The Atlantic explores how pop music died when it became political and didn't let listeners escape from the world

[Sia]

I agree with the article.

Pop was always criticized for its "lack of substance" but that was also part of its appeal. In the early 2000s during the pop craze, artists like Pink and Avril Lavigne were the anti-pop artists because their whole schtick was based on the "I make real music with real meaning" persona. People forget but while Britney was popular and successful, she was also the target and frankly the poster child for manufactured music. Nobody ever took her seriously. Some would argue that she started to be taken seriously around the "In the Zone" era but even that's debatable.

Pop music was sort of taboo - you weren't supposed to admit that you liked Britney, even though you did. It wasn't until the late 2000s when dance/club music started getting more traction that I think we started to see pop music on the forefront. To be honest, I would credit dance music and DJs for bringing pop music to the charts and making it "cool." Between 2007-2012, we saw pop music actually being socially accepted. But of course just like we saw in the early 2000s, there was a group that felt they needed to show their opposition to it. Only difference is that instead of alternative rock, we saw the underground indie scene come up. Interestingly enough though, the indie scene was more pop than they realized. 

The result is that 5 years later, we have an over-saturation of artists from all genres trying to be on top. You combine this with the ease of being able to listen to what you want on streaming services and you get a very boring and underwhelming music scene of disposable artists.

I'll say it, I think the days of impactful artists is long gone. Of course we'll have waves of successful artists but none will bring anything new because let's be honest, it's all been done at this point. Nothing is shocking anymore and nothing is fresh. Everybody is going to rehash old trends and try to put a "fresh spin" on them. 

 

[Turogue]

The article is half rubbish. Sure pop hasn't been revolutionary in quite a while, one coule argue since the early 2000s if we're being really honest. 

But politics isn't the problem, it's tonedeaf to say that when Madonna has always used shock value to highlight certain issues, her 'Like A Prayer' video is BLM before BLM was even a so called thing. Same with Michael Jackson's 'Black or White' or 'They don't really care about us'. Certain artists have always infused their music and visuals with real world problems. Art isn't just escapism, it's also supposed to ruffle some feathers and take jabs at society.

[MasterMindz]

I disagree with the article. Yes , being political affects a pop star's career. But pop has always been political, biggest examples are Madonna and Michael Jackson. They were always political! 

[MasterMindz]

23 minutes ago, Turogue said:

The article is half rubbish. Sure pop hasn't been revolutionary in quite a while, one coule argue since the early 2000s if we're being really honest. 

But politics isn't the problem, it's tonedeaf to say that when Madonna has always used shock value to highlight certain issues, her 'Like A Prayer' video is BLM before BLM was even a so called thing. Same with Michael Jackson's 'Black or White' or 'They don't really care about us'. Certain artists have always infused their music and visuals with real world problems. Art isn't just escapism, it's also supposed to ruffle some feathers and take jabs at society.

EXACTLY! it is just that pop has become boring.

Not to mention that Taylor is still achieving monstrous success. 

[MonAmour]

Taylor swift was the death of pop music. Beyonce sealed the casket. Mostly because they pay for every award and stream, to make it seem like they are more successful than they actually are. Automatically, all these basic worshippers are like “omg she’s queen, she has 36 Grammys, your faves can never”... Yea! My faves would buy 36 awards for their ego, nor would their father buy 500,000 copies of their debut album to put them on the map. 
Also, when these dying-out pop stars put themselves on an already popular song by a hot new artist before they know it will go number 1. It’s actually so gross and desperate to me. Nicki didn’t have a number 1 till she went on say so. Beyonce got a number 1 just by making savage worse. 

[hellokittybish6]

On 3/21/2021 at 12:43 PM, Spicechinodiva said:

In, 2010 Katy Perry and her cartoon characters larger than life persona,  Lady gaga catering to the underground club culture,  where she boldly and proudly proclaimed nightly on her monster ball that she locked the weirdos (straight laced people) were banned from her show, cos they don't represent the new revolution of being one true self.

And of Course Rihanna who was on track to be the artist that could overtake Mariah's Billboard record. 

But, it all changed in 2013, when gaga released Artpop, and it was given a mixed reception by the critics and audiences alike, Katy and Prism wanted to be taken seriously and Rihanna would begin her first actual hiatus in 2014, she entered her second one in 2017. 

So, what happened to pop music, The Atlantic explains it basically died, when Dr. Luke and Kesha court battle took the pop Music court, black lives matter, and artists wanting to be political, mostly female,  turned people off. 

Reggaeton and Latin hip hop music is popular, cos it never went political the way the English pop Music did, and the Atlantic thinks it truly can't make a comeback,  until a pop star wants to remain neutral,  it's okay to be political,  but for a genre that was built in escapism,  what's the point in embracing a music genre that lost the whole plot and premise it was built around. 

