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As the trends in music evolve, as does the definition of pop music. Pop started as an abbreviation for popular; since the mid-20th-century, it has become the go-to term to define the music currently holding the most favour with the public. The evolving nature of pop makes it hard to pinpoint the pioneers; some say it all started when performers needed a catchy and memorable song in the Victorian area, while others say that pop began with the original crooners in the 30s.

The introduction of the pop music charts in 1952 allowed a cultural shift to form around music. It was at this point in history that teenagers became a massive target for the media. Before this new social reconstruction, there had been no in-between for children and adults. Just as it is now in the TikTok age, where teenagers can make an unknown artist go viral in minutes, teenagers effectively ran the music industry in the 50s too!

After Elvis Presley reigned supreme in the late 50s and early 60s, the Beatles dominated the charts for eight years until they disbanded in 1970. Throughout the 80s, synthpop took the pop limelight until the Boy Band era was born in the 90s. The selling power of East 17, Take That, Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync gave Bob and Chris Herbert the idea to manufacture the world’s ultimate girl group; with the Spice Girls, they discernibly succeeded. After the Spice Girls topped the charts, more manufactured pop acts, such as Britney and Mariah Carey, started to surface. Manufacturing is still a massive part of the pop industry, but more and more pop artists are becoming brave enough to break the mould (think Billie Eilish, St. Vincent and Lorde).

Even though the pop charts are more diverse than ever, with Ed Sheeran sitting next to the Weeknd and Dua Lipa next to Tom Grennan, there are still common factors in their pop tracks. Today, most songs that fall into the pop category follow the extensively tried and tested pop formula. Generally speaking, pop tracks are 3 – 5 minutes in duration, use just one key, contains melodically lyrical soundbites that include the title, have a repeating chorus and keep to 4/4 time signatures. Repetition is quite literally key.

Unless it is a ballad or a stripped back acoustic number, pop tracks usually unfold to danceable tempos and rhythms to complement the lyrical hooks. Elements from every genre can be pulled into pop, the main ones being rock, RnB, hip hop, country, Latin and dance. Indie pop was a force to be reckoned with at the start of the millennium, but two decades in, it has lost its foothold to hip hop and RnB, which have become pop genres in of themselves.

The Seraphic Soulstress, Cati Landry, Struck Again with Her Sophomore Single, Riptide

Cati Landry defied the confines of material reality with the rush of euphonic etherealism in her sophomore single, Riptide, inspired by an equilibrium of the timeless music she grew up on and the rugged beauty of her coastal Canadian upbringing.

Ensuing from the ring of acoustic guitar chords which tinge the intro with 90s nostalgia, the single quickly oscillates into a diaphanous, quasi-hymnal ballad which reminisces on the most tender and mystifying-on-the-heartstrings facets of a relationship while conjuring a seraphic sense of serenity.

Landry’s crystalline vocal lines take the dreamy indie pop meets alt-country soundscape to a whole other celestial level; you can’t help but surrender to her otherworldly command when immersed in Riptide, which doesn’t stop at washing over your rhythmic senses; the single permeates the soul to implant the reverie rendered into the release.

Cati Landry set the bar high with her 2023 debut single, Mind’s Eye, but she reached nirvana with Riptide and sits alongside Beach House, Mazzy Star, and Chayr in the dream-pop pantheon.

Prior to focusing on her solo career, the Vancouver Island-born-and-raised artist lent her talents to various bands and performed in jazz clubs, bars & theatres. After studying Literature at the University, she pursued a Master’s in Songwriting at Berklee, where she wrote her debut single, which was brought to life in an LA recording room and polished by producer Neil Wogensen.

The dream-folk daytime lullaby arrived on the airwaves on July 11, distributed via Foundation Media, stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lust and Luminescence: Exploring Derik Madrid’s Pulsative RnB Pop ‘Vision’

Derik Madrid, a Filipino singer-songwriter based in Sydney, illuminated the airwaves with the neon-lit glow of his latest RnB pop release, Vision. Created in collaboration with the powerhouse producer, Declan Dias, the sensuously salacious single explores the phenomenon of objects of desire existing as abstract ideas within fantasies until the lust-fuelled daydreams become more tangible than semblances of reverie.

The themes of fixation are expertly visualised in the etherealism of the single which showcases Madrid’s vocal versatility and Dias’ ability to thematically run with a concept until it euphonically materialises. Pulsative electronic beats become the bedrock of the vulnerable release that is underpinned with enough pure passion to allow listeners to vicariously experience the artist’s deep adoration and prompt reflection on the profound connections in their own lives.

