Music is, has, and always will be one of the most common (and in my personal opinion, best) ways to express yourself or feel a certain way. Music and its artists are a big part of everyday life, whether you want to relax, scream, the occasional sob into your pillow, or just feel like popping in your AirPods and falling asleep. Though 2025 is months away, these top artists so far this year may shock or may be just what you’ve expected.

6. People worldwide wait all week of hard work for the weekend to have fun and relax. If that’s why Abel Tesfaye chose “The Weeknd” for his artist name, it certainly paid off, as he is the 6th biggest artist of 2024. With the drop of Dancing in the Flames, the newest of his albums, he just edged his way into the top six. You can almost definitely expect to hear him on the radio, possibly in his top three songs, “Timeless (with Playboi Carti),” “One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily Rose Depp),” and “Blinding Lights.”

5. Pronounced the same as the movie snack favorite, Eminem with top songs “Houdini,” “Without Me,” and “Mockingbird” has climbed back up to 5th biggest artist after last year at 14th. How did he make that big of a jump? Who knows! But many (including myself) are certainly happy about it. 

4. In 4th this year so far has been Kendrick Lamar. Not within even the top 20 last year, Lamar spiked in popularity in 2024. Songs of his such as “Not Like Us” have majorly helped with his new-found fame as he has reached Billboard’s number one song many a time in 2024. As well as his own personal creations, his collaborations have been just as beneficial to his music career. In particular, “All The Stars (with SZA)” has helped this #4 creator reach new heights.

3. With the release of her recent album Hit Me Hard and Soft and the top song “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Billie Eilish became the third greatest artist of 2024. This new album certainly was beneficial to her career, as it was the newest in three years and received lots of love from her millions of fans.

2. Canadian rapper and singer Drake has been a major influence in the music industry. With eight studio albums and five Grammy Awards, his career has soared. With top songs including “God’s Plan,” Drake has worked his way up from fourth last year to second now. 

1. Known as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the music industry, Taylor Swift holds a steady lead in first with the Swifty Army backing her up. At the 2023 Grammys, she mentioned the surprise release of her newest album “The Tortured Poets Department,” which immediately reached 1st in Billboard. With the Era’s Tour and top songs including “Cruel Summer,” she has shown many times that she is at the top.

Source: RouteNote