Was anyone else disappointed by Spotify Wrapped this year? After Instagram stories were flooded and hiding Drake fans were unmasked, the cracks started to show on Spotify’s dystopian staff cutting operation: all their Google AI collab could muster was letting me know I listened to ‘Pink Pilates Princess Strut Pop’. The satirical ‘Spotify Unwrapped’ website seems more apt that ever, bluntly exposing that the percentage share of your £144 yearly subscription that actually gets paid to your favourite artist can only afford them half a weekly food shop.

But while Spotify fell short, I believe the human race can take a sigh of relief for 2024, as we bore witness to a booming pop culture that was shaped by voices that were unwaveringly and loudly human – or in other words, brat. To see the same electropop sound Charli xcx spent years crafting take over the world so authentically is heart-warming (can you believe her last tour stopped at the LCR?). And for such a confident, expressive and vulnerable value set to be broadcasted to millions under an iconised lime green banner has been superbly culturally and emotionally productive. In the name of compassion, communication and authenticity, I name Lorde’s ‘Girl, so confusing’ remix as my song of the year. 

And to prove a point using an annoyingly long list, here are all the other artists who saturated pop this year: Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Tyla, Camila Cabello, Normani, Tinashe, Addison Rae, RAYE – and I could go on. We are privileged to be living in an era of mainstream pop that houses so many genuine talents and entertaining personalities, so it is even more of a feat that the very real possibility of oversaturation apathy has been avoided by audiences that have been inclusive to them all.

And if your grandparents, co-workers and politicians weren’t trying to muster their way into a brat summer, they were grooving to a grimy west coast beat and shouting “they not like us!”. Hip-hop was reinjected with an adrenaline shot courtesy of Kendrick Lamar in his lyrical world takeover, spanning from March’s bombshell ‘Like That’ to May’s laser-focused spree of Drake disses and culminating in last month’s West Coast manifesto album GNX.

Conscious rapper Cordae argued that Kendrick’s acute lyrical displays made “lyricism the most prominent subgenre in hip-hop again”, a welcome change to the formula for audience members ranging from genre-first timers in Kai Cenat livestreams now engaging with music analytically for the first time or hip-hop heads finally seeing the core of their genre celebrated in the mainstream. It would not stop with Kendrick: Doechii, Cordae, and JPEGMAFIA all stood out this year for their levelled-up penmanship, as well as the best-selling rap album this year – Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA – a profound return to the insightfully vulnerable rap storytelling of old. 

It would seem that whatever that was in the water in the US made its way over to Norwich too, with UEA’s own JAIME and Eezy releasing their unquestionably competitive debut rap projects this year. In fact, our Music Production Society saw a landmark year for releases, with growth to the catalogues of Neonheon, Enjae, Nick Mobin and Pink Serene, as well as streaming debuts from Sophie-Rose, Sparrow and Becca Brant.

On a personal note, 2024 was also the year I started reviewing music on a humble Instagram account and indeed in Concrete, a journey which has led me to interact with and even meet some amazing musicians in person. As of when I am writing this, I have listened to a record-high 139 albums this year – besides the mainstream choices, my album of the year has to go to MUTT, the breakthrough R&B masterclass from Leon Thomas, who you may know better as Andre from Victorious.

And there’s plenty more to come in 2025: blockbuster releases from SZA, The Weeknd & Lana Del Rey, the UK tour stops of Billie Eilish, Fontaines D.C., Tyler, The Creator and the shockwave return of Oasis. But before Christmas songs enter your playlists (either fanatically or begrudgingly), give yourself some time to appreciate this year in music. Spin your Spotify Top 100 songs playlist, remember where you were when you first listened to your favourites, have a look through those shaky concert videos – we’ve had a year for the history books, and it sure as hell ain’t coming back.

Photo Credits: Unsplash