Finally!! Uptempo Pop!! Wooo!! The new Dua Lipa song is a BOP! “Don’t Stop Now” is just what the pop scene has needed for YEARS!! And... that got me thinking... it’s fun to try and predict the future sound of pop and I feel like if my knowledge of the pop scene from the last decade or two is correct, we might just be looking at the start of a new pop sound for the 2020’s decade: NuDisco!
From what I can gather, Pop seems to hold on to a musical theme for about 4-5 years before phasing it out:
1997-2001: Bubblegum Pop (Britney, N’Sync, etc.)
2002-2007: Slower pop takes off/HipHop/Alternative/Ballads popular
2008-2013: New sound! Uptempo music /Electropop/Higher BPM’s Dominate.
2014-2019: Electropop killed off. SLOW BPM’s, Downtempo, Alternative leaning pop/Folk/ Slow ballads take over.
2020-2024: Prediction: Uptempo Pop returns, many infused with “NuDisco” sound! Music is fast again! Yea!
With the successful tease of a few disco inspired songs (like "Treasure, Get Lucky, Blurred lines", etc.) in 2013, I feel like “NuDisco pop” could be a big sound in the early 2020’s, especially since there’s a call to go back to using “real” instrument sounds in music again (Guitars, etc.) and pop is definitely overdue for a BPM increase!
I imagine Dua Lipa’s song being a tester for similar NuDisco inspired pop songs to come, (Seems like there was quite the production team behind her new song) If successful, I feel like this song could be the match that lit the NuDisco Pop flame! 🔥
Anyway, always fun to try and predict the future sound of pop! Guess we’ll have to wait and see if my crystal ball works or not! ;)
-Wayne