NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Ten of the as determined by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman, in no particular order.
鈥淎 Bar Song (Tipsy),鈥� Shaboozey
It is not only the biggest song of the year, but one of the longest-reigning No. 1s of all time, as far as the Billboard Hot 100 is concerned 鈥� tied Lil Nas X鈥檚 鈥淥ld Town Road鈥� with an impressive 19 weeks atop the charts. It makes sense that these two songs resonated in similar ways: Both are cross-genre, monolithic musical moments, classically country and an amalgamation of styles forming something completely modern. Shaboozey鈥檚 earworm interpolates J-Kwon鈥檚 鈥淭ipsy鈥� and places it squarely on the faded bar stool of a hard-working weekend warrior. Like a few too many whiskey shooters, it'll inspire a singalong of 鈥淥h my, good lord鈥� from anyone.
鈥淣ot Like Us,鈥� Kendrick Lamar
There was a time where describing 鈥淣ot Like Us鈥� required a taxonomy of the freshly reignited a period of diss tracks begetting diss tracks with dizzying alacrity 鈥� The truth is, of course, the song stands on its own: a triumphant declaration of West Coast hip-hop, funny and bombastic.
鈥淟ike That,鈥� Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar
Future and Metro Boomin have long made ideal collaborators, but this year's joint album, 鈥淲e Don鈥檛 Trust You,鈥� felt like a long time coming. It was an event. Immediately upon its release, stood out, not only for its fiery guest verse from Lamar, or its hyper-speed sample of Rodney O and Joe Cooley鈥檚 鈥淓verlasting Bass鈥� and Eazy-E鈥檚 鈥淓azy-Duz-It,鈥� but for its ferocity. It's the big ... three?
鈥淕ood Luck, Babe!,鈥� Chappell Roan
Face it: 2024 A veteran of the music industry now experiencing what feels like an Roan has long wielded her theatricality and sexual candor like in her songs. But it鈥檚 鈥淕ood Luck, Babe!鈥� that thrust her into the mainstream, a pop megahit that tackles lust, frustration and compulsory heterosexuality atop strings, 鈥�80s synths, and a soaring vocal performance. How could you not fall in love with her?
鈥淓spresso,鈥� Sabrina Carpenter
For the caffeinated 鈥� or those in dire need of an energy boost 鈥� Sabrina Carpenter's 鈥淓spresso" emerged Almost from nowhere, as addictive as its namesake and confounding in its lyrics, directly recalling the Y2K period of off-kilter pop songs with nonsensical lyrics atop sunny productions. ("That鈥檚 that me espresso" is up there with the Backstreet Boys' declaration of 鈥淚 never wanna hear you say / I want it that way.鈥�) But this one isn't simply fueled by nostalgia. It's disco-pop when the genre was dead and buried, revitalized and made clever through Carpenter's ever-present sense of humor. Cheeky!
鈥淭exas Hold 鈥橢m,鈥� Beyonc茅
For career-long fans of the memory of the once-teenaged singer who spoke with a soft, pronounced Texas twang is all but distant. For them, a hybridist country album from the superstar performer was simply a prophecy fulfilled. When 鈥淐owboy Carter鈥� arrived, it became immediately clear that B was dedicated to as a Black woman. But it was the introduction of this new era with 鈥淭exas Hold 'Em鈥� that solidified it 鈥� a honky-tonk stomper with a lot of western soul.
鈥淣asty,鈥� Tinashe
Give her No. 1 for the best lyric of the year 鈥� 鈥淚s somebody gonna match my freak?鈥� is the hit fans of her smooth R&B-pop have been waiting for years; an exemplar of her particular talents. It鈥檚 a sultry, goodtime hit 鈥� a kick, a snare, bare production and a scare beat 鈥� melodic and stacked with backing vocals. No wonder TikTok immediately embraced it. 鈥淣asty鈥� is for dancing, a song that evokes a quote regularly attributed to Oscar Wilde: a vertical expression of a horizontal urge.
鈥淚 Had Some Help,鈥� Post Malone and Morgan Wallen
Of any contemporary pop performer, Post Malone has benefitted the most from his ability to shapeshift. In an alternative universe, it might be hard to think of the 鈥淲hite Iverson鈥� rapper launching In this one, it makes too much sense 鈥� the Texas musician has been dropping 鈥渕a鈥檃ms鈥� and 鈥渟irs鈥� in his speech since day one, and his signature autotuned vibrato works across the genre spectrum. (It's that same idiosyncrasy that had both Beyonc茅 and Taylor Swift calling him for features this year.) But it is his red solo cup collaboration with controversial hitmaker Morgan Wallen that undoubtedly made waves, an immediate anthem for hanging out in the bed of a pickup truck or at a backyard barbecue.
鈥淚gual Que Un 脕ngel,鈥� Kali Uchis and Peso Pluma
One of the biggest music stories of the last few years has been the increasing 鈥� a thrilling reflection of Latin music's continued global growth. But the artists at the center of the movement, including Peso Pluma, know that their music succeeds because it both celebrates tradition and transcends it, like in his gruff rapping over corridos. In Pluma experiments with new genres entirely, and she welcomes him into her world. Here, Uchis' glossy, shimmery disco dream-pop is the foundation, and Pluma's stony vocal tone a smooth accent. It's an addictive song, and a reminder of the power at the heart of inventive collaborations.
鈥淩ight Back to It,鈥� Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman
A vocal harmony between and is a marvel from the jump 鈥� two kindred spirits, schooled in folky Americana and raised in DIY punk 鈥� but that鈥檚 only one fraction of the magic of 鈥淩ight Back to It.鈥� The song considers long-term relationships, the kind of love that can be tested, steady, reliable and, at times, restive. 鈥淚 let my mind run wild / Don鈥檛 know why I do it,鈥� she sings, 鈥淏ut you just settle in like a song with no end.鈥�
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
