From everything Brat to the return of the Gallaghers’ Britpop fever, Nara Smith cooking from scratch, that cursed Willy Wonka experience, and the year of pop girls — these are the moments that reminded us why we keep paying for internet access in 2024.
Take a breath — 2024 is finally winding down. And I can’t help but marvel at how strange end-of-year recaps always feel. On one hand, it feels like I just wrote this exact roundup for 2023 two weeks ago. On the other, I’m left wondering: how did we survive a Beyoncé album drop, JoJo Siwa’s full-on rebrand, a collective obsession with a Thai baby hippo, and the rise of rodent-like features as men’s hottest traits — all within the last 365 days? And that’s before queuing for Oasis reunion tickets, draping ourselves in Brat green, and looping Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” back-to-back with Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck Babe”. To call it a year for pop culture feels like a serious understatement.
So, in true end-of-chapter fashion, let’s look back at the moments worth celebrating (and side-eying) in 2024. Keep scrolling…
The Brat-ification of 2024
Brat Summer, SWEAT tour, that perfect but overused fluorescent shade of green… Charli XCX lived rent-free in our minds in 2024, ever since the release of her latest studio album of the same name (please don’t make me write it again). And thank God she did. From the launch of her “360” music video in May, followed by the record drop, a fashion week kick-off party with H&M, and more recently a Times Square takeover — not to mention the cover of every glossy publication and global billboards through brand collabs — Charli has been everywhere. And we’re so Julia.
We held a lot of space for Ari and Cynthia’s Wicked
2024 was the year of high-budget press tours, both outfit- and publicity-wise. Some films dominated our feeds for months, with actors dissecting their characters’ arcs in couture — from junkets to red carpets — over and over again. But Jon M. Chu’s big-screen adaptation of Wicked might’ve been the most talked-about film of the year. For many reasons, but especially because of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s on- and off-screen bond. They cried, held space for “Defying Gravity”, cried a bit more, and made us fall in love with their friendship. Rumour has it we’re in for round two in 2025, with the release of Wicked part two on the horizon.
Moo Deng
The only thing the internet loves more than celebrity gossip? A Thai baby pygmy hippo splashing in water, running around in mud, and getting her pink cheeks and tummy rubbed by zoo staff. Moo Deng’s videos went viral on TikTok, and soon enough, people were booking flights to Thailand to visit the shiny, wrinkly star.
Karma Is a B*tch
JoJo Siwa’s 2024 rebrand might’ve been one of the best times to be alive and chronically online. The unicorn colours, bows, and side-pony look were out as we witnessed her renaissance as the baddest girl on the block. Head-to-toe (quite literally) bejewelled outfits, explosive makeup, and intriguing lyricism — I bet you too sang “Karma is a B*tch” non-stop in 2024. Be real.
The Chalamet to my Timothée
I remember that day so vividly — when we laughed at the first Timothée Chalamet lookalike competition in NYC’s Central Park in late October and joked, “imagine if this became a thing.” Well, that would be an understatement. The OG Timmy-inspired gathering was shut down by the police (someone even got arrested), and the actor himself even made an appearance. But the chaos only fuelled fans worldwide to honour their favourite stars. Paul Mescal, Dev Patel, Harry Styles… they all had their own lookalike contests, though some winners hit closer to the mark than others.
Veeeery Demuuure
Once upon a time, ‘demure’ was a word reserved for the modest and understated. But this summer, seemingly overnight, the buzzword was on everyone’s lips — thanks to TikToker Jools Lebron. “Very demure, very cutesy,” she said, applying the phrase to everything from subtle makeup to work-appropriate demeanour and even her Christmas shopping habits. The virality reached such heights that Dictionary.com awarded it Word of the Year for 2024. What’s next? Place your bets.
Chappell’s femininomenon
2024 was the year for Chappell Roan. From jaw-dropping fashion moments on red carpets and on stage to Grammy nominations, chart-topping hits, and carrying the weight of discussing boundaries between privacy and being a public-facing figure, Chappell proved we’re finally giving fame to the people who actually deserve it.
Nara Smith cooking anything and everything from scratch
The queen of ASMR, internet theories, and countertop-approved couture — who else but Nara could make cereal from scratch in Schiaparelli?
The Gallaghers are finally in peace mode
An Oasis comeback wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card going into 2024 — but as they say, good things come to those who wait. The Gallagher brothers announced their reunion tour earlier this year, sending fans straight into hysterics. Endless queues for tickets, sell-outs in minutes, Glastonbury headline rumours… all went as expected. Now we wait to see if the actual performances make it to next year’s highlights!
Glaswegian warehouse turned cursed Willy Wonka experience
The image of that miserable Oompa Loompa at the Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow lives rent-free in my brain. Earlier this year, families were surprised — to put it mildly — when attending a supposedly Chocolate Factory-themed event in an industrial part of the city. What they found was, let’s just say, far removed from stepping into a world of pure imagination.
Kendrick vs Drake
The beef of the year: Kendrick Lamar x Drake. Or perhaps the beef of the decade — though it was undoubtedly in 2024 that things reached new heights. A Grammy-nominated diss track later, and the internet seems to have crowned Lamar the big winner, but we took a deep dive into the backstory behind it all here.
We’ve been challenged by… a churro
Never not thanking Luca Guadagnino for that Challenger’s scene that forever changed how we eat a simple churro.
“Who TF Did I Marry?”
Fifty videos, ten minutes long each. Reesa Teesa has taken us on a wild ride this year with her “Who TF Did I Marry” TikTok series, keeping audiences hooked as she unpacked the mountain of lies her husband had told her over the years. A true nightmare, but entertainment at its finest. Thankfully, Teesa is out of the marriage, and rumour has it her story is headed for the big screen.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter
Country music was having a moment in 2024. And Beyoncé, with her Renaissance follow-up Cowboy Carter, might’ve been the biggest reason for a whole new audience’s affinity for the genre. After all, she carries the regal title for a reason.
That’s that me espresso?
Who could’ve guessed 2024 would brew into such a caffeine-drenched year for pop music? It all began with Ms. Carpenter’s smash hit “Espresso” — not to mention the whirlwind success of her tour and album, Short N Sweet, a certified highlight of the year. And now JoJo Siwa’s singing about how she loves the way “you grindin’ my bean” in her latest hit, “Iced Coffee.” It’s hard to predict how we move forward from the latter, though. I’m certainly too decaf for this.
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