Apple's Shazam Shares 2021 Popular Music Predictions
Shazam, the music discovery and identification app owned by Apple, today shared a Shazam Predictions 2021 playlist that's available on Apple Music. The playlist features a list of 50 songs from up-and-coming artists that Shazam believes are "poised to make a splash."
The data was calculated using Shazam's predictive algorithms, with the 50 tracks hand-selected from Apple Music's global editorial team. The songs all show early and consistent momentum in Shazam activity along with discovery in more than one country, which Shazam says are early indicators of future growth.
Of the 50 new songs in the playlist, Apple Music chose five artists to spotlight as those to watch out for in 2021 and beyond.
- Masked Wolf - A hip-hop artist from Sydney. His song "Astronaut in the Ocean" has reached the overall Apple Music top 10 in five territories.
- BLACKSTARKIDS - A trio from Kansas City that started trending on Shazam in September 2020. Their songs mix indie and hip-hop with contemporary lyrics and analogue pop music.
- Serena Isioma - Nigerian-American singer-songwriter Serena Isioma mixes funk, indie, pop, and R&B, and her song "King" has been featured on Apple Music's New Music Daily playlist.
- Tai Verdes - Indie pop artist Tai Verdes gained momentum on Shazam in July 2020. His single "Stuck in the Middle" is featured on the Alt Pop and ALT CTRL playlists on Apple Music.
- LB Spiffy - Teenage Toronto rapper LB Spiffy has been an emerging artist on Shazam since 2017. His song "Again" has been featured on Apple Music playlists like Rap Life and Today's Hits.
The full Shazam 2021 predictions playlist can be listened to on Apple Music. For those unfamiliar with Shazam, it is an app that iPhone owners can use to identify songs that are playing in movies, on the radio, and elsewhere. Apple purchased Shazam in 2018, and the song identifying functionality has been built into the Siri feature on iPhones for years.
Shazam has in past years been able to identify emerging artists prior to when their music takes off. Olivia Rodrigo, who hit number one on the Apple Music Daily Top 100 Global charts with "drivers license," was picked up by Shazam more than a year ago. Billie Eilish, who soared to popularity in 2019 and 2020, was on Shazam's emerging artist lists in 2015.
Popular Stories
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle.
Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines.
According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option.
Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator.
The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues.
The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+.
What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year?
Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+
The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here
2026 Plans Still Under ...
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce.
In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing."
TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro.
Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch.
The key announcements include:
New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January.
"Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
