From Taylor Swift to Chappell Roan: 2024 Music Power Players

Bad Bunny

The Latin superstar logged his 16th song to reach more than a billion streams on Spotify, hosted Saturday Night Live and co-chaired the Met Gala, all while completing his hit-filled, moneymaking Most Wanted Tour. His five albums are sitting comfortably in the top 30 on the Billboard Latin chart, from his full-length debut, 2018’s X 100pre, to last year’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. It’s clear Bad Bunny never has a bad year.

Beyoncé

The artist with the most wins in Grammy history continues to use music to entertain — and educate (not to mention endorse, with “Freedom” becoming Kamala Harris’ unofficial anthem). With Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé gave the world a history lesson on the origins of country music, and as a result, Black artists are finding major success in the genre. She’s also given us — surprisingly — some of the best collaborations of her career. She and Miley Cryus are supernatural on “II Most Wanted,” and who would have thought Post Malone and Queen Bey blending vocals would be otherworldly? 

Benson Boone

This year has bequeathed many epic new talents, and Boone is one of the frontrunners. The 22-year-old smartly left American Idol in 2021 to pursue his music full time, and he found major success with the pop-rock anthem “Beautiful Things,” which went viral on TikTok in 2024. He followed it up with another hit, “Slow It Down,” and has opened for Swift on her Eras Tour. These achievements make him a shoo-in nominee for the best new artist Grammy.

Zach Bryan

Consistency is Bryan’s middle name: He’s dropped albums in 2022, 2023 and 2024 like a rapper putting out fire mixtapes. His latest, The Great American Bar Scene, continues to prove he’s on the road to superstar status: 17 songs from the project hit the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and the album reached the No. 1 spot on several genre charts, from country to rock to Americana/folk. Bryan also got Bruce, yes that Bruce, to collaborate on a song. Springsteen even joined Bryan onstage at a show in Philadelphia. Clearly, Bryan is a boss, too.

Sabrina Carpenter

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t love “Espresso,” in the running for bop of the year. The irresistible smash established Carpenter as a bona fide pop star, and the No. 1 follow-up, “Please Please Please,” only sealed the deal. With the August release of her album Short n’ Sweet and a tour of the same name kicking off in September, the 25-year-old who toured with Swift and performed at Coachella will continue to achieve musical firsts, including adding “Grammy nominee” as a prefix to her name. Actually, it’ll likely be “Grammy winner.”

Charli XCX

“Brat” summer has become a lifestyle brand thanks to Charli. Inspired by her explosive and carefree BRAT album, the Brit owned the summer and is on track to take over the fall, winter and spring, too. Her pop culture moment has even turned political: She made Barack Obama’s summer playlist and her endorsement of Kamala Harris is helping the Democratic presidential nominee reach younger voters. Charli could easily be considered the current VP’s MVP.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish

She kicked off the year winning her second Oscar and two more Grammys, bringing her career total to nine — and that was before she released an album. Then came Hit Me Hard and Soft, another lofty Eilish affair that launched more top 10 hits for the young icon, including “Lunch” and the fascinating “Birds of a Feather.” The latter was used to tease the upcoming season of Netflix’s Heartstopper, was performed at the Olympics closing ceremony and is sure to win Eilish, and her brother/producer/engineer/co-writer Finneas, a couple more Grammys.

Eminem

His new album ended the 12-week reign of Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department on top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, proving Slim Shady’s still got it. The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) became Em’s 11th No. 1 album and scored the largest week for any rap album this year. The album includes the hit “Houdini,” marking his first top 10 hit on pop radio since “The Monster,” featuring Rihanna, dominated airwaves. 

Ariana Grande

After releasing back-to-back albums, the vocalist took a four-year break before dropping this year’s Eternal Sunshine, one of her most emotional albums to date. And it has connected with fans in a big way, reaching the No. 1 spot while its singles “Yes And?” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” also topped the charts. She enlisted R&B icons like Mariah Carey, Brandy and Monica for remixes, and her collaboration with her 98-year-old grandmother on “Ordinary Things” made Nonna the oldest act to chart on the Hot 100. Oh, and Wicked is out in November. Grand year for Grande.

Hozier

A decade ago, Hozier made a splash with the unconventional and thrilling rock track “Take Me to Church,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100. This year, he’s returned to his sweet spot — on top of the charts — with “Too Sweet.” It hit the No. 1 position this year, making him the first Irish artist to accomplish that feat in 34 years, following Sinéad O’Connor’s success with “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990. 

Jimin

Though BTS is still on hiatus, the band members continue to find success through solo projects. Jimin nearly topped the Billboard 200 with Muse, one spot behind Stray Kids’ ATE. But it historically marked the first time two K-pop acts held the top two positions on the chart. And his single “Muse” hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Global 200 and debuted at No. 12 on the Hot 100.

Kendrick Lamar

The rap prince’s beef with Drake turned into a worldwide anthem and could become the first diss track to win a major Grammy. “Not Like Us,” which has topped the pop and rap charts, further proves why Lamar is a Pulitzer Prize winner and hip-hop’s leading lyricist: It’s clever, tactful, artistic and poignant. And a little petty. Maybe a lot petty. 

