Agree

It’s Summer 2024 and I’m spell-bound, watching Chappell Roan sing as Joan of Arc, Sabrina Carpenter kiss an alien, and the whole world do the Apple dance to Charli XCX’s Brat album through my phone. It’s therefore obvious to see just how ingrained pop stars and pop music are in our surrounding popular culture and how we are well and truly living through a pop music renaissance. For the past decade, aside from stand-out artists, it’s felt like pop music has accepted defeat, packed up its bags and gone home.

However, a new wave of predominantly female Gen-Z artists has, in a sense, resurrected the industry, breathing new life into a pretty statutory genre of music that excited few. Artists like Chappell Roan and the resurgence of Charli XCX are opening a new door on vulnerable, communicative and emotive lyrics with young women like Olivia Rodrigo punching out downright angry power ballads, hitting us where our heart is. This captivates us, making it easy to get behind these artists and their music.

Just step foot in a club and hear the screams when Espresso or Hot to Go come on and affirm the wave of pop music that is gripping us completely. It’s so fun! When the whole club is all doing the Apple dance by Charli XCX, it’s physical proof of the breadth of the renaissance, and just how far it’s spread.

Of course, it’s important to look at how it’s got so popular again. Social media has undoubtedly played it’s part, most notably with the almost overnight adoration of Chappell Roan. Her sophomore album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess came out in September 2023, and while doing incredibly well, she only really became a name in our mouths with the release of Good Luck Babe this spring with its addictive bridge binding us on TikTok.

The song and album garnered fierce support from fans and shows that Roan is a key player in this pop renaissance. A striking feature about this movement is how it’s stepping away from gendered terms. Although being predominantly spearheaded by female artists, it looks like everyone is enjoying how freeing this pop music renaissance is, regardless of who they are.

This marks a differentiation with the 2010s, where pop music was disregarded and dismissed as girls’ music and nowhere near as close to how universally listened and danced to it now is. Pop music comes and goes in waves, capturing our attention and holding us tight with its beats and lyrics. It’s clear we are living in a rebirth period with it growing from strength to strength, getting more popular and popular.

It’s giving space to new artists who are refreshing the game and shaking things up, enticing their audience and giving us all something to root for.

Disagree

The idea that we are currently experiencing a “pop music renaissance” may not fully capture what’s really happening in today’s mainstream music landscape. While pop remains a dominant force, the music world is actually moving in a direction of diversification, where genres like country and rap are stepping more into the spotlight and reshaping the mainstream.

Instead of a rebirth of pop, we’re witnessing a broader cultural shift toward musical variety, with artists from different genres finding significant commercial success. One clear example of this shift is Beyoncé’s surprise 2024 album Cowboy Carter. In this release, she blends elements of country music with her signature R&B and pop style, creating a genre-fusion track that’s reflective of how music is evolving.

The album has been embraced by fans in the UK, where country music is historically less mainstream. Beyoncé’s foray into country-inspired sounds underscores how genre boundaries are increasingly fluid, as even the world’s biggest pop stars are exploring new musical landscapes. Cowboy Carter taps into the broader trend of country and Americana sounds influencing mainstream music, offering a new take on UK pop culture’s sonic palette.

Similarly, artists like Post Malone have also taken a delve into the country genre, as well as one of the biggest selling songs of the year being Shaboozey’s Bar Song. Country music is certainly becoming more of a staple on popular music radio, and I believe it will only continue to grow in popularity. At the same time, rap continues to exert an enormous influence on the mainstream.

Artists like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Travis Scott have remained dominant forces in 2024, with albums like Travis Scott’s Utopia achieving massive commercial success. Rap is no longer confined to specific charts or demographics; it has become a universal language in popular music. Megan the Stallion, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice are further examples of how rap and hip-hop have expanded their reach, influencing pop music’s sound and aesthetics while dominating streaming platforms.

And of course, the Drake vs. Kendrick beef was one of the defining music moments of this year. Instead of seeing a renaissance of pop, we’re witnessing a blending and diversification of genres.

Country, rap, and even Latin music—artists like Bad Bunny and Rosalia—are breaking through traditional boundaries and reshaping what mainstream music sounds like. The current era of music is more about the rise of genre fusion and cross-genre collaboration than a simple revival of pop music. The mainstream isn’t just pop anymore—it’s an evolving mix of influences, and that’s what makes today’s music scene truly exciting.

While pop is obviously never going anywhere the diversification of charting music will be interesting to observe as this musical era continues.