Ah, summer. There’s a certain feeling that comes after the final bell of the school year rings, one that brings anticipation for what lies in the sunny months ahead. Maybe you and your family are looking forward to your yearly road trip to Florida, or perhaps you’re starting to think about what to pack for the camp you’ve gone to since you were 12-years-old. We all have traditions we can look forward to every year, even if all you do from mid-May to mid-Aug. is sleep until 1 p.m. However, the summer of 2024 brought a transformation none of us could’ve seen coming: the long-awaited return of real pop music.
These past few months have been filled with upbeat, dance-worthy earworms in the form of songs like “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter and “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan. Both tracks have made their way into our lives through multiple outlets from social media to the music that plays in grocery stores. I mean, think about how many times has “that’s that me espresso” gotten stuck in your head? Oddly enough, neither Carpenter nor Roan have experienced this type of mainstream success before, despite being involved in the music industry for several years, so why are they just now gaining so much popularity?
There are a few theories as to why these artists suddenly shot to the top of the charts. According to the Los Angeles Times, consumers have been deprived of new superstars for years due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the entertainment industry. The last breakout artist was Olivia Rodrigo back in 2021, and since then her music has become predictable rather than unique and attention-grabbing since she settled into a punk-rock type genre with her latest album, “GUTS.” Neither Carpenter nor Roan are brand new to the industry, so what about their music seems “new” to listeners?
Traditionally, women in the music industry have written songs about men and the impact they had on their lives because that’s what they were encouraged and expected to write about. Recently, a new wave of female artists are throwing out this expectation and are instead taking on a “brat mindset”.
Although the word “brat” may seem offensive, it has recently been rebranded by another veteran of the music industry, Charli XCX. According to USA Today, this term now means we should throw away the vision of a child throwing a tantrum in our head and instead imagine a woman who’s not afraid to do what she pleases, even if it defies societal expectations. This is the lifestyle artists like Carpenter, Roan and Charli XCX are promoting through their music, and Gen Z fans are loving it.
Carpenter exudes a classy ego in “Espresso” by acknowledging her magnetic impact on every man she meets and gives a seductive warning to her new beau in “Please Please Please”. Roan is the epitome of queer confidence in “Good Luck, Babe!” as she wittily wishes her ex success in refusing to accept her own sexuality. Charli XCX endorses a “brat summer” in her new album “BRAT” through encouraging her listeners to have fun and embrace who they are unapologetically. All of these women have different but equally powerful messages that are all tied together with backtracks that dare you not to dance along.
In addition to how upbeat and addicting these tracks are on their own, their awe-inspiring performances have been gaining attention as well. Carpenter gained a lot of popularity after opening for Taylor Swift on her sensational Eras Tour, thanks to her adorable mini dresses and her sultry, improvised outros for her song “Nonsense.” Charli XCX is currently on tour and puts on an impressively electric performance every night for her fans, and Roan had an unforgettable show at Coachella that resulted in numerous videos being posted on TikTok of people admiring her natural talent and showmanship. She was also introduced to a new group of fans when she was the opening act for Rodrigo’s “GUTS” tour. Through both performances, Roan got listeners obsessed with her song “HOT TO GO!” off her debut album that was released in 2023, just by teaching her crowd some simple choreography to keep them engaged.
The summer of 2024 has brought the comeback of popstars through upbeat anthems and extraordinary performances, but make no mistake, their impact is nowhere near completion. For starters, Carpenter’s album “Short n’ Sweet” is set to release Aug. 23, and her recently announced tour for the album has already sold out in several cities. It’s truly remarkable how much growth these artists have experienced in such a short amount of time, and with new success comes even more anticipation for what else they have in store.
