featured! Mainstream pop music has become so boring and predictable (discussion)

[Jamie Lynn Forever]

I'm literally so uninterested in current mainstream popstars, most of them don't have a real distinctive artistic identity, every new popstar out there is like a rehash of a previous one. 

Ava Max is like the disney/teen-idol version of Gaga

Ariana is the teen-idol version of Mariah

Normani is the boring version of Beyoncé 

Lizzo is the black version of Meghan Trainor, would people even care about her if she was skinny? 

Doja Cat is decent, Billie is aight  

There's no flavor, where is the spark ? am i just becoming old?

I guess i'll just stick to Shoegaze and G-funk for now  

[Brunetteknee]

Honestly this has to be true because I hear everybody say this nowadays (me included). I don’t know if people used to talk like this back in the 2000’s/90’s/80’s (didn’t people used to call pop fake music in the 00’s and hate on it?) but something is wrong in the industry if everyone overwhelmingly agrees that there is nobody fresh and appealing in modern music. The closest thing is Billie, and I love her for coming in with a new sound and style that hasn’t been done previously. I hope that this starts a trend and the good, original pop comes back!  can we please just bring back 2007-2011 era Gaga/Perry/Kesha literally anything max martin or timbaland pop music?

[ILikeChillinWithYou]

But Dua Lipa out there carrying the whole weight of pop music on her back 

[ILikeChillinWithYou]

Just now, rik said:

hey!!! want some old VMAs links?

I also am not a huge fan of music in general that's being put out these days. Quite honestly, beyond Britney I don' think I'm all that interested in pop music, particularly contemporary artists (Okay I like some). 

https://www.breatheheavy.com/exhale/index.php?/forums/topic/774870-i-fell-asleep-to-the-2000-vmas-last-night/

Stop bringing your dusty old VMA links to every thread @rik You're cancelled

[ILikeChillinWithYou]

12 minutes ago, Brunetteknee said:

can we please just bring back 2007-2011 era Gaga/Perry/Kesha literally anything max martin or timbaland pop music?

Gaga coming right after this whole Corona situation settles down 

Perry releasing her baby and her album in 3 months 

There's no bringing Kesha into the mainstream anymore I'm afraid 

[Charlotte_the_Harlot]

I feel the same 
to me Dua Lipa's "Future Nostalgia" is the only interesting pop album in years
but I keep my eye on what's going on in the pop industry, just of boredom
now I'm waiting only for Gaga's "Chromatica", I hope she won't disappoint 
Except this I stick to heavy metal and hard rock bands on my playlist

[Theo04t]

Dua Lipa and The Weeknd are the only interesting ones right now tbh (and Doja and Billie but idk i'm started to getting bored by them)

We should defenitely (idk how that word is spelled) support smaller artists, around 2 months ago I found a girl called Killboy that has 3 songs as of now and she does EVERYTHING just by herself, she's kind of trap and everything but it is actually cool

AND PLEASE, SUPPORT SOPHIE AND KIM PETRAS! THEY ARE ACTUALLY THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!

 

[ILikeChillinWithYou]

Just now, rik said:

 im gonna change ur frikin diaper, you're just like my brother. he's also 17 and every time I talk about putting them on he goes crazy and says no one cares about it

Your brother didn't have to go off spilling tea like that 

[Urbanney]

I think Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish are both very fresh, but I almost don't even consider Billie as pop. Doja Cat is kinda unique, kinda not. But I agree with what you're saying for sure.

