| ONTD Original |
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 An appetite for 2000's-feel songs is circling back around as with any trend every 15-20 years does. A lot of pop at the moment (even bleeding though country music) uses trap style beats with similar hi-hat patterns/808 bass which is not bad, but a switch up is due from exposure fatigue. Now we're in favor of familiar deeper/heavier beats and layered percussion reminiscent of #vintage R&B & hip hop. It’s not easy to condense a decade in genres and subgenres, because 2000’s dance could mean eurodance or some variation of house. We're slowly moving away from the y2k revival, although some of it is here in the 10 songs + a playlist of 00's pop trends that infused *checks notes* hip-hop/rap/R&B with The Neptunes/Pharrell Williams funky guitars, Timbaland/Danja/Darkchild/Scott Storch/Polow da Don beats, Spanish guitars, Arabic melodies, & a bit of electropop. If someone can coin a term for this era’s soundscape please lmk. loose continuation of genre posts: miami/atl bass&new jack swing |
| 10. Emerson Azarian - “Lucky Stars” |
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Indie artist Emerson Azarian’s tone instantly reminds us of her idol Ariana Grande’s, causing some of her songs being catfished as fake unreleased Ariana tracks. “Lucky Stars” exhibits a Timbaland dance pop sound. Note: I don’t know where they’re sourced from but it’s been common for independent artists to use licensed instrumentals resulting in multiple songs sharing an exact instrumental (this is also found in “Tear It Up” by Misha and “Rewind” by Miss Sha).  |
| 9. FLO - “Summertime” |
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Odes to glory days of 90’s-00’s groups have been a staple for recent-ish western groups trying to break (No Guidance, PRETTYMUCH [rip]), and the intro to FLO’s debut album Access All Areas explains it clearly. "Summertime" off their debut EP has a timeless quality.  |
| 8. H33RA - “Cardiac” |
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H33RA’s artistry revolves around bringing back classic R&B, and it’s laced throughout his discography. He incorporates elements of early aughts sounds in his self-produced EP Genesis - a nod to 112 type tracks and Darkchild productions.  |
| 7. Jae Stephens - “Body Favors” |
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There’s a plethora of up and coming producers in the past 5 years replicating and using The Neptunes sample packs and drum kits, however “Body Favors” by Jae Stephens takes a sleeker and subtle approach to those sounds. Note: Jae Stephens gives off British vibes even though she’s LA based.  |
| 6. Kylie Cantrall - “Put the Record On” |
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Disney girlie  |
| 5. Lady Gaga - “Garden of Eden” |
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Through the trajectories of her career in the past decade, coming by a mindless fun banger from Gaga, like from her ‘Fame’ days, is now a rare occurrence. She’s acknowledged how stans have pointed out “Garden of Eden” is based in her pop roots, specifically with the demo “Private Audition.”  |
| 4. Rsieh Raxan - “show sum luv” |
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LA based artist Rsieh Raxan’s recent projects lean towards pop+R&B vocal versus his former rap releases. “show sum luv” + “head 2 toe” are examples ushering in a modernized Lloyd b-side tea (complimentary).  |
| 3. STAYC - “Pipe Down” |
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The STAYC girls  |
| 2. Suzi Wu - “Hungry” |
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There’s a subset of songs in the playlist that calls back to the era of Arabic melodies/samples over hip hop productions, popularized by Timbaland. With “Hungry” by Suzi Wu, I think of the vibes in Aaliyah’s “More Than a Woman,” Britney Spears’ cover of “My Prerogative,” and Dream’s “Crazy.”  |
| 1.Tash Blake - “Casanova” |
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“Casanova” is a lovechild of Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” and Brooke Hogan's “Ruff Me Up” / late 00’s electropop. Her song “Trapeze” is also a serve but criminally short, and I’m hoping proper bridges and second verses will be circling back again.  |
sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11