Music has always been at the heart of the annual Spotify Wrapped experience, offering fans a unique reflection of the year gone by. And 2024 was quite the year, showing up with its own set of trends, moments, and movements that redefined the music landscape.
A new batch of pop stars has entered superstardom, country is reaching new heights of popularity, and indie acts are achieving global streaming success: It's been an exciting year for music. But what are the real stories behind the trends? Which genres surprised us, and which artists broke through the noise?
To unpack the musical moments that defined 2024 on Spotify, For the Record sat down with two of our editorial experts: John Stein, Head of North American Editorial, and Astrid Storm, Senior Project Manager, Global Editorial.
Happy Wrapped! Level with us: Which 2024 music trend surprised you the most? John: Country seemed to further extend its dominance and reach in 2024. We had superstars like Beyonc and Post Malone release incredibly successful albums in the genre, and we saw breakout moments from Dasha with Austin (Boots Stop Workin') and Shaboozey with A Bar Song (Tipsy) -the latter on pace to crack a billion streams in less than eight months. The sonic reach of the genre continues to impress on a global level.
Astrid: It's also been really exciting to see how Afro house has captivated audiences worldwide. The genre has moved from street parties in Lagos to clubs in Mykonos and beyond. This summer's hit Move by Adam Port, Stryv, and Malachiii is a perfect example of the blend of pop and Afro house, racking up more than 370 million streams to date. As a genre, Afro house is hitting the mainstream alongside Afrobeats and Amapiano, which are still resonating globally. Our dance editors are doing a brilliant job showcasing this trend in playlists like Umami, Tantra, and Afro House Pulse.
What about emerging genres or subgenres-what stood out to you both this year? John: Each year we're seeing listeners explore new spaces and discover new genres and artists. I've loved seeing hard techno have a moment in the dance space this year. It's high bpm, aggressive, and makes you want to sweat in a packed club. An artist like Sara Landry is a prime example.
Also, the continued emergence of alternative country, folk, and Americana-leaning artists has been amazing to see. We house a lot of them in our playlist Homegrown, and in 2024 we saw the true audience potential of the genre and community.
Astrid: What we now know as sexy drill really had a moment in 2024. New York icons like Ice Spice, Chow Lee, Bay Swag, and Cash Cobain-who is widely considered the genre's pioneer-paved the way for sexy drill's explosive rise. Yet, it was artists like Don Toliver with his hit ATTITUDE and Belfast's Jordan Adetunji with KEHLANI who propelled the sound to new heights on the charts. Artists from both hip-hop and R&B are now embracing sexy drill across the globe. In October, our hip-hop editors launched the Sexy Drill playlist, both a celebration and reflection of the growth in this sound.
How about your favorite music trend of 2024? Astrid: One thing that took me by surprise this year was our rock editors opening my eyes-and ears-to the world of hardcore punk. In the wake of the pandemic, hardcore has made a global comeback, still becoming more diverse and striking a chord with younger listeners like myself. Bands like Turnstile, Speed, Scowl, DRAIN, High Vis, and Drug Church are at the forefront of this movement, capturing mainstream attention. Our playlists like The Breakdown and Hardcore Rising are helping me dive deeper into the adrenaline and raw energy of this subculture.
John: My favorite music trend of 2024 was pop star (re)emergence. It had been a slow couple years for emerging pop artists, but this year we had huge breakout moments for Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, among others. Not only did each of these artists have huge songs, but their albums resonated as well. For the first time in a while we had multiple huge albums all taking off at once. I think you could confidently say it was the year of women in pop, and our top albums list showcases that as well.
Social media influences everything these days. How did you see that reflected in music trends and discovery in 2024? John: We're not seeing the massive influx of viral tracks as we have in past years. What we are seeing is more dedicated fandoms emerge and create virality-Charli xcx's BRAT summer meant that many tracks on her album had viral moments and lifespans beyond the release moment. In general, we're seeing more depth of listening for artists and genres than the flash-in-the-pan moments of the past few years.
Speaking of influential forces, how has Gen Z influenced the music landscape this year? Astrid: Something myself and our indie editors are excited about-which is particularly popular with Gen Z women-is fantasy/theatrical indie. It's characterized by bold, expressive storytelling and worldbuilding, often with a darker, witchy tone. Think the mythical folklore of Yaelokre, or the baroque-pop renaissance of The Last Dinner Party, or the visceral narratives of Paris Paloma. For me, it follows in the lineage of otherworldly, slightly left-of-center stars like Bj rk and Kate Bush, but with a very modern twist.
John: Gen Z's openness to music from any place and any time in history continues to shape the landscape at large. The fact that shoegaze, a genre that emerged out of the U.K. counterculture in the late '80s, could have so much influence on American teenagers in 2024 really speaks to this. Shoegaze Now is one of the playlists where we've seen this discovery happen.
Turning to our influential editorial playlists, how did these shape music trends this year? John: We're always a
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
09/05/2026
New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance
Bastl Instruments have announced Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modelling, F...
09/05/2026
Compact sampling workstation gains new features
1010music have announced blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWless ...
08/05/2026
One-button synth generates random four-track ideas
Cyma Forma and French artist Bambounou have announced RND synth, a compact hardware synthesizer built aro...
08/05/2026
Portable four-layer granular and sampling instrument
Tasty Chips have announced the GR-2, a new granular synthesizer and sampling instrument that combines e...
08/05/2026
Video Show Report
Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Polyend Drums
Polyends big announcement for Superbooth 2026 is the Drums, a new drum machine that features both ...
08/05/2026
Deal agreed as NI enters new chapter
Native Instruments CEO Nick Williams has announced that a definitive agreement has been signed for the company to be ac...
08/05/2026
Video Show Report
Video of SUPERBOOTH 26: Erica Bullfrog Drums
The Bullfrog Drums is the latest collaboration between Erica Synths and Richie Hawtin, and ...
08/05/2026
In our latest blog, Tim Pearson reflects on the recent launch of Play Snooker, the new digital home of snooker by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker A...
08/05/2026
Pete reunites with Dogs Trust for a fourth series and a two-part overseas special
London, Friday 8th May 2026: The award winning factual entertainment series P...
08/05/2026
Wuppertal May 8, 2026
Riedel to Support Glasgow 2026 as Official Connectivity Integration Provider Riedel Communications today announced its return as a spons...
08/05/2026
ICG is excited to share news of our official launch in Northern Ireland, marking a significant milestone in the agency's growth.
Led by Digital Marketing M...
08/05/2026
Over the past ten years, Thames Water, in partnership with Arqiva, has installed more than 1.2 million smart meters, creating one of the most extensive advanced...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Comscore to Announce First Quarter 2026 Financial ResultsRESTON, Va., May 7, 2026 - Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting a...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
Music has always been at the heart of the annual Spotify Wrapped experience, offering fans a unique reflection of the year gone by. And 2024 was quite the year, showing up with its own set of trends, moments, and movements that redefined the music landscape. 
