Though The Bias List is first and foremost a K-pop review blog, each month I spotlight a handful of “global pop” tracks that have taken hold of my playlist. To cap off the year, I’d like to count down my top tracks that weren’t part of the K-pop or J-pop markets.
This was a weird year for pop music because there were so many returns by huge artists, yet almost every single one felt totally underwhelming to me. Because of this, my list is stuffed with lesser-known artists who made the year extremely solid. In fact, it was so solid I’m expanding this list from forty to fifty! Like last year, any track is eligible whether it was promoted with a music video or not.
SONGS 50-31
SONGS 30-11
SONGS 10-1
2024 YEAR-END MASTERPOST
10. Florrie – Looking For Love
There’s a reason I champion legendary producers who have been around through multiple eras and seen trends come and go. Xenomania do their thing on Looking For Love, paired with Florrie’s wistful vocals and a killer chorus.
9. Benjamin Ingrosso – Look Who’s Laughing Now
Ingrosso’s 2024 music melded classic rock and pop with modern touches that made it feel both timeless and timely. Look Who’s Laughing Now has bubblegum hooks for the ages, tied to a striking arrangement that grows bigger and bolder as the song unravels.
8. Benjamin Ingrosso – Back To You
Yep, we’re doing tow Benjamin Ingrosso songs back to back. The album is simply that good. Back To You brings him to the dancefloor, pairing his surging melodies with Like A Prayer-style bombast. It’s such an evocative sound.
7. Bentley Robles – IAM IAM IAM
IAM IAM IAM opens an incredible pop album with flair. Its spacey synth sound quickly morphs into a larger-than-life chorus bound to get your blood pumping. Bentley’s music has such personality but always puts the song itself at the forefront.
6. Silence Wang – One Hundred Thousand Volts
Silence Wang has become my go-to C-pop artist, especially when he dabbles in dance music. One Hundred Thousand Volts reminds me of the early-2010’s festival EDM trend, climaxing in a series of dizzying electronic flourishes. Like many songs on my list, it feels gargantuan in scale.
5. Zee Machine & Bentley Robles – Anyone But Him
Certain production choices can elevate a song by tenfold. Anyone But Him would be a dynamite track regardless of arrangement, but its brisk instrumental and searing post-chorus guitar vaults it all the way into my top five. The song sounds like speeding down a highway.
4. Käärijä x Erika Vikman – Ruoska
Two of Finland’s ballsiest iconoclasts join forces for the pummeling Ruoska. Käärijä’s heavy guitar freakout meets Vikman’s theatrical dance approach, resulting in a hulking track that feels like being run over by a freight train.
3. Vincint – Lean
File Vincint under “indie artists who deserve to top every chart.” His vocals, coupled with the warmth of this club-ready production, result in an uplifting anthem that becomes downright transcendent as it unfurls. It’s an instant classic in the vein of emotional club music like Robyn’s Dancing On My Own.
2. Confidence Man – I Can’t Lose You
There was no greater 2024 earworm than this. I don’t know what crack they laced the vocal production with, but the tone and texture kept me coming back for more and more. I Can’t Lose You is like every great 90’s dance song funneled into one burst of pop perfection.
1. Madison Rose – Falling Outta Heaven
I’m convinced Madison Rose is an alien sent down from a planet whose sole currency is pop music. She just gets it in a primordial way, and that’s on full display during every second of Falling Outta Heaven. This is everything Gaga and Katy and Rihanna gave us at their peak, delivered by an artist with a sliver of the budget and recognition. I honestly don’t know how she does it, but her talent as a pop force is off the charts. I’m attempting every mystical ceremony I can to invoke 2025 being her breakout year. Pop music this glistening and big and affirming needs to be heard by as many listeners as possible.