The 10 Best Music Videos of 2021

Doja Cat ft. SZA – Kiss Me More

We have a lot to thank Doja Cat for, and Kiss Me More is one of those things. Her and SZA’s seismic performance and visuals quickly made the track one of the best, most-loved records of the year. We love to see attractive spacemen, SZA in a flower bikini singing on a rock, and Doja Cat as a huge pink alien…

Sad Night Dynamite ft. IDK – Psychedelic Views

Sad Night Dynamite’s video is slightly torturous, but in the best way. And you wouldn’t expect anything less from the duo who use music to explore the intersection of darkness, hallucination and…the countryside. We feel like we ourselves are trapped in the endless cycle of the dingy hotel room in one of the most extraordinary trips imaginable.

Billie Eilish – Male Fantasy 

In the video for the final song on Eilish’s latest album, Happier Than Ever, the singer dissects the impact that pornography has in the world nowadays and, in particular, how it skews male ideas of sex and relationships. The level of discomfort that lingers in the video, that sees Eilish change positions over and over, and try to let her mind settle, echoes the level of discomfort Eilish says there is around talking about porn nowadays.   

Lil Nas X – Montero (Call Me By Your Name)

Lil Nas X’s forté is pushing boundaries and whipping up an internet craze, but in unrivalled style. Name a music video release that created the same outrage and paralleled adoration as this… I’ll wait. Falling from Grace in the Garden of Eden, the rapper pole dances down into hell and continues to give the devil a lap dance, and then kills him and wears his horns. On the one side, many people were infatuated with the video and its celebration of queer identity. But on the other side, expectedly, some said that spreading legs for the devil was sacrilegious…

Olivia Rodrigo – Good 4 U

An accompanying iconic video to an equally iconic song. With over 300 million views on YouTube, Good 4 U captures the anger and back-handed praise that’s rooted in the track with Rodrigo’s snarling expressions, rooms set ablaze and a transformation into the over-it mindset that rivals Grease’s Olivia Newton John.

Lizzo ft. Cardi B – Rumors

The Goddess is back with a video of her literally as a Goddess. The song is a big f-you to the rumours, accusations and criticism of the singer. Alongside Cardi B, with winged penises dangling in the sky and dancers twerking on ancient pillars, the singer breaks down all of the gossip about her, rings it out like dirty laundry and says, sure, it’s all true.

Tyler, The Creator – Lumberjack

If there’s anything that Tyler, The Creator does well, it’s visuals. In this beautifully shot, cinematic video, the rapper sits in a Wes Anderson-esque house surrounded by products of his brand Le Fleur. The video pampers the otherwise understated, stripped-back track that takes the genre back to its simple, yet very effective, roots.

Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow – Industry Baby 

Following on from the meltdown that came after Lil Nas X’s release of Montero (Call Me By Your Name), Industry Baby did cause a little stir on the internet, but it didn’t manage to enrage the kind of people who use woke as an insult in quite the same way. Maybe they couldn’t be bothered, the war was already won. In the video, the singer/rapper is sent to prison, but it’s not quite what you’d expect. Or, maybe it is. The inmates are dressed in pink jumpsuits, they dance naked in the shower and then all in unison out in the courtyard. Jack Harlow gets the electric chair, and then they all ride out, the prison ablaze, and the video secures its spot as one of the most iconic this year.  

Normani ft. Cardi B – Wild Side

In the words of Cardi B: “The world is ready for a Normani supremacy!” For the artist’s first song in over a year, Normani’s video is chic, sexy and stunningly choreographed. We see her switching up positions in complex dance routines and sliding along the floor, whilst showing us how solo endeavours should be done with other-worldly styling and lyrics to run away with. 

Lorde – Solar Power

Finally! After too long, we were graced with Lorde’s return. And her new album came with equally beautiful visuals. Solar Power sees dancers worshipping the sun on the beach at the height of summer. There’s a hedonistic, bohemian undertone to it, but kept undeniably mellow through the lyrics, styling and controlled movements. We cried over it after its release during the hot months because the queen of keeping us waiting was back, and we’ll cry about it in winter because of how much we miss frolicking on beaches.