“Pop will be way more minimal sounding” in the future, Charli XCX predicts
The singer-songwriter also predicts that “metaphorical flowery” lyrics will make way for conversational lyrics.
Getty / Mike Marsland
Electro-pop and PC Music singer-songwriter Charli XCX has taken to Twitter – now X – to share her predictions about the future of pop music, foreseeing a more minimal sound.
“I predict that over the next year pop music will be way more minimal sounding – like 3 or 4 sounds per song plus vocal” the Boom Clap singer wrote yesterday.
After one fan responds to her minimalism prediction by tweeting that pop music should be “highbrow and exciting”, Charli XCX justifies that minimalist music can be “exciting and avant-garde”, not necessarily translating to just acoustic or soft sounds.
“Extreme drama” can be created through minimalism, she writes, found in songs like Peaches’ Fuck The Pain Away and SOPHIE’s Bipp.
“When i say minimal”, she defends, “I do not mean ‘simple’ or ‘lacking complexity’ or ‘small’. i mean that there are only 4 or 5 sounds that make up the entirety of the song – and this choice ends up making everything feel monolithic to me. There is no clutter. Every slight change feels gigantic because you can hear every detail.”
The Crash singer also says that she thinks lyrics will become less metaphorical and “flowery” moving forward and more conversational – “things you’d actually say to your friends on FaceTime”, she writes.
i predict that over the next year pop music will be wayyyy more minimal sounding – like 3 or 4 sounds per song plus vocal
— Charli (@charli_xcx) August 13, 2023
Charli XCX, who has become a cultural icon for the LGBTQ+ community in recent years, was included in the Barbie soundtrack with her track Speed Drive. The soundtrack, curated and produced by Mark Ronson, made UK chart history, with Charli’s track reaching nineteenth in the UK Top 40 charts.
After being added to the soundtrack, she tweeted “Wont lie I did used to behead my Barbies but really happy to be on the soundtrack tho!”
Charli XCX isn’t the only artist to have made predictions regarding the future of music this year. At the BRIT Awards in February 2023, David Guetta said “the future of music is in AI. For sure. There’s no doubt. But as a tool.”
Keep up to date with all things Charli XCX via charlixcx.com.
