2024 was a year when a lot of different people broke through into public view, becoming major stars in their own right.
From pop stars and blockbuster actors to Olympic athletes and viral streamers, here is a look at some of the big names of 2024.
These eight people took the spotlight this year, setting records and catching the world’s attention in a variety of ways.
Sabrina Carpenter
2024 was certainly Sabrina Carpenter’s breakout year, with the release of singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Her album “Short n’ Sweet” came out later in the year.
“After years of hard work, a string of smash hits and a no-misses album propelled Carpenter to superstardom in 2024, cementing her status as America’s newest sweetheart,” per Billboard.
Carpenter has been around for years; “Short n’ Sweet” is her fifth album, but it really wasn’t until the release of “Espresso” that she reached full stardom.
“Espresso” debuted at No. 7 on the charts and became Carpenter’s first-ever Hot 100 top 10 hit, according to Billboard.
This year, Carpenter also opened for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” performed at multiple festivals and sang on “Saturday Night Live.”
Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan’s debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” released in 2023 and one of the most popular singles, “Pink Pony Club,” released in 2020, according to The New York Times.
2024 was the year that things came together. Roan’s songs became extremely popular, with her album hitting No. 2 on Billboard’s 200 album chart.
Her songs such as “Hot To Go” and “Good Luck Babe!” went viral this year as well, per The New York Times.
She had a variety of big performances this year, such as appearing on “Saturday Night Live” and drawing the biggest crowd in the history of Lollapalooza.
Roan also received multiple Grammy nominations this year, including best new artist.
Ilona Maher
A TikTok sensation, Olympic bronze medalist and now also a runner-up on “Dancing with the Stars,” Ilona Maher has had a powerful year.
She had been gaining a following on TikTok for years. At the Paris Olympics this year, her social media presence helped bring attention to the U.S. women’s rugby team as they took home the bronze medal, according to USA Today.
Along with her other achievements, Maher also made the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition in September and she recently signed to play for the Bristol Bears rugby team in England.
“Showing she could flex her funny muscles along with her medal-winning ones, she amassed millions of followers thanks to her trendy, humorous posts and her advocacy for women in sports,” per USA Today.
Glen Powell
Glen Powell’s year started out strong with the release of the rom-com “Anyone But You,” followed by the release of “Hit Man.”
Powell went on to become one of the stars of the summer, as the leading man in the blockbuster movie “Twisters.”
Throughout the year, he made a variety of appearances, such as at a Luke Combs concert and many different University of Texas football games, according to Us Weekly.
This year, he also received his first Golden Globe nomination for his role in “Hit Man,” which he produced and co-wrote, per Deadline.
Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark started the year playing women’s basketball at the University of Iowa, and she gained notoriety when she broke the NCAA’s Division 1 all-time scoring record for both men’s and women’s basketball players, according to Time.
Clark went on to be the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft when she was selected by the Indiana Fever.
In her first season in the WNBA, she was named rookie of the year, and she set a rookie record for most 3-pointers made in a season, per Time.
As Caitlin Clark rose to fame, viewership of women’s basketball also skyrocketed.
She was also named Time’s Athlete of the Year.
Shaboozey
After years of making music and performing for small crowds, in 2024, Shaboozey broke through into popularity with his single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” per CBS News.
The single took over the charts in the summer.
Shaboozey was also featured on two songs on Beyonce’s country album “Cowboy Carter,” according to CBS News.
This year, Shaboozey performed at a variety of festivals and events, received multiple Grammy nominations, and performed on SNL.
Jannik Sinner
Twenty-three-year-old Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner started the year by winning his first major at the 2024 Australian Open.
He then went on to win the 2024 U.S. Open, becoming the fourth player to win both in a year, according to USA Today.
He rose to be ranked No. 1 in the world in June and held the spot through the end of the year.
Sinner ended the year by winning the ATP Finals, per USA Today.
Sinner is a part of the rising generation of tennis players who are taking over the sport, in the wake of retirements from longtime tennis legends such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Kai Cenat
Kai Cenat is a 23-year-old Twitch streamer and YouTube star who captured a huge audience with gaming, pranks and his high-energy persona, per Rolling Stone.
Cenat has more than 15 million followers on Twitch and 10.5 million subscribers on YouTube, according to Esports Illustrated.
This year he completed a “subathon,” where he streamed for 30 days straight, 24 hours a day.
His marathon featured a variety of celebrity guests including Bill Nye, Snoop Dogg and Kevin Hart, per Rolling Stone.
His following has also spread to other social media platforms such as TikTok.