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Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2021 so far

Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License is the UK’s biggest song of 2021 so far following runaway success in the first half of the year that includes nine weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart.

The US singer-songwriter's debut single has now tipped the 1 million chart sales mark (1.03m), including 123m streams. The track’s stint at the summit was the longest for a debut single in 15 years, since Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy in 2006.

At the time it first hit Number 1, Olivia told OfficialCharts.com: "I want to say thank you guys so much, it means the absolute world to me that you guys are listening to and loving Drivers License. Sending you all the love in the world."

Solidifying her place as the year’s biggest new artist, Olivia’s two other singles released this year also feature in the year-to-date Top 40: five-week Number 1 Good 4 U places at 10, while Top 5 hit Deja Vu is at 32.

In second place is another debut single, Wellerman, by Nathan Evans (713k). The Scottish postman-turned-viral-sensation scored a worldwide hit with his rendition of the sea shanty, securing two weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart in March/April.

Dutch DJ Tiesto has the UK’s third biggest song with The Business (640k), which peaked at Number 3 in March and logged 22 weeks in the Top 40 between January and June. Close behind in fourth is Lil Nas X with Montero (Call Me By Your Name) (638k), which spent five weeks at Number 1 across April/May, while The Weeknd’s Save Your Tears completes the Top 5 (637k). The track made its Official Chart debut in January and has enjoyed Top 40 success all year, boosted by a remix featuring Ariana Grande released in April.

Other big hits this year featuring in the year-to-date Top 10 include club smash Friday by Riton, Nightcrawlers, Mufasa and Hypeman at 7 (629k), and Tion Wayne & Russ Millions’ Body at 8 (626k) – the UK’s first drill Number 1 in May and the second most-streamed song of the year on 92.5m plays.

Big breakout hits
As well as Olivia and Nathan, 2021 has seen several new artists enjoy big breakout success in the UK. Australian rapper/singer The Kid Laroi places at 9 on the year-to-date Top 40 with Without You (613k), while TikTok stars A1 & J1 are at 15 with their debut single Latest Trends.

More hits from newcomers this year include A Little Bit Of Love by singer-songwriter Tom Grennan (17), which became his first Top 10 single in April, plus Top 10 smash Get Out Of My Head by Irish DJ/producer Shane Codd (22), Heat Waves by Oxford band Glass Animals (26), and You Broke Me First by Canadian artist Tate McRae (39).

Dance tracks dominate
Club-friendly dance pop tracks make up around a quarter of the Top 40, including two entries for Joel Corry – 2020 chart-topper Head & Heart places at 12, followed by his latest hit Bed with Raye and David Guetta at 13. A dance mix of Travis Scott’s Goosebumps by HVME (18), ATB, Topic & A7S’ Your Love (9pm) (19), and Paradise by production trio Meduza ft. Dermot Kennedy (20) all rank within the Top 20 of 2021.

Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2021 so far
TITLE ARTIST PEAK
1 DRIVERS LICENSE OLIVIA RODRIGO 1
2 WELLERMAN NATHAN EVANS/220KID/BILLEN TED 1
3 THE BUSINESS TIESTO 3
4 MONTERO (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME) LIL NAS X 1
5 SAVE YOUR TEARS WEEKND 2
6 LEVITATING DUA LIPA 5
7 FRIDAY RITON/NIGHTCRAWLERS/MUFASA 4
8 BODY TION WAYNE & RUSS MILLIONS 1
9 WITHOUT YOU KID LAROI 2
10 GOOD 4 U OLIVIA RODRIGO 1
11 BLINDING LIGHTS WEEKND 1
12 HEAD & HEART JOEL CORRY FT MNEK 1
13 BED JOEL CORRY/RAYE/DAVID GUETTA 3
14 DON'T PLAY ANNE-MARIE/KSI/DIGITAL FARM 2
15 LATEST TRENDS A1 & J1 2
16 PEACHES JUSTIN BIEBER/CAESAR/GIVEON 2
17 LITTLE BIT OF LOVE TOM GRENNAN 7
18 GOOSEBUMPS TRAVIS SCOTT & HVME 8
19 YOUR LOVE (9PM) ATB/TOPIC/A7S 8
20 PARADISE MEDUZA FT DERMOT KENNEDY 5
21 KISS ME MORE DOJA CAT FT SZA 3
22 GET OUT MY HEAD SHANE CODD 6
23 CALLING MY PHONE LIL TJAY & 6LACK 2
24 LET'S GO HOME TOGETHER ELLA HENDERSON & TOM GRENNAN 10
25 SWEET MELODY LITTLE MIX 1
26 HEAT WAVES GLASS ANIMALS 19
27 ASTRONAUT IN THE OCEAN MASKED WOLF 12
28 MOOD 24KGOLDN FT IANN DIOR 1
29 STREETS DOJA CAT 12
30 ANYONE JUSTIN BIEBER 4
31 MY HEAD & MY HEART AVA MAX 18
32 DEJA VU OLIVIA RODRIGO 4
33 SOMEONE YOU LOVED LEWIS CAPALDI 1
34 34+35 ARIANA GRANDE 3
35 DANCE MONKEY TONES & I 1
36 AFTERGLOW ED SHEERAN 2
37 WATERMELON SUGAR HARRY STYLES 4
38 WHOOPTY CJ 3
39 YOU BROKE ME FIRST TATE MCRAE 3
40 RAPSTAR POLO G 3

©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021 so far

As we pass the halfway mark of 2021, Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour claims the UK’s biggest album of the year so far.

