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Pop Music

As the trends in music evolve, as does the definition of pop music. Pop started as an abbreviation for popular; since the mid-20th-century, it has become the go-to term to define the music currently holding the most favour with the public. The evolving nature of pop makes it hard to pinpoint the pioneers; some say it all started when performers needed a catchy and memorable song in the Victorian area, while others say that pop began with the original crooners in the 30s.

The introduction of the pop music charts in 1952 allowed a cultural shift to form around music. It was at this point in history that teenagers became a massive target for the media. Before this new social reconstruction, there had been no in-between for children and adults. Just as it is now in the TikTok age, where teenagers can make an unknown artist go viral in minutes, teenagers effectively ran the music industry in the 50s too!

After Elvis Presley reigned supreme in the late 50s and early 60s, the Beatles dominated the charts for eight years until they disbanded in 1970. Throughout the 80s, synthpop took the pop limelight until the Boy Band era was born in the 90s. The selling power of East 17, Take That, Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync gave Bob and Chris Herbert the idea to manufacture the world’s ultimate girl group; with the Spice Girls, they discernibly succeeded. After the Spice Girls topped the charts, more manufactured pop acts, such as Britney and Mariah Carey, started to surface. Manufacturing is still a massive part of the pop industry, but more and more pop artists are becoming brave enough to break the mould (think Billie Eilish, St. Vincent and Lorde).

Even though the pop charts are more diverse than ever, with Ed Sheeran sitting next to the Weeknd and Dua Lipa next to Tom Grennan, there are still common factors in their pop tracks. Today, most songs that fall into the pop category follow the extensively tried and tested pop formula. Generally speaking, pop tracks are 3 – 5 minutes in duration, use just one key, contains melodically lyrical soundbites that include the title, have a repeating chorus and keep to 4/4 time signatures. Repetition is quite literally key.

Unless it is a ballad or a stripped back acoustic number, pop tracks usually unfold to danceable tempos and rhythms to complement the lyrical hooks. Elements from every genre can be pulled into pop, the main ones being rock, RnB, hip hop, country, Latin and dance. Indie pop was a force to be reckoned with at the start of the millennium, but two decades in, it has lost its foothold to hip hop and RnB, which have become pop genres in of themselves.

Lia Juno exhibited the pain of raw rumination in her alt-indie tour de force, Sight

Posted on 30 October 2024
Lia Juno

Ethereal alt-indie pop vocals meet cavernous guitar lines in Lia Juno’s intimately melancholic single, ‘Sight’, which deconstructs familiar tonality, tearing it down to the aural rubble before rebuilding a sonic landscape where sanctuary for the disillusioned resides.

Since unveiling her debut single, Fevering, earlier this year, the LA-based independent artist has made all the right waves; with her latest single she puts herself in the same league as Wolf Alice and Big Thief with the cerebral thematic nature of the manifesto of mournful rumination.

Building up from Pixies-esque artfully dramatic motifs to a blisteringly grungy crescendo of distorted guitars clashing in oscillation with the rhythm section, Sight ensures that if you have any pent-up emotions when you hit play, they’ll be obliterated by the impact of the track’s climax which you’ll want to feel the force of time after time.

Sight will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and SoundCloud, from October 30th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Aneyrah – Marmalade: A Sticky-Sweet Slice of RnB Pop Seduction

Posted on 29 October 2024

‘Marmalade’ by Australian artist Aneyrah is a scintillating blend of 90s RnB pop nostalgia and disco grooves, offering a sensuously provocative record that shimmers with an arcane aura.

As the earworm progresses,  Aneyrah’s soulfully indomitable vocals are wrapped around a solid rhythmic pulse that magnetises the senses with every beat. Given the sharpness of the irresistible pop hooks in Marmalade, it wouldn’t be surprising if Aneyrah shared a lineage with Kylie and Dannii Minogue.

Lyrically, the single explores the complexities of relationships that precariously hang in a passionately tormentative grey area; each verse is an ethereally fiery declaration of a heart navigating its way through ambiguous romantic territory.

With her ability to fully command a sticky-sweet melody, every glittering note counts in this lyrical confession of love and longing. We can’t wait to hear what follows from the iconic conduit of soul; she’s the full RnB pop package.

Marmalade hit the airwaves on October 1st; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gemma Felicity – AM I TOXIC: A Kinetically Electric Alt-Pop Candid Confession

Posted on 28 October 2024

‘AM I TOXIC’ by Gemma Felicity proves that a good pop hit is so much more than a polished set of hooks, a honeyed set of pipes and a catchy chorus line; it’s a songwriter who knows exactly how to stretch your perceptions to let new resonance in through the use of confessional candour.

