I’ve always sort of felt ashamed to admit that my favorite genre of music is pop because people associate that solely with what plays a million times a day on the radio. Sometimes it feels like people don’t realize that pop music goes beyond the Billboard Top 100 and those songs which receive tons of radio time. I love pop music because, to me, pop music is the most multifaceted; pop music can be happy, it can be sad, it can express longing, gratitude, anger, jealousy, and any other emotion that I may be feeling. There are pop songs that I can dance to and pop songs that I can cry to. For this reason, and in the name of defending the quality of pop music, I’ve compiled a list of pop songs that don’t get the recognition they deserve and therefore can’t contribute to pop music as successfully as those songs that are on the radio 24/7.
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“Jump” by Julia Michaels ft. Trippie Redd
Julia Michaels has been a force in pop music long before her debut single “Issues” took to the radio; she has writing credits on several of Selena Gomez’s songs, including “Bad Liar” and “Hands to Myself”, as well as “Sorry” by Justin Bieber and “Used to Love You” by Gwen Stefani. In “Jump”, the most recent addition to Michaels’ already impressive resumé, the singer finds herself diving headfirst into another person because, even though she’s “been hurt before”, it feels too good for her to say no. She shines over an electronic beat which sounds simple but carries the song from beginning to end. “Jump” is some of Julia Michael’s best work; her talent is showcased both lyrically and vocally and it offers a new (but still safe) direction for the singer to head in as her career progresses.
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“Hold Tight” by Sabrina Carpenter ft. Uhmeer
Sabrina Carpenter’s music has always struck me as lackluster in the past but with the release of Singular: Act One, Carpenter has officially found her sound. She dazzles on effortlessly fun anthems like “Sue Me” and sexy electro-pop tracks like “Hold Tight”. Listeners hear Carpenter’s sultry vocals work together with a breakneck beat to convey desperation and lust in “Hold Tight” and it works well for her. In this new endeavor, she tackles a changing, maturing sound, themes, and look and I have to say that it’s working to her advantage; “Hold Tight” is a sexy anthem, deserving of far more attention, that is still safe enough for her Disney star image.
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“Sometimes” by Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande is not an unknown artist; she is one of the biggest artists in the world right now. Her music is playing every hour on the radio, people are talking about her online, and people are purchasing her music and merchandise and tickets for her upcoming Sweetner tour. Her discography is relatively well known, even by the casual fan. As I listen to more and more of her music, I find that so many of her best tracks are overlooked. For example, “Sometimes”, off her album Dangerous Woman, shows Grande falling head-over-heels in love. As with many of her songs, her vocals take the center stage, and in this track the background is very instrumental and soft while she’s singing about how unusual it is for her to be this in love with someone. Ariana Grande’s career is doing incredibly well, but I would’ve loved to hear this song on the radio or see it in a glamorous video.
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“Wanna Be Missed” by Hayley Kiyoko
Hayley Kiyoko is making waves in the music industry right now because she sings about her (not straight) sexuality, but not as if it’s a big deal or as if it’s taboo; she’s doing it right. Her album Expectations has themes of longing, curiosity, ambition. “Wanna Be Missed”, the ninth track on this album, feels Kiyoko longing for someone to, well, miss her. She craves a relationship where her lover is infatuated with her and willing to cater to her every desire. The way I’ve described it, the song sounds like it should be a slower, more emotional song, accompanied by a soft instrumental, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Kiyoko sets her longing on the stage of a big electronic background with rolling beats and clapping bass. The song feels theatrical and has an air of private desperation. Hayley Kiyoko is a rare talent in this industry and I can’t wait to watch her continue to move and diversify pop music.
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“100 Letters” by Halsey
“100 Letters” finds Halsey in her most raw, powerful, and talented state. She sings about a relationship in which she is used over and over again by her lover. Her lyrics are emotionally charged, and her voice is full of regret and frustration both toward her lover and herself for wasting her time and devotion. She keeps her voice quiet and the song feels like a journal entry. The instrumental is simple and purposefully takes a backseat to her vocals. It’s clear that this song was made with care and that the focus is meant to be her lyrics. I would point people who think that Halsey is untalented or unoriginal to this song because it highlights the artist’s best qualities as well as shows potential for personal as well as musical growth.
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“Be the One” by Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa became mainstream in 2017 when she released the video for what would be one of the hottest songs of the year, “New Rules”. This song appears on her self-titled debut album alongside several other hidden gems that haven’t achieved as much popularity. Among these is “Be the One”, in which all Dua Lipa wants is to be given a chance, because she “could be the one”. This song is subtly brilliant, and I would even venture to say that it’s one of the best songs that Dua Lipa has put out thus far.
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“Never Be the Same” by Camila Cabello
Hear me out – I know that this song got plenty of radio time, but I don’t recall anyone ever acknowledging how truly beautiful it is. We go with her as she falls headfirst into the person she’s addressing, but we can tell that she isn’t upset about it. Cabello’s vocals soar, going high and low, slowing down and speeding up, and the instrumental is incredibly powerful; the combination creates a stunning track from start to finish. Every part of this song, in my opinion, is deserving of praise and I can’t wait for more tracks like this from Camila Cabello.
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“Baby” by Clean Bandit ft. Marina & Luis Fonsi
Marina & the Diamonds has returned (sans the Diamonds) to pop music! She and Luis Fonsi (yes, Luis Fonsi as in “Despacito”), make an unlikely pair, but their voices complement each other so exceptionally well in “Baby”. Marina sings about a lover that is simply too late; she’s “already someone else’s baby”. Clean Bandit’s production on this track is stunning as well, and I find their talent for making music to be virtually unmatched across the industry. The song received attention from Marina’s vast fan base, but other than that, there’s been very little buzz about the track, even though it’s clearly deserving of attention.
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“All Night” by Beyoncé
This song appears on Beyoncé’s Lemonade album and it is a very refreshing track on this album because while most of Lemonade’s recurring themes include anger and jealousy, this song is about loving someone at the same time you’re learning to trust them again; it’s a subtle anthem about persistence. Beyoncé’s vocals are given space to shine on this track over a triumphant instrumental. Beyoncé has an undeniably impressive discography and “All Night” is one of her best tracks, but unfortunately because of its placement on an album that makes such a statement, this song is often overlooked in favor of the bolder tracks on the album.
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“Trainwreck” by Banks
This artist is classified by many not as pop, but as alternative. The Altar, the album that “Trainwreck” appears on is beautifully made from beginning to end and throughout the album she uses elements of pop and electronic music, which is why I chose to include it in this list. The song is dark and theatrical and feels frantic; she sings about a doomed relationship that she “had to get away” from. Her voice is haunting and beautiful and works extremely well the production of the track. This track (and the album that accompanies it) are cohesive, brilliant, and deserving of far more attention than they’re received.