Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with outstanding heavy emphasis on its electronic sound.[3] The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a revival of popularity and influence in the late 2000s.[3]

History

Early 1980s

During the early 1980s, British artists such as Gary Numan, the Human League, Soft Cell, John Foxx and Visage helped pioneer a new synth-pop style that drew more heavily from electronic music and emphasized primary usage of synthesizers.[4]

Some fascinating new music began arriving on these shores; it was dubbed electropop, because electronic instrumentation — mainly synthesizers and syndrums — was used to craft pop songs. "Pop Muzik" by M was one of the first. There was a gradual accumulation of worthy electropop discs, though they were still mostly heard only in rock discos. But in 1981, the floodgates opened, and "new music" at last made a mighty splash. The breakthrough song was "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League.

— Anglomania: The Second British Invasion, by Parke Puterbaugh for Rolling Stone, November 1983.[5]

21st century

Britney Spears' highly influential fifth studio album Blackout (2007) is credited for bringing the genre to mainstream prominence. The media in 2009 ran articles proclaiming a new era of different electropop stars, and indeed the times saw a rise in popularity of several electropop artists. In the Sound of 2009 poll of 130 music experts conducted for the BBC, ten of the top fifteen artists named were of the electropop genre.[6] Lady Gaga had major commercial success from 2008 with her debut album The Fame. Music writer Simon Reynolds noted that "Everything about Gaga came from electroclash, except the music, which wasn't particularly 1980s".[7] The Korean pop music scene has also become dominated and influenced by electropop, particularly with boy bands and girl groups such as Super Junior, SHINee, f(x) and Girls' Generation.[8]

Singer Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit said in a 2009 interview that while playing electropop was not his intention, the limitations of dorm life made the genre more accessible.[9]

In 2009, The Guardian quoted James Oldham—head of artists and repertoire at A&M Records—as saying "All A&R departments have been saying to managers and lawyers: 'Don't give us any more bands because we're not going to sign them and they're not going to sell records.' So everything we've been put on to is electronic in nature."[10][11]

In 2019, Kenneth Womack wrote that singer and songwriter Billie Eilish had "staked her claim as the reigning queen of electropop" with her critical and commercial hit album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jon Pareles (March 21, 2010). "Spilling Beyond a Festival's Main Courses". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ "Spilling Beyond a Festival's Main Courses". The New York Times. March 22, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Jones 2006, p. 107.
  4. ↑ Reynolds 2005, pp. 296–308.
  5. ↑ "Anglomania: The Second British Invasion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  6. ↑ UK gaga for electro-pop, guitar bands fight back Archived 2009-07-23 at the Wayback Machine, The Kuwait Times, January 28, 2009
  7. ↑ The 1980s revival that lasted an entire decade by Simon Reynolds for The Guardian, 22 January 2010.
  8. ↑ Mullins, Michelle (January 15, 2012). "K-pop splashes into the west". The Purdue University Calumet Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Interview: Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit Boston Phoenix October 1, 2009".
  10. ↑ "Gaga for girl power". smh.com.au. February 28, 2009.
  11. ↑ Neil McCormick (August 5, 2009). "La Roux, Lady Gaga, Mika, Little Boots: the 80s are back". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022.
  12. ↑ Womack, Kenneth (May 10, 2019). "Billie Eilish is the new pop intelligentsia". Salon. Retrieved February 2, 2020.

Bibliography

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