Blinding Lights: The Weeknd is the UK’s most-viewed artist
The Weeknd is the most-viewed artist in the UK (94.3m views), followed by Little Mix (93.7m views), according to data released today by Vevo, the world’s leading music video network.
Globally, Karol G tops the most-viewed artist chart of 2021, with 3.11bn views, followed closely by The Weeknd, with 3.10bn views, Vevo said in part one of annual year-end review of music video viewership.
Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” secured the top spot in the Vevo Engagement Chart for 2021, both in the UK and globally, which ranks videos according to the most likes, shares and comments across the Vevo network.
Adele’s “Easy on Me”, the first single dropped from her new album, made the number two spot by this measure.
Lil Nas X’ success can be attributed to his consistently creative releases and calculated marketing efforts, such as his shoe launch in partnership with art collective MSCHF ahead of the release of the MONTERO album, which drove the viewership of Lil Nas X’ music videos six-fold.
Another notable mention is singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, who has grown her music video viewership 10x to 64.01m UK views in 2021. She was the 7th most-viewed Vevo artist of 2021 in the UK, after breaking into the mainstream with debut album, SOUR.
Alan Price, chief exec of Vevo said: “Vevo is the music video destination for artists of all genres and career stages. Our charts feature both established stars, such as Taylor Swift and Future, and newer names who also made big headlines this year, like Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo.”
“In 2021, fan consumption and engagement with music videos continued to yield many insights about the vital nature of the music video in driving, shaping and reacting to cultural moments. And, artists such as The Weeknd, Doja Cat and Ariana Grande collaborated with Vevo to further develop their visual catalog and storytelling through Vevo’s original content series, such as LIFT and Official Live Performances.”
Music revivals
TV continues to make its mark on the cultural calendar, with the hugely popular “It’s A Sin” miniseries early in the year marking a bump in music video views for the likes of Culture Club whose tracks were featured in the show. The Masked Singer UK’s big reveal of Ne-Yo as the badger likewise prompted a jump in viewership for his catalogue (80 per cent lift).
With the second half of the year marked by high-profile celebrity romances, Jennifer Lopez saw viewership lifts during this time, among heavy news reporting of her rekindling with actor Ben Affleck, who appeared in Lopez’ “Jenny from the Block” music video. In September, viewership of Machine Gun Kelly’s “Bloody Valentine”, starring actress Megan Fox, doubled after he and Fox hit the VMAs red carpet.
This summer’s sporting excitement in the form of the Euros 2020 also caused a significant uptick in viewership of anthems such as Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds’ “Three Lions”, which drew in 31x its usual viewership. At the same time, Scottish DJ George ‘GBX’ Bowie’s remix of “Yes Sir I can Boogie” by Baccara for Scotland’s Euros campaign spiked views of that music video five-fold.
During the autumn, there were several new recordings from beloved artists, such as ABBA, Adele, and Taylor Swift. In October, Vevo saw Adele’s catalogue trending following the announcement of her new studio album, 30, with a ten-fold lift in views (900 per cent), and “Easy On Me” created a strong connection with fans, becoming the 2nd most-engaged-with Vevo music video of 2021 in the UK.
That same month, ABBA announced a reunion and their first new album in 40 years, and their hits, such as “Dancing Queen” and “Take a Chance on Me”, saw a 170 per cent lift in views. In November, Taylor Swift’s catalog also jumped 5x as she released “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”, the first 10-minute song to reach number 1 on Billboard Hot 100.