Sound of 2021: Our Most Downloaded Music & Sounds of the Year
Epidemic Sound’s tracks are used by millions of the internet’s storytellers. Here are the top sounds our creative community chose to soundtrack their content during 2021.
Epidemic Sound’s tracks are used by millions of the internet’s storytellers, tastemakers, and influencers globally. Today we’re featuring the top sounds our creative community chose to soundtrack their content during 2021.
A year in review
What a year it’s been. Let’s take a trip down the long and winding memory lane of 2021 and check out Epidemic Sound’s top downloaded artists, tracks, genres, moods and sound effects of the year. There are over 1.5 billion views of videos including Epidemic Sound’s music per day on YouTube alone, but let’s zoom in on the creator community’s most craved music of the year; the sound of the internet in 2021.
Top five artists of 2021
Ooyy
Sitting pretty in the top spot is Ooyy, (aka Henrik Olsson), the Swedish composer and producer whose electronic house music has now soundtracked over one million YouTube videos. Spoiler alert: his track Come2gether also leads the way as the most downloaded track - here’s a sneak peak.
Dylan Sitts
The Brooklyn-based producer whose hip hop beats fuse catchy melodies, retro-fitted samples, hard drums, and unexpected drops.
Nbhd Nick
With influences ranging from rock to hip hop, Nbhd Nick makes rap and hip hop that speaks to the masses (clearly as he’s collected the bronze as the third most downloaded artist of 2021).
Tigerblood Jewel
This gritty, rough-edged rock has a definite retro flare to it. With gnarly guitar riffs, bold drums and thumping baselines, the music is packed with an intensity and attitude that has struck a chord with content creators in 2021.
Loving Caliber
The pop trio from Sweden, fronted by Michael Stenmark together with co-producers Linda Stenmark and Anders Lystell, has continued to resonate with online storytellers being heard eight billion times across YouTube videos alone in 2021.
Top five tracks of 2021
- Ooyy – Come2gether
- Tape Machines – Evergreen Fields
- Tigerblood Jewel – Behind the Line
- Tyra Chantey – Sweet Talk
- FormantX – Our Last Stand
Top five moods of 2021
It comes as no surprise that the turbulent twenty-twenties have driven storytellers to post more comfort content, with happy, hopeful, dreamy and laid-back music playing in the background to lift their followers’ spirits. Nevertheless, we can also spot a craving for restless music to match restless times. Dreamier days lie ahead!
Top five genres of 2021
Although R&B/hip hop has been the dominant music genre on the U.S. charts since 2017, the most popular genre among online content creators was electronica & dance in 2021. The genre’s growth was spurred by influencers using the music to soundtrack their content, along with musicians having more access than ever before to the tools to create and share great electronic music. This combination has cemented the genre’s position as a pop culture leader.
Top five sound effects of 2021
We like to think of sound effects as the unsung heroes of content creation (that’s why we increased the number available on Epidemic Sound from 60,000 to 90,000 earlier this year). Check out our top five sound effects for the year and hear Ben Hess discuss how he uses them like a pro to give his videos a little extra oomph!
Wow, what a year, right! And with 2022 just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about future melodies. Click below to explore thousands of royalty-free, high-quality tracks. You decide what next year will sound like!
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