2021 in British music

See also: Timeline of musical events

List of years in British music
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This is a summary of the year 2021 in British music.

Events

• 11 January – The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) announces that Sir Simon Rattle is to stand down as its music director in 2023, and is scheduled subsequently to take the title of LSO conductor emeritus for life.
• 21 January – The Glastonbury Festival announces the cancellation of its scheduled 2021 Festival, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 22 January – The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announces that Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is to conclude her tenure as its music director after the 2021–2022 season, and subsequently to take on the post of principal guest conductor.
• 27 January – PRS for Music institutes its new "Online Live Concert" licence fee, for ticketed small-scale live-streamed performances, at a scale of £22.50 plus VAT for events with revenue up to £250, regardless of whether the takings surpass £250, and a doubling of the fee for events that gross between £251 and £500.
• 1 February – Following protests by musicians, PRS for Music announces an amendment to its new "Online Live Concert" licence fee scheme, whereby livestreamed events that produce less than £500 revenue are newly to be covered by a free licence, on the condition that artists exclusively perform their own works.
• 5 February – The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival announces Isata Kanneh-Mason as the recipient of its Leonard Bernstein Award for 2021.
• 18 February – The City of London Corporation announces the cancellation of plans for the intended Centre for Music, with scheduled renovations of the Barbican Centre to occur instead.
• 1 March – The Download Festival announces cancellation of its 2021 festival season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2 March – The Isle of Wight Festival announces the re-scheduling of its 2021 festival season from 17-20 June 2021 to 16-19 September 2021.
• 9 March – Winston Marshall announces that he is taking indefinite leave of absence from Mumford & Sons, following criticism of his Tweet in praise of Andy Ngo's book Unmasked.
• 12 March – The Association of British Orchestras announces its 2021 ABO Awards at its 2021 conference:
  • ABO Award: The Musicians
  • Classical Music Artist Manager of the Year: Moema Parrott
  • Classical Music Concert Hall Manager of the Year: John Gilhooly
  • Orchestra Manager of the Year: Crispin Woodhead
  • Commendation: Greg Felton
  • ABO Special Award: John Summers and Timothy Walker
• 16 March – Royal Northern Sinfonia announces the appointment of Dinis Sousa as its next principal conductor, effective September 2021.
• 18 March – The BBC announces that the leadership team of BBC Radio 3 is to relocate to Salford, along with relocation of select Radio 6 staff.
• 30 March
  • The London Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Sir Antonio Pappano as its next chief conductor, effective in September 2024.
  • The Royal Opera announces that Sir Antonio Pappano is to conclude his tenure as ROH music director at the close of the 2023-2024 season.
• 7 April – Southbank Sinfonia and St John's Smith Square mutually announce their merger into a single charity and organisation, Southbank Sinfonia at St John's Smith Square.
• 8 April – The London Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Elena Dubinets as its next artistic director, effective September 2021, following the departure of Cristina Rocca from the post.
• 13 April – English Touring Opera announces the appointment of Gerry Cornelius as its next music director, with immediate effect.
• 30 April – At Bramley-Moore Dock, Liverpool, 3000 clubbers participate in an Events Research Programme test event headlined by DJ Jayda G, without social distancing or required mask-wearing, as part of a scientific study on coronavirus transmission at mass events.
• 2 May
  • The BBC announces percussionist Fang Zhang as the BBC Young Musician 2020.
  • At Sefton Park, Liverpool, 5000 attendees attend a live concert with performances by Zuzu and by Blossoms, in an Events Research Programme test event, without social distancing or required mask-wearing, as part of a scientific study on coronavirus transmission at mass events, the largest such UK music gathering since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 12 June - Queen's Birthday Honours List 2021:
  • Imogen Cooper is made a Dame Commander of the British Empire.
  • Ram John Holder, Lulu, and Rick Wakeman are each made an Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
  • Eleanor Alberga, Julian Lloyd Webber, Alan Parsons, Skin (Deborah Anne Dyer), John Summers, and Michael Volpe are each made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
  • Jess Gillam, Dennis Bovell, Engelbert Humperdinck, Alison Moyet, Huw Watkins, and Sarah Willis are each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
  • Alan Hawkshaw and Jeremy Huw Williams are each awarded the British Empire Medal.
• 18 June – The Download Pilot Festival begins in Donington Park in Leicestershire, a 3-day pilot test event without mask or social distance requirements for attendees.
• 24 June - Winston Marshall announces that he is leaving Mumford & Sons, following controversy over him praising right-wing journalist Andy Ngo.
• 4 August – The BBC announces the appointment of Bill Chandler as the new Director of the BBC Concert Orchestra, effective 4 September 2021.
• 10 August – The BBC announces the appointment of Suzy Klein as its new Head of Arts and Classical Music TV, effective 4 October 2021.
• 14 August - Simon Gallup announces that he has left The Cure, citing "betrayal" as his reasons for leaving. Gallup soon deleted his post, and confirmed on 14 October that he was still in the band.
• 17 August - Alan Leach and Joe Johnson announce that they will be leaving Shed Seven after fulfilling their touring commitments with the band in the Summer.
• 23 August - John Lydon loses a legal case, to prevent former Sex Pistols bandmates Steve Jones and Paul Cook from allowing the use of their songs in a television biopic based on the band.
• 5 September – The Sinfonia of London, in its newest incarnation, performs its first live concert at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the 2021 season of The Proms, conducted by John Wilson.
• 14 September – The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Kazuki Yamada as its next chief conductor and artistic advisor, the first Asian conductor ever named to the posts, effective 1 April 2023, with an initial contract of 4.5 years.
• 18 September – The 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition announces its prize winners:
  • First prize: Alim Beisembayev
  • Second prize: Kaito Kabayashi
  • Third prize: Ariel Lanyi
  • Fourth prize: Dmytro Choni
  • Fifth prize: Thomas Kelly
• 15 October – The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge announces its intention to admit female singers to the choir for the first time in its history, effective in 2022.
• 17 October – The London Handel Festival announces the appointment of Gregory Batsleer as its next festival director, with immediate effect.
• 25 October – The London Mozart Players announce the appointment of Flynn LeBrocq as its new chief executive, effective January 2022.
• 1 November – The Royal Philharmonic Society announces the recipients of the 2021 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards:
  • Chamber-Scale Composition: Laura Bowler – Wicked Problems
  • Conductor: Ryan Bancroft
  • Ensemble: Dunedin Consort
  • Gamechanger: Bold Tendencies
  • Impact: ENO Breathe
  • Inspiration: Hilary Campbell and Bristol Choral Society
  • Instrumentalist: Nicola Benedetti
  • Large-Scale Composition: Dani Howard - Trombone Concerto
  • Opera & Music Theatre: L'enfant et les sortilèges - Vopera
  • Series & Events: 'The World How Wide' - Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
  • Singer: Jennifer Johnston
  • Storytelling: Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason - House of Music
  • Young Artist: The Hermes Experiment

