As the challenges we’d faced in 2020 stretched into 2021, music was once again a comfort and an inspiration. A new generation of British artists emerged to prove that social restrictions can’t shackle creative spirits: PinkPantheress, Griff and Central Cee all fostered a DIY ethos into debut mixtapes that delivered fresh visions of UK garage, pop and hip-hop respectively, while Wet Leg showed us that you only need a “Chaise Longue” and a wickedly deadpan sense of humour to revitalise UK alternative music. Always a salve for tough times, chart-scaling dance acts such as Joel Corry and Becky Hill delivered instant euphoria whether we were listening at home or venturing out to a cautiously reopening clubland. And in a year when homegrown megastars Adele and Ed Sheeran both made dominant returns, the world learned the name of two more great Britons: Tion Wayne and Russ Millions, who took UK drill global with their viral hit, “Body”. But it wasn’t all about talent from these shores—like much of the planet, we fell hard for the sensual Afrobeats of “Essence”, a hook-up between Nigerian superstar Wizkid and his fast-rising compatriot (and Apple Music Up Next alum) Tems.