I grew up on hip-hop and rap, but pop will always be my favorite genre.
Lady Gaga is my favorite artist of all time. And even though she has shifted her focus from pop music to pop culture as a whole, her influence on my taste — and on some of my new favorite artists — has pointed me in the direction of plenty of up-and-coming voices in the space, giving me a plethora of new music to listen to and fall in love with.
One of those “up-and-coming” voices, Charli XCX, is now a cornerstone of the dance-pop world. With several major albums under her belt, she is in a position to influence new artists herself — and give some of them, including influencer Addison Rae, a leg up; the two worked together on a remix of XCX’s recent single “Von dutch” off her upcoming album, “BRAT.” And I am glad to say, the original song is awesome, but the remix might be even better. Rae absolutely kills it, and I cannot say I am surprised, as I love the track “2 die 4” — which features XCX, fittingly — off of her EP, “AR.”
XCX has dropped two more singles, “Club classics” and “B2b,” off of her new record, both of which further hint at the sound of her new project.
It feels like a mix of the hyperpop she became known for on “Charli,” her self-titled album, and “how i’m feeling now,” the record she released during quarantine, and the Madonna and ‘80s-inspired pop power ballads of her most recent project, “CRASH”; the tracks have heavy electronic and dance influences, but they are not EDM per se.
I cannot lie; I prefer the hyperpop sound of XCX’s earlier work, but “CRASH” was still one of my favorite albums of 2022. At the end of the day, I am a huge fan of both sounds, and I cannot wait for the record, which comes out in June.
The phrase “up-and-coming” is much better suited for Chappell Roan, who — despite her limited discography — has become one of my favorite pop artists. She put out her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” last year, and just months later, she is one of the openers for Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS Tour and has a new single, “Good Luck, Babe!” out.
It is all incredibly exciting, as Roan is not just one of my favorite newcomers, but my girlfriend and friends’ too. In the fall, we all found, and fell in love with “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” — but Roan’s entire, albeit short, discography honestly. “Red Wine Supernova,” the record’s biggest hit, soundtracked all of fall.
My girlfriend and one of her friends even had an entire Roan/“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”-themed joint birthday party over the weekend. If that does not show you how much of an impact Roan is having on college kids, I do not know what does.
I have not been this excited about a new pop artist — or artist, period — since Caroline Polachek burst onto the scene. Between XCX, Polachek and Roan — and artists like yeule — the genre is in good hands, even in Gaga’s absence.
Ms. Roan, we need the sophomore album.