Six weeks after its release - three of which were at Number 1 - Olivia’s debut album Sour has racked up 170,000 chart sales, according to Official Charts Company data. The record is performing best on streaming, with 79% of its total figure comprising streaming equivalent sales, while the remaining 21% is made up of CD and cassette sales (18%) and downloads (3%). Sour is released on vinyl on August 20.

Sour has already celebrated several huge achievements, including the biggest opening week of 2021 so far (51,000 chart sales), and Olivia being the youngest solo artist to achieve the Official Chart Double, with her song Good 4 U also topping the singles chart that week.

Behind Olivia, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia remains a hugely popular following its release in 2020, placing second after racking up 143,500 chart sales this year (409k in total). A combination of hit singles Levitating and We’re Good, plus a deluxe Moonlight Edition of the record, have boosted its sales this year, holding a spot in the Top 10 every week since the last week of February.

Harry Styles’ Fine Line continues to enjoy success one-and-a-half years on from its release, currently the UK’s third biggest album of the year (109k), while Queen’s Greatest Hits (106k) ranks fourth as the band celebrate their 50th anniversary. Best-of albums dominate the year-to-date Top 40 – 12 in total - including two more in the Top 10: Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years – Don’t Stop (6) and Elton John’s Diamonds (9).

Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon completes the Top 5 with 104,000 chart sales in 2021. A second self-titled posthumous collection from the rapper arrives on July 16.

2021’s big pop albums
As well as Olivia, The Weeknd’s retrospective The Highlights, which debuted at Number 2 in February following his Super Bowl Half Time Show, places seventh, and Rag’n’Bone Man’s chart-topping Life By Misadventure is at 11 but and claims the most physically-purchased (CD and vinyl) album of the year to date.

Elsewhere, Justin Bieber’s latest album Justice, released in March, is 12th, and Little Mix’s 2020 album Confetti is at 18, enjoying continued success this year thanks to their BRIT Award win for Best Group, plus January’s Number 1 hit Sweet Melody and Top 10 title track.

Lana Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over The Country Club is at 32 after earning the US singer-songwriter her fifth Number 1 back in April, and soul-pop newcomer Celeste is at 33 with her chart-topping debut collection Not Your Muse.

Top rock albums
Flying the flag for rock are Foo Fighters, whose latest album Medicine At Midnight is at 13 after becoming their fifth UK Number 1 in February. Further down, indie-pop trio London Grammar rank at 34 with their chart-topping third album Californian Soil, just ahead of British rock duo Royal Blood, who place at 37 with Typhoons, which became their third consecutive Number 1 studio album in May.

Rap stars
While Pop Smoke claims the UK’s biggest rap album of 2021 so far, other popular rap records this year include posthumous Juice Wrld album Legends Never Die at 21, and debut mixtapes F**k Love from Australian rapper/singer The Kid Laroi at 22), and Wild Westby British star Central Cee at 24.

Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021 so far
TITLE ARTIST PEAK
1 SOUR OLIVIA RODRIGO 1
2 FUTURE NOSTALGIA DUA LIPA 1
3 FINE LINE HARRY STYLES 2
4 GREATEST HITS QUEEN 1
5 SHOOT FOR THE STARS AIM FOR THE MOON POP SMOKE 1
6 50 YEARS - DON'T STOP FLEETWOOD MAC 5
7 THE HIGHLIGHTS WEEKND 2
8 DIVINELY UNINSPIRED TO A HELLISH EXTENT LEWIS CAPALDI 1
9 DIAMONDS ELTON JOHN 5
10 DIVIDE ED SHEERAN 1
11 LIFE BY MISADVENTURE RAG'N'BONE MAN 1
12 JUSTICE JUSTIN BIEBER 2
13 MEDICINE AT MIDNIGHT FOO FIGHTERS 1
14 EVERMORE TAYLOR SWIFT 1
15 RUMOURS FLEETWOOD MAC 1
16 CURTAIN CALL - THE HITS EMINEM 1
17 TIME FLIES - 1994-2009 OASIS 1
18 CONFETTI LITTLE MIX 2
19 WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO BILLIE EILISH 1
20 GOLD - GREATEST HITS ABBA 1
21 LEGENDS NEVER DIE JUICE WRLD 1
22 F**K LOVE KID LAROI 10
23 HIGH EXPECTATIONS MABEL 3
24 WILD WEST CENTRAL CEE 2
25 AM ARCTIC MONKEYS 1
26 WHAT'S THE STORY MORNING GLORY OASIS 1
27 POSITIONS ARIANA GRANDE 1
28 NUMBER ONES MICHAEL JACKSON 1
29 DUA LIPA DUA LIPA 3
30 FOLKLORE TAYLOR SWIFT 1
31 LEGEND BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS 1
32 CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB LANA DEL REY 1
33 NOT YOUR MUSE CELESTE 1
34 CALIFORNIAN SOIL LONDON GRAMMAR 1
35 GET TO KNOW BECKY HILL 20
36 LEGACY DAVID BOWIE 5
37 TYPHOONS ROYAL BLOOD 1
38 WITHOUT FEAR DERMOT KENNEDY 1
39 1 BEATLES 1
40 SINGLES MAROON 5 32

©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.