Post 4: The pop music genre

Research into the pop music genre specifically

Pop music is the genre of popular music that produces the most hits. A hit is a song that sells many copies, and the latest hits are listed every week on the charts. To get on the charts, a song must be released as a single, although most singles are also released on an album. Songs that become hits almost always share certain features that are sometimes called the pop-music formula. They have a good rhythm, a catchy melody, and are easy to remember and sing along to. They usually have a chorus that's repeated several times and two or more verses. Most pop songs are between two and five minutes long, and the lyrics are usually about the joys and problems of love and relationships. For example, Khalid's 'Location' is about him trying to find and talk to a girl.

Most conventional pop artists will sing about these relationship topics. As an artist they portray a glamorous lifestyle while also giving a sense of the 'real' them to their fans in order for those fans to become more interested in them while also aspiring to their lifestyle. Music videos in the pop music genre also have to apply to modern context, with themes that are relevant to the modern audience. One of the large modern contexts is the rise of internet fame. This has led audiences to show more interest in the artists behind the songs, and so constructing identities for the artist can be likened to that of creating a product to show to the audience. Another outcome of the rise of social media is the modern desire to be popular on social media. This has led to a very judgemental attitude, with people on Instagram judging you based on appearance.

Goodwin theorises that in music videos it is common to have intertextual references to other forms of media. One example of this 'Californication' by The Red Hot Chili Peppers that depicts the instantly recognisable visual style and narrative of a video game, which attracts those who are familiar with that form of media. In pop music, this idea of intertextual reference is important as it brings in multiple audiences that will listen to the song either due to this reference of just the actual song, expanding the popularity of it.





Khalid who I've talked about is a less conventional pop artist. This is because while his music is pop, it draws inspiration from Soul, R+B and Hip-Hop. His voice and music style is very recognisable to the audience. Other than his music he also portrays a more 'free' lifestyle on top of his fashionable image. His social media presence, like on Instagram, reveals his 'true' personality which leads to more fans.






There are more examples of how pop is a changing style, with Khalid combination of styles only being one. Cross over artists are quite common, where they originate from other genres of music but become pop artists due to their songs becoming hits. One example of this is Shania Twain, who due to her success crossing over from country to pop earnt the title 'Queen of Country Pop'







There is also the rising popularity of K-POP in the West, becoming more and more popular even without fans understanding everything they have said. One example of this is BTS, a K-POP a seven member boy band who began in 2013.  During their 2019 Love Yourself World Tour, BTS became the first Asian artist and first non-English speaking artist ever to headline and sell out Wembley Stadium and broke the record for the single highest-grossing engagement in Rose Bowl Stadium history.


My research influenced my project as it taught me that creating a clear persona for my artist will be an important factor in my project. This will allow me to further increase the popularity of my artist's music through following the industry context of selling the artist on the growing internet. I also plan to include an intertextual reference, as I know from my research that this is a good way that existing artists have expanded their audience.