2024 was the year of pop music and the revival of pop superstars.
Artists such as Charli XCX experienced a renaissance of a sort with numerous hits taking over the charts and our lives. Her artistry catapulted listeners back to the 2010s and had us yearning for the return of easy, catchy club music.
Legends such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Billie Elish, and Ariana Grande experimented with some new sounds and genres. Beyoncé stepped up to the plate and made a crowd-roaring home run with the release of her first fully country album Cowboy Carter. Taylor’s album, the infamous Tortured Poets Department, made a big splash on the Billboard charts and mixed numerous genres that had listeners cackling then sobbing all within the span of 4 minutes. Billie Eilish took us on an emotional rollercoaster with Hit Me Hard and Soft. Ariana Grande made a comeback with Eternal Sunshine (arguably her most complex album) and became an Oscar-nominated Actress just in one year.
We cannot forget to mention breakout artists who completely dominated the music industry and cemented their legacy in pop culture. Sabrina Carpenter broke numerous records and had crowds falling in love with her witty, sultry lyrics. Tate McRae destroyed her performances with her iconic choreography and Britney Spears inspired aura. Gracie Abrams won over the sad-girl genre while Tyla served us with Afrobeats. Not to mention, Chappell Roan became your favorite artist’s favorite artist and won a special, yet problematic, part of our hearts with her outspoken attitude and campy music.
Each previously mentioned artist had an incredible and successful year. However, some stood out more than others and had the biggest impact on 2024.So, this article seeks to rank each artist in terms of their accolades and presence in pop culture last year. Disclaimer: This is solely my opinion and I am not diminishing anyone’s accomplishments by their rankings! This is for fun and entertainment.
Without further ado, let’s rank 2024’s Pop Stars!
Source: Taylor Swift on Instagram
5. Taylor Swift
It is no surprise that Taylor earned a spot on this list.
She had a phenomenal start to the year by winning her 14th grammy and her 4th Album of the Year award for her smash-hit album Midnights. Furthermore, she released her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department and became the first artist to claim the top 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
The reason she is at the lower end of the list is for one simple reason: after her monumental 2023 Eras Tour performances in the United States, this year was not as revolutionary as the year previous.
Obviously, Taylor remains a legend in the music industry. However, 2024 was not a big year for her career as compared to the other artists on this list.
Source: Billie Eilish on Instagram
4. Billie Eilish
In the past five years, Billie Eilish has cemented herself as a music icon. Her accomplishments in 2024 only validate her status.
Her unforgettable album Hit Me Hard and Soft immediately won the hearts of audiences and became one of 2024’s most influential records. “Birds of a Feather” became a mainstream success and one of the most streamed songs on Spotify in 2024. Billie was also declared Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2024.
Hit Me Hard and Soft caused a tremendous amount of controversy at this year’s Grammy’s. Billie’s album was a popular pick to win the Album of the Year category. However, Cowboy Carter reigned supreme and sparked extreme online discourse between Beyoncé vs. Billie fans.
She only ranks at #4 on this list because, in my opinion, other artists had a better year commercially and culturally.
However, Billie had an incredible year and she still earned a notable position on this list!
Source. Charli XCX on Instagram
3. Charli XCX
Charli XCX had a, for lack of a better term, a ballistic year. She has been in the music industry since 2008 and has remained an iconic figure since 2013. However, after years of radio silence, she made an incredible comeback in 2024 with the release of her most successful album Brat.
Brat stimulated a cultural movement and became the meme of 2024. Whichever corner of the internet that you lurk on, Charli XCX and an acid shade of neon green infested your feed.
Brat debuted at an impressive Number 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 200 Charts. Charli made it immensely clear that she was still a force to be reckoned with, despite over a decade in the music industry.
Charli officially cemented herself as a cultural icon, outside of a niche following, with this album. Respectively, she earns a comfortable spot at Number 3 on this list!
Source: Chappell Roan on Instagram
2. Chappell Roan
To be completely honest, I faced a hard internal debate on whether or not to place Chappell Roan at the first or second spot of my ranking.
Chappell had an astounding year. The Missouri singer-songwriter went from an unknown, niche artist to a cultural icon and superstar in the course of a few months. Her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was one of the best pop albums released in recent years. Clearly, I am not the only person who recognizes her talent.
Just in 2024 alone, Chappell has accumulated over 45 million listeners on Spotify. She headlined Lollapalooza and her set was the most attended performance in Lollapalooza history with attendance reaching max capacity at 110,000 for each of the four days she performed. And as she stated in her notorious show, she became “your favorite artist’s favorite artist.”
Regardless of her impressive statistics, Chappell drew a significant amount of negative attention to herself during the 2024 election campaigns for her vague political stance. Furthermore, she landed herself in hot water when clips started to surface of her having heated arguments with paparazzi. And, just as the cherry on top, she set clear boundaries between herself and her fans by refusing to take photos with them.
Although, I recognize the impact Chappell’s music and cultural presence had on 2024; I still believe that she fell short when compared to the #1 artist on this list.
I have no doubt in my mind that Chappell will continue to make significant contributions to the music industry in the upcoming years. Therefore, she earns a competitive position at #2!
Honorable Mentions: Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Tate Mcrae, Addison Rae, Tyla, Gracie Abrams
Source. Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram
Sabrina Carpenter
My ranking would be far from complete if Sabrina Carpenter did not take her rightful place at #1. Despite being in the music industry for around a decade, 2024 became her breakout year. She earned the credit she has been waiting for since her debut album in 2015, Eyes Wide Open.
Where do I start with Sabrina? She opened 2024 with a bang by finishing her opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Swiftly after, she wasted no time releasing her smash-hit, critically-acclaimed single “Espresso”. The song became an instant sensation, peaking at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Charts. However, the momentum did not stop because she went on to perform at Coachella, Saturday Night Live, appear at the Met Gala (notably hard launching her relationship with Saltburn star Barry Keoghan), release another incredible record “Please, Please, Please”, and announce her 6th studio album Short N’ Sweet.
By the way, she completed these achievements in the span of 2 months!
Her Spotify Listener status increased significantly, totaling at 71.1 million monthly listeners. She went on the Short N’ Sweet tour and absolutely crashed TicketMaster’s website. On tour, Sabrina went absolutely viral for her humorous behavior during songs such as “Juno” and “Bed Chem”, with her choreography becoming a trend and hot topic on Tiktok and Instagram.
Evidently, Sabrina is a powerhouse of an artist. She has dedicated her entire life to the entertainment industry and she is finally receiving the credit she deserves.
Therefore, those are the reasons why Sabrina Carpenter is the Best Pop Girl of 2024!