I agree POP MUSIC IS DEAD UNTIL BRITNEY IS OUT THE C-SHIP AND HAS HER FINAL ALBUM AND TOUR!  

[JessicaS89]

I have to disagree with a lot of what the Atlantic is saying. Madonna I believe included *****s and information about HIV/AIDS in her Like a Prayer Vinyls to bring more awareness to the growing AIDS epidemic at the time. Many artists have always spoke their minds on whole assortment of issues. Sometimes them speaking out translates into their work, other times it is separate from their work. I however do believe that sometimes the general public/press doesn't separate the artist from their work. When it come to Folklore/Evermore their weren't many political overtones/undertones in the albums.  The way this article comes across to me is in the same way a few of you have said, in the way that their critique is on mostly female artists, not male artists. That has my ***ism alarm blaring. These artists are human after all and are entitled to their opinions on a whole assortment of issues. It's up to us as the listeners to decide if we continue to listen to them if they speak out. I know I haven't really stopped listening to the music of those who speak their mind on various issues, but you might have. To each their own I say.

[MasterMindz]

3 hours ago, MonAmour said:

Taylor swift was the death of pop music. Beyonce sealed the casket. Mostly because they pay for every award and stream, to make it seem like they are more successful than they actually are. Automatically, all these basic worshippers are like “omg she’s queen, she has 36 Grammys, your faves can never”... Yea! My faves would buy 36 awards for their ego, nor would their father buy 500,000 copies of their debut album to put them on the map. 
Also, when these dying-out pop stars put themselves on an already popular song by a hot new artist before they know it will go number 1. It’s actually so gross and desperate to me. Nicki didn’t have a number 1 till she went on say so. Beyonce got a number 1 just by making savage worse. 

[Sea flower]

That is why i moved to KPOP, BTS and Blackpink for the win!

edit: Jokes aside, i think music has cycles and it goes from political to non political. Mostly new pop artist are never political but at some point they want to talk about issues, i think it is a naural progression too.

[Hooked-On-Knee]

21 hours ago, B-R-I-T-N-E-Y said:

Thanks God we have Dua. 

How can some of you drag her this way, she give us everything and she's so humble. Ugh. Y'all need to stop being delusional and hating. 

But haters are the greatest stan.

 

21 hours ago, Greg_del said:

Thank god someone with a brain.

Dua is literally an amazing person, great personality (wink at you Taylor), her songs are all BOPS and she can REALLY sing. And her stage presence is awesome now.

The irony that Dua does basically the same thing as Taylor (in terms of promotion) yet @Greg_del loves ha.

OT: Dua's debut was mediocre, Future Nostalgia was a mixed bag (That album would be SO much better if Levitating never existed. ), and her performance skills have improved but she's only a good performer by today's standards, Dua has much more potential in terms of her performances and I hope that the FN era won't be her peak in artistry and skills.

 

[IAmJustAKnee]

1 hour ago, Sea flower said:

That is why i moved to KPOP, BTS and Blackpink for the win!

edit: Jokes aside, i think music has cycles and it goes from political to non political. Mostly new pop artist are never political but at some point they want to talk about issues, i think it is a naural progression too.

I'm pretty sure BTS are political at least with their social commentary for South Korean society  

 

[MonAmour]

1 hour ago, IAmJustAKnee said:

I'm pretty sure BTS are political at least with their social commentary for South Korean society  

 

They are puppets, nothing more 

[Korb]

10 hours ago, Turogue said:

The article is half rubbish. Sure pop hasn't been revolutionary in quite a while, one coule argue since the early 2000s if we're being really honest. 

But politics isn't the problem, it's tonedeaf to say that when Madonna has always used shock value to highlight certain issues, her 'Like A Prayer' video is BLM before BLM was even a so called thing. Same with Michael Jackson's 'Black or White' or 'They don't really care about us'. Certain artists have always infused their music and visuals with real world problems. Art isn't just escapism, it's also supposed to ruffle some feathers and take jabs at society.

 

10 hours ago, maki93 said:

I disagree with the article. Yes , being political affects a pop star's career. But pop has always been political, biggest examples are Madonna and Michael Jackson. They were always political! 

Basically this.


Also, IMO people who want to separate politics and art literally don't know that they're actually attacking the very essence of art. Also people only identify "politics" in music when they disagree with the message.

(yes i know some pop music is literally devoid of any meaningful/political substance)

[DougFrmBrazil]

On 3/21/2021 at 5:12 PM, SUCCESSICA IS A QUEEN said:

Nice take. I do believe the pop music rollercoaster died around the transformative 2014-15 years. Ironic enough, 2015 was also when SoundCloud and Mumble Rap became a phenomenon and transformed the music industry. Since 2015, the music industry has definitely had its share of ups and downs (2019 and 2017 being pretty solid years for music) but what’s sad is the rapid decline of music during this past year alone. The value and appreciation of music is basically dead.

And 2015 was the year Trump decide to run for office and Brexit was looming.

[DougFrmBrazil]

It’s not that pop died because of politics. It’s because Latin music overtook mainstream radios. Pop is going the same route of rock, now EDM and Latin are the biggest music sellers. I mean, what’s the last great pop album?  Britney with Blackout.

[MortalMarshmallow]

On 3/21/2021 at 7:43 PM, Spicechinodiva said:

is popular, cos it never went political the way the English pop Music did, and the Atlantic thinks it truly can't make a comeback,  until a pop star wants to remain neutral,  it's okay to be political,  but for a genre that was built in escapism,  what's the point in embracing a music genre that lost the whole plot and premise it was built around. 

I absolutely love this. It's so true. Music is meant for escapism. You dive into it and decide for yourself how you interpret the art given to you . Spiritual freedom and inner creativity of the perceptive mind, YAS please! 

On 3/21/2021 at 7:43 PM, Spicechinodiva said:

Lady gaga catering to the underground club culture,  where she boldly and proudly proclaimed nightly on her monster ball that she locked the weirdos (straight laced people) were banned from her show, cos they don't represent the new revolution of being one true self.

The epitome of why i cant stand Gaga. Her music, brand, artistry, persona, and remarks reflect politics, endlessly. This statement of hers isn't one of inclusion, it's exclusion. Excluding a majority (from her show) is childish, segregrative and hateful speaking no matter what end of the political spectrum it comes from. This just shows she is only embracing the freedom of specific minorities while shutting out people who could have an interest in other cultural environments despite their straight laced core beliefs. It's like saying "believe what i tell you to, or go to hell". Girl ...

[Bigno]

On 3/22/2021 at 2:41 AM, SUCCESSICA IS A QUEEN said:

Right

Their musical styles LITERALLY couldn't be anymore different

I think people tend to compare them because Lorde also used a lot of minor keys and minimalistic production, but I agree that they are different and Billie is going into a very jazzy direction. 

[Somber]

On 3/23/2021 at 7:13 PM, MonAmour said:

Taylor swift was the death of pop music. Beyonce sealed the casket. Mostly because they pay for every award and stream, to make it seem like they are more successful than they actually are. Automatically, all these basic worshippers are like “omg she’s queen, she has 36 Grammys, your faves can never”... Yea! My faves would buy 36 awards for their ego, nor would their father buy 500,000 copies of their debut album to put them on the map. 
Also, when these dying-out pop stars put themselves on an already popular song by a hot new artist before they know it will go number 1. It’s actually so gross and desperate to me. Nicki didn’t have a number 1 till she went on say so. Beyonce got a number 1 just by making savage worse. 

Gurl. You just get outraged when people pointed out Demi's being very unlikable but here you are flaunting your hate b***r 

[MonAmour]

1 hour ago, Somber said:

Gurl. You just get outraged when people pointed out Demi's being very unlikable but here you are flaunting your hate b***r 

Demi has a mental illness and has gone through a lot. I understand her. I’m allowed to like someone and dislike others. You have no point.

[DarkOut]

On 3/21/2021 at 2:43 PM, Spicechinodiva said:

In, 2010 Katy Perry and her cartoon characters larger than life persona,  Lady gaga catering to the underground club culture,  where she boldly and proudly proclaimed nightly on her monster ball that she locked the weirdos (straight laced people) were banned from her show, cos they don't represent the new revolution of being one true self.

And of Course Rihanna who was on track to be the artist that could overtake Mariah's Billboard record. 

But, it all changed in 2013, when gaga released Artpop, and it was given a mixed reception by the critics and audiences alike, Katy and Prism wanted to be taken seriously and Rihanna would begin her first actual hiatus in 2014, she entered her second one in 2017. 

So, what happened to pop music, The Atlantic explains it basically died, when Dr. Luke and Kesha court battle took the pop Music court, black lives matter, and artists wanting to be political, mostly female,  turned people off. 

Reggaeton and Latin hip hop music is popular, cos it never went political the way the English pop Music did, and the Atlantic thinks it truly can't make a comeback,  until a pop star wants to remain neutral,  it's okay to be political,  but for a genre that was built in escapism,  what's the point in embracing a music genre that lost the whole plot and premise it was built around. 

If it keeps the audio characteristics one loves, then that sound's the point; that's more important to me.

On the other hand, I see the other point, too. Artists should make what they want, either way, though.