Teen pop
While it can involve influences from a wide array of musical genres, it remains a subset of commercial pop, focusing on catchy melodies and marketability.
[8] The intense connection between teen pop artists and their young audiences has had a profound effect on the psychological nature of teenagers, shaping their self-image and cultural identity.
[4] Appealing to adolescents, the lyrical content of teen pop usually involves themes teenagers can or aspire to relate to, such as young love, partying, high school social hierarchies, and often incorporate sexual innuendo.
"[4] In Music Scenes: Local, Translocal and Virtual, author Melanie Lowe wrote that teen pop "is marked by a clash of presumed innocence and overt sexuality, a conflict that mirrors the physical and emotional turmoil of its primary target audience and vital fan base: early-adolescent middle-and upper middle-class suburban girls.
However, it wasn't until the late 1980s and early 1990s that the genre experienced a significant resurgence, coinciding with the widespread use of the term "Teen Pop" to describe this particular style of music.
Disco becoming popular from the United States' city nightlife scene, and punk rock from its lyrics focus on themes of rebellion against Authority and the Establishment.
[4] However, it was the early 1960s that became known as the "golden age" for pop teen idols, who included Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Lulu and Ricky Nelson.
The first major wave of teen pop after the counter-culture of the 1960s and 1970s occurred in the mid to late 1980s, with artists such as Menudo, New Edition, the Jets, Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Martika, New Kids on the Block[1][7] and Kylie Minogue.
Teen pop remained popular in the United Kingdom with the boy band Take That during this period, until the mid-1990s when Britpop became the next major wave in the UK, eclipsing the style similar to how grunge did in North America.
In their wake, other teen pop groups and singers rose to prominence, including Hanson, the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Robyn, All Saints, S Club 7, Five, B*Witched, and Destiny's Child.
[21] According to Gayle Ward, the demise of this late 1990s teen pop was due to: 1990s and early 2000s teen pop artists eventually entered hiatuses and semi-retirements (*NSYNC, Dream, Destiny's Child) or changed their musical style, including the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore, 3LW and Aaron Carter.
[23] Since his debut, Bieber has played a key role in influencing modern popular culture and has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.
By leveraging the power of her commercial success and undefiable fan support, Taylor Swift constructed a solid platform to denounce injustices regarding the value of creative labour in the digital age.
The group swiftly rose to colossal stardom after its debut and eventually became synonymous with the global trend of teen pop culture in the early 2010s, a phenomenon deeply rooted in the age of Twitter.
Emerging as a teenage Disney star, she swiftly transitioned into pop music to draw from her personal experiences to weave narratives of love, heartbreak and self-exploration.