Bands reformed

• The Boo Radleys
• Electrasy
• Faces
• The Wanted

Classical works

• Hannah Kendall – 'Where is the chariot of fire?'
• Jack Sheen – Hollow propranolol séance
• Thomas Adès
  • Shanty – Over the Sea
  • Alchymia (clarinet quintet)
• Errollyn Wallen – Sojourner Truth
• Natalie Klouda – Nightscapes 2020
• Mark Simpson – Violin Concerto
• Simon Holt – Cloud Shadow
• Colin Matthews – Seascapes (texts by Sidney Keyes)
• Mark-Anthony Turnage
  • Owl Songs
  • Up for Grabs
• Charlotte Bray – When Icebergs Dance Away
• Hannah Kendall (music) and Sabrina Mahfouz (text) – Rosalind
• Sir John Tavener – La Noche Oscura (completed in 2012, premiered 25 June 2021)
• Sir James MacMillan – When Soft Voices Die
• Daniel Kidane - Revel
• Sir George Benjamin – Concerto for Orchestra
• Bryn Harrison - A Coiled Form
• Jonathan Dove – In Exile
• Grace-Evangeline Mason – The Imagined Forest
• Kate Whitley (music) and Laura Attridge (text) – Our Future in Your Hands
• Jay Capperauld – Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
• Tom Coult – Pleasure Garden

Opera

• Samantha Ferrando and Melanie Wilson – Current, Rising

Film scores and incidental music

Film

• Stefan Gregory – The Dig
• Dominic Lewis – Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, directed by Will Gluck

Television

• John Paesano – Leonardo

British music awards

• Brit Awards – see 2021 Brit Awards

Charts and sales

Number-one singles

The singles chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
7 January	"Last Christmas"	Wham!	40,149
14 January	"Sweet Melody"	Little Mix	31,186
21 January	"Drivers License"	Olivia Rodrigo	95,000
28 January			117,000
4 February			86,000
11 February			69,000
18 February			59,000
25 February			52,000
4 March			46,404
11 March			42,279
18 March			38,429
25 March	"Wellerman"	Nathan Evans, 220 Kid and Billen Ted	50,891
1 April			50,454
8 April	"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)"	Lil Nas X
15 April			62,065
22 April			64,140
29 April			59,769
6 May			57,475
13 May	"Body"	Russ Millions and Tion Wayne	71,208
20 May			81,119
27 May
3 June	"Good 4 U"	Olivia Rodrigo	117,000
10 June			108,219
17 June			95,867
24 June			82,305
1 July			73,421
8 July	"Bad Habits"	Ed Sheeran	92,086
15 July			102,705
22 July			101,080
29 July			101,353
5 August			85,433
12 August			81,655
19 August			76,561
26 August			87,324
2 September			83,622
9 September			71,720
16 September			69,446
23 September	"Shivers"		59,181
30 September			56,424
7 October			63,520
14 October			61,366
21 October	"Cold Heart (Pnau remix)"	Elton John and Dua Lipa	63,298
28 October	"Easy On Me"	Adele	217,317
4 November			103,194
11 November			78,628
18 November			67,742
25 November			67,102

Number-one albums

The albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
7 January	Christmas	Michael Bublé	10,202
14 January	Evermore	Taylor Swift	7,330
21 January	Greenfields	Barry Gibb	16,166
28 January	Suckapunch	You Me at Six	14,298
4 February	Post Human: Survival Horror	Bring Me the Horizon	14,904
11 February	Not Your Muse	Celeste	22,475
18 February	Medicine at Midnight	Foo Fighters	42,846
25 February	Tyron	Slowthai	16,940
4 March	As the Love Continues	Mogwai	10,456
11 March	For Those That Wish to Exist	Architects	12,542
18 March	When You See Yourself	Kings of Leon	19,530
25 March	Evering Road	Tom Grennan	17,322
1 April	Chemtrails over the Country Club	Lana Del Rey	40,111
8 April	Collections from the Whiteout	Ben Howard	15,621
15 April	W.L.	The Snuts	20,455
22 April	Fearless (Taylor's Version)	Taylor Swift	21,145
29 April	Californian Soil	London Grammar	31,106
6 May	Surrounded by Time	Tom Jones	14,936
13 May	Typhoons	Royal Blood	32,000
20 May	Life By Misadventure	Rag'n'Bone Man	41,855
27 May	Fat Pop	Paul Weller	26,005
3 June	Sour	Olivia Rodrigo	50,942
10 June			32,844
17 June	Blue Weekend	Wolf Alice	36,182
24 June	Back the Way We Came: Vol. 1 (2011–2021)	Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds	28,384
1 July	Sour	Olivia Rodrigo	20,249
8 July	Europiana	Jack Savoretti	20,594
15 July	Sour	Olivia Rodrigo	18,044
22 July	It Won't Always Be Like This	Inhaler	17,728
29 July	All Over the Place	KSI	34,328
5 August	We're All Alone in This Together	Dave	74,191
12 August	Happier Than Ever	Billie Eilish	38,885
19 August	We're All Alone in This Together	Dave	15,437
26 August	Pressure Machine	The Killers	25,110
2 September	Sour	Olivia Rodrigo	17,476
9 September	Donda	Kanye West	19,617
16 September	Certified Lover Boy	Drake	45,651
23 September	The Ultra Vivid Lament	Manic Street Preachers	27,345
30 September	Certified Lover Boy	Drake	12,414
7 October	How Beautiful Life Can Be	The Lathums	16,341
14 October	Tales from the Script: Greatest Hits	The Script	23,285
21 October	Seventeen Going Under	Sam Fender	43,717
28 October	Music of the Spheres	Coldplay	101,045
4 November	The Lockdown Sessions	Elton John	30,814
11 November	=	Ed Sheeran	139,107
18 November	Voyage	ABBA	203,909
25 November	Red (Taylor's Version)	Taylor Swift	72,319

Number-one compilation albums

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Chart sales	References
7 January	Now 107
14 January	The Greatest Showman
21 January
28 January
4 February
11 February	Now 70s Glam Pop
18 February	The Greatest Showman
25 February
4 March	Now Country
11 March
18 March	Now The 60s Girls - Then He Kissed Me
25 March
1 April	The Greatest Showman
8 April	Now 108
15 April
22 April
29 April	Now 12" 80s
6 May	Now 108
13 May	Now Eurovision
20 May	Now 108
27 May
3 June	80s Rock Down
10 June	Now Live Forever - The Anthems
17 June	The Greatest Showman
24 June
1 July
8 July	Now Yearbook 1983
15 July	The Greatest Showman
22 July	Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella
29 July	Now Gold
5 August	Now 109
12 August
19 August
26 August
2 September
9 September	Now 12" 80s Extended
16 September	Now 109
23 September	The Greatest Showman
30 September	Now Boogie Nights - Disco Classics
7 October	The Best of Bond...James Bond
14 October
21 October	The Greatest Showman
28 October
4 November
11 November	Now Yearbook 1984
18 November	Now Rock
25 November	Dreamboats & Petticoats - Bringing On

