24 songs that are still in my bloodstream from 2024
fashionably late as always, here's my list
I haven’t sat down to write a post/article in like a month, and that’s simply because I was forcing it. I accidentally got caught in the invisible yet present rat race that is social media (which includes Substack—I know a lot of y’all want to be exempt from the social media narrative, but you’re on Notes, for god’s sake, saying you quit social media). But that’s not the point; that was just a random pet peeve tangent I went on.
Anyway, I got stuck mentally in the social media rat race of content, content, content, baby, and I needed to not. So I had to step away from this website and live my life. But since music is basically in my bloodstream, I wasn’t not not going to share my top 24 songs of 2024 with you all. I can’t deprive y’all of that.
Every year, I curate a playlist filled with the catchiest, most brilliant, and undeniably beautiful songs—mainly hits—that I can obsess over on repeat. I update it every few weeks throughout the year, carefully refining it. Right now, the playlist has about 50 songs (that’s right, I’m picky), but I’m only sharing the best 24 because, well… 2024, blah blah blah. You get the gist.
360 - Charli XCX
This was my song of the year, my song of the summer—a song I simply can’t get over. The first time I heard it, I knew I was in trouble. I knew this was about to be my anthem. And guess what? When my Amazon Music (leave me alone) year-in-review dropped, I didn’t even blink when I saw my most played song was 360.
Nature - Leigh Anne
This is all I’ve ever wanted from Leigh-Anne. This reggae sound is her lane—she’s claimed it! Every time I play it, it feels like the sun warming my skin.An undeniable earworm, and mark my words—this will be a hit one day when she blows up with her solo music. Trust.
Bloom - Aqyila
This might be one of the best love songs I’ve heard in a minute. The lyrics are so cute—I kind of melt every time I hear them. Paired with Aqyila’s warm, velvety voice, it’s truly an experience. We rarely get love songs anymore because everyone is a goddamn menace to their partners, so when a song like this comes along, it makes me happy to know that someone out there is being loved this beautifully. The lyrics I can’t get over is “In every universe, I’d find you / I’m falling, you’re my favorite thing to cling to”—come on. This song is just so sweet, it could melt even the most heartless person out there.
Walla Walla - Debbii Dawson
The ABBA renaissance is happening. If Sabrina doesn’t bring it back, I’m sure Debbii is working on it. Debbii is such a talent. I first discovered her through her debut EP, Learning, when Eulogy For Nobody came on, and I just felt it so deeply. She’s definitely changed her sound after that EP, it’s very ABBA-coded now(which is always a win in my books). Her music always feels fresh, and this song is just pure fun—it never gets old. Check it out, and while you’re at it, check out Debbii’s other music too. I’m so excited for her future!
Love Me Not- Ravyn Lenae
It was so hard for me to choose between Genius and Love Me Not, but Love Me Not won—not because Genius isn’t just as good, but because I have a lot of artists I want to get through, I only allowed myself to choose one song per artist. I love this song. It was the first song I heard from Ravyn, and I ran (from one app to another) to stream her new album, Bird’s Eye (which, by the way, is my album of the year). You can feel her frustration—being tossed around, loved one day and discarded the next. Oof. And then there’s the spiral of wondering if she’s losing her mind, feeling indecisive about whether to stay or leave… all wrapped up in a rock-infused track? Yeah, that’s song of the year material. It’ll probably end up being a hit in a few years.
Don’t Smile - Sabrina Carpenter
How do I even explain how this song makes me feel? Of course, it’s the least appreciated track on the album. Sabrina’s voice is heavenly over this mellow beat—you can feel the melancholy in the music, the desperation, the sadness, the yearning. I think this might be the song I keep coming back to the most—there’s something so addicting about it. I also love how she switches it up every verse and that second verse? She’s riding the beat. It’s so good. What an album closer!
Dispose of Me- Omar Apollo
Whoa, a man made it to this list. I know, it’s shocking since I mainly write about women in music, but when a song and artist are as excellent as this, I guess I’ll make an exception—just this one time.
