Nothing burns more than a woman scorned. This year, pop stars and rising artists were both shameless in calling out their exes for their wrongdoings.
One of the biggest moments came courtesy of SZA. The artist is known for wearing her heart on her sleeve, and SOS album highlight “Kill Bill” was a buffet of toxic “what if” scenarios. The singer let jealousy overcome her emotions as she couldn’t stand to see her ex-lover move on: “I might kill my ex, I still love him though/ Rather be in jail than alone.” On a similar note, Olivia Rodrigo’s “vampire” finds the pop star tapping into a new level of fury. The lead single from her sophomore album, GUTS, “vampire” shoots bloody daggers at a manipulative boyfriend.
But it wasn’t all about vengeance. In Miley Cyrus’ case, her best form of revenge came in the form of forgiveness. Her “Flowers” anthem was thought to be inspired by Cyrus’ divorce from Liam Hemsworth, but its messaging is relatable to anyone who had to learn how to move on from a broken heart. “I can take myself dancing and I can hold my own hand/ I can love me better than you can,” Cyrus assures.
All three singles topped the Billboard Hot 100 this year, marking SZA’s first solo No. 1, Cyrus’ first in a decade and Rodrigo’s first from her new album era. The singles also all earned 2024 GRAMMY nominations for both Song Of The Year (alongside Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night”, Jon Batiste’s “Butterfly”, Lana Del Rey’s “A&W” and Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”) and Record Of The Year (next to Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?”, Boygenius’ “Not Strong Enough”, Jon Batiste’s “Worship”, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” and Victoria Monét’s “On My Mama”).
Rising stars also joined in on the fun. After Tate McRae scored her biggest hit to date with the playful “greedy,” she delivered a fiery kiss-off anthem with “exes.” Elsewhere, Benee called her ex a “waste of f—king time” on the rowdy “Green Honda,” British singer Mae Stephens contemplated all of her options on “If We Ever Broke Up,” RAYE brooded over “dumb decisions” and booze on “Escapism,” and Los Angeles alt-pop singer Leah Kate’s jam-packed her debut album Super Over with advice on cutting off toxic relationships.
