All the Number 1 singles of 2021

13 may be an unlucky number for some, but it was also the amount of Number 1 singles we saw on the Official Singles Chart in 2021.

Just like 2020, this year was a varied one for the singles chart; where you had domination from both returning chart superstars and new up-and-comers making their indelible mark on pop culture for the first time. 

The year started with a legacy act's signature song topping the Official Singles Chart for the first time ever, as Wham!'s Last Christmas reached Number 1 after only 36 (!) years. This was then swiftly followed by Little Mix (only recently sans founding member Jesy Nelson) scoring their fifth UK Number 1 single with Sweet Melody.

"We literally can’t thank the fans enough. We see them every day fighting to get this song to Number 1," the girls told Scott Mills at the time. "The fact this song has been out since October and now it’s got to Number 1 just shows how dedicated they are." Later in the year, of course, it was announced that Little Mix would be entering an indefinite hiatus and pursuing solo careers following the completion of their nationwide tour in 2022.

MORE: Every Number 1 single in the UK, ever

January would also give birth to the year's biggest breakout act; Olivia Rodrigo may have seemed to come out of nowhere with her emotional power ballad Drivers License debuting at Number 1, but by the middle of 2021, no one could deny her star power. Fuelled by tabloid rumours, enamored fans and a slick control of sites like TikTok, Olivia would score a second Number 1 single (and help bring rock music back to the Official Charts) with the power-pop melodies of the bratty Good 4 U, gaining a record-breaking Official Charts double in the process (twice). 

But 2021 was also the year that two of the most successful UK acts of the past decade made headline-grabbing comebacks that dominated airwaves, conversation and the Official Singles Chart's top spot!

First up was Ed Sheeran, who dumped his acoustic guitar and embraces synthy-dance-pop for Bad Habits, which became the longest-running Number 1 single of the year, at a mammoth 11 weeks. Ed would also gain a further three Number 1 singles this year (Shivers, Merry Christmas, Sausage Rolls For Everyone) that took his total UK Number 1s to 13, tying him with Madonna. Only Elvis Presley and The Beatles have more.

We also saw the return of a certain lady named Adele - whose languid, stripped-back comeback single Easy On Me topped the charts for seven weeks overall and welcomed us into the world of her wildly experimental fourth album 30.

Finally, we ended the year with another record-breaking accomplishment, as LadBaby became the first act in UK chart history to achieve four consecutive Christmas Number 1s, smashing a long-held record by The Beatles and Spice Girls.

All the Number 1 singles of 2021