Pop Songs

Tradition hits the charts:

“It’s a stark cultural contrast from last summer,” Semafor noted, recalling last year having been “defined” by the rise of “boundary-pushing” pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Charli XCX, whose “brat summer” trend “was embraced by Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.” But in the summer of 2025, “things are looking very different” with regards to which musicians are popular in the United States, pop music commentator and podcaster Sam Murphy pointed out. “What they’re representing is a shift toward something far more safer, far more traditional, and far more conservative,” Murphy said. “Many of these names have strong religious beliefs or religious backgrounds, [and] it is coming through in the music.” Veteran pop stars, meanwhile, “haven’t managed to cut through,” the podcaster added, citing Lady Gaga’s 2025 studio album, Mayhem, with singles “Abracadabra” and “Disease” struggling on the charts. “They both failed to get into the Top 10,” Murphy said, adding that instead, Lady Gaga’s new song, “Die with a Smile” is “the huge single off the record, and that represents something far more traditional.”

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