Taylor Swift leads poptimism’s rebirth

Back in the early 2000s, “poptimism” – a critical reassessment of pop music – swept through music nerd circles. As well as reevaluating previously dismissed artists such as Britney Spears, the movement introduced an eclectic array of new, largely Scandinavian artists, including Robyn, Annie, and The Knife. Nurtured by the growing critical mass of indie culture, they used the structure of pop to create music with a point of view that was not in any way mainstream. It was pop music that wasn’t necessarily popular.

Poptimism really came of age in 2014, led by the unlikely figure of Taylor Swift. Making the transition out of Nashville, Swift’s latest album, 1989, is a poptimistic curve ball that ignores the dance-urban trend and replaces it with something more ambitious.

Swift is not alone in tapping into a strain of pop music that’s spent the past decade on the margins. It might have been a quiet year for the mainstream’s biggest stars – Beyoncé, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga were all pushing records from last year, while Rihanna was MIA – but that meant the door was open for a crop of critical favourites who have worked out the kinks in their sound and image away from the glare of the mainstream spotlight. Sia released five albums before Chandelier became a top 10 hit. After wowing critics with last year’s True Romance, Charli XCX scored two hits, first singing the bratty hook to Iggy Azalea’s Fancy, then as a solo artist with Boom Clap. Even the dark and brooding debut album from FKA Twigs found its way into the top 40.

Swift, the year’s biggest star, has far more in common with these artists than peers such as Perry or Selena Gomez, to whom she’s regularly compared. Their music reflects an attitude and aesthetic – think of the diva identity so many adopt – but lack a consistent sound. These stars are content to hop genre and present contradictory ideas. Consider the ying-yang of Katy Perry’s bombastic girl power anthem Roar and urban-dance track This is How We Do, a celebration of party-girl decadence.

This is not a question of authenticity; all pop stars, Swift included, play a character, even if it’s one that hues close to their true identity. It’s a question of who’s best at playing that part. In moving into the pop world, even collaborating with many of the same producers and songwriters as her supposed peers, Swift proved that chart success and clarity of artistic vison aren’t mutually exclusive ideas. 1989 is the year’s biggest release both in terms of cultural currency and sales. Yet, throughout its 16 tracks, Swift refuses to play the role of the vapid party girl or spurned lover.

Intentionally or not, Swift finds herself at the forefront of a loose musical movement that’s pushing pop’s boundaries. And the shift is already being felt. Former chart champs Gwen Stefani and Fergie each released comeback singles this fall. Both tracks try to shoehorn their singers back into the zeitgeist Swift spurned – and neither has made much of an impact, critically or commercially.

Meanwhile, Aitchison’s Sucker, which she describes as “self-aware,” was bumped back after the unexpected success of Boom Clap. It’s now one of the most anticipated releases of the season. And there’s Lorde, 2013’s poptimist heroine, who was given the reins for the Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 soundtrack.

History suggests that poptimism’s eclectic offspring are likely to find their sound co-opted and homogenized. But with a star as big as Swift pointing a new way forward, poptimism might finally have its revenge.