The 1990s were an era of intense contrasts and creative hybridization of genres. Grunge, epitomised by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s raw vocals from Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was the cornerstone of grunge while girl groups like the Spice Girls introduced commercialised versions of girl power to young audiences.
Hip hop was still an immensely popular genre during this era, while neo soul combined 1970s soul styles with hip hop. Mariah Carey became the most successful female artist of this decade with 14 number-one hits to her credit.
Spice Girls
One of the most beloved girl groups of the 90s was the Spice Girls. Their debut single, Wannabe, quickly reached number one on charts worldwide. Their extravagant costumes and personalities encouraged women to express themselves more freely while inspiring other pop acts to follow suit. 25 years after its initial popularity surge, The Spice Girls remain iconic symbolisms of girl power that still resonate with female audiences today.
The Spice Girls came together in 1996 after responding to an advertisement placed in a UK trade paper by their management team. Soon thereafter, they parted ways with them and managed themselves throughout most of their career; touring extensively while promoting both their album and movie Spiceworld as well as taking on sponsorship deals from Pepsi, Walkers, Polaroid, and Cadburys among many others.
By the time they disbanded in 1998, The Spice Girls had sold more than one million records globally and their singles Too Much, Stop and Viva Forever all reached #1 on UK charts. Furthermore, their film Spiceworld was released and their music featured prominently in various commercials.
Pop punk and post-grunge bands such as Blink-182 and Green Day became immensely popular during this era, blending rock with pop elements. R&B/neo-soul also enjoyed a revival during this time with artists such as Boyz II Men and Mary J. Blige capturing audiences.
Popular 90s pop songs often explored controversial social and cultural issues such as drugs and alcohol abuse, depression, and the AIDS pandemic. Some songs from this era led to discussions among family and friends; at other times they simply entertained.
The 1990s also witnessed an explosion of dance fads. Many will recall trying to learn the Macarena dance craze that began with Los del Rio’s song in 1996; another notable dance trend was Billy Ray Cyrus’ pop country tune Achy Breaky Heart which became number one on charts worldwide in 1998. Additionally, many artists released ballads which often boasted beautiful lyrics and melodies, along with intricate music videos.
RuPaul
RuPaul became an international pop icon of the 1990s through his music and TV shows, becoming widely beloved all around the globe. He gained international prominence thanks to Channel 4 series Manhattan Cable that focused on New York City’s public-access television system; while his album Supermodel of the World featuring number-one single “It’s Raining Men”. Additionally, RuPaul found success acting commercials and magazine ads.
Dance and hip hop music continued their rise to popularity during the 90s. Genres such as techno (also referred to as house music) and rap saw enormous success on charts worldwide, while hip hop artists began incorporating elements of soul, jazz, and funk into their style for new jack swing and neo soul creations.
The 1990s witnessed the rise of female rappers such as Queen Latifah and Salt-N-Pepa, with more raunchy lyrics being popularised by Foxy Brown and Lil’ Kim’s debuts. Additionally, this period also witnessed a revival of female singer-songwriter movements from earlier decades like Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos becoming major hits.
Rap artists of the 1990s included Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, LL Cool J, Eazy-E, MC Hammer, OutKast and Naughty by Nature; other prominent rap acts were Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. Many of these artists sampled or interpolated older songs into their own works like LL Cool J’s hit “U Can’t Touch This”.
Artists from Latin America also achieved great success during the 1990s. Spanish singer Ricky Martin, Colombian singer Shakira and Puerto Rican salsa band La Mafia del Barrio all found great fame during various years.
Mariah Carey dominated female music during the 1990s, boasting 14 chart-topping singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart. Boyz II Men and Michael Jackson also enjoyed multiple number one hits on that list; Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston alone achieved more than 50 weeks at number one on Hot 100 charts combined.
Michael Jackson
Pop music in the 1990s was heavily influenced by various genres. Teen pop and dance-pop trends popular during the 70s and 80s remained relevant, as did contemporary R&B such as Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s incorporation of R&B/hip-hop influences into their sound; Boyz II Men brought back soulful vocal harmonies reminiscent of R&B’s golden age from 1960s; new jack swing, neo-soul, and hip hop soul also came into being during this decade.
Pop music in the 90s was also heavily influenced by other styles, such as country, dance and alternative rock. Popular artists of the decade included Irish Celtic folk group the Corrs and British rock band PJ Harvey as well as Los Angeles pop singers Human Nature and Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana; additionally American singer Britney Spears became a mega-star as the lead singer of a girl group.
Popular music of the 1990s often addressed sensitive social and cultural topics through lyrics as well as music videos, such as Michael Jackson’s Black or White song that challenged our conceptions of race and racism with images showing different faces morphing together to create an intriguing and thought-provoking visual.
Other pop songs of the 1990s centered on more personal issues, like love, heartbreak and loss. Songs by Whitney Houston like You’ll Never Get to Heaven and Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough both addressed these themes; country singers Mary Chapin Carpenter and Lorrie Morgan also resonated strongly with listeners.
Other artists such as the neo-traditionalists Clint Black and Alan Jackson as well as southern rockers Diamond Rio provided audiences with country music with traditional elements. Meanwhile, Green Day and Blink-182 blended various musical genres into their performances for wider audience appeal.
Britney Spears
Although several musicians captivated the denim-wearing, Kool-Aid hair-dyed teenage demographic in the 90s – such as Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake – Britney Spears was unparalleled when it came to embodying pop star personas like Christina Aguilera or Justin Timberlake did. A singing, dancing platinum blonde princess with perfect figure and make-up embodied everything teens desired as role models; although she experienced growing pains, awkward phases, and meltdowns similar to everyone else she never let her problems interfere with her success!
Spears’ breakout hit single, “Baby One More Time,” made its debut in 1999 and catapulted her to stardom. Following its success was her debut album Oops!… I Did It Again which soon after became one of the best-selling records of its first week on release – becoming the youngest solo female artist ever to top Billboard 200 chart in its first week since 1989.
Success of her album was enhanced by an international tour in support of its release and she quickly rose to become an international icon. Additionally, her music began reflecting her maturing personality with co-writing most tracks from 2001’s Britney, including one such track as “If U Seek Amy” which featured sexual innuendo as one of its central themes.
Spears soon ventured beyond music into movies and television shows; she even started dating Justin Timberlake of NSYNC before their relationship came to a devastating halt in 2002.
Other popular artists from the 1990s who made an impactful mark were Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Xscape and Whitney Houston – in addition to Britney Spears. Shania Twain found success with pop-country crossover hits during this decade; European artists included George Michael and Robert Palmer while popular European ballad songs came from Sinead O’Connor, the Cranberries and Lisa Stansfield as well. Los del Rio’s global dance craze the Macarena cemented Spears as a pop icon before her breakout as one of today’s pop icons – setting Spears on her journey as one.