Omar Apollo loves to copy Frank Ocean’s homework, and you know what? He’s not giving us new music, so someone should. There are two types of Omar’s music I like: the weird, risky, sometimes Bad Bunny cosplay stuff (which is excellent), and then there’s the Frank Ocean cosplay (which I love, sorry). This song is so depressing—I have to press play whenever I’m feeling down. You can just feel the crying out for help, the sadness, the hurt, and the love in it. It’s just excellent. As for the rest of the album, he can keep it.
I Already Dug Your Grave- Alemeda
Alemeda is next up. This song is just so fun and punk-rocky, I love it. I honestly think this song should also be a hit. I wrote a whole review about her EP FK IT, and here’s what I said about the song I Already Dug Your Grave: “Forgiveness is not always the key to happiness!! From this whole EP, the lyrics ‘The only way you’ll change, the only way you’ll grow, is if you’re six feet deep down a goddamn hole’ are so fun to sing in the car—give it a try!”
Coloured Concrete - Nehmasis
A new artist I discovered! I gotta be honest, for most of these songs, I recommend the full album where they came from. Verbatim is a fantastic album. This song, Coloured Concrete, makes me levitate to another world. The vibes are truly immaculate—it makes me feel like running through a tall field of grass, feeling free.
Whatcha Doing - Dua Lipa
A hit that slipped away. I’m just not going to comment on this era from Dua Lipa (enough people have talked about it). This was the hit off the album that got away—it feels like summer, and it sounds exactly like the album cover. You can hear the signature Dua Lipa sound, mixed with Kevin Parker & Co ‘s psychedelic production. This was the radical optimism we were promised, and the song hasn’t gotten old yet. Sometimes, the production brings me to tears.
Robbed - Rachel Chinouriri
And the saddest song of the decade goes to…Rachel! As written in my review of her album, “This is a song that makes me incredibly uncomfortable to listen to because of just how fucking sad it is.” And yet, I press play again.
Rachel, your time to be a big star is coming, I’ll make sure of it!
Breaking News - Flowerovlove
Goddamn, is the UK making these talented pop girls in a factory or something, wtf—this is like the 4th one on my list. I don’t know if you’ve heard of flowerovlove yet, but oh, you will in a few years. This song just feels like a sneak peek of what she’s capable of, and her whole debut EP is very good. Honestly, the song is just a dreamy pop bop.
Blowing Smoke - Gracie Abrams
Go away if you don’t like Gracie Abrams. When Gracie uses her pen for vengeance, it’s kind of insane. Like in this song, calling out bullshit with lyrics like “Tell me if she takes you far / Far enough away from all the baggage you’ve been carrying / Up another hill to all the girls who’ll help you bury it.” —keep going, Gracie!
Mi Camino - Selena Gomez
I will always be team Selena Gomez making Spanish music—her EP Revelación is some of her best work to date. At least the movie gave me this hidden gem of a song. Thank you, Selena!
Love Me JeJe - Tems
The minute I heard this song, I knew Tems had a hit on her hands. I just love songs that are so laid-back, they can instantly change your mood for the better when you hear them. You can just tell how much fun she had making this song—it’s filled with so much love, and that energy transfers right over to you.
ICE - Faouzia
This was quite a random discovery I made. Faouzia’s voice is crazy—incredible, and this song is just so different. Usually, I wouldn’t like songs like this, but damn, her vocal range blew me away. I had to go search up the rest of her music, and I’m impressed. I’m keeping an eye on her career—it seems promising!
Buzz - NIKI
People have Phoebe Bridgers, I have NIKI. I’m usually not into the whole diaristic songwriting without a point to it, but there’s something about NIKI’s writing that just made me gravitate towards it. I really like this song—NIKI has a lot of humor in her writing that I enjoy. It’s not all doom and gloom over there. Also, check out the song Focus by NIKI if you want to hear more of her personality shine through her songwriting.