Felicity’s personal flaws are laid bare in the accountability-driven dance-pop anthem, but even the most scrupulous critic would struggle to find a flaw in the single itself. The perennial pop earworm transcends an auditory experience through the way it alters your emotional state with the euphoric energy in the high-octane, kinetically electric pulse of the track, which is all too easy to get addicted to.

The London-based alt-pop artist has been honing her eloquent craft since the age of 9; in 2024, it has all paid off with AM I TOXIC, which will feature on her first EP, Baggage, which explores how personal baggage can weigh heavy romantic relationships.

Having performed at iconic venues and been featured on BBC Introducing, Gemma’s presence is both resonant and transformative, continuing to mesmerise and energise audiences worldwide as she prepares for a performance at the Miss Planet International Beauty Pageant.

Stream AM I TOXIC on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leah Nawy Blossomed into Indie Stardom with ‘I Was a Flower’

Posted on 27 October 2024

Leah Nawy’s latest single, I Was a Flower, is an emotional sojourn you will never want to return from. Drawing on influences from Big Thief, Yo La Tengo, and Grandaddy, the track unfurls like a séance of tonal sublimity, decorated with artful flourishes and polyphonic bursts of hazy reverie.

If the aforementioned artists hit you in the feels, imagine that emotional weight paired with a voice that fuses Norah Jones’ intimate introspection with the soaring range of Macy Gray.

The thematic blossoming within the track’s progressions ensures every component heightens the emotion and intensifies the resonance, effortlessly showcasing Leah Nawy’s depth as both a songwriter and producer. At just 23, the NYC-based artist, who honed her craft at Berklee NYC, has mastered the art of making every note and lyric hit with purpose.

I Was a Flower was officially released on October 2nd; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Brighton’s John Jackson Debuts with ‘Tomorrow’—A Britpop Diary of Loss and Hope

Posted on 26 October 2024

John Jackson’s debut EP, Tomorrow, unveils itself as a meditative exploration, using the avenues of indie and Britpop to navigate intimate reflections of an introspective psyche. Recorded in his Brighton home, the self-produced collection of singles invites listeners to aurally gaze into tender expositions of grief, heroism, and isolation, melodically prising beauty from melancholy.

The opening title track, Tomorrow, is a diaphanous curtain-raiser, reminiscent of Blur’s sonic breadth but uniquely steeped in the thematic depth of personal loss. Jackson’s masterful weaving of art through the agony of grief through Thom Yorke-like flourishes transforms the track into an introspective odyssey. It’s a journey through sorrow, beautifully wrapped in tender melodic progressions that resonate with the listener’s own hidden echoes of loss.

Transitioning from the ethereal to the earthbound, Save Heaven shifts the mood with its melancholic yet profound orchestration. Here, Jackson explores the sting of isolation, crafting a cinematically rich soundscape that hits all the right evocative triggers  The orchestral elements, coupled with the syncopated pulses of the track, create a magnetising rhythmic pull that draws deeper into the shared experience of solitude.

The EP’s narrative arc reaches a crescendo with Hero; an ode to Inspiral Carpets and the concept of unexpected bravery. It’s a rumination on fearlessness that asserts Jackson’s ability to bear his musical influences while allowing his authenticity to permeate through homage.

As a first entry, Jackson’s debut EP couldn’t be more promising; his ability to speak on unspoken phenomena through his affectingly authentic sonic identity is what every songwriter should strive to achieve through their art and expression.

Tomorrow is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Keep up to date with new releases from John Jackson via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Il Nemico Dentro by Francesca Pichierri – A Cinematic Soul Serenade That Burns Through Avant-Garde Flame

Posted on 25 October 2024

In her standout single, Il Nemico Dentro, the alchemist of soulfully avant-garde alt-pop Francesca Pichierri fused Mediterranean warmth with avant-garde pop inclinations, creating a tonally spiritual multi-sensory experience that is as cinematic as it is visceral.

Born under the sun of Apulia, the singer-songwriter has unflinchingly dedicated herself to honing her talents as a sonic vignette painter, culminating in the masterful strokes in Il Nemico Dentro. The quiescent reverberance emanating from the first notes is enough to serenade your senses to stand to attention; the hairs on the back of your neck will prick up in synergy with your ears as Francesca Pichierri seraphically commands complete emotional immersion, and the filmic undertones tug at your emotions in waves.

As the score unravels, you’re seduced by the provocative originality, derived from the fusion of indie, blues, and jazz. Just when you think you’ve found your rhythm with the release, avant-garde samples cut through, pulling you deeper into the evocative chaos.

The catharsis hits hard, only to give way to an electrifying crescendo that pulses with the raw emotionality Francesca is known for. The song blazes its own trail, driven by the weight of Francesca’s lived experiences and her poetic knack for transforming personal grief into universal art.

