Will the nostalgia wave ever end?

[Starmie25 22,144]

Obviously, i am aware that throwback type songs returning on a larger scale is not unheard of, however the last year or so it seems more and more huge commercial hits from past are just becoming the norm on streaming, tiktok, charts etc.

Very few newer songs are sticking around...

The general public seems to be quite fixated on that that carefree, euphoric, electro maximilist era from 2007-2013 - Akon, ruh, Usher, Justin Bieber, Katy, Kanye, Nicki Minaj, MJ too I guess

Regarding Gaga, she's obviously benefited from this trend, however it was refreshing that her song was an album deep cut from 2011, meaning it had no major success as a stand alone radio single aka BLOODY MARY.

anyways what's your thoughts? Am I over analysing too much? 

Edited 13 hours ago by Starmie25

[TheARTPOPball 1,314]

Well 2007-2013 was such a solid era for pop music. Huge innovation, new way of doing things, producers cracked “the code” on catchy hooks and lyrics that feel good enough - or hurt good enough, to stick with us and become our anthems 

this era was the last before streaming and music still kind of existing in a monoculture. It was what united everyone, and there was always a song that was on the radio that connected us with at least a few of our peers. There are still huge hits and #1s but it’s just different. To be a number one record in 2010 was a very different feat to be a number one record in 2026. I mean, how many songs in the top ten are actually massively popular? Sure there are some, but there are hits all the time that are under our nose and go unnoticed by a lot of people. We are no longer witnessing the album releases together, seeing it on the news, hearing talk show hosts talk about it, being slapped in the face with physical tangible promo on massive scales, hearing the singles on our radio while we drive to work. Everyone is off in their own corner now with what they see/hear tailored to their own taste and preferences. It was the last time the music industry truly felt like a community. So I don’t think we will ever fully escape what I consider our modern day renaissance in music 

[Bronco 21,606]

It'll end when labels allow newer artists some creative freedom and stop forcing bare bones music by numbers **** out. The world yearns for escapism but the current focus on diary style bedroom pop isn't providing that.

The reason why nostalgia sells so strongly at the moment is because 

1) Labels are increasingly not bothering to invest in & support new talent unless they are instantly Taylor Swift level successes. 
2) The way music consumption has changed alongside whats the focus of the touring industry has meant that for the first time the strongest music demographic is the older generations instead of the teens. 

[River 125,105]

I think it has always been here, even for us Millennials, but we just didn't notice 

For example, we all grew up knowing Grease and the songs of the movies, every single Millennial knows them, but we know them because every now and then there was so re-discovery of the movie and the songs, every now and then there was a new musical in town, a reality show to choose Danny and Sandy and we didn't feel that it's "old", it was just nostalgic, but for our parents..

Or if we think about video games, nostalgia is still the main reason why Mario is still a successful franchise, but as kids to us it was "new", but most of us were not even born when Donkey Kong was released to arcade in 1981 and introduced Mario (Jumpman), DK and Pauline.

[Borislshere 53,541]

It’s only going to get worse the older we get and shittier things become. Music, movies, everything. People yearn for quality that isn’t around anymore 

[palma 8,895]

The world SUCKS for the millennials, so they look back at the good old days. I'm a very very late millenial so perhaps it's the same nostalgia for me too, but kinda feels like there's not much new stuff that is super exciting. You can fast-track fame with virality but not many of those viral stars have the it factor to keep the engine running (exceptions apply, obviously, Billie, for instance is I think the closest thing we have to a monoculture pop icon for Gen Z).

Also I think familiarity helps with anxiety? Sort of like eating comfort food on a bad day, literally everyone I know has that one show they watch again and again because they don't need to pay too much attention, knowing how the scenario will play out.

[JustJames 1,065]

I mean, the ways this “wave of nostalgia” is being measured are through platforms and technologies that have only existed / been relevant for a few years to a decade (at most). There was no TikTok for people to post on/dance in 1990, 2000, or 2010 using songs from the 80s or before.

