Pop Girl Draft

In my typical pattern of jumping on trains several years too late, I've recently become a podcast fiend. One of my favorites is The Ringer's Every Single Album, which does weekly deep dives on various relevant cultural artists and albums. Recently, to celebrate the culmination of Pop Girl Spring, in which everyone from Taylor Swift and Beyonce to Charli xcx and Camilla Cabello released music, the two co-hosts competed in the "Pop Girl Draft" to curate their playlist of songs that would define this era. 

I'm, honestly, going to shamelessly copy this idea. There's no me-spin; I had so much fun listening to this episode (listen below) and wanted to create my own, so here we go!

The Pop Girl Draft

1. BIRDS OF A FEATHER, Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish has always been a confusing artist for me. I can easily intellectually realize that her music is boundary-pushing and inventive, that her lyrics are personal and honest, that she is endearing and a worthy role model all rolled into one. And yet, I've never felt any compulsion to listen to her music. Nonetheless, I gave Billie and FINNEAS another chance and listened to HIT ME HARD AND SOFT recently, and was pleasantly surprised. She is clearly dedicated to her personal growth as an artist, and there is nobody better equipped to help her than FINNEAS, who needs to be scooped up by larger artists and record labels immediately. That amount of talent should not be contained to his childhood bedroom.

Nonetheless, there are really only two songs I've returned to consistently since first hearing this album, and that's SKINNY and BIRDS OF A FEATHER. And since we're making a fair weather-themed playlist, I stuck with the latter to kick us off. 

2. But Daddy I Love Him, Taylor Swift

I'm not typically the person to appreciate songs done for a lark, but Taylor is an easy exception. This song, while satirical and biting, is so darn earnest it's almost impossible not to love. It's insane, to picture her kicking her feet in defense of Matty Healy and scolding her energetic fans like they're petulant children, but that's precisely what makes this song so brilliant. It's a song that gets better -- and funnier -- with each listen, and an instant classic in her already prolific discography. 

3. Espresso, Sabrina Carpenter

Not everyone can claim to be an original Sabrina Carpenter fan, but I can. I remember her from her guest star appearance on Austin and Ally, where she played a nervous red-head with stage fright that Laura Marano's character coached into stardom. I remember her from Girl Meets World, and was listening to her on Radio Disney when she had released her first single, Can't Blame A Girl For Trying. I even remember her from Fall Apart, the cutest high-budget music video a nine year old has ever made. 

So to watch her rise to ultra-stardom this past year has been exciting, and I'm proud to see her embracing her position as the life-sized Bratz princess with endless edge and dry humor. Espresso is by no means my favorite Carpenter song, especially considering almost all of Singular Act II remains a permanent fixture in my inner monologue. I've always thought Espresso seems a little elementary, favoring ear-worm-ness over quality music. Nonetheless, it's obviously the song of the summer and I would be remiss not to include it. 

4. II HANDS II HEAVEN, Beyonce

Beyonce, the trendsetter she so frequently is, kicked off Pop Girl Spring this year with Cowboy Carter, an album that ought to be taught in schools as part of the mandatory racism, feminism, and cultural relevancy curricula. She reminded me (and everyone) why she is who she is, and how she has maintained her undisputed dominance at the top for so long. Almost every track on this album is worth a listen, a remarkable feat considering how long the record is. II HANDS II HEAVEN was a personal pick -- I honestly just love this song -- but it was hard to pick just one track deserving of a position on this playlist. JUST FOR FUN, or perhaps her Post Malone collaboration LEVI'S JEANS are equally worthy, and my fangirl heart desperately tried to work II MOST WANTED into this playlist, just so Miley Cyrus could claim her (rightful) place amongst the Pop Girls. I couldn't manage it in just ten tracks, but consider her an honorable mention (or deluxe track). 

5. The girl so confusing remix with Lorde, Charli xcx

I don't mean to be dramatic, but I truly cannot think of a song with more cultural impact in recent memory. I'm usually averse to Charli xcx's brand of electro- and hyper-pop, but even I can't argue against the power of Brat, and more specifically, this song. The album covers grief and motherhood, career insecurity and jealousy, feminism and how it can co-exist with the women she hates. This song punctuates and underscores each one of these themes, somehow all underneath raging club production. 

If you're unfamiliar with the lore, Charli xcx and Lorde famously fielded comparisons for years in their early careers, and as a result, have had a tenuous relationship for several years. Both Charli and Lorde have long been the feminists that hate women; they publicly bash Taylor Swift and make fun of the traditional "pop star" image, refusing to conflate the sociopolitical movement of supporting women's rights with their personal preferences regarding individual people. The original Girl, so confusing explores these themes-- is it possible to support women you're jealous of? If you participate in a system that pits pop stars against others, does that make you a bad feminist? She talks about a female friendship that had always confused her, because she could never truly figure out if the other woman actually liked her. The public speculated heavily that it was about Lorde, and several weeks later...this dropped. 

