Spotify’s 2021 Wrapped results reiterate the UAE’s diverse musical tastes.
For the second year in a row, K-Pop group BTS has emerged as the most-streamed artists on Spotify in the UAE, as well as the third most-streamed worldwide. Canadian powerhouses Drake, who released Certified Lover Boy in September, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd were respectively the second, third and fourth most streamed artists in the UAE.
Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift came in at number five, and was also the second-most streamed artist globally.
The most-streamed song in the UAE in 2021 was Lil Nas X’s controversial Montero (Call Me By Your Name), with Masked Wolf’s Astronaut in the The Ocean taking second place. Australian singer The Kid Laroi made his debut in the rankings at third place, both in the UAE and globally, thanks to Stay, his collaboration with Bieber. Dua Lipa’s Levitating came in at fourth place, followed by Olivia Rodrigo’s Good 4 U.
The Grammy-nominated Rodrigo nabbed the top spot in the album rankings, with her debut effort, Sour, while Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia came in at second place in the list of the UAE’s most streamed albums. Justice by Bieber was third, Doja Cat’s Planet Her and Ed Sheeran’s = rounded off the top five.
In terms of the top Mena artists, Moroccan rapper ElGrandeToto is the most-streamed Arab artist of 2021 in the region, followed by Wegz from Egypt, Inkonnu, Amr Diab and Tagne. Meanwhile, ElGrandeToto’s Mghayer was the most-streamed song from the Mena region in 2021, with Tagne’s Nadi Canadi in the second spot and Hadal Ahbek by Jordan’s Issam Alnajjar taking third place.
This year’s Wrapped ranking also reveals growing interest in wellness in the UAE, with three of the top five most popular podcasts focusing on well-being. This is in line with Spotify’s Global and Cultural Trends report, which revealed that audio was perceived as a stress reliever by UAE audiences.
The top five most popular podcasts in the UAE are The Joe Rogan Experience, Audice Wellness Services, TED Talks Daily, The Mindset Mentor and Let’s Find Out ASMR.