Deaths

• 3 January – Gerry Marsden, singer, musician (Gerry and the Pacemakers), 78
• 5 January – John Georgiadis, orchestral violinist and leader, and conductor, 81
• 6 January – Osian Ellis, classical harpist, 92
• 10 January – Mark Keds, singer, musician (Senseless Things), 50
• 29 January – Hilton Valentine, musician, guitarist (The Animals), 77
• 30 January – Sophie, Scottish musician, producer, singer-songwriter, DJ, 34
• 13 February – Sydney Devine, Scottish singer, entertainer, 81
• 15 February – Steuart Bedford, conductor and specialist in the music of Benjamin Britten, 81
• 2 March
  • Chris Barber, jazz trombonist and bandleader, 90
  • Anna Shuttleworth, classical cellist and pedagogue, 93
• 20 March – Robert Gard, classical tenor resident in Australia, 90
• 29 March – Elaine Hugh-Jones, classical composer, 93
• 31 March
  • Jane Manning, classical soprano and advocate of contemporary music, 82
  • Valerie, Lady Solti, classical music philanthropist, former arts journalist, and widow of Sir Georg Solti, 83
• 2 April – Simon Bainbridge, classical composer, 68
• 20 April – Les McKeown, Scottish singer, (Bay City Rollers), 65.
• 30 April – Anthony Payne, classical composer, 84
• 4 May – Nick Kamen, singer, songwriter, and model, 59
• 5 May – Ray Teret, disc jockey and convicted rapist, 79
• 10 May – Pauline Tinsley, English opera singer, 93
• 15 May – Emily Mair, Scottish-New Zealand opera singer, pianist and vocal coach, 92
• 15 May – Fred Dellar, music journalist, 89
• 20 May – Freddy Marks, television actor and musician (Rod, Jane and Freddy), 71
• 23 June – Peter Zinovieff, engineer (EMS VCS 3) and composer, 88
• 22 July – Peter Rehberg, Austrian-English electronic musician (KTL), heart attack, 53.
• 3 August – Allan Stephenson, English-born South African composer, cellist, and conductor, 71.
• 6 August – Les Vandyke, English singer and songwriter ("What Do You Want?", "Poor Me", "Well I Ask You"), 90.
• 10 August – Stephen Wilkinson, English choral conductor and composer, 102.
• 14 August – Hugh Wood, English composer, 89.
• 20 August – Peter Ind, jazz double bassist and record producer, 93.
• 22 August – Brian Travers, English saxophonist, (UB40), 62.
• 24 August
  • Fritz McIntyre, English keyboardist (Simply Red), 62.
  • Charlie Watts, English drummer, (The Rolling Stones), 80.
• 25 August – Dave Harper, English drummer, (Frankie & The Heartstrings).
• 5 September – Sarah Harding, singer (Girls Aloud), model and actress, breast cancer, 39.
• 8 September – Matthew Strachan, composer and singer-songwriter (Next Door's Baby), 50.
• 9 September – Amanda Holden, musician, librettist (Bliss) and translator, 73.
• 10 September – Michael Chapman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (True North), 80.
• 15 September – Norman Bailey, British-born opera singer resident in the US, 88.
• 20 September
  • Colin Bailey, English-born jazz drummer, 87.
  • Julz Sale, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Delta 5), cancer.
• 21 September – Richard H. Kirk, English musician, composer, producer, (Cabaret Voltaire), 65.
• 26 September – Alan Lancaster, English bassist, (Status Quo, The Party Boys), complications from multiple sclerosis, 72.
• 28 September – Barry Ryan, English pop singer ("Eloise") and photographer, 72.
• 30 September – Greg Gilbert, English singer, guitarist, (Delays), bowel cancer, 44.
• 2 October – John Rossall, saxophonist, (The Glitter Band), cancer, 75.
• 5 October – Pat Fish, musician, (The Jazz Butcher), 64.
• 7 October – Rick Jones, Canadian-born television presenter (Play School, Fingerbobs) and musician (Meal Ticket), oesophageal cancer, 84.
• 9 October – Jim Pembroke, English rock musician (Wigwam), 75.
• 16 October – Alan Hawkshaw, composer, performer (Grange Hill), (Countdown), pneumonia, 84.
• 19 October – Leslie Bricusse, English composer (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), lyricist ("Goldfinger", "You Only Live Twice") and playwright, Oscar winner (1968, 1983), 90.
• 21 October – Bernard Haitink, Dutch conductor active in the UK, 92
• 27 October – Gay McIntyre, Northern Irish jazz musician, 88.
• 29 October – Malcolm Dome, English music journalist (Record Mirror, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer), 66.
• 6 November
  • Terence "Astro" Wilson, English singer, musician, (UB40), 64.
  • Andrew Barker, bassist, keyboardist, (808 State), 53.

See also

• 2021 in British radio
• 2021 in British television
• 2021 in the United Kingdom