The brief new single is a sonic leap for the pop star, but beneath the distorted guitars is a surprisingly poignant song about seeking out newness and staying inspired.
While Western music criticism obsesses over pop stars discovering "rock music" as if it's some revolutionary sonic territory, African artists have been seamlessly blending guitar-driven sounds with pop sensibilities for decades, from Congolese soukous to South African rock to Moroccan fusion. The real story isn't another pop star's genre experiment, but how the global music industry continues to frame artistic evolution through an exclusively Western lens, ignoring the rich legacy of African musicians who've been pushing these boundaries since before rock became a marketing category.
While Western music criticism obsesses over pop stars discovering "rock music" as if it's some revolutionary sonic territory, African artists have been seamlessly blending guitar-driven sounds with pop sensibilities for decades, from Congolese soukous to South African rock to Moroccan fusion. The real story isn't another pop star's genre experiment, but how the global music industry continues to frame artistic evolution through an exclusively Western lens, ignoring the rich legacy of African musicians who've been pushing these boundaries since before rock became a marketing category.
SUMMARY BY STRATA-AF™ · ORIGINAL REPORTING BY PITCHFORK
READ THE SOURCE REPORT FROM PITCHFORK →Enjoying Strata-AF™?
Sign in or sign up for a personalised feed and unlock Strata-AF™ Originals.
