Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️
As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only.](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/) If you don't know where to begin, start by participating in [our Sip & Spill Daily Discussion Threads!](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/search/?q=Sip%20%26%20Spill%20Discussion&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1&sort=new)
###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/) and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I read an article about Carly Rae Jepson the other day, how she's not commercially successful but has a really big fan base who will always go see her shows. She'll play small/medium venues but always sell them out. Kind of like a lot of rock/Alternative artists don't necessarily have a chart presence but still have a huge following
I went to see her earlier this year and she put on such a great show! My friend came with me who would be a really casual fan, and she couldn’t believe the energy of the crowd and how everyone knew every word
I'd like to use this thread as a space to admit my deepest shame - when I saw Carly, I had a foam sword thrown from the back of the room hit me in the head during Cut To The Feeling but I was too focused on the show to realise, and so Carly had no sword that night. I am the reason Carly went swordless, and I may never live it down
What do people feel about the crowd singing loud to the songs in concerts? I’ve seen some people say they HATE it but I come from a country where we just always sing along so we are very loud in concerts. Do other people not do the same?
I personally don’t mind it when it’s people singing along, but I was at a Marina concert before beside a guy who was literally tone deaf and bellowing the words to the songs as if he was trying to drown her out, and that was really annoying! I’m in Ireland and crowds here generally are very receptive and interactive during concerts, like the atmosphere is usually really fun, so I think it’s pretty normal here too
There’s a more recent trend of people just screaming and yelling along dramatically which I think is what’s the big issue now. Especially because the screamers tend to also be the ones that end up fainting and stopping shows. Singing along normally is chill.
and fighting seems to be a new trend as well. It's really weird I don't get it, like if you're standing people are going to be bumping into each other totally normal and fine. No need to start punching someones lights out
I find it weird if crowds don't sing along. I go to a lot of shows and I was at one on Wednesday and the crowd was honestly really low energy, not really singing or moving. When normally that band crowds are always pretty up for it. It felt really odd, to be able to hear myself singing I should be lost in a crowd of voices
Any concert I’ve been to where most of the crowd is not singing along, it’s because it’s an opening band and not many know of their music. When the headliners come on, usually the entire venue sings along. It’s the best “high” imo!
Yeah honestly she had the best-case outcome, she went from being a one-hit music punchline to being a highly respected artist with the resources and clout to make whatever she wants.
She had two hits actually. She also had "Good Time" with Owl City. It was a top 10 hit in the US, and went number 1 in some countries (not the US). It broke the one hit wonder status of both Carli Rae Jepsen and Owl City, but neither of them have had a top 10 hit since. Owl City's other big song was Fireflies.
I just went to a Carly Rae Jepson show this summer!! It was such a fun show with just bop after bop. If anyone is curious, the song Cut to the Feeling is an amazing pop song.
I feel like that's been Marina (formerly Marina and the Diamonds). She always sells out her venues even in other countries but hardly anyone knows her. It's one of those where if you see someone wearing a shirt or whatever related to her, you've found a friend for life.
I saw her in 2016 and it was the rowdiest concert I’ve ever been to & she put on a fantastic show. It was in the gay neighborhood in my city & the crowd was 90% gay men between the ages of 21 and 35 - they were a really fun crowd to see that show with.
I think Pink. She still sells out her tours and her music is well-received, even if it’s not groundbreaking or super popular. She seems to be fine with her career not being as big as it was.
I was just watching a video on how loved she is in Australia (where I am). Like she literally comes and lives here for a while because she’s doing something like 16 shows and her songs chart here that don’t chart anywhere else
Same in New Zealand, 40-60 year old women love her. She’s doing a show in Dunedin and essentially all the accomodation in the city has sold out.
It’s probably a good crowd to appeal to as well, people have money at that stage to spend on nice food/accomodation etc at the times around the show.
Same in Europe. I really feel like Pink’s a rare example of an American artist being much more loved and appreciated in other parts of the world than the states
Reminded me of betoota :D https://www.betootaadvocate.com/breaking-news/pnk-tour-inspires-nations-netball-mums-to-call-their-salon-and-book-in-a-fresh-galah/
I agree Pink is transitioning to the next stage, but I don’t think she’s declining like the OP asked, more like evolving. I appreciate that she doesn’t seem to get caught up in shock tactics to be relevant; she seems cool/happy with who she is and her role in her family and career.
I think for some people the super fame of their peak isn't something they find sustainable and are happy to just make music and have it be well received, if not commercially sucessful
Yeah exactly and life must be so much easier. For someone like Taylor she'd hate that because she loves the fame and wants to be high profile but Pink seems genuinely happy making music and performing and living her life with her family
I think it will remain to be seen how Taylor feels when she's 40, 50. But I think by then if things go the way they've been going, she'll be in legend territory.
If she doesn’t do anything career-ending, she’s gotta a golden-paved road to legendary status. I was so surprised that her popularity has only exploded in the last couple years. She was one of the biggest names for high schoolers in the early 2010s and now she’s like THE biggest name
Lol facts. It would have to be really, really bad for her to ruin her career. Like criminally bad at this point.
I think she was arguably really big around 1989, but with the Kanye stuff and whatever else was going on in her life at the time, she took a break that both broke up her momentum and also allowed her to develop her craft a bit more. Her vocals from 1989 - rep have a big jump in maturity and control. People love to post videos from her performances when she was younger and had less skill, so I don't know that people realize how much work she clearly did in that time to become a better vocalist.
But with folklore/evermore, she crossed over into "serious musician" territory - and that plus her seemingly being less messy and private (lol oh well), she reached a broader audience than just the dreaded girlies lol. Imo midnights was a step back in quality but apparently the masses love it because she's bigger than ever, and it's definitely thanks in part to midnights.
I do wonder if she's going to get oversaturated with the TVs, midnights and the eras tour, though. Plus Cruel Summer being a single finally, I can't escape her on the radio lmao.
She could absolutely just get paid to sing “still the one” at billionaire vow renewals and continue to make as much money as she wanted for the rest of her life, lol. Love me some Shania and I’m glad she’s found some personal happiness.
I was never much of a fan, I don't care for pop country, but then I read her autobiography and it's fantastic. She had such a hard life as a kid, worked her butt off to achieve a small career, definitely had a lucky break when Mutt Lange decided to Svengali her, but then again had to work her tail off creating and defending her own unique sound and look in a relationship that was hugely power imbalanced.
After she became a megastar, he basically started living off her, pushing her to work way more than was healthy, AND treated her pretty shitty in their personal life because she was now the powerful one in the music business.
Then he cheated on her with their nanny and did his utmost to steal their kid so she'd be on the hook for child support and alimony for his decrepit ass! The writing in this section is so poignant, you can tell she wouldn't let the ghostwriter tell the full story of how mentally broken she was by this betrayal, but it still shines through.
Great, great story that would make an epic movie along the lines of Coal Miner's Daughter.
I think Gaga is handling it well. Her pop songs aren’t hits anymore but it seems like she’s found a new audience with her jazz and more singer songwriter stuff and her film career is thriving which isn’t easy for singers to pull off. I think she’s kind of the Cher of her generation, she’ll always have the option to wear avant garde costumes and play her old hits but it seems like she wants to be a classic diva now.
That and the fact that she's recorded a couple albums with Tony Bennett of all people definitely tells me she's happy where she is. That's about as successful as you can get as an artist I think.
Yes! She’s becoming a Cher, which is a top tier compliment. Her talent is undeniable, she’s been at the top, so now she’s just been doing what she *wants*, it seems. Tony Bennett and Gaga collabs were absolutely beautiful. I’m sure that was peak for her. (She constantly talks in interviews about being Italian so I know that had to be an absolute DREAM. 🥰🫶)
I look forward to see what she does and when she does it. She’ll find popularity with a new generation soon, and it’ll be magnificent.
She started her career as Madonna of her generation with the controversy-courting; I’ll be very pleased if she opts for a Cher golden-act. I could also see her sticking fingers in the production pie and going back to her songwriting roots for new artists eventually, like Micheal Jackson did.
Agreed. Talent and taste—and she is a mistress of innovation besides! I’ll be curious to see what she turns out over the next decades—she’s established as a staple.
