Description
Umbrella of popular styles, more than other genres, tied to mass production and mass marketing. Pop music is difficult to separate from the rapidly evolving idea of what constitutes ‘popular music’.
However, most pop music does share many distinct traits - designed to be catchy, with accessible beats, melodies, lyrics, hooks - often aimed towards young people.
Generally emphasises the vocalist as the lead performing focus, therefore has less instrumental breaks. A basic intro/verse/chorus/verse/chorus structure, or some mild variation on that structure, is very common.
History
With the market for sheet music emerging in the 19th century, songwriters could earn a living without touring or the need for a patron. At the tail end of the century, the invention of sound recordings allowed for the standardisation of songs and the potential of mass consumption emerged.
Traditional Pop, the popular non-Classical music in the 1900s-1940s is regarded as the direct precursor to Pop music. It was heavily vocal oriented with an orchestral backing.
As Traditional Pop began to gradually fall out of vogue once Rock & Roll became popular in the mid-1950s, both Rock & Roll, Traditional Pop and related styles were considered “Pop”.
The widespread availability of television meant that Pop gradually became more associated with ideas of ephemerality, focus on the artist (pop stars) and visual appeal. Pop mostly consisted of Traditional Pop and non-Rock music with guitar, drum bass and vocals. There always has been a heavy crossover between Rock and Pop though.
Subsequent development
- 1960s: The Beatles brought Pop Rock to the fore
- Early 1970s: Soft Rock emerged as a movement within Pop Rock to reduce the centrality of the beat in pop music
- Late 1970: Dance-Pop emerged as Disco elements became popular
- 1980s: The influence of Michael Jackson led to heavy integration of R&B in Pop music that endures today
- 21st Century: Heavy influence of Hip Hop in Pop production, crossovers with EDM styles culminating in the mainstream popularity of Electropop
Preceding genres
Child genres
Major child genres
Adult Contemporary Alt-Pop Art Pop Baroque Pop Dance-Pop Electropop Folk Pop Indie Pop (child: Chamber Pop) Pop Rock Pop Soul Synthpop Teen Pop Traditional Pop
Minor child genres
Afrobeats Brill Building Bubblegum City Pop C-Pop Easy Listening Europop Hyperpop J-Pop K-Pop New Romantic Progressive Pop Psychedelic Pop Shibuya-kei Sophisti-Pop
Fusion genres
Ambient Pop Classical Crossover Country Pop Dance-Pop Folk Pop Glitch Pop Pop Rap Pop Rock Pop Soul