Pop Isn't a Genre: It's a Target
Here's something I've noticed after years of coaching audio professionals: The less successful someone is, the looser their definitions are for the words they use every day.
I keep seeing the same confusion from both sides of the glass.
Engineers: "I want to work in pop music."
Artists: "I make pop music."
When I dig deeper and ask what they actually mean, they can't tell me. They just repeat the word like it explains itself. And that's exactly why they're stuck.
Your Success Is Tied to Your Definitions
Think about it. If you can't precisely define what you're pursuing, how can you possibly achieve it? If you don't know what target you're aiming at, how can you hit it?
The most successful engineers and artists I know can tell you exactly what they do, who they serve, and what they're building toward. They use words with surgical precision. They know the difference between "mixing" and "producing," between "revision" and "remake," between "client" and "collaborator."
But "pop"? That's where even smart people get sloppy. And it's costing them everything.
The Problem Nobody's Talking About
Last week, I had a consultation with an engineer who told me he wanted to "break into pop." I asked him to play me some examples of what he meant. He sent me Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift.
"Okay," I said. "So you want to work with major label artists?" "Not necessarily." "You want to mix Top 40 radio singles?" "Well, maybe." "You want to work on songs with this specific production style?" "I guess, yeah."
He couldn't actually define what he wanted. He just knew those artists were successful and he wanted that. But without a clear definition, he's been spinning his wheels for three years, taking any gig that comes along, building a portfolio that says nothing.
Same week, different call: An artist tells me they're a "pop artist." Their music sounds like Bon Iver had a baby with Radiohead. Beautiful stuff. Absolutely not what they think it is.
"Why do you call yourself pop?" I asked. "Because I want to reach a lot of people." "But your music is clearly indie folk." "Yeah, but I don't want to be limited."
Limited? Dude, you're not limited by your genre. You're limited by your inability to define what you actually do. How can anyone find you, book you, or champion you when even YOU don't know what you are?
Here's what's happening: We've all agreed to pretend "pop" is a genre when it's actually an outcome. And this lazy definition is keeping people stuck.
The Word We Broke
"Pop" literally means popular. That's it. It's not a sound, it's not a formula, it's not even really a genre. It's what happens when music achieves mass cultural penetration.
When The Beatles were topping charts in the '60s, they were pop. When Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" dominated MTV in '91, that was pop. When Old Town Road wouldn't leave the #1 spot for 19 weeks? Pop.
These songs sound nothing alike. But we've done this weird thing where we've taken the current sound of whatever's popular and decided that's what pop means.
So now we have:
Engineers thinking "working in pop" means only mixing major label, Max Martin-style productions
Artists thinking "being pop" means they need to sound like whatever's on Today's Top Hits right now
Both are missing the point entirely.
Let's Actually Define Pop
Here's the definition nobody wants to accept:
Pop music is any music that achieves widespread commercial success and cultural penetration, regardless of its original genre, production style, or artistic intent.
That's it. Full stop.
It's not:
A specific sound or production technique
A genre you can choose to make
A style you can study at music school
A category on a streaming service
A type of chord progression or song structure
It's a status. Like "viral" or "bestseller" or "blockbuster." You don't make a viral video. You make a video that goes viral. You don't write a bestseller. You write a book that becomes a bestseller.
The same goes for pop. You don't make pop music. You make music that becomes pop.
Think about what's been "pop" over the decades:
Jazz was pop in the 1920s-40s
Rock and roll was pop in the 1950s-60s
Disco was pop in the 1970s
Hair metal was pop in the 1980s
Grunge was pop in the early 1990s
Boy bands and Britney were pop in the late 1990s
Hip-hop became pop in the 2000s
EDM had its pop moment in the 2010s
Now? It's a mix of everything
Each of these sounded completely different. What made them "pop" wasn't their sound. It was their reach.
The Cost of Sloppy Language
When you use words without understanding what they mean, you:
Waste Years Chasing Ghosts You say you want to "work in pop" but you're actually turning down the exact opportunities that could get you there because they're in country, hip-hop, or rock. You're waiting for some mythical "pop" opportunity that doesn't exist.
Confuse Every Potential Ally Nobody can help you if you can't articulate what you want. When you tell someone you're a "pop artist" but your music sounds like experimental jazz, they don't know who to introduce you to, what venues to recommend, or how to support you.
Build the Wrong Skills You're studying the wrong techniques, networking with the wrong people, and developing the wrong sound because you're chasing a word instead of a clear goal.
Never Develop an Identity You become a generic "music person" instead of developing a specific, valuable expertise. The most successful people in this industry are known for something specific. What are you known for? "Pop" isn't an answer.
