Mariah Carey's timeless Christmas album features many covers of classics and three original songs. The star, of course, is "All I Want for Christmas is You," which is so timeless that it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 a full 25 years after its release, and has continued to top the chart every holiday season since.

"There are the classics — the standards that everybody grew up with — and then there are the reinterpretations or new originals," Dave Bakula, a senior analyst for Nielsen Music, told The New York Times. "Mariah lives in that sweet spot of both."

Ariana Grande's surprise-released Christmas EP experienced a surge in popularity after she added some of the project's six original songs to her 2019 Sweetener World Tour setlist. That year, it even surpassed "Thank U, Next" as Grande's most-streamed album.

"my favorite body of work," she wrote on Twitter. "she is rising from the dead ! thank u new listeners of christmas n chill and hello everyone that is just now discovering it. i'm so happy."

Grande also praised an analysis of the album by Vulture's Rachel Handler, who described the collection of songs as "surreal" and "extremely horny."

"The first thing you need to know about 'Christmas and Chill' is that, unlike most celebrity Christmas albums, it contains zero covers. Nay, this is an entirely original work; Grande does not perform a playful riff on 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' because she is too busy staying inside, having tons of unhinged sex to a trap beat," Handler wrote. 

Michael Bublé's essential Christmas album is entirely comprised of classic covers, from "Jingle Bells" to "Santa Baby" — but "Christmas" actually benefits from Bublé's lack of originality. His rich, Rat Pack-worthy voice is perfectly suited to retain the chestnut-roasting, spirit-brightening, holly-jolly magic of the holiday season.

These days, Justin Bieber's brand may not scream "holiday cheer," but his 2011 album "Under the Mistletoe" molds the genre to suit his sound.

Anyone who convinced Busta Rhymes to hop on a delightfully unhinged cover of "Drummer Boy" (Bieber's trap-tinged version features the lyric "Playing for the king, playing for the title / I'm surprised you didn't hear this in the Bible") deserves a spot on this list.

John Legend's aptly titled "A Legendary Christmas" includes eight covers (including his much-debated woke version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Kelly Clarkson) and six jazzy original tracks, which are equal parts endearing and cheesy. (When it comes to holiday music, cheese is the whole point.)

Legend is ideally suited for this kind of project, which would've fallen flat without the sincerity that defines his voice and brand. "A Legendary Christmas" was even nominated for best traditional pop vocal album at the 2020 Grammy Awards, alongside other legends like Elvis Costello and Barbra Streisand.

Save for the closing track, "White Xmas," Sabrina Carpenter's "Fruitcake" is full of original bops, each equally as catchy as the last.

Much like Grande's EP, "Fruitcake" blends contemporary pop production, wintry innuendos, and Carpenter's signature wit to great effect: "A Nonsense Christmas" is a festive twist on her viral hit, "Buy Me Presents" is a cheeky ode to Santa as the ideal romantic suitor, while "Cindy Lou Who" stands out as the sole genuine tear-jerker.

Davis Hasselhoff's Christmas album would be endearing if it had leaned into the weirdness (like, why does this exist?). Instead, it's just plain bad. As CBC Music put it so elegantly, the "Baywatch" star's attempt to recreate holiday classics was just "incredibly unnecessary."

Taylor Swift was still a teenage country darling when she released "The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection" and botched seasonal favorites like "Last Christmas" and "Silent Night." As Courteney Larocca previously wrote for BI, her "Santa Baby" cover is the EP's worst offender: "It's difficult to listen to her croon about how she's been an 'awful good girl' while trying to flirt her way into a light blue convertible without gagging."

Even though "The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection" features two original songs from this generation's preeminent lyricist ("Christmases When You Were Mine" and "Christmas Must Be Something More"), neither is executed well enough to rescue the experience.

Seth MacFarlane has a surprisingly robust singing voice, but it's hard to separate his brand from "Holiday for Swing" — especially if you associate his vocals with Brian, the talking dog from "Family Guy." The album barely reimagines any of its holiday classics and takes itself way too seriously for MacFarlane's boyish comedy instincts.

"CeeLo's Magic Moment" was an obvious extension of CeeLo Green's rebrand as the family-friendly coach on NBC's "The Voice," a much duller version of the iconic Gnarls Barkley singer who once gave us transcendent jazz-pop-funk fusion hits like "Crazy."

As a result, "CeeLo's Magic Moment" comes across as forced and contrived. 

Do you remember (or even know) that Sia released a Christmas album within the last decade?

The powerhouse singer tried to infuse a bit of tropical funk into the holiday season with "Everyday is Christmas," but it just doesn't work the way she clearly intended. As Katherine St. Asaph wrote for Pitchfork, the album "feels inconsistent and underwritten, like opening a gift where someone's forgotten to remove the tags."

Making holiday music is always a bit of a risk; it usually reeks of a cash grab, rather than a serious artistic pursuit. That can be a death knell for pop stars who already have to fight against that anti-artistic stereotype.

Such is the case for Gwen Stefani, who used to make albums like "Return of Saturn" and "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." but now makes flavorless country-pop about being married.

For many fans, Stefani's fourth solo album, "You Make It Feel Like Christmas," punctuated her unfortunate fall from the cool-girl pedestal. The album bears no hint of personality or idiosyncratic spin — just Stefani delivering the billionth faithful rendition of "Jingle Bells" and dueting with her husband, Blake Shelton, on the cookie-cutter title track.

"8 Days of Christmas" was released as the lead single from Destiny's Child's 2001 holiday album of the same name. The R&B hit was cowritten by Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Errol McCalla Jr. and interpolates the traditional carol "The 12 Days of Christmas."

"Mistletoe" was released as the lead single from Justin Bieber's 2011 Christmas album, "Under the Mistletoe" — a time when many young Beliebers dreamed of kissing him beneath the seasonal sprig. The song was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA in 2021, nearly a decade after its release.

Ariana Grande has described her 2015 EP "Christmas & Chill" as her "favorite body of work," but she originally dipped her toe into holiday tunes with 2013's little-known collection "Christmas Kisses."

"Santa Tell Me" was included with the special edition of "Christmas Kisses," released exclusively in Japan in 2014 before the song was released worldwide.

"Santa Tell Me" later received radio promotion and a music video, which has accumulated over 300 million views to date. Earlier this year, it rose to a new peak of No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kacey Musgraves and Troye Sivan performed "Glittery" as a duet during her 2019 variety special, "The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show," which aired on Amazon Prime.

Musgraves cowrote the gentle ballad with Daniel Tashian, who also cowrote the majority of tracks on her Grammy-winning album "Golden Hour."

"We wrote 'Glittery' really quickly. It had this easy groove to it, and I thought conga drums would be perfect on it and kind of give it a Marvin Gaye type treatment," Musgraves told i-D magazine. "It's a sweet little song. And then Troye Sivan joined me during the special for it. I think the imagery in that scene might be my favorite. I just want to eat it."

Girl in red, aka Marie Ulven, is renowned for writing intimate indie-pop songs about sapphic love. As the title suggests, her 2020 holiday single "Two Queens in a King Sized Bed" fits nicely within that tradition.

"It's about the beauty of Christmas and being young and not having too much stuff and just wanting to be together and cuddle and never leave bed," Ulven told The Line of Best Fit.

On the song's subtly festive production, she explained, "I feel like that's the new Christmas vibe, it's the Gen Z Christmas vibe."

FINNEAS — better known as Billie Eilish's producer and brother, Finneas O'Connell — released "Another Year" as a single in 2020, in the thick of COVID-19 isolation.

Written and produced by O'Connell alone, the song serves as a reminder that quality time with loved ones is precious, yet never promised.

"Here we are tonight, drunk by the firelight / The future could be bright though no one's sure about it," he sings in the second verse. "And if the ending's sad, at least these times we've had / The good outweighs the bad, you wouldn't know without it."

"I wrote this song this time last year but if I had known what would happen in the following 12 months, I wouldn't have changed a line," O'Connell explained on Instagram. "Hope it gives you a little comfort."

Taylor Swift's "'Tis the Damn Season," while not strictly a holiday carol like her 2019 single "Christmas Tree Farm," should still be considered one of the great December anthems.

Released as the fourth track on "Evermore," the second of Swift's 2020 sister albums, "'Tis the Damn Season" captures the specific yet universal experience of returning to your hometown for the holidays and getting swept up in the nostalgia.

"Home to You (This Christmas)" is a festive spin on Sigrid's own single "Home to You," an ode to connection and belonging that was recorded for the Amazon movie "The Aeronauts."

"'Home To You' has always had a Christmas spirit since we wrote it," the Norwegian singer said in a press release. "It's about my hometown and the house I grew up in with my family. I always go back for Christmas, so it felt natural to make a Christmas version. I hope it'll give some cozy vibes when it's getting darker outside."

From 2017 through 2022, Phoebe Bridgers would release annual Christmas covers and donate the proceeds to charity.

The 2022 installment in the series, Bridgers' take on the Handsome Family's "So Much Wine," is the perfect wintery blend of peaceful and melancholic.

Bridgers assembled a star team to reimagine "So Much Wine," including her go-to producers, Tony Burg and Ethan Gruska. The song even features backing vocals from Bridgers' then-fiancé, Paul Mescal.

"Snow in LA" is a more somber take on the holiday music tradition. The duet between PJ Harding and Noah Cyrus, who also share writing credits, is a "dark Christmas song for what feels like a pretty dark time," the duo said in a statement to Rolling Stone.

"It's reminiscent of traditional Christmas carols (with all their reverence and hope) but contrasted by images of catastrophic climate change and looming fascism that represent so many of our fears for the future," they said.

Remi Wolf took on a bonafide pop classic by Wham! with her signature zeal. Her cover of "Last Christmas" was released in 2022 as one in a set, paired with the '30s ballad "Winter Wonderland."

Quinnie, aka Quinn Barnitt, became a breakout indie-pop star in 2022 when her song "Touch Tank" went viral on TikTok. Later that year, she released "Silver Second" as a tender tribute to her family members, depicting them as huddled together in the winter months.

"In part, I wrote it knowing that my grandmother wasn't doing so well, and hoped to express the importance of being uber present, especially during the holiday season," quinnie wrote on Instagram.

"A Nonsense Christmas" was originally released in 2022, capitalizing on the viral popularity of Sabrina Carpenter's ad-libbed "Nonsense" outros during her Emails I Can't Send Tour.

Carpenter's self-described "Christ-smash" later became the core of her Netflix holiday special, as well as the highlight of her 2023 EP "Fruitcake" — but don't neglect the rest of the tracklist, which is stuffed with festive pop gems like "Santa Doesn't Know You Like I Do," "Buy Me Presents," and "Is it New Years Yet?"

"DJ Play a Christmas Song" was released as the lead single from Cher's 2023 album "Christmas." It became her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in over two decades, since "Song For The Lonely" in 2002.

This year, she released three new duet versions with Kelly Clarkson, Giovanni Zarrella, and Belinda.

"Better Than Snow" was released in 2023 in a two-song pack called "Christmas With You," paired with a cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

The duet between Norah Jones and Laufey, who share writing and production credits, juxtaposes the season's cold weather with the warmth of romance and intimacy.

"It's more a national holiday than a religious one," Laufey told The Boston Globe of her upbringing in Iceland. "It's the one time of year we can romanticize the terrible snowy weather."

"Something About the Way You Look Tonight / Candle in the Wind" became the first-ever song to be certified diamond on October 9, 1997.

In fact, the RIAA recognized the song's multi-platinum success two years before the diamond award was officially established. It remains the only physical single in history to be certified diamond and the highest-certified song released in the '90s.

"Baby" was certified diamond on May 9, 2013.

"Not Afraid" was certified diamond on June 10, 2014.

"Bad Romance" was certified diamond on May 29, 2015.

"Radioactive" was certified diamond on July 6, 2015.

"Thrift Shop" was certified diamond on November 19, 2015.

"Poker Face" was certified diamond on November 30, 2015.

"Call Me Maybe" was certified diamond on September 28, 2016.

"Uptown Funk" was certified diamond on October 18, 2016.

"Roar" was certified diamond on June 22, 2017.

"Royals" was certified diamond on December 8, 2017.

"All About That Bass" was certified diamond on January 23, 2018.

"Despacito" was certified diamond on January 27, 2018.

"Firework" was certified diamond on February 13, 2018.

"Lose Yourself" was certified diamond on February 28, 2018.

"Love the Way You Lie" was certified diamond on February 28, 2018.

"Blurred Lines" was certified diamond on June 6, 2018.

"I Gotta Feeling" was certified diamond on June 6, 2018.

"Party Rock Anthem" was certified diamond on June 6, 2018.

"Counting Stars" was certified diamond on August 20, 2018.

"Closer" was certified diamond on September 17, 2018.

"Cruise" was certified diamond on October 10, 2018.

"Dark Horse" was certified diamond on December 12, 2018.

"Just the Way You Are" was certified diamond on January 11, 2019.

"Shape of You" was certified diamond on January 24, 2019.

"Thinking Out Loud" was certified diamond on February 8, 2019.

"We Are Young" was certified diamond on June 13, 2019.

"I'm Yours" was certified diamond on June 24, 2019.

"The Hills" was certified diamond on June 28, 2019.

"See You Again" was certified diamond on September 24, 2019.

"God's Plan" was certified diamond on September 25, 2019.

"Congratulations" was certified diamond on October 8, 2019.

"Old Town Road" is the fastest song in history to be certified diamond. It received the honor on October 22, 2019, less than one year after its original release.

"Trap Queen" was certified diamond on November 8, 2019.

"Perfect" was certified diamond on December 20, 2019.

"Shake It Off" was certified diamond on March 13, 2020, making Swift the first female artist in US history to have both a diamond-certified single and album (2008's "Fearless").

"Happy" was certified diamond on May 6, 2020.

"Meant to Be" was certified diamond on August 17, 2020.

"Grenade" was certified diamond on October 2, 2020.

"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People was certified diamond on October 13, 2020.

"All of Me" was certified diamond on October 13, 2020.

"Baby Shark" was certified diamond on November 5, 2020.

"Rockstar" was certified diamond on November 9, 2020.

"Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)" was certified diamond on November 9, 2020.

"Stay With Me" was certified diamond on November 12, 2020.

"Party in the U.S.A." was certified diamond on December 7, 2020.

"Sicko Mode" was certified diamond on December 9, 2020.

"Bodak Yellow" was certified diamond on March 8, 2021, making Cardi B the first female rapper in history to have a diamond-certified single.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was certified diamond on March 25, 2021.

"Sorry" was certified diamond on March 29, 2021.

"Hey, Soul Sister" was certified diamond on April 7, 2021.

"Low" was certified diamond on April 22, 2021.

"Stressed Out" was certified diamond on April 30, 2021.

"Somebody That I Used to Know" was certified diamond on May 6, 2021.

"That's What I Like" was certified diamond on May 21, 2021.

"When I Was Your Man" was certified diamond on May 21, 2021, making Mars the first artist in history with five diamond-certified songs.

"Sail" was certified diamond on June 14, 2021.

"Moves Like Jagger" was certified diamond on July 1, 2021.

"Sad!" was certified diamond on August 13, 2021.

