ⓒ The Australian
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” claimed the top spot on Apple Music’s global song chart for 2024, marking his first-ever number one year-end ranking. The announcement, made on Tuesday, coincided with the release of Apple Music’s year-end lists and individual user Replay data. This data reveals users’ most-played songs throughout the year.
Following closely behind Lamar was Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things”, followed by Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso”, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” rounding out the top five. Interestingly, Swift’s “Cruel Summer”, originally from her 2019 album “Lover”, experienced a significant resurgence in popularity during the summer of 2023.
Apple Music also highlighted a record-breaking number of female artists represented in its top 100 songs – a remarkable 39, a first in the chart’s seven-year history. Another surprising revelation came from the most-read lyrics chart, where Japanese hip-hop group Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” took the lead, followed by Lamar’s “Not Like Us”, Carpenter’s “Espresso”, and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather”.
The popularity of Japanese music continued to shine through in Apple Music’s Sing chart, which tracks the songs users sing along to most frequently. Creepy Nuts’ hit song also topped this chart, solidifying the international growth of Japanese music. YOASOBI’s “Idol”, having topped the chart in 2023, maintained its popularity, securing the number two spot this year.
New for 2024 was the Shazam Global Radio Spins chart, based on Shazam data, indicating the most played songs on radio stations globally. Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” took the top position, followed by Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” and Tate McRae’s “Greedy”.
Apple Music also launched its Replay feature, a competitor to Spotify’s Wrapped, allowing users to review their personal listening habits for the year. Artists can now share their year-end data through Apple Music for Artists.
Billie Eilish, previously named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year in November, continued her remarkable success in 2024, becoming the youngest person to win two Academy Awards and receiving seven Grammy nominations for her album “Hit Me Hard and Soft”. She even won two Grammys for “What Was I Made For?” from the “Barbie” movie soundtrack.
Apple Music’s year-end charts provide a fascinating snapshot of global musical tastes in 2024, highlighting both established and emerging artists across various genres and regions.
