The State of the Hot 100 Top 10:
Q1 2021
Complimentary Report Highlights

The State of the Hot 100 Top 10 provides an in-depth look at the compositional and industry trends for the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10.

  • Who are today's key industry players and influencers?
  • Which compositional characteristics are most prominent in the Top 10? Which are on the rise and which are in decline?

    • In Q1 2021, 24 songs charted in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and four at #1.

    Behind the quarter's Top 10 hits were 20 primary artists and 8 featured artists, 111 credited songwriters, 52 credited producers, and 10 record labels.

    Shaping the sound and vibe of those songs were just four primary genres, 23 sub-genres and influences, eight lyrical themes, and 19 prominent instruments.

    Three songs gained popularity largely due to TikTok, two of which hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10. In addition to these songs, many more Top 10 hits were bolstered by associated trends, dances and marketing on the app as well.

    To find out what was trending in the Hot 100 Top 10 in Q1 2021, download these highlights from The State of the Hot 100 Top 10: Q1 2021

    To download select complimentary highlights from this report, please fill out the form below.

    Looking at some of the top industry players, Justin Bieber was the top performing artist with four hits and 24 weeks in the Top 10. Ariana Grande also led the pack with the most #1 hits, remaining in the Top 10 for five weeks with her chart-topping duets Rain On Me and Stuck With U. The top performing song was Roddy Ricch’s The Box, which spent 25 weeks in the Top 10 and 11 weeks at #1, the most of any song during the time period. Behind the scenes, OZ and Poo Bear were tied as the top songwriters with three hits and 23 weeks in the Top 10, each. OZ was also the top producer with three hits thanks to his collaborations with Travis Scott, Drake and Future.

    Interscope edged out Republic with the most Top 10 hits during the first half of the year with seven, followed closely by Republic with six overall and four #1 hits, the most of any label.

    The Top 10 also saw an influx of hits that rose to prominence on the popular video-sharing app TikTok. With videos ranging from artist-driven marketing campaigns to user-made dance challenges, these hits all garnered mass success on the app before reaching the Top 10, a new phenomenon that started in 2019 with chart-toppers like Old Town Road and Truth Hurts. This year’s TikTok hits included Savage, Roses (Remix), and Roxanne.

    There were also some notable compositional trend shifts in the Hot 100 Top 10. Compared to 2019, hip hop as a primary genre was back on top, surpassing pop with 44% of songs. However, hip hop’s influence on pop songs was down compared to 2019. And speaking of influences, disco’s influence was up five-fold compared to 2019 thanks to notable hits such as Don’t Start Now, Rain On Me and Say So. And lastly, Top 10 hits got to the chorus faster on average, and there were fewer love/relationships themes and more lifestyle themes in Top 10 hit narratives.

    The State of the Hot 100 Top 10 provides an in-depth look at the compositional and industry trends for the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10.

    To download a complimentary PDF with select highlights from the 2020 Mid-Year Report, please fill out the form below.

    For the first time since Q4 2017, the number of Pop songs in the Top 10 surpassed the number of Hip Hop songs. Furthermore, all six #1 hits from Q1 were Pop as well.

    What other compositional characteristics were trending in the Hot 100 Top 10 in 2020? Where has the mainstream music scene been and where is it headed?

    As far as the influences shaping the sound and vibe of the Top 10, almost one-third of songs possessed a Rock influence. The last time we saw a rock influence at that level was way back in Q1 2015.

    Download this complimentary PDF with select highlights from The State of the Hot 100 Top 10: 2019 in Review for trends related to:

    - Genres
    - Influences
    - Lead Vocal Gender
    - Lead Vocal Delivery

    - Key
    - Lyrical Themes
    - Song Structure
    - And more

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