Data Verdict: Måneskin were 2021’s Favorite New Rock Act

Sara Mekinc

Jan 27, 2022

Have you seen our “State of Music” address yet? It examines key social media and music channels (meaning Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and more) to see which artists made the biggest impact in terms of views, streams, likes and online buzz.

According to the data, Måneskin took the Rock throne in 2021. The Italian group was streamed two billion times in 2021 and amassed over 200 million YouTube video views, recording one of the biggest surges in popularity in the genre. The top three breakthrough acts of the year also include Mitski and Tom Grennan.

Rock is resurrected, and the numbers prove it: Rock was the fourth most streamed genre on Spotify in 2021, and Rock tracks were streamed over 30 billion times. If you had a feeling you are seeing and hearing more Rock acts in mainstream media, you are not wrong. Rock was the second most popular genre on radio stations worldwide and is also gaining in popularity thanks to TikTok.

The report also points out three names to watch out for in 2022, as their current streaming and social media numbers suggest they are gaining traction among listeners. Crawlers (eight million streams) are flying the Alternative Rock flag, while Wet Leg (five million streams) and Sam Fender (116 million streams) represent Indie Rock.

See the “State of Music” address for the full list of best-performing artists, key music stats and trends for 2022.

*Måneskin photo courtesy of Sony Music UK