Top 10 Singers Of 2024

A year of superlatives, strong opinions and new faces in the upper echelons of the music industry: this year, we got to experience brilliant concerts with mega-stars on an almost unbelievable level and watch the streaming figures for rising Gen Z stars shoot through the roof. Here are the top 10 singers of 2024 who impressed us the most. 🎤

1. Badmómzjay

Badmómzjay is the German rapper of the moment: Queen of Rap, Queen of Streaming, Queen of Hits. Coming from a poor background, she has made it to the top of the charts. As the voice of Gen Z, she doesn’t hold back her strong opinions and non-conformity. In her songs, she takes a stand against racism, discrimination, homophobia, and sexism. And with her unwavering sense of justice, she isn’t afraid to face headwinds. When others don’t want her to talk about issues, she gets even louder, as she does in our podcast Here To Get Heard (episode 23). Her tracks have been streamed millions of times. Badmómzjay has been honoured with multiple gold and platinum awards, won the MTV Music Award, and markets her own beauty line “Bad Cosmetics”. Although she’s been riding the wave of success ever since signing her first major deal at the age of 17, she’s no stranger to self-doubt: “I had to be perfect, even though I was still developing.” She released her album “Survival Mode” in November 2023 and then embarked on the extensive “Survival Mode Tour 2024”. At the same time, she still had time to finish her new album “Don’t Trust Bitches”.

badmómzjay – LEVELS (prod. by Jumpa, Rych & Magestick) [Official Video]

2. Taylor Swift

Pop superstar Taylor Swift made Grammy history in 2024 when she won “Album of the Year” for her record “Midnights”. Having previously received Grammys for “Fearless”, “1989” and “Folklore”, she has now surpassed Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Stevie Wonder, each of whom was honoured three times in the category. She also bagged a Grammy for “Best Pop Vocal Album” in the Pop Awards category. And just a short time later, the singer/songwriter launched her latest work “The Tortured Poets Department”, all while touring the world with “The Eras Tour”. The hype is as gigantic as her fanbase; Swifties party and swap friendship bracelets around the world. In July, the icon thrilled her fans with two open airs in Munich. Even when her Vienna concerts had to be cancelled in August due to a terrorist threat, the Swifties took the bad news with friendly understanding.

Taylor Swift – I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (Official Video)

3. Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo became known for her role as Paige Olvera in the Disney Channel series “Bizaardvark” and as Nini Salazar-Roberts in “High School Musical: The Musical” on Disney+. However, she didn’t limit herself to acting. Following the release of her debut single “Driver’s License”, she became one of the biggest pop stars of Generation Z. The song was the most streamed track on Spotify in 2021 and reached number 1 in the Billboard charts. With her first album “SOUR”, which revolves around the typical heartaches of a teenager, she collected one award after another. Even in 2024 – three years after its release – “SOUR” is still breaking records. On 16 May, it became the most streamed album by a female artist on Spotify. Two of the singles have more than two billion streams each, with four others surpassing one billion. She toured the world with her second album “GUTS” until mid-August, including five concerts in Germany. The current song “So American” has already been streamed 117.5 million times on Spotify as of September 2024. Olivia takes a radically different approach to her Disney colleagues, taking a political stance and annoying her fans’ parents once in a while.

Olivia Rodrigo – all-american bitch (Official Lyric Video)

4. Ed Sheeran

In Germany, Ed Sheeran “only” played festivals in 2024, albeit always as a headliner. For example, he wowed the audience with his seventh studio album “Autumn Variations” from September 2023 as part of the European Football Championships celebrations in Munich. His first album released on his own label follows a unique concept: The songs were recorded live in the living rooms of 14 fans that Ed paid surprise visits. He has now been on tour with his Mathematics Tour since April 2022. The tour will comprise 149 shows and is expected to end in Düsseldorf on 7 September 2025. His latest work, the “+-÷x Tour Collection”, will be launched on vinyl on 27 September 2024. Ed has now racked up three Grammys, two MTV Video Music Awards, an American Music Award, and a Brit Award. Time magazine even named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Ed Sheeran – Eyes Closed [Official Video]

5. Adele

British superstar Adele has simply achieved everything musically: she not only sold over 100 million records, but also won 16 Grammys, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe. Then, in August of this year, Adele mesmerized more than 730,000 fans at ten open-air concerts in Munich. These were shows of superlatives, featuring a custom pop-up arena built specifically for the event. For over twelve weeks, up to 1,000 people worked to create Adele’s mega stage with 75,000 seats. The highlight of the temporary arena: a 220 x 30-metre screen, the largest of its kind to date. Not to forget the 93-metre-long catwalk that brought Adele very close to her fans. The Adele shows from 2 to 31 August saw the highest number of visitors to a concert residency outside Las Vegas. As you would expect, the icon fired off a string of her biggest hits. And during songs like “Hello” or “Hometown Glory”, a sole piano and her voice were enough to give everyone goosebumps.