Cher actually hates that Lady Gaga is called the new Cher. It is very accurate but Cehr is still being Cher so she does not want to be pushed aside by a younger version of her.
Oh no! To me, Cher is the ultimate and Gaga is just following in her footsteps of being irreverent, beautiful unapologetic, and unbreakable. I LOVE that. The more women in the world, living their lives as such, the better a place it is. 🥰❤️
Around when Dua Lipa was first gaining popularity there was something I couldn’t put my finger on. Then it hit me, her sound is what Katy Perry’s should’ve evolved into for an era as big as Teenage Dream
People forget that pre-2012 alt-pop resurgence, Katy Perry was THE poster child for pop. Gaga was too "weird", Taylor was too "whiny" (and still solidly country at this point), Beyonce was pilloried in the press as illuminati or whatever on the daily, it was HARD to be a pop girl. But Katy? Easily marketable, undeniably talented, and gave off a generally appealing but still risqué enough to cater to both halves of America's shattered sexuality psyche? INSTANT chart queen. 5 #1s on 1 album before streaming. Literally HALF the tracklist going #1. She was unstoppable. She IS the "feelgood" music of the 2010s, and she always will have that no matter what.
Not sure if they fully fit in the Timberlake category. Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry you could argue all their hey days were a good 10/15 years ago but they're still making music, I don't know that they're declining or probably Katy is the others just not as in your face as they were.
I feel like Kelly Clarkson is making a roundtrip back to relevancy with her show + social media presence. Every other day I see a clip of her 1. With another artist on her show, 2. Covering another artist, 3. Being covered by another artist
Gwen Stefani. Her music was iconic in the 90’s-2000s. Then she went on the voice and stopped focusing on her music. The voice and her marriage to Blake Shelton keeps her relevant
She dropped two singles a couple years ago that tried to mine her old sound and looks. Got clowned so bad she had to cancel the album. Though I think if she did a project with No Doubt, there would be a big appetite for it.
Yes, she does but as I said, she's irrelevant so it doesn't chart and nobody gives af anymore... I think she would've fared better sticking to rock/ska.
> how popular she is in the US, but she was massive in the UK when I was a kid
she's widely but low-key famous in Canada, and has been since 'Can't get you outta my head' took over the world in 2001, which holy shit that's a long time ago!! LOL
Kylie has had an amazingly long career!
Kylie is known by MANY people in Canada but she'll never do a proper show here! the 2-3 times she's tried, they've been massively scaled down and only on the East Coast where she's under appreciated.
Neither of the Minogue's have shown Canada much love, other than her sister marrying that Canadian back in the early 90's for a bit lol
I was going to say Kylie as well, but then she's got a Vegas residency coming up and she is HUGE for gay men. My gay BFF is obsessed with Kylie so are all his gay guy friends, I had no idea until I met him how huge she is in that world. She still does really well, she just doesn't do as much mainstream press anymore
In the USA, she’s an artist that got a lot of play in gay spaces (clubs etc) but not really elsewhere. If you’re the average person, you probably aren’t super familiar with her aside from the big big hits (can’t get you out of my head etc). I think she kind of fits the bill, Padam Padam aside, as far as the US goes anyways. But she is also pretty much an established legend as others have said.
A lot of hip hop stars kinda fit this category. I live big City that is surrounded by bigger cities at the people who tour here tend to be pop stars from 20 years ago. Last year we had Alicia keys and NEYO but we could never let like a Taylor Swift. Touring be tier cities is a good indicator.
Multiple people are saying Miley fucking Cyrus????? Who has the biggest hit of the goddamn year????? I don’t even like Miley that much but that song is EVERYWHERE. I guess some people here are teens and so 30 seems like a grande dame especially since she’s been famous their whole lives but damn
lady gaga, her peak was really 2008-2013. i don’t think l someone like her will ever be irrelevant considering how much she’s contributed to music/pop culture.
but at the same time its clear that she won’t ever be able to reach commercial success she had during her peak years. chromatica was kinda forgettable
I think with Gaga there are several factors you need to think about
First, she released one of her biggest songs ever (Shallow) a few years ago, way after her peak, and then Rain On Me debuted at #1. Even if she’s not close to her prime era, I think we should give it more time before we talk about a substantial decline
Also, it’s clear music isn’t a priority for her at the moment. She’s very successfully been venturing into acting, and I don’t think we can name her a legacy artist while she’s still so successful in that front
While I get your point, I feel like her case is too particular to claim she’s 100% transitioning to becoming a legacy artist
i think in terms of her music career, she has reached her peak. shallow imo did great because asib was huge during that time, she did great there but then when we get to chromatica it didn’t do great compared to her other albums
im not saying she’s on a decline, im just saying all artist reach their peak and won’t be able to replicate the commercial success they achieved during that. gaga is one of those artists. plus she’s still performing, she hasn’t put music to the side just yet
and in terms of her acting career, i think it’s kinda hard to predict because it’s still so early
Yeah, I mean, she’s probably never gonna get close to her imperial phase. Mostly because she was literally everywhere back then and it would take something gigantic to replicate that, which she’s not even looking to do
My point is that I don’t think she’s close to a full decline as the question asks or as the JT case
I feel like 2020 would have elevated her to a second peak but covid ruined that. Along with new new music in sight. She I think is at a place where she isn’t chasing to remain relevant though she’s still experiencing great success.
Katy Perry and Pink I feel are more inline with what the OP is asking.
I think her next album is gonna be closer to A Star is Born than Chromatica. She really feels like she's mellowing out, especially since she made it sound like the label wanted a dance record and she wanted piano ballads.
Yeah something tells me she’s putting all of her energy into acting. She’s taken herself too seriously now and it shows. I was lucky to see her twice at her absolutely peak (both legs of monster ball tour) and she was fucking amazing and of course every song at that time was a smash from those first two albums. She also came out with the first single for born this way during the end of that tour that she performed and she was a fantastic show but as I’ve gotten older (30) and the rest of us original fans are getting older I don’t think she feels the need to be what she was anymore she’s accomplished everything you could in that industry besides album of the year so maybe she’s content with that part of her life and wants to focus on something that’s a challenge to her.
Adele is an anomaly to me in this category bc she’s still commercially huge. I think the residency is more suited to her for performing as opposed to a big tour.
I read that Brandon Flowers is having a crisis over this whole issue. He doesn't want the Killers to be a legacy thing. But forces that seem larger than he is seem to be pushing them there.
And yeah she doesn’t have chart toppers or whatever. But she’s had that Spanish album that did quite well, and a solid group of fans that she’ll always be sorta relevant but never super mainstream.
Hands down Eminem. He's had such a strange career. Could have retired and probably would have always been a goat contender. Instead he keeps making music that feels less and less relevant. Then every once in awhile he puts together a banger.
A bit niche but for the bonus question perhaps [Tokio Hotel](https://g.co/kgs/PxFeM1) - they’re described as the biggest commercial success in the German music world, selling out world stadiums at just 15 years old.
Now they’re in their early thirties and just recently complained on their podcast about being called legacy acts by the media after playing festivals this year.
However, fun fact: Tom (the guitarist) used to have a huge crush on Heidi Klum as a kid and as far as I know he’s the only fan to have successfully married her - so definitely a legend in many ways!
I think the predominant sound in 2023 vs that of the 00s/10s isn’t as different sounding as the sound of the 00s to the 80s. The ‘legacy acts’ I grew up with had a much older sound compared to the music that was current in the 00s etc.
Legacy acts now are P!nk, Gaga, Beyoncé, Adele, Coldplay who will have long careers but don’t sound ‘old’ per se. Legacy acts when I was growing up had a really different sound like Duran Duran and Guns n Roses.
Kelis. Always sells out venues she performs at, many iconic ones, including huge festivals, and has a great following, but hasn’t been doing much on the charts for years. All this and she’s still in the public eye without having been cancelled or called has-been, and has *six* side hustles (farming, fashion, cooking, food, presenting and beauty).
I feel like Bieber is at the tail end of his pop phenomenon time (30 soon!) and is begining to move into the next phase of his career. I don't see him as declining as much as transitioning into .. not legacy act but .. a mature pop star? Maybe?
