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‘LEVITATING’ TO NO. 1: Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” was the most-streamed song of 2021 in the U.S., with 804.71 million on-demand audio and video streamed combined. It’s also the top-streamed song in terms of audio-only on-demand streams (626.56 million). The most-streamed song of 2020 was Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” with 1.32 billion clicks.
See the top 10 most-streamed songs, below.
“Levitating” was originally released in March of 2020 as part of the star’s Future Nostalgia album, and was promoted as a single in the fall of 2020. “Levitating” eventually peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, logged a record number of weeks in the top 10 for a song by a female artist (41), and was crowned the year-end No. 1 song on the Hot 100 for 2021.
For clarity, in general, all variations of a song are combined for tracking purposes in MRC Data and on Billboard’s charts. Thus, all versions of “Levitating” are combined for tracking purposes, including its assorted dance remixes and variations featuring DaBaby, and Madonna and Missy Elliott, respectively.
TOP 10 MOST STREAMED SONGS OF 2021 IN U.S., ON-DEMAND (AUDIO & VIDEO COMBINED)
1. Dua Lipa, “Levitating” (804.71 million)
2. Olivia Rodrigo, “Drivers License” (761.58 million)
3. Olivia Rodrigo, “Good 4 U” (709.79 million)
4. Lil Nas X, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” (684.90 million)
5. The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay” (679.90 million)
6. The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears” (677.91 million)
7. Masked Wolf, “Astronaut in the Ocean” (609.90 million)
8. Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Kiss Me More” (599.06 million)
9. Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby” (597.80 million)
10. Polo G, “Rapstar” (572.96 million)
Source: MRC Data, for the tracking period Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 30, 2021. Includes UGC streams.
TOP 10 MOST STREAMED SONGS OF 2021 IN U.S., ON DEMAND AUDIO
1. Dua Lipa, “Levitating” (626.56 million)
2. Olivia Rodrigo, “Drivers License” (595.21 million)
3. Olivia Rodrigo, “Good 4 U” (579.61 million)
4. The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears” (558.16 million)
5. Glass Animals, “Heat Waves” (517.98 million)
6. Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Kiss Me More” (500.07 million)
7. Polo G, “Rapstar” (487.46 million)
8. The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber, “Stay” (486.45 million)
9. Lil Nas X, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” (470.20 million)
10. Masked Wolf, “Astronaut in the Ocean” (452.21 million)
Source: MRC Data, for the tracking period Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 30, 2021. Includes UGC streams.
DUA’S DOUBLE DUTY: Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” was not only the most-streamed song of 2021 in the U.S., but also the biggest song on the radio. The track collected 2.94 billion audience impressions across all monitored radio stations. Audience impressions are measured by cross-reference plays with Nielsen Audio audience data – i.e., a play of a song on a top-rated New York station at 8 a.m. on a Monday has more listeners (audience) than an overnight weekend play in a smaller city.
TOP 10 RADIO SONGS OF 2021 IN U.S. (BASED ON AUDIENCE IMPRESSIONS)
1. Dua Lipa, “Levitating” (2.94 billion)
2. The Weeknd & Ariana Grande, “Save Your Tears” (2.41 billion)
3. Chris Brown & Young Thug, “Go Crazy” (2.21 billion)
4. The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights” (2.13 billion)
5. Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak), “Leave the Door Open” (2.11 billion)
6. Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Kiss Me More” (2.03 billion)
7. 24kGolden featuring Iann Dior, “Mood” (1.94 billion)
8. Ariana Grande, “Positions” (1.87 billion)
9. Olivia Rodrigo, “Good 4 U” (1.854 billion)
10. Ed Sheeran, “Bad Habits” (1.849 billion)
Source: MRC Data, for the tracking period Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 30, 2021.