Top 10 Songs of 2024

As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the past year’s musical offerings, of which there were many highlights (see: brat, Tension II, The Great Impersonator, Enjoy Youth, Cowboy Carter and The Tortured Poets Department).  But, after much deliberation, I have narrowed down my favorites to the following 10:

10 | Apple - Charli xcx

The viral hit track that made introspection and intergenerational trauma danceable with its 80s-esque beat is my favorite on the sensational brat album. The bouncy earworm spawned a TikTok dance which helped solidify the song’s popularity. I was also fortunate to see Charli perform this and other songs from brat on the Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan.

9 | The Code - Nemo

It still feels unreal that I got to experience the electrifying Grand Final of Eurovision this year. Nemo was a crowd favorite from the start and his performance was incredible. According to Neil McCormick from The Telegraph, Nemo delivered a “lush, catchy pop song with a very insistent hook, a fast-attacking rap and a huge, almost operatic vocal” that was a much-needed “youthful blast of pure escapist joy”.

8 | Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other - Orville Peck & Willie Nelson

Orville Peck teaming up with Willie Nelson on this song about the secret desires of cowboys was not on my music bingo card for the year. The lead single from Orville’s duets album, Stampede, is a cover of the original song recorded by Latin Country artist Ned Sublette in the 80s (which Willie then covered in 2006). Orville’s sultry vocals combine perfectly with Willie’s slightly raspy vocals with just the right amount of instrumental twang to tie everything together.

7 | Heartslap - Bright Light Bright Light Feat. Mykal Kilgore

In May this year Bright Light Bright Light released what is arguably the best studio album of his career, namely Enjoy Youth, which EQ Music’s Mandy Rogers described as a “mix of glittering electro-pop, 90s house, bursts of HiNRG synth-pop and phenomenal artistry”. I attended the album launch party in Brooklyn where he performed some of the tracks, including this catchy, high-energy nod to the 90s featuring the super talented Mykal Kilgore.

6 | Houdini - Dua Lipa

I am a big Dua Lipa fan so I was very excited to hear her third album Radical Optimism, especially after the release of its lead single, Houdini.  Laura Snapes from The Guardian described the exuberant disco track as “ferociously catchy without being bludgeoning” and it does “a convincing job of combining her appreciation for vintage sonics with diamond-tooled pop songwriting”.  It’s an infectious track that still has me dancing every time I hear it.

5 | Texas Hold 'Em -Beyoncé

This was definitely a year for artists redefining and reclaiming country music. Beyoncé’s huge hit was a laid-back yet foot-stomping and fun-filled take on the country/Americana genres that made my jaw drop (in the best way) when I first heard it. It has incredible vocals with guitars and fiddles and abundance of Western imagery and was definitely a highlight from her universally acclaimed album, Cowboy Carter.

4 | Disease - Lady Gaga

Disease was released in the last part of the year but quickly cemented itself on my list of 2024 favorites. After several power ballads and the jazz-infused Harlequin (which I actually really like by the way), dark pop Gaga was back! Alexis Petridis from The Guardian describes the single as having “fizzing, distorted synths playing dark minor chords; a pounding, slightly industrial four-to-the-floor beat [and] vocals in the strident, imperious mode of Poker Face” - what more could a Gaga fan ask for?

3 | Fortnight - Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone

The release of The Tortured Poets Department saw Taylor breaking all kinds of records, including some of her own. It was number one on the Billboard 200 chart for 15 non-consecutive weeks. I loved everything about the album (especially the limited edition CD box sets and gorgeous vinyls, culminating with the Black Friday release of TTPD Anthology on 4 marbled translucent vinyl discs). Fortnight was the lead single from TTPD, described as an “1980s-inspired downtempo electropop, synth-pop, and new wave ballad” (what’s not to love?). The accompanying black and white video, written and directed by Taylor herself, is also hauntingly beautiful.

2 | JOYRIDE - Kesha

Joy was very much the theme of this year - well, it was until the first week of November - and Kesha certainly brought it with this single, released on July 4th (an appropriate date given her newfound independence as an artist). It’s a campy, carefree banger of a song that dominated social media and my playlists throughout the summer. Kesha released the music video on 20 November, an action-and-revenge-filled homage to Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. I can't wait to hear what she does next. Beep beep, bitch!

1 | My Oh My - Kylie Minogue With Bebe Rexha & Tove Lo

2024 was another standout one for Kylie Minogue and I could have easily filled this list with tracks from Tension II. Indeed, she continued her domination of the pop world with a string of hits and collaborations this year, including this one featuring Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo. I heard it described as the child of Can’t Get You Out Of My Head and Padam Padam and I can’t think of a better description. Besides the blissful synths and catchy beat, I love the flirty lyrics and references to their respective star signs: “When you asked, What's your name? What's your sign? / I'm Kylie, it's Gemini…I'm Bebe, I'm a Virgo…I am To-Tove Lo (Uh-uh) I'm a, I'm a Scorpio”. I cannot wait to see her perform this and her other Tension era hits on tour in 2025!