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
Honorable Mentions:
Julie Bergan – Dive
Nova May – Mr. Bus Driver
Jax Jones – Never Be Lonely (ft. Zoe Wees)
Darin – Fantasi
Madison Rose – HAUS!
Bentley Robles – High Definition Lover
Confidence Man – So What
Ellen Benediktson – Maniac
Infernal – Touch Heaven
Madison Rose – Paradise
BRÆTZ – Følsom Player
Joel Corry – Stay Together (Baby Baby) (ft. Vula)
Mileo – You’re Mine
50. Rebecca & Fiona – Älskling
The best “da da da da da da da da” hook of 2024? Pure clubland bliss.
49. Jamie xx & Robyn – That’s Life
Life-affirming disco strings fantasia buoyed by one of pop’s coolest trailblazers.
48. METTE – Bet
A strong argument for METTE becoming a global pop superstar in 2025.
47. LEXXE – Queen Of The Night
Gothic synthpop with a sledgehammer of a chorus.
46. Confidence Man – Control
The chirpy vocal hook is unearthed gold from 90’s dance archives.
45. Benjamin – Vanha minä vainaa
Melds Nordic folk music with propulsive club music. What’s not to love?
44. Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
My one concession to mainstream pop charts. If any artist deserves the plaudits, it’s Chappell. (She was in my top two songs of last year, after all…)
43. Janna – Onnistu elämään
More icy synthpop from Finland with a megawatt chorus.
42. Bingo Players x Pure Shores – Summer Dreaming
Euphoric summertime dance pop with gorgeous, Abba-esque keys.
41. Benjamin & Bess – Paremmin ku kukaan muu
A meeting of two Finnish pop icons. The song drips with charisma at every turn.
40. Kiesza – Dancing & Crying
Melding art pop with immense dancefloor energy, this climaxes in majestic peaks.
39. Chloe Jane – Dance Floor Emergency
A coiled, airtight groove so insistent it’ll have you out of your seat in seconds.
38. Fast Boy – Wave (ft. RAF)
A brilliant interpolation of a Laura Branigan classic, tied to an efficient club banger.
37. Cyan Kicks – Don’t You Say I Didn’t Warn You
This is my kind of pop-punk, buoyed by anthemic melodies and a bit of electronic influence.
36. Confidence Man – Real Move Touch (ft. Sweetie Irie)
Another loving re-creation of 90’s dance sounds, Real Move Touch is pure joy.
35. Marcus & Martinus – Unforgettable
Sweden’s Melodifestivalen beat The Weeknd at his own game with this icy synth bop.
34. Bonnie McKee – Jenny’s Got A Boyfriend
Bonnie delivered everything Katy Perry promised this year, melding tongue-in-cheek lyrics with bubbly pop bombast.
33. Robin Packalen – Amen
Robin made a dynamic turn to synthpop this year and no song was better than this majestic bop.
32. Benjamin Ingrosso – Angela
Utter pop perfection, from its soaring chorus to the gorgeous, piano-driven breakdown. What a classic sound!
31. Jannika B – SOS
Sleek and powerful and anchored by a whopper of a chorus. Finland just knows how to do pop music.
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
YES at Good Luck, Babe! It’s one of my favorite pop songs of the year too. And it’s nice to see much of her album from last year go viral.
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And adding on to that (since I can’t edit my past comment), that climatic bridge of “Good Luck, Babe!” is one of my most favorite bridges and pop moments of the year. Girl was SINGING.
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I don’t remember you including Good Luck, Babe! in your monthly global pop round up when it came out, so I’m very glad to see it here. it’s such a phenomenal song and Chappell deserves every bit of success she’s getting.
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Excited this is finally out – your Global Pop Round-ups are my favourite feature on the site, as it points me toward lesser known pop acts I’d miss by just following r/popheads. I’ve found so many new artists to follow on here!
Been basically waiting for this to drop for me to really comb through all your lists, specially now that work is out for the week and I can go through and see what I might have missed this year. Thanks for all the work you do putting these together!
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It’s my pleasure! Please let me know if you find any keepers 🙂
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It’s weird, after listening to some of these songs, it seems that your tastes in global pop are closer to mine, while they’re wildly different in k-pop! And now, I just remembered that I may have found Purple Disco Machine from you, which is the gift that keeps on giving.
Also, Raf is the original singer and co-composer of “Self-control”. Both his version and Laura Branigan’s were released the same year. I learnt this recently so sharing the knowledge!
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Oh I had no idea! That makes me love the song even more.
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I have a huge favor to ask of you. Can you, when you are making weekly round ups or this year end ones, please make a playlist of the entries? I know it would take you even more time, but I bet a lot of people would really enjoy them.
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