Megan Thee Stallion

Kendrick isn’t the only one topping the charts with a diss track this year. Megan’s “Hiss,” aimed at Nicki Minaj, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and she scored another hit with “Wanna Be” with GloRilla, who is opening for the “Hot Girl Summer” rapper on her sold-out arena tour. Her electric performance at Kamala Harris’ Atlanta rally matched the surge of energy surrounding the VP’s presidential campaign. And Megan’s not stopping there: After going viral with “Savage” in 2020, she is trending on TikTok with “Mamushi,” featuring Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba.

Victoria Monét

Her major-label debut, Jaguar II, was named THR’s top album of 2023 and earned her seven Grammy noms. She went on to win three and became the first Black woman in Grammy history to receive the coveted best engineered album (non-classical) honor. The song she wrote while battling postpartum, the hip-hop-flavored gem “On My Mama,” became a global anthem, and its music video won video of the year at June’s BET Awards. With a new spicy single featuring Usher, Monét is on the money.

Post Malone

How does one top working with both Beyoncé and Swift in the same year? Following his appearances on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, Post Malone continues his winning streak with his foray into country music on F-1 Trillion. That album features even more high-profile collabs, from Dolly Parton to Chris Stapleton to Morgan Wallen, who appears on “I Need Some Help,” which has spent six weeks on top of the Hot 100. Everyone wants a piece of Post.

Tommy Richman

The breakthrough singer has spent more than four months (and counting) on top of Billboard’s Hot R&B songs chart with the addictive “Million Dollar Baby.” The track, which exploded on TikTok, peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, and the Virginia native signed to R&B singer Brent Faiyaz’s label has more up his sleeve, including the top 40 follow-up “Devil Is a Lie.” 

Chappell Roan

Roan is on roll. Her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, was released a year ago but continues to rise on the Billboard chart. Her songs are streaming like crazy, with “Hot to Go!” and “Good Luck, Babe!” — from her upcoming album — leading the pack. Her live performances have been revered, and she’s saturating all aspects of pop culture, from music to fashion to social media. Some of her fans? Lady Gaga, Adele and the Elton John. 

Shaboozey

Beyoncé putting Shaboozey on two Cowboy Carter tracks would make him worthy of this list alone. But the hybrid performer ran with the ball and scored with his third album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going. His single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” has dominated the country charts, topped the all-genre Hot 100 and proved that Black artists on the contemporary country scene isn’t a trend, it’s the norm.

Stray Kids

This year has been one for the record books for Stray Kids. The K-pop all-stars topped the Billboard 200 with ATE, becoming the first group ever to debut at No. 1 with their first five charting albums. Their song “Splash” is featured on the soundtrack for the box office hit Deadpool & Wolverine; they also hit at the Met Gala; and after years of dominating Billboard’s World and Global charts, the group landed three songs on the all-genre Hot 100 chart: “Lalalala,” “Lose My Breath” with Charlie Puth and the still-climbing “Chk Chk Boom.” 

Taylor Swift

Do I need to write anything here? Her historic fourth win for album of the year at the Grammys; record-breaking streams for The Tortured Poets Department; her ongoing Eras Tour: When is Swift not winning? Even her boyfriend is a champ. Everything she touches turns into gold (and platinum and diamond).

Teddy Swims

With a big-ass voice full of soul, Swims has become one to look out for. His commanding single “Lose Control” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and makes him one of the most nominated acts at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, where he’s up for song of the year and best new artist. He’ll likely earn the same nominations at the Grammys.

SZA

It was the season of SZA in 2023, but her success easily has spilled over to 2024. Her SOS album, released in December 2022, still ranks as one of the most streamed albums of the year, and her hit “Snooze” was still in rotation, spending 70 weeks on the Hot 100 and setting a record on urban radio. She won three Grammys and launched her 10th top 10 hit this year with “Saturn,” from the upcoming album Lana. It’s never not SZA season.

Tinashe

Ten years ago, Tinashe burst on the music scene with the inescapable, beat-driven smash “2 On” from Aquarius, an album that still sounds solid today. But she’s back on the charts with the viral anthem “Nasty,” which is the TikTok hit of the year. Killer dance moves plus slick lyrics make the song undeniable. And she’s got more fire tunes like it, from last year’s “Needs” to any song on her recently released Quantum Baby album.

Tyla

After winning fans over with “Water,” Tyla proved she would escape one-hit-wonder status. While her Met Gala “sand dress” put her on the map for fashion watchers, Tyla’s self-titled debut is a critical success thanks to tracks like “ART,” “Truth or Dare” and “No.1.” And she’s still swimming in the success of “Water”: The song sits atop the Billboard Afrobeats charts, 10 months and counting, and the bop won the inaugural best African music performance Grammy earlier this year.

Kali Uchis

You couldn’t put Uchis in a box if you tried. The Colombian American singer, whose blend of R&B and Latin music is a winning formula, ranked second on THR’s top albums of 2023 list with Red Moon in Venus, and less than a year later she put out another best-of-the-year contender with Orquídeas. It became her highest-charting album when it reached No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 this year and also won best pop album at the 2024 Latin American Music Awards.

This story first appeared in the Sept. 4 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.