This isn't just semantics. This is about the fundamental difference between professionals who succeed and those who struggle. The successful ones use language as a precision tool. The struggling ones throw words around like confetti.
How to Recognize Pop in the Wild
Pop is the music that regular people (not just music nerds like us) actually listen to. It's what plays at the grocery store, what your mom knows the words to, what drunk people sing at weddings.
Pop is:
Accessibility over complexity: It meets people where they are, not where you wish they were
Emotional clarity: You know exactly how you're supposed to feel within 30 seconds
Cultural relevance: It captures or creates a moment in time
Memorable: If you can't sing it back after two listens, it's not pop
Notice I didn't mention anything about:
Quantized drums
Autotune
Four-chord progressions
Verse-chorus-verse structure
Any specific BPM
Because those are tools, not definitions.
What You Really Mean When You Say "Pop"
Here's where it gets interesting. When I push people to actually define what they mean by "pop," patterns emerge. And these patterns reveal why they're stuck.
Engineers saying "I want to work in pop" usually mean:
I want to work on major label projects
I want to mix songs with real budgets
I want credits that people recognize
I want to work with established artists
I want that polished, expensive sound
Translation: "I want to be successful but I haven't defined what success means to me or how to get there."
But here's the thing: You can get all of that mixing country, hip-hop, alternative, R&B, or Latin music. Morgan Wallen is pop. Bad Bunny is pop. Post Malone is pop. They don't sound anything like Ariana Grande, but they're all achieving the same level of cultural impact.
The successful engineers figured this out. They picked a lane, mastered it, and THEN the pop artists came calling.
Artists saying "I make pop music" usually mean:
I want mainstream success
I'm not tied to any subculture or scene
My music is accessible/not experimental
I'm influenced by what's popular now
Translation: "I want to be famous but I haven't done the work of developing an actual identity."
But if you're not already popular, you don't make pop music. You make music that you hope will become pop. There's a massive difference, and confusing the two will mess with both your identity and your strategy.
The artists who actually become pop? They started with a crystal-clear identity. Billie Eilish didn't start as "pop." She was that weird, whisper-singing teen with the creepy videos. The pop designation came later, after she'd already defined herself with surgical precision.
What Pop Isn't
Pop isn't "selling out." This toxic idea needs to die. Making music that connects with millions of people isn't artistic compromise. It's artistic achievement. You know what's hard? Making something that a 14-year-old in Tokyo, a 45-year-old in Toledo, and a 70-year-old in Turin can all vibe with.
Pop isn't a production style. Yeah, there's a "contemporary pop" sound that updates every few years. Right now it's sparse 808s, pitched vocal chops, and that specific reverb everyone's using. But that's just this moment's popular sound. It's not what makes something pop.
Pop isn't something you can declare yourself. This is the harsh truth nobody wants to hear: You can't just decide you're a pop artist. The audience decides if you're pop. You can make music aimed at becoming popular, but calling yourself pop before you get there is like calling yourself a lottery winner before buying the ticket.
Pop isn't a career path you can plan. "I want to work in pop" makes as much sense as saying "I want to work with successful people." Of course you do. But success finds you when you're great at something specific, not when you're chasing something vague.
The Real Division
Here's what I've learned after years in studios and even more years working with engineers trying to build careers: The real division isn't between "pop" and "authentic" music. It's between music made for an audience and music made despite an audience.
Both are valid.
Want to make experimental drone metal that only 47 people on Bandcamp will ever appreciate? Beautiful. Do it. The world needs that.
Want to craft songs that soundtrack millions of people's first kisses, breakups, and road trips? Also beautiful. Also necessary.
But let's stop pretending one is morally superior to the other.
The Mix Engineer's Dilemma
As mix engineers, we sit in a unique position. We're often mixing tracks where the artist says they "don't want it to sound too pop" while simultaneously asking for reference tracks from the Billboard Hot 100.
The translation? They want it to sound expensive, polished, and competitive. They want the quality associated with pop production without the stigma they've attached to it.
Your job isn't to navigate their identity crisis. Your job is to make their music sound as good as possible within the context of their goals. If their goal is reach (whether they admit it or not) then you're mixing pop music. Own it.
The Real Path Forward
For Engineers:
Stop saying you want to "work in pop." Instead:
Identify which styles you excel at mixing
Study what makes hit records in those styles connect
Build a portfolio that shows you can deliver radio-ready quality
Network with artists and producers who are getting traction
The engineers mixing the biggest records didn't get there by chasing "pop." They got there by being undeniably great at their craft and understanding how to serve a song's commercial potential.
