2024 was quite the year for music. Many of the most popular artists in the world released albums, and pop girls especially dominated the charts. I consumed so many different genres and artists, but here is my compilation of what truly made up my year, and what I’ve learned about my music taste from this deep dive through my Receiptifies of the past.
Albums of the year
For this category, I only picked albums that came out this year, but I always have phases with old albums too (*cough* Reputation by Taylor Swift and i think you think too much of me by EDEN *cough cough*).
As a lifelong Swiftie, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) was obviously my most anticipated release of the year, and I was not disappointed. Contrary to what critics say, I believe this is one of her best bodies of work, and would even go as far to say it ranks #3 out of all her albums for me. And I promise it’s not due to recency bias, as 2022’s Midnights has been bouncing around my bottom five since its release.
My next most anticipated album would of course go to my next favorite artist, none other than eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande. As someone who was deeply disappointed by positions when it dropped and was not expecting another album any time soon, I was shocked by this album. Like TTPD from above, this has easily become a top three album of Grande’s for me.
Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter is my biggest surprise from this list. I have never been her biggest fan, whether it be in acting or music, but have still been hoping one day that changes for me. That being said, I absolutely adored this album, and it has definitely started to change my mind of her. Songs like “Lie to Girls”, “Taste”, and “Dumb & Poetic” were constantly playing in my car early on this semester.
Last, and only because it sort of doesn’t count, is GUTS (spilled) by Olivia Rodrigo. I know only the five bonus songs were new, but they were terrific. Like always, Rodrigo captures so much of the 20 year old girl experience in her writing, and each song is relatable in its own fun and unique way.
Top songs
Alright, now some of this was definitely not released this year, but we all go through phases with songs, so it’s totally fine.
Starting off strong with the only two songs on this list released in 2024, we have “Peter” and “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart” by Taylor Swift. Both songs have been on constant repeat since their release in April (as has most of the album), and I am 99% sure “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart” is going to be my most played song this year (as of the completion of the article, Spotify Wrapped has not dropped yet, but knowing my luck, it will drop before this article does).
And if that’s not my top song, then my next guess has to be “You Broke My Heart” by Drake. This released in late 2023, but really grew in fame during the spring semester. This was a popular song on aux among my friend group, and has frequently been in my top 10 throughout this year. Staying on the rap train, we have “Nightcrawler” by Travis Scott, which has bookended my year in terms of how much I listened to it.
Finally, switching back to my pop girlies, we have “Green Light” by Lorde and “love is embarrassing” by Olivia Rodrigo. I always am going though a phase with some old Lana Del Ray or Lorde song, but I had two prolonged phases with “Green Light”, so it had to make the list. “love is embarrassing” has been my anthem since its release over a year ago, so of course it had to be included as I continue to embrace the thrills and embarrassment of my college love life.
Favorite artists
I listen to quite the wide range of artists in far too many genres, but there are four that I really wanted to highlight this year. There are some others that I really did listen to this year, but feel like their other mentions on this list make up for that.
Starting off strong we have my current favorite pop diva, Tate McRae. I have been a fan of hers since her competitive dance days, but it took me awhile to really get into her music. With the release of Think Later almost a year ago, her incredible tour, and her new singles, I have been loving everything she does lately and have tickets to see her next August with my friends!
This year, I also hopped on the Gracie Abrams bandwagon. I had liked some of her music before, but The Secret of Us really drew me in this year and I love so much of her discography now.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a year without my girl Taylor Swift, who will forever and always be my top artist year after year. And speaking of artists whose initials are T.S., Travis Scott was a defining artist in my year as well. Rodeo is an absolute classic, and his newer albums are still good. I found myself listening to a lot more of him than usual and hope that continues into 2025.
Live in concert
I also wanted to take a moment to highlight the two concerts I attended this year (R.I.P. to the others I couldn’t get tickets to).
In February, I attended the “It’s All a Blur Tour – Big As the What?”, put on by Drake and J. Cole. I sat in lower bowl with my two best friends and had the absolute best time. While the performance quality sometimes lacked in comparison to other concerts I’ve been too, they played so many of the classics and had the whole arena singing along to songs that have raised us since middle school. I would absolutely go to another one of their shows.
Fast forward to July, my parents secured last minute lower bowl tickets to the “GUTS World Tour” with Olivia Rodrigo. For only having two albums out, she had quite a long set list and her vocals never failed to impress. I am excited to see how her concerts improve as she moves into stadium venues (which I expect to happen by her next tour) and builds more worlds around her albums, which can translate into more exciting sets, costumes, and performances.
While my music taste is certainly basic, and this article makes it look even more so than it actually is, I still was able to learn how much impact pop and rap music have had on my last year. Even though I love my quirky or underground music, I always find myself coming back to these mainstream artists the most. I guess there is a reason they are so popular!