On this track, Lorde and Charli work through their complicated emotions about each other in real time, ultimately realizing that they're not each other's enemies when "it's [them] on the coin the industry loves to spend." Lorde's verse changed lives; it's honest and clever and raw, and she laments the way her insecurities translated outwards to ruined relationships with women she liked, singing "it's all self defense until you're building a weapon." These two women are growing up in front of us fans, fixing their old mistakes and burying old hatchets, and it's just so beautiful to watch. 

Also of note is the way Lorde talks about her body image: "I tried to starve myself thinner / and then I gained all the weight back." It's so refreshing to hear women -- whether it's Billie or Olivia or now, Lorde and Charli -- speak so openly in song about the thing most women spend our entire lives obsessing over. Especially considering Lorde's recent health struggles, this is just so brave of her, and it's endlessly kind of her to share this side of herself on Charli's record, not her own. This song is truly the hinge-point, and thesis, and core of my entire draft playlist. 

6. imgonnagetyouback, Taylor Swift

This is one of Taylor's best songs. The wordplay? The tempo? The production? The low, sultry vocals? It's addictive-- glitter pen perfection that only makes me more excited for the reputation re-recording. It's deeply underappreciated online, but I simply can't get enough of it. 

7. Blowing Smoke, Gracie Abrams

On first listen of The Story of Us by Gracie Abrams, this stood out to me as the record's stand-out track. It's honest, but still retains the signature Gracie-style conversational, ironic lyricism. "Tell me, is she prettier than she was on the internet?" is such a satisfying lyric, and it's what Gracie is best at: writing lines that seem so innocent, yet cut so deep. ("You got bored and I felt used, now I'm all sad about it" from Gave You I Gave You I is another example that comes to mind.) 

From reviews I've read, a lot of people were disappointed with Gracie's album. Claims that she's a Taylor clone with no artistic innovation or integrity haunt her career, and I don't see that ending anytime soon. In fact, I even agree -- within such an incredible lineup of album releases this season, a project as derivative and safe as Gracie's is certainly not competitive for any meaningful praise or awards. Nonetheless, she has landed herself two slots on this playlist, an accomplishment only Taylor has managed. Which is to say: she resonates with me, and that's important, too. 

8. Doing Better, FLETCHER

FLETCHER is the artist on this playlist I know the least about. I haven't heard any of her music, and frankly, was planning on keeping it that way, until the Spotify algorithm auto-added this song to one of my playlists. I was instantly hooked. 

In a three minute song, she won me over. Her voice is incredible, her songwriting is witty and attention-grabbing, and the thematic content of her latest album, In Search of the Antidote, I think earns her a spot amongst the Pop Girls. Doing Better and Lead Me On are two of my most played songs from this past year, and if she continues on this trajectory of quality, I'm excited to see what she's going to become.  

9. eternal sunshine, Ariana Grande

Perhaps my ethical values are rapidly decaying, because I honestly was deeply unbothered by the "scandal" that broke with Ariana Grande's recent cheating allegations. I recognize her pattern of chasing unavailable men and don't condone infidelity, but was shocked by how quickly the tide turned against her. I had never viewed Ariana as a "problematic" celebrity, but I very rapidly became the minority holding that opinion. 

So when her latest record, eternal sunshine, came out, I was excited and intrigued to see how much (if at all) she would attempt image rehabilitation. Despite her detractors remaining staunchly opposed to her success, this album won back most of the public, and for good reason. Thanks to all the vocal training she underwent for Wicked, her voice (always outstanding) has never sounded better, and Max Martin's production work provides a soothing and pleasant backdrop for her to sing literal circles around her peers. 

eternal sunshine was immediately my favorite track on this record, and has remained so since. For an artist who doesn't usually focus on quality lyrics, the thematic incorporation of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as an analogy for her divorce and relationship with the media was surprisingly poignant. The melody has Martin's quintessential catchiness and frankly, I could listen to Grande sing her tax reports. It's a song about finding and protecting your peace without betraying your decidedly chaotic past, and call me crazy, but I think that's a lesson we could all learn from her. 

10. Tough Love, Gracie Abrams

Well, my dear readers, we have reached the end of my Summer Draft playlist/album. I've tried to craft a narrative arc through these songs, and I honestly could not imagine a better closing track than Tough Love. (Which is ironic, because Tough Love isn't even Gracie's closing track.) It's a song about love, or rather, choosing yourself over it sometimes. It's a song about female friendships, and realizing that maybe that's deeper and truer and as worthy of poems as anything else. It's a song about leaving for something better, something my nostalgic and emotional self is rarely capable of doing. It's a song I want to dance to while my sister drives me around the city, the song I hear playing every time I look at my best friends. It is this summer, but it wouldn't be without the previous nine tracks. 

And with that, I conclude my Draft. Listen below: