For the first time since 2003, there was not a single UK act in either of the top 10 singles or albums of 2024, according to figures published by the IFPI.
The lists were dominated by US acts, with representatives of Latin-American and Korean music making up the top 10s, but why was there no room for UK pop acts?
The most surprising admission from these statistics is that of dance-pop superstar Charli xcx, who hails from Cambridge, England. After her 2024 album BRAT became somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, even she couldn’t catch the likes of Noah Kahan, Taylor Swift and Post Malone in the IFPI’s best-selling lists. However, outside of Charli, it is safe to say that it’s much more difficult to make a case for any other UK artists rivalling the sales of the acts in these lists, and that could be a worry.
The UK may not boast anyone currently to rival the streaming success of Billie Eilish or Taylor Swift’s 2024 releases, but fear not, I believe more success is on the horizon for UK acts.
First of all, 2024 was a huge year for pop albums, but specifically, almost every major US pop artist dropped one last year, from Sabrina Carpenter to Ariana Grande to Beyonce. In comparison, Charli xcx and Dua Lipa were the only major pop acts to contribute from the UK, with the latter offering an uncharacteristically underwhelming album. On the other hand, major pop names such as Adele, Harry Styles, RAYE and The 1975 were all without major releases that would’ve likely driven their sales up towards the US competitors.
As well as this, I believe the future is undoubtedly bright for UK pop, as there is plenty of young and upcoming artists that have the potential to explode into superstars at any given moment. The start of 2025 has already seen the emergence of Croydon-born Lola Young as a well-known name. A whole host of other British names are producing fantastic pop music that needs to be recognised more. The Last Dinner Party, Rachel Chinouriri, L Devine, Holly Humberstone and many more are all waiting to be unearthed by mainstream audiences, not to mention indie and rock artists such as Sam Fender and Wunderhorse who are more than capable of gaining mass success in the coming years.
Overall, I wouldn’t worry all too much about these figures, as there is plenty of fantastic UK pop music being created, we just need to wait for everyone else to catch up with listening to them.