This Is Pop

Love it or hate it, Auto-Tune has changed pop music. From Cher's "Believe" to Kanye West's "Love Lockdown," the sound has penetrated the globe and revolutionized music since its invention in 1997. Some say the pitch-correction technology has ruined music, while others have found fame by using the tool creatively. Tracing Auto-Tune's roots to predecessors like the synthesizer, the good, the bad, and the ugly of this game-changing technology is revealed, grounded in a personal account of Auto-Tune's most famous user, T-Pain.

Britpop. The word can elicit an eye roll, an itch to get on the dance floor, or a sudden urge to cry and sing "Wonderwall." In the early ‘90s, when America was hooked on grunge, The Brits retaliated with a return to catchy, witty, and downright fun pop, speaking to their own stories and cultural roots. This musical zeitgeist known as "Britpop" went far behind the headlines of "Oasis vs. Blur" – bands like Elastica, Echobelly, Pulp, Lush, and Suede became international exports with a unique sound.

Since 1974, when a little-known group named ABBA won Eurovision's song contest with their track "Waterloo," Sweden has been a global force in exporting pop music. Cassette players and bedroom walls have been filled with the likes of Roxette, Ace of Base, and Robyn, and ‘90s playlists featuring Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and *NSYNC would be obsolete without the work of Swedes Denniz Pop and Max Martin.