Besties, the girls really didn’t give anyone a chance to breathe this year when it comes to music. While women have been running things in music for quite some time, this year was a perfect storm of feminine energy dominating the airwaves. Basically, every pop girl in music this year put out an album, and for the most part (with a few exceptions for sure) they were all excellent bodies of work. Because we’ve had so much choice when it comes to new albums this year, I decided to dust off my professional stan qualification and rank *nearly* every major album released by women in music this year. Keep in mind that these are my opinions and that I’ve included women predominantly in genres that I as a listener am most familiar with. Use this as your jumping-off point for what went down musically in 2024.
20. This is me… now – Jennifer Lopez
This album was frankly, a bit of a painful listen. I feel like for an album that was touted to be a personal and pivotal project for Lopez it felt hollow, repetitive, and at times just plain bad. The tracks mostly feel quite interchangeable and the lyricism is quite generic for the most part. Check out Jennifer’s 2011 album Love? for a much better experience of her music.
Best Tracks: On the Floor, Dance Again, Let’s Get Loud (note these are from prior albums)
19. 143 – Katy Perry
Only hovering ever so slightly before JLo’s car crash of a record is Katy Perry’s 143. This album rollout opened with the highly controversial Woman’s World, a song that can only be described as the most shallow girlboss anthem in music history. The rest of the album does not fare any better as it is littered with songs that feel completely soulless, it only ranks above This is me… now because this album feels more polished and basically due to its shorter run time making the overall experience less painful.
Best Tracks: Crush, I’m His He’s Mine
18. Y2K! – Ice Spice
This album was the most mid release of the year. Ice Spice had a real chance to cement her position in the rap game but this album was barely a swing and truly a miss. Each song has the exact same production, style of flow, and lyrical themes. I must also ask, why the constant references to faeces? This album’s main saving grace is at least it’s a very short 23 minutes. Even with co-signs from some of the biggest rappers I have to question if it’s time we call time on Ice Spice.
Best Tracks: Literally all of them are the same song so take your pick
17. C, XOXO – Camila Cabello
In a way, I admire the fact Camila had the balls to hard pivot into a hyper-pop Charli XCX redux direction. This is where my admiration ended with this album, unfortunately. To me it felt quite underdone and not particularly sure of itself. For sure not the worst album this year but closer to that than the best.
Best Tracks: I LUV IT
16. Dopamine – Normani
Finally we got a full album from Normani in 2024, it’s just too bad the buzz around this album died before it even began on the virtue that it’s just taken SO MUCH TIME to get here. Normani’s first solo single, Motivation, was released back in 2019 with not many releases between now and then. Dopamine as a result feels anticlimatic and sadly was quite the non-event for me. In all fairness, it is the first album on this list I actually did like, just not enough to place it any higher.
Best Tracks: Wild Side, Take My Time
15. Eternal Sunshine – Ariana Grande
Ariana had the lucky position of having the first major release of the year, in a year undeniably stacked with some heavy hitting projects. This album to me felt like a step in the right direction for Ariana, given how much I found her last album Positions to be entirely insipid. I must state, despite being a step toward something better, it felt like only a baby step. To me, the album felt half baked. Some songs on here are real bops but there’s a LOT of filler for me.
Best Tracks: Supernatural, Yes And?, Bye
14. The story of us – Gracie Abrams
This album was heavily supported by the fact the title track features Taylor Swift. Abrams has a singer songwriter feel to her music that is pleasant but feels like she is still trying to find what distinguishes her in a sea of sad girls walking the path paved by Swift. The album shows promise but does have a habit of feeling repetitive, well worth a listen but I’d doubt this would be considered anyone’s favourite release this year.
Best Tracks: Us, Let It Happen
13. Harlequin – Lady Gaga
Possibly the most understated release on this list, the album is a companion to Gaga’s film Folie à Deux and consists mostly of covers of classic jazz standards. It is a testament to Gaga’s talent that an album full of songs I’ve already heard ranked higher than bodies of original work. Her voice is as flawless as ever and the two original tracks are able to hold their own against a body of classics. I only placed it here because I couldn’t justify placing an album of mostly covers any higher.
Best Tracks: When The Saints, Happy Mistake, That’s Life
12. Megan – Megan Thee Stallion
Pushed hard off the back of the breakout track, HISS, this album feels like a Megan more realised but still on the way to her best work. Most of the tracks hover around a 6 or a 7 out of ten with the odd 8 scattered in. By far one of the better rap albums of the year but one that rides harder on the back of its well-selected singles than it does as a complete album.
Best Tracks: HISS, Mamushi, Spin
11. Funk Generation – Anitta
If there is one thing that Brazil’s reigning queen knows how to do it’s pull off a sexy and fun album. Funk Generation is no doubt a very fun listen. Blending Brazilian Funk with other influences like pop and reggaeton, Anitta democratises a very specific sound and packages it for a global audience. It is in this generalisation that I felt this album fell a little short. I was desperate for some Portuguese songs on this album and we only got two. It is for sure a great project but lyrically is a tad hollow and in a few places feels a little repetitive.
