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The Top 50 Pop Songs of 2024 (10-1)

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Though The Bias List is first and foremost a K-pop review blog, each month I spotlight a handful of “global pop” tracks that have taken hold of my playlist. To cap off the year, I’d like to count down my top tracks that weren’t part of the K-pop or J-pop markets.

This was a weird year for pop music because there were so many returns by huge artists, yet almost every single one felt totally underwhelming to me. Because of this, my list is stuffed with lesser-known artists who made the year extremely solid. In fact, it was so solid I’m expanding this list from forty to fifty! Like last year, any track is eligible whether it was promoted with a music video or not.

SONGS 50-31
SONGS 30-11
SONGS 10-1

2024 YEAR-END MASTERPOST

10. Florrie – Looking For Love

There’s a reason I champion legendary producers who have been around through multiple eras and seen trends come and go. Xenomania do their thing on Looking For Love, paired with Florrie’s wistful vocals and a killer chorus.

9. Benjamin Ingrosso – Look Who’s Laughing Now

Ingrosso’s 2024 music melded classic rock and pop with modern touches that made it feel both timeless and timely. Look Who’s Laughing Now has bubblegum hooks for the ages, tied to a striking arrangement that grows bigger and bolder as the song unravels.

8. Benjamin Ingrosso – Back To You

Yep, we’re doing two Benjamin Ingrosso songs back to back. The album is simply that good. Back To You brings him to the dancefloor, pairing his surging melodies with Like A Prayer-style bombast. It’s such an evocative sound.

7. Bentley Robles – IAM IAM IAM

IAM IAM IAM opens an incredible pop album with flair. Its spacey synth sound quickly morphs into a larger-than-life chorus bound to get your blood pumping. Bentley’s music has such personality but always puts the song itself at the forefront.

6. Silence Wang – One Hundred Thousand Volts

Silence Wang has become my go-to C-pop artist, especially when he dabbles in dance music. One Hundred Thousand Volts reminds me of the early-2010’s festival EDM trend, climaxing in a series of dizzying electronic flourishes. Like many songs on my list, it feels gargantuan in scale.

5. Zee Machine & Bentley Robles – Anyone But Him

Certain production choices can elevate a song by tenfold. Anyone But Him would be a dynamite track regardless of arrangement, but its brisk instrumental and searing post-chorus guitar vaults it all the way into my top five. The song sounds like speeding down a highway.

4. Käärijä x Erika Vikman – Ruoska

Two of Finland’s ballsiest iconoclasts join forces for the pummeling Ruoska. Käärijä’s heavy guitar freakout meets Vikman’s theatrical dance approach, resulting in a hulking track that feels like being run over by a freight train.

3. Vincint – Lean

File Vincint under “indie artists who deserve to top every chart.” His vocals, coupled with the warmth of this club-ready production, result in an uplifting anthem that becomes downright transcendent as it unfurls. It’s an instant classic in the vein of emotional club music like Robyn’s Dancing On My Own.

2. Confidence Man – I Can’t Lose You

There was no greater 2024 earworm than this. I don’t know what crack they laced the vocal production with, but the tone and texture kept me coming back for more and more. I Can’t Lose You is like every great 90’s dance song funneled into one burst of pop perfection.

1. Madison Rose – Falling Outta Heaven

I’m convinced Madison Rose is an alien sent down from a planet whose sole currency is pop music. She just gets it in a primordial way, and that’s on full display during every second of Falling Outta Heaven. This is everything Gaga and Katy and Rihanna gave us at their peak, delivered by an artist with a sliver of the budget and recognition. I honestly don’t know how she does it, but her talent as a pop force is off the charts. I’m attempting every mystical ceremony I can to invoke 2025 being her breakout year. Pop music this glistening and big and affirming needs to be heard by as many listeners as possible.

And as a bonus… My Top Three Pop Albums of the Year!

3. Confidence Man – 3AM (La La La)

2. Bentley Robles – Ugly Crier

1. Benjamin Ingrosso – Pink Velvet Theatre

24 thoughts on “The Top 50 Pop Songs of 2024 (10-1)”

  1. Oh, the way I had a feeling Falling Outta Heaven would at least be in your Top 3, if not 1! The simple, a little repetitive chorus works so well, especially knowing how she’s belting the crap outta the chorus! Definitely one of my fave songs this year, here’s hoping 2025 gives us choruses like these!

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    • I’ve been listening to a lot of 2000s/early 2010s music in the last month and I’ve realized that most of the best pop songs have the simplest, repetitive hooks – Just Dance and Poker Face by Gaga, DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher are some that come to mind

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  5. Before checking your list, here are mine:

    JADE – Angel of My Dreams

    Erika de Casier – Lucky

    Nick Leon & Erika de Casier – Bikini

    Charli xcx – Von Dutch

    Charli xcx – 360

    Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather

    Chappel Roan – Good Luck Babe

    Kali Uchis & Peso Pluma – Igual que un angel

    Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso

    Tyla – Truth or Dare

    The Cure – Alone

    Fontaines D.C. – Starbuster

    Fontaines D.C. – Favourite

    Ariana Grande – We Can’t Be Friends

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  6. Some of my favorite songs of the year (one per artist):

    • Ariana Grande – we can’t be friends (wait for your love)
    • Addison Rae – Aquamarine
    • Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
    • Charli XCX – Von dutch
    • Jade – Angel of My Dreams
    • Lady Gaga – Disease
    • Madison Beer – Make You Mine
    • Porter Robinson – Cheerleader
    • Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
    • The Weeknd – Dancing in the Flames
    • Zara Larsson – Venus

