What do Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter have in common? Both pop stars had a huge
breakout year in 2024, despite having been in the music industry for many years prior. It was and still is – impossible to scroll through any social media app without hearing one of the
hits from their recent albums. Whether it was a TikTok dance to âAppleâ, or a summer
holiday photo dump soundtracked by âEspressoâ, the two pop superstars ruled our warm
weather days this year. And by the looks of it, they arenât going anywhere. The music
industry constantly tells women that they have an expiration date; if you donât break through
within the first few years of your career, youâre condemned to insignificance. Charli and
Sabrina break this stereotype, and their years of experience show through their current
career choices.
To the general public, it seems as though Charli and Sabrina popped out of nowhere.
However, cult followers know that their mainstream success has been long overdue.
The numbers donât lie – the catapult of these two pop divas into the mainstream has been
monumental. Sabrina had just over 10 million Spotify monthly listeners around the release of
her fifth album in July 2022, skyrocketing to 46.2 million by April 2024, following the
worldwide success of âEspressoâ and the drop of âShort and Sweetâ. Charli had 15 million
monthly listeners when âBratâ was released in June 2024, rapidly increasing to over 45
million in late August after collaborating on remixes with Lorde and Billie Eilish, and the peak
of the âAppleâ dance trend.
Both Sabrina and Charli already had strong fanbases before their breakout eras – having
over 10 million monthly listeners respectively pre-summer â24 made them far from total
obscurity. Social media and the power of TikTok virality have taken them from âif you know,
you knowâ status to worldwide phenomena.
âEspressoâ was released in April 2024, and since then itâs been inescapable. By all means, I
should be utterly sick of it by now. We all have those songs that are so overplayed that they
plague your mind. The chorus of âGirls Like Youâ by Maroon 5 drives me nuts, and itâs still
played so often on the radio (at least in Malaysia, where Iâm from). Yet, thereâs something
about âEspressoâ that has the opposite effect on me – Iâm always coming back for more.
Maybe itâs the cheeky wordplay – âI know I Mountain Dew it for youâ continues the caffeine
theme of the song or can be interpreted as âI know I mount and do it for youâ. Or maybe itâs
the one-liners of âThatâs that me espressoâ and âIâm working late, âcause Iâm a singerâ that
compels you to sing along every single time. Itâs probably both of these things, combined
with Sabrinaâs magnetism and charisma, that draws us in and refuses to let go.
Though itâs necessary to acknowledge that her radiating charm and ability to work a crowd
(as weâre seeing on the Short ân Sweet tour), didnât just show up overnight. Itâs the
culmination of her hard work for the past decade, evident as her debut single, âCanât Blame
a Girl for Tryingâ was released in March 2014. Countless people were under the impression
that Sabrina Carpenterâs latest album, âShort and Sweetâ, was her second, a follow-up to
âEmails I Canât Sendâ. The reality is that this is her sixth album, and 2024 marks a decade of her releasing music. This is the work of a seasoned artist, who has long planted the seeds of
her career and is now enjoying the fruits of her labour.
The same can be said for Charli XCX. Most of us were introduced to her through her 2010s
hits, âBoom Clapâ, âI Love Itâ with Icona Pop, and âFancyâ with Iggy Azalea. Between those
chart-toppers and the present day, Charli has remained in the pop sphere while cultivating a
steady following. She has released 6 albums between her debut and âBratâ, embarked on 7
headlining tours, and opened for many other music icons such as Coldplay, Paramore, and
Katy Perry. Sheâs been putting in the work, but for years has flown under the mainstreamâs
radar. That is, until âBratâ dropped in June 2024.
Even before its release, the album was drumming up conversation, particularly about its
cover: the album name typed out in black over a lime green background. Itâs been a while
since weâve seen an album cover with such stark simplicity in contemporary pop – one of the
most recent iconic ones that comes to mind is Beyonceâs self-titled album cover. Some
applauded Charliâs stripped-back approach, while others claimed it was a lazy effort.
“They were like, ‘Why isnât she going to be on the cover? She needs to be on the cover,'”
Charli recalled of the fan response that broke out on social media. “Why should anyone have
that level of ownership over female artists?”
Instead of changing the cover to appease public opinion, Charli stuck to her artistic instincts
and defended her decision. To her, the cover is an apt representation of her album, her art –
who is anyone to tell her otherwise? This is another indicator of a seasoned pop girl, as a
newcomer may have given in to the pressure. Especially in this modern era, where social
media has made it easier than ever for criticism to directly reach artists – they could be
harmlessly scrolling and see someone talking down on their art.
However, the backlash of the cover art certainly was not reflective of the albumâs
performance – âBratâ earned Charli her highest first-week sales in the US, debuting at
number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart with 77,000 units sold. On Spotify alone, the album has
amassed over a billion streams, higher than any of her previous records.
The cherry on the cake is the womenâs incredible nominations sweep at this yearâs
Grammyâs: Sabrina has been nominated for eight awards, including all four of the Grammyâs
biggest awards â Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the
Year. Meanwhile, Charli has been nominated for seven awards â Record of the Year and
Album of the Year among them.
Charli and Sabrina have proven that playing the long game is the way to go. You donât need
overnight success when youâve developed a steady fanbase that will only grow exponentially
once the public has eyes on you.
Written by: Ayesha Elena
Edited by: Grace Lees