2024 so far: Inside the expansion of hyper-pop in mainstream music

Post-pandemic pop can only be highlighted by the over-indulgent beats of hyperpop, queer-coded aestheticism and futuristic experimentation. 

Hyperpop is a redefinition of eclectic club music, rooted in maximalist production and auto tuned vocals. It’s a great decipher of what music is becoming and where pop music is currently within culture and its influence on youth media. This genre-bending sound comes at a time where the state of music is currently at its most experimental, encouraging any form of futuristic formulation from producers and artists. 

2024 specifically has been a year of spotlight for the underground, the increased impact that social media has on the industry has sparked an influx of rising artists; speeding up the creative trajectory for many artists’ current careers. Internet culture in correspondence with the current climate of the music industry has produced an overwhelming alteration of how music has been released/ heard and created. In the past 6 months it’s been clear that hyperpop has been a pivotal force in music movement, its influence being made clearer with each release. An artist that can truly revel in their self-aware, hyper pop-inflated manifestation of mainstream music is Charli XCX. 

BRAT is an ultra feminine hyper-pop embodiment of what it means to be ahead of the curve. An undeniable release, it was almost unexpected that this album would be such a mainstream success yet, Charli XCX is an artist that completely understands the importance of allowing internet culture to do what it does best… surprise us. You can’t control how the public receives your art but you can sure work with it which is exactly what Charli’s recent release has done, from understanding her niche Charli and her team have marketed BRAT so meticulously that the album’s chart success can not only be credited to her musical ability but also her genius marketing. It is indeed a BRAT summer. 

BRAT is situated much later into her discography, this release being Charli’s sixth studio album; it comes at a time in Charli’s career when an album truly had to speak for itself. After her latest release “CRASH” the hype around a new Charli album was truly at its peak, faltering between die-hard fans defending her and the public criticising her. Charli’s laissez-faire approach to pushing this album only created more confusion for what her new artistic venture would sound like. It’s fair enough to say that the lack of hype almost emphasises the pivotal triumph of some of her most mature work to date. An established project that not only highlights her vocal talent but also Charli’s interest in her own musical genre, an educated succession of finely produced work that is also habituated with introspective lyricism on relatable topics. 

An album cover that’s quintessentially minimalist holds within some of charli’s most raw and vulnerable hits, a consecutive queue of some of her most minimalist production paired with lyrics that can only be described as melodramatically emphatic. BRAT opens with ‘360’- a song that’s fundamentally Charli, an incorporation of fun sonics laced with hints of overwhelming self-reflection within its lyricism, no pun intended. The line “When you’re in the mirror, do you like what you see” is meta, speaking on the insecurities that she faces as she comes to terms with her stardom as well as being aware of the impact her stardom has on others in a boastful sense. This opener released as a single alongside a cameo-oriented music video that brought back the likes of loads of icons much like her previous work in music video “boys” yet this time only better as it’s brimming with female icons from past-present including the infamous style icon Chloë Sevigny.

For her sixth studio album it’s clear that Charli wanted to focus on the insecurities and uncertainties she’s faced throughout her career, tying that in with the looming comparisons of success that has been placed on her achievements as an artist. The recurring theme throughout this album however is the effects that her relationships with women have had on her personal growth, bringing in a fountain of thought when speaking on many issues that correlate with the pop-feminism discourse that’s forever changing course. “Girl, so confusing” is layered with double meanings, bringing in her witty remarks with a narrative of imparity speaking on a friendship with a woman. This song is ironically an imperative showcase of “girlhood”, at surface level the song jokes at a monotonous tone “I’m just a girl” being an intertextual reference of the reduced meme stemming from No Doubt’s “I’m just a girl”. But looking within, it’s a self-aware narrative on the emotional mishaps that come between female friendships, the overwhelming feelings of both sentiment and adoration also brings forth the distasteful waves of jealousy and comparison. This being said, Charli uses her attentive irony to bring in her musical twin and long-running prank duo to creative use in the remix with Lorde. An artist that Charli XCX has impersonated in a viral interview almost a decade ago, this remix is a testimony of Charli’s genius marketing skills and BRAT’s textured relatability. 

It’s impractical to speak on the success of this album or the influence of hyperpop within pop culture right now without mentioning the genius that is late producer; SOPHIE. The looming intimidation of being surrounded by excellence is faced in the dedicated “SO I”.  Charli makes sure to give accolades to her mentor and collaborator within this amalgamation of club classics, being that without SOPHIE many of her hits wouldn’t have existed. It’s an inescapable feeling of grief that follows the passing of musical brilliance, Charli does not forget to mention how SOPHIE’s genius influenced and absorbed into her creative process and outcomes. 

‘365’ exits the world of the self-aware nihilistic party girl, a closing song that encapsulates what it means to be a “cool” pop star not defined by the industry’s opinion of success. It’s metaphoric in substance, 365 resonating with both time and the symbolism of a continuous cycle. Charli is redefining what it means to be a party girl, reminding her audience that even the girls that have fun can understand the depths of existentialism too.