Pop is such a filthy word. While some struggle to get in the circle and be part of the pop stratosphere, many dread the word and the genre as if it were a bad case of leprosy. It’s that bad.  You’d rather be caught with your ex or with a one-armed hooker named Steve than to accept you’re into pop.  That’s why pop has become a guilty pleasure to millions- you might deny it and even point and laugh at those loud and proud poppers, but truth is the pop bug has taken a bite at everyone’s assets at least once.  There’s nobody to blame for that but ourselves. We take pride in being non-conformists and going against the man, the mainstream man- that is, yet we are easily amused by   bland lyrics and catchy hooks.¡No te hagas el que la virgen te habla y acéptalo!  There’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s okay.  Que te valga mother lo que los demás piensen, even if that means you will be seen and talked about as the Mexican Jessica Simpson.

No todo lo que es pop es malo

Regardless of all the shiz on the radio and the Timbaland domination, not all pop music sucks. What is pop music anyway? It includes but its not limited to bubblegum processed and overly produced music a la Britney, it covers a wide range of genres- from hip-hop to electronica to rock.  What makes “pop” music is its POP-ularity, its appeal to the masses.  Just because a song is commercial doesn’t mean it’s a bad song.  Now let’s be honest here, most of the stuff on the radio it’s just dreadful- yes it’s catchy, yes it makes you wanna shake your money maker, yes it might even make you bob your head, but that doesn’t make for good music… what we hear on the radio is nonsense targeted towards a group of people with a high Attention Deficit Disorder.  El que busca encuentra, and it might take a while for you to find something, pero de vez en cuando even the dudes at KIIS FM will play something worth your while.  Many artists out there are pop yet they shy away from it because of its negative connotations hiding under and “alternative” or “rock” label.  Acts like Alejandra Guzman, Julieta Venegas, Motel, Moenia, Fangoria can consider themselves to be a different genre but truth is- they’re pop, good pop nonetheless.   The range in pop music is so vast yet our preconceived notions of what it is have reduced it to pretty much the same thing. So if we stick to “pop standards” and to what everybody thinks pop music is, for the most part it’s all trash. Very few artists have proven to be larger than life by delivering good pop music, making a name for themselves and pop even with their hits and many misses. Britney is not one of them, neither is Paris Hilton or Hannah Montana, but you have Cher, Madonna, Janet Jackson and most recently Kylie Minogue, Roisín Murphy and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

X marks the spot

When someone goes through a traumatic experience it’s hard to tell what they’ll do after the drama is over, especially when dealing with things such as cancer.  You either mellow down (like Alejandra Guzman) or you make a comeback of a lifetime rocking and commanding everybody to go to the dance floor.  On her tenth album “X”, Kylie celebrates life and most definitely love. It’s a well produced pop album that covers a little bit of everything.  Its electro pop rock-tingued first single “2 Hearts” will remind you of a couple of songs by Ely Guerra.  It covers 70’s and 80’s dance pop with a contemporary twist.  The two tracks produced by Bloodshy and Avant (the production team behind Britney’s Toxic) are just okay.  With several hits and a couple of misses, if there is a pop album worth checking out its Kylie’s “X”.
Another quality popster to watch out for is Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who although is a relative stranger to US music aficionados but its quite popular among the Brits and all over Europe. Her electro dance-pop songs are well done but are not over produced, and she has something that many popsters lack- a beautiful voice, plus she’s great eye candy. Her lates album “Trip The Light Fantastic” has placed her a one of the few pop music international ambassadors.

Overpowered by the música

When it comes to music, genre bending is something that only ambitious artists aim for, when it’s done correctly it’s out of this world, when they fail to deliver is just a huge mess.  An artist that has fused pop with electronica and dance with superb results is Roisín Murphy from Moloko.
Her debut album had an alternative take to music with equally beautiful and weird songs.  For her sophomore album “Overpowered” she perfects the formula and adds some of her Moloko sassiness. The result is a grand album that will take you to hipster dance floor heaven.  It’s a must on your list, it’s so good you’ll try so hard to convince yourself it’s not pop.