2024 has been a defining year for pop music. From Charli XCX’s “Brat” pushing the boundaries of mainstream pop to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” becoming an instant classic, these albums will go down in history as standouts in cultural influence.
BRAT
By Charli XCX
“Brat” is the sixth studio album by Charli XCX, released on June 7. Taking the internet by storm, the album made a debut at number three on the Billboard 200 and received seven nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
The songs channel the high energy pulse of rave music by blending electro-pop, club-pop and dance. In a profile for The Face Magazine, XCX described the album as her most “aggressive and confrontational record” yet.
The song “Apple” became a trending sound on TikTok after fans created a viral dance to the lyric, “I think the apple’s rotten right to the core.” The song “365” also went viral, with the lyric “365 partygirl” becoming a widely recognized catchphrase among the fan base.
The album cover’s unconventional typography and shade of green became a viral sensation online, due to its instantly recognizable and easy to replicate design. In an interview with Vogue, XCX explained that she wanted a design that reflected the album’s unapologetic and rebellious nature.
“It’s an off-trend shade of green to trigger the idea of something being wrong,” she said.
The track “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish has been nominated for ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Additionally, the song accumulated over 340 million streams on Spotify, making it the highest streamed song on the album.
On October 11. XCX released a companion remix album featuring guest artists on every track, including Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan, Addison Rae, Billie Eilish and more.
SHORT N’ SWEET
By Sabrina Carpenter
“Short n’ Sweet” is the sixth studio album by Sabrina Carpenter, released on August 23. Debuting at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, the album received eight nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Ahead of the album’s announcement, the platinum-certified lead single “Espresso” was released, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song marked a significant turning point in Carpenter’s career, becoming one of her signature tracks and one of the fastest songs in history to reach one billion streams on Spotify.
In an interview with Variety, Carpenter described “Short n’ Sweet” as “the hot older sister” to her previous album.
“It’s a companion but it’s not the same,” she says. “When it comes to having full creative control and being a full-fledged adult, I would consider this a sophomore album.” she said.
The album title is a reference to the album’s short runtime of 36 minutes and the singer’s height—five feet to be exact. Nearly every song is about romance, but that doesn’t mean every song is the same. Despite the short tracklist, the album features a multitude of different genres including pop, R&B and country.
The opening track, “Taste” has an accompanying music video that went viral on the internet. The video, featuring Jenna Ortega, takes inspiration from the 1992 black comedy ‘Death Becomes Her’, where two women fight for the admiration of the same man. The video also makes distinct references to other cult classic films, such as Psycho (1960) and Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003).
The “Short n’ Sweet Tour” opened in Columbus, Ohio, on September 23. The production is theatrical, playful and charged with audience interaction. Complete with Broadway-inspired acting segments, the tour boasts a stage design reminiscent of a Barbie Dreamhouse. Carpenter’s costumes include corset bodysuits, skirts, dresses and her signature bedazzled platform boots.
THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY
By Taylor Swift
“The Tortured Poets Department” is the eleventh studio album by Taylor Swift, released on April 19. The standard version contains 16 songs and the expanded version—The Anthology—contains an additional 14 songs. The album received six nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Swift announced “The Tortured Poets Department” was a “secret double album” two hours after its release.
The album broke numerous streaming records. Spotify announced that “The Tortured Poets Department” became the most pre-saved album in history, the first album to accumulate 300 million streams in a day and the first to reach one billion streams in a week.
Swift and her long-term boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, broke up in the midst of “The Eras Tour,” which spans 3.5 hours per show and grossed over $1.93 billion worldwide. Despite this, Swift continued to show strength and resilience on her demanding tour while simultaneously writing and completing songs for “The Tortured Poets Department.”
In the song “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” Swift acknowledges her ability to mask heartbreak and ultimately persevere on tour, as illustrated by the lyric, “All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting more!”
Ironically, Swift added the song to “The Eras Tour” setlist, following a 2-month break that aligned with the album’s release.
“I needed to make it, it was a lifeline for me,” Swift said during a concert in Melbourne. “It reminded me why songwriting is something that gets me through life, and I’ve never had an album where I’ve needed songwriting more than I needed it on Tortured Poets.”
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
By Billie Eilish
“Hit Me Hard and Soft” is the third studio album by Billie Eilish, released on May 17. Co-written with her brother and longtime creative partner Finneas O’Connel, the album received seven nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
The songs were recorded in her brother’s home studio, the same place where her previous record, “Happier Than Ever,” was created.
The album’s leading single, “Lunch,” gained widespread popularity, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, “Birds of a Feather,” became a fan-favorite and accumulated over one billion streams on Spotify.
“I had moments of thinking, ‘Oh my God, ‘Birds of a Feather’ is our worst song.’” Eilish said in a profile for The Los Angeles Times, “I thought it was too poppy and that everyone was gonna hate it.”
However, in an interview with Apple Music, the singer explained that she’s also proud of the song because it marks a new milestone in her vocal range. “It’s the highest I’ve ever belted in my life,” She said.
Eilish described the album cover photoshoot as one of the most painful experiences of her life in a interview with KIISFM. She explained that it involved repeatedly being submerged in a water tank, with a weight strapped to her chest, for two minutes at a time.
“The shot was so good, but it was hell,” she admitted with a laugh.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE
By Ariana Grande
“Eternal Sunshine” is the seventh studio album by Ariana Grande, released on March 8. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and received positive reviews from critics.
The album title is inspired by the 2004 film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
“The movie is kind of like ‘ignorance is bliss.’” Grande said on the Zach Sang Show. “It’s really sad, selectively erasing certain things. It’s what drew me to the name because there’s a lot of pain on the album as well.”
Despite its uplifting sound, the album delves into themes of heartbreak, acceptance and finding new love, following the singer’s recent divorce. The opening track “Intro (End of the World)” begins with Grande questioning, “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?”
The second track “bye” was described by Grande as the most challenging to write. She wanted to ensure it wasn’t perceived as being rooted in hatred.
“I combed through to make sure it was what I intended,” Grande said. “Even at my most heartbroken or pained moments, there was so much kindness, so much love, so much transparency and respect.”
Though every song on the album is connected, the first three tracks go hand-in-hand by exploring the internal conflicts and thought processes of ending a relationship. “bye” reflects the painful act of letting go when it’s no longer working, while still acknowledging the good. In contrast, “don’t wanna break up again” explores the fear of the grief process and the instinct to keep trying to save it.
The track “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and accumulated over one million streams on Spotify. The premise of the accompanying music video, once again, draws direct inspiration from the 2004 film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
