Written and Photographed by Paige Rodriguez
Pop music makes people mad. Is it art? Is it real music? Are music lovers too pretentious for sticking their noses up in its face?
I’d argue these questions are missing the point. Instead of controlling the pop narrative by comparing it to classical, jazz, or rock, it deserves a spotlight of its own.
I’m not saying that pop shouldn’t be well-crafted, but I think many music lovers stray from the genre because they believe that’s impossible. It can be easy to fall into a pit of pretentious thinking. We want music to hold the same thought and care as we put into listening to it. The criticism of pop also stems from the claim that it is heavily commercialized and therefore inauthentic.
What music lovers find to be inauthentic is often how pop music artists survive. Making music is still work like any other, and although heavy promotion can feel contrived, artists put themselves on display in extremes to make a living.
In the 80s, we saw boy bands and solo pop artists get recognition by appearing on MTV and late-night talk shows. This heavy commercialization of the artists was due to the domination of pop by record labels. Major labels still act as a platform for promoting artists, and “account for about 70 percent of music sales by recent estimates,” according to Live About Dot Com. However, to get noticed by record labels today, it takes a lot to break through the noise of the internet.
Today, pop music is seen as the latest whiney song about trends that will soon fade into the background of a TikTok. However, breaking out of these stereotypes requires us to recognize the revolutionaries of today’s pop music; Omar Apollo and PinkPantheress.
Apollo got his start back in 2018, when a friend loaned him 30 dollars to release his song “Ugotme” on Spotify, according to Entertainment Weekly. Since then, he’s signed a record deal with Warner Records and released a variety of songs that showcase his abilities as a singer-songwriter in the pop scene. Apollo’s most recent album, “Ivory,” showcases a wide array of sounds that fold in pop with other genres such as corrido (a Mexican ballad), indie rock, rap, and alternative R&B.
His vocals are clean on each of his tracks, but it can be difficult to tell how natural a singer’s vocals are with today’s technology. However, I was blown away by how consistent his vocals were as he performed dozens of songs during his show at the McDonald Theater in April of last year. Apollo’s virtuoso shines through in his live performances, which became even more widely recognized this year when he opened for SZA’s “SOS” tour.
Omar Apollo has consistently gained an internet following by promoting his songs on his own social media, something that is now crucial for artists to get the word out about their music. His song “Evergreen” amassed 293,000 videos on TikTok and now has over 200 million streams on Spotify.
In the past couple of years, PinkPantheress has also accumulated a large following on the internet while landing a record deal with Parlophone. She has created a unique sound that reflects the bubbliness of 2000s pop. PinkPantheress has cited Lily Allen as one of her inspirations which shines through her bright production, vocal and lyrical style.
“Just For Me” has a particularly unsettling quality while still being in the style of bedroom pop. Her soft vocals and the song’s cheery beat offset the lyrics about an obsessive stalker desperately pleading for the attention of their crush. This clever juxtaposition demonstrates that a pop song is not always craft-less.
Not all her songs go to such creative extremes, but many touch on themes of mental health, heartbreak, and the uncertainties of adulthood. PinkPantheress’ songs routinely connect to young audiences because they see themselves reflected in these relevant topics.
As I prop up these two artists, I want to recognize my bias in choosing them. Apollo is someone I have been following since his beginning stages. Many of his songs intertwine with memories of my late teenage years. Nostalgia sits with me even as I listen to each new release. PinkPantheress has played among the many road trips to the beach and kickbacks with friends.
Recognizing the history of our favorite songs makes us stronger as music listeners and analysts. Music lovers form such bonds to these songs, and it is with a careful ear that we grow to love them.