2020s Lockdown Playlist Trivia Quiz

Answer: Blinding Lights

Though "Blinding Lights" released as the first single from The Weeknd's fourth album, "After Hours", in late 2019, the track had already gained significant traction by the time the planet went into lockdown, catapulting the Canadian singer to the top of the charts in numerous countries, peaking at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and appearing on eight other U.S. charts.

The track ended up being performed remotely from the top of 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan for the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards and was the closing number at the Super Bowl in 2021.

Answer: Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa's sophomore album, "Future Nostalgia" was radio pop at its catchiest. The album started releasing singles like "Don't Start Now" as early as November 2019, but with the disc's release in late March 2020, it primed itself to be one of the first official COVID-19 releases altogether. Though Dua Lipa would be unable to perform the tracklist live for several months, the singles kept coming with "Physical", "Break My Heart", "Hallucinate", and "Levitating" all providing levity in a time of need.

Her tour for the album wouldn't begin until early 2022 by which point "Future Nostalgia" would receive a number of accolades and 'Best of' rankings.

Answer: Ariana Grande

Set to release earlier in 2020, Lady Gaga's return to pop form with "Chromatica" was delayed by the lockdown, forcing her to send out the album in late May of the same year instead of the intended date. Gaga, no stranger to a world tour, didn't get to pursue her 'Chromatica Ball' until summer 2022. "Rain On Me", the album's second single, ended up being the breakout hit of the singer's sixth official album.

The catchy tune also ended up being the one seen the most in live performances, many of which featured both singers performing the tight, TikTok-ready choreography onstage, fully masked, for major events (like the virtual 2020 MTV Video Music Awards).

Answer: Folklore

In the midst of Taylor Swift's ongoing legal battles with her former record label, Swift also had to contend with the shift in how music was made during lockdown. Instead of producing a more pop-centric sound as she'd done in her previous handful of albums, she dropped two lo-fi discs-- "Folklore" and "Evermore"-- to take her sound into a more indie space. Collaborating with Bon Iver, The National, and Haim, the albums not only marked a tonal shift in Swift's catalogue, but an insular shift in listeners worldwide.

While Swift fans were inside, so too was the feel of the music. Both albums were wildly successful, recording mostly remotely and releasing in July and December of the same year.

Answer: 34+35

Though Grande's popular "Thank U, Next" album released in 2019, she didn't wait all too long to ensure her next release, "Positions", was ready for listeners; she ended up releasing her sixth album in late 2020. "Positions" ended up hitting number one on the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart, going platinum in the U.S., Mexico, and much of Europe.

The title track ended up breaking records for Grande, cementing her track as one of the longest-lasting on the Billboard Top Ten of all time ("Thank U, Next" would also hit seventeen weeks in the Top Ten).

It would be nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2022, losing to Olivia Rodrigo's "Sour".

Answer: South Korea

Though the popular South Korean boy band BTS has seen significant popularity on their home turf, "Dynamite" helped propel them to stardom overseas, allowing them to break into the mainstream radio charts in North America and Europe and become the top-selling South Korean musical act of all-time. "Dynamite", from their fifth album, "Be", was written during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a late summer 2020 hit topping out at number one in the U.S., Mexico, Malaysia, Israel, Scotland, and on and on. Going multi-platinum in the U.S., it also netted the band's first Grammy nomination.

Answer: Drivers License

Young singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo would hit the jackpot in 2021 with her debut single, "Drivers License", which wouldn't only make her the youngest musician to top the US Billboard Hot 100 (which she did for eight weeks), but give her a multi-platinum debut.

Not only would the track lead her to a Grammy win, but it would give her the footing to release "Sour", her debut album, in May 2021. It would get her more Grammy Awards-- one for Best Pop Vocal Album and another, for herself, for Best New Artist. Rodrigo met her producer a week before the COVID-19 lockdowns, managing to release the album in full just over a year later.

Answer: 30

Adele, known for album releases corresponding to her ages upon their creation, took five years to make "30", following up on her smash-hit release "25". The creation of the album took a while longer than expected, partly due to the singer's ongoing health problems, her personal life, and COVID-19.

After hosting "Saturday Night Live" in late 2020, she kicked off the speculation of the release of "30" and finally sent out "Easy On Me" a year later. The album was an unsurprising success worldwide, topping the charts on nearly every continent in its first weeks. "Easy on Me" would receive four Grammy nominations, winning one for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2023 ceremonies.

Answer: Rumors

After Lizzo hit the mainstream charts with stronger presence with her "Cuz I Love You" album in 2019, it took two years before "Rumors" released, creating buzz for her upcoming fourth full album release. "Rumors" made its way online and to radio play in August of 2021 and went platinum in the U.S. across the following year. Though a funky track with high critical praise, it wasn't added to the tracklist for "Special", which released in July 2022 and was made up of tracks made and recorded over COVID-19.

Answer: Glass Animals

Though Glass Animals' third album, "Dreamland", was released during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Heat Waves" was a slow burn, becoming a single in June upon the album's release but only becoming massively popular in the years to follow. Hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100, it took more than a full year for the track to make it to the top after its debut there in 2021.

It also ended up becoming the longest-charting single to appear on the Hot 100 of all time-- the previous record-holder was "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd.