Essential Modern Pop Albums

After starring in Disney shows like Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Olivia Rodrigo signed with Geffen Records and released her critically acclaimed debut album Sour in 2021. The album, which combines pop-punk, pop, and hints of ’90s nostalgia, broke streaming records and topped the charts, catapulting Rodrigo to superstardom. As she navigated the complexities of her fame and the end of her teenage years, Rodrigo dropped Guts in 2023, quickly followed by Guts (Spilled) in 2024, which further solidified her status as one of the 21st century’s most accomplished pop artists.

Before becoming one of the best-selling and most-streamed artists of all time, Ariana Grande performed on Broadway and starred in Nickelodeon’s hit series Victorious. Grande’s teen idol status and impressive four-octave vocal range landed her a deal with Republic Records in 2011, and she began her record-breaking journey with the immense success of Yours Truly (2013), My Everything (2014), and Dangerous Woman (2016). Grande’s albums continue to break Guinness World Records and receive various accolades, and she’ll soon be appearing in both installments of the Wicked film series.

Like other pop stars on the list, Sabrina Carpenter started her career as an actor. Carpenter’s early film and television appearances and leading role in Girl Meets World elevated her public profile and led to the release of her debut EP, Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, in 2014. Over the last decade, Carpenter has released five full-length albums, opened for Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift on tour, and recently achieved her first top-ten single with the 2024 earworm, “Espresso.” Following her rapid ascent in popularity, the singer dropped her most critical acclaimed work yet, Short N’ Sweet in the same year.

In her teenage years, Dua Lipa modeled with Topshop and uploaded cover song videos on YouTube before signing a contract with Tap Management in 2013. She was encouraged to quit her serving job and focus on music full-time, which led to her co-writing the track “Hotter Than Hell” and a record deal with Warner. Her 2017 self-titled debut became an international sensation, and her sophomore album, Future Nostalgia, received universal acclaim and a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Dua Lipa’s latest effort Radical Optimism was released in mid-2024 and kicked off a global tour. Additionally, she headed Glastonbury and ACL, filmed a a TV special at the Royal Albert Hall, and performed with Cher, Elton John, and Chris Stapleton.

Taylor Swift’s professional songwriting career began at age 14 when she signed with Big Machine Records. As a country pop singer, Swift achieved early success with the albums Taylor Swift and Fearless, but soon started to experiment with other styles, from rock to pop to folk. 

In November 2020, Swift began re-recording her back catalog, enabling her to own the masters and the licensing of the songs for commercial use. To date, she has released 11 full-length albums, and re-recorded four of those under the subtitle “(Taylor’s Version).” Swift has sold over 200 million albums worldwide, is the most streamed artist on Spotify, the highest-grossing female touring act, and the first billionaire with “music” being her sole form of income. Dubbed the “Queen of Bridges,” Swift released The Tortured Poets Department in April of 2024, adding a surprise second volume of songs at the last minute.

Inspired by ’80s synth pop and early 2000s hits, Chappell Roan got her start at age 17, by uploading her original song “Die Young” to YouTube. After signing with Atlantic, Roan released an EP and a series of singles. In 2023, Roan released The Rise and Fall of A Midwest Princess via Amusement Records, and began her second headlining tour. Roan donated $1 per ticket sale to trans-collective For The Gworls, and opened each show with drag performers. Throughout 2024, momentum continued to build for Roan, who opened up for Olivia Rodrigo, performed a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR, and appeared at Coachella. 

In 2025 so far, Chappell Roan has won the Best New Artist Grammy, released her country single “The Giver,” and made international headlines for winning two awards at the Brit Awards, including International Artist of the Year and International Song of the Year for “Good Luck, Babe!”

With her breathy delivery, poignant sense of humor, and emotionally honest lyrics, Billie Eilish has become inarguably one of this generation’s most influential pop stars. Eilish began writing songs alongside her brother, Finneas — who still produces the lion’s share of her music — at a young age. Her first shot of fame came after the release of “Ocean Eyes,” a sparse, heartbreaker of a track that perfectly highlighted her vocal talents and catapulted her career.

Since then, Eilish has been a mainstay on the charts. In 2022, Eilish took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “No Time To Die” from the James Bond franchise. The following year, she doubled back for another Academy Award for the song “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie Soundtrack. In addition to being the the youngest artist in Grammy history to win all four general field categories in the same year, Eilish and her brother were trailblazers for the Soundcloud to pop star path.

Known for her baroque brand of pop that channels melancholic moments with hints of vintage Hollywood glamor, Lana Del Rey got her start in college, when she recorded her first EP. In 2012, she released Born To Die, which became her first of six number-one albums in the U.K. In 2023, Del Rey released, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, featuring the song “A&W,” which Rolling Stone named one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Variety has named her one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century, while Rolling Stone named her one of the 200 greatest singers of all time.

Del Rey will release her tenth album, The Right Person Will Stay, in May of 2025.

Conan Gray began uploading vlogs, cover songs, and melancholic original compositions to YouTube as a teenager in Texas. He released his debut single, “Idle Town,” a bittersweet ode to small-town life, in 2017. Following a string of successful EPs that further demonstrated his pop songwriting chops, Gray opened for Panic! At The Disco and won the 2019 Shorty Award for Best YouTube Musician. Since the start of the 2020s, Gray has been busy, dropping three full-length albums since 2020 and splitting his time as a model for Puma, Yves Saint Laurent, and Burberry.

An icon of many eras, Miley Cyrus ascended to fame as the titular teen idol in the Disney Channel TV series Hannah Montana. As the Hannah Montana character, she achieved success with two number-one soundtracks. Then, in 2007, she shed the character’s blonde wig and released Meet Miley Cyrus, signaling the arrival of her true pop identity. Over the ensuing years, the world watched and listened as her style evolved over the course of several records, 13 Billboard Top 10 placements, and two Grammy Awards.

Reneé Rapp is an American singer-songwriter and actress known for her role as Regina George in the Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls. After her debut single, “Tattoos,” gained traction with fans online, she signed to Interscope and released her debut EP, Everything to Everyone, in 2022 and her debut record, Snow Angel, the following year. Though Rapp’s music is decidedly pop, her love of Frank Ocean, Yebba, and SZA is evident in “Tummy Hurts” and “So What Now.”

Charli XCX shattered into the mainstream in 2012 with her sugary chorus spot on Icona Pop‘s “I Love It.” Two years and one debut album later, her stock rose even higher thanks to a feature on Iggy Azalea’s hit single, “Fancy,” and the release of her sophomore effort, Sucker, a punk-influenced record that would foreshadow a shift in her approach to music making.

In 2015, Charli began working with Scottish producer Sophie and the London-based record label and art collective PC Music. She developed a more experimental sound before releasing 2016’s Vroom Vroom EP, a pioneering hyperpop record and one of the singer’s most sought-after releases on Discogs. Charli has continued to play with electronic and avant-pop styles on subsequent releases like Number 1 Angel, Pop 2, Charli, How I’m Feeling Now, and, most recently, Brat.

Budding pop star Maisie Peters began writing music at age 9. By the time she was 15, she was uploading her original tracks to YouTube and busking on the streets of Brighton and Hove in England. She independently released two singles in 2017 before signing to Atlantic Records the following year and releasing two EPs, Dressed Too Nice for a Jacket and It’s Your Bed Babe, It’s Your Funeral.  

As her fame grew, she caught the attention of Ed Sheeran and joined his label, Gingerbread Man Records, before releasing her debut album, You Signed Up For This, in 2021. Her second album, The Good Witch, takes inspiration from her romantic experiences, Greek mythology, and Lorde’s Melodrama.

Victoria Walker, better known as PinkPantheress, is an English singer and producer. She started making music at 17, using GarageBand to produce her nostalgic blend of bedroom pop and drum and bass, alternative pop, and 2-step garage styles. Walker uploaded her music to SoundCloud and shared snippets of her original songs on TikTok, which went viral on the platform and gained her international recognition. 

She signed a record deal with Parlophone and Elektra Records in 2021 and released her debut mixtape, To Hell With It, later that year. In 2023, Walker released her debut studio album, Heaven Knows, to positive reviews and praise for juxtaposing sad, dark lyrics against the record’s comparatively happy instrumentals driven by breakbeats.

Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan gained popularity through YouTube and local talent competitions before independently releasing his debut EP, Dare to Dream, in 2007. After several more EPs and a contract with EMI Australia, he released his vibey debut album, Blue Neighbourhood, in 2015. The record chronicles the singer’s experiences with love, youth, and heartbreak.

Sivan’s 2018 sophomore album, Bloom, saw the singer come into his own as an artist as he celebrated queer love on the guitar-driven and sex-centered record. Five years later, on his most recent record, Something to Give Each Other, the singer continued to hone his use of the styles and themes explored on Bloom, resulting in his most distinct release yet, for which Billboard ranked it third on its list of the 50 best albums of 2023.