Adele – Hello

6. Ayliva

Ayliva hit the ground running in 2021 and has been causing a stir in the German music landscape ever since. She went viral with a voice memo that she posted on her social media channels. The message came from her toxic ex-boyfriend, who threatened her and didn’t want the song to be published. To be on the safe side, she had it re-recorded by an actor. The voice memo then served as the intro to “Deine Schuld”. She had already been sharing her music on social media before, but this track was her breakthrough. With “Lieb mich”, Ayliva now topped the German singles charts for the third time. Released in April 2024, the single “Wunder” with Apache 207 was the first German-language song to achieve over two million Spotify streams in one day in Germany and also broke the record for the most streamed track on the day of release in Germany with 3.3 million streaming requests. “Wunder” eventually reached number one in the singles charts. Her messages strike a nerve not only with her generation: “If someone hits you, they don’t love you.”

AYLIVA x APACHE 207 – Miracle (Official Video)

7. Harry Styles

Wild hairstyle, unusual clothing, and the odd scandal: you might think we’re talking about Mick Jagger, but we’re not. We’re of course talking about Harry Styles, who became world-famous with the boy band “One Direction”, which sold more than 50 million albums and left a lasting impression on the music industry. In 2015, the band took a break and the members focussed on their solo careers. Harry toured the world solo from 2021 to 2023, performing 169 concerts. The fact that things have become a little quieter around him at the moment is proof that even workaholics need to catch their breath once in a while. Harry Styles’ musical style is as diverse and colourful as his charismatic performance on stage. From his roots in pop music with One Direction to influences from rock, folk, and soul, he has developed an unmistakable sound. At the same time, Harry is an outspoken activist. He has positioned himself as a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and is committed to equality and acceptance. His openness and honesty have made him an important voice for LGBTQIA+ rights and he is celebrated by many for his courage and support.

Harry Styles – Satellite (Official Video)

8. Sabrina Carpenter

Having started out as a Disney child star more than ten years ago, Sabrina Carpenter has evolved into a pop mega-star with around 85 million listeners per month on Spotify. The singer and actress is currently the fifth most listened-to artist in the world. 2024 was the “Sabrina summer”. Following up on her catchy singles “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please”, she released her new album “Short N’ Sweet” in August. With her approachability and honesty, she already broke several records this year. For example, she was the first artist ever to have two different singles at number 1 in the Billboard 200 charts and the global charts outside the USA at the same time.

Sabrina Carpenter – Please Please Please (Official Video)

9. Benson Boone

When Benson Boone auditioned for the US TV show American Idol, jury member Katy Perry immediately predicted that he could win. But that never materialized, because Benson decided to voluntarily leave the show. He aimed to establish a genuine connection with his fans, which he didn’t think was possible in a casting show. His subsequent success proved him right. His debut single “Ghost Town” from 2021 earned him platinum in Canada and Norway, gold in the USA, and silver in the United Kingdom. The 2022 single “In the Stars” also received multiple awards. In 2023, he released the track “Sugar Sweet” as a precursor to the EP “Pulse”. In 2024, the up-and-coming pop/rock sensation reached the next milestone with his new album “Fireworks & Rollerblades”. Good news: Benson Boone will play two shows in Germany in November 2024.

Benson Boone – Beautiful Things (Official Music Video)

10. Billie Eilish

From her unique voice to her raw songwriting to her creative connection with her brother Finneas, Billie Eilish is undoubtedly a pop superstar, but not a typical one. She can be hard to categorise at times and has no interest in being pigeonholed. Her unusual look quickly made her a style icon. Her hair is sometimes black, sometimes green, blue or grey, her outfits are colourful and wildly patterned, sometimes gloomy, but always in a casual baggy style. She was once asked by a reporter whether she was the future of pop. The answer came in 2020 at the latest with a spectacular string of awards. In January, she won all four main categories at the Grammy Awards, and in 2022 and 2024 she received two Oscars for Best Original Song. Her mix of pop, alternative, indie, and hip-hop influences resounds with millions of people. On 17 May 2024, she released her third album “Hit Me Hard And Soft”, which is also the motto of her current tour. The American mega-star won’t perform in Germany again until May 2025. We’re already looking forward to it.

Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For? (Official Music Video)

Top 10 Singers of 2024 : Your Feedback

Of course, a list like this one can never be complete. Ultimately, it’s a question of taste and criteria – and there are simply so many that deserve to be mentioned. Which are your favourites in 2024? Let us know in the comments!

Lawrence started playing the electric guitar because of his passion for rock music. Back in the day he played in a metal band, but now plays more for himself.

Show all blog posts by Larry