To the surprise of no one, the 2024 presidential election was one of the most searched topics on YouTube in 2024. But perhaps more surprising is how prominently Kendrick Lamar was featured in the company’s annual U.S. roundup of trending topics, artists and creators.
The “Not Like Us” rapper appeared on the Trending Topics list as well as the Top Songs list, out Monday. Though these lists compiled some of the most-searched topics during the year, YouTube noted they were not ranked.
“YouTube is home to a new era of breakthrough entertainment,” said Kevin Allocca, global director of global culture & trends at YouTube, in a statement. “This year’s trends demonstrate how YouTube and its creators not only reflect but actively shape the cultural landscape. We’re seeing a unique blend of community engagement, creator innovation and diverse content coming together to make YouTube the place where culture thrives.”
When it came to the year’s most popular songs, Lamar made the list twice, once for “Not Like Us,” and a second time for his collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin on “Like That.” Other featured artists included Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Wanna Be,” Tommy Richman’s “MILLION DOLLAR BABY,” Luis R Conriquez and Netón Vega’s “Si No Quieres No,” Xavi’s “La Diabla” and Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help (feat. Morgan Wallen).”
When it came to celebrity topics, Sabrina Carpenter and “Sean Combs scandal” made the most-searched list, in addition to Lamar. As for TV and movies, the anime “Jujutsu Kaisen,” Prime Video’s animated musical “Hazbin Hotel,” and Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” all made the cut. The video games “Helldivers 2” and “Roblox’s” Dress to Impress were also included.
But perhaps the most interesting addition was “The Amazing Digital Circus.” The Australian adult animated web series was first uploaded to YouTube in 2023. Since then, the series has been nominated for an Annie Award and is available to stream on Netflix. Like “Hazbin Hotel,” it stands as an example of an independently made series that gained attention largely through word of mouth and social media chatter rather than more traditional marketing pushes.
Another unsurprising addition was MrBeast on the list of YouTube’s top creators. Currently, the influencer has 329 million subscribers. Other creators on the list included the Stokes Twins (97 million subs), UR · Cristiano (66.6 million subs), CaseOH (6.03 million subs), Zack D. Films (16.6 million subs), Nick DiGiovanni (21.3 million subs), Jordan Matter (26.2 million subs), Mark Rober (59.3 million subs), The Trench Family (9.71 million subs) and Camilla Araujo (7.68 million subs). Despite their varying subscriber counts, this roundup reflects the most popular creators in 2024.
Finally, YouTube also unveiled 2024’s top songs on YouTube Shorts. Tommy Richman (“MILLION DOLLAR BABY”), Lay Bankz (“Tell Ur Girlfriend”), prodbycpkshawn [“Pop like this Pt. 2 (Slow”)], Odetari (“KEEP UP”), Bobby Caldwell (“What You Won’t Do for Love”), фрози and Joyful [“Bounce (I Just Wanna Dance)], Eternxlkz (“SLAY!”) Megan Thee Stallion [“Mamushi (feat. Yuki Chiba)], Surf Curse (“Disco”) and Steve Lacy (“Static”) all made the list.