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What were some of the most notable trends among No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart during 2024? Hit Songs Deconstructed, which provides compositional analytics for top 10 Hot 100 hits, has released its 2024 No. 1 Hit Focus report.
Here are three takeaways from Hit Songs Deconstructed’s latest in-depth research.
Hip-Hop/Rap Rose
Hot 100 No. 1s were represented by six primary genres in 2024, according to Hit Songs Deconstructed. Hip-hop/rap led for the first time since 2018 with a 38% share. Country followed at a one-quarter take and pop rounded out the top three with just under a one-fifth share.
The report also notes that hip-hop/rap’s share of Hot 100 No. 1s more than doubled from 2023 to 2024. Kendrick Lamar led the genre with two chart-toppers: “Not Like Us” and “Squabble Up.”
Meanwhile, country remained strong among Hot 100 No. 1s last year as a primary genre. Notes Hit Songs Deconstructed: “After rising from 0% to 24% in 2023, country’s share of No. 1s held steady in 2024 with one-quarter of songs.” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was the longest-leading such smash in 2024, running up a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1.
‘80s in the ‘20s
Along with six primary genres, “17 diverse subgenres and influences shaped the sound and vibe of 2024’s No. 1 hits” on the Hot 100, according to Hit Songs Deconstructed’s report. “Pop’s influence was particularly prominent, appearing in three-quarter of songs. Hip-hop/rap followed at 38% and retro influences in general rounded out the top three at 38%.”
Notably, “The 1980s continued to be the retro decade of choice,” per Hit Songs Deconstructed’s findings about subgenres’ influences on Hot 100 No. 1s, heard in such as hits as “Squabble Up,” Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, and Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”
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Also among subgenres’ influences on Hot 100 No. 1s in 2024, “Country’s rose to nearly one-third of songs in 2024,” per Hit Songs Deconstructed. “All stemmed from the country primary genre except for Sabrina Carpenter’s country-influenced pop smash ‘Please Please Please.’”
Plus, dance/club’s subgenre influence “rose slightly to one-quarter of songs” atop the Hot 100 in 2024. Among them: Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me,” Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” and “Yes, And?”
More Choruses, But Later & Longer No. 1s
“The average amount of time it takes for No. 1 hits to get to the first chorus has been increasing since 2021, rising from 33 seconds to 45 seconds in 2024,” Hit Songs Deconstructed reports.
The 0:40-0:59 range for a first chorus tripled from 18% of Hot 100 No. 1s in 2023 to 44% in 2024. Plus, a quarter of choruses in No. 1s occurred after the 1-minute mark, spanning genres from R&B/hip-hop (Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and Future, Metro Boomin and Lamar’s “Like That”) to rock (Hozier’s “Too Sweet”) and dance/club (Grande’s “Yes, And?”)
Also noteworthy, “The majority of No. 1s – 69% – had three choruses in their framework” in 2024, per Hit Songs Deconstructed. That share has more than tripled from 2022 (31%). Conversely, songs with two choruses have fallen from 46% to 29% to 19% among Hot 100 leaders since 2022.
Overall, Hit Songs Deconstructed notes, the average length of 2024’s Hot 100 No. 1 was 3:30, eight seconds longer than the 2023 average. The 4-minute-plus range has “generally been on the rise since 2019, increasing from 0% to 25% of songs. Its representatives were all hip-hop/rap songs except for Hozier’s “Too Sweet.’ ”
Kelly Clarkson is heading back to Las Vegas!
The superstar announced on Thursday (Feb. 6) her new residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace called Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions. She previously hosted residencies at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in 2023 and 2024.
“I’m so excited to be back in Vegas,” Clarkson shared in a press statement. “We’re bringing the studio to the stage this time with ‘Studio Sessions!’ See y’all there!
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The series of dates kick off on July 4 and will continue throughout July and August. The “Since U Been Gone” singer will then take a few months off before returning for four shows in November.
Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets staring on Friday (Feb. 7) at 10 a.m. PT via the Citi Entertainment program. See more information here. After that, fan club presale will begin on Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. PT. Presale for Caesars Rewards members, Caesars Entertainment’s loyalty program and Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers will begin on Feb. 10. Lastly, public onsale begins on Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. PT via the Ticketmaster link here.
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It’s gearing up to be a busy year for Clarkson, whose popular daytime talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show, was renewed for a seventh season in December. Since the show’s launch in 2019, it has earned 22 Daytime Emmys, with Clarkson personally winning eight of those awards.
See the full dates for Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions – The Las Vegas Residency below.
July 2025: 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26August 2025: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16November 2025: 7, 8, 14, 15
Benson Boone is more than willing to suffer for his art. The “Beautiful Things” singer who takes a huge risk every time he pulls off one of his patented backflips on stage also has a daring sartorial style. He showed it off once again at last weekend’s 67th Grammy Awards, when he took to the […]
Megan Thee Stallion and “Gangnam Style” superstar PSY are teaming up for a new Apple TV+ reality music competition series called KPOPPED. According to a release announcing the eight-episode song battle show, each episode will feature “western icons reimagin[ing] one of their biggest hits, collaborating with top-tier K-pop idols to deliver spectacular battle performances, with […]
Ariana Grande is always up for a challenge, and she proved it on Wednesday night’s (Feb. 5) Jimmy Kimmel Live! when she agreed to play along with the show’s “Wing it & Sing It” game. “It’s too late, I can’t turn back,” Grande told Kimmel after he explained the rules of the game in which a vocalist has to sing lyrics they’ve never seen before.