"Demons" was certified diamond on August 31, 2021.

"Believer" was certified diamond on August 31, 2021.

"Lean On" was certified diamond on September 17, 2021.

"Havana" was certified diamond on October 4, 2021.

"Stronger" was certified diamond on October 6, 2021.

"Super Bass" was certified diamond on November 9, 2021.

"Life Is Good" was certified diamond on November 22, 2021.

"Girls Like You" was certified diamond on November 29, 2021.

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" was certified diamond on December 3, 2021.

"The Box" was certified diamond on December 6, 2021.

"I Like It" was certified diamond on December 13, 2021.

"Tennessee Whiskey" was certified diamond on December 14, 2021.

"Sugar" was certified diamond on January 11, 2022.

It marks Maroon 5's third diamond-certified song, putting the band on equal footing with the likes of Eminem, Ed Sheeran, and Cardi B.

"I Will Always Love You" was certified diamond on January 12, 2022.

"Lucid Dreams" was certified diamond on February 4, 2022.

"Location" was certified diamond on March 3, 2022.

"A Thousand Years" was certified diamond on March 3, 2022.

"Blinding Lights" was certified diamond on April 5, 2022.

"Starboy" was certified diamond on April 5, 2022.

"Timber" was certified diamond on June 23, 2022.

"Thunder" was certified diamond on July 7, 2022, marking Imagine Dragon's fourth diamond-certified song.

"Don't Let Me Down" was certified diamond on July 11, 2022.

"Heathens" was certified diamond on July 22, 2022.

"Unforgettable" was certified diamond on August 25, 2022.

"Billie Jean" was certified diamond on August 29, 2022.

"Thriller" was certified diamond on August 29, 2022.

"Drip Too Hard" was certified diamond on September 12, 2022.

"Locked Out of Heaven" was certified diamond on October 1, 2022. Mars now has six diamond-certified songs, the third-most in history.

"Can't Hold Us" was certified diamond on October 14, 2022.

"Wagon Wheel" was certified diamond on October 27, 2022.

"Something Just Like This" was certified diamond on November 2, 2022.

"Psycho" was certified diamond on November 14, 2022.

"White Iverson" was certified diamond on November 14, 2022.

"Can't Feel My Face" was certified diamond on December 6, 2022.

"Hotline Bling" was certified diamond on December 8, 2022.

"One Dance" was certified diamond on December 8, 2022.

"Lollipop" was certified diamond on December 14, 2022.

"Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)" was certified diamond on December 15, 2022.

"XO Tour Llif3" was certified diamond on December 7, 2022.

"Fireflies" was certified diamond on January 25, 2023. It's also one of the few solo-written songs from this century to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Without Me" was certified diamond on February 1, 2023.

"Say You Won't Let Go" was certified diamond on February 15, 2023.

"Earned It" was certified diamond on February 16, 2023.

Although it was released as the lead single from the "Fifty Shades of Grey" film soundtrack, "Earned It" was also included on The Weeknd's sophomore studio album "Beauty Behind the Madness" — the first album in history to have three diamond-certified songs on its tracklist.

"Take Me to Church" was certified diamond on March 15, 2023.

"Just Dance" was certified diamond on April 12, 2023.

"Need You Now" was certified diamond on April 17, 2023.

"Sweater Weather" was certified diamond on April 19, 2023.

"Better Now" was certified diamond on April 20, 2023.

"I Fall Apart" was certified diamond on April 20, 2023.

"Circles" was certified diamond on April 20, 2023.

"We Found Love" was certified diamond on April 27, 2023.

"Beautiful Crazy" was certified diamond on June 12, 2023.

"Ni**as in Paris" was certified diamond on June 12, 2023.

"Wake Me Up" was certified diamond on June 16, 2023.

"Fuck Love" was certified diamond on June 18, 2023.

"California Gurls" was certified diamond on June 21, 2023.

"Stay" was certified diamond on June 23, 2023.

The hit collaboration marks Bieber's fourth diamond single, tying Perry for fifth place among all artists.

"No Hands" was certified diamond on July 20, 2023.

"Riptide" was certified diamond on July 27, 2023.

"Bad Guy" was certified diamond on July 31, 2023.

"Body Like a Back Road" was certified diamond on August 1, 2023.

"In da Club" was certified diamond on November 1, 2023.

"Levitating" was certified diamond on November 6, 2023.

"Someone You Loved" was certified diamond on November 8, 2023.

"Young Dumb & Broke" was certified diamond on December 6, 2023.

"Heaven" was certified diamond on December 7, 2023.

"Mr. Brightside" was certified diamond on January 12, 2024.

"Don't Stop Believin'" was certified diamond on January 26, 2024.

"Yeah!" was certified diamond on February 9, 2024.

"In The End" was certified diamond on February 27, 2024.

"In Case You Didn't Know" was certified diamond on March 19, 2024.

"Diamonds" was certified diamond on April 22, 2024.

"Wow." was certified diamond on April 23, 2024, becoming Post Malone's ninth diamond single.

Malone holds the record for the most among any artist in history.

"Let It Go" was certified diamond on May 13, 2024.

"Bang Bang" was certified diamond on May 23, 2024.

"Needed Me" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024.

"Work" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024. The song was originally released with a Drake feature, but he is not credited for the certification on the RIAA's website.

"Umbrella" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024.

"Stay" was certified diamond on May 31, 2024, becoming Rihanna's seventh diamond single.

She holds the record among female artists, second only to Post Malone for the all-time record — despite her last album being released over eight years ago.

Rihanna reacted to the historic news on X, writing, "ain't no back n forth."

"Give Me Everything" was certified diamond on June 6, 2024.

"Heat Waves" was certified diamond on June 6, 2024.

"Save Your Tears" was certified diamond on June 20, 2024.

"Die For You" was certified diamond on June 20, 2024, becoming The Weeknd's seventh diamond single.

He is now tied with Rihanna for the second-most in history — trailing only Post Malone, who holds the record with nine.

"Drowning" was certified diamond on June 25, 2024.

"E.T." was certified diamond on July 1, 2024.

"Teenage Dream" was certified diamond on July 1, 2024, becoming Katy Perry's sixth diamond single.

She is now tied with Bruno Mars for the third-most in history.

"Teenage Dream" was released as a single from Perry's 2010 album of the same name, along with "Firework," "California Gurls," and "E.T" — the first and only album to have four diamond-certified songs on its tracklist.

"Chandelier" was certified diamond on July 3, 2024.

"Thunderstruck" was certified diamond on July 8, 2024.

"Livin' on a Prayer" was certified diamond on July 23, 2024.

"Empire State of Mind" was certified diamond on July 24, 2024.

"Middle Child" was certified diamond on July 24, 2024.

"When It Rains It Pours" was certified diamond on August 14, 2024.

"Hurricane" was certified diamond on August 14, 2024.

"No One" was certified diamond on August 16, 2024.

"Happier" was certified diamond on August 19, 2024.

"Goosebumps" was certified diamond on August 28, 2024.

"No Guidance" was certified diamond on November 12, 2024, becoming Drake's sixth diamond-certified song.

He's tied with Bruno Mars and Katy Perry for the third-most in history, trailing The Weeknd (seven), Rihanna (seven), and Post Malone (nine).

"Iris" was certified diamond on November 15, 2024.

"Starships" was certified diamond on November 18, 2024.

"Lovely" was certified diamond on November 18, 2024.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was certified diamond on December 6, 2024.

"No Role Modelz" was certified diamond on December 10, 2024.

"Hey Ya!" was certified diamond on December 13, 2024.

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" was certified diamond on December 17, 2024.

"Halo" was certified diamond on December 17, 2024.

Justin Bieber's "Baby" was only the second song in history to be certified diamond on May 9, 2013.

Bieber received a second diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.

His third award was bestowed in 2021 for his smash hit "Sorry." He earned his fourth in 2023 for "Stay," a duet with The Kid LAROI.

Eminem's "Not Afraid" was the third song in history to be certified diamond on June 10, 2014. 

"Lose Yourself" and "Love the Way You Lie" both received the award in 2018.

Lady Gaga received two diamond certifications in 2015 for "Bad Romance" and "Poker Face."

She added a third to her collection in 2023 with "Just Dance."

Imagine Dragons has four diamond-certified songs, the most of any band in history.

"Radioactive" earned the band's first diamond award on July 6, 2015. It was followed by "Demons" and "Believer" in 2021, and finally "Thunder" in 2022.

Bruno Mars has six diamond-certified songs, the third-most of any artist in history: "Uptown Funk," "Just the Way You Are," "Grenade," "That's What I Like," "When I Was Your Man," and "Locked Out of Heaven."

Katy Perry earned her first diamond certification for "Roar" on June 22, 2017.

She received two more in 2018 for "Firework" and "Dark Horse." Her fourth award was bestowed in 2023 for "California Gurls" featuring Snoop Dogg.

Perry added two more in 2024 for "E.T." and "Teenage Dream," bringing her grand total to six. She has the second-most diamond awards among women, trailing Rihanna (seven).

Perry's "Teenage Dream" is also the first and only album in history with four diamond songs on its tracklist. 

Pharrell earned a diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," which he also cowrote and produced.

His hit single "Happy" received the award in 2020.

Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" was certified diamond on October 10, 2018.

The country duo received a second award in 2020 as a featured artist on Bebe Rexha's "Meant to Be."

Ed Sheeran received three diamond certifications in 2019 for "Shape of You," "Thinking Out Loud," and "Perfect."

With seven diamond-certified songs to his name, The Weeknd is tied with Rihanna for the second-most in history.

The Canadian singer earned his first diamond certification for "The Hills" on June 28, 2019. He received three more in 2022 for "Blinding Lights," "Starboy," and "Can't Feel My Face."

His fifth certification came in February 2023 for "Earned It," the lead single from the "Fifty Shades of Grey" film soundtrack.

Finally, "Save Your Tears" and "Die For You" were both certified diamond on June 20, 2024.

Drake's "God's Plan" was certified diamond in 2019.

The rapper received a second diamond certification in 2020 as a featured artist on Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode," and a third in 2021 as a featured artist on Future's "Life Is Good."

He added two more in 2022 for "Hotline Bling" and "One Dance," plus another in 2024 for "No Guidance," bringing his grand total to six.

He's tied with Bruno Mars and Katy Perry for the third-most in history.

Post Malone holds the record for the most diamond-certified songs with nine to his name. He earned his first in 2019 for "Congratulations."

He received two more awards in 2020 (for "Rockstar" and "Sunflower") and an additional two in 2022 (for "White Iverson" and "Psycho" featuring Ty Dolla $ign).

He added three more to his collection in 2023 with "Better Now," "I Fall Apart," and "Circles."

Finally, in 2024, Malone's hit single "Wow." became his milestone ninth diamond-certified song.

In 2021, Cardi B became the first female rapper in history to have a diamond-certified single with "Bodak Yellow."

Later that year, she received a second award as a featured artist on Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" and a third for her single "I Like It."

Maroon 5 earned two diamond certifications in 2021 for "Moves Like Jagger" and "Girls Like You."

The band's third award was bestowed in 2022 for "Sugar."

The Chainsmokers' hit collaboration with Halsey, "Closer," was certified diamond on September 17, 2018.

The EDM duo received two more awards in 2022 for "Don't Let Me Down" featuring Daya and "Something Just Like This" featuring Coldplay.

Twenty One Pilots received their first diamond award in 2021 for "Stressed Out."

The following year, they received a second for "Heathens," the lead single from the soundtrack of the DC Comics film "Suicide Squad."

Swae Lee earned a diamond certification in 2020 for "Sunflower," a collaboration with Post Malone for "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."

He received a second award in 2022 as a featured artist on French Montana's "Unforgettable."

Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" were both certified diamond on August 29, 2022, nearly 40 years after their release.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis earned their first diamond certification in 2015 for "Thrift Shop" featuring Wanz.

Seven years later, the duo earned a second for "Can't Hold Us" featuring Ray Dalton.

Halsey received her first diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on "Closer" by The Chainsmokers.

Her solo smash hit "Without Me" was the milestone 100th song to receive the award on February 1, 2023.

Rihanna earned her first diamond certification in 2018 as a featured artist on Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie."

She received her second in 2023 for "We Found Love," her smash collaboration with Calvin Harris, and her third in 2024 for "Diamonds."

On May 31, 2024, Rihanna collected four more diamond plaques for "Needed Me," "Work," "Umbrella," and "Stay," setting a record for the most among female artists. She now has seven diamond singles, sitting in second place behind Post Malone.

Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, received his first diamond certification that same year for "Stronger."

His second award was bestowed in 2023 for "Ni**as in Paris," a single from his joint album with Jay-Z, "Watch the Throne."

XXXTentacion, who was killed in 2018, earned a posthumous diamond certification in 2021 for his No. 1 single "Sad!"

He received a second award in 2023 for "Fuck Love" featuring Trippie Redd.

Khalid earned his first diamond certification for "Location" on March 3, 2022. The following year, he received another for "Young Dumb & Broke."

His third award was bestowed in 2024 for "Lovely," a duet with Billie Eilish.

Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" was certified diamond on November 9, 2021, a decade after its groundbreaking release.

The rapper received two more awards in 2024 for "Bang Bang," the hit collaboration with Jessie J and Ariana Grande, and "Starships."

Pitbull received his first diamond certification in 2022 for his hit collaboration with Kesha, "Timber."

He earned a second award in 2024 for "Give Me Everything" featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer.

Jay-Z's hit collaboration with Kanye West, "Ni**as in Paris," became his first diamond song in 2023.

The Brooklyn rapper received his second diamond award in 2024 for "Empire State of Mind," his famous duet with Alicia Keys.

Luke Combs has three diamond songs to his name, the most of any country singer: "Beautiful Crazy," "When It Rains It Pours," and "Hurricane."

Alicia Keys received two diamond certifications in 2024 for "Empire State of Mind" and "No One."

Travis Scott received his first diamond certification in 2020 for "Sicko Mode." His second award was bestowed in 2024 for "Goosebumps," a hit single from his sophomore album.

Billie Eilish's signature song, "Bad Guy," was certified diamond on July 31, 2023.

The following year, Eilish received her second award for "Lovely," a collaboration with Khalid released for the "13 Reasons Why" soundtrack.

J. Cole received two diamond certifications in 2024 for "Middle Child" and "No Role Modelz."

Beyoncé received two diamond certifications in 2024 for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and "Halo," both singles from her 2008 album "I Am... Sasha Fierce."

According to a press release from the RIAA, Beyoncé now has the most certified titles for a female artist with 103 total across her discography.

According to Forbes, which published a series of 2024 billionaire reports on Tuesday, Swift is the first musician to reach 10-figure status solely based on songwriting and performing (rather than brand deals or business ventures).

Swift's vast fortune is primarily thanks to her valuable discography and earnings from streaming deals, music sales, concert tickets, and merchandise.

Representatives for Swift did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment regarding the Forbes report.

Swift's 21-month, five-continent Eras Tour was nothing short of a sensation. By the end of its first year, it had become the first tour ever to gross over $1 billion in revenue, on track to become the highest-grossing tour of all time. 

