Emotional Music Made By Men In Recent Years

Music
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I was just reading this and was scratching my head trying to think of examples of big records by men that were ‘in their feels’. The names that came to mind were either not that well known or not that successful in terms of charts. Can you think of any recent examples?

Modern pop music is dominated by women. The likes of Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers render the depths of their soul into music we can “feel something” to, and it helps millions of women worldwide feel seen and heard, with topics ranging from friendship to the patriarchy. Yet solo male pop artists are few and far between – and even fewer cater specifically to a male perspective (Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi et al are not unemotional, but their lyrics are altogether more broad-brush). Where the Britpop of the late 90s and early 00s provided an outlet for ordinary men, now it feels as though it’s only in specific genres – like the poetic introspection often present in grime – that there is any exploration of masculinity. In pop, Fender is plugging a gap.

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Never heard Tom Grennan’s Gillette song?

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Can’t quite articulate it right now but this argument feels like a bit of a straw man tbh - especially given that the author quotes two examples of pop stars whose music (whether you like it or not) does include emotional content, then mentions grime (which is a mainstream genre) and dismisses them both out of hand.

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Won’t someone think of the poor hard done by, under-represented men.

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In pop, Fender is plugging a gap.

God help us

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That was my gut reaction too but I don’t really listen to Capaldi or Sheeran, and they don’t engage me at all emotionally like Bright Eyes or Leonard Cohen or [resists writing a list of miserable bastards]

My first thought was: The Cure only released an album a few months ago…

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Richard Dawson

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This insta account definitely wasn’t on the author’s radar

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Yeah. Taylor Swift doesn’t engage me emotionally either - seems very broad brush in my eyes (and strategically so)… so I don’t think the author’s argument really holds. Phoebe Bridgers does engage me emotionally but she isn’t a pop star in the way that Taylor Swift is.

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Apparently not like us is the current uk number 1 and I’ll hand this to Kendrick I would class that song as emotional in some ways

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11

this^

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I mean isn’t this exactly what Ed Sheeran and Coldplay do? I know it’s at a more generic emotional level rather than specific but that’s why so many people like them.

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I’d say the same for Taylor Swift tbh. I think partly why she resonates with so many people is her lyrics are broad-brush enough for almost anyone to hang their experiences on if they want to.

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Benson Boone?
Teddy Swims?
Post Malone?
Hozier?
Noah Kahan?
Vance Joy?

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She’s pretty massive though isn’t she? The presentation may be more Carol King than Madonna but she’s got the audience of a pop star.

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going quickly and randomly off Spotify plays but :

  • Taylor Swift has >80m monthly listeners
  • PB has 10m
  • Big Thief has 5m

So for me she’s definitely more at the ‘indie’ than ‘pop’ end of the spectrum even though she has broken through more than most.

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There’s a bunch of male American country singers who are massive who are doing this.

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PB’s net worth of $5m plus is pretty big time surely?

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19

Antony Szmierek

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Depends where it sits on the scale, I think?

I’m not denying she’s big but she is miles off Taylor Swift. Apples and oranges I reckon.