By exploring the haunting fear of loss and unrequited love, Vision is a deeply affecting meditation on the dualism of love. It’s so much more than a showcase of Madrid’s ability to fuse his narratives into memorable melodies; it’s a testament to his talent for creating music that resonates on a profound level with his audience.

As Madrid continues to draw inspiration from icons like Sam Smith and The Weeknd, his own unique voice becomes increasingly distinct and influential.

Vision was officially released on July 5th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

khokkosh. incited an industrial art-pop riot with ‘pelicaning’

Exhibiting the artistic freedom of a mind that knows no creative constraint, the 20-year-old dark electro-pop producer and visual artist khokkosh. used her seminal single, ‘pelicaning’, prised from her sophomore two-track release, ‘pelicaning./a duck, a bear, and I.’ to conjure a macabrely avant-garde aural installation that haunts the middle ground of Poppy and Billie Eilish.

By mainlining the harsh elements of industrial into a hypnotically warped earworm which sonically mimics the effects of a trance spiral, the Indian artist found her place at the vanguard of the art pop revolution.  The self-written, produced, mixed, and mastered computer-adjacent, thematically visceral synthesis of caustic beats and scathing synths explores the self-invented phenomenon of pelicaning; the act of caging words inside you until they are forced to erupt.

With this two-track release feeding into khokkosh.’s merciless agenda of piercing through the veil of inhibition, regardless of how ugly we may appear to others we expose our true unfettered autonomy, the revolutionary isn’t just one to watch, her fearless authenticity makes her an artist to admire and emulate.

Stream the official music video for pelicaning, which premiered on July 8th on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

An In-Depth Interview with Georgina White on Her Unique Sonic Journey and Artistic Versatility

Georgina White took time away from her versatile artistic career to share how she discovered and refined her unique sonic identity, one that beautifully melds old-school soul with a diverse range of influences—from classical to folk and jazz. The conversation reveals the eclectic nature of Georgina’s music but also her profound connection to her artistic roots and the personal evolution that shapes her craft. From early influences watching her mother perform opera, to her own experiences on the West End stage and her explorations during the pandemic, Georgina’s career is a testament to perseverance and artistic amalgamation. Her narrative offers a fascinating glimpse into how her multifaceted career in music and acting intertwines and influences her creative output and performance style.

Georgina White, welcome to A&R Factory! Your artistic identity appears as fascinating as your eclectic imbued with old-school soul discography. Your sonic signature resonates with a rare authenticity; did finding your characteristic tone come easily to you? 

Hi Amelia! That’s a great question and thank you, that’s a huge compliment… I spent a long time searching for my authenticity and sonic sound; I now believe I always had it within me but it’s taken years of playing various roles, singing in so many different styles throughout my career and using all this experience to create my own authentic sound.

As you said, my style is certainly eclectic – I’ve always sang from the soul but with classical influences from my opera singing mum and folk playing grandparents. Add some sultry jazz/blues, theatrical playfulness and a powerful belt and there’s my signature tone!

You clearly thrive in the spotlight, when did your creative desires start to shape your reality? 

I spent a lot of my childhood watching mum on stage being an absolute vocal powerhouse. I was mesmerised; it was vibrant, exciting and empowering. I knew I had to follow suit – not in opera but performing in many different ways. I was cast in a West End show when I was 15 and it all took off from there.  I started writing a lot of my own material during the pandemic when I escaped to my home studio for peace of mind.

You’ve succeeded in your acting and music career; how do you find these disciplines and talents influence each other? 

They’ve always been incredibly intertwined; I’ve worked consistently as an actor/ musician in theatre since graduating from RADA so it’s influenced the way I think. Words come to me easier over music. I can understand what’s going on in my life a lot more when there’s background music playing!

When acting, I will always do a vocal warm-up before a performance to ensure my voice has its true range and sometimes I’ll sing my lines in practice to find colour and flavour.

Does your ability to embody a wide range of characters as an actress help you to bring your lyrical characters to life more vividly?

Definitely. Each song I now release feels like it’s performed by a different character; a contrasting layer. But they all add together to create something whole. Me.

You’re well on your way to becoming revered in London’s live music scene after performing at Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club and the Moustache Bar in Dalston, what can your fans expect from your live performances? 

They can expect a very eclectic set! Originals from the heart accompanied by a live band or me on keys. Cover mash-ups going from blues to rock that will make you want to bop and (depending on the show) a variety of musical theatre characters that will make you laugh and cry. I also play sax and bassoon!

You’ve also been quite a hit on the airwaves since releasing your debut single in 2021. In your opinion, what is it about your sound which speaks to a wide audience? 

I sing from the soul and I say it as it is, so hopefully that. I’ve also been around a while, faced a lot of rejection and really worked my ass off. I’ve had 2 number 1s in the UK Chart of Gold with my soul covers which has been a dream come true.

I’ve been told I’m good at atmospheric storytelling and I like to play with vocal styles and tones so hopefully the audience is kept engaged. My more peaceful music has been described as therapeutic too.

I think, perhaps, they don’t know what I’ll do next… Nor do I sometimes! I work with my talented and experienced producers at Creative and Dreams Music Network to figure out what the next step is.

Looking forward, how do you envision the next chapter of your artistic journey? 

I’m so incredibly grateful for everything I’ve achieved and experienced so far. I’m looking forward to more growth as an artist; more writing, experimenting and understanding myself and what I want to say. Being brave. Oh, and an album is on its way!

I’ve been playing at festivals this Summer (Old Town Live is next on 27th July) and I have more theatre coming up later this year too (that I can’t talk about yet!). I’ll be working towards a solo tour of the UK and hopefully internationally too.

Can your fans look forward to more new music from you this year?

Absolutely. I’ve got ready recorded singles up my sleeve, it’s now all about timing. I’ve been on the road for 9 months with theatre productions so having a little rest before it all takes off again! Thank you so much for listening!

Listen to Georgina White’s latest single, LOVE, on Spotify now.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

London’s introspective indie pop icon, Gemma Felicity, struck again in ‘10 Million Dates’

Our adoration for Gemma Felicity remains unflinching after the release of her intimate indie pop single, 10 Million Dates. With her latest right-on-the-euphonic money release, the London-hailing singer-songwriter captured the collective frustration within the modern dating scene, detrimented by the illusion of endless choice.

The sense of disillusion in the lack of real, raw, and pure connection resounds throughout the artistically profound, poetically bitter-sweet lament which acts as the ultimate consolation to anyone who is losing the motivation to keep searching.

By delicately touching on themes of people pleasing, loneliness, fear of the future, emotional baggage, and the ennui which follows pinning hopes on a transient character in our lives before they disappear within the folky dream pop reverie of the polished production, Gemma Felicity delivered one of the most affecting singles of 2024.

As the introspectively candid icon gears towards the release of her 5-track EP, Baggage, there’s no doubt that she’s inching towards the zenith of her career.

10 Million Dates was officially released on July 5th; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergas

Marc Ambrosia aurally embodied queer pride with his alt-pop anthem, You Can Tell Me

Pride month may be over, but the perpetual appeal in Marc Ambrosia’s queer pop anthem, You Can Tell Me, is infinite.

The luminously iridescent outpouring of euphoric emotion, inspired by a coming-out story which tore down a barrier in a friendship, explodes as a riotous affirmation that there are few things sweeter than tearing off a façade and tuning into the liberating freedom of living openly and proudly.

The tinged-country pop-rock hit is enveloped by the exhilarating joy that comes as a consequence of acceptance and self-expression while LGBTQ+ allies are celebrated for their profound ability to change worlds simply through understanding and accepting.

Whether the single acts as an inspiration to take that candid leap or you adopt Ambrosia as a confidant while you prepare to write your own coming-out story, there’s no denying that Ambrosia is well on his way to being crowned as a queer pop icon who will be impossible to usurp if the ecstasy in You Can Tell Me is a sign of what is to come.

With his fourth studio LP, Gay & Proud, due for release on August 30th, he’s a visionary you want on your sonic radar.

You Can Tell Me was officially released on July 5th; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Salon is an icon of raw authenticity in his alt-rap hit, About Me, I’m Real

Salon’s latest single, About Me, I’m Real, is an unflinching testament to the power of raw, unfiltered self-expression in a world that often demands the opposite.

The heart-piercingly poignant single doesn’t just hit close to the bone, it’s enough to tear your soul in two through the choked-with-emotion vibrato in the vocals, the strident reflections of a frenetic soul through hyper-pop hooks, and the intimately intricate guitar layers which conjure elements of Midwest emo into this alt-rap hit, which serves as a visceral statement of intent from an artist determined true to himself, regardless of whether facades would serve him better.

Each lyric hammers intense emotion into your psyche, guiding you through a bittersweet lament of how authenticity can be your downfall. This track leaves no listener unscathed; its confessional nature, while pensive, invites you to embrace your own idiosyncrasies and reject incessant pressure to conform.

