Sapphic pop

Last updated

Sapphic pop is a term used to describe a particular subgenre of indie music and bedroom pop. The genre typically has female, often femme, singer-songwriters and will often feature lyrical themes such as lesbian or queer love. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

The name of the subgenre derives from sapphism. [6]

Phoebe Bridgers, Muna, Tegan and Sara, Clairo, Girl in Red, and King Princess have been cited as examples of the genre. [7] [8] [9] Some male singers may also be included in the classification, such as Sufjan Stevens and Hozier. [10]

Additionally, some songs have been described as "sapphic anthems". For example, Muna and Phoebe Bridgers' song "Silk Chiffon" and G Flip and mxmtoon's song "Queen". [11]

Meanwhile, artists such as Gemma Laurence have called their music "sapphic folk". [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drop (music)</span> Sudden change of rhythm or bass line

A drop or beat drop in music, made popular by electronic dance music (EDM) styles, is a point in a music track where a sudden change of rhythm or bass line occurs, which is preceded by a build-up section and break.

Indie folk is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation.

<i>Oh My God, Charlie Darwin</i> 2008 studio album by the Low Anthem

Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is the third studio album by American band the Low Anthem. It was self-published on September 2, 2008, and reissued by Bella Union and Nonesuch Records in June 2009. Following the success of their album What the Crow Brings (2007), founding members Ben Knox Miller and Jeffrey Prystowsky welcomed Jocie Adams to the band. They were inspired by the confidence and romanticism of John Steinbeck's novels, and found tension between the human requirement of comfort and Charles Darwin's bleak theories of Darwinism, using his theory of natural selection as a framework to consider academics, politics, and religion. The album is named after Darwin, as the group considered how jarring his "survival of the fittest" theory would seem to a person of faith.

Alternative R&B is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and came to prominence with musical artists such as Frank Ocean, Drake, the Weeknd, SZA, Khalid, Bryson Tiller, PartyNextDoor, Tory Lanez, 6lack, and others. It is considered to be "more progressive and diverse" than its mainstream counterpart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedated (song)</span> 2014 song performed by Hozier

"Sedated" is a song by recorded by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier for his 2014 eponymous debut studio album. It was released on 20 May 2014 as the third single from the record, and peaked at number three on the Irish Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Bridgers</span> American musician (born 1994)

Phoebe Lucille Bridgers is an American singer-songwriter. Her indie folk music typically centers around acoustic guitar and electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has received four Grammy Awards from eleven nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muna (band)</span> American indie pop band

Muna is an American indie pop band consisting of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson. They released two studio albums with RCA Records, About U (2017) and Saves the World (2019), before signing with independent label Saddest Factory Records, which released their third studio album, Muna, in June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boygenius</span> American indie rock supergroup

Boygenius is an American indie rock supergroup consisting of American singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. They debuted with their self-titled EP in 2018, and then returned after a hiatus with their debut studio album, The Record (2023), which was both a critical and commercial success, winning the members three Grammy Awards and one Brit Award. Labeled an "instant classic" by NME, it topped the charts in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, and peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200. Their second EP, The Rest, was released on October 13, 2023. The group is currently on hiatus.

"Stayaway" is a song by American band Muna from their second studio album, Saves the World (2019). The song was written by band members Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson, who produced it with John Hill. It was released by RCA Records as the albums third single, on August 16, 2019.

For music from a year in the 2020s, go to 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Moose</span> American musician

Rob Moose is an American multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, conductor, and orchestrator. He primarily plays the violin, viola, and guitar.

"I Know the End" is a song by American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. It was released on July 29, 2020 as the fourth single from her second studio album, Punisher (2020). The song is a "three-part suite" that talks about depression, euphoria, and the apocalypse that culminates in a cathartic scream. It has been described as chamber pop, though Bridgers describes it as a "big metal song". Several of Bridgers' frequent collaborators are featured on the song, including Boygenius bandmates Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, Better Oblivion Community Center bandmate Conor Oberst, and Copycat Killer producer Rob Moose.