Francesca is so much more than alt-pop royalty – in her niche, she stands as a goddess, creating borderlands between celestiality and material reality.

Stream Il Nemico Dentro on all major platforms, including SoundCloud from October 25.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Julia Kahn visualised the divinity of dark feminine energy with her dark pop installation of etherealism, Badlands

Posted on 25 October 2024
Julia Kahn

With her latest single, Badlands, Nashville’s dark-pop siren Julia Kahn defiantly stepped beyond the conventional boundaries of genre and geography. Born in a city more famed for its twangs of Americana than oscillations of dark cinematic mesmerism, Kahn stridently stepped into her own through the untamed echoes of empowerment and vulnerability in her latest release.

The summons to embrace authenticity, regardless of how messy that reality can be, draws you into a trip-hopped and spiritually awakened vortex of sound where ethereal vocal lines fuse with intricately frenetic drum patterns and strobing synth lines, crafting a soundscape swarming with evocative power and the divinity of dark feminine energy.

Each note demands emotional investment under the duress of Kahn, who has recently stepped off a major international festival tour and amassed a series of accolades that include airplay on BBC Radio and nods from critical platforms like Earmilk and Music Week.

With millions of views on TikTok and skyrocketing streaming numbers, Kahn is at the vanguard of a new movement, one which tempts her cult following into living unapologetically.

Badlands will be available to stream on all major platforms from October 25th; check out her Spotify and official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get Your Freak On with Rockwell Gordy’s Dark Urban Pop Hit, Spooky Bitch

Posted on 24 October 2024

Reanimating after a decades-long hiatus, the unmistakable Rockwell Gordy broke unhallowed ground with his sonic spectre of a comeback track, Spooky Bitch. Fusing his 80s pop sensibilities with contemporary boom bap beats and a dark RnB aesthetic, Spooky Became a bold crossover that beckons the nostalgic and the novel to the dancefloor.

Produced by the illustrious Bullets Production Team—William Junebug Lee and Christopher Spitfiya Lanier—Spooky Bitch straddles the line between eerie and exhilarating with its alchemised amalgam of unsettling energy and infectious rhythms. The light and dark collide, creating a dance-worthy dialectic that Rockwell manipulates with superlative skill.

Beyond the music, Rockwell has orchestrated a mini-documentary detailing his creative resurgence, available on his official YouTube channel. It’s a deep dive into the genesis of ‘Spooky Bitch’, inspired by a cryptic encounter in an Inglewood underground club that sparked this latest artistic venture.

Spooky Bitched dropped just in time for Halloween on October 11; stream the single on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Sigma Strikes with ‘You Left’: A Melodic Force of Dance-Pop

Posted on 24 October 2024

The Sigma’s new single, ‘You Left’, channels heartbreak into an energised dance-pop anthem with a sharp edge. It’s a track built to fill club spaces, with progressive rhythms that will sit comfortably alongside Avicii and David Guetta in any playlist. The melodic structure draws you in, while the undercurrent of emotional intensity amplifies the rhythmic magnetism.

Despite emerging from the underground, The Sigma’s production chops speak volumes about his potential; the track’s seamless synthesis of pulsating beats and pop-infused guitar elements echoes the finesse of Mark Ronson’s EDM pop style; every instrumental was interwoven to give listeners more than just a casual earworm; it’s a kinetic dancefloor hit that merges emotional weight with undeniable energy.

It is only a matter of time before The Sigma becomes a regular feature on the dance scene. Get him on your radar now.

Stream the iPhone-shot official music video for You Left by heading over to YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unveiling Layers of Reflection: An Interview with Gemma Felicity on ‘AM I TOXIC’ and the ‘Baggage’ EP

Posted on 24 October 2024

In our conversation with Gemma Felicity, we sink into the introspective depths of her recent single ‘AM I TOXIC’ and the overarching themes within her emotionally charged EP ‘Baggage’. Gemma opens up about the process of creating music that not only reflects personal accountability but also challenges the listener to confront their own roles in relationships. With her raw and reflective approach, she reveals how personal experiences have fuelled her songwriting, transforming pain into powerful lyrical narratives. 

Welcome to A&R Factory, Gemma! Thanks for sitting down with us to discuss your latest single, ‘AM I TOXIC’, and the incredible work you’ve been doing with your EP ‘Baggage’. AM I TOXIC is such a powerfully candid tour de force which brings to light how accountability is such a scarcity in relationships and much of life. How did it feel to bring such an intense track to fruition?

