Exploring the Evolution of Pop Music and the Pop Star Persona

In this week's episode, I explore why 2024 has become one of the most influential years in pop music. I first look at the history and evolution of the "pop star" from the 1800s till now, before diving into what makes Gen Z pop stars so different and the rise of modern-day stars like Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Tyla, and Charli xcx.

Timestamps:

4:14 The evolution of the pop star

7:22 How the perception of pop music is shifting

9:45 Pop music & its chokehold on Gen Z

10:30 Poptimism

17:42 Online stan culture & the rise of pop music

19:31 The unconventional archetypes of Gen Z pop stars

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Sources: 

https://junkee.com/time-stop-calling-pop-music-guilty-pleasure/110264 

https://www.insider.com/teenage-girls-influence-popular-culture-2019-11 

https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/interests-teenage-girls-invalidated/ 

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220223-how-the-first-ever-pop-star-blazed-a-trail-of-innovation  

https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/how-madonna-transformed-pop-culture-20180731-p4zukc.html 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/nov/25/destruction-of-female-pop-role-model-decade-in-music 

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/31/arts/music/the-rap-against-rockism.html 

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/magazine/the-pernicious-rise-of-poptimism.html 

https://www.hotknifemag.com/read-1/towards-a-theory-of-recession-pop 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/akeeqp/beyonces-renaissance-has-brought-back-the-recession-banger 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWYZsw7AMYo 

https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/gita-jackson 

https://centennialworld.com/can-celebrities-actually-queerbait-rise-in-queer-ambiguity-gen-z-celebrities-lgbtqia-representation-pop-culture/ 

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/06/charli-xcx-sabrina-carpenter-chappell-roan-summer-pop/678760/?utm_source=threads&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=edit-promo  

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/27/billie-eilish-gen-z-grammys 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/nov/25/destruction-of-female-pop-role-model-decade-in-music 

https://www.grammy.com/news/olivia-rodrigo-sour-drivers-license-good-4-u-2022-grammys-best-new-artist-nominee 

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230907-how-pop-star-olivia-rodrigo-became-a-defining-voice-of-gen-z 

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-06-25/sabrina-carpenter-charli-xcx-chappell-roan-sudden-pop-stars