base talk What are you missing in today's pop music?

[RideOrDie]

2 hours ago, Solaria said:

Even though I think this decade and this year especially have been strong for pop, there are still some things I'm missing and I'm sure you guys as well. What is frustrating you about the state of pop music right now? Discuss and keep it cute. 
 

I'll go first: I miss more detailed and quirky production/more intricate and layered use of synthesizers. Luckily Charli kind of offered that with brat this year, but overal songs have been getting too minimalist for my taste.

listen to album of the year IMAGINAL DISK then

[Tropez]

1 hour ago, Devin said:

i miss real stardom. like household names known for their talent. an artist who has the skill to be mysterious and use their gift to be authentic thru their music. someone who can make classics and turn heads on the red carpet. 

 

the problem with most these artists is lack of talent, media training, and poor communication skills. which is why so many of them fizzle out after 3-4 years.

 

so many artists wanna be relatable pedestrians and thats not the career they signed up for.

I think we need to understand why. The media before about 2005 was largely controlled by a few companies. The internet wasn't wired to every household, and the only smartphone people may have had was a blackberry or sidekick. Internet and instant access to everything was a novelty at most. 
 

This is a good and bad thing. Great because we had limited access to the lives of celebrities. It had to be filtered by television, magazines, and other things made by actual respected journalists. This was a bad thing. We saw how this form of control meant the media could largely dictate how celebrities are viewed. And largely end or hurt their careers. Like imagine if Janet Jackson had an easier time speaking with fans after the fallout from the Super Bowl? Or Britney during the mess of 2006-2007 could speak directly with fans about her situation? 
 

Today, we have an easier access to celebrities. And it means the narrative has shifted. But now, it's so fast paced. That you can be famous in 10 minutes and then forgotten in 15. 

[bad guy]

Labels want cheaper replacements for artists they view as "legacy" and we see that in most of the new artists that get pushed. Zero individuality, zero personality, lack of presence, lack of talent, and pure label puppetry. If anybody could sing your song and nobody would notice you have a problem.

 

There's a few pop girls that have come up within the last 10 years that stand out obviously (Billie, Doja, SZA, Ariana off the top of my head) but the rest either fade out or just aren't making anything worth a legacy.

[Dragonfly]

Massochism

Fairies Cum First 

Book 1

Book 2

 

[JoeAg]

god not to be all typical Joe main character syndrome coming to save the day but so many of these answers just make me want to be f*cking famous already or something. I can SERVE VOCALS, I can WRITE catchy ass songs, I can play several instruments like i'm a classically trained bassist and not a half bad guitarist and i'm even teaching myself piano finally… why the f*ck can't I just have it already? I have the talent for it, I have the charisma and all that sh*t… I need to try harder in 2025. I have so many plans for like posting weekly covers and sh*t, maybe even music videos for some of my songs but first i need someone to help me master my sh*t. I have a whole essay typed out that I want to send to Kesha's fledgling label for crying out loud… I'm just scared lol! rejection scares me when it comes to music and it's just so personal that everything makes me f*cking insecure. 

 

anyway, I agree with pretty much every post I've read here so far. yes, power ballads. yes, mile high vocals.  yes, major stardom. yes, proper eras. yes? beautiful bridges!!!

[sway]

Bridges. Tired on 2 minute long songs. It's one of the best things in a pop song and TikTok and social media has been destroying it.

[Erreur2 La Nature]

When I'm listening to some music I want to hear something that makes me want to move, dance and have fun. These days most of what's popular feels suicidal, sad, it is all about poems and sad things, which is not my cup of tea at all.

[GeminiCat]

More black pop girls. 

[CherryBay]

Talent,Music videos, Good choreography, Budget, Length of the songs, good production, TV performances 

Edited 7 hours ago by CherryBay

[Sadie Saxton]

Spoiler

I miss pop rock and no I won't apologize for it 

 

[MattieB]

Talent. Taste. Hardwork. Dedication. 

[Radical Pessimism]

I miss Rihanna. I used to stan so hard for her from 2007 to 2017 but I knew she retired around that time, so I lost any interest for new music. 

[Starfish]

3 hours ago, Just a Gay on ATRL said:

I miss pop power ballads. We have too many minimalistic, soft spoken, acoustic-y ballads about vulnerability/relatability now. NO. I want vocalists belting for their life on more ballads like Unbreak My Heart, It's All Coming Back to Me Now, We Belong Together, I Have Nothing, etc.  More maximalism and melodrama pls. Ham it up and give me a chorus high as the heavens.

 

3 hours ago, king_queen said:

You need to listen to Magdalena Bay('s latest album even though their entire discography is immaculate) if you're into synth-pop

 

OT: We need more vocalists in pop music, both male and female. Tired of listening to albums where artists are singing the same 5 notes over and over again bc they lack the range 

This is why no one should listen to stans. Big vocals are hard on the ears and the more rare they are the better.

[Mr.X]

I miss popstars who were actual musicians who CARED about their craft and how to improve on it, not just money hungry capitalists (looking at you Taylor, Cardi, Justin, Drake etc).

 

That is why I keep supporting artists who really hone in on their craft and put bodies of work that show thought and vision, as well as talent.

 

I adore Beyoncé, Billie and Ariana precisely because even though they are officially revolting capitalists, they are also really interested in the craft they continue to improve on and submerge themselves in. Both of these acts have improved with their music offerings, not just in terms of the quality of the production and writing of their work, but their performance and vocal techniques.

 

Cowboy Carter, whilst not necessarily to my preference, was really well made and sang. Eternal Sunshine and HIT ME HARD AND SOFT the same !

 

Those are the ones I choose to support and listen to.

Edited 6 hours ago by Mr.X
fixing some typos!

[king_queen]

25 minutes ago, Starfish said:

 

This is why no one should listen to stans. Big vocals are hard on the ears and the more rare they are the better.

I said nothing about big vocals…

 

This take is still trash 

[Bussea]

interesting artists, better music videos and more performances.

 

Maybe it's because i'm older, but all these new artists suck and I feel like some people are just forced to "stan" them because they want to "get with the times" bc our faves growing up don't release music anymore but it's obvious we're missing our rihannas, gagas, beyonces and etc. 

 

l also miss all the random performances, little morning shows (like that VH1 program that had artists like Sara Bareillis, Ingrid Michaelson and all the other little coffee house music artists) and everything that made me LOVE music growing up. I still love it, but i'm not as invested anymore. 

[Moonlight Nation]

4 hours ago, jdanton2 said:

both in Pop and R&B .

I think we're gradually getting power vocalists becoming part of the mainstream R&B scene again. Particular shout-out to Muni Long and RAYE 

 

 

[this song is an absolute masterpiece and deserved to be as successful as "Made For Me", if not more]

 

[had a moderate viral moment a few months ago. RAYE's belting her heart out towards the end]

[Bussea]

plus music videos used to be good and the girls used to do choreography. everything now is just CGI/AI crap nowadays. girl we need storylines and mess not beauty shots and posing 

[synk]

Artist development for sure

[Le Grande]

Variety, ever since the EDM trend in early 10s everyone just jumps on what's hot right now and everyting starts to sound same-y very fast.

[Taylor fanboy]

Soaring pop perfection choruses with instrumental earworms

[Kristie Kuwa]

Individuality and the focus on true talent rather than on marketing.

 

Im sorry to say, but Chappel, Sabrina, Selena, Taylor and even Dua PALE to the big Stars of former times in terms of talent, yet they are arguably the biggest stars of today.

Xtina literally WASHED Sabrina in direct comparison.

 

And now Gracie Abrams is supposed to be the next thing? I have to laugh 

Edited 5 hours ago by Kristie Kuwa

[Misguided Ghost]

Powerful vocalists. Everyone right now is so focused on being relatable that they forget to truly work on their craft. 

[itshyolee]

Agreed with pretty much everything being said in this thread. 
 

But to add on, I miss the pop girls giving us looks in their album booklets. Nowadays you only get a few pictures or a small foldout.

[Sabandija]

Talent