This chart includes music albums, mini-albums + EPs that premiered with a new repertoire during 2021.
The ranking is the result of an attempt to map the music of countries around the world. The selection and placement were not affected by: popularity, advertising, fashion, mass opinions, genre distinctiveness, nationality. After each album title, there is the name of the country that its creators represent and the musical genres that predominate on it.

1.
Marisa Monte – Portas (Brazil)
MPB, baroque pop, bossa nova

2.
Low – Hey What (USA)
Ambient pop, experimental rock, noise

3.
Alessandro Mannarino – V. (Italy)
Pop, folk, world music

4.
Club Des Belugas – How to Avoid Difficult Situations (Germany)
Nu jazz, downtempo

5.
Celeste – Not Your Muse (USA – United Kingdom)
Neo-soul, contemporary R&B

6.
Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – A Beginner’s Mind (USA)
Chamber folk

7.
Frederik Valentin – EP 0011001 (Denmark)
Ambient pop, experimental electronic

8.
Frederik Valentin – EP 0011000 (Denmark)
Ambient pop, experimental electronic

9.
Kevin Godley – Muscle Memory (UK)
Art pop, art rock

10.
Shannon and the Clams – Year of the Spider (USA)
Surf rock, psychedelic pop

11.
Fanfare Ciocarlia – It Wasn’t Hard To Love You (Romania)
World music, gypsy brass band

12.
Yat-Kha – We Will Never Die (Tuva)
World music, tuvan throat singing

13.
Polo & Pan – Cyclorama (France)
Tropical house, electropop

14.
Neon Bunny – Kosmos (South Korea)
Sophisti-pop, ambient pop

15.
The Swan and The Lake – Voices (Denmark)
Electronic ambient, cinematic score

16.
Rachel Chinouriri – EP Four° in Winter (UK-Zimbabwe)
Alternative R&B, wonky

17.
The Chills – Scatterbrain (New Zeland)
Dunedin sound, indie pop

18.
Mouss et Hakim – Darons de la Garonne (France)
Chanson, raï, world music

19.
Kings of Convenience – Peace or Love (Nórsko)
Indie folk, chamber folk

20.
Lauren Auder – EP 5 Songs for the Dysphoric (UK)
Art Pop

21.
Mon Laferte – SEIS (Chile-Mexiko)
Bolero, ranchera, latin art pop

22.
Rome – Parlez-Vous Hate? (Luxembourg)
Neofolk, folk rock

23.
Ela Minus – Acts of Rebellion (Columbia-USA)
Synthpop, progressive electronic

24.
HK – EP Danser encore (France)
Chanson, folk, world music

25.
Kaleema – Mirror (Argentina)
Ambient House, Downtempo

26.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise the Roof (Anglicko-USA)
Americana, country rock

27.
Beach House – EP Once Twice Melody: Chapter 1 (USA)
Dream pop

28.
Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark (Scotland)
Indietronica, post–punk, spoken word

29.
Mexican Institute of Sound – Distrito Federal (Mexiko)
Latin electronic, cumbia mexicana

30.
Billy F. Gibbons – Hardware (USA)
Southern rock, blues rock, boogie rock