[redacted statement]

The further we go, the easier it's going to be to draw comparisons. It's only natural. I can understand the Ariana (Ari still has her own identity, though) and Ava Max comparisons because they're literally true, but the rest are kinda dumb.  However, I do agree that the current mainstream music landscape is kinda boring. I'd say it's much better now that the EDM, instrumental chorus and tropical house trends have finally slowly but surely died. But yeah... It's still kinda dull.  Still... People have literally 0 excuse to complain when there's incredible music on every freakin' corner of the internet. We have streaming services, y'all. Y'all just gotta be willing to explore and listen to smaller artists.  And from a critical acclaim standpoint, pop music is the best it's ever been, and pop stars are more involved in their own work than they have ever been before. The 00s were actually the least original time for pop music because everyone at least semi-relevant just rode Max Martin's / Dr. Luke's / Timbaland's or Pharrell's *****. It's just rose colored glasses. And besides pure pop music, the early 00s had so much garbage R&B on the charts that literally all sounded the freakin' same. Give me a break... 

[RadicalOptimism]

I clicked so fast to make sure you weren’t dissing my girl Duo but you didn’t so Taste I guess 

[RadicalOptimism]

Just now, rik said:

whaetevr happened to series: dua lipa

Save the topic and try again in a year or two 

[RadicalOptimism]

Just now, rik said:

do u think she has longevity though, like can she have a career like britney's or is it too soon to tell? Something about her is very likeable. I was bored of her h&m changeroom music with old rules or whatever the hell it was called, but something about Physical and the visuals this era has really are cool.

After this era I do think she has the potential for some longevity but she’s going to have to be consistent. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her tour in the US in bigger venues after all this corona mess blows over. I saw her live two years ago at a venue of about 4K and that was after New Rules got big here so I’m positive she has a few more eras as long as she releases constantly  Ariana and Rihanna took a page out of the Britney book in releasing so much in so little time and that’s why they have that longevity. Meghan Trainor took too long of a break for people to care about her anymore and it was almost Duo’s curse if she hadn’t released an even better more superior album than her debut so yes she’s here to stay 

[RadicalOptimism]

2 minutes ago, rik said:

that's what i did with my threads  hopefully i will have a lasting impact like @JordanMiller and Lilith

I only see one icon in there though  and to me you’re already having a lasting impact with the charity work you’re doing bringing some relevancy to our forgotten faves  when will Lillypad 

[ILikeChillinWithYou]

45 minutes ago, iAlwaysSingLive said:

It's just rose colored glasses.

So put, your rose colored glasses on, and party on...

[Jordan Miller]

2 hours ago, NotLouTaylor said:

I'm literally so uninterested in current mainstream popstars, most of them don't have a real distinctive artistic identity, every new popstar out there is like a rehash of a previous one. 

Ava Max is like the disney/teen-idol version of Gaga

Ariana is the teen-idol version of Mariah

Normani is the boring version of Beyoncé 

Lizzo is the black version of Meghan Trainor, would people even care about her if she was skinny? 

Doja Cat is decent, Billie is aight  

There's no flavor, where is the spark ? am i just becoming old?

I guess i'll just stick to Shoegaze and G-funk for now  

Interesting stance. However, it's worth pointing out that at one point Mariah was an Ariana. Beyonce was a Normani etc. They need time for their careers to blossom. 

I think Billie Eilish is here to stay. I'm excited to see what she comes up with next.

I don't think pop is in a bad or boring state at all. I think it's more of a case of oversaturation. The Internet has made it so easy to upload music that anyone can (versus artists basically needing a label before).

[Jamie Lynn Forever]

1 hour ago, Urbanney said:

I think Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish are both very fresh, but I almost don't even consider Billie as pop. Doja Cat is kinda unique, kinda not. But I agree with what you're saying for sure.

1 hour ago, Charlotte_the_Harlot said:

I feel the same 
to me Dua Lipa's "Future Nostalgia" is the only interesting pop album in years
but I keep my eye on what's going on in the pop industry, just of boredom

1 hour ago, ILikeChillinWithYou said:

But Dua Lipa out there carrying the whole weight of pop music on her back 

I like Dua, she's putting efforts in her craft, she has a cohesive visual direction, you can really tell they did their research with all the references to the 70s boogie era, i think she is doing her own thing right now, i'll need to take a look at her album. Doja Cat is the most promising one in my opinion,  she makes her own beats and write her songs so i really respect that, there's a lot of livestreams of her making beats and freestyling, she seems more involved in her craft than Cardi and Nicki 

1 hour ago, rik said:

hey!!! want some old VMAs links?  i mean, they're really jus 1999-2003 but still.

