Swift’s Eras Tour was one of the biggest events of 2024. — AP
The year 2024 will be remembered as a reign of the pop queens, with Taylor Swift and Beyonce leading the charge. Swift cemented her status as the world’s biggest pop star, dominating headlines with her record-breaking Eras Tour, a new album titled The Tortured Poets Department, and her much-publicised relationship with American football star Travis Kelce.
Meanwhile, Beyonce ventured into new territory with her critically acclaimed country album, Cowboy Carter, earning her an unprecedented 99 Grammy nominations.
The music scene was matched by blockbuster success in cinemas, with Disney reclaiming its box office throne thanks to Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Moana 2.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, as flops like Joker: Folie a Deux and Megalopolis showed that even big names could stumble.
K-pop continued its global domination, with female idols like Rose, Jennie and Lisa of Blackpink making waves internationally, and “boy groups” like BTS, Stray Kids and Seventeen keeping the momentum alive.
The glamour of showbiz was not without its darker moments, as a string of high-profile scandals and arrests rocked the industry, from Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest on sex trafficking charges to Justin Timberlake’s DUI conviction.
From triumphs to controversies, 2024 offered a spectacle that truly reflected the highs and lows of the entertainment world.
Year of the pop queens
If there were any doubts that Swift is the biggest pop star in the world right now, 2024 banished them completely.
Swift dominated not just the showbiz and gossip pages but also sports and even politics, thanks to her blockbuster sellout Eras Tour, new album The Tortured Poets Department, her relationship with American football player Travis Kelce, and with her endorsement of United States presidential candidate Kamala Harris at the time.
Another artiste worthy of “Queen of Pop” title is Beyonce, who also made headlines by releasing a country music album, the critically acclaimed Cowboy Carter, which subsequently garnered her 11 Grammy nominations, enough to make her most nominated artiste in Grammy history, with 99 in total.
While Swift made Singapore her only South-East Asian stop for her Eras Tour, Malaysians were not entirely left out as the likes of Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Imagine Dragons, Andy Lau, Jay Chou, and Taeyang played here.
The Mouse House bites back
The biggest animated feature of all-time. The highest box office ever for an R-rated movie. The highest ever Thanksgiving weekend opening of all time. This was the year Disney returned to the top of its perch in terms of box office returns, with Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine and Moana 2 casting aside all the memories of the dismal 2023 it endured.
Other international box office hits included Dune 2, Wicked, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and Despicable Me 4, while on the local front, Syafiq Yusof’s Sheriff: Narko Integriti was the biggest Malaysian film of 2024.
On the other side of the spectrum, there were some high-profile flops, including superhero flicks Joker: Folie a Deux and Madame Web, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.
K-pop rules the roost
This year, K-pop’s quest for world domination chugged along relentlessly, even with members of its biggest group, BTS, undergoing their mandatory military service.
Female artistes, in particular, made waves internationally, led by Rose, Jennie and Lisa of Blackpink. Rose had one of the catchiest songs of the year, APT. (featuring Bruno Mars); Jennie released solo single Mantra; and Lisa seemed to be everywhere a one point, with numerous high-profile releases and appearances in international events and magazine covers.
Other groups like Aespa, Twice and Le SSerafim have also been active with shows and new releases. And don’t forget NewJeans, who are still one of the most popular groups around, despite the ongoing dispute between Hybe and Min Hee-jin, former CEO of their previous label, Ador.
Not that the boys were resting on their laurels either. Even with most of BTS unavailable at some point or another due to their mandatory military service, all the members – V, J-Hope, RM, Jung Kook, Jimin, Jin and Suga – kept their throne warm with various solo projects throughout the year, some of which were among the top-sellers of 2024.
Meanwhile, Stray Kids, Ateez, Enhypen and Seventeen also released successful albums this year. Stray Kids in particular, stole the limelight by headlining Lollapalooza in Chicago and becoming the first K-pop act to show up as a group at the prestigious Met Gala.
Diddy’s arrest for sex trafficking was one of the biggest celebrity news of the year. — AP
Celebs breaking bad
This year saw a string of high-profile arrests and court cases involving celebrities. The biggest one was Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest in September on sex trafficking charges, which had a seismic effect on the entire music industry. The music mogul has since been accused of further charges of sexual assault, with other celebrities like Jay-Z also implicated in the scandal.
In June, Timberlake was arrested in New York and charged with driving under the influence. The singer pleaded guilty to a charge of impaired driving, and was sentenced to community service and a fine.
Over in South Korea, BTS member Suga courted controversy in August after he was arrested for riding an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol. The case was later resolved with the singer paying a fine for the offence.
Not the end of #MeToo
Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a subsequent campaign to damage her reputation.
Lively claimed Baldoni’s actions caused her severe emotional distress, detailing instances of inappropriate behaviour on set, including unwanted physical contact and discussions about his personal life.
She also alleges that after raising concerns, Baldoni orchestrated a smear campaign to tarnish her professional image.
Baldoni’s lawyer has denied the allegations, calling them false and intentionally salacious.
The lawsuit has garnered significant attention, with author Colleen Hoover expressing support for Lively and praising her honesty.
