Top Ten Reasons Why Pop Music is Great

This goes against the fallacy that it takes no talent to make a pop song. It takes talent to properly balance a mix, to make sure everything complements each other if you're not looking to juxtapose, and to make sure there's a prominent melody. When there is a prominent and strong melody, it's often much easier to process than a steel guitar riff or a horn section. That doesn't mean it's relegated to DJ Mustard however, a keyboard solo can be incredibly complex while sounding smooth and pleasant. - WonkeyDude98

The magic in it if you even get one thing wrong you mess up the whole thing. - WonkeyDude98

I actually like the production on many pop albums. Troye Sivan's Blue Neighbourhood features some great, intricate production (like that drop on Youth), as well as Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman. It's becoming increasingly important to have good production in the pop genre.

No reason in this list is practical and sensible because pop sucks

Although I never was big on pop myself but this comment you made was very ignorant of you. This guy gave out some very valid reasons why Pop music isn't all that bad. So please, think about what you have just said and stop the ignorance. - Metalmaniakkk

Pop is about pleasure and entertainment. This is best when there is:
1. A memorable melody. Something that gets stuck in your ear without sounding too penetrant.
2. Good production - there needn't be "real" instruments as long as it fits the mood.
3. Something distinctive in the singer's attitude and/or voice. They don't need to be exceptionally great singers as long as it perfectly blends into the music.
4. Variety and light influences of other genres and cultures (e.g. oriental instruments)
5. Emotion. This can also be humor or simply joy.

But most important is that the overall package is appealing. I know many have problems with sexual lyrics, but actually I don't see the problem with most of those, if they don't come across as awkward. - Martin_Canine

Even though I don't like pop so much (I prefer rock), I have to agree with this. Pop songs have lyrics that are harmless, and sometimes meaningful (I'm talking about your songs, Michael Jackson). - FnKk

EXACTLY. I'm not sure if Fifth Harmony's Work From Home is exactly harmful. Sure there's the whole meaning of "get boyfriend fired to have sex," but the girls even said that it's not too in-your-face. And what makes you beautiful by One Direction is not harmful, it's EMPOWERING which is the exact opposite of harmful.

Look at Baby by Justin Bieber. It isn't harming anyone and it's terrible. Nearly all of them are harmless. - AlphaQ

Exactly. People hate it when they sing about 53X and partying, but they'll STILL hate it if it's a song about an innocent schoolyard crush. There's just no pleasing these people. - BlueTopazIceVanilla

Depends on the artist, though? And that also goes with other genres, too. Rock, people write their own songs. Rap, depends on the artist, but yeah. And I'm not mentioning Country, because I don't listen to or understand most of it. But it's with a lot of genres, and it just depends.

WRONG. As mentioned, one click to find writing credit. All artists are aware that writing is where the money is, but very few pop artists are listed as the sole writer, its almost always a collaboration with several additional people. The truth is, a major artist has the clout to be sitting in the room while the writing happens, and maybe they contribute "add a baby-baby here".
I don't even like Taylor Swift, but she is an actual exception, and is making such massive amounts of money, no wonder other artists want to make sure they are at least "co-writers" on paper.

It's because not all pop singer is in group or band. While most of the rocker is in band. Each of the members maybe have their own ideas, so that's why they write their own songs. - BeaM456

This could apply to any genre of music - christangrant

Adele, Lady Gaga, Zayn, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Little Mix have excellent voices. And this isn't even a quarter of all of the singers. - AlphaQ

It might just be the increased vocal recording value over time, but a ton of pop singers have great, smoothvocals. Lady Gaga, Josh Ramsay, Lauren Mayberry, Tyler Joseph, Adam Levine (it's subjective for him), Michael Jackson (duh), Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake (as much as I hate to admit it), the list goes on. - WonkeyDude98

The girls of Fifth Harmony, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez all have great voices

For every good voice there's also a bad voice - christangrant

It's not all synthesizers and drum machines. Saxophones are a legitimate trend now, to the point where it's almost annoying. Guitar tones and riffs are common, even in bad One Direction songs. Percussion of many kinds are used in pop (obviously), piano ballads are common, many different usages of horns, bass, and more. - WonkeyDude98

Even if instruments aren't used, it doesn't make a song horrible. It takes years to train an ear for EQ and compression when producing as well.

