Barack Obama has revealed his annual list of his favourite films, songs and books of the year, which includes the likes of Beyoncé, Billie Eilish and Sean Baker’s new drama Anora.
The former US president posted his 2024 lists on Instagram on Friday (20 December), which included a 25-track selection of his favourite songs of the year.
Writing alongside the post, Obama said he “always look[s] forward to sharing” his cultural picks of the year – a practice he started during his time in the White House and has continued ever since.
His 2024 25 track list features an eclectic mix of artists and genres. It reads in full:
Kendrick Lamar, “Squabble Up”, Billie Eilish, “Lunch”, Rema, “Yayo”, Tyla, Gunna & Skillibeng, “Jump”, Central Cee & Lil Baby, “Band4band”, Ezra Collective & Yazmin Lacey, “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing”, The Red Clay Strays, “Ramblin’”. Fontaines D.C., “Favourite”, Asake & Travis Scott, “Active”, Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, Bonny Light Horseman, “Old Dutch”, Rae Khalil, “Is It Worth It, ”Beyoncé, “Texas Hold ‘Em”
Jordan Adetunji, “Kehlani”, Artemas, “I Like the Way You Kiss Me”, Johnny Blue Skies, “Scooter Blues”, Hozier, “Too Sweet”, Leon Bridges, “Peaceful Place”, Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby”, Waxahatchee & MJ Lenderman, “Right Back to It”, Myles Smith, “Stargazing”, Jack White, “That’s How I’m Feeling”, Moses Sumney, “Gold Coast”, Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”, FloyyMenor & Cris MJ, “Gata Only”.
Obama also released a list of his top 10 films of the year, which were: All We Imagine as Light, Conclave, The Piano Lesson, The Promised Land, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Dune: Part Two, Anora, Dìdi, Sugarcane and A Complete Unknown.
Meanwhile, the former president’s favourite books that “stuck with” him “long after [he] finished reading them” included Sally Rooney’s Interlude, Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious GenerationArlie Russell Hochschild’s The chair PrideMartin MacInnes' In Ascension and Alexei Navalny’s Patriot.
Obama has made a habit of sharing his cultural picks since leaving office. This summer, he shared a playlist comprising more than 40 songs he’d been enjoying, saying: “With summer winding down, I wanted to share some songs that I’ve been listening to lately.
He added: “And it wouldn’t be my playlist if it didn’t include an eclectic mix. I hope you find something new to listen to!”
The summer’s playlist included the likes of Charli XCX, Beyoncé and Billie Eilish, as well as Tems, The Rolling Stones and Sting.
A month after releasing his 2024 selection of summer songs, the former president was forced to hit back at claims he doesn’t personally select the tracks on his annual list.
“People question sometimes whether I’m actually listening to all this music,” he said. “As I’ve testified before, I am. Charli XCX, she knows what she’s doing.”
