UK labels are failing to push / uphold (new) pop girls, why?

[Alex]

 

Simply put, the UK labels are failing to produce ANY relevant pop girl since Dua Lipa, despite there being numerous label attempts that have tried to replicate the same success and occasionally even the same formula.

 

Let's go through a quick run down of the most recent pop girls and discuss future courses of action the artist / label should take.

 

1. RAYE - Left her old label (Polydor) and started flourishing independently. Lowkey the most promising act in the music scene right now. She's winning. 

 

2. Mabel - The UK's most infamous nepotism act. After a string of UK top 10 hits, she bombed really bad with last year's sophomore album About Last Night..., and hasn't recovered since. (Polydor)

 

3. Ellie Goulding - Halfway to retirementveteran status already and one of the select UK pop girls to successfully crossover to North America, Ellie is slowly on track to release her newly delayed fifth album Higher Than Heaven. Although the record is bringing a more commercial sound for Ellie, the singles haven't performed well, at all. It's tough to see her attempt to beat her own record for worst album rollout of 2020 with Brightest Blue, but we'd like to see her try.  (Polydor)

 

4. Bree Runway - The biggest potential superstar on this list. After self managing the rollout for her 2020 mixtape, 2000AND4EVA, Bree bagged collaborations with some of her biggest idols including Missy Elliott and Lady Gaga. Despite her incredible networking skills, after a failed sample clearance for her potential hit "HOT HOT", her label refused to let her release an album and has since diluted her sound judging on her latest EP release. (EMI)

 

5. Holly Humberstone - The British equivalent to Olivia Rodrigo meets Phoebe Bridgers, this indie-pop starlet inked a major deal with Polydor and Interscope records, signing to the same imprint as superstar Billie Eilish. Despite winning the BRIT award for Rising Star, things have seemingly been falling flat for her, since none of her songs took off anywhere and her debut album has been shelved for the time being.

 

6. Ashnikko - She had a few TikTok hits and was on track to be the next Melanie Martinez(?), or at least they shared the same psychotic fanbase. Either way, she has seemingly went into hiding and her select singles before her leave didn't perform well. (Parlophone)

 

7. PinkPantheress - Another potential star and despite the loyal fanbase and online engagement her songs carry on TikTok, her promotion outside of the app has been minuscule to say the least. She probably has the most potential to still make it big out of anyone on this list though. (Parlophone) 

 

8. Rita Ora - Fashion Icon, Part-time musician. Rita Ora has had many ups and downs in her career. Jumping from record label to record label for each new album era she unleashes amongst the world, yet the hits aren't stacking up like they used to. 2020's Lewis Capaldi penned headache "How To Be Lonely" underperformed and so did 2021's Bang EP, although the latter was her own fault. Rita and her label will definitely will have to put in the work to bounce back music wise. 

 

 

Anyway this is just a short list but i'm sure I've gotten my point across. Why can't labels break these artists out? What's going on? Who do you think has the biggest potential to become a main girlie? Are record labels doing their jobs properly anymore? Discuss 

 

Edited January 9, 2023 by dangerousalex

[Gwendolyn]

Because they dont believe in UK pop girls for anything but badly produced, sampled dance records. Its really sad, missing the variety british pop had in the 00s 

Edited January 9, 2023 by Gwendolyn

[getinthezone]

i dont think its really a UK thing tbh

the pop star concept is dead

[cockatoo]

And then you have people like Ella Henderson and Becky Hill whose careers are carried by dance features.

 

It's kinda sad, we don't get very many pure pop songs on the UK charts anymore. It's all this repetitive watered down electronic/dance pop music. I mean it's what the GP wants, but I do miss the pop stars of the 00s and early 10s.

[Keeandga]

Our most successful female artist only seem to last 2/3 album cycles with success and then most of them just give up trying (probably something to do with radio play). 

[Alex]

10 minutes ago, cockatoo said:

And then you have people like Ella Henderson and Becky Hill whose careers are carried by dance features.

 

It's kinda sad, we don't get very many pure pop songs on the UK charts anymore. It's all this repetitive watered down electronic/dance pop music. I mean it's what the GP wants, but I do miss the pop stars of the 00s and early 10s.

and whatever Anne Marie is doing...  it's a shame really! 

 

let's not even talk about what happened to our poor flops Alice Chater and Claudia Valentina

 

 

[cockatoo]

15 minutes ago, getinthezone said:

i dont think its really a UK thing tbh

the pop star concept is dead

It's not though. Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa's popularity is a testament to that. The labels just can't be bothered to create popstars anymore, but I feel like the GP are more than happy to support them with the right material and marketing.

 

3 minutes ago, dangerousalex said:

and whatever Anne Marie is doing...  it's a shame really! 

 

let's not even talk about what happened to our poor flops Alice Chater and Claudia Valentina

I miss the days when an artist starting their new era was a big deal and their comeback song would shoot straight to number 1. All About Tonight by Pixie Lott vibes. Polydor definitely wanted a moment like that for Let Them Know but it didn't pan out.