Contrary to what many people think, Autotune and vocoders can be used artistically too.

If autotune didn't exist, Kanye West would seem less emotional and Fetty Wap would be boring. Autotune depends on the artist. - AlphaQ

Putting the words "autotune" and "well used" together is known as an oxymoron.

Some pop artists DO NOT USE AUTOTUNE. Example: Shawn Mendes. If you have watched him live, it sounds EXACTLY LIKE the recorded version. And you can tell he's not lipsyncing, because if he was lipsyncing, there would be distant audio playing in the background. We're very good at telling these things.
NOT A STITCH of autotune is used in his songs.
Camila Cabello is another example of anti-autotune

This is the only part of this list I agree with.

Michael Jackson boi - yungstirjoey666

Michael Jackson isn't really "less known pop" everybody knows at least 1 song from him. - MistyMay113

MOST mainstream pop is bad in my opinion.

Yes this is the best reason - christangrant

Justin Bieber, One Direction, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, I'll even go as far as to say the JONAS BROTHERS are overhated. - WonkeyDude98

Rihanna isn't really overhated in my opinion, she's actually overrated. (i still like her music) - venomouskillingmachine

Fifth Harmony, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor are overhated. They don't deserve all the hate they get. They are good singers.
Justin Bieber on the other hand absolutely deserves all the hate.

JB and Arianna are usually hated for the personality but their songs start getting gate. - AlphaQ

@Wonkeydude98
I agree that 1D and Taylor Swift are overhated. But there are lots you forgot to mention: Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony, Meghan Trainor, Selena Gomez, and Shawn Mendes are overhated.
But Rihanna is overrated, not overhated.
And Camila Cabello is the #1 target of 5H haters (like leave her alone, she's a human being too! ).
But there are terrible pop singers that deserve all the hate like the Chainsmokers

Don't forget dream pop, indie pop, and more!

You have your hammering synthpop, your gleaming ballads, your pop-rock, your pop and hip-hop combinations, it goes on. - WonkeyDude98

Well, any kind of music can be pop if it's a top single in the radio - yungstirjoey666

If you want musical variety listen to genres like

metal (Variety is basically endless, Doom, Black, Heavy, Progressive, Experimental, Neoclassical,, thrash, death, nu and I could write about 100 more)

electronic (dubstep, trance, house, ambient and many other subgenres)

or Rock Hard (which has a lot of subgenres), Punk (which has A TON of subgenres), Classic (which has a variety in the actual music) and metal (which has endless like I said) - Seventies-Music-Fan

Pop music actually has more variety music like crossover rock, country, jazz, classical, soul and electronics. While metal, I never heard they make country crossover or classic crossover. - BeaM456

I wrote that. pretty much nearly every pip song is fun and catchy. - AlphaQ

Props to whoever added this one not all Pop is bad but a lot of what you hear on the radio now is - christangrant

Have you seen the girls of Fifth Harmony without makeup? They're BEAUTIFUL

Sia doesn't rely on makeup? Lady Gaga? Justin Bieber? Whoever added this, try again. - EpicJake

Not true - christangrant

Camila Cabello for example. She quit Fifth Harmony, the group that made her famous and earned her money, so that she could EXPRESS HERSELF. Her upcoming solo album, "The Hurting, The Healing, The Loving," is about her journey from darkness to light. She is writing and cowriting almost EVERY SONG there. The 2 singles from it that she's released "Crying In The Club" and "I Have Questions" all have a story behind them. CITC is the healing, and IHQ is about the hurting. You can hear the emotion and passion in her voice when she sings it. If she didn't have passion, she would have stayed in 5H, if she only cared about the $$$$. But she wants to make MUSIC, not $$$$. So don't you DARE say that pop has no passion.
-TheProfessionalCamilizer

You know what else was catchy?
The bubonic plague!
Catchy doesn't make somthing inherently good, more likely it just gets annoying.

Fifth Harmony are good examples of empowering

Not all of them (Justin Bieber) - christangrant

Fifth Harmony are VERY kind to their fans. They literally even retweet them.

Like Scars to Your Beautiful is about trying to defy the unrealistic standards of beauty, and that's very important, considering how unfortunately society still holds unrealistic expectations. Besides, they're ALLOWED to sing about sex, what's so bad about sex? They can embrace it if they want. Who are you to judge? NO ONE! Let them be provocative if they feel like it.