Hyperpop is a subgenre of electronic music that fuses an exaggerated version of pop with EDM or electronic dance music. It was created despite “plastic” pop music. What some consider hyperpop is a reactive genre created by the first generation raised by the internet. It is the mentally destructive nature of social media and the internet.
At its core, hyperpop is a reactive genre created by the first generation that was raised by the internet, and aims to give marginalized communities a voice. The genre is democratic and accessible enough for any fan to become an artist.
Characterized by high beats-per-minute, booming bass, unconventional sound effects such as drills and metal pipes, voice distortion and filters and exaggerated and repeatable hooks and melodies, hyperpop offers something unconventional to every listener.
It can be considered absurd on the surface but offers nuanced commentary for those who look deeper.
Where it all started
The origins of hyperpop are debated.
Although the sound was developed in the 2010 SoundCloud beat scene, some cite artists such as the Beach Boys and their album Pet Sounds as the earliest possible influence on the subgenre.
The hyperpop genre popularized as of 2019, was cultivated by artists A.G. Cook and SOPHIE (both longtime friends and collaborators of Charli xcx), A.G Cook’s PC Collective (PC Music Label), experimental dubstep artists such as Rustie and Hudson Mohawke and most notably, the artist 100 gecs.
A.G. Cook is a British electronic artist, an established producer, and was the creative director of Charli xcx at one point in his career.
His main contributions to the genre were his creation the PC Music Label and Collective.
The PC Collective is largely made up of LGBTQ+ artists, mainly transgender artists, which provides both an outlet and safe space for LGBTQ+ artists and fans alike. The social commentary aspect of the hyperpop genre is built on the foundation of underrepresented groups such as the LGBTQ+ community having a voice through their artists in the genre.
Although the origins of hyperpop date back to 2010, the pop and EDM subgenre was not considered mainstream until 2019 when a Spotify editor named Lizzy Szabo created a playlist titled “Hyperpop” and filled it with artists both up-and-coming and well-established.
Despite Szabo creating the first collection of hyperpop music, the term “hyperpop” was not created by her but coined by her colleague Glenn McDonald to describe the incredibly influential artist 100 gecs.
100 gecs, although not the creators of hyper pop, are considered by peers in their genre to be the true pioneers of hyperpop. Their successful album “1000 gecs” and sophomore album “10,000 gecs” solidified hyperpop as a genre in the mainstream, catapulting the previously “underground” internet genre into the spotlight.
Hyperpop’s user-generated social commentary
Hyperpop is both a genre created for the people of the internet and more importantly by the internet generation.
Since hyperpop can be created on any computer software such as GarageBand or Audacity, and posted anywhere for free, like on SoundCloud where the genre originates, it is celebrated for its democratic nature.
Hyperpop may be a subgenre of electronic, EDM and pop music but underneath the surface, it can provide an avant-garde form of commentary on capitalism, neoliberalism and growing up in the age of social media.
Hyperpop as a genre today
After the 100 gecs successfully broke into the mainstream in 2019, the genre exploded on social media and went temporarily viral on both YouTube and TikTok.
The virality of hyperpop in 2019 birthed the single biggest hyperpop hit of all time and one of the biggest songs in TikTok’s history. ElyOtto’s song “Sugar Crash” amassed more than 5 million clips on TikTok and nearly 140 million streams on Spotify.
Although the virality surrounding hyperpop has died down, Charli xcx has found success through hyperpop with her new album “brat,” which was produced in collaboration with A.G. Cook.
Created and cultivated primarily by the LGBTQ+ community, and notably transgender artists, hyperpop is not only a form of self-expression but a genre fundamentally progressing, and providing a voice for underrepresented communities, and challenging the status quo.
This article was edited by Jessica Ackerman, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ariana Kavoossi and Charlie Mennuti.