I also am not a huge fan of music in general that's being put out these days. Quite honestly, beyond Britney I don' think I'm all that interested in pop music, particularly contemporary artists (Okay I like some). 

https://www.breatheheavy.com/exhale/index.php?/forums/topic/774870-i-fell-asleep-to-the-2000-vmas-last-night/

This makes me so fkn nostalgic, the late 90s almost seem like a dream to me,  there's this hypnagogic/surreal vibe when i watch old stuff from the 90s 

 

1 hour ago, Theo04t said:

We should defenitely (idk how that word is spelled) support smaller artists, around 2 months ago I found a girl called Killboy that has 3 songs as of now and she does EVERYTHING just by herself, she's kind of trap and everything but it is actually cool

AND PLEASE, SUPPORT SOPHIE AND KIM PETRAS! THEY ARE ACTUALLY THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!

For sure, most independant/"indie" pop artists are way more intruiguing than the mainstream ones, it's such a shame that they're not getting the media exposure they deserve.

 

  

26 minutes ago, JordanMiller said:

Interesting stance. However, it's worth pointing out that at one point Mariah was an Ariana. Beyonce was a Normani etc. They need time for their careers to blossom. 

I think Billie Eilish is here to stay. I'm excited to see what she comes up with next.

I don't think pop is in a bad or boring state at all. I think it's more of a case of oversaturation. The Internet has made it so easy to upload music that anyone can (versus artists basically needing a label before).

1 hour ago, iAlwaysSingLive said:

The further we go, the easier it's going to be to draw comparisons. It's only natural. I can understand the Ariana (Ari still has her own identity, though) and Ava Max comparisons because they're literally true, but the rest are kinda dumb.  However, I do agree that the current mainstream music landscape is kinda boring. I'd say it's much better now that the EDM, instrumental chorus and tropical house trends have finally slowly but surely died. But yeah... It's still kinda dull.  Still... People have literally 0 excuse to complain when there's incredible music on every freakin' corner of the internet. We have streaming services, y'all. Y'all just gotta be willing to explore and listen to smaller artists.  And from a critical acclaim standpoint, pop music is the best it's ever been, and pop stars are more involved in their own work than they have ever been before. The 00s were actually the least original time for pop music because everyone at least semi-relevant just rode Max Martin's / Dr. Luke's / Timbaland's or Pharrell's *****. It's just rose colored glasses. And besides pure pop music, the early 00s had so much garbage R&B on the charts that literally all sounded the freakin' same. Give me a break... 

 

I think nostalgia has a huge impact on my judgment and it influences my perception a lot, i'm noticing that there's a great lack of melody in mainstream pop music, if you compare the 90s music to our current music it's quite shocking, There is SO much great pop out there, and it's got nothing to do with Top40 or what corporations are selling you on the radio. I think people just need to expand their horizons a bit. We also have the acknowledge the fact that pop music is an entertainment, pop culture just isn't what it used to be. The internet changed everything and kids have a shorter attention-span now.

[Roxxy]

3 hours ago, NotLouTaylor said:

There's no flavor, where is the spark ? am i just becoming old?

Very that.

I agree and also disagree with everything you said. It is boring because we just have such a strong attachment to the 90s and 2000s music. I don't know how old you are but I was born in the late 80s and I find it hard to appreciate the new generation of popstars. Except for Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and some of Billie Eilish. I think there's always going to be a preference.