Jensen Paige McRae is an American singer-songwriter and poet. She gained prominence for her debut singles "White Boy" (2019) and "Wolves" (2020). Her music has been recommended by Rolling Stone, Vulture, Nylon, NPR, and The Fader. Her debut EP Who Hurt You? was released on June 25, 2021, followed by her debut studio album Are You Happy Now?, which was released on March 22, 2022.

Reunion Tour was the second solo concert tour by American musician Phoebe Bridgers, in support of her second studio album Punisher. The tour began in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, on September 3, 2021, and concluded in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States, on April 26, 2023.

Saddest Factory Records is an American record label that was founded on October 5, 2020, by Phoebe Bridgers. The label operates as an imprint of Dead Oceans and artists that have been signed to the label include Sloppy Jane, Muna, Claud, and Charlie Hickey.

<i>Muna</i> (Muna album) 2022 studio album by Muna

Muna is the third studio album by American indie pop band Muna, released on June 24, 2022. It is their first album as an independent artist, after they signed with Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records imprint in 2021. It was promoted with the singles "Silk Chiffon", "Anything but Me", "Kind of Girl", "Home by Now" and "What I Want". The album was met with critical acclaim upon release and became the band's first-charting album on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart.

Charlie Hickey is an American indie rock musician from Pasadena, California. Hickey is currently signed to Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Part of the Band</span> 2022 single by The 1975

"Part of the Band" is a song by English band the 1975. It was released on 7 July 2022 through Dirty Hit as the lead single of their fifth album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language. Reviewers identified the song as breaking new ground for the band, containing aspects of different pop, folk and rock genres. String instruments play throughout the acoustic song, with additional incorporation of woodwind and jazz instruments. The lyrics, in a stream of consciousness style, explore Healy's relationships and himself without a chorus.

"Ghost in the Machine" is a song by the American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022), featuring the American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. The song is a ballad that falls within the indie pop and R&B genres; music critics described it as a cross between Bridgers's and SZA's respective sounds. Written in a conversational style, the lyrics express disillusionment with inauthentic relationships, the inhumane behavior of other people, and artificial intelligence. They also portray SZA asking her lover to provide an escape from a world she sees as having been consumed by vanity.

"F2F" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). "F2F" is a rock song that draws influence from genres such as country, pop rock, and grunge. SZA wrote the song with Lizzo, who provides background vocals, and producers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. The song was one of around five rock-inspired songs SZA created for SOS, out of a desire to experiment with various genres outside of her usual R&B music. The song begins with acoustic guitar strums before transitioning into a chorus backed by drums and power chords from electric guitars. The lyrics talk about having sex with someone to cope with breaking up with a former partner.

References

  1. ↑ "The Sapphic Pop Boom Has Been a Long Time Coming". Them. March 9, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ "The 21 Best Sapphic Bops of 2021". out.com. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ Harding, Charlie (August 23, 2022). "Blackpink's 'New Venom' Winks at Rihanna, Biggie, and More". vulture.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  4. ↑ Harding, Charlie (August 10, 2022). "What Kelis's 'Milkshake' Was Bringing to Beyoncé's 'Energy'". vulture.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Page 3 Profile: t.A.T.u. - Pseudo-Sapphic pop duo | The Independent". The Independent. February 7, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Sound of Sapphism". Switched On Pop. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  7. ↑ "The 2019 Dazed100 is here". Dazed. April 29, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Sapphic alt-pop music is better than it has ever been". culturess.com. July 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ Madden, Emma (November 18, 2021). "The limitations of the 'sapphic anthem'". NPR. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  10. ↑ Cruz, Reanna (November 8, 2022). "Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA, even Hozier: Cuddle Up to Sapphic Pop". vulture.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Madden, Emma (November 18, 2021). "The limitations of the 'sapphic anthem' : NPR". npr.org. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.