Pop music has been subject to much criticism from listeners, but the genre has seemingly made a comeback in recent years.
Britannica defines pop music as commercially oriented music meant for a wide audience in societies dominated by urban culture.
Music, like everything else in the world, draws loud opinions from people. From genre to genre and artist to artist, most people have a word or two to lend to a conversation surrounding music. When it comes to pop music; however, conversations can turn hateful and many have strong, negative opinions toward the genre.
Annie Bocock wrote about this negative feeling for the blog TEDxBrayford Pool.
“For me, the idea of not liking pop music was the idea of being a ‘different girl,’” Bocock wrote.
Sean Parsons, director of the contemporary music and digital instruments program at Ohio University, said pop music has always been looked at through a critical lens.
“Whether it be an artist ‘sells out’, or is lacking depth or substance, or is too commercial, it’s the same story over and over again with every musical generation,” Parsons wrote in an email.
Despite a sometimes negative aura surrounding the pop music genre, the 2020s have already seen an incredible surge in pop music appreciation.
In an essay for Billboard, Andrew Unterberger details how pop music had an excellent showing early this year. Unterberger brings up the popular social media platform TikTok and the app’s effect on the music industry.
“Increasingly it feels like the app is pouring gasoline on fires that artists have already started, simply offering well-liked songs additional exposure through word-of-mouth spreading,” Unterberger wrote.
Business Insider reports that songs trending on TikTok commonly end up charting on the Billboard 100 or the Spotify Viral 50 music charts. Newer stars such as Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Victoria Monét and Tinashe captivate audiences around the world and steal the spotlight. Along with the effect TikTok has had on the music industry, it can be easy to believe that pop music is more popular now than ever.
Parsons said musicians have always been able to draw crowds and build a following.
“Previous generations of pop musicians have shaped trends and built followers just like Chappell Roan or whoever, just through ‘traditional’ media and performances rather than the sort of immediate nature of TikTok, YouTube, etc.,” Parsons wrote in an email.
Although pop music is sometimes labeled as basic or boring, songs in this genre can have a deeper meaning.
“In our Contemporary Music and Digital Instruments program at OU, we talk about the depth of artistry in pop, but also its place in our culture and how it responds to our societal issues,” Parsons wrote in an email.
Parsons gave the example of Taylor Swift and said although he does not personally connect with her music, it does not mean her music is not significant in culture and music.
“Music can be ‘good’ no matter how we interact with it,” Parsons wrote in an email.
Parsons said although some people may complain about the lyrics in today’s pop music, every generation has heard songs about drugs or other adult themes.
“If you enjoy a song, enjoy it. Life’s too short to care if someone values your music like you do,” Parsons wrote in an email. “There’s something free about that approach.”