Up until the mid-2010s, if you wanted to discover an old song or listen to an old favorite, you had to have purchased a physical album or (from ~2003-2014) digital copy. You had to pay (or your parents or whoever purchased that original album or song) to do this, and you had no means of sharing that experience with a global audience at the click of a finger. 

There’s nothing new about this behavior. Streaming and social media have just made it so it’s now more visible, accessible, and measurable. And, because this is the only way for the industry to profit, it’s become more invested in and feeds into a continuous loop.

[Cavadour 2,689]

From the 50's when I was born to today, thare's always been nostalgia. today nostalgia is about the 80's/90's. In the 90's, nostalgia was about the 70's and in the 70's nostalgia was about the 50's.

Nothing new under the sun.

[timdrake 1,683]

2 minutes ago, Cavadour said:

From the 50's when I was born to today, thare's always been nostalgia. today nostalgia is about the 80's/90's. In the 90's, nostalgia was about the 70's and in the 70's nostalgia was about the 50's.

Nothing new under the sun.

That's what I was thinking - it's always been customary to look back fondly at art and ways of previous decades.

 

 

Renaissances happen where a boom of new, interesting art emerges, so that's possible too.

tl;dr who knows 🤷🏻‍♂️

[imogen2133 336]

Well as long as we have movie companies churning out remake after remake and sequel after sequel to beloved franchises and pop acts just making the same song everyone else has for the millionth time I don't see the culture moving away from that anytime soon. 

 

Also I think this is interesting because this is exactly what Gaga warned about back in 2014 during her SXSW interview, the idea of music and culture becoming like "fast food" and having no lasting impact on culture as a whole. She even mentioned the idea of what we now know as e-celebs and people going viral and becoming famous for doing something crazy on Instagram or making a viral YouTube video. She also said the way to keep culture/music alive was to put the power into the hands of the artist and not the corporations and for people to drive culture with passion and creativity. Sad to see all of what she warned about become true.

 

[Lucas 30,343]

Hopefully not. Music and life could be as great as they used to be if we weren't getting crushed by money hungry people

[Alxjcgn 2,004]

5 hours ago, Starmie25 said:

Obviously, i am aware that throwback type songs returning on a larger scale is not unheard of, however the last year or so it seems more and more huge commercial hits from past are just becoming the norm on streaming, tiktok, charts etc.

Very few newer songs are sticking around...

The general public seems to be quite fixated on that that carefree, euphoric, electro maximilist era from 2007-2013 - Akon, ruh, Usher, Justin Bieber, Katy, Kanye, Nicki Minaj, MJ too I guess

Regarding Gaga, she's obviously benefited from this trend, however it was refreshing that her song was an album deep cut from 2011, meaning it had no major success as a stand alone radio single aka BLOODY MARY.

anyways what's your thoughts? Am I over analysing too much? 

We need more musicians to make songs and moments like pop music had when these nostalgic sounds were out... We have none of that right now really or we are just too braindead from social media to get into anything new, but I think we will have it come back eventually

[Mirrion Rizzons 12,499]

Obviously social media and TikTok etc has changed the way music is consumed

BUT. maybe a stretch

Social media has also really increased people's knowledge of current world affairs and events - to the point where people are in outrage, feel tremendous anxiety etc. I think part of the nostalgia wave is linked to people wanting to go back to a perceived 'easier' time, hence the 2016 renaissance, recession pop, etc. 

People crave simplicity again

Edited 7 hours ago by Mirrion Rizzons

[monketsharona 89,902]

The funniest part is the GP going hard on those songs but rejecting the same type of music released by the same artists in recent years

[nodandsmile 11,695]

when I said an AM special was AOTY the other day I was not joking, this year is ass

Harry being the biggest disappointment for me, hopefully Ari and Olivia come thru... no wonder all these old songs making a comeback!

Edited 7 hours ago by nodandsmile