This Day in Top 40 History: February 21

Author Kristina Hall

February 21st 3:00 AM

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 31: Bruno Mars performs on New Years Eve at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on December 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for The Chelsea)

On Feb. 21, several women won music awards, pop stars were honored on TV shows, concerts were held, and music artists spoke up for justice.

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

Numerous awards were presented on Feb. 21, including:

2012: Adele won British Female Solo Artist and British Album of the Year at the Brit Awards with her groundbreaking album 21. This was Adele’s second album, with hits such as “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Rumour Has It.”
2015: Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of Feb. 21. This fun song remained in that spot for 13 weeks.
2018: Dua Lipa won British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards. She thanked women artists for her inspiration as a musician.

Cultural Milestones

Songs and performances on Feb. 21 that have made an impact include:

2001: Colombian pop star Shakira won her first Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. Her live album MTV Unplugged was performed at the Grand Ballroom in New York City. It includes acoustic versions of her songs “Octavo Día” and “Ojos Así.”
2011: Superstar Lady Gaga filmed one of her shows during “The Monster Ball Tour.” She later turned this into a concert special titled “Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden.”

Notable Recordings and Performances

Some notable shows and performances happened on Feb. 21, including:

1971: On the final season of The Ed Sullivan Show, an episode was dedicated to the vocal group The 5th Dimension. They sang songs such as “Up, Up, and Away” and “One Less Bell to Answer.”
2011: Pop singer Celine Dion, who topped the charts with her song “My Heart Will Go On” from the movie Titanic, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She gave away tickets to her upcoming Las Vegas residency show.
2020: Rapper and singer Post Malone performed at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as part of his “Runaway Tour.”

Industry Changes and Challenges

The music industry has seen some interesting moments on Feb. 21, including:

2014: Demi Lovato performed at the Philips Arena in Atlanta for “The Neon Lights Tour.” Lovato began her career as a young actor on the Disney Channel before moving on to singing and performing.
2018: Singer Ellie Goulding presented at the Brit Awards. During her short presentation, she responded to a statement made by Recording Academy Chief Executive Officer Neil Portnow, who said that women in the music industry need to “step up.”
2024: The tribute show, The Simon & Garfunkel Story, played at the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News, Virginia. This concert-style theater show told the story of how Simon and Garfunkel met, their rise to stardom, and how they changed the industry.

With hit songs, award shows, and intriguing speeches, Feb. 21 is a notable day in Top 40 history.