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  7. i was going to post my conspiracy theory on katy perry being the reason 2024’s music has been crap but i decided to scrap it so instead in gonna post my ranking in pop base’s top 50 2024 songs

    amazing i love it so much omg (10-9): supernova – aespa (9), good luck babe – chappell roan (9)

    i think its good (8.75-8): birds of a feather – billie eilish (8), we cant be friends (wait for your love – ariana grande (8.75), not like us – kendrick lamar (8.75), new woman – lisa & rosalia (8), who – jimin (8), texas hold em – beyoncé (8.25), 360 – charli xcx (8.25), please please please – sabrina carpenter (8), apt – rosé & bruno mars (8.5), training season – dua lipa (8.25), mamushi – megan thee stallion feat. yuki chiba (8.25), joyride – kesha (8.25), 16 carriages – beyoncé (8.25), push 2 start – tyla (8.25), girl, so confusing remix – charli xcx feat lorde (8.5), denial is a river – doechii (8), too sweet – hozier (8.25), angel of my dreams – jade (8.75), death & romance – magdalena bay (8.5), walk like this – flo (8), eusexua – fka twigs (8), make you mine – madison beer (8), nasty – tinashe (8)

    mid (7.75-7): espresso – sabrina carpenter (7.75), die with a smile – lady gaga, bruno mars (7.75), maestro – seventeen (7.5), chk chk boom – stray kids (7.5) i’m his he’s mine – katy perry feat doechii, it’s ok i’m ok – tate mcrae (7), so long, london – taylor swift (7.5), yeah glo! – glorilla, fortnight – taylor swift feat. post malone (7.25), saturn – sza (7), wildflower – billie eilish (7), i love you i’m sorry – gracie abrams (7), si antes te hubiera conocido – karol g (7.75), diet pepsi – addison rae (7.25), insomnia – normani (7.25), beaches – beabadoobee (7.5), cherry on top – bini (7.5), Igual Que Un Ángel – Kali Uchis & Peso Pluma (7.75), i luv it – camila cabello feat. playboi carti (7.75)

    no likey (6.75-6): enough (Miami) – cardi b (6.75)

    go to hell (5.75-1): mantra – jennie (5)

    will not be ranked: for sure – ethel cain, letter to god (1998) – halsey

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      • ok, here is the tea

        it all started when katy perry announced the release of woman’s world and that dr luke would be producing the album. however, because dr luke was on the album, he ended up cursing the project from the start which is why the final album was so bland

        this led to woman’s world only debuting at the lower half of the hot 100 before falling off a week later. it was such a flop she cursed the whole industry into releasing the blandest music possible for the second half of the year. it’s why the hot 100 this year was so shitty, full of the most lifeless, unimaginative music (though sabrina was alright). she and dr luke casted a spell by releasing such a godawful album that would flop so bad it released shockwaves causing record producers to panic, playing it safe since such an influential artist couldn’t escape tanking so hard

        you can even hear it in the lyrics. lines like “you better celebrate, cause we ain’t going away” were claimed to have a double meaning, and it was said the original line was “give up on hooks, melodies are overrated. even the “uh-huh, uh huh” hook was a subtle incantation for this effect. this numbed the brains of songwriters around, but especially kpop, causing many songs to skimp over good choruses and settle for mediocrity and uninspiredness

        the only way we can stop this curse from ever taking effect in the next year is by locking katy in the khia asylum and throwing away the key. jamie lynn spears needs a roommate after all

        (before katy’s legal team or fanbase sues me this is a joke)

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  10. Agree with Chappell Roan being your one concession, ahaha. Though I did like Billie Eilish’s new album quite a bit, and I don’t really like most of her stuff.

    Other than that I can’t really say I’ve paid enough attention to pop music within this year outside Japan. I still have not listened to Brat, for example. I mean, okay, I did listen to Lauren Mayberry’s solo album which is pretty nice (have you heard it yet?)

    (But also: my favorite Eurovision song was “The Code.” Whole thing was a shitshow but I think the right contestant won.)

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  11. I didn’t listen to much global pop this year, so I’ll definitely be using this list for recs!

    According to Spotify, my picks are:

    Ariana Grande – bye, the boy is mine
    Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us, Euphoria
    Allie X – Galina
    Beyonce – Tyrant
    Benjamin – Vanha mina vainaa, Paremmin ku kukaan muu
    beabadoobee – Ever Seen
    Carol Ades – Dreams
    Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars – Die with a Smile
    The Scarlet Opera – Catch Me If You Can

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  12. Interesting list, I know Florrie by name (I used to listen to Girls Aloud as a teen and she was always a suggestion for Girls Aloud listeners). The song you posted was nice, a chill synthpop song.

    I also used to love Benjamin Ingrosso, I couldn’t stop listening to his previous album “Playlist.” The one he dropped this year, despite being much more consistent sonically, didn’t resonate with me as much. I guess I’m not a fan of that sound, but I was definitely a former stan.

    I never liked the Finland Eurovision guy, I found his songs to be very gimmicky and memey. So glad Loreen won a few years ago lol.

    My top 10:

    1. Justin Timberlake – Selfish.
    2. Ariana Grande – the boy is mine.
    3. Tems – Love Me JeJe
    4. Kehlani – After Hours.
    5. Tinashe – Nasty.
    6. The Weeknd – Dancing in the Flames.
    7. Charli xcx – 360.
    8. The Weekend, Madonna, Playboi Carti – Popular.
    9. Tyla – Push 2 Start.
    10. SZA – Saturn.

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