Last year was a groundbreaking year for both new artists and global pop stars. With an increase in new music marketing, more music was released in a single day in 2024 than in the entire year of 1989. Amid this wave of creativity, 14 artists stood out.
14. Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey was the 18th most streamed artist on the Spotify global rankings this year, “Born to Die” being her most streamed album and the first ever major label debut album to spend over a decade in the Billboard 200. Lana Del Rey published the single “Tough” with Quavo, an American rapper and singer-songwriter, on July 3. Upon release, “Tough” was number 32 on the Billboard top 100, now reaching over 187 million streams. Lana Del Rey also announced an album called “Lasso,” planned to come out during September, although it was delayed and renamed to “The Right Person Will Stay” now planning to be released in the middle of May this year.
13. Clairo
Clairo’s third album “Charm”and first self-released studio album released on July 12 of last year. This album debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and it featured trendy artists like Phoenix and Beabadoobee. It quickly became a Tiktok sensation, and the track “Juna” rose to the Tik Tok Billboard 50. It became her first top ten album, and it earned Clairo her first Grammy nomination for the Best Alternative Music Album.
12. Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan started a 10-month long tour in March, releasing his new album “The Great American Bar Scene” in the middle of his tour on July 4. This album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 but soon rose to second the next week, blocked by “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift for first. The album’s most streamed song was “Pink Skies,” which quickly became popular on social media platforms like Tiktok and Instagram. Spotify also revealed that Zach Bryan is in the top five most streamed artists of 2024 alongside another country artist, Morgan Wallen.
11. Hozier
Hozier made a huge comeback in 2024 by releasing the extended album “Unreal Unearth: Unending” which included his new EPS (Extended Plays) “Unaired” and “Unheard” on December 6. The EP “Unheard” especially went viral because of the song “Too Sweet” which was number one in the Billboard 100 for a week. “Too Sweet” is one of the 10 most listened to songs in 2024 and topped countless charts like the Irelands singles top 100, UK singles top 75, New Zealand top 40, and more.
10. Tyler the Creator
Tyler The Creator released his latest album “CHROMAKOPIA” which included 14 tracks and debuted on October 28 as the number one album on the US 200 billboard chart, with the most popular song being “St. Chroma” inspired by the novel “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. Tyler The Creator also headlined at Coachella, the Californian music festival and collaborated with Louis Vuitton.
9. Ariana Grande
The year 2024 was very impactful for Ariana Grande, along with her lead role in “Wicked”, she released the album “eternal sunshine” with hit songs “the boy is mine” and “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” on March 8. The album ranked as the tenth-best selling album of the year as of July and earned 58.2 million first day streams on the global spotify charts which made “eternal sunshine” the biggest female album debut of 2024.
8. Kendrick Lamar
One of the biggest years of Kendrick Lamar’s career was 2024. He made the song “Not Like Us” as a diss track comeback against Drake, which ended up being very popular on social media and became one of the most significant rapping disputes in history. This song earned him multiple grammy nominations, breaking the record of the most streamed diss track of all time. It debuted as number one on the Billboard 100 chart when it was released on May 4 and racked up nearly a billion streams according to Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick also released a new album called “GNX” with 12 tracks on Nov. 22 as a surprise release. This album was Lamar’s fifth consecutive number-one album in the US and earned over 44.2 millions first-day streams.
7. The Weeknd
Canadian singer The Weeknd amassed almost 15 billion streams this year as Spotify’s second top global artist, marking yet another year of ranking high in streams. His song “Dancing in the Flames” was released in September and is the lead single for “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” his sixth studio album, which is set to release in 2025. This year, he released other teasers for “Hurry Up Tomorrow” including “São Paulo,” which features a guest appearance from Brazilian singer Anitta.
6. Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams’s second studio album, “The Secret of Us” was released in June. The final track was the highly-anticipated single “Close to You,” which had been teased seven years beforehand. Abrams also released a deluxe version of the album with bonus tracks including “That’s So True,” which topped the Spotify Top 50 USA streaming chart every day for multiple weeks. Abrams collaborated with Taylor Swift for the song “us.” and was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
5. Chappell Roan
Going from three million monthly Spotify listeners in 2023 to over 42 million in 2024, Chappell Roan has exploded in popularity this year. Her hit single “Good Luck, Babe!” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in April and peaked at fourth in September. Her 2023 album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” also saw a new surge in streams this year, especially for the most popular tracks such as “HOT TO GO!” and “Casual.” After working as an independent artist in smaller venues for several years, Chappell Roan has emerged as a rising star and brought back the popularity of 1980s-inspired synth-pop and hyperpop in contemporary music.
4. Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish’s 2024 album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” topped charts in over 20 countries and received seven nominations to the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for categories including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year and Song of the Year for song “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.” The album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” is the artist’s biggest streaming debut of all time, and the song “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” reached number one on the Billboard Global 200 in August. After receiving acclaim for a song that appeared on the film “Barbie” in 2023, this album marks a new era for Billie Eilish’s career.
3. Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift remained Spotify’s top global artist for the second year in a row. Her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD),” is the first and only album in Spotify history to surpass one billion streams in just a week. “TTPD” is also the most streamed album in a single day in Spotify history, and it ranks fifth on the Billboard list of biggest sales weeks for any album since 1991. Swift embraced a darker sound with synth-pop similar to her 2022 “Midnights” album, and she also released several new versions of popular songs such as “Fortnight (acoustic).”
2. Charli XCX
In early June of 2024, English singer Charli XCX released “Brat,” which went on to define the summer with trends such as the Apple Dance, a TikTok dance trend and “Brat Summer.” The album features a simple yet distinct lime green cover with black Arial font. Its sound is also extremely recognizable with an invigorating blend of electropop, club-pop and hyperpop. “Brat” was the singer’s most commercially successful album to date, and this success comes after almost a decade of honing her craft and blending experimental genres with mainstream pop.
1. Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter captured the perfect catchy, bouncy sound this year. She released multiple hit singles such as “Espresso,” “Taste” and “Please Please Please,” all leading up to her “Short n’ Sweet” album release. Her two summer hit singles rotated through the top three of Billboard’s Top 100 for multiple months during the summer, sparking debate over what the song of the summer was. Her songs were ubiquitous on radio stations and Spotify playlists around the world. This year, Sabrina Carpenter has transformed from a young pop artist gaining traction to a true star, making her truly the top artist of 2024.