Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter top in 2024 [Video]

This year brought us new albums from some of the biggest artists in the world: Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift all put out music that thrilled fans.

And yet some of the most impactful pop music of 2024 came not from Tay or Bey, but from three rising pop stars whose songs took us out to the clubs (Pink Pony and otherwise) and back home to the bedroom. They embraced romantic ugliness and cutting self-reflection — and pushed pop forward.

The year arguably belonged to Charli XCX, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.

“People like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, who’ve dominated for so long — they have a sheen and a polish to them that’s somewhat unrelatable as a listener,” said Sam Murphy, a music curator who analyzes and dissects pop on his popular TikTok account. “What people really craved this year, the TikTok generation, was to see …