A side effect of the way we listen to music in the streaming era is that it's harder than ever for new stars to break through. Or it was until 2024, anyway.
This year, it felt like a page turned, the skies parted, the windows were flung open wide: Mainstream pop, a field dominated by artists decades into their careers, saw a string of new hitmakers establish themselves with songs that hung around the top 10 of the pop charts for months. And in indie rock, Latin pop, rap and jazz — just to mention a few other genres — we discovered new faves and watched as artists we've loved for years reinvent themselves or blast off to new heights.
NPR Music's list of the best songs of 2024 goes way past the top 10, or the entire Hot 100 for that matter, because if you're willing to dig a little, there's always something thrilling to discover. We've rounded up 124 great songs into a list that you can mix and match below — the better to help you discover something that thrills you.
Pick a single genre if that's your preference, or look at songs endorsed by our partners at public radio music stations around the country. If you only want to see what we consider the very best of the best, you can do that, too. (Want to see NPR's favorite albums of 2024? We've got 50 of them right here.)
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