Since 2018, Salon has used music as therapy, transposing feelings into something tangible in the same vein as the late Chester Bennington, who left a sonic void of catharsis behind. Bennington is a big artist to live up to, but Salon, with his ability to turn vulnerability into salvation is succeeding on a profound level.

About Me, I’m Real was officially released on July 5th; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

EmiTQM has made an ethereal debut with his installation of Latin indietronic pop, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE

Latin pop sensation in the making, EmiTQM, has made an indelible mark on the Latin pop scene with his dreamy indietronica debut single, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE, which arrests with ethereal melodic waves in the same vein as Cigarettes After Sex, and originates via tenderly warm and exploratively 8bit-adjacent sequences which envelop you in a sonic world of kaleidoscopic colour and soul.

Translating to ‘maybe you thought of me’, IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE is a reticently sweet embodiment of hope and yearning to reverberate around the mind of the person who ceaselessly occupies every waking thought.

The single is an affectingly unforgettable introduction to the Mexican pop singer-songwriter and producer’s unique style which has already seen him amass a loyal army of fans who relish in his ability to visualise universally resonant facets of the human condition.

The emotions that will flood through you as you follow EmiTQM’s lead through this future-forward earworm reach the pinnacle of visceralism. The hazy love-drunk hues translate with perfect articulation as the lines between reality and imagination blur.

One of the only things with more promise than his music career is that the sun will rise tomorrow. We are already stoked to hear what he has in store for his sophomore release.

IGUAL Y ME PENSASTE was officially released on June 27; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shegogg & Mariah Jae blossomed in their serene odyssey of lush RnB, ‘Garden II’

Shegogg’s latest lush with serene soul single, ‘Flower II’, created in collaboration with Mariah Jae, is a revisitation of the 00s RnB era via an unchartered path paved with striking authenticity.

The track’s unique ability to rekindle the genre’s former glory is amplified through the vibrant infusion of contemporary RnB elements while Mariah Jae adds a profound dimension with her ethereal and diaphanously sweet vocals, creating hypnotic harmonies that drift above the solid, trap-infused beats.

At 33, Shegogg, originally from Little Rock, Arkansas and now based in Atlanta, Georgia, stands as a cultivated originator. His style—a skilful meld of RnB and Pop-Funk—brings to mind the smoothness of artists like Justin Timberlake and Usher, yet, rather than letting influence overshadow his sense-awakening sonic signature, he plays to his strengths by blending soulful rhythms and melodies with a warmth that resonates deeply, evoking feelings of comfort and connection.

Unlike his deadest on mimicking RnB icons contemporaries, Shegogg innovative spirit turns everything he touches to sonic gold, and Flower II was far from the exception. The release harnesses the power of metaphoric parables to encourage listeners to nurture their relationships as his and Mariah Jae’s synergy becomes undeniable. Their vocal interplay weaves through the hazy Latin guitar-flavoured backdrop and the intermittently dominant trap beats, efficaciously capturing the bliss of being locked in love.

Garden II was officially released on June 19th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bela V scorched through the pop veil with the soulful inferno in her sophomore single, Wait Game

When Bela V penned her sophomore single, Wait Game, she didn’t just write a fierce pop hit, she scribed her illustrious legacy through a calligraphy of sheer intensity and fervour.

By splicing soul with the insurgent energy of pop punk, the singer-songwriter became a defiant renegade in the pop scene and settled a stark milestone in her creative career which exhibits her talents as an actress and siren songstress.

Wait Game mirrors her eclectic influences – Lana Del Rey’s haunting nostalgia, Amy Winehouse’s raw emotional depth, and Avril Lavigne’s defiant pop punk ferocity; each formative element serves to amplify the emotional magnitude of the next, exhibiting Bela V as an alchemist of originated vivacity. From soulful verses that could rival any classic soul legend to a chorus that bursts with a punkish roar, the track is a bold declaration of her artistic finesse.

The production of the track deserves as much acclaim as the vocals; polished yet edgy, it supports Bela V’s transitions from smooth, seductive tones to hell-hath-no-fury outbursts with seamless precision. This sonic landscape does more than just back her voice; it heightens the emotional gravity of her lyrics, plunging the listener into a whirlwind of passion and defiance.

As Bela V ends her own wait game and steps back into the spotlight, she brings with her a song that promises to ignite the airwaves and cement her status as a pop icon in the making.

Wait Game was officially released on June 14; stream the single on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast