Recently, most fans of pop music would agree that music is just a bit more enjoyable now than ever. People are getting more out of music; more meaning, more lyricism, more depth. While all these things are nice, it also helps to ask, how did it get to this point? Who are the people behind this change and it’s success? Here are five people that have driven the change in the music industry over the last few years.
First on the list is Taylor Swift, which is also one of the first artists that come to mind when people think of pop. Swift has been a pop main stay for the last decade. Her albums have billions of streams, her music flows through generations timelessly and her influence in everyday life is felt everywhere. More recently, due to record label controversies such as Kanye West, Taylor has taken to re-recording all her previous albums. The most recent installment in this series was her iconic “1989” album. Countless classics came from this album like, “Style,” “Welcome to New York,” “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood,” “Shake it Off,” and “Wildest Dreams.” The “1989” re-recording has charted #1 on Billboards’ top 200 albums, and is currently sitting at 7th with 19 weeks charted.
Next, connecting Taylor Swift to the new generations is Sabrina Carpenter. Sabrina has just finished touring with Taylor on her 1989 World Tour. Sabrina had recently achieved widespread fame during COVID-19 when her relationship with Joshua Bassett was the target of Olivia Rodrigo’s Driver’s License song. After releasing her first top 100 hit “Skin” later that year, she released her fifth studio album in 2022 titled “Emails I Can’t Send.” The setlist for the album is infested with songs about Sabrina’s personal life, ranging from her dad cheating on her mom, to her reflecting on her relationship with Joshua and the hate she received for it, and ending with the highest streamed song off the album “Nonsense.” Her versatility as an artist to be able to achieve different sounds in her music is something not many artists can. She can sound country, pop, rock, dance, and many more. Her talent and aesthetic has potential to solidify herself as a mainstay pop sensation for years to come.
On the flip side, Olivia Rodrigo has been the biggest pop star in the world since her debut record smashing single “Driver’s License.” Her debut album was the first album in the 2020s to have all its songs achieve platinum status. Every song is one everyone can relate to. The teenage struggle and dealing with becoming an adult is something everyone knows too well, and that is why Olivia is so successful. Songs like “1 step forward, 3 steps back,” “deja vu,” “traitor,” “brutal,” “good 4 u,” and “jealousy, jealousy” make her debut album “SOUR” iconic. People feel like they can relate to her and her music, and it gives the music industry a breath of fresh air after it was saturated with artists (mostly rappers) who people couldn’t understand at all. Her second studio album “Guts!” hasn’t been as successful as “SOUR” yet, but the music in her new work has taken a more pop-punk approach. Songs like “bad idea, right?” “get him back!” “the grudge” and “vampire” have helped Olivia beat the sophomore slump allegations, and has made her the pop girlie of Gen Z.
Spearheading the LGBTQ inclusion in this new wave of music is Kim Petras. The 31 year old German pop star is the first ever openly transgender artist in the music industry. Her collaboration with Sam Smith on the multi platinum song “Unholy” has helped her achieve the status of A tier pop star. Since 2022, she has released 2 albums and 2 EPs, all positively critically acclaimed. Her debut album “Feed the Beast” is filled with European dance pop music that are designed to be instant club classics. Songs like “King of Hearts,” “Alone,” “Feed the Beast,” “Coconuts,” “Claws” and “Minute” helped this album reach #2 on the US top dance albums, and #24 on Germany’s top albums of 2023. After her successful first album, she released her second album “Problematique.” This album was originally not supposed to be released because of song leaks, but she ended up releasing it anyways. The album is inspired with her love of French house music, and songs like “Problematique,” “Love ya Leave ya” and “Je T’Adore” have helped this project become a fan favorite among bunheads. “Problematique” has charted #8 on US top dance albums, and Petras is not finished yet. Given her work ethic and drive to succeed, she has the tools to transcend the pop stardom status.
Lastly, the performer of this new movement, Tate McRae has the world in her hands. Currently the #28th largest artist in the world, and most streamed Canadian artist in Spotify history, Tate has broken through the glass ceiling of potential. She recently released her breakthrough album “Think Later” in December 2023, and the year prior she released her debut album “I used to think I could fly.” “Think Later” has already gone gold in 3 different countries, while “I used to think I could fly” has gone gold in Canada. Her chart smashing hit “Greedy” has recently surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, and has already been listed as a top 100 hit of this decade. Her other songs like “Exes,” “plastic palm trees,” “she’s all I wanna be” and “run for the hills” have helped Tate form her sound. She can make you cry, dance, and scream your lungs out. Her visual performances are something the pop music has lacked, with dance centered concerts, laced with nice vocals, makes Tate a must-see up and coming pop sensation that you won’t want to miss.