With some light accompaniment from a pianist wearing angel wings, Grande eased into the bit “absolutely blind” with the first lines coming up pretty benign before things got increasingly weirder. “I am a strong, successful woman,” the Oscar-nominated Wicked star crooned. “Who always stands up tall,” she continued, adding, “even though I am, in fact,” she added with dread. “Uh-oh, oh God,” she said, fearing the next line.
“So very, very small/ Life, they say, is short/ And it turns out I am too/ I’m a human baby carrot/ I’m a Lady Pikachu/ I am little, I am tiny, I’m the perfect bite-sized snack,” she emoted in between chuckles. “Ten of me stacked up/ Only equals one Shaq,” she continued, bending over laughing.
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There were more size jokes (“I’m an oompa, I’m a loompa/ I’m a pint-sized mini me,” “I can run a marathon in a hamster wheel”), leading to the star commenting, “it’s going still, it’s long as f–k.” She just lost it on the “for a bed I use a sock” line, and praised the pianist for adding the appropriate amount of flare to the line “I’m the bird in the cuckoo clock.”
“And yes, my name is Grande, it’s ironic that I’m small,” she continued with the usual vocal flourishes in the bit that P!nk and Chris Stapleton have participated in before. Things finally took a turn toward the end, as Grande put some sauce on the line, “But I don’t let it bother me, you’ll never see me frown/ ‘Cause I’m defying gravity and you can’t pull me down,” she trilled through more laughs about the line referencing the big, beloved Wicked show-stopper ballad. For the finale, she climbed on a chair to sing the theme from the “It’s a Small World” Disney ride as Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, handed her a huge bouquet of flowers.
Grande returned to chat with Kimmel about Wicked‘s 10 Oscar nominations, describing her reaction to watching the livestream announcing this year’s nominees in London. “I was a mess, I almost collapsed,” she said of the impact of the news of her best supporting actress nod alongside co-star Cynthia Erivo, who got tapped in the best actress category for her role as Elphaba. Grande described the instant stream of congratulatory calls she got, including from her mom, her two best friends, her team, as well as her therapist and her gynecologist.
Kimmel had to stop her on that last one, with Grande quipping, “Why didn’t you ask about that [one?] No, it was lovely. I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s been a while. Are we good?… We’ll hug over the next breast exam!” Grande also described the physical challenges of singing in a completely different, “fully opera” register as Glinda versus her “mix-y/belt register” with some falsetto pop style.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2.
Watch Grande on Kimmel below.
Swedish producer Alesso has opened up about his recent experiences with tinnitus and how it has been the cause of numerous canceled shows in recent months.
The 33-year-old musician (whose real name is Alessandro Lindblad) took to social media on Monday (Feb. 3) to discuss his recent spate of live cancellations. Following near nonstop touring throughout 2024, Alesso was forced to cancel shows throughout Australia and Saudi Arabia, before his entire world tour was axed, with “a recent health issue combined with overexertion” being cited as the reason.
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“I just wanted to be a little bit transparent on the situation,” the producer said in a video shared to Instagram. “So basically, two months ago, I woke up with the loudest ringing in my ears. I’m talking about 10 out of 10. I was in complete shock, and it was not after a show. I just woke up, and it was so intense.”
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Noting that such problems related to hearing were “super common in the music industry”, Alesso admitted he too had experienced similar issues in the past, though not to this level.
“But the good news is I’m getting better,” he continued. “I took this as a sign to slow down, to prioritise my health, be more careful. I’ve been doing this for 14 years now, and I’ve never taken a break. So I’ve just been kind of focusing on that.”
Currently, Alesso’s website lists tour dates for the next six months, with his return to the stage set to take place at Belly Up Aspen in Colorado on Feb. 14. As he concluded his video, Alesso explained he’s working towards big events such as Miami’s Ultra Festival on March 30, and offered advice to his followers as he moves forward.
“I will be doing shows, but maybe not as many, as you can understand,” he explains. “I just wish everyone health this year. I want everyone to To be careful, wear ear protection. Remember, we’re only humans.“
Alesso rose to fame throughout the 2010s, beginning his musical career with a series of remixes, singles, and collaborations ahead of his only studio album to date, 2015’s Forever. The record peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Tove Lo-featuring single “Heroes (We Could Be)”. The track would become his biggest commercial success in the U.S., hitting No. 31 on the Hot 100.
After news broke of the death of Murder Inc. Records co-founder Irv Gotti on Wednesday (Feb. 5), tributes poured in from the hip-hop world, including from the label where he got his start, Def Jam. Gotti started out in A&R at the hip-hop label, before co-founding the culture-dominating Murder Inc. imprint with his brother, Chris […]
The ever-prolific Neil Young has assured fans that 2025 will feature a new album, with the Canadian veteran offering an update on his debut album with new band The Chrome Hearts.