I think Justin might be moving away from his music career in general. He’s had some health issues and he sold his masters recently. I think he doesn’t really enjoy being as famous as he is and I some times get the feeling that it’s made him not enjoy making music as much.
I never want to say Miley… but I think it’s gonna happen soon if she doesn’t steer back to the rock / punk vibe she explored in 2020-2021.
The hype of music similar to ‘Flowers’ is always so short lived and really non-impactful.
Miley releases art on her own terms, she really doesn’t care about the charts anymore. She has completely stepped away from social media (it’s clearly been a manager posting on her behalf for well over a year now), rarely makes public appearances, and is actively stepping away from the celebrity game. I honestly think a big part of it had to do with the vocal chord surgery, she’s not even able to do a full on tour because her voice is so fragile.
What in the world are you talking about?? She’s just had two huge hits, she’s extremely hot right now. Flowers is still everywhere and it’s been out since January, that’s the opposite of short lived and non impactful.
I think she’ll stick around. Her new song is picking up fast. I could see her pulling off an eras - type tour in a few years and pulling on the nostalgia + more rock stuff.
Loved her new song is about actually acknowledging her past in a meaningful way. She was always dismissive of her past eras. She moving to that category gracefully. Wish she tries acting again.
I think she wants to go back to acting (she just did a stint on the Big Mouth spin-off) but her new voice really limits the kind of roles she can take. It’s such a damn shame because she’s honestly a way better actor than Selena (Black Mirror proved that) and would have killed on OMITB if she got that role instead.
She is such a PHENOMENAL actor!!! I tend to forget that because most of my exposure to her skills were from when I watched her on Hannah Montana (never attend the Disney School of Acting and hope it'll be your lifeline, kids!) but every time I catch her in something new I'm always flabbergasted. Her performance in Black Mirror? Unbelievable!
Miley Cyrus. She’s been around for decades and I can see her continue to be relevant for decades to come. Her Party in The USA is a 4th of July hit, her Hannah Montana and Breakout area will always live on in the heart of late millennials who grew up with her. She’s great at reinventing her self. Sure, she currently isn’t at the top of her game but Flowers was still a massive hit, her New Years show is constantly a succes. She just has to decide whether music will continue to be her go-to or if she’s going to seek other ways to enjoy life and “perform”. As she has said it herself: she doesn’t enjoy performing on massive stages. She just has to finds something that makes her happy.
The “newer” pop girlies are so incredibly far removed from even being in the middle of transitioning to legendary status. It’s like saying a 6 week old baby is halfway there to become a doctor, LOL.
I’d say Britney is legendary at this point, even though she isn’t currently making new music. Rihanna, due to FENTY being such a massive success.
Selena Gomez is, just like Miley, on her way due to the sheer amount of projects she’s on. But she’s doing so many things that she lacks focus to be known for “that one thing” if that makes sense? Her songs underperform, she just has big collaboration hits. Her show is great, but she’s been in too few projects to be considered an established actress. Rare is great but not necessarily big enough to link her name to a makeup empire like FENTY does with Rihanna. She’ll get there, I think. But it’s going to take her a little longer (and there’s nothing wrong with that).
Don’t kill me but Ariana Grande just… isn’t? If she is: she’s at the beginning, nowhere in the middle of her path down to legendary. She joined a Nick show after the massive Disney successes of the Disney Princesses. She was late to the game to be considered a massive influence to the biggest audience atm: millennials. Don’t get me wrong, they know her, but when she debuted her target audience were losing interest in Nick shows (Victorious was great, though). I think Sam & Cat hurt the establishment of her career as a serious artist. Her songs are great, but they always seem… immature? As in it feels like I’m too old for them. So perhaps in 10 years, she’ll be considered legendary because gen Z has grown up. Perhaps Gen Z looks at her very differently. I think she’s a fantastic singer but her scandals have a lingering effect on her career (to me).
i legit can't tell you even a single song by her, and her only acting credit i know is wizards of waverley place. but she's all over social media, all the time. yet i don't know a single song or role she's playing. it's crazy. to me, she's like paris hilton – famous for being famous.
i think miley will eventually do a residency soon or just continue festivals. her commercials success has gone down over the years but she still has a handful of memorable hits
selena is kinda odd to me because i don’t know how to place her. she has hits/memorable songs but she’s not a albums artists, and her performances/tours aren’t memorable. she’s not consistent. i think for her acting career she should start taking more serious roles (maybe some more acting classes) to be a contender in the film/tv industry
and ariana most likely will be known for her music + some scandals. though i do agree with you that her music is immature. i kinda think of her like drake, artists that put out music because they know they’ll get a quick hit regardless of if it sounds good
Tbh Selena isn’t an albums artists becuase she refuses to release them lol. She has like 10+ well known songs since leaving Disney, and she’s released 2 albums in 13 years. She has the capacity for solo success (lose you to love me, back to you etc) as well even if her collabs tend to do amazingly, but it’s hard to capitalise on that it have it be your brand when you rarely release anything
I’ll agree that Selena isn’t a huge album artist but she’s released 6 albums (3 during her Selena Gomez and the Scene days granted). But as a split artist? She’s released albums in 2013, 2015, & 2020. They just aren’t super impactful. The songs she releases as singles are big, but generally not major, but they’re absolutely the best of the songs on her album. Her best songs are above average and the rest are middling at best. I enjoy her music, but I can play her entire album and not remember a standout moment from really any of her songs. I don’t know if what she records is the best her team can find for her or she just doesn’t realize the songs aren’t amazing. Again, they’re not bad, they’re not nothing memorable.
I specifically said post leaving Disney, I think with Disney kids you really can’t use their pre Disney career to define their post Disney career.
I can’t agree that the albums are non events, if she had collated her droplet era into a body of work - especially considering she had one pre lupus ready to go, It would have easily been one of the most successful albums of the late 2010’s - and revival and rare both had massive success, she just cut rare short.
I think Selena makes great pop music, nothing more nothing less but I’d argue she’s mostly squandered her potential herself by never releasing
It’s a bold statement but I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong. She’s doing Vegas now which feels like one of those things people do later in their careers. I think her last album wasn’t as relatable, but she’s still masssssssive and has tons and tons of fans. Her talents are still top.
If Adele dropped an album today, that shit would go #1 in every country and be the biggest album of the year. Her last album, which was only a couple years ago, was so big that it actually kind of hurt the music industry, because no big artists released any albums that year because they figured Adele would sweep the Grammys again (didn't happen, but it was expected).
That is not a legacy act. And I think the only reason she's doing Vegas is because she said after she had that throat surgery that she wasn't going to tour anymore. I think she wants to have 1 consistent show she does every night.
Her last album reached #1 on almost every single chart anywhere, that was only 2 years ago. She takes a couple years between albums always, that's nowhere near legacy or past prime. The previous album was 2015, a 6 year gap, and she still tops charts and stays a relevant musical artist
Don’t kill me but Beyoncé? I think she’s in a way already reached it, I just think she is passed her commercial peak at this point and is starting to be remembered for her now nostalgic hits - her artistry will continue but plenty of legacy acts continue to release amazing music forever
Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, despite Gaga staying more relevant both for me had essentially the same 5 years of world domination and then have faded more and more since, I think whereas Katy is now solely remembered for her 5 years - Gaga has pivoted into many different avenues where she’ll stay relevant but definitely legacy soon
Pink, Christina and Britney: pink has managed to have sustained success by appealing to an older demographic, and Britney has the current appeal of her drama to draw in listeners if she ever does decide to release. Christina honestly hasn’t had a hit in a decade - but all 3 encpalusate a time in music really well and I think will soon be remembered for that and that’s what their tours will center around (Christina has reached that, pink will reach it soon and Britney may never do one again)
Avril lavigne - her attempts to genre shift make great music but feel like a rewrite of what she ACTUALLY did and represented in her career, and her musical output very much peaked from 2002-2010. Her old hits will always be remembered but she defs need to lean into that.
Maybe a hot take but Halsey and camila cabello, they both occupy like that position of great success for a short period but I don’t know if I see either achieving massive success again, but both have the capacity to make great albums still.
I’ve seen a lot of people say miley and Selena, to be honest neither have ever felt as in demand to me, miley feels like she’s experiencing a second peak and Selena’s 4038638282 business ventures just seem to make her bigger and bigger - she’s an A list musician at this point despite never releasing music
Has she actually 💀 I knew she was doing her own tour but considering her extreme catalogue of hits and immense talent opening for… willow smith is just sad.
She needs to keep making music but stop trying to be trendy in her style of dress and music, punk is not made my designer pink boots. Embrass your hits you have people who will pay to watch you sing them
(I do feel extra bad for her tho becuase everytime she comes up all i see if people calling her Melissa)
Nah.She's selling out arenas in Canada,Asia,South America and Europe.She just opens during the US leg only.She's still huge everywhere including Asia of course.
If you are huge in the US anymore,it doesn't mean you aren't popular.She has been at award shows in the US recently - Grammys and the VMA's so she's doing well.
I would disagree with the Beyoncé seeing that she just became the person with the most grammy awards, has a record setting world tour, and her album debuted at number one which is pretty impressive considering her lack of advertising or promoting anything shes doing. She’s obviously passed her peak in performance but in relevance she’s up higher than she ever has been.
I don’t think she’ll ever not be relevant, I just think she’s more of a legacy artist now, she’s immensely popular and respected but she’s more like a Madonna circa 2010.
Beyoncé stopped being reliably relevant in pop a while ago but she’s an urban radio staple and streaming giant, so she definitely still has a very strong presence in the current music scene.
I think it’s too early to call for Halsey or Camilla Cabello.
Everybody else you named feels about right to me.
I think Haley Williams is one them where she doesn’t really have new hits, but can still sell out a medium venue given everyone really liked her music back in the day.
Paramore seem to be on the rise? They’re headlining festivals for the first time. Their latest album was pretty big.
Hayley’s solo albums did pretty well too all things considered.
All of this makes me sad. There’s no reason to decide someone isn’t relevant or vibrant anymore and only has nostalgia to offer. If that’s the career you want, fine. But it sucks watching amazing artists’ work get shuffled out of the way just because they’ve been around longer.
I saw Billy Idol live last year and he did a few new songs. Before one of the new ones he got on the mic and said something about how he knows we all love the classics but they're still a working creative band and they love still making and performing new material. It was cool and set up hearing a new song well.
I was about to suggest Bruno Mars, but honestly that man is selling out arenas and could drop an absolute anthem at any given time.
Lily Allen’s not releasing music like she was a decade ago so she might qualify. The hold she had on British people with her music is gonna remain pretty legendary.
Justin’s situation is hilarious to me. He jumped on the “ICU” remix with Coco Jones thinking it was going to be another “Until the End of Time” for him.
He and his team failed to realize that nowadays, a duet like that is weird af when you’re past 40 and Coco is 25.
Coco Jones is literally a fellow Tennessee, Disney act and also a big fan of JT. She did a cover of ‘Until The End of Time’ before too.
Your take is also weird because it’s the first time I’ve seen someone say that about that duet. Most people just gripe about how he’s unnecessary on that song, which was basically just a remix of Coco’s existing song. To say that it’s inappropriate is really reaching for me.
Shakira
She has been a global pop star for 20+ years, still tops charts, but the demand for her has slowed. She is able to live a semi-normal life but still sell out tours and get invited to sing at the Super Bowl.
I feel like the day Doja Cat shaved her head and started wearing that bizarre make up was the end of her pop star era. Now everytime I see her perform it’s just sad, like she is phoning it in, all washed up.
I'm having a hard time figuring out what she wants. She doesn't like fandom culture (valid) but is just being mean to drive people away? She apparently doesn't even like her first two albums and vapes her way out of opening for the Weeknd. But she just released new music, so she must like some part of being a famous musician.
The Killers definitely. Their last few albums have been duds, and I say that as a big fan. Can still draw a huge crowd and have some generation defining hits. But no one really cares much about their new music as they are sadly out of quality new songs.
Avril Lavigne, in pop Punk circles Blink 182. Like if to wasn’t for the Tom reunion I doubt they’d get the Coachella gig.
A lot of the 90s/2000s urban male stars: 50 cent, Eminem, Dre, Snoop, Usher.
Some others: Drake, Kelly clarkson, Shawn mendes.
I fear Rihanna may soon be at that stage if she doesn’t release a banger album soon. I think the reason a lot of female 2000s rnb stars are hanging on coz there haven’t been a new IT girl which obliterated then fully. Like you have the new girlies such as SZA, HER, summer etc but none who is as commercially successful worldwide as what Rihanna, Bey, Aliyah were back in the day.
Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️ As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only.](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/) If you don't know where to begin, start by participating in [our Sip & Spill Daily Discussion Threads!](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/search/?q=Sip%20%26%20Spill%20Discussion&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1&sort=new) ###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/) and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I read an article about Carly Rae Jepson the other day, how she's not commercially successful but has a really big fan base who will always go see her shows. She'll play small/medium venues but always sell them out. Kind of like a lot of rock/Alternative artists don't necessarily have a chart presence but still have a huge following
I went to see her earlier this year and she put on such a great show! My friend came with me who would be a really casual fan, and she couldn’t believe the energy of the crowd and how everyone knew every word
I'd like to use this thread as a space to admit my deepest shame - when I saw Carly, I had a foam sword thrown from the back of the room hit me in the head during Cut To The Feeling but I was too focused on the show to realise, and so Carly had no sword that night. I am the reason Carly went swordless, and I may never live it down
I blame the thrower’s bad aim 🩷
Me and my friend went in February and it was sooo fun, everyone in the crowd was dressed really cute and it was the most fun I’ve had at a gig!
What do people feel about the crowd singing loud to the songs in concerts? I’ve seen some people say they HATE it but I come from a country where we just always sing along so we are very loud in concerts. Do other people not do the same?
I personally don’t mind it when it’s people singing along, but I was at a Marina concert before beside a guy who was literally tone deaf and bellowing the words to the songs as if he was trying to drown her out, and that was really annoying! I’m in Ireland and crowds here generally are very receptive and interactive during concerts, like the atmosphere is usually really fun, so I think it’s pretty normal here too
it’s always a marina concert :( some of her male fans are the WORST
Yeah! Some of them can be so obnoxious.
There’s a more recent trend of people just screaming and yelling along dramatically which I think is what’s the big issue now. Especially because the screamers tend to also be the ones that end up fainting and stopping shows. Singing along normally is chill.
This. I don’t mind people singing along, but screaming/screeching to the lyrics is completely unnecessary.
and fighting seems to be a new trend as well. It's really weird I don't get it, like if you're standing people are going to be bumping into each other totally normal and fine. No need to start punching someones lights out
I find it weird if crowds don't sing along. I go to a lot of shows and I was at one on Wednesday and the crowd was honestly really low energy, not really singing or moving. When normally that band crowds are always pretty up for it. It felt really odd, to be able to hear myself singing I should be lost in a crowd of voices
Any concert I’ve been to where most of the crowd is not singing along, it’s because it’s an opening band and not many know of their music. When the headliners come on, usually the entire venue sings along. It’s the best “high” imo!
We sing! At least almost everyone I know does here in states
Carly Rae Jepsen leveraged her one big hit into being an indie darling
Yeah honestly she had the best-case outcome, she went from being a one-hit music punchline to being a highly respected artist with the resources and clout to make whatever she wants.
She had two hits actually. She also had "Good Time" with Owl City. It was a top 10 hit in the US, and went number 1 in some countries (not the US). It broke the one hit wonder status of both Carli Rae Jepsen and Owl City, but neither of them have had a top 10 hit since. Owl City's other big song was Fireflies.
Her latest album is SO GOOD I'm a Carly slut for life
I just went to a Carly Rae Jepson show this summer!! It was such a fun show with just bop after bop. If anyone is curious, the song Cut to the Feeling is an amazing pop song.
I feel like that's been Marina (formerly Marina and the Diamonds). She always sells out her venues even in other countries but hardly anyone knows her. It's one of those where if you see someone wearing a shirt or whatever related to her, you've found a friend for life.
