Get Ready for the Sugary Sparkly Sweet Pop Renaissance of the Century
GQ Thailand - Talking with Oukki Theptiva, one of the stylists for Got Me Started by Troye Sivan.
I’ve rewatched Tate McRae’s dance break on her SNL debut at least twenty times. I just can’t get it out of my head. I can’t remember the last time I was completely mesmerized by an SNL performance let alone any television performance. It fed something inside of me that I didn’t know needed feeding. The pop girls are, like, so totally back. The writing has been on the glitter dusted walls for months. Maybe a year. Micro mini skirts and low rise jeans are hanging at your local H&M waiting to destroy your self-esteem. I think we all (girls, gays, and theys) are ready to snort a fat line of pop stardust and feel alive again.
Amidst the buzz of her buzzy memoir, old videos of Britney’s live television performances have resurfaced online for the youths to gape at. Jive engineered a once in a generation phenomenon with the creation of Britney Spears, whose actual singing voice is at least two octaves lower than the one she uses to perform on stage. Nevertheless, she’s a rare and true triple threat. Insane vocals. Unbelievable dance skills. And she can act. Like, hello, “Crossroads” is iconic.
Around 2010, Britney and Christina faded into the background while indie, hip-hop, and Ed Sheeran all had their moment. But finally, in 2023, bubblegum pop is alive again rebirthed by Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Troye Sivan, and of course, Tate McRae. The pop pendulum is on the cusp of a meteoric swing. Yes, there’s still appetite for the singer-songwriter girlies who are there to help you cry through breakup. The Taylors. The Olivias. But the desire for a new pop icon feels almost feral. We haven’t seen a true poptart popstar in so long. Even Dula Peep dances on the line of pop-rock, though her choreography has improved dramatically.
The image of Troye Sivan running manically running through the streets of Bangkok in a head-to-toe sequin two piece for the “Got Me Started” video is the perfect vision for the euphoria and freedom we’ve been longing for. Indeed, Troye is a pioneer. Not only with this incredible record, but also with his ability to bring queer culture to the mainstream, where it belongs. No more sneaky hints or ambiguous lyrics. In Troye, the gays are able to lay everything out all while wearing a tiny tank and the baggiest pants available for Timothée Chalamet to parody. Which is mostly fine with them, as long as Bowen Yang is involved.
Back to Tate. At only 20, “greedy” is her first ever smash hit. She’s been on my radar since 2021 with “you broke me first.” Her melancholy doe eyes paired with synthy ballads make for a deadly combination. But don’t let that distract you from the fact that she’s a classically trained dancer who’s been on the circuit for years. What Tate brings to the table, much like her peers and predecessors, is raw, unbridled talent. And if her management is wise, they’ll be careful not to restrain that talent so much as help to mold and shape it as she grows into her superstardom. With natural songwriting abilities too, she has a completely clear path toward chart domination. She, as she admits, is a Baby Britney who stepping into her destiny. My only hope is that this time around, maybe we play with our pop dolls with more patience and grace as we know from history they are fragile, perfectly imperfect beings not made to be pinned against one another or photographed at their most vulnerable.
Ignore the inflammation on your television and the talking heads with bad combovers who gripe about the “New America.” Penny for penny, dollar for dollar, the girls, gays, and theys run this country. So give them what they want. A shot of whipped cream to the face. Give them rain soaked VMA choreo and the tightest, naughtiest denim panty shorts you ever did see. No more tears. No more rage. The world is as on fire now as it’s always been. We might as well take a night off from sorrow, put on our best mesh bodysuit, and dance for if just a moment.
It’s time.
