As we move into the 2020’s, pop had been becoming less and less of a prevalent genre and we have seen decreasingly few females truly excelling within pop.
As time moves forward, it feels like we move further from sexist beliefs especially within the music industry. For example, as you can see with artists like Taylor Swift, many boys hate on her and that sexism spreads to women. Soon everyone says these wonderful artists get called “overrated” when if you actually listen to their music, it’s really good. That is why I’m happy to report the recent successes of two artists that we can help avoid this situation: Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.
June 7, Charli XCX released her newest album “Brat”, which became insanely popular and had people calling Summer 2024 “Brat Summer.” Her music is fast paced, it’s fun, it’s female. In a time in which many female artists get big for releasing relatable, depressing music, like Mitski and Adrienne Lenker, although their music is good it puts us down and it’s refreshing to have good music that keeps up a good mood. Charli’s revival and jump from underground dance into a full-blown pop idol brings a wonderful and carefree album you can play in any situation. Trillmag explains why it’s taken her so long to become mainstream.
“While perfecting her craft, she has garnered a dedicated fanbase that cannot compare to mainstream success. Everything she does is for herself and her fans. Outside of that bubble, it is not of interest to her. This is what makes Charli so unique and different from other stars.” As a woman of color as well, being part Indian, it’s truly inspiring to see a women making fun feminine music and getting such high praise.
Another women who reaches outside of gender music norms is Sabrina Carpenter. An Ex-Disney kid, Carpenter has been working on her music career for years, and finally got big for her music with “Because I Liked a Boy” in response to drama with fellow former Disney actor Olivia Rodrigo. Since then, Carpenter has been getting noticed more and more, leading to her newest album release “Short n’ Sweet” that has been blowing up over social media, launching her into true stardom and a sold-out tour.
What makes Carpenter’s music different from others at this time different is the dare to talk about feminine feelings and needs, something that is often glossed over within society as well as pop culture. She humanizes herself in a relatable and refreshing way with simple yet fun music, that is quintessentially girl yet catchy for any audience.
Overall, these two artists and many more are helping change the industry and empowering women young and old to dance around your room with a hairbrush microphone, and women like Kamala Harris using their songs within her campaign. This brings girls around the world together and unifies us to be something more without having to prove ourselves to the male audience.