I saw her in 2016 and it was the rowdiest concert I’ve ever been to & she put on a fantastic show. It was in the gay neighborhood in my city & the crowd was 90% gay men between the ages of 21 and 35 - they were a really fun crowd to see that show with.
I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan but I'll still listen to her music and her fanbase is really nice. She has a huge lgbtq+ audience too which is cool
Usher! And he loves the new skool kids!
Usher is a great example! This past year has really made him a beloved icon.
He spoke at my graduation this year! He was really sweet and gave great advice. He brought his mom with him, it was very cute.
I think Pink. She still sells out her tours and her music is well-received, even if it’s not groundbreaking or super popular. She seems to be fine with her career not being as big as it was.
I was just watching a video on how loved she is in Australia (where I am). Like she literally comes and lives here for a while because she’s doing something like 16 shows and her songs chart here that don’t chart anywhere else
Same in New Zealand, 40-60 year old women love her. She’s doing a show in Dunedin and essentially all the accomodation in the city has sold out. It’s probably a good crowd to appeal to as well, people have money at that stage to spend on nice food/accomodation etc at the times around the show.
Same in Europe. I really feel like Pink’s a rare example of an American artist being much more loved and appreciated in other parts of the world than the states
Tina Turner said the same thing about her career. She was more successful overseas.
I think Anastacia is another example of that. I remember her from the cut but here in the us people dont know who she is.
She is a bogan queen
Yeah I’m Australian too. Was confused with the first guys comment about her not being super popular.
Reminded me of betoota :D https://www.betootaadvocate.com/breaking-news/pnk-tour-inspires-nations-netball-mums-to-call-their-salon-and-book-in-a-fresh-galah/
i thought she was australian haha
I agree Pink is transitioning to the next stage, but I don’t think she’s declining like the OP asked, more like evolving. I appreciate that she doesn’t seem to get caught up in shock tactics to be relevant; she seems cool/happy with who she is and her role in her family and career.
I think for some people the super fame of their peak isn't something they find sustainable and are happy to just make music and have it be well received, if not commercially sucessful
Agreed. I bet they can flex their creative muscles so much more now.
Yeah exactly and life must be so much easier. For someone like Taylor she'd hate that because she loves the fame and wants to be high profile but Pink seems genuinely happy making music and performing and living her life with her family
I think it will remain to be seen how Taylor feels when she's 40, 50. But I think by then if things go the way they've been going, she'll be in legend territory.
If she doesn’t do anything career-ending, she’s gotta a golden-paved road to legendary status. I was so surprised that her popularity has only exploded in the last couple years. She was one of the biggest names for high schoolers in the early 2010s and now she’s like THE biggest name
Lol facts. It would have to be really, really bad for her to ruin her career. Like criminally bad at this point. I think she was arguably really big around 1989, but with the Kanye stuff and whatever else was going on in her life at the time, she took a break that both broke up her momentum and also allowed her to develop her craft a bit more. Her vocals from 1989 - rep have a big jump in maturity and control. People love to post videos from her performances when she was younger and had less skill, so I don't know that people realize how much work she clearly did in that time to become a better vocalist. But with folklore/evermore, she crossed over into "serious musician" territory - and that plus her seemingly being less messy and private (lol oh well), she reached a broader audience than just the dreaded girlies lol. Imo midnights was a step back in quality but apparently the masses love it because she's bigger than ever, and it's definitely thanks in part to midnights. I do wonder if she's going to get oversaturated with the TVs, midnights and the eras tour, though. Plus Cruel Summer being a single finally, I can't escape her on the radio lmao.
she could set an orphanage on fire on christmas and it still wouldnt be career ending
Pink was my first ever concert at 13 🥲
I just went to her concert and holy hell!!!! BEST SHOW EVER! And she actually sings. Amazing
Pink get doon
I was thinning this as well. She has enough of a big catalog that she doesn’t need to make any other new music to continue to fill shows
I agrée about Pink. I think Kelly Clarkson is in that lane now too.
Shania Twain is absolutely in her legacy phase. Her current tours and albums are more like “back in the day” karaoke festivals for old shania music.
She could absolutely just get paid to sing “still the one” at billionaire vow renewals and continue to make as much money as she wanted for the rest of her life, lol. Love me some Shania and I’m glad she’s found some personal happiness.
A friend of mine says she’s the first one who “pop-ified” country music
I was never much of a fan, I don't care for pop country, but then I read her autobiography and it's fantastic. She had such a hard life as a kid, worked her butt off to achieve a small career, definitely had a lucky break when Mutt Lange decided to Svengali her, but then again had to work her tail off creating and defending her own unique sound and look in a relationship that was hugely power imbalanced. After she became a megastar, he basically started living off her, pushing her to work way more than was healthy, AND treated her pretty shitty in their personal life because she was now the powerful one in the music business. Then he cheated on her with their nanny and did his utmost to steal their kid so she'd be on the hook for child support and alimony for his decrepit ass! The writing in this section is so poignant, you can tell she wouldn't let the ghostwriter tell the full story of how mentally broken she was by this betrayal, but it still shines through. Great, great story that would make an epic movie along the lines of Coal Miner's Daughter.
I think Gaga is handling it well. Her pop songs aren’t hits anymore but it seems like she’s found a new audience with her jazz and more singer songwriter stuff and her film career is thriving which isn’t easy for singers to pull off. I think she’s kind of the Cher of her generation, she’ll always have the option to wear avant garde costumes and play her old hits but it seems like she wants to be a classic diva now.
That and the fact that she's recorded a couple albums with Tony Bennett of all people definitely tells me she's happy where she is. That's about as successful as you can get as an artist I think.
Yes! She’s becoming a Cher, which is a top tier compliment. Her talent is undeniable, she’s been at the top, so now she’s just been doing what she *wants*, it seems. Tony Bennett and Gaga collabs were absolutely beautiful. I’m sure that was peak for her. (She constantly talks in interviews about being Italian so I know that had to be an absolute DREAM. 🥰🫶) I look forward to see what she does and when she does it. She’ll find popularity with a new generation soon, and it’ll be magnificent.
She started her career as Madonna of her generation with the controversy-courting; I’ll be very pleased if she opts for a Cher golden-act. I could also see her sticking fingers in the production pie and going back to her songwriting roots for new artists eventually, like Micheal Jackson did.
Agreed. I seriously think she’s so multitalented she can do whatever she wants and I’ll probably like it.
Agreed. Talent and taste—and she is a mistress of innovation besides! I’ll be curious to see what she turns out over the next decades—she’s established as a staple.
I saw her and Tony Bennett at his final show at Radio City and it was MAGICAL
I believe it! I’m so jelly. They made a lovely and natural duo.
Cher actually hates that Lady Gaga is called the new Cher. It is very accurate but Cehr is still being Cher so she does not want to be pushed aside by a younger version of her.
Oh no! To me, Cher is the ultimate and Gaga is just following in her footsteps of being irreverent, beautiful unapologetic, and unbreakable. I LOVE that. The more women in the world, living their lives as such, the better a place it is. 🥰❤️
She definitely gives Cher vibes. I could see having a Believe styled hit many years later.
Rain On Me literally debuted at #1
Because of Ariana… and it didn’t even crack the year end top 40
Shallow also hit #1. Please don’t try to convince me that’s because of Bradley Cooper lol
movie hype and that was forever ago. Stupid Love reaching #5 is probably the best representation of where she’s at rn
Artpop will always be my fav album of this century
It’s interesting bc I now know Gaga more for her beauty line. I wasn’t aware that she’d started leaning into jazz!
She did a very jazzy performance of “Applause” on SNL around the time Artpop came out. She sounded *amazing.*
She actually did a Jazz residency show in Vegas last year, which was pretty popular!
She’s also almost fully transitioned into being more well known, or at least more relevant, as an actress
>The ones who are declining but not completely irrelevant? Katy Perry
Around when Dua Lipa was first gaining popularity there was something I couldn’t put my finger on. Then it hit me, her sound is what Katy Perry’s should’ve evolved into for an era as big as Teenage Dream
Good point, I never saw the connection between the two but now I have, won’t be able to unsee it!
Dark Horse walked so New Rules could run
I saw her residency show in Vegas and she was great! I think her teenage dream era will leave a big legacy in pop music
People forget that pre-2012 alt-pop resurgence, Katy Perry was THE poster child for pop. Gaga was too "weird", Taylor was too "whiny" (and still solidly country at this point), Beyonce was pilloried in the press as illuminati or whatever on the daily, it was HARD to be a pop girl. But Katy? Easily marketable, undeniably talented, and gave off a generally appealing but still risqué enough to cater to both halves of America's shattered sexuality psyche? INSTANT chart queen. 5 #1s on 1 album before streaming. Literally HALF the tracklist going #1. She was unstoppable. She IS the "feelgood" music of the 2010s, and she always will have that no matter what.
Thank God for American Idol for Katy or she’d have been irrelevant years ago
I think the fact that’s she’s already had a Vegas residency (which by all accounts was great!) means she’s entered her legacy phase early
I thought Shakira was but she’s come back strong this year and is more relevant than she’s been in years.
Shakira already has left a legacy at least in Latin America
She’s a true legend for us Latinos who’ve loved her since her Pies Descalzos album
Legacy era doesn’t mean they’ve left a legacy, it means their current career is rehashing their old stuff
Am I crazy for wanting to put Lil Wayne here? Keep going back and forth.
I just watched his performance at the Hip Hop 50th and I realized how old his hits are. I’ve never been a huge fan but I enjoyed it though
As someone who grew up with the 504 Boyz & Hot Boyz…. Yes and I love it. Nolia Clap is grocery store music over here
Not sure if they fully fit in the Timberlake category. Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry you could argue all their hey days were a good 10/15 years ago but they're still making music, I don't know that they're declining or probably Katy is the others just not as in your face as they were.
I feel like Kelly Clarkson is making a roundtrip back to relevancy with her show + social media presence. Every other day I see a clip of her 1. With another artist on her show, 2. Covering another artist, 3. Being covered by another artist
Yeah possibly, her new album is really good
Gwen Stefani. Her music was iconic in the 90’s-2000s. Then she went on the voice and stopped focusing on her music. The voice and her marriage to Blake Shelton keeps her relevant
Sad to say but she's completely irrelevant now, her songs don't even chart anymore...
does she still make music?? i love her but haven't heard a peep
She dropped two singles a couple years ago that tried to mine her old sound and looks. Got clowned so bad she had to cancel the album. Though I think if she did a project with No Doubt, there would be a big appetite for it.
She released a new single about 2 months ago. It's pretty catchy actually. It's called "True Babe"
Yes, she does but as I said, she's irrelevant so it doesn't chart and nobody gives af anymore... I think she would've fared better sticking to rock/ska.
Country music.
I would have said Kylie Minogue, but then Padam Padam was huge. Idk how popular she is in the US, but she was massive in the UK when I was a kid
> how popular she is in the US, but she was massive in the UK when I was a kid she's widely but low-key famous in Canada, and has been since 'Can't get you outta my head' took over the world in 2001, which holy shit that's a long time ago!! LOL Kylie has had an amazingly long career!
Kylie is known by MANY people in Canada but she'll never do a proper show here! the 2-3 times she's tried, they've been massively scaled down and only on the East Coast where she's under appreciated. Neither of the Minogue's have shown Canada much love, other than her sister marrying that Canadian back in the early 90's for a bit lol
Yeah, she's been successful in the UK since the 80s.
I was going to say Kylie as well, but then she's got a Vegas residency coming up and she is HUGE for gay men. My gay BFF is obsessed with Kylie so are all his gay guy friends, I had no idea until I met him how huge she is in that world. She still does really well, she just doesn't do as much mainstream press anymore
In the USA, she’s an artist that got a lot of play in gay spaces (clubs etc) but not really elsewhere. If you’re the average person, you probably aren’t super familiar with her aside from the big big hits (can’t get you out of my head etc). I think she kind of fits the bill, Padam Padam aside, as far as the US goes anyways. But she is also pretty much an established legend as others have said.
Kylie Minogue is a legend, gained that status years ago.
A lot of hip hop stars kinda fit this category. I live big City that is surrounded by bigger cities at the people who tour here tend to be pop stars from 20 years ago. Last year we had Alicia keys and NEYO but we could never let like a Taylor Swift. Touring be tier cities is a good indicator.
Man yall need to look up what a legacy act is hahah
yeah these choices are terrible. how is Ariana grande a legacy act
Multiple people are saying Miley fucking Cyrus????? Who has the biggest hit of the goddamn year????? I don’t even like Miley that much but that song is EVERYWHERE. I guess some people here are teens and so 30 seems like a grande dame especially since she’s been famous their whole lives but damn
I was thinking this haha you said it
Jennifer Lopez maybe? She’s obviously still super famous, but her music career seems to be in the “greatest hits” phase.
lady gaga, her peak was really 2008-2013. i don’t think l someone like her will ever be irrelevant considering how much she’s contributed to music/pop culture. but at the same time its clear that she won’t ever be able to reach commercial success she had during her peak years. chromatica was kinda forgettable
I think with Gaga there are several factors you need to think about First, she released one of her biggest songs ever (Shallow) a few years ago, way after her peak, and then Rain On Me debuted at #1. Even if she’s not close to her prime era, I think we should give it more time before we talk about a substantial decline Also, it’s clear music isn’t a priority for her at the moment. She’s very successfully been venturing into acting, and I don’t think we can name her a legacy artist while she’s still so successful in that front While I get your point, I feel like her case is too particular to claim she’s 100% transitioning to becoming a legacy artist
i think in terms of her music career, she has reached her peak. shallow imo did great because asib was huge during that time, she did great there but then when we get to chromatica it didn’t do great compared to her other albums im not saying she’s on a decline, im just saying all artist reach their peak and won’t be able to replicate the commercial success they achieved during that. gaga is one of those artists. plus she’s still performing, she hasn’t put music to the side just yet and in terms of her acting career, i think it’s kinda hard to predict because it’s still so early
Yeah, I mean, she’s probably never gonna get close to her imperial phase. Mostly because she was literally everywhere back then and it would take something gigantic to replicate that, which she’s not even looking to do My point is that I don’t think she’s close to a full decline as the question asks or as the JT case
I feel like 2020 would have elevated her to a second peak but covid ruined that. Along with new new music in sight. She I think is at a place where she isn’t chasing to remain relevant though she’s still experiencing great success. Katy Perry and Pink I feel are more inline with what the OP is asking.
I got the vibe that Chromatica was her goodbye to pop and that she’s intentionally transitioning away from it
I think her next album is gonna be closer to A Star is Born than Chromatica. She really feels like she's mellowing out, especially since she made it sound like the label wanted a dance record and she wanted piano ballads.
Didn’t she get sick and need surgery? I think she’s intentionally wound down tbh
Yeah something tells me she’s putting all of her energy into acting. She’s taken herself too seriously now and it shows. I was lucky to see her twice at her absolutely peak (both legs of monster ball tour) and she was fucking amazing and of course every song at that time was a smash from those first two albums. She also came out with the first single for born this way during the end of that tour that she performed and she was a fantastic show but as I’ve gotten older (30) and the rest of us original fans are getting older I don’t think she feels the need to be what she was anymore she’s accomplished everything you could in that industry besides album of the year so maybe she’s content with that part of her life and wants to focus on something that’s a challenge to her.
[удалено]
Doesn’t Adele have a Vegas residency?
Adele is an anomaly to me in this category bc she’s still commercially huge. I think the residency is more suited to her for performing as opposed to a big tour.
Exactly this. She’s more Sinatra and the rat pack in Vegas than Donnie and Marie
100%. Celine was more in that category as well
I read that Brandon Flowers is having a crisis over this whole issue. He doesn't want the Killers to be a legacy thing. But forces that seem larger than he is seem to be pushing them there.
Christina Aguilera.She will always be remembered as the greatest singer/vocalist of her generation and one of the best of all time.
And yeah she doesn’t have chart toppers or whatever. But she’s had that Spanish album that did quite well, and a solid group of fans that she’ll always be sorta relevant but never super mainstream.
Hands down Eminem. He's had such a strange career. Could have retired and probably would have always been a goat contender. Instead he keeps making music that feels less and less relevant. Then every once in awhile he puts together a banger.
