5 on the year-end Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, after spending three weeks at No. 1 in April-May.
Continuing with Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Tate McRae shines as the No. 1 Dance/Mix Show Airplay Artist and with the top two tracks on the 2021 Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart: “You Broke Me First.” (No. 1) and “You,” with Regard and Troye Sivan (No. 2). While “Broke” only earned five frames at No. 1 during the year, compared to 11 for “You” (the most of any title), “Broke” spent five weeks longer on the chart than “You” (24 vs. 19), including four more in the top 10 (19 vs. 15 top 10 weeks). Additionally, “You,” which reigned on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for eight weeks from June-August, finishes at No. 6 on that chart.
Just above “You” on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs year-end chart, at No. 5, is Farruko‘s Latin/EDM crossover track “Pepas,” which spent nine weeks at No. 1 from August-October. With that, as well as crossover collab “El Incomprendido,” with Victor Cardenas and DJ Adoni (which debuted at No. 4 in October), Farruko finishes at No. 3 on the Dance/Electronic Songs Artists list. Plus, “Pepas” completes 2021 at No. 8 on the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs list and at No. 9 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart, respectively.
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