11 Pop Singers Who Aren’t “Pop Stars” – And That’s a Good Thing

September 19th, 2014

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

It’s hard to tell people you like pop music. Inevitably, “pop” conjures ideas of fluffy, insubstantial tunes targeting the lowest common denominator. To some extent, that’s true — it’s difficult to argue that consumerism and capitalism aren’t the driving forces behind pop music, and that sometimes that makes for meaningless fluff.

But there’s nothing wrong with an irresistible hook. And when it comes down to it, everybody loves a catchy song.

In that spirit, here are 11 artists who write great pop songs but aren’t actually pop stars. Their music is catchy, artistic and fun, but you won’t hear them on the radio. And that’s a good thing.

1. Kiesza

2. Mapei

3. Haerts

Haerts makes music like Fleetwood Mac would have made if they were just starting today. A quartet from Brooklyn, N.Y., they have American roots as well as German and English. Vocalist Nini Fabi can conjure a dreamy aural haze like no one else.

Haerts were all over the blogosphere on “best of 2013” lists, and they’re not slacking off in 2014 either. They intend to release their debut LP on Oct. 28.

4. Betty Who

Betty Who gained instant notoriety when Spencer Stout used her song “Somebody Loves You” to propose to his boyfriend via a flashmob at Home Depot. The video currently has more than 12 million views, and what’s more, the couple famously got married during Macklemore’s epic performance of “Same Love” at the Grammys.

Clearly, Betty Who’s catchy melodies have the capacity to inspire and connect people, but she’s recently also proved that her songs are as delightful as they are meaningful. “All of You” and “Runaways,” which precede her Oct. 7 album Take Me When You Go On, capture the heart of innocent young love, driving pop music to its sweet edge with euphoric hooks.

5. Adore Delano

6. Lo-Fang

7. Lolawolf

No one has electro-indie pop down like Lolawolf. The band is fronted by fashion darling and actress Zoë Kravitz (the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet), who, of course, sings beautifully. Their music is warm and atmospheric, with a sarcastically funny edge perhaps best summarized by the lyric on “Drive (Los Angeles)”: “I could stare out your window, and fuck you tonight.”

Just as artists like the Weeknd and Drake brought melancholy back to mainstream R&B, Lolawolf is making pop darker and far more interesting.

8. Lowell

“When I first stopped stripping and started making music, I was legitimately blackmailed by people,” singer Lowell told Radio.com. “But I realized that all I could do was just be comfortable with who I was … and just try to be the best person I could be and not give a shit what anybody thinks.”

It’s this willingness to open up to her fans, to share her past and present with us, that makes Lowell a successful modern star. Her quirkiness might keep her off the top of the charts, but her music is still phenomenally catchy. She’s also incredibly smart, careful not to discriminate against sex workers by denouncing her past. She convincingly articulates that stripping can be empowering, but that the surrounding industry is what can sometimes be victimizing. Her music is political yet fun, a perfect combination.

9. MisterWives

Pop music is known for being overproduced and autotuned, perhaps because it’s often more about image than rigorous musical training. But that’s not true for New York-based MisterWives, whose lead singer, Mandy Lee, attended visual and performing arts powerhouse LaGuardia High School and studied opera. Their band name is also a sassy play on Mormon “sister wives,” but instead of polygamy, Mandy is “married” to her five male bandmates. They also do a killer cover of Sam Smith’s “Money on My Mind.”

10. TALA

Listening to TALA is like unwrapping a present, with infinite delightful surprises hidden under every rich sonic layer. TALA is half-Iranian, but she grew up in South London, and she’s making sure that her music is a reflection of her diversity and identity.

“Growing up in quite a diverse family and in such a melting pot, I’ve always mixed cultures,” she writes in BuzzFeed. “That’s just a part of who I am, and it’s a part of my music and imagery. We live in a time where certain imagery from the Middle East can be quite alien to Western culture and quite scary for people sometimes. If you can take the positive aspects of what is quite a beautiful culture, than I think it’s great to throw that in the mix.”

If music is a universal language, then it’s people like TALA who can really get a positive message across.