Did you have a Brat summer? Are you currently listening to Lady Gaga’s Mayhem on repeat? Welcome to the return of recession pop.
In 2007, we had a huge economic crash globally but rather than singing about our woes, suddenly dance pop emerged as the big winner in the charts.
Fast-paced tracks designed to get us on our feet, singing about how it’s ‘all about tonight’ proved a contrasting soundtrack to the hard times many were facing.
Artists like Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Katy Perry, Kesha, The Black Eyed Peas, and Rihanna all defined the era’s biggest chart successes.
The ethos was very much capitalism is crushing us, the economy is in the toilet — so let’s go party to escape.
It’s been 20 years since those tracks first found their way onto our playlists but with us all finding our finances a little tighter, recession pop is once again on the rise.
What is recession pop?
The term ‘recession pop’ is not a recognised genre; it’s a trendy name for that huge uptick in up-tempo pop that emerged after the 2007 depression.
Recession pop served as a distraction and escape as artists told us to go out, get smashed, and forget all our troubles.
It was everywhere you looked in the charts, defining the 2007 – 2012 sound with hits like Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night, Kesha’s TikTok, and LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem.
There was an urgency to the songs, suggesting that tonight could be the last time you’re able to live fully, so embrace it.
‘This is the last twenty dollars I got, but I’m going to have a good time ballin’ tonight,’ sing Pitbull and Ne-Yo on collaborative track Time Of Our Lives.
Much of Pitbull’s music featured this urgency to get out and move — a message that is still resonating as hundreds flocked to his gig this year in costume.
‘Just dance, gonna be okay,’ instructs Lady Gaga — in her meat dress era — as she tells us she ‘can’t see straight’ and ‘can’t remember’ the name of the club.
She reassures us that it’s ‘alright’ as long as she dances, before reaching the bridge with Akon which declares: ‘Spend the last dough (I got it) in your pock-o (I got it).’
Lady Gaga isn’t alone as Rihanna begs us ‘please don’t stop the music’ and Robyn just wants to ‘dance all night’.
Escapism is a theme that has reoccurred in music throughout history, with swing becoming popularised in the 1920s in response to the Great Depression.
In the UK, we saw a riotous response to the Winter of Discontent with the emergence of punk music with a very clear message.
The Sex Pistols and The Clash were prime examples of this DIY, anti-establishment explosion in the 70s and 80s.
By the late 00s into the early 2010s, there was less a feeling of rising against those in charge and more about self-preservation and enjoying things while you can.
Is recession pop back?
‘You can tell we’re spiralling into another recession because of how good pop music is getting again,’ wrote TikTok user @goosefraud in a now viral video.
She set this to Charli XCX’s Club Classic, a song which heavily leans into this late 00s influence.
The album’s unprecedented success was recognised both at the Grammys and the Brit Awards, after Brat became its own cultural phenomenon.
‘Oh recession pop so ✨BACK✨,’ said another creator, Brooke Murray, after the release of Kesha’s Joyride.
The term quickly picked up traction, aided by Lady Gaga dropping Abracadabra, which had the hallmarks of recession pop.
In 2024, according to Luminate, pop was the fast-growing genre in the US and added 0.48% to its annual market share.
This will reflect the massive popularity spike for solo female pop performers, with Taylor Swift leading the way.
However, it also suggests we’ve firmly moved away from the indie sleaze moment of the late 2010s.
An early indication of this recession pop was actually the huge popularity of Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, giving us dance-pop tracks to carry us through lockdown.
On Hallucinate she sings: ‘Pocketful of honey and I’m ready to go/ No, I ain’t got no money, but I’m letting you know.’
Dua and other successful recession pop artists are not simply regurgitating the old escapist formula, though.
New recession pop isn’t about living for tonight; music-lovers are demanding more depth from the artists.
This is could be why Katy Perry (who found huge success in this original era) failed to capture our hearts with Woman’s World.
Many complained it was too regressive and stuck in the 2010s — including when it came to its feminist viewpoint — rather than bringing something new to this reflective pop sound.
The new dance pop is less about getting smashed, although that’s certainly still there with Charli heavily featuring drug use in her tracks.
There’s an arrogance to the sound, with many new recession pop songs leaning on ego while still touching on insecurities or overcoming this.
Modern recession pop listeners are asking for some honesty about the depression and the helplessness while we dance.
Take Gaga’s Abracadabra, yes it sounds similar to her original music, but her lyrics are not about going out into the world — she’s far more insular.
‘Hold me in your heart tonight/ In the magic of the dark moonlight/ Save me from this empty fight/ In the game of life,’ she sings.
We’re looking for a different kind of escapism, one that seeks more genuine joy and emotional security rather than getting black-out and forgetting our woes.
Which artists should you listen to?
For anyone who follows the charts, it’s likely you’re already listening to it without noticing.
Charli XCX’s Brat album is the easiest starting place when it comes to examples of recession pop, most closely aligning the ethos of the original era.
As pointed out by users online Club Classics is a really clear example of the genre but songs like Von Dutch and 360 also fit the vibe.
Newly released Mayhem from Gaga even brings some samples from her older music to really drive home that nostalgic dance feel.
Dua Lipa’s Levitating is being largely forgotten in online discussions but perfectly encapsulates the re-birth of this sound.
Former Disney star Dove Cameron’s addictive Too Much brings the dance side to the forefront, telling her partner to ‘go find less’ if she’s ‘too much’ with the fast-paced drum-heavy beat proving popular.
Recession pop tracks that need to be on your playlist
If you’re making a recession pop playlist these are the top tracks you need to include.
- Lady Gaga – Just Dance
- Pitbull ft Ne-Yo – Time of Our Lives
- Usher ft Pitbull – DJ Got Us Falling In Love
- Kesha – Tik Tok
- Rihanna – Don’t Stop The Music
- Lady Gaga – Applause
- Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
- Robyn – Dancing On My Own
- Miley Cyrus – We Can’t Stop
- Charli XCX – Club Classics
- Dove Cameron – Too Much
- Lady Gaga – Abracadabra
- Chappell Roan – Pink Pony Club
- Dua Lipa – Hallucinate
Some are even saying Calvin Harris’ return to vocals is a ‘recession indicator’ as the DJ turns his hand to country tracks featuring his own voice for the first time since 2014.
His sound doesn’t fit the genre but suggests artists are more willing to step out of the confines they’ve been in for the past decade.
Then, of course, there is megastar Chappell Roan. Her song Pink Pony Club is a shining example of this recession pop mood.
‘I’m gonna keep on dancing at the Pink Pony Club,’ she sings while wrestling with the perception from her family, all set to an irresistible beat.
There’s no denying it, recession pop is back and it’s more addictive than ever.
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