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News of the upcoming record comes just weeks after Young shared “Big Change”, the first single to be released with his nascent band. The Chrome Hearts first debuted by Young back in September 2024, just months after an unspecified illness necessitated a “big unplanned break” from touring with longtime backing group Crazy Horse.
The Chrome Hearts, as Young himself describes, “reconfigures musicians he has worked with before”, with guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo, and organist Spooner Oldham comprising the lineup. While Nelson, McCormick, and Logerfo have performed with Young as members of Promise of the Real, Oldham has worked with Young for decades, appearing on records such as 1978’s Comes a Time and 1992’s Harvest Moon.
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Working with producers John Hanlon and his brother-in-law Lou Adler at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in Malibu, Young explains that “Big Change” is the first taste of a forthcoming album from The Chrome Hearts, with the material being written throughout November and December.
“They feel fresh to me and I am very happy to have this all ready for you. It won’t be long now and it will be great to have new songs to play on the road this summer in Europe, the USA and Canada,” Young said via his website. “We are looking forward to that!”
Young added that the record is now in the mastering stage for vinyl, CD, and digital copies that are expected to be released in only a couple of months.
“I am very happy and relieved to have ths [sic] done in the short time it took,” he explained. “The album art has been completed and handed in with Jenice Heo. I am working on the lyric sheets now, hoping to hand-write the words and get them in, in time..
“It is a happy feeling I have today, knowing I have made an album I think people will enjoy. I hope it’s out in April. That would be pretty fast.”
Presuming the April release date is adhered to, it would make the as-yet-untitled record the second release from Young in 2025, with his “lost” 1977 album Oceanside Countryside set to drop on Feb. 14.
Young and The Chrome Hearts will also be performing at England’s Glastonbury Festival in June. Young’s inclusion on the lineup was marred by an “error in the information” which initially saw him distance himself from the event, labelling it a “corporate turn-off”.
The devastation left behind by the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles has drawn an outpouring of support, especially from the music community. Between the FireAid concerts at Inglewood, California’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum (Jan. 30) — featuring a rainbow of stars from Billie Eilish to Stevie Wonder — and the Grammy telecast (Feb. 2), more than $100 million in relief funds has been raised.
Just as important, however, are the boots-on-the-ground efforts like that of local rap legend The Game, who recently visited Altadena, California, as Billboard News tagged along. Ravaged by the Hurst Fire that burned more than 500 acres, the generational community boasts a rich Black cultural legacy given that Altadena was one of the first L.A. areas that openly welcomed Black home ownership. Billboard News was there when The Game, a native of Compton, California, headed to Altadena to talk — and dole out hugs — to first responders, local high school coaches, federal credit union members and more about their survival stories.
“This is some serious … It’s serious business, man,” The Game says to a pair of firefighters while visiting their station house. “After this experience, now, when I hear a fire truck coming down the street, I’m pulling over and I’m not annoyed because usually it’s like ‘argh, I got to pull over.’ My hat’s on, but it’s off to you guys, man.”
The Game also spoke with coaches from several high schools — Maranatha, South Pasadena, Pasadena and John Muir — who shared moving stories about losses they suffered, as well as their students, while encouraging residents to rebuild and not leave. “This was a predominantly African-American neighborhood,” DeAnthony Langston tells The Game. “Just to see this is terrible, man; you coming out says a lot.”
Watch “Community Stories With The Game,” and to donate to Altadena’s wildfire relief fund, visit here.
Los Angeles Celtic punk band Flogging Molly have been forced to cancel all of their 2025 tour dates due to health issues faced by frontman Dave King.
The band shared the news on social media, alerting fans that Flogging Molly will be unable to headline their own Salty Dog Cruise, which launches on Feb. 17 as a five-night trip from Port of Miami to Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
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“Our fearless leader, the inimitable Dave King, is currently battling a very serious health condition,” the group wrote. “Dave and Bridget ask everyone to respect their privacy at this time, we will share as we can. Any good thoughts or prayers you can send Dave’s way, he and we would appreciate it.
“Unfortunately Flogging Molly will be unable to perform shows in 2025. With the Salty Dog Cruise 12 days away, the boat will sail as planned with 18 bands, and members of Flogging Molly, on board to celebrate the cruise, the community and our captain, Dave King.”
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Currently no further details in regard to King’s condition have been made available. Flogging Molly’s 2025 tour itinerary was expected to kick off in earnest on Feb. 24 following their cruise, with dates in the U.S. scheduled across February and March, and shows throughout Europe and Canada planned across June, July, and August.
The Irish-born King formed Flogging Molly in 1994 after years spent as a musician in the U.K. Rising to fame as the vocalist for Fastway alongside ex-Motörhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke, King briefly performed with former Krokus guitarist Mandy Meyer in Katmandu before navigating his way out of a record contract with Epic Records to found Flogging Molly in Los Angeles.
The band released their first album in 2000, with 2008’s Float becoming their most successful to date – peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The most recent studio album, Anthem, was released in 2022 and became the first in their career not chart.