Yes, it is so true that accountability can be so rare nowadays, in relationships and in life generally. Many people prefer to put the blame on others so that they do not have to look at themselves and take responsibility for their own behaviours and actions. I think I am quite an intense person and I think deeply about things, so I didn’t even realise it was an intense track. But thank you! And I feel proud to have brought this track into the world, as it has come from such a personal place.

You’ve mentioned that much of your songwriting is self-reflective, and this track certainly showcases that. What was it like to collaborate with Alex Rossiter and Louis Takooree for this single, and how did they help bring your vision to life?

Both Alex and Louis are always amazing to work with. They are both the complete opposite to the type of men that I wrote the song about. I came up with the idea of the song back in January 2022, just after I had been ghosted by a guy who had treated me like a piece of crap for months. I was really upset about this, and thinking to myself, wondering why it was that I always got treated this way. I started to really ask myself why I thought this might be. Did I not think that I was worthy of more than this? I started to put it into a song. I didn’t finish the song, but I just left what I had written on my phone in a voice note for months and months.

I was then lucky enough to meet Alex, my guitarist, in June 2022 of that year. He asked me in around September 2022, if I would like to work on some of my original songs with him. So, we spent a couple of days writing together in a park, taking the clips I had recorded on my phone and turning them into full songs. I was so happy that he was helping me to finally bring my song ideas to life, as it was what I had wanted to do for so long.

When it came to AM I TOXIC, I remember him saying “This is such a banger”, and we made a full demo of it together at his place. He told me he knew the perfect person to work on it in the studio with me. He then introduced me to Louis, and Louis made the songs really pop in the studio. He was just the perfect person to bring it all to life. I am so happy with how AM I TOXIC turned out in particular. It was such a beautiful process of turning the song into what it is today, and I have the boys to thank for that.

How did you approach translating such an introspective song into a visual format for the official music video? 

I worked on the music video with an amazing team called Grizzly Productions. We first brainstormed ideas together – I knew I wanted it to be quite different to any of my previous music videos. I wanted this one to be more performance-based and visually very exciting, rather than storyline-based (which is what my previous music videos were like). I think the music video does a great job of making an extremely introspective song also very exciting and fun.

What led you to centre your EP around the theme of emotional weight being carried into relationships, and how did your personal experiences shape the stories told in each track?

I guess it was just something I was going through and struggling with at the time. I think relationships are great teachers for us, and they can reflect back to us things we need to learn about ourselves. Through every relationship I had, I would realise and learn more about myself, and I would always observe what the experience I had attracted, was teaching me about myself and how I felt within myself, and I found this very interesting. I started seeing a therapist and we worked through some of these issues, and that is when I started writing lots of music about it. I guess all the self-reflection gave me a lot of songwriting content.

You recently headlined at The Troubadour for the second time. How does performing your songs live compare to the process of writing and recording them, especially with such emotionally charged material?

I won’t lie, I find singing my songs live very challenging because they are so vulnerable and personal. As someone who is fairly introverted, I would say, I find it pretty uncomfortable to be so open about myself in front of a huge room of people like that. The songs can often make me feel quite emotional too when I am singing them. But I have learnt how to try to connect to the emotions of the song, whilst still slightly separating myself from the emotional charge that the song has on me naturally.

When I was writing and recording these songs, I let myself be as emotional as I wished to be. But performing is a bit of a different process, as you don’t want to start crying in front of the audience really, so you have to learn how to feel the emotion of the song without getting overly emotional. I find this challenging because I am a very emotional person.

You have started paving the path to international stardom this year with performances in the US and India, what did you take away from these experiences?

Thank you so much for saying that. The performances I did this year in the US and India were so amazing for my confidence in terms of performing and getting out of my comfort zone. The songs we sang in the performances were much more upbeat and party vibes compared to the original songs that I usually sing. It was a completely new vibe for me, and an amazing experience. We also had to dance and truly perform them confidently to the audience, which really put me out of my comfort zone but definitely has helped me to grow. I think you can’t really grow without a certain level of discomfort.

Your lyrics often explore vulnerability and complex emotions. How important is it for you to write from a place of raw honesty, and do you ever feel exposed putting such personal themes into your music?

Yes, I find it extremely difficult and very exposing writing about such personal themes. It is challenging, to say the least, and often feels way too vulnerable. But I always remind myself that there is beauty in vulnerability and expressing the things you don’t find easy to express. As a songwriter, your words will resonate with other people, and you have the ability to really comfort people and make them realise that they aren’t alone in all of life’s complexities. I think there is beauty in music that is so raw and real. I don’t really like superficial surface level music unfortunately – I always tend to go in at the deep end. Sometimes I really wish I could write about superficial stuff, as I wonder if I might be happier if I were to be more of a happy-go-lucky person. I’m a deep thinker though through and through.

Stream AM I TOXIC on Spotify now, and follow Gemma on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast