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Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2021 so far

Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License zooms straight into first place as the UK’s biggest song of 2021 so far.

The US singer-songwriter’s debut single was an instant global smash upon its release in January, landing at the summit of the Official Singles Chart and pulling up there for nine weeks, making it the longest-running Number 1 debut single in 15 years, since Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy in 2006.

Drivers License has logged an impressive 707,000 UK chart sales to date, including 84.2m streams.

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."

The TikTok sea shanty that became a global phenomenon
In second place is another debut single, Wellerman, by Scottish singer-songwriter Nathan Evans. After becoming a viral sensation on TikTok with the sea shanty last year, Nathan signed a record deal with Polydor to give the song an official release – including a remix with producers 220 Kid and Billen Ted. Wellerman has since notched up 396,000 UK chart sales, including 41.2m streams, and is a true global phenomenon, topping the charts in nine countries.

Other popular songs that sound-tracked TikTok challenges, dance routines and comedy skits have propelled up the Official Chart this year include: CJ’s Whoopty (18), Streets by US singer and rapper Doja Cat (20), Latest Trends British newcomers A1 & J1 (21), SZA’s uplifting Good Days (25) and Wes Nelson & Hardy Caprio’s See Nobody (38).

Big hits in the Top 10 of 2021 so far
Australian rapper The Kid Laroi claims the UK’s third biggest song of the year so far with breakout hit Without You (356k), while Tiesto is fourth with The Business (331k) – the Dutch producer/DJ’s joint-highest charting song in the UK after peaking at 3 last month. The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, the UK’s biggest song of 2020, rounds out the Top 5.

Don’t Play by Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals – a Number 2 smash in January - is at 6. Rapper KSI and producer Digital Farm Animals also pick up another entry further with their Craig David collaboration Really Love (39). Plus the first Number 1 of 2021 - Little Mix’s Sweet Melody - closes out the Top 10.

Dance music keeps us shuffling through lockdown
A flurry of dance tracks have kept us moving in the third lockdown - Irish producer Shane Codd places at 9 with his debut single Get Out My Head, while Travis Scott & HVME’s Goosebumps (12), party anthem Friday by Riton & Nightcrawlers ft. Mufasa & Hypeman (14) and ATB and Topic & A7S’ Your Love (9pm) lands at Number 30.

And finally, big new releases in the year-to-date Top 40 include Justin Bieber’s Anyone at 11, Ed Sheeran’s Afterglow at 15, Ariana Grande’s 34+35 at 17, and The Weeknd’s Save Your Tears at 22.

Official Top 40 biggest songs of 2021 so far
POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK
1 DRIVERS LICENSE OLIVIA RODRIGO 1
2 WELLERMAN NATHAN EVANS/220KID/BILLEN TED 1
3 WITHOUT YOU KID LAROI 2
4 THE BUSINESS TIESTO 3
5 BLINDING LIGHTS WEEKND 1
6 DON'T PLAY ANNE-MARIE/KSI/DIGITAL FARM 2
7 HEAD & HEART JOEL CORRY FT MNEK 1
8 PARADISE MEDUZA FT DERMOT KENNEDY 5
9 GET OUT MY HEAD SHANE CODD 6
10 SWEET MELODY LITTLE MIX 1
11 ANYONE JUSTIN BIEBER 4
12 GOOSEBUMPS TRAVIS SCOTT & HVME 8
13 LEVITATING DUA LIPA 5
14 FRIDAY RITON/NIGHTCRAWLERS/MUFASA 4
15 AFTERGLOW ED SHEERAN 2
16 MOOD 24KGOLDN FT IANN DIOR 1
17 34+35 ARIANA GRANDE 3
18 WHOOPTY CJ 3
19 CALLING MY PHONE LIL TJAY & 6LACK 2
20 STREETS DOJA CAT 12
21 LATEST TRENDS A1 & J1 2
22 SAVE YOUR TEARS WEEKND 11
23 YOU BROKE ME FIRST TATE MCRAE 3
24 PRISONER MILEY CYRUS FT DUA LIPA 8
25 GOOD DAYS SZA 13
26 POSITIONS ARIANA GRANDE 1
27 LEMONADE INTERNET MONEY/GUNNA/TOLIVER 1
28 SOMEONE YOU LOVED LEWIS CAPALDI 1
29 DANCE MONKEY TONES & I 1
30 YOUR LOVE (9PM) ATB/TOPIC/A7S 8
31 MIDNIGHT SKY MILEY CYRUS 5
32 WILLOW TAYLOR SWIFT 3
33 WATERMELON SUGAR HARRY STYLES 4
34 WHAT YOU KNOW BOUT LOVE POP SMOKE 4
35 HEAT WAVES GLASS ANIMALS 22
36 LOADING CENTRAL CEE 19
37 MY HEAD & MY HEART AVA MAX 18
38 SEE NOBODY WES NELSON & HARDY CAPRIO 3
39 REALLY LOVE KSI/CRAIG DAVID/DIGITAL FARM 3
40 LOOKING FOR ME PAUL WOOLFORD & DIPLO/LOMAX 4
©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021 so far

Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia leads the way as the UK’s biggest album of 2021 so far, according to Official Charts Company data.

Future Nostalgia has been a mainstay on the Official Albums Chart since its release just over a year ago, so far logging 33 weeks in the Top 10, four of which were at Number 1. Last year the album ranked as the UK’s third biggest album of 2020.

Future Nostalgia’s total UK chart sales currently stand at 334,000, including 69,000 from this year, boosted by the release of its Moonlight Edition in February. Dua’s self-titled debut from 2017 is also still proving popular, placing at Number 38.

The star’s second album manages to snag the top spot despite a healthy turnover of Number 1s on the Official Albums Chart this year.

A brand-new record has topped the UK’s Official Albums Chart every week of 2021 so far, with all but one doing so powered by a majority of physical sales, rather than downloads or streams. The Number 1 spot has already been occupied by an eclectic mix of faces from Bee Gees’ legend Barry Gibb, to British rapper Slowthai.

Commenting on the healthy turnover at the top of the chrt, Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company, said: "While so much of life feels as it if has ground to a halt during lockdown, it really has been a great start to 2021 for music.

"The constant flow of new releases has ensured we have seen a new Official Number 1 album in every week of the year so far, driven by sales of CD and vinyl, and such a broad range of artists and music types too, from Lana Del Rey and Barry Gibb to Foo Fighters and Slowthai. What a fantastically promising start to the year!”

Elsewhere in the Top 10
Close behind in second place, and the UK’s biggest new release of the year, is Foo Fighters’ Medicine At Midnight. The band’s tenth studio album debuted at Number 1 back in February, becoming their fifth to reach the summit. At the time frontman Dave Grohl told OfficialCharts.com: “After 25 years of being a band it still kind of blows our minds that this could actually happen and we’re very grateful and very thankful.”

Meanwhile, Harry Styles continues to enjoy huge success with his second album Fine Line, placing third in the year-to-date chart, while Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon – a Number 1 last September – is fourth and the UK’s most-streamed record of 2021 so far.

Rounding out the Top 5 is Queen’s 1981 Greatest Hits - the UK’s best-selling album of all time continues to perform well on streaming and vinyl formats.

Debut albums and big hitters
Further down, soul singer Celeste claims the UK’s biggest debut album released this year – her chart-topping Not Your Muse places at Number 10, just ahead of Barry Gibb who landed his first ever solo Number 1 in January with Greenfields – Gibb Brothers Songbook 1, at 11. Watch him celebrate his chart-topping record below:

Lana Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over The Country Club – a Number 1 in March – is at 12 and is the currently the top selling vinyl album of the year. The Weeknd’s new retrospective Highlights, released around his Super Bowl halftime show in February, is at 14.

Elsewhere, rising star The Kid Laroi is at 16 with F**k Love. The Australian rapper’s debut mixtape was released last summer but climbed into the Top 10 for the first time in January.

Further down, West London rapper/singer/songwriter Fredo features at 23 with his second album Money Can’t Buy Happiness; Justin Bieber’s latest record Justice places at 26; Kings of Leon’s When You See Yourself, which debuted at Number 1 in March, is at 33.

Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021 so far
POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK
1 FUTURE NOSTALGIA DUA LIPA 1
2 MEDICINE AT MIDNIGHT FOO FIGHTERS 1
3 FINE LINE HARRY STYLES 2
4 SHOOT FOR THE STARS AIM FOR THE MOON POP SMOKE 1
5 GREATEST HITS QUEEN 1
6 DIVINELY UNINSPIRED TO A HELLISH EXTENT LEWIS CAPALDI 1
7 EVERMORE TAYLOR SWIFT 1
8 50 YEARS - DON'T STOP FLEETWOOD MAC 5
9 DIVIDE ED SHEERAN 1
10 NOT YOUR MUSE CELESTE 1
11 GREENFIELDS - GIBB BROTHERS SONGBOOK - 1 BARRY GIBB 1
12 CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB LANA DEL REY 1
13 DIAMONDS ELTON JOHN 5
14 THE HIGHLIGHTS WEEKND 2
15 CONFETTI LITTLE MIX 2
16 F**K LOVE KID LAROI 10
17 LEGENDS NEVER DIE JUICE WRLD 1
18 POSITIONS ARIANA GRANDE 1
19 TIME FLIES - 1994-2009 OASIS 1
20 WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO BILLIE EILISH 1
21 FOLKLORE TAYLOR SWIFT 1
22 RUMOURS FLEETWOOD MAC 1
23 MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS FREDO 2
24 MUSIC TO BE MURDERED BY EMINEM 1
25 CURTAIN CALL - THE HITS EMINEM 1
26 JUSTICE JUSTIN BIEBER 2
27 AM ARCTIC MONKEYS 1
28 HIGH EXPECTATIONS MABEL 3
29 GOLD - GREATEST HITS ABBA 1
30 LOVE GOES SAM SMITH 2
31 WITHOUT FEAR DERMOT KENNEDY 1
32 WHAT'S THE STORY MORNING GLORY OASIS 1
33 WHEN YOU SEE YOURSELF KINGS OF LEON 1
34 NUMBER ONES MICHAEL JACKSON 1
35 AFTER HOURS WEEKND 1
36 PLASTIC HEARTS MILEY CYRUS 4
37 LEGACY DAVID BOWIE 5
38 DUA LIPA DUA LIPA 3
39 GOODBYE & GOOD RIDDANCE JUICE WRLD 23
40 TIMELESS - THE ALL-TIME GREATEST HITS BEE GEES 6
©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.