‘Song of the summer’ may be dead, but 2024 was the summer of song

Over the past few years, MIDiA has often remarked at the lack of a “song of the summer”. There was once a singular undeniable hit each summer, one that everyone could agree on, like ‘One Dance’ was to 2016 or ‘Despacito’ to 2017. But as music listening has fragmented, and become less Western-centric, one hit for everyone has turned into many hits for individuals and their scenes — and few lasting a full month, let alone an entire season.

Which is what makes this summer so notable: seemingly every big pop culture moment has had music as its undercurrent. Most ubiquitous, of course, was “BRAT summer”. But a close second was the explosive rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. At one point in May, you could not walk a block in Brooklyn without hearing Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ blasting from someone’s speakers. The song even made its way to the Copa America semi-final in July, where the winning Argentinian team used it to troll Drake after he placed a losing bet on his home country of Canada. As the “summer of sport” continued on to the Paris Olympics, Lady Gaga and Céline Dion performed at the extravagant opening ceremony, Snoop Dogg became the unlikely star commentator, breakdancer Raygun divided the internet, and multiple competitors celebrated wins with the Charli XCX ‘Apple’ dance. Elsewhere, in the world of US politics, the Kamala Harris campaign painted itself BRAT green and sold hats mimicking Chappell Roan’s merchandise, while fans meme-d Harris’ “coconut tree” speech into oblivion by remixing it into pop songs. Tinashe’s ‘Nasty’ was the other TikTok favourite, and not just the original, but fan-made remixes as well.

There may not have been one song of the summer, but it was surely the summer of song. And might that not be the better outcome? Artists this summer are sharing in these moments, and not just enjoying a fleeting radio hit, but cementing themselves in broader pop culture history. 

Despite Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Dua Lipa releasing spring albums, the old guard of global superstars were notably absent from the summer’s pop culture moments, and — dare we say it — the world even seemed to stop revolving around Taylor Swift. This does not mean those artists fared poorly; it is just that their success was largely contained within streaming platforms (and for Swift, on her tour). Music moments used to happen in consumption spaces, like on the radio or at music festivals. But these days, they increasingly happen elsewhere: on social media and in other realms of entertainment, most notably this summer, sports. Song streams are the symptoms of these moments, but they are not the causes. Once again, this is bifurcation at work. 

The good news is that music has confirmed its ability to remain a strong force for culture, even in an increasingly fragmented world where attention is in short supply. But how that impact takes shape has fundamentally changed. A handful of superstars and hits have been replaced by constellations of mid-tier stars and their songs. Music is increasingly the contextual soundtrack for pop culture moments that go far beyond music. And while streaming services benefit from those moments, they are not the spaces which drive them.