When I think of a classic pop star, I think of “Barbie: The Princess and the Popstar”– glitter, glint and glam. I think of bold and bright costumes working in tandem with well-known earworms, curating an energetic performance.
In my primary school years, I couldn’t get enough of anything “pop star.” I loved Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus (also known as Hannah Montana) and so many more.
I often strutted around my childhood home, listening to my big three artists on my hot pink Bratz karaoke machine, wearing an oversized Selena Gomez t-shirt and a purple Hannah Montana guitar slung over my shoulder. It was a look.
Pop artists aided my growth in many ways through elementary, middle and high school.
That was until they vanished.
Many of my favorite pop artists took extended breaks from music in the 2010s – whether it was from illness, mental health or just to rest. Some returned to the industry and some decided music was not meant to be their primary gig – but the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is when they truly fell off.
Sure, old favorites could still be played on repeat during the pandemic, but it wasn’t the same. There was a significant decrease in the output of new music, and I was desperate for something new.
Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album, “Folklore” amidst the pandemic on July 24, 2020, but this was not pop. It was folk.
I loved the album, but the music industry was still missing the pop and pop star component I once loved.
When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2023, though, there must have been something in the air, because pop stars were back.
First came Olivia Rodrigo’s second studio album “Guts.” Then Chappell Roan’s debut album “Midwest Princess” was released and Tate McRae’s “Think Later,” which both gained traction in 2024.
While “Midwest Princess” and “Think Later” increased in popularity, pop lovers were being fed by Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” a mixture of synth-pop, chamber pop and folk-pop, and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet,” which capped off summer 2024.
Now, other pop artists have been releasing music since 2020, but what truly marked the resurgence of pop stars was these artists’ tours, complete with elaborate costumes and productions.
These costumes felt familiar to me. Growing up with a mother who is a burlesque dancer makes it difficult to not know the significance of a rhinestone or good sparkle.
Performers also recognized their significance as artists, including Swift, Rodrigo, Carpenter, and Roan, who introduced glitter-covered bodysuits in various colors for their 2023 and ’24 tours—much more sparkle than ever before.
The costumes were not alone in fueling the pop star resurrection. The costumes worn during a carefully planned production brought the pop star movement back with guns blazing.
Carpenter’s 2024 tour, for instance, is modeled after a television show from the 1950s, including commercial-like reels projected on the screens, a 1950s-style home as the set and a talk show host (pre-recorded voice) that bears a resemblance to Bing Crosby.
Some of her costumes included a bodysuit underneath a towel coverup and a black two-piece set, all covered in glitter.
Each outfit shimmered under the stage lights, amplifying the energy and reminding me of the larger-than-life pop stars I had idolized as a child.
After seeing Swift, Rodrigo and Roan in concert, Carpenter’s pop performance was the perfect cherry on top to end my 2024 concert season.
These energetic production-like performances make me hopeful that we won’t go back into the long pop star drought of the 2010s and 2020. That is, until we have a glitter shortage.
Cecilia Wallace can be contacted at wall1238@stthomas.edu.