NEWS
Silk Sonic
John Esparza*The Billboard staff had a hard enough time choosing our 100 favorite songs of 2021, but now we want to know: What one track was your personal song of the year?
Silk Sonic topped our 100-deep list with their silky-smooth ’70s-R&B-revival jam “Leave the Door Open,” which also crowned the Billboard Hot 100 back in April, and Olivia Rodrigo isn’t far behind with “Good 4 U” at No. 2 — plus her other Hot 100 chart-topper, “Drivers License,” is at No. 11 as well.
Some other highlights from our list: Dua Lipa’s year-end Hot 100 No. 1 song “Levitating,” Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow’s chart-topping team-up “Industry Baby,” and Taylor’s Swift’s extra-long rendition of “All Too Well” from Red (Taylor’s Version).
You might be feeling SZA’s “Good Days,” Wizkid’s “Essence” (featuring Tems) or Kali Uchis’ “Telepatía” — or maybe something outside our top 100 altogether. We’ve given you a write-in option just in case your song didn’t make our cut.
So make your voice heard and vote below for your favorite song of 2021. (And after that, make sure to vote for your album of the year here too.)
KATSEYE have officially begun a fresh chapter with the announcement of their forthcoming single, Pinky Up.
The K-pop girl group sparked curiosity online after sharing a string of mysterious posts that quickly had fans trying to piece together the clues.
The first teaser, posted on March 30, featured the Mona Lisa gently raising a hot cup of tea with her pinky finger lifted. The next video, uploaded the next day, showed an arcade claw machine labeled with the group’s name pulling a sword from a mix of sparkling plush toys and a single teacup. Making things even more intriguing, the caption stated: “We’re screaming from cloud nine!!”
Their third update finally revealed the song title along with its cover art. The image showed a figure kneeling on a rug next to a teacup and a toy cat, while the title appeared in bright hot pink text across the visual. The group also confirmed the release date as April 9.
Pinky Up will arrive just one day before KATSEYE appear at Coachella on April 10, which will mark their first time performing at the famous festival.
The single also marks their first comeback since HYBE and Geffen confirmed that member Manon Bannerman would be stepping away for a period of time to prioritize her “health and well being.”
In a message posted on Weverse, they shared: "Hello. After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing."
The group expressed that they “fully support this decision,” and added: “KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. We look forward to being together again when the time is right.”
While she is away, the group will continue promotions with Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung.
They closed their message by saying: “Thank you to our EYEKONS for your continued love, patience, and understanding.”
