Apple Music Awards 2021
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At the brink of 2021 Apple has finally released the winners of Apple Music Awards 2021.

And here’s where everyone stands…

The third annual Apple award winners

The Apple Music Awards are back to honor the best artists across a variety of categories.

It's the third time Apple has presented the awards. In the previous two years, the awards were given to the Global Artist of the Year and Breakthrough Artist of the Year, as well as the Songwriter of the Year, Top Song of the Year, and Top Album of the Year, as was the case the previous year. However, this time, Apple has also announced five of its regional artists in the countries of Africa, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia:

"The past 12 months have proved to be a remarkable year for music, and we're thrilled to honor the artists who are shaping culture and connecting with fans around the world on Apple Music," says Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats.

"This year we're also recognizing more regional artists, showing the world the impact of extraordinarily talented musicians who are making waves globally."

Every Apple Music Award is commemorated with an exclusive award featuring the 12-inch silicon wafer hanging between a glass sheet and an oxidized aluminum plate.

As previously this year, Apple is celebrating the awards ceremony by presenting "interviews, original content, and more" on Apple Music as well as on the Apple TV app from the 7th of December.

In 2021, the winners of the Apple Music Awards are:

It's not too surprising to learn that Olivia Rodrigo won multiple awards this year.

Few artists have had an immediate impact on streaming services for music like Rodrigo has. It's also a good thing to have Apple include regional artists in its artist of the year for the first time.

Music is a powerful force on the global stage, but that doesn't mean it has reduced the significance and impact of the medium on an individual scale.

I would like to see Apple expand its region-specific Artist of the Year contest to other regions and countries shortly.

It'll also be fascinating to find out what Apple will be offering from the 7th of December.

Events such as those of the Apple Music Awards provide the kind of event that could lead to integration with other Apple services that Apple hasn't yet done much of.

We'd like to see interviews, live performances, music video collections, albums, playlists, commentaries on the winners, as well as podcasts, gathered into a unified package that makes it simple to find all the related content.

Global Artist of the Year

Billie Eilish wins Apple's Global Artist of the Year Award for 2019, for her full-length debut album When We Go to Sleep, Where Do We Go? They also took home the award for Album of the Year.

She sold out her upcoming world arena tour and performed at numerous festivals, including Coachella and Glastonbury. "Her blunt relatability helped turn her full-length debut album into an instant worldwide sensation," according to Apple, "quickly advancing it to the top album played in the world on Apple Music."

The albums of Billie's, When We Fall Away and Where Do We Go?, were streamed more than one billion times through Apple Music, and were written and produced by her brother, Finneas, who is also sharing with her the songwriter of the year prize.

Breakthrough Artist of the Year

As well as the best overall artist, Apple has created an additional category that recognizes the "breakthrough" artist, which is described as "redefining the terms of the image of pop stardom" in this instance, and rap singer Lizzo being awarded the prize as a result of her smashes, which included "Cuz I Love You," along with "The Truth," in which she "dared to ask what pop stars should look and sound like."

Song of the Year

While Billie Eilish's album had the highest number of streams on Apple Music, the song that was most played ended up being Lil Nas X's Old Town Road.

As per Lil Nas X, the song blends the world of a cowboy that "wants to run away from everything" with meme culture to make the "listenable, catchy song" that made the musician an overnight star.

Winding-up

A big round of applause to all the winners of Apple Music Awards 2021.

May the next years be similarly fruitful for all and hope the winners come back with more great tunes for everyone to enjoy.