Best Tracks: Aceita, Funk Rave, Mil Veces
10. TYLA – Tyla
I’ll be pretty honest and say I slept on this album when it was released, only coming to listen to it a few months later. I’m sure glad that I did take the plunge and give it a listen. Tyla’s debut shows the real potential she has as a mainstay of the music industry. It was a very strong effort, introducing me and many others to South African music, blending it with R&B, Pop and Afrobeats.
Best Tracks: Water, No.1, Jump
9. Hit Me Hard and Soft – Billie Eilish
For me, this album didn’t quite hit the way that I was expecting it to. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very solid project. Realistically, I don’t think Billie is capable of making a bad album, this just to me felt a bit more middle-of-the-road compared to her previous album. There are some gems on here for sure, and I can see who this would resonate with, it just wasn’t quite the event I was expecting, something bound to happen to some albums in such a stacked year.
Best Tracks: Lunch, Skinny, The Greatest
8. Radical Optimism – Dua Lipa
Possibly my hottest take is ranking this album above a few of the others, especially Billie’s and Ariana’s, but hear me out. Despite a relatively cold reception to Lipa’s project, I feel like this album is quite good. Initially, I was a little neutral on it, but when listened to on a sunny afternoon with an apperol spritz in hand this album makes sense. Dua was aiming to make a summery album with a more mature sound and she achieved that, I do however feel that Illusion should have been the lead single to give people a better sense of what to expect.
Best Tracks: Illusion, French Exit, Maria
7. Deeper Well – Kacey Musgraves
Our first country album in this ranking, Deeper Well cements the legacy established by Musgraves precious album Golden Hour. The album is comprised of a collection of tender and gentle folk driven guitar songs that explore Musgraves’ inner world and state of mind. Her voice is tender and as smooth as honey, delivering gently emotive song after song. This is an excellent listen for anyone interested in a moment of calm amidst the more brash and bold albums on this list.
Best Tracks: Deeper Well, Sway, Jade Green
6. Orquideas – Kali Uchis
By far one of the releases this year I slept on for way too long, this album is an excellent exploration of R&B and Latin music through Uchis’ unique lens. The album plays with differing genres and sounds while remaining grounded by Kali’s effortless silky voice. There’s a collection of A List features to further uplift what is already an excellent body of work. Orquideas is an album to add to your rotation if you haven’t already
Best Tracks: Pensamientos Intrusivos, Tu Corazon es Mio, Te Mata
5. The Tortured Poets Department – Taylor Swift
This album quickly became one of my favourites from Taylor, with a lyrical approach that some may consider ‘over-writing’ it is for sure not everyone’s cup of tea. I do however feel that despite its immense 31-song run, it is a testament to the emotional maturity and sensitivity Swift has mastered that most songs are true gems. Had this album been a *touch* more concise it may have even ranked higher.
Best Tracks: The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, So Long London, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
4. Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter
Let’s face it, Sabrina Carpenter had one of the best years in pop girl history in 2024. Starting the year touring Asia opening for Taylor Swift before bagging the song of the summer with Espresso, she has had quite the gold run. This album is a massive step up from her last and has streamlined Carpenter’s hyper-femme, country-accented, coquettish charm in a concise 36 minutes.
Best Tracks: Bed Chem, Please Please Please, Juno
3. Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
Beyoncé takes bronze on the podium for her genre-bending country masterpiece. On this album she dug deep into the roots of country music, shifting the contemporary paradigm away from thinly veiled conservative-leaning reductive music by white men. This album seriously overshadows her 2022 album Rennaisance, realigning Bey’s music with a heavier emotional and political subtext, as well as delivering the best vocals of her career.
Best Tracks: 16 Carriages, Yaya, Bodyguard
2. Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran – Shakira
Latin music’s reigning queen came back from a seven-year gap between albums this year with one of the strongest bodies of work in her three-decade-long career. Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (translation: Women No Longer Cry) plays with the full spectrum of influences that Shakira has touched on previously and uses them to underscore an album that is Shakira at her most unapologetic and feminist.
Best Tracks: El Jefe, Nassau, Shakira BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53
1. Brat – Charli XCX
Finally, in pride of position at the top of our ranking is Charli XCX’s instant classic, Brat. This album is truly the defining record of the year. Brat is Charli’s most authentic album, building on her position as the queen of hyper-pop in a way that feels the most Charli of any of her albums. Brat expanded beyond the music industry, significantly shaping wider popular culture and was co-opted by the world of politics in the US presidential campaign.
Best Tracks: Mean Girls, Sympathy is a Knife, Girl so confusing (the version with Lorde)
