From viral words to celebrity rebrands, 2024 has been anything but predictable. Whether it's a jaw-dropping performance, a meme that won’t die, or a movie that’s altering our brain chemistry, 2024 has given us plenty to talk about. Buckle up, because we’re reliving into the biggest cultural moments of the year — trust us, you won’t want to miss a single one.
1. The Olympics took over Paris
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It would be remiss of us to leave the Paris Olympics off this list. In addition to Australia's stellar performance, these Games had just about everything from cardboard beds in the athlete’s village and an infested Seine for the swimming events, to Raygun’s never-to-be-forgotten breakdancing performance.
2. The US Election had us on the edge of our seats
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The world stopped to watch as America took to the polls to elect their next president. While Donald Trump ultimately won, in the lead up, it looked to be anyone's game, particularly when Trump started referencing "transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison" and immigrants eating pets during the debate.
3. Monsters resulted in a resentencing for the Mendendez Brothers
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Ryan Murphy turned our attention to the Menendez brothers with Monsters. While not everyone was happy with the camp-ified portrayal of their crimes, it did birth two new internet boyfriends in Cooper Koch and Nicholas Chavez (both of whom have very colourful internet footprints), and result in a possible early release for the real-life Lyle and Erik Menendez.
4. 'Brat’ entered our vocabularies
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Charli XCX shifted culture permanently with the release of Brat (and the remix album, Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat). Delivering arguably the most major and all-encompassing album rollout we’ve ever seen, it’s safe to say, the colour slime green has forever taken on a new meaning.
5. So did ‘demure’
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Seemingly out of nowhere, for about two weeks in August, the entire world entered their ‘demure’ era. It was all thanks to TikToker Jools Lebron, who coined the phrase, “very demure, very mindful” to massive virality. While the phrase fell from popularity at a similarly rapid rate, the money Lebron made from the videos allowed them to fund their gender-affirming surgery.
6. Moo Deng became an internet It-girl
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A baby pygmy hippo from Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo won over the entire internet, after a zookeeper began sharing videos of her biting trainers knees and throwing tantrums. So relatable, honestly.
7. Everybody held space for Defying Gravity
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Though the Wicked press tour seemed to span months, there was one moment that stood out above the rest. When reporter Tracy Gilchrist told Cynthia Erivo that "people have been taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity", the actress looked dumbfounded, simply responding, "Uh, I didn't know that was happening. That's really powerful." Making things even more bizarre, co-star Ariana Grande held onto Erivo's nail extension throughout the exchange. Naturally, the clip went viral.
8. Sydney got duped by Crumbl Cookie imposters
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Closer to home, Bondi was rocked by claims that viral US bakery Crumbl Cookie was hosting a one-day-only pop up. But after hundreds of fans had lined up for hours and forked out $17.50 per cookie, it was revealed that the stall wasn't affiliated with Crumbl at all. The chaos was, however, enough for the real Crumbl Cookie to annoucne that they planned to set up stores Down Under, so we guess that's a win.
9. The world thirsted for Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor in Challengers
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Earlier this year, director Luca Guadagnino blessed us with the ultimate love triangle, when Zendaya's character, tennis star Tashi, finds herself caught between two friends – both of whom are also tennis players. Not only did the movie alter our brain chemistry, but so did the press tour, with Zendaya redefining 'method dressing' via a series of tennis-inspired sartorial serves.
10. Addison Rae had a pop star rebrand
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When we first discovered Addison Rae, it was via her TikTok dancing videos when she was just 19. Fast forward to 2024, and she became one of the world's It girls, with the release of tracks Diet Pepsi and Aquamarine, a cameo during Charli XCX and Troye Sivan's 'Sweat' tour, and a killer wardrobe (courtesy of stylist Dara) to match.
11. Drake and Kendrick Lamar feuded (a lot)
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Diss tracks, shady tweets, and even legal action. We'll let the internet decide who won this battle.
12. Oasis reunited (and fans went crazy)
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Oasis' reunion tour become one of the most coveted tickets this year, as the brothers put years of beef behind them to reunite the band.
13. Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan emerged as the new frontiers of pop music
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Pop music was so back this year, and it was in large part thanks to Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Both women were undoubtedly the breakout artists of 2024, and kept us fed with hits like Taste, Juno, Hot To Go! and Pink Pony Club.
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