CTRL+ALT+Repeat: 2024 Iconic Music Moments
While the stellar new releases of 2024 speak for themselves, albums and singles alone cannot completely encapsulate the year in music.
It’s the unforgettable performances, trends and surprises that paint the fuller picture of 2024’s musical legacy. From record breakers to industry shakers, OTR compiled a list of some of the most iconic musical moments that lived in our minds this year.
“Ridiculous yet true!”: Paramore becomes first female-fronted band to win “Best Rock Album” in Grammy history
Ana Marks, Contributor
With six studio albums under their belt and three previous nominations, Paramore — who was absent from the 66th Annual Grammy Awards red carpet — accepted their historic award for “Best Rock Album” from home. Debuting in 2005 as pioneers in the pop-punk scene, Paramore has now become the first female-fronted band to win the Recording Academy’s “Best Rock Album” award. They also won “Best Alternative Music Performance” that night.
The band took to Instagram to express their gratitude, saying “It’s an honor for Paramore to be a small but constant reminder for people to keep pushing these rock and alternative spaces to be more inclusive.” Having been constants in the pop-punk genre since the early 2000’s, an award to celebrate their talents was far overdue, but, more importantly, they have opened the door for more boundary-pushing artists within the rock and alternative world to get recognition.
Chappell Roan breaks Lollapalooza attendance record
Madison Avery, Music News Editor
Chappell Roan flexing at Lollapalooza. Photo by Abra Richardson.
Midwest princess Chappell Roan surged to the top of the charts this year and drew in the biggest crowd ever at Chicago’s Lollapalooza. An estimated 110,000 people attended the festival each day, and while the exact size of Roan’s crowd was unclear, a spokesperson for Lollapalooza said her set was the biggest crowd for a daytime performance the festival has ever seen. Roan had a crowd of thousands of people following along to the dance of her hit song “‘HOT TO GO!”’ which resulted in viral videos on TikTok. The funny thing about this iconic moment is that Roan was not even a headlining act for the festival. Chappell Roan continues to take the world by storm as she gathers massive crowds at festival performances and completely sells out her headlining tours.
The stars have aligned, the great wait is over: Oasis reunion announcement
Tabita Bernardus, Staff Writer
After a 15-year-long hiatus, the smidgen of hope for a reunion threatening to evaporate for Oasis fans reemerged with full force. Liam and Noel Gallagher had finally shaken on a truce — at least long enough to embark on a reunion world tour set for 2025. The brothers parted ways in 2009 following a series of disagreements, which some would say was the final tick of the time bomb that set off their already crumbling relationship state. Fans ran rampant on social media over the long-awaited announcement, skyrocketing the band’s discography streams and feverishly entering their email addresses to secure a spot in the tour’s ticket lottery. The cultural and generational influence Oasis’ genre-fusing had on British music is nothing short of legendary — to the point where over a decade later, the children of longtime Oasis fans are the ones surprising their parents with tour tickets.
“Apple” dance spotlight at the SWEAT Tour
Troye Sivan doing the “Apple” dance on the last night of the SWEAT Tour.
Jackie Fortis, Contributor
The beloved SWEAT Tour with Charli xcx and Troye Sivan’s dual performances held multiple iconic moments throughout its run this year. One of the biggest was during “Apple,” a viral track from BRAT, where a select attendee in the pit was chosen to do the TikTok dance trend for the song. This moment spotlighted everyone from your average fans, to creators like Brittany Broski and the originator of the dance, Kelley Heyer, and Troye Sivan himself on closing night. At each show, iconic individuals graced the arena’s big screens for the two and a half minute song, creating moments that will be remembered for a long time to come.
“Have you ever tried this one?”
Lily Spanbauer, Contributor
A direct reference to the 2007 film, “Juno” from Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is a horny love letter where the singer asks, “Wanna try out some freaky positions? / Have you ever tried this one?” What started as a cute quip in the song became an iconic music moment when Carpenter took her album on the road for the Short n’ Sweet Tour, which is slated for 47 shows, ranging from North American to European venues.
Donning a sparkly two-piece set and some outrageously tall platform boots, Carpenter performs “Juno” in the final section of the show. As the song approaches its infamous questions, Carpenter struts all five feet of her body down the catwalk, ultimately landing in a pose that alludes to a different sex position each night. Just as fans eagerly await the reveal of which color bodysuit or suprise song Carpenter will employ for the night, these “Juno” positions have taken on a life of their own on social media platforms like TikTok.
Every “Juno” position so far on the Short n’ Sweet Tour.
Sexiest Man of the Secret Of Us Tour
Tabita Bernardus, Staff Writer
Role Model, who is none other than the people’s princess Tucker Pillsbury, lassoed hearts this summer as the opening act for Gracie Abrams’ THE SECRET OF US Tour. After releasing his sophomore album Kansas Anymore earlier this year, the singer quickly landed on People Magazine’s radar as a nominee for Sexiest Musician, pitted against contenders Harry Styles, Shaboozey and Zach Bryan. His hard-fought campaign through social media and physical billboards in LA garnered swift traction and loyal supporters, with fans showing up to the tour with signs and merch that expressed their feelings about his ultimate title loss.
After performing “Feels Like” alongside Abrams for their last show together in Boston, she made sure to give Role Model the most meaningful parting gifts: flowers, a tiara and, of course, a “Sexiest Man on Tour” trophy — the perfect icing on the campaign cake. He couldn't have summed up the experience better himself: “It was the wholesome SWEAT Tour. It was the SWEAT Tour for people who wear loafers.”
Billie Eilish let fans know they’re not the problem after election
Brooke Shapiro, Music Extras Editor
During her HIT ME HARD AND SOFT Tour, megastar Billie Eilish twists the knife in the hearts’ of concertgoers with the acoustic run of “Male Fantasy,” “SKINNY” and “TV” in the middle of the setlist. But, the night after Donald Trump was elected to a second term as president of the United States, Eilish’s performance of “TV” in Nashville proved to be especially moving as she stopped the song after the lyric, “The Internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial / While they’re overturning Roe v. Wade.”
Having endorsed Kamala Harris for president, Eilish sang the song — a reflection of pandemic-era society — with tears in her eyes as the crowd joined in, screaming the “Roe v. Wade” line. Whether the decision to stop the song there was made to avoid singing “Maybe I’m the problem” with the crowd or to express her disappointment with the election results, one thing is clear: Her silence spoke powerful volumes, especially to her predominantly young-women audience.
Knocked Loose and Poppy rock the boat after performance on Jimmy Kimmel
Madison Avery, Music News Editor
Knocked Loose and Poppy performing “Suffocate” on Jimmy Kimmel.
Pig squeals and banshee screams erupted from viewers' screens and caused quite the uproar amongst people tuning into Jimmy Kimmel last month. However, metalheads would consider this a win. Metalcore band Knocked Loose performed their song “Suffocate” live on Jimmy Kimmel in November and were joined by fellow metal singer Poppy.
Fans gathered in the pouring rain to see the performance and witness this achievement for the metal community. Knocked Loose and Poppy did not disappoint, coming in hot with gnarly screams and a reggaeton breakdown. The crowd didn’t disappoint either, as a mosh pit formed and heads were banging. While this was a big moment for the metal community, the performance rubbed some viewers the wrong way, taking to social media to say that it scared their children. Lead singer Bryan Garris posted on Instagram recounting the performance and noted “PS if it scared you, good.”