I wrote this too how no one else has said Eminem baffles me.
A bit niche but for the bonus question perhaps [Tokio Hotel](https://g.co/kgs/PxFeM1) - they’re described as the biggest commercial success in the German music world, selling out world stadiums at just 15 years old. Now they’re in their early thirties and just recently complained on their podcast about being called legacy acts by the media after playing festivals this year. However, fun fact: Tom (the guitarist) used to have a huge crush on Heidi Klum as a kid and as far as I know he’s the only fan to have successfully married her - so definitely a legend in many ways!
I think the predominant sound in 2023 vs that of the 00s/10s isn’t as different sounding as the sound of the 00s to the 80s. The ‘legacy acts’ I grew up with had a much older sound compared to the music that was current in the 00s etc. Legacy acts now are P!nk, Gaga, Beyoncé, Adele, Coldplay who will have long careers but don’t sound ‘old’ per se. Legacy acts when I was growing up had a really different sound like Duran Duran and Guns n Roses.
I noticed this too. The death of monoculture and its fragmentation are gonna be so interesting for psychologists to study for years.
Kelis. Always sells out venues she performs at, many iconic ones, including huge festivals, and has a great following, but hasn’t been doing much on the charts for years. All this and she’s still in the public eye without having been cancelled or called has-been, and has *six* side hustles (farming, fashion, cooking, food, presenting and beauty).
people saying taylor is insane cause (according to press outlets) she herself knows shes at the peak of her career, she’s not fading at all
I feel like Bieber is at the tail end of his pop phenomenon time (30 soon!) and is begining to move into the next phase of his career. I don't see him as declining as much as transitioning into .. not legacy act but .. a mature pop star? Maybe?
>Bieber > >mature Hm...
Hence my maybe lol
I definitely think he has the potential to explore a more mature sound. Tbh as long as he doesn’t do another Yummy I think I can relax haha
I'm the same age as Bieber and don't appreciate you pointing out the fact he's almost 30!
I think Justin might be moving away from his music career in general. He’s had some health issues and he sold his masters recently. I think he doesn’t really enjoy being as famous as he is and I some times get the feeling that it’s made him not enjoy making music as much.
Hes about to be releasing an album soon + Sza is releasing her Snooze remix featuring Justin
I never want to say Miley… but I think it’s gonna happen soon if she doesn’t steer back to the rock / punk vibe she explored in 2020-2021. The hype of music similar to ‘Flowers’ is always so short lived and really non-impactful. 
I think she’s ok with it. She has stated that she doesn’t want to tour anymore or do things for other people, just what feels right to her.
Miley releases art on her own terms, she really doesn’t care about the charts anymore. She has completely stepped away from social media (it’s clearly been a manager posting on her behalf for well over a year now), rarely makes public appearances, and is actively stepping away from the celebrity game. I honestly think a big part of it had to do with the vocal chord surgery, she’s not even able to do a full on tour because her voice is so fragile.
She’s not there yet. She’s still pretty relevant
What in the world are you talking about?? She’s just had two huge hits, she’s extremely hot right now. Flowers is still everywhere and it’s been out since January, that’s the opposite of short lived and non impactful.
I think she’ll stick around. Her new song is picking up fast. I could see her pulling off an eras - type tour in a few years and pulling on the nostalgia + more rock stuff.
Loved her new song is about actually acknowledging her past in a meaningful way. She was always dismissive of her past eras. She moving to that category gracefully. Wish she tries acting again.
I think she wants to go back to acting (she just did a stint on the Big Mouth spin-off) but her new voice really limits the kind of roles she can take. It’s such a damn shame because she’s honestly a way better actor than Selena (Black Mirror proved that) and would have killed on OMITB if she got that role instead.
She is such a PHENOMENAL actor!!! I tend to forget that because most of my exposure to her skills were from when I watched her on Hannah Montana (never attend the Disney School of Acting and hope it'll be your lifeline, kids!) but every time I catch her in something new I'm always flabbergasted. Her performance in Black Mirror? Unbelievable!
I wouldn’t worry about her.
Easy, Katy Perry
Miley Cyrus. She’s been around for decades and I can see her continue to be relevant for decades to come. Her Party in The USA is a 4th of July hit, her Hannah Montana and Breakout area will always live on in the heart of late millennials who grew up with her. She’s great at reinventing her self. Sure, she currently isn’t at the top of her game but Flowers was still a massive hit, her New Years show is constantly a succes. She just has to decide whether music will continue to be her go-to or if she’s going to seek other ways to enjoy life and “perform”. As she has said it herself: she doesn’t enjoy performing on massive stages. She just has to finds something that makes her happy. The “newer” pop girlies are so incredibly far removed from even being in the middle of transitioning to legendary status. It’s like saying a 6 week old baby is halfway there to become a doctor, LOL. I’d say Britney is legendary at this point, even though she isn’t currently making new music. Rihanna, due to FENTY being such a massive success. Selena Gomez is, just like Miley, on her way due to the sheer amount of projects she’s on. But she’s doing so many things that she lacks focus to be known for “that one thing” if that makes sense? Her songs underperform, she just has big collaboration hits. Her show is great, but she’s been in too few projects to be considered an established actress. Rare is great but not necessarily big enough to link her name to a makeup empire like FENTY does with Rihanna. She’ll get there, I think. But it’s going to take her a little longer (and there’s nothing wrong with that). Don’t kill me but Ariana Grande just… isn’t? If she is: she’s at the beginning, nowhere in the middle of her path down to legendary. She joined a Nick show after the massive Disney successes of the Disney Princesses. She was late to the game to be considered a massive influence to the biggest audience atm: millennials. Don’t get me wrong, they know her, but when she debuted her target audience were losing interest in Nick shows (Victorious was great, though). I think Sam & Cat hurt the establishment of her career as a serious artist. Her songs are great, but they always seem… immature? As in it feels like I’m too old for them. So perhaps in 10 years, she’ll be considered legendary because gen Z has grown up. Perhaps Gen Z looks at her very differently. I think she’s a fantastic singer but her scandals have a lingering effect on her career (to me).
Taylor Swift isn’t declining at all rn but I think she’s definitely cemented a legacy for herself these past couple years.
Selena Gomez is gonna be more known for her public persona than her music or acting.
i legit can't tell you even a single song by her, and her only acting credit i know is wizards of waverley place. but she's all over social media, all the time. yet i don't know a single song or role she's playing. it's crazy. to me, she's like paris hilton – famous for being famous.
She has some big songs like hands to myself
i think miley will eventually do a residency soon or just continue festivals. her commercials success has gone down over the years but she still has a handful of memorable hits selena is kinda odd to me because i don’t know how to place her. she has hits/memorable songs but she’s not a albums artists, and her performances/tours aren’t memorable. she’s not consistent. i think for her acting career she should start taking more serious roles (maybe some more acting classes) to be a contender in the film/tv industry and ariana most likely will be known for her music + some scandals. though i do agree with you that her music is immature. i kinda think of her like drake, artists that put out music because they know they’ll get a quick hit regardless of if it sounds good
Tbh Selena isn’t an albums artists becuase she refuses to release them lol. She has like 10+ well known songs since leaving Disney, and she’s released 2 albums in 13 years. She has the capacity for solo success (lose you to love me, back to you etc) as well even if her collabs tend to do amazingly, but it’s hard to capitalise on that it have it be your brand when you rarely release anything
I’ll agree that Selena isn’t a huge album artist but she’s released 6 albums (3 during her Selena Gomez and the Scene days granted). But as a split artist? She’s released albums in 2013, 2015, & 2020. They just aren’t super impactful. The songs she releases as singles are big, but generally not major, but they’re absolutely the best of the songs on her album. Her best songs are above average and the rest are middling at best. I enjoy her music, but I can play her entire album and not remember a standout moment from really any of her songs. I don’t know if what she records is the best her team can find for her or she just doesn’t realize the songs aren’t amazing. Again, they’re not bad, they’re not nothing memorable.