In October 2023, after Swift toured 56 dates across the US and Mexico, the Eras Tour had already generated $780 million and added $4.3 billion to America's gross domestic product, according to Bloomberg Economics.

Throughout 2024, Swift also made stops in Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Canada, and 11 countries throughout Europe.

The morning of Swift's final performance in Vancouver, The New York Times reported that the Eras Tour had crossed the $2 billion threshold, making it the first concert tour in history to do so.

This figure was confirmed by Taylor Swift Touring, the singer's production company. All 149 stadium shows were sold out, and the company said over 10 billion people attended the Eras Tour.

That means the average ticket sold for $204, well above the industry average for top concert tours, per The New York Times. Resale tickets were even pricier, often going for thousands of dollars in secondhand markets. (Artists like Swift don't earn anything from resold tickets.)

Worldwide ticket presales had already exceeded $100 million before "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" was released (a day early) on October 12, 2023, AMC Theatres reported.

According to ticketing service Fandango, the film set a record for the highest first-day ticket sales in 2023. It has also become the highest-grossing concert movie of all time, surpassing "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."

Swift, who bypassed movie studios to personally fund the concert movie, received half of the box office earnings for the film, which grossed $261 million worldwide.

Once "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" had left theaters, Swift struck a deal with Disney+ to release the film's extended version on streaming.

According to Puck News, Disney paid upwards of $75 million for the exclusive rights.

Citing anonymous sources, the outlet reported that Disney's Bob Iger outbid Netflix and Universal Pictures (which handled VOD distribution for the film in December) for the streaming rights by offering a huge sum, which the other two streamers couldn't match.

Shortly before the Eras Tour concluded, Swift released a photo book for Black Friday.

As she did with the Eras Tour film, Swift circumvented traditional routes and opted to self-publish instead, ensuring she would get more of the book's revenue.

The book was exclusively available at Target and sold hundreds of thousands of copies in its first weekend, becoming the second-best-selling non-fiction title after Barack Obama's presidential memoir.

These partnerships include Capital One, AT&T, Stella McCartney, Elizabeth Arden perfumes, American Express, Keds, Diet Coke, Walmart, and Apple.

That figure is according to the Los Angeles Times.

At the time, the Reputation Stadium Tour broke the record for the highest-grossing US tour ever, according to Billboard. Swift earned an average of $7 million per show, more than double the US per-concert average during the "1989" tour.

In April 2023, Forbes estimated that Swift's coveted on-site merchandise — which she sells at an average price of $80 —could add an estimated $87 million in proceeds to her fortune.

Swift's 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," was released on April 19, 2024. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 2.61 million equivalent album units sold in its first week.

This sum was thanks to huge streaming totals and physical album sales, especially vinyl, which Swift sells more successfully than anyone else. According to a Billboard report from November 2023, one in every 15 vinyl albums sold in the US is one of Swift's.

Fans continued to buy and stream "Poets" throughout the year, sending it to No. 1 for 16 weeks total, the most of any album in 2024.

On November 30, 2024, "Poets" was certified 6x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, meaning it has sold at least 6 million copies in the US.

According to The Guardian, Swift's massive album sales for "Midnights" brought in $230 million for Swift's label Universal. 

With more than 1.5 million equivalent album units earned in the US in its first week, "Midnights" landed the biggest week for an album in seven years (since Swift's own album "Reputation").

Swift embarked on a mission to rerecord her first six albums after Scooter Braun, whom she accused of "incessant, manipulative bullying," purchased the legal rights to her back catalog in 2019. (He later sold the master recordings to a private-equity company.)

She released the first installment in the series, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," in 2021. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 — indicating this would be a lucrative venture for Swift. Later that year, Swift's new version of "Red" became one of the year's top-selling albums.

The two rerecorded albums helped plant Swift on the "The Highest-Paid Entertainers 2022" report from Forbes.

She has since released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)." The latter sold over 1.6 million equivalent units in its first week, surpassing the original's total.

In fact, Swift is the only artist who's sold over 1 million copies of an album in one week since Adele released "30" in November 2015. In that window, Swift has achieved the feat four different times.

It consists of eight properties in four different states.

The latter is the cheapest property she owns.

In 2017, she was trying to turn it into a historic landmark, according to Teen Vogue.

With 12,000 square feet, it has plenty of room for parties and even inspired her song "The Last Great American Dynasty."

That includes an 8,309-square-foot duplex penthouse and a four-story townhouse.

She used to rent an apartment on Cornelia Street — the famous inspiration behind her "Lover" track "Cornelia Street" — which was listed in 2023 with a $17.9 million price tag.

The Dassault 7X is registered to Island Jet Inc., a holding company listed under the same address as Taylor Swift Productions, Business Insider previously reported.

She used to have two private jets, but quietly sold one amid criticism of her carbon footprint. ("Taylor's jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals," a rep for Swift said in a statement. "To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.")

There's no word on how much she paid for these vehicles, but a brand new Dassault 900 has a list price of $44 million, according to Business Jet Traveler. Elon Musk owns a similar model that cost about $26 million.

In the past, she's been spotted at The Fat Radish, The Spotted Pig, Sarabeth's, L'Asso, Nobu, and Vita Carota.

On her 24th birthday, she donated $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony, according to People.

Her commitment to education doesn't stop with music; Swift also donated $50,000 to NYC public schools, People reported.

In 2010, Swift donated $500,000 to Nashville flood relief and in 2016, she donated $1 million to the victims of Louisiana floods.

Swift also raised $750,000 through a Speak Now Help Now benefit concert for victims of tornadoes in the southern US in 2011, according to People.

Most recently, Swift donated $5 million to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

She and her mom Andrea Swift quietly made the donation, according to USA Today.

She also gifted $13,000 each to two moms who were also struggling financially because of the pandemic.

Swift has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, threading references to the fight for equal rights into songs like "Welcome to New York" and "You Need to Calm Down."

Back in 2016, Swift participated in a charity auction to help keep the historic Stonewall Inn operational. The New York City gay bar was the scene of a police raid in 1969, sparking a riot that helped launch the nationwide fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

In more recent years, Swift has made generous donations to the Tennessee Equality Project and GLAAD, in addition to her vocal support of The Equality Act.

The checks were sent out in 2014, according to People.

Throughout the first US leg of her Eras Tour, Swift habitually made large donations to local food pantries. She continued this tradition throughout the tour's European leg.

Swift has also been known to support victims of gun violence in recent years.

For several years, Kesha was embroiled in a defamation lawsuit after she accused the music producer Dr. Luke, her former mentor, of "unrelenting abuse" and rape. (Dr. Luke denied the allegations, and they reached a settlement in 2023.)

The "Rainbow" singer revealed Swift's donation during an interview with Rolling Stone in 2017.

Kesha described Swift as "a fucking sweetheart. Very, very sweet, very, very genuine, extremely generous, picks up the phone every time I call her. My mom doesn't even always pick up the phone!"

In 2022, Swift pulled out of a $100 million sponsorship deal with Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX after she questioned the company if it was selling "unregistered securities."

As Business Insider reported, many other celebrities such as Tom Brady and Stephen Curry failed to do so and were subsequently sued for endorsing the now-bankrupt crypto exchange.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 5

Swift's self-titled debut is the only studio album in her catalog that hasn't reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

"Taylor Swift" debuted at No. 19 and scaled the chart for more than a year, peaking at No. 5 in 2008.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for one week

Swift's seventh studio album was the first one that she owned outright, thanks to her new label contract with UMG.

"Lover" was promoted by several singles, including "You Need to Calm Down," "The Archer," and "The Man." Four years later, once Swift kicked off The Eras Tour, "Cruel Summer" climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for four weeks, becoming the album's biggest hit.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for one week

The extended tracklist for "Red (Taylor's Version)" included the storied 10-minute version of "All Too Well," a longtime fan-favorite song in Swift's catalog.

"All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" was released alongside a short film directed by Swift and promoted by a convention-breaking performance on "Saturday Night Live." It became the longest song to reach No. 1 in the history of the Hot 100.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for two weeks

"Fearless" was the first rerecorded album that Swift ever released.

The "Taylor's Version" series was inspired by the sale of Swift's masters to Scooter Braun in 2019, which she described as her "worst case scenario" in a passionate open letter. Swift decided to remake and rerelease her first six albums in a bid to reclaim ownership of her life's work. (Braun later sold Swift's masters to a private-equity company.)

In addition to faithfully recreating each tracklist, Swift decided to add never-before-heard songs "from the vault" that were written during the album's original creative process but cut from the final product.

"I've spoken a lot about why I'm remaking my first six albums, but the way I've chosen to do this will hopefully help illuminate where I'm coming from," Swift explained. "Artists should own their own work for so many reasons, but the most screamingly obvious one is that the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work."

"For example, only I know which songs I wrote that almost made the 'Fearless' album," she continued. "Songs I absolutely adored, but were held back for different reasons."

Many were skeptical that the "Taylor's Version" project would be embraced by fans, let alone achieve commercial success.

Those skeptics were forced to eat their words when "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" began to outpace the original on streaming platforms. According to Billboard, "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" earned more equivalent album sales in its first week of release than "Fearless" earned over the entire next year.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for two weeks

The rerecorded version of Swift's third album featured six songs from the vault, including two duets: "Electric Touch" with Fall Out Boy and "Castles Crumbling" with Hayley Williams, one of Swift's oldest friends.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for four weeks

"Reputation" arrived after an extended period of silence. Her longtime feud with Ye (then known as Kanye West) and Kim Kardashian reached a fever pitch; Swift decamped to London and withdrew from the public eye.

She returned with a new snake-infested aesthetic and "Look What You Made Me Do," a cheeky lead single that poked fun at her own persona.

Swift also declined to participate in interviews or media appearances while promoting her sixth album. Instead, she relied on a simple tagline: "There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation."

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for four weeks

"Evermore" was surprise-released just five months after Swift's previous album, "Folklore." The two were billed as "sister albums," created under near-identical conditions with the same team of collaborators.

"To put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs," Swift explained on social media.

"Evermore" was nominated for album of the year at the 2022 Grammys, but lost to Jon Batiste's "We Are."

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for six weeks

Swift's third album had a lot to live up to, following the blockbuster success of "Fearless."

In response to skeptics — who questioned whether the teen phenom was relying too heavily on her collaborators — Swift decided to write "Speak Now" entirely by herself. She is the only songwriter credited on the standard tracklist.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for six weeks

Swift's 10th studio album sold over 1 million copies in its debut week, the first to cross that seven-figure threshold since Swift's own "Reputation." (She has now achieved the feat on seven different occasions.)

"Midnights" also won album of the year at the Grammys, joining "Fearless," "1989," and "Folklore" in the prestigious group of victors. Swift is the only artist in history to win album of the year four times.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for six weeks

The rerecorded version of "1989" was released nine years after the original. Swift added five vault songs to the tracklist, including the fan-favorite closer "Is It Over Now?"

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for seven weeks

"Red" is Swift's fourth studio album. It featured a mishmash of Max Martin-produced pop bangers ("We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "I Knew You Were Trouble") and country-rock breakup anthems ("State of Grace," "Holy Ground").

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for eight weeks

"Folklore" marked a sonic departure for Swift, stripping down her favored synth-pop production to reveal introspective reflections and intricate story arcs.

The pandemic-era album was coproduced by Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Aaron Dessner of The National. It received rave reviews from critics and is widely considered her best work to date.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 11 weeks

Swift's sophomore effort had the longest run at No. 1 of any album in the 2000s. "Fearless" has since been certified diamond by the RIAA.

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 11 weeks

Swift's fifth album marked her official pivot from country to pop music, a move that Swift said she had to "really fight — and I mean aggressively fight — to have happen."

In addition to its double-digit streak atop the Billboard 200, "1989" yielded several hit singles on the Hot 100, including "Shake It Off," "Blank Space," and "Bad Blood."

Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 for 17 weeks

Swift's 11th studio album did not leave the No. 1 slot for 12 straight weeks after its debut in April, fending off new releases from stars like Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and Zach Bryan.

Swift briefly yielded the top spot to Eminem and Stray Kids before "Poets" notched 13th, 14th, and 15th consecutive weeks atop the chart.

The album eventually fell to lower positions, but then in December, it returned for two more weeks at No. 1 after Swift released physical versions of '"The Anthology" version for Black Friday.

The album's 17-week reign brings Swift's total sum of weeks atop the chart to 86, extending her record among solo artists.

Since the Billboard 200 was launched in 1956, only The Beatles have logged more weeks at No. 1 than Swift.

Each night during the Eras Tour, Swift performed an acoustic set with two surprise songs.

The dress for this segment was designed for a quick change; Swift slipped it over her outfit from the previous segment (first it was "1989," then it was "The Tortured Poets Department") while still onstage. It makes sense for the dress to be simple, but it doesn't make sense for the fabric to be the same color as Big Bird.

Frankly, the yellow dress is ugly. It's way too yellow.

It's too orange.

The green dress isn't ugly, but it's not especially notable either.

The original pink variant still isn't anything to write home about, but generally speaking, Swift looks good in pink.

I do appreciate that Swift eschewed the butterfly sleeves and unnecessary ruffles for this updated variant, but this dress still looks like it came from Forever 21.

Swift wore blue versions of several classic tour looks for the night she announced "1989 (Taylor's Version)."

Blue is the best option for a surprise song dress, partially because the color complements Swift's eyes that put those Georgia stars to shame and partially because it reminds me of Sharpay Evans singing "Bop to the Top."

You know the drill by now. This version of the dress is fine. Mostly it just looks simpler and cheaper than we'd expect from a billionaire — likely an intentional choice aligned with Swift's masterful PR strategy.

Swift debuted three versions of this chiffon wrap dress in Miami: magenta-violet-teal, bluish-purple, and orange-pink. Thanks to their ombré hues and flowy fabrics, these were promptly dubbed "betta fish dresses" by fans online.

The flowers plopped all over this dress are flimsy and weird-looking. I would be glad to never see it again.

Swift debuted a new collection of designer looks in Nanterre, France, the first stop on the tour's European leg.

The new style for "1989" was a sequined top and ombré skirt pairing by Roberto Cavalli, much like the skater skirts from the album's original era.

There are dozens of color combinations that Swift wore throughout the tour — blue and pink, orange and purple, yellow and red like her boyfriend's football team — but none of them were particularly chic. The silhouette aims to evoke nostalgia but ends up feeling outdated.

Honestly, Swift's outfits never slayed during the "Red" segment, but the ombré romper is the worst offender. It's not terrible, but it doesn't do anything for her.

Swift donned glittery, floor-grazing outerwear to perform "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)," which helped make the "Red" segment a bit more sophisticated — though it didn't match the somber vibe of the song. I much preferred the sleek look that Swift wore to perform the song on "Saturday Night Live."

There were six versions of this shirt, inspired by an outfit worn by Swift in the "22" music video: "A lot going on at the moment," "We are never getting back together like ever," "Who's Taylor Swift anyway? Ew," "This is not Taylor's Version," "I bet you think about me," and "I knew you were trouble." The shirt was always paired with a black bowler hat.

