Over the recent years, it has become trendy to hate Pop music. However, artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Chapel Roan are thriving more than ever. The backlash against pop music is nothing new, yet it has been amplified over recent years, arguing the genre lacks any substantial musical form and substance.
Now, I believe taste is subjective. You never know who someone is listening to in their earphones; the person across the road may be listening to Aerosmith, whereas the couple sharing an earphone on the train could be listening to some Norah Jones. We, as a society, have established that clothing is a form of self expression, so why can’t we share the same outlook on music?
There’s no denying that when an artist starts off small and breaks into the commercialised world of pop music, fans feel a sense of pride. Yet, such feelings tend to subside when smaller artists fall into the trap of marketing schemes and loose authenticity as a result of the big bad machine that is the music industry. I do believe that the commercialisation of musicians, turning the artist into a capitalized product themselves, taints the industry.
However, I also think a huge part of the dislike against popular music is based on fan culture. The passionate devotion of fans to artists like Taylor Swift, BTS, or Harry styles, is often seen as excessive and unnecessary, and highly gendered – mostly aiming its criticism at young teenage girls. The ‘fan girl’ has been subjected to hate long before 2024; we cannot forget Beatlemania and the crazy screams of those girls can’t we? My question is why can men get excited over football or rugby, yet when women express similar excitement towards music artists, movie stars, or sports players, they’re scolded. The dismissal of fan culture mirrors broader societal tendencies to devalue interests dominated by women.
In conclusion, just because something pop music is popular it does not mean it is not good or is lacking the true essence of what music really is. To love or hate pop music is not inherently a marker of individuality; what matters is engaging with music that speaks to you.