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MUSIC IN THE 2020S
As the first decade to be fully entrenched in the era of streaming, the 2020s have pulled in more music listeners than ever. Music is more accessible for both listeners and artists, and this has led to incredibly diverse pockets of music scenes. In such a volatile time for music, it can be difficult to boil down exactly what has controlled the music industry’s trajectory over the last five years. While there’s a whole world of underground music and various subgenres with their own developments, events in popular music tend to stay in people’s minds as eras end. We remember what topped the charts and which lyrics became generational ear worms. In the past five years, some clear trends have weaved their way into popular music. Here are four of the key traits the 2020s may be remembered for in 10 years.
COUNTRY’S RESURGENCE
In the ‘90s, female fronted country music was massive. Artists like Shania Twain, The Chicks, Faith Hill, and Reba McEntire were household names. However, country’s popularity waned in the 2000s, and continued to plummet into the 2010s. This was partially due to commercial country, sometimes now called “bro country”, becoming heavily processed and poppy. The rustic spirit of those ‘90s artists was lost for some time.
However, three powerhouse country artists — Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, and Noah Khan — are now some of the most famous faces in music today. Each of these artists notably brought back a focus on songwriting, rural atmospheres, and emotional performances — elements that had been lacking in commercial country music for the past 20ish years. Now, established artists like Post Malone and Beyoncé are adding country music into their sound, further solidifying the genre's presence in the 2020s musical landscape.
THE DEATH OF THE SAD GIRL AESTHETIC
Pop divas like Madonna, Mariah Carrey, and Brittany Spears have been ruling the radio for generations. However, that doesn’t mean each new crop of pop stars follow the same aesthetic. Where the 2000s saw party girls, the 2010s saw sad girls. The “sad girl” aesthetic was led by artists like Lana Del Ray, Lorde, and Billie Eilish, whose low key vocals, introspective songwriting, and moody atmospheres invoked a feeling of melancholy in their music. Even pop’s biggest stars like Taylor Swift adopted this style, with her duology of folk-pop albums borrowing heavily from the sad girl aesthetic.
In the past few years, we’ve seen a new wave of pop divas channeling a more raw, angrier style. Olivia Rodrigo helped spearhead this movement with the release of SOUR in 2021, an album whose borrowing of Y2K pop rock tropes allowed for louder, more explosively emotional songs. Since then, we’ve seen the rise of artists like Chappel Roan, Lola Young, and FKA Twigs — and the resurgence of Charlie XCX. Songs from these artists are more openly raunchy, directly attack patriarchal or opposing forces, and have louder, fuller compositions. It seems like 2020s pop divas might be remembered for turning sad to mad.
NOSTALGIA AS GENRE?
It’s a bit of an open secret that ‘80s nostalgia is a driving force in general culture right now. Mullets, mustaches, and ridiculously loud button up shirts are everywhere. Music culture hasn’t escaped this wave either. Artists like The Weeknd have catapulted a shimmery, synth-filled ‘80s pop sound back into heavy rotation. The Weeknd’s track “Blinding Lights”, from his 2020 album After Hours, is the most streamed song in Spotify history, and it’s one of the clearest examples of this nostalgic sound. Other big artists like Djo have followed in The Weeknd’s footsteps, setting ‘80s synth-pop up to be a big sound for the whole decade.
However, synth pop isn’t the only genre being resurrected. We’re also seeing a resurgence of disco and dance pop recently. Artists like Jessie Ware are bringing back the thumping, danceable, fluid sound and feeling of ‘70s disco. Charlie XCX took over the music world last summer with the release of Brat, a cultural turning point of an album that single-handedly shot ‘90s dance pop to mainstream popularity once again.
MAKING THE PERFECT 15 SECONDS OF MUSIC
On top of being the first decade fully entrenched in streaming, the 2020s is also the first decade fully entrenched in social media. More than ever, artists big and small are using social media to launch their songs to success. As such, some artists are beginning to tailor their music more and more to succeed specifically on social media. This has led to an influx in songs that sport incredibly strong and catchy choruses or biting bridges, but lack strong verses or outros.
While songs being nothing but a chorus isn’t new, “clipability” is now fully integrated into a song’s marketing. The same snippets are used in posts over and over, artists go out of their way to endorse dances or trends that use a key part of their tracks, and concerts center around the big track’s popular moment. This trend is so prevalent that some music fans have created a specific “TikTok music” label just for these kinds of tracks.
SHAPING UP THE MUSICAL LANDSCAPE OF THE 2020S
Like any era of music, the 2020s has had its fair share of ups and downs thus far. While some may remember the regression in composition and arrangement quality that comes with making a perfectly clipable chorus, others may remember the new era of pop divas the decade gave us. While some may lament the rehashing of old genres as nothing more than nostalgia-bait, others may remember life being breathed back into country music by returning to the genre’s most iconic traits. However the next five years of the decade play out, we’re bound to find positives and negatives. No matter what comes of those, it’ll certainly be a decade to remember.