For Artists:
Stop calling yourself a "pop artist" if you're not already popular. Instead:
Define your actual sound and influences
Identify your core audience (not "everyone")
Study what makes songs in your lane break through
Focus on connection over category
The artists who become pop didn't start by trying to sound like what's already popular. They started with something genuine that became popular because it resonated.
The Better Question
Instead of "Is it pop?" ask:
Is it connecting?
Is it memorable?
Is it serving its purpose?
Is it the best version of what it's trying to be?
Because here's the secret: Make something undeniable in ANY genre, and it might just become pop. Chase pop itself, and you'll always be behind.
The Formula That Isn't
Everyone wants to know the "pop formula" like it's some secret recipe locked in a vault in Stockholm. But here's the reality: The only consistent formula is that there is no consistent formula.
What works changes. The "Millennial whoop" dominated for a few years, then disappeared. The "pop drop" had its moment. Trap hi-hats infiltrated everything, then receded.
The only constant? Pop music reflects the current moment while pushing slightly forward. It's familiar enough to feel comfortable but fresh enough to feel new. It's that sweet spot between "I've heard this before" and "I've never heard anything like this."
Making Peace with Popularity
If you're reading this as someone who makes music, mixes music, or works with people who do either, here's my challenge: Stop using "pop" as a pejorative.
If you catch yourself saying "It's too pop," ask what you really mean:
Is it too safe?
Is it too predictable?
Is it missing personality?
Is it chasing a trend that's already passed?
Those are legitimate critiques. "It might connect with millions of people" is not.
The Truth Nobody Wants to Say
Most of us got into music because a pop song changed our life.
For me, it was Green Day's "Dookie" in '94. Was it punk? Sure. Was it also absolutely, undeniably pop? The 10 million copies sold suggest yes.
But here's the key: Green Day didn't set out to make "pop music." They set out to make THEIR music. The pop part happened because they were great at it and the timing was right.
That album didn't betray punk. It translated it. It took something subcultural and made it universal without losing its teeth. But they did it by being the best possible version of Green Day, not by trying to be something they weren't.
So What Do We Do With This?
Next time an engineer tells you they want to "work in pop," ask them: "What kind of music moves you?" Because that's where they should focus their energy. The path to mixing hit records doesn't go through a genre. It goes through excellence.
Next time an artist says they're a "pop artist," ask them: "What makes your music unique?" Because if they can't answer that, they're not making pop. They're making background music.
The brutal truth? Pop isn't something you pursue. It's something that happens when you make something so undeniable that culture has no choice but to pay attention.
The Only Formula That Matters
You want to know the real pop formula? Here it is:
Excellence + Authenticity + Timing = Pop
You control two of those three variables. The timing? That's out of your hands. But if you nail the first two, you'll have a career whether you become "pop" or not.
Because at the end of the day, good is good. A great mix serves the song. A great song serves the listener. And if enough listeners are served?
Congratulations. You just made pop music.
Whether you planned it or not.
The Precision Principle
Here's what I want you to take away from this: Your success in this industry (or any industry) is directly proportional to how precisely you can define what you do, what you want, and where you're going.
Every successful engineer I know can tell you:
Their specific mixing style and strengths
Their ideal client profile
Their exact rate structure
Their technical specialty
Their career trajectory
They don't say "I mix pop." They say "I mix alternative rock with an emphasis on organic, room-sound drums and vintage-inspired vocal treatments."
They don't say "I want to work with bigger artists." They say "I want to work with emerging indie artists who have label support and need someone who can translate their DIY aesthetic into radio-ready production."
See the difference? One is wishful thinking. The other is a business plan.
Your Next Move
Stop using words you can't define. Starting with "pop."
If you're an engineer, define exactly:
What styles you excel at mixing
What production qualities you bring to a project
What type of artists benefit most from your approach
What specific results you deliver
If you're an artist, define exactly:
What genre you actually make
What influences shape your sound
What audience connects with your music
What makes you different from others in your lane
Because here's the brutal truth: The universe can't deliver what you can't define. Labels can't find you if you don't know what shelf you belong on. Clients can't hire you if they don't know what you do. Success can't find you if you're aiming at a target that doesn't exist.
Words matter. Definitions matter. Precision matters.
And if you want to make pop music? Great. Make the best music you can in whatever genre you actually work in. Make it undeniable. Make it connect. Make it spread.
Then, if the culture decides it's popular enough, it becomes pop.
But that's their word to use, not yours.
Michael
P.S. - Next time someone tells you they "work in pop" or "make pop music," ask them to define it. Watch them struggle. Then ask yourself: What other words am I using without really knowing what they mean? Your career might depend on figuring that out.
