Austin Hull, founder of Make Pop Music – an online community and marketplace for modern pop music – grew up playing hard rock and metal music before finding a passion in producing pop music and the business side of the music industry.
Pop songs with timeless appeal feature relatable stories told through catchy lyrics that resonate with listeners, with basic major barre chords usually preferred over complex jazz chords for harmony purposes. To do this, pop musicians typically follow this rule when choosing chord progressions in their repertoires.
Songwriters
Pop music’s songwriters often go unappreciated. While Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift may be household names globally, their collaborators behind their hit songs often remain anonymous despite being integral parts of pop music creation. Yet these often unnoticed individuals play an essential part in its creation and development.
Songwriters are usually responsible for creating the musical structure and lyrics of pop songs, including creating melodies and lyrics. Additionally, they may be responsible for production aspects like chord progression arrangements or adding effects to vocal tracks. Finally, songwriting requires creating catchy hooks – parts of songs that linger in people’s memories for weeks after listening!
Pop music encompasses many distinct genres and a talented songwriter must adapt quickly to changing trends. For example, in the early 2000s there was an enormous trend towards breakup songs written about personal experiences by popular artists; but by 2010, these songs had fallen out of fashion due to new genres like emo being popular instead. Luckily, knowledgeable producers and songwriters understand this change quickly enough that their styles can adapt accordingly.
One reason that pop songs are so beloved is because their relatability makes them easy for people to identify with. Most have experienced love, loss and heartbreak at some point in their lives and these emotions can easily be expressed through song lyrics. Furthermore, writing catchy and memorable pop lyrics requires talent as well.
Pop writing must also be commercially viable. Since most pop music is distributed and promoted through major record labels, its success depends on being sold. As opposed to other genres of music, pop tends to be more commercial and less artistic; thus its songs tend to be shorter, catchier, and easier to market than their counterparts.
While pop writers from around the world compose hits, most are written in Sweden and the US. Producers Max Martin and Shellback from Sweden are particularly prolific songwriters; both have worked with numerous famous artists like Britney Spears, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and P!NK to produce hit after hit.
Singers
Pop music, as its name implies, is a genre of general popular or general music that appeals to mass audiences. While there are no set rules or instruments specific to pop music genre, some universal features exist that help it resonate with listeners worldwide – for instance a great pop song must feature catchy melodies with relatable lyrics as well as being accessible to people who may not share its native language; some popular tracks also boast upbeat rhythms and tempos to get people moving their bodies!
Pop composers tend to be professional artists, although any person with an interest in singing and songwriting could also create pop music. Working either alone or as part of a collective, they might write songs together or collaborate with other writers on new tunes. No matter who they are or their background is, great pop musicians possess distinctive vocal styles and timbres which add character and dimension to songs – this is particularly important when composing pop tunes that incorporate harmonies or layers of backing vocals into its fabric.
As essential as its lyrics and melody are, another crucial component of pop music songs is their overall structure. Most popular hits follow a verse-chorus-bridge format with repeated choruses; though other less conventional structures such as NOFX’s song “Linoleum” have found success too. Pop vocalists usually possess clear melodic voices ranging from simple a cappella renditions to full operatic performances.
Pop music evolves along with new technology and audience tastes, such as jazz’s rise around 1900. At first, its unique blend of European, African, and Caribbean elements led to the emergence of first mainstream pop stars such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra; later during World War II black musical traditions began influencing white artists such as Elvis Presley creating rock’n’roll genre.
Producers
Pop music producers use songs written by songwriters as inspiration to turn into professional recordings, providing creative direction and helping artists realize their vision. While other genres may only require technical producer services (recording, mixing, mastering), pop song producers must understand both artistically satisfying songs as well as what sells commercially.
Each song may feature different instrumentation; such as electric guitars and drums, electronic instruments or synthesized soundscapes may be added for variety. They also decide on its speed or tempo – some pop songs feature 160 beats per minute while other are more relaxed midtempo recordings.
Popular music relies on catchy melodies and lyrics with memorable hooks to attract listeners, and pop music harmony tends to use major and minor barre chords that can easily be played by most musicians.
Pop’s universal appeal is another defining characteristic. As a highly commercial genre that seeks to appeal to the masses, it often features polished vocals and catchy melodies produced slickly enough for mass consumption. Pop music’s success often relies on current trends; producers can adapt quickly by riding new wave, hip hop, dance music or any other trend early. Trends come and go quickly but experienced producers stay abreast of them by quickly seizing each wave as soon as they become popular enough.
Pop producers tend to be experienced professionals with extensive industry knowledge who know how to market and distribute music effectively. They’re adept at crafting tracks that sound great on any device from radios to headphones – unlike raw genres like punk or noisecore where dirty sounds may appeal more, pop requires an attractive, smooth mix.
Producing a hit pop song requires skill, time, and money – something which is rarely easy without major record label backing. For this reason, most pop songs nowadays are co-produced by multiple producers.
Musicians
Pop is an umbrella genre of music spanning many styles. Pop songs typically employ repetitive musical elements as their foundation, with lyrics often featuring rhyme, wordplay and emotional expression. Pop musicians used to play multiple instruments but today most use synthesizers or drum machines instead. As opposed to classical, jazz or rock styles that impose many strict musical rules upon performers, pop has few rules itself which allows performers to be more creative with instruments, performance techniques and cultural trends reflected through fashion, colors and trends reflected through its soundscape.
Pop music is one of the most widely enjoyed forms of musical expression, drawing in fans and media alike. These individuals can then influence its future direction; however, it must be remembered that trends change quickly so pop artists must adapt quickly to any new influences or risks being present in the industry.
One way of doing so is by taking inspiration from dance music and other popular genres. This has traditionally meant singers donning outrageous outfits and choreographed dance moves in order to promote their songs; additionally, producers should also strive to produce tracks with catchy beats and deep bass grooves.
Pop music must also appeal to a broad audience, which requires professional mixing and mastering skills if the tracks are to compete against other pop songs on various playback systems – from tiny radios to high-end headphones.
Pop songs tend to be written so as to accommodate for multiple vocal abilities; other genres may require specific skillsets. This has given rise to several iconic pop music groups with widely differing voices such as ABBA, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, The Go-Go’s Cher and Olivia Newton-John.
Successful pop musicians create a reputation by becoming known for a particular sound, like Quincy Jones and Jack Antonoff are. Both musicians are famous for their signature sounds–Quincy’s disco strings are iconic; Jack Antonoff can bring fist-in-the-air fun through reverb and synths; today’s productions make extensive use of auto-tune, correcting pitch so every vocal note sounds perfectly, something critics may view as detracting from emotion but serves as an effective tool to ensure their songs make an impactful presence when radio playback or streaming on digital platforms like Spotify or iTunes etc.