This look doesn't exactly scream high fashion, but it gets extra points for sentimentality. The hat is the antithesis of cool, but it gets extra points for the cuteness factor, since Swift would always give it to a special fan in the crowd.

This is a custom Roberto Cavalli dress, embellished with Swarovski crystals, but somehow it looks like a stringy array of ramen noodles.

Silver is slightly better than gold, but the tassels still look like octopus tentacles.

It's too puffy!

It's too pink!

This is a much nicer shade of pink.

This is a classic combination, but it lacks contrast and intrigue.

Blue is a natural fit for the "Midnights" segment, especially because the standard album cover features a light-blue font.

This version of the T-shirt dress is slightly elevated, with multicolored gems scattered across the fabric.

The fuzzy coat that Swift wore to open the "Midnights" segment was a reference to the "Lavender Haze" music video. This connection was most obvious when Swift wore the opalescent T-shirt dress underneath.

It kind of looks like Swift skinned a Muppet to make this coat, but don't worry: she confirmed in a behind-the-scenes clip that she would never wear real fur.

Blue-on-blue is a logical combo for the closing number, if a little predictable.

Chaotic, yet fun.

The contrast between Swift's bright skin, dark-blue bodysuit, and hot-pink fringe makes this the best option for the show's closing number.

I assume the gown for "The Tortured Poets Department" segment was designed to look like a "crumpled-up piece of paper lying here," evoking both the tragedy of "All Too Well" and the dark-academia aesthetic of the album itself.

It's a solid concept (and the neckline is divine), but ultimately, I can't support Swift's obsession with high-low mullet dresses. I thought we left this trend behind in 2010.

Worse still, the lyrics scrawled on the fabric ("I love you, it's ruining my life," from the single "Fortnight," and "Who's afraid of little old me? You should be") made it look like Swift was wearing a high-school theater costume, not couture Vivienne Westwood.

Swift added a military jacket atop her "Tortured Poets" gown to sing "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," an impassioned performance that casts Swift as a soldier on the front lines of a battlefield. The look is still a little corny, but at least it fully embraced the theatrical costume vibe.

After singing "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," Swift and her dancers would perform a brief skit, in which Swift was forced to strip off her dress, put on heels, and smile through the pain.

The onstage outfit change yielded a bralette and matching high-waisted bottoms, subsequently topped with a duster. The different color combos included black and gold, white with silver accents, and sparkly gray with a metallic jacket.

These ensembles recall the jackets and two-piece sets from The 1989 World Tour, combined with the ringmaster motif from the "Red" era.

At that time, Swift was battling an eating disorder and often feared she might faint onstage.

While the Eras Tour outfit was relatively simple, this callback added an extra layer of poignance to Swift's performance of "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart."

For the majority of the US leg, Swift only had one look for the "Evermore" segment: a mustard-yellow dress that screams cottagecore. It's cute, but nothing particularly special, and it did grow a little dull over time.

Note: There is a slightly less saturated version of this dress, but they're so similar, they don't warrant separate entries on this list.

Swift only wore this alternate "Evermore" dress a handful of times, but it made for a nice change of pace — and the deep, sparkling bronze compliments the moody, wintery vibe of songs like "'Tis the Damn Season," "Champagne Problems," and "Tolerate It." 

The tiered and embroidered "Folklore" outfits, custom-made by Alberta Ferretti, were always winners. The flowy style made Swift look like a friendly witch, much like her recent collaborator Florence Welch, which is a compliment.

However, the yellow one doesn't suit the era's aesthetic one bit. The mismatch was especially glaring during "My Tears Ricochet," which was intended to parallel a funeral procession.

This dress was likely designed to evoke the fusion of "Folklore" and "Evermore" into one segment, which came with Swift's newly altered setlist for the European leg. But still, as we previously established, yellow — especially this shade — should not be in Swift's color palette. It doesn't suit her.

Swift unveiled a berry-pink rendition of the woodsy "Folklore" gown during her second show in France.

The shade is stunning in a vacuum, but much like my previous complaint, it's the wrong color for the sister albums segment of the show.

The songs that populate "Folklore" and "Evermore" are full of yearning, betrayal, regret, depression, and even murder. These are not the hot-girl party bops of "1989" or "Midnights," which call for brighter hues and more pizzazz.

And if you think I'm being too nitpicky, I'll kindly remind you that Swift has embraced each album's individual color theory, down to the official Eras Tour branding. I'm simply following her lead.

The ballgown was a callback to the Speak Now World Tour, when Swift wore sparkly gowns while singing "Enchanted." For the Eras Tour, Swift pumped up the drama with voluminous skirts and embroidered jewels.

The gold version looks slightly cheaper than its counterparts, like an extravagant prom dress.

As opposed to muted gold, silver offers a lovely contrast with the purple visuals of "Speak Now."

The baby-pink version of the "Speak Now" ballgown is the best among the original set of options, with its flattering neckline and strips of sparkles that resemble falling rain.

This newer "Fearless" look, which Swift debuted in Milan, was a solid, mid-tier choice. It's much better than the era's stringy options, though it can't measure up to the original fringed minidress.

Swift debuted this version of the "Fearless" minidress in France, gleefully tossing her body around to show off the shimmery fringe. Again, it offered a mid-tier option, but definitely more fun and fresh than its Italian counterpart.

The deep purple hue made for an exciting change when Swift debuted this look in East Rutherford, New Jersey — but the tassels threw off the whole effect. They make the bodysuit look sillier and cheaper than it is.

Orange is the weakest link of the original Roberto Cavalli sets (and it signaled that she'd wear the yellow surprise-song dress. Yuck).

Maybe it was intended as a subtle Easter egg for "Karma," the rumored album that Swift scrapped between "1989" and "Reputation." (In the music video for "The Man," the word is graffitied on the wall in orange paint.)

The green is prettier than orange, but not as pretty as pink.

Although hot pink isn't quite right for the overall vibe of "1989," it did pair well with the feminine charm of "Blank Space" and the fiery passion of "Bad Blood."

After 26 concerts, we finally got to see Swift perform songs from "1989" wearing the album's distinctive color. This glittering blue set recalls the New York City skyline that inspired Swift's iconic pop songs.

This version of the "Midnights" bodysuit was designed by Zuhair Murad and unveiled in France. It subtly evokes millennial fashion trends with a halter neckline, waist slits, and a chevron-esque pattern.

This version of the "Midnights" bodysuit, which Swift debuted in Los Angeles, was likely designed to resemble an outfit that Swift wore during the 1989 World Tour. It was declared one of her most daring looks yet.

For over a year, Swifties had been jonesing for an updated "Reputation" costume — largely because they believed a new look would come paired with an announcement for "Reputation (Taylor's Version)," in the same way Swift debuted blue outfits on the same night that she announced "1989 (Taylor's Version)."

Alas, when Swift finally emerged wearing a new asymmetric catsuit in Miami, no such announcement came — and that's not the only reason this version is a letdown.

Swapping the red snakes for gold cobras does make thematic sense given the album's many references to the color (gold bodies, gold cages, gold tattoos), but these ones are extra chunky and extra sparkly, like tinsel you find at the party store, rather than lithe and fierce like Swift's original serpents. It made for a fun change of pace, but a downgrade nonetheless. 

The glitzy "Lover" bodysuits, custom-made by Versace, were an aesthetic highlight of Swift's Eras Tour wardrobe.

However, compared to its peers, there's something slightly underwhelming about the blue-and-yellow color combination. The tones are too muted to complement the show's opening visuals.

In theory, this is a strong color combo; it reminds me of a sunset. In reality, the bodysuit is just slightly too orange.

Swift slipped a bedazzled blazer over her "Lover" bodysuit to perform "The Man" and "You Need to Calm Down." This iteration is a pretty pale orange, though it didn't feel quite as commanding as the other options.

The glittering silver blazer was the first costume change ever seen during the Eras Tour. With the matching red-bottomed Christian Louboutin boots, it remained an effective mix of elements.

We all love the silver blazer, but the blue blazer is extremely hot.

The black blazer is even hotter than blue.

Although blue isn't the traditional "Speak Now" color, nearly everything about this dress is dazzling, from the floral details to the elegant train.

Plus, the color recalls a sky-blue ballgown that Swift wore during the original "Speak Now" tour in 2011, giving this look an extra layer of nostalgic charm.

The sheer, baby-blue cape sleeves are lovely, but this color isn't quite the right fit for "Folklore," which is not a blue-sounding album in the slightest. ("1989" and "Midnights" already have that vibe locked down.)

"Folklore" isn't a purple-sounding album either, but this dress does look like something a young widow might wear in a Jane Austen film adaptation, so it works.

Cream is a fitting color for "Folklore," an album that evokes earthy and neutral tones.

This is only slightly different from "Folklore" in cream, but the lace adds a new edge — romantic and old-timey, well-suited for the "pioneer woman in a forbidden love affair" that Swift imagined while she was writing these songs.

The "Speak Now" gown that Swift debuted in France is the best of the bunch.

The skirt has just enough volume to look elegant instead of puffy — while the delicate, glittering details evoke a similar dress that Swift wore to perform "Enchanted" in 2011, designed by Reem Acra.

Like the original "Fearless" minidress, Swift's final iteration was custom-made by Roberto Cavalli's creative director Fausto Puglisi.

The blue crystals, set against a shimmering silver backdrop, appear arranged to resemble a butterfly — most likely as a callback to the girlish, doodle-filled cover of Swift's self-titled debut album.

"Taylor Swift" didn't get its own segment on the Eras Tour, so it felt right to pay homage while Swift performed her other high school-era album.

The navy bodysuit is an Eras Tour classic, dark and twinkling like midnight rain.

Swift debuted her newest Zuhair Murad bodysuit at Wembley Stadium in London, the final stop on the European leg of the Eras Tour. With its star-spangled bodice and crescent-moon detail, it's the most on-the-nose "Midnights" look to ever exist.

Out of all the flowy "Folklore" gowns, green is the prettiest and best suited for the album's aura. It made Swift look like a woodland fairy.

Swift's flapper-inspired dress was ideal for performing classics like "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story." The fringe is fun and youthful, just like the original "Fearless" era, but paired with knee-high Chrisian Louboutin boots, it's still chic and modern.

In fact, according to Vogue, the dress was designed to resemble a similar Roberto Cavalli dress that Swift wore during her original "Fearless" tour.

"We chose a beautiful champagne color, which is very Taylor," Puglisi told the magazine.

For 130 consecutive shows, Swift wore the same one-legged catsuit to perform "Reputation." Some slandered this consistency as boring, but in my professional opinion, a classic proverb is more appropriate here: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This red reptilian number, also by Roberto Cavalli, is bold and sexy with a hint of danger, just like the album itself. Puglisi described it as "more of a badass, rock and roll look."

Stars and moons are great, but there is something especially ethereal about this version of the "Midnights" bodysuit, custom-made by Oscar de la Renta.

The blue has a slightly warmer, richer tone — a better match for Swift's ocean eyes and pinkish undertones than navy — and the scalloped detailing on the bodice is exquisite up close. Paired with Swift's now-signature garter, this look is a total knockout.

Swift looked like a Barbie come to life in this version of the blazer, which she debuted onstage in Argentina. It also gave her performance of "The Man" a flirty, feminine edge.

Swift also debuted this pink version of her opening look in Argentina. The gorgeous combination of shades, from baby pink to strawberry and fuchsia, compliments the tone of songs like "Cruel Summer" and "Lover."

This was the first outfit Swift wore when she arrived on The Eras Tour stage back in March, and to the end, it remained the best.

The blue, purple, and pink gems create the perfect color combo, especially suited for the warmth and whimsy of the "Lover" era.

Swift originally announced the Eras Tour in late 2022 as a 27-show run across the US.

The demand overwhelmed Ticketmaster's servers, prompting Swift to add more dates. Before long, the tour swelled into a multi-continent bonanza.

The Eras Tour kicked off on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. The first US leg was followed by the Latin America leg, including stops in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.

In February 2024, the Eras Tour entered its second year with a four-show stint in Tokyo (famously the same weekend that Swift's boyfriend Travis Kelce played in the Super Bowl). Next came stops in Australia and Singapore.

The European leg covered 11 countries: France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Poland. Swift was forced to cancel all three planned shows in Vienna after the police discovered and thwarted a terrorist plot.

After returning to the US for another short leg, the tour concluded in Canada with stops in Toronto and Vancouver, bringing the final total to 149 shows across 21 countries.

Swift invited an array of friends, collaborators, and rising stars to open for the Eras Tour, periodically adding new faces and local performers as she traveled the world.

By the end of the tour's run, the complete slate of openers included, in order of appearance: Paramore, Gayle, Beabadoobee, MUNA, Gracie Abrams, Phoebe Bridgers, Owenn, Haim, Sabrina Carpenter, Louta, METTE, Griff, Benson Boone, Sofia Isella, Holly Humberstone, Suki Waterhouse, Maisie Peters, and Raye.

Several of these artists already had personal connections to Swift. Hayley Williams of Paramore, for example, has been close with the superstar since they were teenagers. When Swift released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" last year, Williams was a featured vocalist on the vault track "Castles Crumbling." Bridgers has also guested on a rerecorded vault track: "Nothing New," included on "Red (Taylor's Version)" in 2021. Similarly, after years of friendship, the Haim sisters lent background vocals to Swift's 2020 song "No Body, No Crime."

Most recently, Swift collaborated with Abrams for her album "The Secret of Us." Their duet, "Us," is nominated for best pop duo/group collaboration at the 2025 Grammys.

As the name suggests, the Eras Tour was designed to celebrate the many phases of Swift's 18-year career. Each night, she performed a marathon of songs, stretching from her first crossover hit, 2008's "Love Story," to her latest single, 2024's "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart." (Her 2006 debut album did not get its own portion of the show, but that's a complaint for another day.)

Thanks to the ambitious concept, the Eras Tour was easily the longest of Swift's career in terms of performance length.

While the exact duration could vary from show to show, depending on set list changes or weather delays, the average length of each concert was about three hours and 15 minutes.

Using that as a benchmark, we can estimate that across 149 shows, Swift spent about 484.25 hours singing, dancing, and dazzling the crowd. That's equivalent to 20 days, 4 hours, and 15 minutes.

To train for the grueling athletic feat, Swift said she ran on the treadmill every day while "singing the entire set list out loud."

Back in 2021, Swift unveiled the rerecorded version of "Red," her seminal 2012 album.

The tracklist included the 10-minute version of "All Too Well," a long-standing fan-favorite deep cut. Swifties had been begging to hear the song in its extended form ever since Swift let slip that she'd cut about half the lyrics she'd originally written.

Fueled by years of anticipation, a cinematic short film, and, of course, a healthy dose of muse speculation, "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100. It broke the record for the longest No. 1 song ever, previously held by Don McLean's "American Pie (Parts I & II)."

Later, the song became a staple on the Eras Tour setlist. Swift always performed the full version, which actually clocks in at 10 minutes and 13 seconds. Multiplied by 149 shows, Swift has spent approximately 25.32 hours on the Eras Tour stage singing about her lost scarf and her ex's casual cruelty.

The Eras Tour set list has always started with "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" and ended with "Karma."

Over the course of the tour, a handful of songs were shuffled around, added, or switched out. After Swift's split from Joe Alwyn was made public, she swapped "Invisible String" (a love song) for "The 1" (a breakup song). To celebrate the release of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)," Swift briefly added "Long Live" to the setlist. She periodically performed "Nothing New" and "No Body, No Crime" when Bridgers and Haim were opening those shows.

The set list received its biggest overhaul for the European leg in May 2024, just after Swift released her newest album, "The Tortured Poets Department." Swift removed several songs and combined "Folklore" and "Evermore" into one chunk in order to make space for a "Tortured Poets" chapter — lovingly dubbed "Female Rage: The Musical" by Swift.

Each show on the Eras Tour included a special acoustic segment, during which Swift played one surprise song on the guitar and another on the piano.

These pairings could be chosen from any album or era, starting with the 2020 deep cut "Mirrorball" and Swift's 2006 debut single "Tim McGraw."

Occasionally, Swift would sing a song that wasn't hers as a duet with that artist, like "Espresso" with Sabrina Carpenter, "Thinking Out Loud" with Ed Sheeran, and "I Love You, I'm Sorry" with Gracie Abrams at the penultimate show.

Swift originally said she wouldn't repeat songs she'd already played, but that rule was squashed when she replayed "Clean" in New Jersey, claiming she wanted to try the song in a higher key.

During her second show in Buenos Aires, shortly after the release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)," Swift performed her first-ever mashup on the Eras Tour, combining the popular vault track "Is It Over Now?" with a single from the original album, "Out of the Woods."

Thus began a new tradition, which saw Swift blending songs that had similar tempos or themes.

If we exclude repeats and songs that had once been in the regular setlist, Swift performed 181 different songs acoustically.

"You're On Your Own, Kid" was released as the fifth track on "Midnights." In the outro, Swift sings, "Make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it / You've got no reason to be afraid," which inspired fans to wear and trade bracelets at her concerts.

Swift also tended to repeat "Maroon" (10 times) and "Out of the Woods" (six times).

We don't know the exact details of Swift's charity during the Eras Tour, but according to multiple sources, she made a habit of donating huge amounts to food banks in the cities she visited.

Swift didn't make these donations public, but some of her recipients did, including food banks in Arizona, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington. Aditi Desai, chief marketing officer at the Food Bank of the Rockies, told AP News that Swift donated enough for 75,000 meals.

Swift continued this routine when she took the tour overseas, including in several cities across the United Kingdom.

In December 2023, the Eras Tour became the first concert tour to gross over $1 billion, according to the trade publication Pollstar.

Despite the high cost of attendance and even higher resale values, Swift had reportedly sold 4.35 million tickets — and the tour wasn't even halfway over yet. Her economic prowess, which injected millions into the US economy, would soon affect Europe and other countries around the world.

The morning of Swift's final performance, The New York Times reported that the Eras Tour had crossed the $2 billion threshold, making it the first concert tour in history to do so.

This figure was confirmed by Taylor Swift Touring, the singer's production company. The company said over 10 billion people attended the Eras Tour.

When a song resonates so broadly and intensely that it becomes the longest-reigning No. 1 hit in Billboard Hot 100 history, a music critic needs to pay attention. Thankfully, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" is well worth the focus.

Shaboozey's breakout hit came on the heels of his star-making turn in "Cowboy Carter," an album that knows the value of an unpredictable, well-placed sample. Shaboozey used that strategy to great effect, flipping J-Kwon's 2004 club hit "Tipsy" into a heady pub chant. It was a Beyoncé-level stroke of genius; the hook has shown to transcend both genre and generation.

If you like this, listen to: "Anabelle," "My Fault (feat. Noah Cyrus)," "Vegas"

Just one month before Sabrina Carpenter released "Espresso" and commenced her plan for world domination, she stole the show in "You Need Me Now?" with a cheeky fourth-wall break.

Carpenter presumably crossed paths with Marie Ulven, aka girl in red, the darling of sapphic bedroom pop, while they were both booked as openers for the Eras Tour. At first glance, this feels like an unlikely team-up — but Carpenter's polished vocal shimmer is the perfect foil for Ulven's grittier vibe.

"You Need Me Now?" was released as the third single from Ulven's sophomore album as girl in red, "I'm Doing It Again Baby!" Her unrelenting, feisty tone recalls the fan-favorite track "Serotonin," while the lyrics reveal a scathing kiss-off to an ex, which turns out to be Carpenter's specialty.

"You know what would be really fucking cool on this? Sabrina," Ulven declares in the bridge, turning a solidly good indie-rock song into a lively, interactive experience. Now that Carpenter is as famous as she is, Ulven's epiphany feels slightly prophetic — and Carpenter's enthusiasm is even more delightful.

"Oh my god, you're so right!" Carpenter cuts in, eager and prepared for her moment. "I'm gonna sing now."

If you like this, listen to: "Too Much," "Phantom Pain," "New Love"

Hana Vu is only in her early 20s, and she already has a timeless song under her belt.

The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter is truly of the millennium (she was born in 2000, making her the same age as Ice Spice and Reneé Rapp), and yet, her single "Care" is not mired in trends or modern touchstones. (Sure, there's a thinly veiled jab at consumerism, but it's not like Gen Z invented existential ire toward the status quo.)

This isn't the case for all of Vu's music; in 2019, she named her EP "Nicole Kidman/Anne Hathaway" after her two favorite actors. But "Care" is an extra special song, anchored by Vu's lush melodies, soulful delivery, and ever-relevant ruminations — about what it means to be human, to love, to hope, and to "find it all too much."

If you like this, listen to: "Hammer," "Dreams," "Find Me Under Wilted Trees"

Katie Gavin is known as the lead singer of MUNA, but in her debut solo album, "What a Relief," she strips away much of the band's arena-sized bravado to make room for more intimate meditations.

"The Baton" is Gavin's masterpiece: stark, folksy, and acutely compassionate. The song pays homage to her mother, who guided Gavin's growth, and the hazy silhouette of her future daughter, for whom she'll follow her mother's example.

"I'd pass her the baton and I'd say you better run / 'Cause this thing has been going / For many generations," she sings, suggesting an optimistic inversion of Fiona Apple's "Relay." Still, Gavin's lens is not entirely rosy: "There is so much healing / That still needs to be done."

Unfortunately, "The Baton" hits way harder post election, now that women and queer people across the US are getting ready to fight for control over their own bodies — and, ideally in doing so, to protect future generations from having to do the same.

If you like this, listen to: "As Good As It Gets," "Sanitized," "Sparrow"

Earlier this year, acting on little beyond a gut feeling, I was lucky enough to catch Fabi Reyna, aka Reyna Tropical, perform in Brooklyn. I found myself hypnotized by her organic production style, her seamless weave of multicultural traditions (Reyna was raised between Mexico, Texas, and Oregon), her tender embrace of queer themes, and, most of all, by "Conocerla."

Now, whenever I return to this song, I have a hard time putting my finger on what it is I love so much — but I always have the same recurring, insufficient thought: "This is the coolest thing I've ever heard."

Luckily, for Reyna, that instinctive pleasure is the whole point. She told Paper that "Conocerla" is about "personal exploration" and creating a space to nurture emotion, not logic. "Through art and music," Reyna explained, "we can hold more than we realize when we don't rely solely on our minds."

If you like this, listen to: "Cartagena," "Lo Siento," "Conexión Ancestral"

Donald Glover's final release as Childish Gambino, "Bando Stone and the New World," is an apocalyptic concept album that follows his character, also a musician, while he navigates doomsday on a remote island.

"Bando Stone" is presented as a holistic body of work, but as with many survival epics, the hero is better off with some company. The album hits its peak when Glover is joined by Jorja Smith and Amaarae for "In the Night," which soundtracks a humid, nocturnal love affair. The women strike conspiratorial tones, singing about lustful dreams and illicit rendezvous; the mini-drama seems immaterial to the end of the world, but it succeeds in infusing the saga with fresh textures and intrigue.

If you like this, listen to: "Lithonia," "Talk My Shit (feat. Amaarae & Flo Milli)," "Running Around (feat. Fousheé)"

Immediately upon the release of "Eternal Sunshine," Ariana Grande's sixth studio album, "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" became the runaway favorite across the board. Fans sent it straight to No. 1 on the Hot 100. Keith Urban called it "audible heroin." Many critics (including myself) compared the sparkling synths and propulsive rhythm to Robyn's "Dancing on My Own," a compliment of the highest order among pop nerds. (Max Martin, who produced much of "Eternal Sunshine," has also worked with Robyn. The pair earned two top-10 hits in 1997.)

"We Can't Be Friends" is patently a reaction to Grande's recent divorce, but subtextually, it confronts the inevitable public fallout — that is, the stigma of being a famous woman with a string of romantic missteps. Still, at least in song, Grande can emerge from the fray with her ecstatic falsetto, unashamed and resilient as ever. "Know that you made me / I don't like how you paint me," she insists, "yet I'm still here hanging."

If you like this, listen to: "Don't Wanna Break Up Again," "Eternal Sunshine," "I Wish I Hated You"

Maggie Rogers has always been an exceptional producer, as evidenced by her famous Pharrell critique (or, more accurately, his lack of critique) that catapulted her from NYU student to indie darling.

In her underappreciated sophomore album "Surrender," Rogers pivoted from folk-electronica to a more organic rock sound as she came into her own as a vocalist. "I learned how to use my lower register," she told The New York Times, "to just sing with my whole body."

When it came time to record her third studio album, "Don't Forget Me," Rogers was already equipped with these polished-up skills. This time, it's her songwriting that comes into clearer focus, totally shorn of self-doubt and pretense.

This is especially true of the title track, in which every word has been chosen with keen precision. Throughout each verse and chorus, Rogers paints miniature portraits of Sally (a vision of domestic bliss), Molly (a besotted portent of mediocre love), and herself (an autonomous woman with a lust for emotional heirlooms).

As Rogers explained in her email newsletter, some of these details were invented for the song. "Pen to paper. Fully formed. There they were," she wrote. But that doesn't make them feel any less lifelike: "I think in this way, some of the deepest truths about my present were able to come forward."

If you like this, listen to: "The Kill," "If Now Was Then," "On & On & On"

Grace Cummings makes music as though she's building a bridge between the old and the new. Her album "Ramona" is vivid and nostalgic, saturated with hues of old-school blues, yet dauntless in a distinctly modern way — the kind of music that a Gen X dad and Gen Z daughter could play on a roadtrip and equally enjoy.

The centerpiece is "Common Man," which juxtaposes vintage instrumentation and familiar pastoral imagery (thunder booming overhead, a sunrise on the horizon) with Cummings' singular, androgynous, anything-but-predictable voice.

Even in this wide-open landscape, her belting easily swells to fill the space. So when Cummings delivers the song's thesis, "I can't stand to be the common man," it's no challenge to believe her.

If you like this, listen to: "On and On," "A Precious Thing," "Help Is On Its Way"

"Too Sweet" is Hozier's highest-charting song ever on the Hot 100, which is kind of a miracle, since he didn't even bother to include it on his latest full-length album, 2023's "Unreal Unearth."

Thankfully, "Too Sweet" didn't get buried forever. It was released seven months later on the EP "Unheard," a brief collection of songs from the "Unreal Unearth" sessions that Hozier had scrapped "for different reasons."

Perhaps Hozier felt the song was too radiant and playful — or, ahem, too sweet — for the album's conceptual journey through the nine circles of hell. That could explain it, although the narrator is certainly at risk of being punished for gluttony (he has a whiskey habit and a 3 a.m. bedtime, so I'm assuming he's not a fan of moderation). Or perhaps Hozier sensed that he had a smash hit on his hands, and didn't want it to overshadow the rest of the project, like "Take Me to Church" did with his debut.

We may never know his reasons for unleashing "Too Sweet" when he did. We can only be grateful that he did it at all — and maybe consider this a learning experience. As his career trajectory has proven, he's a more patient man than most, and something this sweet is worth the wait.

If you like this, listen to: "Nobody's Soldier," "July," "Fare Well"

"Soup," the second track and fifth single from Remi Wolf's "Big Ideas," is a shining example of an earworm done right. Backed by Tame Impala-esque guitar riffs and bright '80s synths, Wolf delivers a series of airtight melodies and just the right amount of quirk.

Like all the greatest top-40 bops, the chorus is ideal for screaming in the car — yet there's no risk of tedium or replay-induced headaches. "Soup" can be played on a loop and Wolf's songcraft stays fresh.

If you like this, listen to: "Cinderella," "Toro," "Alone in Miami"

As with the two singles from "Guts" that preceded it ("Bad Idea Right?" and "Get Him Back!"), I remain aghast that "Obsessed" wasn't a No. 1 hit.

Olivia Rodrigo is at her best when she's a little punk, a little rock, and completely unhinged — and this "Guts (Spilled)" deluxe track about developing a fetish for her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend ("I know her star sign, I know her blood type") may be the most loosely hinged track in her entire catalog.

In polite society, it's rare that women are allowed to express the full spectrum of emotion — rage, envy, lust, self-loathing, and, of course, obsession — without getting labeled crazy. Rodrigo actively bucks against that sexist custom with her songwriting, flinging herself into the deepest trenches of her psyche and emerging even stronger. In her capable hands, "I can't help it, I've got issues" becomes less of a confession and more of a rallying cry.

If you like this, listen to: "So American"

I tuned in to Fontaines D.C. last fall, when I saw them open for the Arctic Monkeys' The Car Tour. The Irish band had already released three albums and won a Brit Award, but it still felt like they were on the cusp of greatness, like they were building toward a true breakthrough.

That catalyst arrived seven months later with "Starbuster," the celebrated lead single from their new album, "Romance." The song is punchy and cinematic, like Kasabian's "L.S.F." meets Gorillaz's "Dare" meets the atmospheric, suburban angst of "Skins" (the original UK series, not the busted US version). But despite its traceable lineage, "Starburster" is no mere imitation; it synthesizes its post-punk and rap-rock influences to craft something new.

If you like this, listen to: "In the Modern World," "Sundowner," "Death Kink"

In Luca Guadagnino's horny tennis drama "Challengers," the thrilling reveal of a young, headed-for-stardom Tashi Duncan ("The hottest woman I've ever seen," in the words of Patrick Zweig) is set to the equally thrilling thumps of "Yeah x10."

The aptly named song is the highlight of the movie's soundtrack, created by Nine Inch Nails maestros Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The Oscar-winning duo provides the precise mix of tension, delight, youthful awe, and "unending homoerotic desire" that's needed to match the characters' churning drama.

Tashi (played by Zendaya) struts onto the court, lithe and confident, as her two future suitors (Josh O'Connor as Patrick and Mike Faist as Art) revel in their shared surge of desire. The scene-and-song combo kicks off a riveting chain of events that dominated cinephile discourse this year. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," indeed.

If you like this, listen to: "I Know," "The Signal," "Challengers: Match Point"

In 2022, FKA twigs launched a new era of pleasure with "Caprisongs," an aura-heavy, electro-pop mixtape designed to sweat out the demons.

This year, she doubled down with "Eusexua," the lead single from her upcoming album of the same name. The twigs-invented word seems to be derived from the Greek word "euphoria," modified to reflect something more erotic, something truly ineffable. The song is an intricate choreography of techno beats and cascading synths, the exact kind of soundscape where twigs and her peculiar mystique tend to thrive.

If I had to define "Eusexua" based on how the song makes me feel, it would be "feeling present in one's body." Not the body-positive platitude of "feeling comfortable in one's skin," per se, but a sensation of full aliveness — every hair on your arms standing in salute, your heartbeat thumping in your fingertips.

If you like this, listen to: "Perfect Stranger," "Drums of Death"

Over the summer, shortly before the release of her new single, Raye told me how she's willing to sacrifice profit for her creative vision.

"It upsets me to do a half-assed gig or to do a half-hearted thing," Raye explained. "If I was in this to make money, I wouldn't even be releasing the kind of music that I am."

"Genesis." is proof positive of that credo; the amorphous, seven-minute song is the kind of big swing that artists take after years of hard work and honing their creative vision. During the three-part odyssey, Raye unspools everything weighing on her mind, from algorithmically encouraged envy, self-loathing, and substance abuse to political causes she cares about, like universal healthcare and worker rights. It's a lot to digest in one go, but this song deserves the time and effort.

If you like this, listen to: "Oscar Winning Tears."

The cultural impact of "Not Like Us" is self-evident. By many accounts, Kendrick Lamar was already winning in his rap beef with Drake, largely thanks to his Pulitzer Prize-winning lyrical skill. But then, Lamar did the most devastating thing he could to a chart-topping, best-selling behemoth. He dropped an absolute banger.

It takes a truly remarkable diss track to have consumers, gatekeepers, and corporations alike in a chokehold: No. 1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks; six Grammy nominations, including both record and song of the year; plus a much-anticipated performance at the Apple Music-sponsored Super Bowl in February.

Lamar may be the only artist alive who could've pulled it off — that is to say, the only rapper who's shrewd, ruthless, and respected enough to convince stuffy executives to let him call Drake a "certified lover boy, certified pedophile" on national TV.

If you like this, listen to: "Squabble Up," "Luther (with SZA)," "Heart Pt. 6"

There was a time this summer when I couldn't go on Instagram without seeing "Nissan Altima" shared on someone's story. More recently, videos of Doechii performing the frantic first verse — in which she calls herself "the new hip-hop Madonna" and "the trap Grace Jones" — have taken over my TikTok feed.

Despite the never-ending clips, I have yet to see Doechii botch the lyrics or trip over her tongue. "Nissan Altima" puts her star power on full display; she's a formidable, top-tier rapper with a flair for eccentric phrasing.

Released as the lead single from Doechii's latest mixtape, "Alligator Bites Never Heal," this is the kind of cult-classic crowd-pleaser that, sooner or later, fans will hold up as a turning point in the artist's career.

Although "Nissan Altima" is still relatively niche and has yet to appear on the Hot 100, it has sparked an undeniable groundswell of support, even snagging a Grammy nomination for best rap performance. Don't be surprised when you start to hear Doechii's music everywhere.

If you like this, listen to: "Boiled Peanuts," "Denial is a River," "Beverly Hills"

This time last year, I crowned Chappell Roan's "Red Wine Supernova" as the best song of 2023.

I'm willing to bet Roan wasn't stunned by the praise; "I'm not that surprised people like it because it's really good," she told Dork at the time. But the selection did get some pushback from friends and lurkers online. Back then, Roan was little known by mainstream standards, performing for crowds of a couple thousand at most on The Midwest Princess Tour. Upon its release, "Red Wine Supernova" debuted at No. 75 on the Hot 100 — nothing to sniff at, certainly, but nothing sensational.

Now, "sensation" is just one of many suitable labels for Roan's career. She's become a main character in pop music, performing for massive crowds at music festivals and millions of viewers on network TV. Her rise to stardom has been ferociously analyzed, nitpicked, and gawked at, but as Roan said herself, it should've come as no surprise. She boasts an exceptional, magnetic talent that, once witnessed, makes it impossible to ignore or forget.

This became clearer than ever at Coachella, where Roan performed the as-yet-unreleased single "Good Luck Babe!" with the conviction of a much bigger star. A clip of her singing the bridge while staring down the barrel of the camera, eyes alight with both anguish and clarity, went viral online. There, in the desert, standing face-to-face with "I told you so," she banished every flicker of doubt.

"Good Luck Babe!" is now a top-five hit on the Hot 100, a Grammy nominee for song of the year, and the epicenter of this year's so-called "lesbian renaissance."

In retrospect, it's no wonder that Roan's watershed moment was a song that nods to her own staying power, a magic touch that lingers for a lifetime. She was right all along: You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.

If you like this, listen to: Roan only released this one song in 2024, but keep an eye out for her much-teased sophomore album, expected to arrive next year.

It'll presumably feature unreleased songs "The Subway," which Roan has performed at several music festivals, and "The Giver," a sapphic Shania Twain-esque bop that Roan debuted on "Saturday Night Live."

Charli XCX's "Brat" already earned the No. 2 slot on this year's best albums ranking — but I'm breaking my own rule, which forbids overlap on both end-of-year lists, for two reasons.

First, the "Girl, So Confusing" remix does not technically appear on the standard edition of "Brat." It was released as a single before its inclusion on the remix album, "Brat and It's Completely Different But Also Still Brat," which, as the name suggests, is a completely different thing. Second, the "Girl, So Confusing" remix is a force of nature unto itself and needs to be treated as such.

I can't remember another time there was such a consensus, from critics and fans alike, about the year's most affecting, most visceral pop song — let alone a spontaneous remix like this one.

Lorde had already heard the original "Girl, So Confusing" by the time Charli sent her a heads-up that, hey, long time no see, but there's a song about our unspoken rivalry on my album. Any Lorde fan would've expected her to respond with grace and mercy, but she went several steps further, offering a real-time resolution: "Let's work it out on the remix." She sent her entire verse over text, the same way it appears on the track, to which Charli reacted the same way everyone else did: "Fucking hell."

Cultural observers and political pundits have been asking each other all year, what makes someone or something "Brat"? Even Charli has struggled to articulate it, but of course, Lorde understood implicitly. Their public truce encapsulates the true essence and charm of the album: off-the-cuff, unedited, and vulnerable in the same way that throwing up in the club and letting a friend hold your hair back ends up bringing you closer.

If you like this, listen to: "Everything is Romantic featuring Caroline Polachek," "Apple featuring The Japanese House," "B2b featuring Tinashe"

Listen to BI's complete list of 100 best songs on Spotify.

There is no party playlist you could make that would be better than playing "Timeless" top to bottom. Across 21 songs, Kaytranada proves himself a top-notch curator of grooves, summoning the perfect cast of sidekicks for his mission — put simply, to make you dance dance dance dance — from Ravyn Lenae, Tinashe, and PinkPantheress to Channel Tres, Anderson .Paak, Childish Gambino, and Thundercat.

Best songs: "Drip Sweat," "Do 2 Me," "Witchy," "Wasted Words," "Snap My Finger"

Before Kendrick Lamar surprise-dropped "GNX," Vince Staples had hip-hop heads fully covered. The two rappers share an affinity for intellectual lyrics, an aptitude for tackling complex themes, and a history of critical acclaim — but where Lamar's music is at least somewhat motivated by commercial interests, Staples is unburdened by ego and expectations.

"No one's coming to me," he told Zane Lowe, "looking for a single or looking for a party record, or things of that nature. I don't feel those pressures."

Staples thrives in the album's brooding sonic landscape, which invites the listener to stay fully absorbed. Take 35 minutes to do nothing but listen.

Best songs: "Black&Blue," "Shame on the Devil," "Étouffée," "'Radio,'" "Little Homies"

The Last Dinner Party's much-hyped debut album, "Prelude to Ecstasy," over-delivers on the promise of excitement and novelty. Although several of its highlights were released ahead of time as singles, the album's in-between moments are the furthest thing from filler; each composition is lush and grandiose, never allowing for a dull moment. You may be tempted to accuse the British quintet of melodrama, but you get the feeling that's exactly what they were going for.

Best songs: "Burn Alive," "The Feminine Urge," "Beautiful Boy," "Portrait of a Dead Girl," "Nothing Matters"

"Wilson" is Ashe's third full-length album, completing the trilogy that spells out her real name (Ashlyn Rae Wilson), but it's her first as an independent artist.

After canceling her global tour in 2023, Ashe decamped to Nashville, where she'd planted the seeds of her songwriting career. After a period of tending to her burnout and building a life with her now-fiancé, she was able to be creative again for creativity's sake. "I painted the walls and renovated and gardened. I bought power tools and put up the wainscoting in the bathroom. I got dirt under my fingernails," she told Forbes. "That was a huge part of separating myself from what my entire identity was wrapped up in, which was my career."

Ashe has always made music that breaks with trends and conventions, but with "Wilson," her unfettered approach is more apparent than ever. Throughout the album, she sings quite literally about liberation, autonomy, and shedding her people-pleasing tendencies, backed by spacious, soaring production that sounds as free as she feels.

Best songs: "Please Don't Fall In Love With Me," "Running Out of Time," "Cherry Trees," "I Wanna Love You (But I Don't)," "Ashe"

The third studio album from New York-founded foursome Charly Bliss is the perfect musical sugar rush, packed with fizzy vocals and guitar riffs so candy-coated you'll mistake them for synths.

Charly Bliss has often been described as "bubblegrunge," earning high praise for their poppy takes on '90s indie-rock. "Forever" leans more bubble than grunge, echoing Taylor Swift's "The Archer" in the Jack Antonoff-approved standout "Nineteen" and often evoking Carly Rae Jepsen's beloved "Emotion."

But make no mistake: Even as Charly Bliss' soundscape has evolved, their songwriting hasn't lost its Warped Tour-adjacent angst. "I'm Not Dead" yearns for a life with more fuck-ups and fulfillment ("If I'm a rock star, I'm not doing it right") while "I Don't Know Anything" is explicit about the harrowing realities of the music industry ("You bet on yourself and you lose every day"). But it's the deceptively upbeat single "Back There Now" that contains the album's spikiest turn of phrase: "A boy like you would hang me if I gave you the rope."

Best songs: "Calling You Out," "Back There Now," "Nineteen," "I'm Not Dead," "I Don't Know Anything"

Chinouriri's disarming candor, empathy, and attentiveness come through loud and clear in her songwriting. Listening to her debut album, "What a Devastating Turn of Events," you get the feeling that she walks around with her arms outstretched, ready to engage anyone in conversation. Her best songs are personal but rarely self-serving; she'll narrate tales about a lonely month she spent in Los Angeles ("When you don't belong, the hills will know") or a cousin in Zimbabwe who committed suicide after getting pregnant ("Out of wedlock which her family despised / But if she lost it, it would still be a crime") that double as meditations on racism and reproductive healthcare.

But not all of her songs are heavy. Chinouriri is a proud student of Britpop (Blur, Oasis) and noughties indie-rock (Phoenix, Kings of Leon), though she filters her research through a modern feminine lens (Olivia Rodrigo, Lily Allen circa "It's Not Me, It's You"). "What a Devastating Turn of Events" strikes a tricky balance between being substantial, at times intense, and being downright fun to listen to.

Best songs: "Garden of Eden," "The Hills," "Never Need Me," "All I Ever Asked," "What a Devastating Turn of Events"

Lorely Rodriguez, known professionally as Empress Of, has collaborated with an array of indie-pop geniuses, from Blood Orange to Caroline Polachek to MUNA and toured with Carly Rae Jepsen and Maggie Rogers.

If you like any of those artists — or, better yet, all of them — you'll love Rodriguez's magnum opus, "For Your Consideration." The compact 11-song tracklist sounds like someone put all the best experimental dance music and punchy synth-pop into a blender and sprinkled it with the essence of Rosalía's "Motomami." The result is a treat that's jam-packed with flavor, made to be slurped and savored.

Best songs: "Preciosa," "Femenine," "Sucia," "Baby Boy," "What's Love"

"Bright Future," the sixth solo album by Adrianne Lenker (also known as the frontwoman for Big Thief), is at once haunting and comforting.

Lenker's singular brand of songwriting honors the traditions of folk music while breaking new ground, unfurling scenes of unrequited queer love ("We could be friends / You could love me through and through / If I were him") and the desire for a gentle, patient life ("Do you wanna dance? / Sometimes I think I try too hard") in her signature one-take warble.

There's a palpable melancholy in her reveries — an awareness that nothing is quite so easy or so pure — but still undeniable beauty in the hope of it all. "I have so much nuance and complexity to what I need," Lenker told Crack Magazine, "and I do not feel by any means I've wrapped my mind around it."

Best songs: "Sadness As a Gift," "Fool," "No Machine," "Free Treasure," "Vampire Empire"

Clairo is doing her best Carole King on "Charm," and she could take this role to the bank.

Much like King's seminal work, "Tapestry," Clairo's third studio album is characterized by billowing warmth, a soundscape largely achieved with jazzy piano chords, woodwinds, and humble lyrics that capture basic truths of love, devotion, and heartache: "It's second nature," "You make me wanna go buy a new dress / You make me wanna slip off a new dress," "Honey, was it enough? Is it ever enough?"

Best songs: "Sexy to Someone," "Second Nature," "Terrapin," "Juna," "Add Up My Love"

Tems has already left her fingerprints across the pop landscape, whether listeners realize it or not. You may recognize her voice from Drake's "Fountains," Future's "Wait for U," Beyoncé's "Move," or, most likely, Wizkid's "Essence," which was nominated for a Grammy and became the first song by all Nigerian artists to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

But Tems was not destined to be a featured guest. Her first full-length album, "Born in the Wild," makes it clear that her fate is musical royalty. (Prophetically, her parents named her Temilade, which means "the crown is mine" in Yoruba.)

"Born in the Wild" pulls triple duty, showcasing Tems as a dynamic vocalist, producer, and, in the words of Boutayna Chokrane for Pitchfork, "author of her own lore." Although the album carries traces of her forebears, from Lauryn Hill, Destiny's Child, and SZA to the reggae-fusion legend Diana King, whose "L-L-Lies" is interpolated in "Gangsta," Tems is credited as the lead songwriter on all 18 tracks. Her voice and vision remain at the forefront.

Best songs: "Burning," "Love Me JeJe," "Ready," "Boy O Boy," "T-Unit"

Halsey has long been devoted to concept albums, whether it's the Shakespearean fever dream of 2017's "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom" or the pregnancy-induced body horror of 2021's "If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power."

Their latest album, "The Great Impersonator," both cements and subverts their legacy as a shapeshifter. Across the 18-song tracklist, Halsey adopts different genres, tones, and impressions, but she constantly oscillates between fantasy and sincerity. On the opening track, "Only Living Girl in LA," Halsey takes a cue from Simon & Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy in New York" — written as a tender farewell to the duo's partnership — while cracking dark jokes about the crowd at her funeral. The PJ Harvey-inspired scorcher "Dog Years" draws a parallel between suicidal ideation and putting down her pet. "Letter to God (1983)" is a convincing Bruce Springsteen pastiche, which nearly distracts from the desperate pleas for divine intervention.

Only by trying on costumes, Halsey seems to suggest, can she feel safe enough to expose her most private fears and urges.

There's a sense of tragedy that pervades this practice, as well as the music itself. "The Great Impersonator" was written during a time of grave physical illness and familial upheaval, or, in Halsey's words, "the space between life and death."

Halsey confronts her catastrophes with emotions scaled to match. She is at turns furious, devastated, resentful, resigned, and wracked with guilt — both of the survivor's and mother's variety. "I don't ever wanna leave him," she sings of her young son, Ender, "but I don't think it's my choice."

More than anything, "The Great Impersonator" captures the never-enoughness of life itself. Halsey is doing everything, saying everything, feeling everything, because it might be their last chance — and isn't that the point?

Best songs: "Ego," "Panic Attack," "I Believe In Magic," "Lonely Is the Muse," "Arsonist"

Thanks to her rich timbre and multi-octave range, Brittany Howard's voice is immediately discernible, whatever style of rock 'n' roll she happens to be commanding that day.

As the frontwoman for Alabama Shakes, it was '60s-flavored Southern soul ("Boys & Girls") and psychedelia ("Sound & Color"). In her second solo album, Howard leans even deeper into her soul and funk instincts, swathed in fuzzy guitar licks and jazz-inflected brass arrangements. "What Now" reveals Howard at the peak of her powers, bending every instrument to her virtuosic will.

Best songs: "I Don't," "What Now," "Red Flags," "Prove It To You," "Power to Undo"

Sabrina Carpenter is a pop star with a capital P and a capital S. She knows exactly what she's doing, and this clarity of purpose and personality is what makes "Short n' Sweet" shine through 2024's deluge of pop albums.

These days, most of the top singer-songwriters follow the Taylor Swift Theory of Pop Music, believing they must be confessional and soul-bearing in order for their music to resonate with fans. Carpenter's sixth studio album (yes, sixth, though she considers it to be her second "big girl" album) offers a rebuttal.

That's not to say Carpenter isn't a skilled lyricist; Jack Antonoff, who produced much of "Short n' Sweet," confirmed that Carpenter wrote every word in "Sharpest Tool," the album's best song. She's just a different kind of lyricist, wielding humor, innuendo, and wordplay as many of her peers might wield their diaristic details.

Even the most generalized, nonspecific songs in the tracklist, like the smash hit "Espresso" or the sexy standout "Bed Chem," manage to feel sticky and memorable. Carpenter delivers each line with vocal flair and charisma, reshaping the broadest phrases to fit her specific persona. On paper, "That's that me espresso" could've been written by anyone, but now that we've heard the song, it could only make sense coming out of Carpenter's mouth.

Best songs: "Please Please Please," "Sharpest Tool," "Coincidence," "Bed Chem," "Espresso"

Magdalena Bay is the indie-pop band that every music critic and chronically-online-cool-girl is obsessed with right now.

If you're not familiar with their surrealist TikTok account or the album cover that inspired Rosalía's Halloween costume, the band is actually just two people: Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, both Miami natives with Argentinian-Jewish roots, who met in high school. They're a couple now, though some people mistakenly believe they're related. Think of it like The White Stripes for the digital age — if Jack and Meg White were listening to a lot of early Grimes and doom-scrolling on their phones.

"Imaginal Disk" is the culmination of their 13-year partnership, the fruit of two true creatives who are perfectly in sync. The music is very much of the moment, full of distorted synths and anxious lyrics about "divine digits," warped mirrors, and TV-induced nightmares — but, miraculously, it never strays into the realm of pretentious, patronizing slush. Tenenbaum and Lewin may be preoccupied with the splendors and ills of the modern world, but they're not preaching or speaking down to us because they are us.

Best songs: "Killing Time," "Image," "Death & Romance," "Fear, Sex," "That's My Floor"

Tyla's self-titled is the most impressive debut album of the year, parading an assortment of moods and genres — namely Afrobeats, amapiano, pop, and R&B — with the poise of a seasoned superstar.

Listening to "Tyla," I can't help but remember how I felt listening to Rihanna's "Music of the Sun" in 2005, that flutter in my stomach when I knew something big was about to happen — or, more accurately, someone.

Like most great pop albums, "Tyla" is accessible and versatile with a song for every mood. "Water" may be her "Pon de Replay," but she's also got her independent-girl anthem ("No.1"), her timeless love song ("Butterflies"), her heartbreak memento ("To Last"), and, of course, her party-starters ("Jump," "On My Body"). Through it all, Tyla never sacrifices her signature sound for the sake of mass appeal.

Best songs: "Truth Or Dare," "Butterflies," "On and On," "Jump," "To Last"

Taylor Swift as a concept looms large over her 11th studio album — so much so that it was summarily dismissed by people who've grown tired of "her whole thing." As Swiftian history shows us, this fatigue happens cyclically every few years.

But as Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield wrote in "Heartbreak is the National Anthem," his new book about Swift's place in music history, "Many people often find Taylor infuriating and exhausting. So does Taylor Swift."

That may as well be the thesis for "The Tortured Poets Department." At 31 songs, the album is instantly overwhelming. It's self-effacing and self-aware to a truly comical degree. (I will never forget where I was when I first heard Swift sing, "I'm having his baby. No, I'm not! But you should see your faces.") It's full of heel turns, hallucinations, and contradictions. She pledges, "I can fix him," then ends the same song with, "Woah! Maybe I can't." Later, she swears she'll forget him — in a song that also swears he's a swindler who deserves jail time. She begs God to send her a soulmate, but three tracks later, she compares the sensation of leaving a man to emerging from a frozen lake. In the album's lead single, she literally casts herself as an asylum patient.

As Sheffield notes, "There's something scary about all her try-try-try energy, but that's the only possible way she could write songs like these." Swift is always erupting, never walking it back, and never playing it cool. It's annoying. It's relatable. It's annoyingly relatable. But for her fellow triers, it's sheer magic. It's a crucial part of her allure as an artist, and it's also what makes the "The Tortured Poets Department" — yes, even the extra 15 songs — such a damned, accursed thrill.

Best songs: "But Daddy I Love Him," "Guilty as Sin?," "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?," "Loml," "The Black Dog," "How Did It End?," "The Prophecy"

One year after The Marías released their debut album, 2021's "Cinema," the band reached a watershed moment: They were featured on Bad Bunny's 2022 blockbuster "Un Verano Sin Ti." Their duet, "Otro Atardecer," has over 481 million streams on Spotify to date.

Bad Bunny's cosign promised more ears and a much bigger platform; a well-executed sophomore album could change their trajectory forever. It seemed the stars had aligned.

In reality, their path forward wasn't promised. Lead singer María Zardoya and drummer and producer Josh Conway, the duo that founded the band and cowrote the songs, broke up. They'd begun dating shortly after meeting, drawn together by their artistic chemistry. Dousing that spark could've spelled the end of The Marías.

To avoid this fate, the bandmates had the wisdom to impose a six-week sabbatical — the longest they'd been apart in their eight years of knowing each other, Zardoya told Elle. They both took the time to travel. "We were in our 'Eat, Pray, Love' era for sure," she said. "The isolation was necessary for us to heal, then come together and make this project. We overcame a lot to make it happen."

"Submarine" may be the best album written by actively splitting lovers since Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," though The Marías' version is markedly more serene. Zardoya swaps the righteous fury of Stevie Nicks for soothing melodies and abiding tenderness, sounding more like Selena mixed with Sade. Conway compliments his ex's hushed vocals with glinting synths and waves of reverb.

The effect is all-encompassing, fluid, almost reverent — quite like sitting at the bottom of a pool, watching the sunlight glitter on the surface, as Zardoya does in the cover art. There isn't a single dissonant moment or skippable song to pull you out of its depths.

Best songs: "Echo," "Run Your Mouth," "Blur," "No One Noticed," "Vicious Sensitive Robot"

"Hit Me Hard and Soft" is Billie Eilish's third studio album and her best yet by far. Compared to the lonely visions of 2019's "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" or the self-indulgent soliloquies of 2021's "Happier Than Ever," this world feels richer, more curious and expansive.

Although the tracklist only has 10 songs, every chord, every ad-lib, and every transition has been carefully considered as part of a whole. String motifs and key lyrics resurface across the album, and the eerie and reflective closing track, "Blue," fuses two scrapped songs from Eilish's past into something new.

Eilish's brother and collaborator Finneas O'Connell once described this album as containing "real ghosts" because they resurrected old material. This may explain why its centerpiece, "Chihiro," shares a name with the protagonist of "Spirited Away," a movie about stumbling through a portal to an alternate dimension that's full of strange monsters and spirits. Chihiro is thrust into a great adventure at an extremely young age — much like Eilish when she shot to fame as a teenager. His only options are escape or immersion.

Eilish's previous albums ooze with the itch to escape. In "Hit Me Hard and Soft," Eilish finally chooses the latter.

Best songs: "Chihiro," "Birds of a Feather," "The Greatest," "The Diner," "Blue"

The "best" album of the year is always debatable, but one thing is for sure: "Brat" will go down in history as the main character in 2024's cultural discourse.

The artwork's acid green seeped into every corner of observable life, from statue gardens and brand campaigns to Times Square and the White House. Even NASA hopped on the trend, using "Brat" lyrics in an Instagram caption to describe the lingering glow of a supernova. "Buried at the center is the star's tell-tale heart," the agency wrote, "which beats with rhythmic precision." How very fitting.

After many years of languishing in pop's middle class (justice for "How I'm Feeling Now"), Charli XCX broke into the mainstream with her most idiosyncratic work to date. Ironically, it was her previous effort, 2022's "Crash," that was created with the intention of showing off her pop-star chops — both as a cynical stunt and an earnest bid for attention.

At the time, the experiment seemed to fail. "Crash" was well received by critics but failed to lift Charli into pop's upper echelon.

And yet, it was precisely this kind of failure — or, at least, the perception of failure in the competitive world of "stan Twitter" — that made the existence of "Brat" possible. Throughout the tracklist, Charli is haunted by her own legacy. She frets constantly about being compared to other women in the industry. Do they even notice when she's fixing her hair or snagging her tights? Do they see her standing in the background? Do they also wish they could rewind to simpler times, before they cared about Billboard charts and sales numbers? She even wonders whether her music career is worth putting her personal life on hold for.

Even when Charli is playing her familiar role, the "365 party girl," her brags are still legacy-oriented. "I'm your favorite reference, baby," she insists in the opening track, "360." In the standout single "Von Dutch," she teases, "It's OK to just admit that you're jealous of me." Put in conversation with the album's deep cuts, these lyrics seem more defensive than they do at first brush. Charli is ready to call herself an icon, but she wants you to say it back.

"Brat" is a uniquely Charli album, but as NASA accidentally noted, it's also a tale as old as time: Buried at the center, beneath the neon lights and pulsing synths, Charli's tell-tale heart is beating, keeping her alive, begging to be heard.

Best songs: "Sympathy Is a Knife," "Von Dutch," "So I," "Girl, So Confusing," "365"

"Brat Summer" may have taken over the online lexicon in 2024, but once again, it was Beyoncé who made the most technically impressive and thematically effective album of the year.

Following the footsteps of "Renaissance," the best album of 2022, "Cowboy Carter" is part of an ongoing trilogy that probes the limits of genre — and, crucially, the roles that race and gender play in imposing those limits. Beyoncé is the perfect and perhaps only musician alive who could stage such an experiment with this level of mastery, foresight, and cultural impact.

You could pinpoint pretty much any three-track run on "Cowboy Carter," and you'd find proof why it's the album of the year. Take "Ameriican Reqiuem," a mini-dissertation on prejudice in the music industry, then "Blackbiird," an illuminating blend of young Black voices in country music with a classic-rock song that was inspired by the Little Rock Nine, topped by "16 Carriages," a soulful ballad that draws from Beyoncé's outlaw-esque roots, and you've still only covered the first 11-ish minutes.

Beyoncé has many musical gifts, including (but not limited to) identifying fresh talent, reinventing samples, fine-tuning even the tiniest details, and synthesizing many themes and perspectives to form one coherent narrative. Her range is already well established, but on "Cowboy Carter," each of these skills is deployed to its fullest extent.

The album opens with a pointed set of questions: "Can you hear me? Or do you fear me?" But Beyoncé knows the breadth of her power, so she already knows what the answer will be. She closes the album by asking again, but this time, it's tinted by the shadow of a smirk: "Tell me, can you hear me now?"

Best songs: "Ameriican Reqiuem," "Bodyguard," "Daughter," "Alliigator Tears," "II Most Wanted," "Ya Ya," "II Hands II Heaven," "Sweet Honey Buckiin'"

Michael Jackson was the first-ever artist to achieve the feat with "You Are Not Alone," which debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 2, 1995.

It was the second single from Jackson's ninth studio album "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I."

"Fantasy" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 30, 1995. It was the lead single from Carey's fifth studio album "Daydream."

"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 25, 1995. It was the lead single from the soundtrack for the film "Waiting to Exhale."

"One Sweet Day" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 2, 1995. It was the second single from Carey's fifth studio album "Daydream."

"I'll Be Missing You" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 14, 1997. It was the second single from "No Way Out," the debut album from Diddy, then known as Puff Daddy.

"Honey" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 13, 1997. It was the lead single from Carey's sixth studio album "Butterfly."

"Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 11, 1997. The double A-side single later became the first song ever to be certified diamond.

"My Heart Will Go On" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 28, 1998.

The famous ballad was written for the soundtrack of "Titanic" and served as the movie's main romantic theme. It was also released as a single from Dion's fifth English-language album "Let's Talk About Love."

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 5, 1998. It was recorded for the film "Armageddon," starring Liv Tyler.

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 14, 1998. It was the lead single from Hill's debut album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."

"This Is the Night" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 28, 2003. It was Aiken's debut single after competing on season two of "American Idol."

"I Believe" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 10, 2004. It was Fantasia's debut single after winning season three of "American Idol."

"Inside Your Heaven" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 2, 2005. It was Underwood's debut single after winning season four of "American Idol."

Underwood was the first country artist to have a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Do I Make You Proud" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 1, 2006. Hicks first performed the song on the fifth season finale of "American Idol," and it was released as a single shortly after his victory.

"3" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 24, 2009. It was the lead (and only) single from Spears' second greatest hits album "The Singles Collection."

"Not Afraid" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 22, 2010. It was the lead single from Eminem's seventh studio album "Recovery."

"We R Who We R" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 13, 2010. It was the lead single from Kesha's debut EP "Cannibal."

"Hold It Against Me" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 29, 2011. It was the lead single from Spears' seventh studio album "Femme Fatale."

"Born This Way" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 26, 2011. It was the lead single from Gaga's second studio album of the same name.

"Part of Me" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 3, 2012. It was the lead single from "Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection," a reissue of Perry's third studio album.

"Harlem Shake" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 2, 2013.

The viral hit benefited from a recent adjustment to the Hot 100's formula, when the chart began incorporating YouTube data. The chart methodology is updated at least once a year, to reflect rapidly evolving listening trends. (YouTube song user-generated content was later removed from chart calculations in 2020.)

"Shake It Off" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 6, 2014. It was the lead single from Swift's fifth studio album "1989."

"What Do You Mean?" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 19, 2015. It was the lead single from Bieber's fourth studio album "Purpose."

"Hello" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 14, 2015. It was the lead single from Adele's third studio album "25."

"Pillowtalk" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 20, 2016. It was the lead single from Zayn's debut solo album "Mind of Mine."

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 28, 2016. It was the lead single for the soundtrack of the film "Trolls."

"Shape of You" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 28, 2017. It was one of the lead singles, along with "Castle on the Hill," from Sheeran's third studio album "Divide."

"I'm the One" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 20, 2017. It was the second single from Khaled's 10th studio album "Grateful."

"God's Plan" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 3, 2018. It was the lead single from Drake's fifth studio album "Scorpion."

"Nice for What" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 21, 2018. It was the second single from "Scorpion."

"This Is America" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 19, 2018. It was released as a standalone single.

"Thank U, Next" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 17, 2018. It was the lead single from Grande's fifth studio album of the same name.

"7 Rings" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 2, 2019. It was the second single from "Thank U, Next."

"Sucker" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 16, 2019. It was the lead single from the Jonas Brothers' fifth studio album "Happiness Begins."

"Highest in the Room" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 19, 2019. It was featured on "JackBoys," a compilation EP by Scott and other members of his label.

"Toosie Slide" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 18, 2020. It was the lead single from Drake's compilation mixtape "Dark Lane Demo Tapes."

"The Scotts" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 9, 2020. It was the debut single from newly formed hip-hop duo The Scotts, aka Travis Scott and Kid Cudi.

"Stuck With U" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 23, 2020. It was released as a charity single to raise money for the First Responders Children's Foundation.

"Rain On Me" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 6, 2020. It was the second single from Gaga's sixth studio album "Chromatica."

"Trollz" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 27, 2020. It became the fifth No. 1 debut in 2020 alone, marking a new single-year high.

"Cardigan" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 8, 2020 — the same week as its parent album "Folklore" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Swift the first artist ever to debut at No. 1 on both charts in the same week.

"Folklore" received less than 24 hours' promotion before its release at midnight on July 24. The music video for "Cardigan" arrived at the same time.

"WAP" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 22, 2020. It was Cardi B's first single since 2019's "Press" and became her fourth career No. 1.

The raunchy song also became the fourth all-female collaboration to hit No. 1 in 2020 — and just the ninth in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 — while setting a new record for first-week streams with 93 million.

"Dynamite," the septet's first all-English-language single, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 5, 2020.

BTS is the first all-South Korean group to top the Hot 100.

"Franchise" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 10, 2020.

It became Scott's third single to debut on top in less than a year — following "Highest in the Room" and "The Scotts" — setting a new record for "the fastest accumulation of three No. 1 entrances by any artist in the Hot 100's history.

It's Scott's fourth No. 1 song overall, Young Thug's second, and M.I.A.'s first.

"Positions" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 7, 2020. It was the lead single from Grande's sixth studio album of the same name.

Grande made history as the first artist with three No. 1 Hot 100 debuts in a single calendar year.

"Life Goes On" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 5, 2020, the same week as its parent album "Be" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — making BTS the second artist in history to debut at No. 1 on both charts simultaneously, mere months after Swift became the first.

"Willow" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 26, 2020 — the same week as its parent album "Evermore" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Swift became the first artist in history to debut on top of both charts simultaneously — twice.

She previously became the first artist to do so with "Folklore," less than five months previously.

"Willow" was also the 12th song in 2020 to arrive on the chart in its top position, handily setting a single-year record.

"Drivers License," Olivia Rodrigo's official debut single, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 23, 2021.

At just 17 years old, the Disney Channel star is the youngest solo artist in history to arrive atop the Hot 100. The record was previously held by Fantasia, who was 20 when "I Believe" debuted at No. 1. 

"What's Next" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 20, 2021.

The rapper became the first artist in history to have three songs arrive in the Hot 100's top three simultaneously. "What's Next" was joined by "Wants and Needs," featuring Lil Baby, at No. 2 and "Lemon Pepper Freestyle," featuring Rick Ross, at No. 3.

"Peaches" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 3, 2021. It was the fifth single from Bieber's sixth studio album "Justice," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the same week, and the singer's fourth instant chart-topper.

"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 10, 2021. It was the lead single from Lil Nas X's debut studio album "Montero."

"Rapstar" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 24, 2021. It was the third single from Polo G's third album "Hall of Fame."

"Good 4 U" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 29, 2021. It was the third single from Rodrigo's debut studio album "Sour."

"Butter," the second all-English single from BTS, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated June 5, 2021.

"Permission to Dance" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 24, 2021, giving BTS their fourth instant chart-topper in less than one year.

"Way 2 Sexy" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 18, 2021. It was the lead single from Drake's sixth studio album "Certified Lover Boy," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the same week.

"My Universe" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 9, 2021. It was the second single from Coldplay's ninth studio album "Music of the Spheres."

Thanks to their feature, BTS tied Grande for the second-most No. 1 debuts in history (five).

"All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 27, 2021.

It was released alongside Taylor Swift's rerecorded album "Red (Taylor's Version)," which simultaneously debuted atop the Billboard 200.

"All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" was included on the updated "Red" tracklist in two different iterations: its original five-minute length, as well the long-awaited 10-minute version, both of which are combined into one listing on Billboard's charts.

At 10 minutes and 13 seconds long, "All Too Well" is officially the longest No. 1 hit of all time.

The record was previously held by Don McLean's 1972 hit "American Pie (Parts I & II)," which clocked in at 8 minutes and 37 seconds.

"As It Was" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 16, 2022. It was released as the lead single from Styles' third solo album "Harry's House."

The song dropped out of first place in its second week of tracking, but returned to the No. 1 spot for 15 nonconsecutive weeks, setting a new record for a British performer.

"First Class" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 23, 2022. It was released as the second single from Harlow's sophomore album "Come Home the Kids Miss You."

"Wait For U" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 14, 2022. It was released as the seventh track on Future's album "I Never Liked You."

"Jimmy Cooks" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 2, 2022. It was released alongside Drake's album "Honestly, Nevermind," which also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

"Super Freaky Girl" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 27, 2022.

"Anti-Hero" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 5, 2022.

It was released alongside Taylor Swift's 10th studio album "Midnights," which also arrived atop the Billboard 200 — making Swift the first and only artist in history to debut at No. 1 on both charts simultaneously on four separate occasions.

Swift also became the first artist in history to debut 10 songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, as "Anti-Hero" was joined by nine fellow tracks from "Midnights."

"Flowers" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 28, 2023. It was released as the lead single from Cyrus' eighth album "Endless Summer Vacation."

"Like Crazy" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 8, 2023, making Jimin the first South Korean soloist to top the Hot 100. (He previously achieved the feat as a member of BTS.)

"Vampire" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 15, 2023. It was released as the lead single from Rodrigo's sophomore album "Guts."

Rodrigo is now the only artist in history to have both lead singles ("Drivers License" and "Vampire") from her first two albums ("Sour" and "Guts," respectively) arrive in the chart's top position.

"Seven" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated July 29, 2023, making Jung Kook the second member of BTS to have a chart-topping solo hit.

"Rich Men North of Richmond," Oliver Anthony Music's breakout single, debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 26, 2023.

The controversial country singer is the first artist to achieve the feat without any previous entries on a Billboard chart.

"I Remember Everything" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 9, 2023. It was released on Bryan's self-titled album, which simultaneously arrived atop the Billboard 200.

"Slime You Out" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated September 30, 2023. It was released as the lead single for Drake's eighth studio album "For All the Dogs."

"First Person Shooter" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated October 21, 2023. It was released alongside "For All the Dogs," which simultaneously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Drake holds the record for the most No. 1 song debuts in history, with nine to his name.

"Is It Over Now?" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 11, 2023.

The vault track from "1989 (Taylor's Version)" dethroned Swift's own "Cruel Summer," which had reigned for two weeks. (It later returned to the summit for two more weeks.)

Swift is the only woman ever to replace herself atop the Hot 100; she previously achieved the feat in 2014 with the original "1989," when "Blank Space" climbed the chart to replace "Shake It Off."

"Yes, And?" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated January 27, 2024. It was released as the lead single for Grande's seventh album "Eternal Sunshine."

"Hiss" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated February 10, 2024.

"We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated March 23, 2024. It was released as the second single from "Eternal Sunshine," which simultaneously arrived atop the Billboard 200.

The song marked Grande's seventh instant chart-topper, the most among women and second-most in history.

"Like That" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated April 6, 2024.

"Fortnight" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 4, 2024. It was released as the lead single from Swift's 11th studio album "The Tortured Poets Department."

The Post Malone duet earned 76.2 million streams in its first week, breaking the record previously set by Rodrigo with "Drivers License" (76.1 million), according to Billboard.

Swift is now tied with Grande for the second-most No. 1 debuts of any artist in history (seven apiece), while Drake holds the all-time record.

"Not Like Us" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 18, 2024.

The diss track was released amid a heated feud with Drake, ignited by Lamar's verse on "Like That."

Another of Lamar's anti-Drake songs, "Euphoria," appeared on the same chart at No. 3, while Drake's response, "Family Matters," debuted at No. 7.

"I Had Some Help" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated May 25, 2024.

The country duet is Malone's second song to arrive in the top spot after "Fortnight" — both within the same month — and his sixth No. 1 song overall.

As for Wallen, "I Had Some Help" marks his second Hot 100 leader after "Last Night" charted at No. 1 for 16 weeks in 2023, setting a record for a solo song.

"Love Somebody" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated November 2, 2024, becoming Wallen's second song to arrive in the top spot and third No. 1 hit overall.

"Squabble Up" debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated December 7, 2024, making Kendrick Lamar the first solo male artist in history with three instant chart-toppers in a single year.

The song was released alongside Lamar's "GNX," which also arrived atop the Billboard 200.

It took 65 years for Brenda Lee's holiday classic to climb the Hot 100, finally reaching No. 1 in December 2023.

As the holiday season came to a close, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" remained atop the chart for the first week of the new year.

"Lovin On Me" originally topped the Hot 100 for one week at the end of 2023, but proved to have staying power when it returned to No. 1 after the holiday surge.

This year, the song collected five more nonconsecutive weeks at the summit, becoming Jack Harlow's biggest hit to date.

"Yes, And?" was released as the lead single from Ariana Grande's latest album "Eternal Sunshine." It debuted at No. 1 in January.

"Hiss" was released as the second single from Megan Thee Stallion's third album "Megan." It debuted at No. 1 in February.

Beyoncé surprise-released a pair of singles, "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages," during the 2024 Super Bowl.

The former debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100, then rose to No. 1 after its first full week of tracking. (Billboard tracks sales and streams from Friday to Thursday.) The song remained atop the chart for a second consecutive week.

"Texas Hold 'Em" also reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the first song by a Black artist to hold both positions.

"Carnival" was released as a single from "Vultures 1," the first collaborative album by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign. It rose from No. 2 to No. 1 for one week in March.

"We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" was released as the second single from "Eternal Sunshine." It debuted at No. 1 in March, becoming Grande's seventh song to arrive in the chart's top position.

Grande is tied with Taylor Swift for the most No. 1 song debuts among women and the second-most ever, trailing only Drake.

"Lose Control" was originally released in June 2023 and debuted at No. 99 on the Hot 100.

The soul-rock ballad gradually gained traction and broke into the top five by the end of January.

In late March, Teddy Swims released two new versions of the song: a Tiësto remix and a radio edit. That boosted streaming numbers, which helped "Lose Control" finally reach No. 1 after a 32-week climb.

It was eventually crowned as Billboard's top-performing hit of 2024, while Taylor Swift was named the year's top Hot 100 artist.

"Like That" was released as a single from "We Don't Trust You," a collaborative album by Future and Metro Boomin. It debuted at No. 1 and remained atop the chart for two more consecutive weeks.

It also ignited an explosive rap feud between Kendrick Lamar, who's featured on the hit song, and Drake, whom Lamar alludes to in the lyrics.

"Too Sweet" was released as the first track and only single from Hozier's EP "Unheard," a small collection of songs that had been scrapped from his previous album.

"Too Sweet" debuted at No. 5 in April and topped the chart later that month, becoming the Irish rocker's first No. 1 song on the Hot 100. (Hozier's breakout hit, 2013's "Take Me to Church," peaked at No. 2.)

"Fortnight" was released as the opening track on Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," and promoted as the lead single.

When the song debuted at No. 1, it was accompanied by every other track from the album — 31 in total, plus "Cruel Summer," a straggler hit from 2019 — setting a record among women for the most songs charting on the Hot 100 simultaneously.

Swift's songs also occupied the entire top 10 of the Hot 100. (She is the only artist ever to achieve that feat, and she's now done it twice.)

"Fortnight" remained atop the Hot 100 for a second consecutive week.

"Not Like Us," a scathing diss track aimed at Drake, was released as a standalone single in May. It debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, giving Lamar a clear leg-up in their battle.

After the music video premiere in July, "Not Like Us" returned to No. 1 for a second nonconsecutive week.

"I Had Some Help" was released as the lead single from Post Malone's sixth studio album, "F-1 Trillion."

The song debuted at No. 1 in May and remained atop the chart for five consecutive weeks. After a brief interruption by Sabrina Carpenter, it returned for one more week.

"Please Please Please" was released as the second single from Sabrina Carpenter's sixth studio album, "Short n' Sweet." It debuted at No. 2 in June but quickly rose to the top spot, becoming Carpenter's first No. 1 song.

While massively popular, the song's predecessor, "Espresso," never managed to rise past No. 3 on the Hot 100. It did, however, reign atop the Billboard Global 200 for three weeks (a worldwide tally, as opposed to the Hot 100's US-focused formula) and was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA as of September 6, 2024.

Both songs were joined by another of Carpenter's singles, "Taste," in the top 10 of the Hot 100 for eight weeks this year — the longest streak for three simultaneous top-10 hits in history among female artists.

"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" was released as a single from Shaboozey's third studio album, "Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going."

It became a country-pop crossover smash, topping both Hot Country Songs and the Hot 100 in July — the second song in history by a Black artist to do so, following Beyoncé with "Texas Hold 'Em."

"A Bar Song (Tipsy)" has continued to dominate the Hot 100, accumulating 19 nonconsecutive weeks atop the chart. It's the longest-leading solo hit in Hot 100 history and tied with "Old Town Road" for the all-time record.

"Love Somebody" managed to briefly interrupt Shaboozey's reign when it was released in October, debuting atop the Hot 100 before falling to No. 8 in its second week.

"Squabble Up" was released as the second track on Kendrick Lamar's "GNX" and promoted as the album's lead single.

It debuted at No. 1 in the first week of December, accompanied by four other songs from "GNX" in the chart's top five.

Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was originally released in 1994 and didn't reach No. 1 for 25 years.

The song finally topped the Hot 100 in 2019, and since then, it has returned to the peak position for multiple weeks every December.

In 2024, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" experienced another seasonal resurgence and spent two more weeks at No. 1, bringing the song's grand total to 16 weeks atop the chart.