 

I still believe there's an empty lane for a UK pop girl to make garage type chav music and smash (not the bedroom kind like pinkpantheress, but more upbeat and boppy). If Mabel had made an album full of West Tens, people would've eaten it up.

[KatyPrismSpirit]

all of these girls were duas peers like 4 years ago its crazy. tbh one of them were to make it and dua was the one who took it. the 00s had Amy, the 10s had Adele and the 20s had Dua so far. Raye is coming too but tbh i dont think her debut album will make noise

[Alex]

12 minutes ago, KatyPrismSpirit said:

all of these girls were duas peers like 4 years ago its crazy. tbh one of them were to make it and dua was the one who took it. the 00s had Amy, the 10s had Adele and the 20s had Dua so far. Raye is coming too but tbh i dont think her debut album will make noise

I think it'll become a critically acclaimed record and will set her up for a nice indie pop career. She's following a Tove Lo / Charli XCX career trajectory 

[Boysdontcry]

Tbh I think it's a UK thing. The kids love people like Stormzy and Dave now. They don't think people like Mabel or Rita Ora are cool.

[vale9001]

The problem Is not only in the UK but almost in every market.

 

We're in a phase when people want again personal records. This Is why rap or indie music are strong. People feel like they are more real, more honest.

Men are way strongest everywhere in this genre so women are disappearing. 

 

The usa Is doing good thanks to artists like sza, Taylor, Olivia, Billie, rosalia and other female rappers. In Europe the situation Is tragic.

I don't know every person in that list but some of them are really this kind of single oriented pop machine artists. This model Just doesn't work anymore. Or at Least not in this phase, then Who knows, It can return. 

People Just want to consume a record created by an artist, not a collection of singles and radio hits. Folklore Is in the top 20 of UK album charte After 2 and Half years without any radio hit. 

Industry should Just Discover more British Billie eilish or Olivia Rodrigo, not new British Rihannas.

Edited January 9, 2023 by vale9001

[Attitude]

 I thought that Phoebe Bridges girl was british.

 

[BloodLuster]

still rooting for Holly 

[johnzy13]

Hasn’t it always been this way in the UK. 

[Dolce Vita]

pinkpantheress will be fine

 

im more concerned about bree since it feels like her momentum is slowing down and i don’t want her to completely fade 

[blueberries]

Eh,Ellie lasted 3 albums at least,that's a lot for a british pop girl.

Edited January 9, 2023 by blueberries

[Totami Legend]

Pop music is irrelevant and dead 

[Bentley]

Ella Henderson was done dirty 

[ProudLBS]

when was the last time the UK pushed someone that wasn’t a singles artist? Adele?

[Alex]

16 minutes ago, Dolce Vita said:

pinkpantheress will be fine

 

im more concerned about bree since it feels like her momentum is slowing down and i don’t want her to completely fade 

i think it’s over for her until she leaves that terrible label bestie … 

[YoungDreamer]

RAYE: let's see if Escapism will make ppl stay interested on her. Based on the other singles streams so far no but I think the full album can change this. 

Mabel: Rebranding needed - or better, return to her roots

Ellie: She slayed ww for three album cycles and she's currently very mismanaged rn

Bree Runway - Once she signed the music became worse, imo, but she can bounce back with the right songs I guess

Holly Humberstone: it's another case of holding the music hostage making things worse, they should release the album and start working from there

Ashnikko: It's tiktok music tbh 

Pinkpantheress: She's kinda doing great I think? Idk if she is developing her fanbase but so far her songs get a nice ammount of plays and support from TikTok

Rita: she's the female JLo so she doesn't really belong to this conversation? She will be on the media doing whatever random gig she booked and that's it, the music is just a part of it

 

Other names:

Griff: funny, I thought she was going to be massive but Warner is doing everything worse, and she had a similar team that worked on Dua's breakthrough? Such as Holly they should release more projects and let the music do the talking. 

Ella Henderson: delicate scenario for her, her dance rebranding was cute since she dissapeared but her non-dance songs deserve the same push. 

Jess Glynne: I fear she won't recover (and she's not really missed?)

Anne-Marie: is doing okay but lord knows why... The songs are horrible and are just tiktok background music, you can't develop a fanbase from this

Jessie J: I think she's more of a soul singer rn? 

[Jolin Tsai]

where is Mimi Webb 

[Power love]

1 hour ago, Bentley said:

Ella Henderson was done dirty 

& Leona Lewis 

[Virgos Groove]

2 hours ago, johnzy13 said:

Hasn’t it always been this way in the UK. 

Ddd this. The big question is which UK pop girls haven't fallen off the face of the earth after two albums? There's Adele and... mmh... Cheryl maybe?

[J Legend X]

Until Jade, Perrie and Leigh-Anne Slay the charts..