By Jordan Devlin ‘25

Courtesy of Creative Commons Art

Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan became three of the most popular artists in 2024, but how quick was their rise to fame and how did they accomplish it? Social media was a huge part of the artists’ path to success, and the promotion of their music through short-form videos became hugely popular throughout the year.

Promotion through TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms has become a huge part of the music industry because musicians can record short-form videos (15-30 second clips) of their songs, providing listeners with a short teaser. They can also share behind-the-scenes (BTS) videos as a window into their daily lives or dances to their songs.

On TikTok, popular songs from all three artists were turned into viral audios, dances, or memes, which pushed their music out to the general public. Additionally, all three post many short-form videos for their fans who follow them, leading to what could feel like a sense of community on their social media pages.

Each artist’s rise to fame has been different, but social media and short-form videos have been key players in each artist's success stories.

Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan, legally known as Kayleigh Rose, began posting covers of popular songs on YouTube in 2014 when she was still young. Throughout the years leading up to 2024, she had a couple of breakout performances and opportunities, most notably releasing an EP called School Night (a collection of songs shorter than an actual album) and performing as an opening act for Vance Joy, a recent pop artist.

However, she became a modern pop icon in 2024 after opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS world tour, and by the summer of 2024, her music could be found everywhere, including all over social media and the radio. The sapphic element to Roan’s songs makes her both unique and brings comfort to many people who listen to them. According to a student from Catlin Gabel (CGS), they “first heard about her in 2024.”
Roan’s monthly Spotify listeners increased exponentially, as she only had 3 million listeners in March of 2023, yet she was up to 20 million by June of 2024.

Roan has released many popular songs, such as “Pink Pony Club ” in 2020 and “Hot To Go” in 2023. “Hot To Go” became the viral audio to a dance trend on TikTok, which pushed her music out even further. Currently, Roan has 5.9 million followers on Instagram and 4.1 million followers on TikTok. Senior Mia Archila noted that Roan “is doing…influential stuff,” showing how her popularity and influence have grown throughout the year.

On her Instagram and TikTok accounts, Roan regularly posts “get ready with me” (GRWM) videos, along with BTS short-form videos. Posts like these can help fans and followers feel more connected to the artist, making it more likely that they will want to listen to her music.

Gracie Abrams

Gracie Abrams, daughter of Jeffrey Jacob (JJ) Abrams, a famous movie director, has 4.4 million followers on TikTok, and the bridges of her songs have gone viral on social media more than once. Abrams began her career by releasing music as early as 2019, however, she didn’t become a pop sensation until recently.

Abrams also opened for Olivia Rodrigo but on her “SOUR” tour, which accelerated her fame significantly. However, one of the events that truly boosted her fame was her opening act for Taylor Swift during the Eras Tour. According to an anonymous student from CGS, they, “first heard about her when she was opening for Taylor Swift.” Videos of the Eras Tour were popular throughout social media platforms, meaning Abrams’s music was pushed to a broader audience.

Clips of her performing with Swift, one of the most popular artists currently, were being circulated through the algorithms consistently throughout 2024, as Swift was still touring, meaning her music was pushed to all of the people who enjoyed Swift’s music. Since Swift’s fanbase is so large, Abrams gained many new followers and listeners.

Minor Single Cover

Her first single after opening for Swift: “I Love You, I'm Sorry” went viral on TikTok. Her most recent song “That's So True,” also blew up on social media. According to an anonymous source from CGS, they knew she released “That's So True,” which they first heard from social media shorts, showing how even people who did not listen to her before these releases heard her music on social media platforms.

Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter, who originally began as a Disney Channel sensation, recently had a major breakthrough in the music industry with her hit tour and viral songs, including “Please, Please, Please” and ‘Espresso.”

Carpenter’s music career, which was separate from Disney, began to take shape in 2023, even though she had been releasing music prior. She gained traction with the viral videos of her “Nonsense” outros, which were the ending verses of her songs that changed every concert. However, in 2024, her fame accelerated more as her songs became viral audio and background music to many TikTok trends.

2024, her fame accelerated more as her songs became viral audio and background music to many TikTok trends.

Carpenter currently has 43.8 million followers on Instagram and 34 million followers on TikTok. On these accounts, she posts many videos using her songs as audio and lip-syncing, along with some BTS videos.

According to a source from CGS, they heard her name “on Instagram reels,” but didn’t know much else, demonstrating how powerful her presence is on social media platforms.

All of these popular female artists used social media to their advantage when promoting their music, leading to extremely successful music careers throughout 2024. They each released hit singles that were popular throughout social media platforms, such as TikTok or Instagram, allowing their music to be spread across a wide range of people.

Social media can be used as a resource for many upcoming artists, as it is a way to make your music easily accessible to an incredibly broad population. The short-form videos keep audiences engaged without being overly drawn out, and musicians can promote the catchiest parts of their new songs. Dance challenges engage fans with the music, making them more likely to want to listen to the song and typically leading to a better chance of the video/audio going viral.

Roan, Abrams, and Carpenter will most likely continue to produce music and stay engaged on social media in the year to come, so be on the lookout for them during 2025!

Behind the scenes of social media successes