The vast amount of great music being released in 2021 is reflected on my chart. Songs can remain on the chart for a maximum of 10 appearances (20 weeks), but lately there have been less songs than usual which attain that feat. The fast pace frequently means 3, 4 or 5 debuts every two weeks, and this chart is no exception to that. So enjoy some of these favourites while they stick around!
“No More Looking Back” by Idris Elba and Inner City featuring the fierce voice of Steffanie Christi’an becomes the 6th song to reach #1 in the four months of this year. 90’s flavoured house is back big time thanks to the presence, after 30 years, of legends like Kevin Saunderson and his rebooted Inner City project. We need more of this!
He wowed us with a splendid online festival, capped by his own affecting performance. The festival is “Secret Sky” and the performer is Porter Robinson, whose second album after seven years (not counting his Grammy-nominated Virtual Self project) called Nurture was released on Friday. From that album, “Look At The Sky” (above) becomes his second Top 5 on this chart, after last year’s #1 “Get Your Wish” (also included in the album). Also check out the amazing track “Blossom”, below.
Victor Perry’s gentle ballad “Stories” (above) rises 6-5, in collaboration with German producers Cal1 and L’essay. I included Victor’s recent song “Slip Away” (with French producer Kislaw), but also check out his latest release with another French producer, KHEMIS called “Until You Call My Name” (below).
New to the Top 10 is the reigning party track called “Friday” by British producer Riton, who revived 90’s dance smash “Push The Feeling On” by Nightcrawlers as the basis for the song. It climbs 11-7.
Moving up 9-8 is NYC singer/songwriter Reigen’s pensive song for late at night in a quiet place, “blue”. It’s Reigen’s second highest placement on the chart, next only to “Come Back To Me” which reached #2.
Also new to the Top 10 is “When I Lost You”, the deep house banger from Norway’s Dunisco and NYC’s Robbie Rosen, which climbs 12-9. It’s the first Top 10 for both artists on my chart.
“Every Minute” is the latest release by Sweden’s Eric Saade, which came second in this year’s Melodifestivalen contest. It climbs 13-10, becoming Eric’s 8th Top 10 on my chart, and his first since 2015’s “Sting” (#4).
Victor Perry’s soaring voice is the star of “Myself In You”, his collaboration with Italy’s Lordnox, and it makes short work of the chart, climbing 17-12.
The Fastest Riser on the chart is from the producer whose “Not Watching Anymore” slips from #1 to #2. It’s L.A.’s Mahalo, whose rollicking “Got That Love” soars 23-15.
Independent Irish pop-rock artist Four Nights continues his rise up the chart with the infectious “Want You Always” moving 19-16.
You can now find Peter Wilson and Sean Smith’s duet on the Robert Miles classic “One And One” (25-19) on release as a single, including two delightful and very extended remixes by Matt Pop (above) and Pete Hammond.
France’s 2 Thunders climbs 26-20 with their thoughtful deep house track “Shine A Light”, featuring L.A.-based vocalist OMZ.
Sometimes it takes a remix to either give a song new life or to present an alternate vision of the the track. Such is the case with the Dzeko remix of Tyler Shaw’s “When You’re Home”, which in its darker but affecting remix rises 27-21.
Occasionally the big hits will land on this chart, too. And that’s what’s happened with “Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic, aka Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak, which arrives as the Highest Debut at #23. It may be surprising to know that this is Bruno’s first appearance on this chart, and it’s also the first for Anderson.Paak too. It all started with this year’s Grammy Awards performance; watch for it to lead the way with nominations in 2022!
Next up at #25 is another first time appearance on this chart for L.A.-based dance producer Gryffin. I’m playing the Cat Dealers remix of “I Want Love” a whole lot. The combined talents allow “I Want Love” to be taken to the next level by Brazilian brothers Cat Dealers, who are among the worldwide favourite DJ’s for good reason. I’ve seen both Gryffin and Cat Dealers in virtual festivals this year and they both give their audiences exactly what they want.
The third debut at #27 is the chart debut for Knoxville, Tennessee based 2017 winner of “The Voice”, Chris Blue, with his infectious and adventurous independent release called “Moon”.
NEW!! Planet Radio Canada has returned to the interwebs with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers and his “3D Variety Show” each week for three hours of great music as well as a few features. Listen to my New Music Pick of the Week (usually featuring a song on the chart) in the second hour of the show. Tomorrow, the show will also spotlight none other than Elton John! Planet Radio Canada’s “3D Variety Show” is simulcast on http://www.classichits.ca and http://www.radiogta.ca from 6 to 9 pm EST.
The music from this chart and blog are also featured regularly on the online radio station Radio GTA. You can hear their Big 20 on Wednesday evenings, also with ‘The Musicman’ James Rogers, and listen for songs from the chart too 🙂Scroll down the station’s main page to listen to lots of variety from across the decades! I’m the new music consultant for the station so you can expect even more 🙂 You can start by joining Radio GTA’s new interactive Facebook group too!!
View the full BILLCS Top 30 right here! Click on the hyperlink on the song titles to hear the songs or watch the videos!
Listen to the BILLCS Top 30 Songs on Spotify! Click on this link to take you there, and follow me on Spotify: BILLCS Top 30 Songs
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