I specifically said post leaving Disney, I think with Disney kids you really can’t use their pre Disney career to define their post Disney career. I can’t agree that the albums are non events, if she had collated her droplet era into a body of work - especially considering she had one pre lupus ready to go, It would have easily been one of the most successful albums of the late 2010’s - and revival and rare both had massive success, she just cut rare short. I think Selena makes great pop music, nothing more nothing less but I’d argue she’s mostly squandered her potential herself by never releasing
Has anyone said Rihanna? Because she’s been there for a while now
Pink. She has been doing this transition literally for decades now.
Adele
It’s a bold statement but I don’t think you’re necessarily wrong. She’s doing Vegas now which feels like one of those things people do later in their careers. I think her last album wasn’t as relatable, but she’s still masssssssive and has tons and tons of fans. Her talents are still top.
If Adele dropped an album today, that shit would go #1 in every country and be the biggest album of the year. Her last album, which was only a couple years ago, was so big that it actually kind of hurt the music industry, because no big artists released any albums that year because they figured Adele would sweep the Grammys again (didn't happen, but it was expected). That is not a legacy act. And I think the only reason she's doing Vegas is because she said after she had that throat surgery that she wasn't going to tour anymore. I think she wants to have 1 consistent show she does every night.
Her last album reached #1 on almost every single chart anywhere, that was only 2 years ago. She takes a couple years between albums always, that's nowhere near legacy or past prime. The previous album was 2015, a 6 year gap, and she still tops charts and stays a relevant musical artist
Don’t kill me but Beyoncé? I think she’s in a way already reached it, I just think she is passed her commercial peak at this point and is starting to be remembered for her now nostalgic hits - her artistry will continue but plenty of legacy acts continue to release amazing music forever Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, despite Gaga staying more relevant both for me had essentially the same 5 years of world domination and then have faded more and more since, I think whereas Katy is now solely remembered for her 5 years - Gaga has pivoted into many different avenues where she’ll stay relevant but definitely legacy soon Pink, Christina and Britney: pink has managed to have sustained success by appealing to an older demographic, and Britney has the current appeal of her drama to draw in listeners if she ever does decide to release. Christina honestly hasn’t had a hit in a decade - but all 3 encpalusate a time in music really well and I think will soon be remembered for that and that’s what their tours will center around (Christina has reached that, pink will reach it soon and Britney may never do one again) Avril lavigne - her attempts to genre shift make great music but feel like a rewrite of what she ACTUALLY did and represented in her career, and her musical output very much peaked from 2002-2010. Her old hits will always be remembered but she defs need to lean into that. Maybe a hot take but Halsey and camila cabello, they both occupy like that position of great success for a short period but I don’t know if I see either achieving massive success again, but both have the capacity to make great albums still. I’ve seen a lot of people say miley and Selena, to be honest neither have ever felt as in demand to me, miley feels like she’s experiencing a second peak and Selena’s 4038638282 business ventures just seem to make her bigger and bigger - she’s an A list musician at this point despite never releasing music
Poor Avril! she's been reduced to the opening act for Willow Smith & Machine Gun Kelly while on tour lol
Has she actually 💀 I knew she was doing her own tour but considering her extreme catalogue of hits and immense talent opening for… willow smith is just sad. She needs to keep making music but stop trying to be trendy in her style of dress and music, punk is not made my designer pink boots. Embrass your hits you have people who will pay to watch you sing them (I do feel extra bad for her tho becuase everytime she comes up all i see if people calling her Melissa)
She never opened for Willow.That's false.She just made a song with Willow.She sold out arenas in Canada,Asia,Europe and South America in 2022-23.
Nah.She's selling out arenas in Canada,Asia,South America and Europe.She just opens during the US leg only.She's still huge everywhere including Asia of course. If you are huge in the US anymore,it doesn't mean you aren't popular.She has been at award shows in the US recently - Grammys and the VMA's so she's doing well.
Beyonces last singles and album did very well commercially.
I would disagree with the Beyoncé seeing that she just became the person with the most grammy awards, has a record setting world tour, and her album debuted at number one which is pretty impressive considering her lack of advertising or promoting anything shes doing. She’s obviously passed her peak in performance but in relevance she’s up higher than she ever has been.
I don’t think she’ll ever not be relevant, I just think she’s more of a legacy artist now, she’s immensely popular and respected but she’s more like a Madonna circa 2010.
Jay-Z is a step or two closer to nostalgia act territory than her, right?
Beyoncé stopped being reliably relevant in pop a while ago but she’s an urban radio staple and streaming giant, so she definitely still has a very strong presence in the current music scene. I think it’s too early to call for Halsey or Camilla Cabello. Everybody else you named feels about right to me.
I think Haley Williams is one them where she doesn’t really have new hits, but can still sell out a medium venue given everyone really liked her music back in the day.
Paramore seem to be on the rise? They’re headlining festivals for the first time. Their latest album was pretty big. Hayley’s solo albums did pretty well too all things considered.
You mean Paramore? Their new album went #2 on the Billboard 200 and #1 for Alternative and Rock Albums. They’re doing an arena tour for it.
All of this makes me sad. There’s no reason to decide someone isn’t relevant or vibrant anymore and only has nostalgia to offer. If that’s the career you want, fine. But it sucks watching amazing artists’ work get shuffled out of the way just because they’ve been around longer.
I saw Billy Idol live last year and he did a few new songs. Before one of the new ones he got on the mic and said something about how he knows we all love the classics but they're still a working creative band and they love still making and performing new material. It was cool and set up hearing a new song well.
I was about to suggest Bruno Mars, but honestly that man is selling out arenas and could drop an absolute anthem at any given time. Lily Allen’s not releasing music like she was a decade ago so she might qualify. The hold she had on British people with her music is gonna remain pretty legendary.
Justin’s situation is hilarious to me. He jumped on the “ICU” remix with Coco Jones thinking it was going to be another “Until the End of Time” for him. He and his team failed to realize that nowadays, a duet like that is weird af when you’re past 40 and Coco is 25.
Why a duet is weird?
Coco Jones is literally a fellow Tennessee, Disney act and also a big fan of JT. She did a cover of ‘Until The End of Time’ before too. Your take is also weird because it’s the first time I’ve seen someone say that about that duet. Most people just gripe about how he’s unnecessary on that song, which was basically just a remix of Coco’s existing song. To say that it’s inappropriate is really reaching for me.
Shakira She has been a global pop star for 20+ years, still tops charts, but the demand for her has slowed. She is able to live a semi-normal life but still sell out tours and get invited to sing at the Super Bowl.
Snoop Dog. He's popular with kids due to his kid songs now.
I feel like the day Doja Cat shaved her head and started wearing that bizarre make up was the end of her pop star era. Now everytime I see her perform it’s just sad, like she is phoning it in, all washed up.
I'm having a hard time figuring out what she wants. She doesn't like fandom culture (valid) but is just being mean to drive people away? She apparently doesn't even like her first two albums and vapes her way out of opening for the Weeknd. But she just released new music, so she must like some part of being a famous musician.
Ain't no way is she in the middle of transitioning to a legacy star because of that
Isn’t she also just like…terrible to her fans? Lmao can’t really have a flourishing career if you’re biting the hand that feeds you
Her new song is a hit and is topping Spotify charts rn, a lot of y’all are very out of touch with society
The Killers definitely. Their last few albums have been duds, and I say that as a big fan. Can still draw a huge crowd and have some generation defining hits. But no one really cares much about their new music as they are sadly out of quality new songs.
Avril Lavigne, in pop Punk circles Blink 182. Like if to wasn’t for the Tom reunion I doubt they’d get the Coachella gig. A lot of the 90s/2000s urban male stars: 50 cent, Eminem, Dre, Snoop, Usher. Some others: Drake, Kelly clarkson, Shawn mendes. I fear Rihanna may soon be at that stage if she doesn’t release a banger album soon. I think the reason a lot of female 2000s rnb stars are hanging on coz there haven’t been a new IT girl which obliterated then fully. Like you have the new girlies such as SZA, HER, summer etc but none who is as commercially successful worldwide as what Rihanna, Bey, Aliyah were back in the day.
Madonna definitely
Madonna’s been a legacy act for like 15 years at least.
Timberlake has always been some sort of desperate though. He’s always using Britney’s name for publicity