''21'' is the second

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

by American country music artist

Hunter Hayes Hunter Easton Hayes (born September 9, 1991) is an American multi-genre singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is proficient at more than 30 instruments. Hayes released his Hunter Hayes (album), self-titled debut alb ...

, released to

streaming services A streaming media service (also simply called a streaming service) is an online platform that allows users to watch or listen to content, such as film, movies, Television show, TV shows, music, or podcasts, over the internet. Instead of downloadi ...

on August 7, 2015. It is expected to be made available to digital retailers at a later date and serves as a prelude to Hayes's forthcoming third studio album, scheduled for released in the fall of 2015. ''21'' includes all of the digital-only singles releases from Hayes

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

-exclusive "The Drop" campaign, led by the project's

eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

lead single, " 21", released on May 21, 2015.

Background and conception

In May 2015, Hayes released his then-new single, "21", exclusively to

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

service

(and, later, digital music platform

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

). The distribution strategy was part of an experiment to inspire country music to adapt to the digital era, as Hayes explained in an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', and as a way to "get music to the fans in a quicker and more exciting fashion." He unveiled plans to release a series of digital-exclusive singles, with no proper album planned at the time. This campaign became known as "The Drop." Hayes told ''Billboard'' that "this urrentmusic wasn't created with an album in mind," but his management team confirmed to the magazine that a conventional physical album was expected to be released in the fall of 2015. After the first four singles were released individually, they were incorporated into a six-track

along with the final two tracks of Hayes's "The Drop" campaign; this collection, titled ''21'', was released on Spotify on August 7, 2015.

Promotion

Hayes will embark upon the 21 Tour in the fall of 2015, visiting 21 cities across the United States in support of the EP and its eponymous single.

Singles

" 21" was released to

and country radio on May 21, 2015 as the lead single from the EP and forthcoming album; it was released to digital retailers on May 26, 2015. As of August 2015, it was the third-most streamed country song on Spotify. The single has so far peaked within the top 30 on both

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

and

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...

, as well as number 14 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

extension chart.

Other songs

Three other songs were issued as

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

s to Spotify and then to

– "Where It All Begins", featuring

Lady Antebellum Lady A, known until 2020 as Lady Antebellum, is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar ...

, on June 8, 2015; "Young and in Love" on June 23, 2015; and "Someday Girl" on July 10, 2015.

Track listing

;Notes * Hayes is given an honorary co-writing credit for his changes to the arrangement.

Charts

Singles

Other songs

"Where It All Begins" charted at number 45 on the ''Billboard''

chart in July 2015.

References

{{Hunter Hayes 2015 EPs Hunter Hayes EPs Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by Dann Huff