Wildflower - Billie Eilish
Speaking of doom and gloom, this is the most haunting song Billie has made. This song deserved all the hype Birds of a Feather got, but we all can’t have taste, right? I love this song—it might be Billie’s best one yet. It’s so Radiohead, but Billie-coded. I’m talking about the real Billie, not the bad guy Billie that Billie and Finneas think we love so much. When Billie said she essentially made this whole song by herself, I’m thought; Billie, it’s time to go out and make a whole album without Finneas, please!
DENIAL IS A RIVER - Doechii
I am so happy for the success Doechii has been recieving. I love storytelling in a rap song and baby, Doechii is a storyteller with so much personality. I’m so excited for everything she’s going to do. The storytelling, performance, and rhythm of this song are just so good. The more you listen to it, the more you realize how brilliant this song is, and how brilliant she is.
Tyrant - Beyonce
The beat of this song goes so hard! There’s always an unserious song on Beyoncé’s albums, and it’s always the most fun. I’m sorry, but some of us like to have fun too! Cowboy Carter — album of the year 2024.
Hypé - Aya Nakamura ft Ayra Starr
Two of my favs on a track—I knew it was gonna be a hit. The beat, the melody, and both their deliveries in this song are just on point. I think anyone can vibe with this track. Just press play!
No Broke Boys - Tinashe
Tinashe deserved one more hit after Nasty. She’s on another level—her music is so good and so unique that no one else but Tinashe could make it. And if you get it, you're cool! This song is just pure fun! Do you see a pattern here? I don’t always want to cry to music—hits are supposed to be fun! I’d say this list is filled with hits, one way or another.
Run Your Mouth - The Marias
I’m gonna be honest—I tried The Marías a few years ago and ended up exiting out of the album. It's sad because I really enjoy their music now. This song??? Excellent. This is what I mean when I say a hit. There are deep cuts, great songs, and then there are hits, which just hit— do you get what I mean? The production, the guitar breakdown, it’s all so good.
Last Night’s Mascara - Griff
Oh, it’s not enough she dropped Vertigo, her debut album. She went and dropped this incredible gem. My only question is; why the hell didn’t this song make it on the album?? Anyways, Griff—as I said in my review of her album—she gets pop music, and I’m seeing other people starting to understand what’s special about her. Also, did you see her performance of this song? Talk about being a POP star. Griff domination 2026, let’s gooo!
Honourable Mentions
One of Your Girls - Troye Sivan
When the beat starts to this song, I simply am in another state of mind. When I say, since the day this song was released, not a single pop song has been better... it’s 2025 people, step your game up! The production is unbelievable, the chorus is so infectious, and everyone I played this song to has instantly been like ‘Whoa, who is this?’ You know a hit is a hit. I have no other way to describe this song.
Busy Woman - Sabrina Carpenter
This is what Sabrina needs to keep doing. ABBA-inspired production paired with witty, Dolly Parton-esque lyrics is where her true strength lies—kind of like Please Please Please. It showcases the true brilliance of Sabrina as an artist: she uses comedy as a coping mechanism, which makes her songs feel real, honest, and incredibly self-aware. She effortlessly blends heartbreak, desperation, and other tough emotions with humor, making it enjoyable to listen to. That’s why I think she’s a very misunderstood artist. There’s real substance in her music. Busy Woman is so fucking good, I’m actually upset this wasn’t on the album. Sabrina, please release this song officially now—I’m sick of having to go to YouTube to stream it every single day.
Ok that’s all the songs I have for y’all. I hope 2025 brings us even more excellent music!
Till next time,
Sema <3
Sema!! I always love when you share music because I either know the songs and totally agree with you or I haven't heard of the songs and they become my new faves!! I love this list!!
YESSS on "Don't Smile"!! I loved it so much, I wrote a whole piece on it! Check it out if you want a thoroughly researched deep-dive on this track