Brat and Future Nostalgia have been two of the greatest moments in Pop Music history for the 2020s decade. In this miniature video essay, we visualize the impact that both albums have had so far and try to make an inference on what exactly this could mean for the future of Pop Music this decade. '
It is very clear however how the cultural definers for both albums can also somewhat be reflected in some of the more popular music that has recently blown up. A good example would be the cultural impact of albums like Beyonce’s Renaissance which can be akin to the album Brat as sort of a predecessor for the cultural impact that Charli XCX’s album would have on the world. Another good example is Sabrina Carpenter’s recent album effort Short n’ Sweet which can also be considered akin to a more fun and danceable record Future Nostalgia.
With the massive success of both of these albums at largest to different times in our cultural sphere, one can only wonder what the final album will be at the tail end of the 2020s decade.
The Cultural Climates In Which Both Albums Were Released
Future Nostalgia was released in a time where the world was locked down globally. The Covid-19 Pandemic was at its peak and as a result many people were not able to go outside and fully express themselves to this album. Nevertheless, Dua Lipa decided to bring the album to her fans and eventually, the world while at home. From doing constant pushes of the album virtually, to the iconic Studio 2054 performances, Dua Lipa was on an effort to ensure that her work was never erased and denied during this dark time in the world. Because of Dua’s hard work, the album would go on to become one of the greatest pop moments of the 2020s decade and serve as a reflection of a period in time in which humanity got to experience free will while processing such a traumatic time within our lives.
Brat in contrast was released at one of the most pivotal moments in history, The 2024 American Election alongside the rise of American fascism. A time in which the world was very divided at the time, and arguably still is. In American politics President Biden has just announced that he would not be seeking a second term and that he was ending his presidential campaign. The world had been introduced to such dark and glaring images of multiple humanitarian crises happening all at the same time. Kamala Harris would go onto receive the nomination, and would face large criticisms about what plans she had for the future of the country as well as just things that people did not particularly agree with what the Biden Administration had done at the time. All of this while the planning and implementation of Project 2025 within the states was being not only teased but promised at this point with the unknown at the time, impending second Trump term.
Brat was able to serve as a form of erasure and fun during these dark times. For it is because of this album many young people felt seen and heard through the things that Charli XCX was able to effectively communicate to the world. Even such that, she herself tweeted ‘Kamala is Brat.’ A phrase that would take on a brand new life during her campaign that gave people hope in such a dark and impending time for this country. Charli XCX’s struggles and anxieties implemented within the album were able to reach audiences of the young Generation Z and Gen Alpha at a time where things felt pretty hopeless. Whereas Future Nostalgia was an album where people wanted to forget the darkness around them, Brat sort of serves as a catalyst for exploring those feelings of fear and anxiety in real time while also maintaining your composition and being hot. Experiencing a world of pain while also still maintaining the presence of being a ‘bad b***h’ as the kids today would say.
Future Of Pop Music: 2029 Prediction
If Future Nostalgia represents the feeling of freedom during a dark time in the early 2020s and Brat represents allowing yourself to experience fear and darkness at a time where it didn’t once seem possible, then could the end of the decade see a combination of both of these themes if not more? The prediction for the end of the decade is that we will have an album in 2029 that encompasses the themes of ruthlessness and survival in a post pandemic and potentially a post-Trump world. There is no way to one-hundred percent predict this but as a student of politics and history, one of the things you learn is that you can always look to trends and movements of the past, to predict how things in your present and future will look. If we look at the music landscape of the past, we are kind of able to see what this could potentially mean for the future of Pop Music in the 2020s, also maybe a return to a different similar to what happened in the late 2010s before pop music had a huge renaissance. Nevertheless, the cultural analysis will be incredible at the time and we will be able to see what exactly will happen when that time gets here. But for now it is important to learn from the past, live in the present, and brace yourself for the future that is to come.
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