Many popular and new artists released new albums in 2024 but what really is the most influential album out of all of them? The year 2024 was a big year for both popular and rising artists, as well as for music in general. As the year comes to an end, Rancho Cucamonga High School students reflected on their favorite albums released this year and shared their opinions on which albums they felt deserved more or less recognition than they received.
“The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology”
Taylor Swift, a worldwide known artist, released “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” on April 19, 2024. This was Swift’s 15th album she’s released, and in total, this album made around $260 million globally. This album is a double album containing 31 songs. Being only 34-years-old, Swift has had a major influence on music since 2006 when she first stepped into the spotlight with the release of her debut country album.
This album has been a fan favorite with the most popular song being “Fortnite.” This album mostly features folk-pop songs. Throughout her music career, Swift has explored many genres, but in the past few years, she has been especially gravitating towards folk and indie-folk. This has been a transition that has attracted a lot of new listeners and with her release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” her music is more popular than ever.
Swift gained loyal fans throughout the years who have been given the name “Swifties,” and she has more than 90 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Along with the release of her new album, her multi-year national tour “The Eras Tour,” which started on March 17 in Arizona and is scheduled to end on December 8.
“I would like to say that the ‘Tortured Poets Department’ is one of Taylor Swift’s more developed albums since she’s emotionally involved and the songs have deep meanings that correlate with her,” junior Sydney Thompson said.
Some fan favorites from this album include, “The Smallest Man Alive,” “I Can Do It WIth a Broken Heart,” and “So Long, London.”
“My favorite song is ‘How Did It End?’ because the rhythm and the lyrics are so deep, and you really need to think about it to understand it, and I love that,” Thompson said.
“brat’” – Charli XCX
Charli XCX, or Charlotte Emma Aitchison, has been around for a while, being most popular in 2014 for her song “Boom Clap.” She was also featured on the iconic song from 2012 “I Love It” by Icona Pop. With the release of her new album “brat” this summer, she has taken over the charts and social media.
With its iconic green color and lower-case, low quality font, “brat” has blown up over the internet. Released on June 7, 2024, this album sparked internet trends such as the “Apple” dance and “Brat Summer” and in total made about $13.4 million globally.
“It has this feeling of really being on the top of the world and just really gives you so much self confidence because the message of this entire album is to be a brat, and brat I shall be,” freshman Mia Malone said.
Charli XCX mainly sticks to one genre of music: recession pop. She is known for her “party girl” aesthetic and loves creating upbeat music for all to enjoy and dance to. Charli XCX has released 6 studio albums and has gained 38 million monthly Spotify listeners. The most popular song off the album was “360” with 246 million streams on Spotify. Other popular songs from the album include: “Girl, so confusing,” “365,” and “Apple.”
Many people across the world participated in “brat summer” which came with the release of the album and pertained to dressing in a more edgy, cool party girl style, living in a way perceived as how a “true brat” would. A new dance trend emerged to the song “Apple” which flooded the feeds of just about everyone on TikTok. In fact, “brat summer” was so viral that many famous celebrities and artists have posted on social media participating in “brat summer” and even doing the “Apple” dance. Most famously, Charli XCX endorsed presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris by tweeting out “kamala IS brat.” Soon after, Harris’ campaign team changed the backdrop on the account “Kamala HQ” to match the signature “brat” font and iconic lime green background. Charli’s songs were also featured on their TikTok page.
“It felt like half of the world just became entranced with this album immediately the hold it had on people was insane,” Malone said. “The word ‘brat’ is literally the UK’s word of the year because of this album. The BBC [british broadcasting system] said it and then when the ‘Sweat Tour’ happened and Charli XCX and Troye Sivan went on tour people went crazy and they sold out the entire tour. Overall brat is life,” said Malone.
“Short n’ Sweet” – Sabrina Carpenter
Former Disney Channel star Sabrina Carpenter released her sixth studio album “Short n’ Sweet” on August 23, 2024. “Short n’ Sweet” was a hit album this summer, and Carpenter has gained many new fans and a monthly Spotify listening of 78 million people. This pop album has notable hits such as “Please, Please, Please” and “Espresso” which were the sounds behind millions of TikToks posted throughout this summer. “Short n Sweet” debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one.
Carpenter has released music since 2012 when she starred on the popular Disney show “Girl Meets World.” However, 2024 has proved to be her year to shine as she is currently on her first ever world tour for this album. She produces primarily pop songs and has become a new favorite artist for many. Her hit single “Espresso” from the album “Short n’ Sweet” won the Video Music Award for Song of the Year at the MTV VMAs this year as well.
“I think this album is a solid album, and I think that all of the songs fully encapsulate the vibe she wanted for this album,” junior Frankie Huerta said.
“Short n’ Sweet” has 12 songs, which were all placed on the US Hot 100 chart upon release. The most popular song off the album was “Espresso” with more than one billion streams on Spotify. Other songs that were popular from this album include: “Taste,” “Please, Please, Please,” and “Bed Chem.”
“My Favorite song is ‘Good Graces.’ This album is really upbeat and all of the songs are very catchy,” Huerta said.
“The Great American Bar Scene” – Zach Bryan
American country artist Zach Bryan released his album “The Great American Bar Scene” on July 4, 2024. He has been releasing music since 2019 and has made six studio albums. He is most famously known for his hit single “Something in the Orange” released in 2022. Following the release of “Something in the Orange” his music quickly gained traction across social media, especially on TikTok. For many country fans, he is considered a country classic, and this album has only made Bryan more popular. He has almost 30 million monthly Spotify listeners and is currently on tour.
“My favorite song is ‘Great American Bar Scene’ and [the] other album I like is ‘American Heartbreak,’” sophomore Alyssa Ramirez said.
This album contains 19 songs with features from John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen, and more. The most popular song on the album is “Pink Skies” with 296 million streams on Spotify. Other popular songs include “28” and “Purple Gas.” Bryan made around $20 million off this album release.
“The reason I like this album is because of the lyrics, and the fact that it’s relatable and I just like his music in general to be honest,” junior Alora Fife said.
Bryan has been nominated for 10 awards for his music. He won a Grammy this year for his song with Kacey Musgraves “I Remember Everything.” This album has proved to help him rise in country music and as an individual artist.
“HIT ME HARD AND SOFT”- Billie Eilish
Billie Eillish has been in the spotlight for her music since she started releasing music at just 14 years old. She has made many hit songs such as “Ocean Eyes,” “bad guy,” and “What Was I Made For?” which was featured in the beloved “Barbie” movie that was released last year.
With the release of her new album “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” she has only grown in popularity. Viral songs like “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and “WILDFLOWER” have come from Eilish’s new album. Released on May 17, 2024, the album debuted at number two on Billboard 20 and charted all of its songs in the top 40 of the Billboard hot 100. This album contains ten songs which she has written with her brother Finneas O’Connell, as she works closely with him to produce all of her music.
“I like the album because I’ve always been a fan of Billie Eilish since her first single so seeing how far she’s advanced in music and seeing her creation with her brother made the album a lot more special to me. I think my favorite part about the album is the instrumentals,” junior Brooklyn Helper said.
Many fans connect and relate to this album and how deeply it connects with Elish’s feelings. Eilish decided this album would have an alternative or bedroom pop genre, somewhat similar to her other albums. This album received almost 78 million streams in the first 24 hours upon release and completely took over social media.
This is her third album since she started releasing music in 2017 with the album “dont smile at me.” Eillish first became popular with her single “Ocean Eyes.” She has been extremely successful in finding her own voice in the music industry and has headlined seven tours in the past seven years. Eillish has built a huge fan base and has almost 108 million monthly listeners on Spotify. She has won multiple awards including nine Grammys, three Billboard awards, two Golden Globes, and more.
“I like her other albums but I think this one is my favorite. Another one I really like is ‘Happier than ever,’” Helper said.
The release of “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” has produced many hits. The most popular song off the album was “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” with one billion streams on Spotify. Other fan favorites from this album were “LUNCH,” “CHIHIRO,”and “WILDFLOWER.” The whole album has been extremely well received and popularized on TikTok.
“Cowboy Carter” – Beyonce
During the making of “COWBOY CARTER,” Beyoncé Giselle Knowles decided to try something else. Rather than making another pop album, this album was actually country. Released on March 29, 2024 with the singles “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “16 CARRIAGES.” he most popular song from the album was “YA YA.” As states in Variety, this album, “ makes her the first Black woman to ever debut at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. stated in Variety’s article about her newest album. She debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 with this album as well.
“COWBOY CARTER” was the most streamed album on a single day in 2024 when it was released on March 29, 2024. With 27 songs and features from artists such as Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, and more “COWBOY CARTER” received over one billion Spotify streams.
According to the BBC, “Beyoncé has said the album came from an experience where she ‘did not feel welcome,’ which motivated her to dig deeper into the history of country music.”
Beyoncé is originally from Texas and was said to have produced this album with the music she listened to growing up in mind. “COWBOY CARTER” is the sequel to a trilogy of albums starting with her last album “RENAISSANCE” which was released in 2022.
Beyoncé has had a very successful career since 2003 when she released her first album “Dangerously In Love.” Beyoncé has had many popular hits such as “Telephone” with Lady Gaga released in 2009 and “Crazy in Love” released in 2003 featuring her husband Jay-Z. She has been named one of the most influential artists from the past two decades.
“Bando Stone and the new World” – Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino made his return to the music industry on July 19, 2024 when he released his album “Bando Stone and The New World”. This was his second album he released this year; “Atavista” being the first album he’s released since 2016. Gambino then released “Bando Stone and The New World” only two months after “Atavista” and also announced his tour “The New World Tour.”
“Bando Stone and The New World” is an alternative-indie and hip hop-rap album, which has been Gambino’s preferred genre since he started releasing music in 2010. With nearly 26 million monthly Spotify listeners, Childish Gambino has built a supportive audience that was happy to have new music from him to enjoy.
Longtime Childish Gambino fan senior Kaylee Perez shared her opinions on his new album.
“I thought it was really unique, and I liked that it was more experimental with melodies and things like that, but I don’t think it’s something I’d listen to on a daily basis,” Perez said.
The most loved songs off this album were “In The Night” and “Lithonia.” Gambino’s album featured many artists such as Foushee, Flo Milli, Chloe, and Yeat. Over the past 14 years of Gambino releasing music, he has had many popular songs and some would say he has greatly influenced rap and R&B music. He is most popularly known for his songs “Redbone,” “3005,” “Me and Your Mama,” and “Les.”
“My favorite song was probably ‘Lithonia,’” Perez said.
Donald Glover uses Childish Gambino as his stage name, but he can be seen acting in many major shows and films such as “The Martian,” “The Lion King,” and “Community.” Considering he is so passionate about his career as an actor and his love for film, he also made a “Bando Stone and The New World” movie. In the movie Glover takes on the role of character Bando Stone who is a singer trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. This film premiered on July 1, 2024 on YouTube.
“I think it’s interesting that his return to music had to involve a movie soundtrack, but I’m grateful that he at least dropped new music,” Perez said.
With 49 million Spotify streams in the first week after releasing the album, Childish Gambino’s fans were excited to have new music from him after eight years. Childish Gambino implied retirement and for many fans, new music being released from him seemed highly unlikely. So, after his release of not one, but two albums in one year, for longtime fans 2024 has felt surreal.
