Barack Obama Releases List of 2021 Songs of the Year

Every year, former President Barack Obama unveils his lists of the year's best songs, films, and more. Today, Obama announced some of his favorite music of 2021, including hits like "Rumors" by Lizzo and Cardi B and Lil Nas X's "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)." The list of 27 songs is also available on a Spotify playlist for listeners.

See the full list of songs below:

Mitski: “The Only Heartbreaker”
The War on Drugs: “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” [ft. Lucius]
Mdou Moctar: “Tala Tannam”
Adia Victoria: “Magnolia Blues”
Durand Jones & The Indications / Aaron Frazer: “Witchoo”
Esperanza Spalding: “Formwela 10”
Brandi Carlile: “Broken Horses”
Genesis Owusu: “Gold Chains”
Little Simz: “Woman” [ft. Cleo Sol]
Farruko: “Pepas”
Spice: “Go Down Deh” [ft. Shaggy and Sean Paul]
Jon Batiste: “Freedom”
Wye Oak: “Its Way With Me”
Nas: “Nobody” [ft. Ms. Lauryn Hill]
Allison Russell: “Nightflyer”
Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)”
Yotuel / Gente de Zona / Descemer Bueno: “Patria y Vida” [ft. Maykel Osorbo and El Funky]
Tammy Lakkis: “Notice”
Teddy Afro: “Armash”
Courtney Barnett: “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To”
Aventura / Bad Bunny: “Volví”
Isaiah Rashad: “Headshots (4r da Locals)”
Yebba: “Boomerang”
Mo3 / Morray: “In My Blood”
Yendry: “Ya”
Lizzo / Cardi B: “Rumors”
Parquet Courts: “Walking at Downtown Pace”

In addition to his top tunes of the year, Obama also revealed his favorite films from 2021 including West Side Story and Judas and the Black Messiah, as well as books like Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle and The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris. Continue on to see the full lists of Obama's choice of 2021 movies and books.