Pop is not just about showmanship and being a showgirl. It evolves over time. The same way, Britney revolutionized pop culture by being a mix of Madonna (controversy), Michael (hits) and Janet Jackson (performance). And then towards the end of the 2000s to early 2010s, pop became high fashion and aggressive and shocking and controversial and singing about s3x (something very taboo for popstars that had our fave getting grilled on Primetime with Diane Sawyer for the themes of Breathe On Me and Touch of My Hand), partying, getting high and having a lot of occult references. Even the Britneys and Xtinas of the 2000s weren't doing it anymore like they used to. They had to evolve with the times as well via Hold It Against Me + Femme Fatale and Not Myself Tonight + Bionic. Fast forward to mid to late 2010s, pop is not happy anymore. It is somber and moody and chill and about being vulnerable (total opposite of how pop music was in the 90s and 2000s where a popstar is supposed to have this invincible persona - which eventually became a problem for our fave).

Now in 2020, just look at The Weeknd eclipsing Dua Lipa's Don't Start Now on the Hot 100. Look at Billie Eilish. Look at Ariana's latest record. Dua Lipa is not even thriving the way we expected her to (she's expected to lose the top spot of the Billboard 200 this week). Because that's just not the vibe for 2020s music. It's really just us pop music lovers and the gays who live for Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia and honestly we're just living in a bubble the same way stan Twitter going crazy for Physical did not exactly translate to US chart success (no matter how many times people battle me with this, and many have tried before in that other thread about Dua Lipa becoming MPG, but sorry facts are facts). Stan and Gay Twitter is and never was an indicator for how well a pop record would be doing. I remember one member here even made a comparison (which I find insulting to the gays) that 5S0S fans have the parent's credit cards to buy sales while the gays are streaming Future Nostalgia and urging everyone to stream the hell out of FN - like as if the gays don't have money and credit cards to buy pure sales too [?] and have to resort to streaming hard for FN to get that #1?  I find it so problematic honestly. But my point is, pop music lovers such as us do not get to curate or manipulate the general public's taste. We have to start realizing that we are a minority. You think all 30 million of ...Baby One More Time's sales are pop music lovers? Nope. Probably more than half of those are locals and the gp who bought in to the Britney mania. As evidenced by the record breaking sales, yet I've seen so many members on Exhale put BOMT somewhere in the bottom of their rankings together with Britney Jean. Because pop music was never just about how good the music is/was but it's an event. It's an experience and a connection that pop music fans and locals consume. We do not connect with the Billie Eilish-es but they do with all her depressing songs because mental health is such an issue now. And for us who grew up in the 90s and 2000s, we don't relate to that because those are issues that we didn't exactly deal with growing up. But Gen Z lives in a society that is so connected to depression and mental health issues and that's why they live for Ariana's Ghostin' and Get Well Soon even if they're not really great tracks tbh. Because a 90s kid like me would much rather listen to Greedy with it's shallow lyrics than a track like Needy. So back to my very first point, I don't know how old you are but it's definitely a factor as to why you can't enjoy today's pop music. 

So yeah back to my main point, pop music evolves so you can't really say it's boring.

It's just not for us anymore. 

[Theo04t]

But I'm 15 at the moment and I enjoy a lot the 90s early 2000s music I've listen to.

And tbh, I think the best era was 2007-2013, the Internet was still small, people weren't that addicted, people could voice their opinions without caring about others opinions, we had huge bangers but at the same time we had from time to time rock and indie artists, old and new stars were prominent at the same time...

And I think that the world really ended in 2012

[none]

3 hours ago, NotLouTaylor said:

I'm literally so uninterested in current mainstream popstars, most of them don't have a real distinctive artistic identity, every new popstar out there is like a rehash of a previous one. 

Ava Max is like the disney/teen-idol version of Gaga

Ariana is the teen-idol version of Mariah

Normani is the boring version of Beyoncé 

Lizzo is the black version of Meghan Trainor, would people even care about her if she was skinny? 

Doja Cat is decent, Billie is aight  

There's no flavor, where is the spark ? am i just becoming old?

I guess i'll just stick to Shoegaze and G-funk for now  

that's why Skakira at 43 and JLo at 50 killed it at the Super Bowl halftime show