From Housewife to Heartbreak: Pop’s Latest Main Characters
From Tate McRae’s sun-soaked fantasy to Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan’s expectations in dating, Oct.15 gave pop fans plenty to talk about.
There is something about a new pop r
elease that can make an ordinary Thursday feel like a classic coming-of-age movie.
Suddenly, your headphones are fully charged and you've got the whole world on hold.
On Oct. 15, three releases gave pop fans exactly that excuse.
Tate McRae flips the housewife stereotype on its head, challenging who gets to define womanhood. Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan teamed up on “Expectations,” and Zara Larsson took things somewhere a little more surreal with “Blue Moon.”
First up, McRae's “Housewife.” Our pop princess is back and the title alone is enough to make you curious.
Shot in the South of France, McRae offers a glimpse of the glitz and glamour of yachts and coastal estates. Heat is practically pushed through the screen. Everything appears polished, expensive and a little out of reach.
Beneath the glitz lies a passionate declaration of independence: McRae is the only woman in charge, her own boss and her own housewife.
Then comes Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan's collaboration on “Expectations,” a previous song off Rodrigo's third studio album, “You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” which makes complete sense. These two are the ones that truly know how to transform romantic disappointment into fun.
Rodrigo has built a reputation for making heartbreak feel all too painfully personal, while Roan brings a theatrical, colourful flair that makes even the messiest emotions feel like a performance worth watching.
The accompanying video leans into that drama, placing the pair in a retro game show setting complete with exaggerated performances, competing families and David Byrne as host.
Under the bright studio lights, relationship troubles become something closer to a spectacle. It is colourful, deliberately over-the-top and a welcome reminder that sometimes the best response to disappointment is to make a scene, preferably a well-produced one.
Finally, “Blue Moon” by Zara Larsson provides a complete escape from reality.
Following her never-ending midnight sun, she welcomes a blue moon.
The video opens in a deserted parking lot at nightfall and then transports viewers to a fantasy world full of choreography, vibrant colours, and exotic animals.
A regular scene soon transforms into a fever dream. A parking lot suddenly seems like the last place on earth you would expect to find yourself, as the mood changes and the visuals become more inventive.
Larsson excels at turning pop into an event. “Blue Moon” embraces the idea that her music has never needed to fade into the background. It is daring, aesthetically pleasing and a little eccentric in the nicest way.
Three releases, three very different moods.
McRae gives us luxury and independence; Rodrigo and Roan turn romantic frustration into a full-blown production and Larsson invites us somewhere that feels a little less ordinary.
Pop can be glamorous, messy, theatrical or completely surreal, sometimes all within the same day.
Comments