Why Lesbian 'Brat' Pop is Having a Moment
There was a moment during last week's VMA's when Sabrina Carpenter, the Disney channel star-turned-pop-phenom, walked up to a seemingly trans alien and kissed them right on the mouth. Perhaps it was a jab at former President Trump's recent unhinged debate performance, but nevertheless the smooch was emblematic of the larger pop culture moment we're in right now: the rise of lesbian "brat" pop.
What is lesbian "brat" pop? The answer lies in the pop divas of today — from Chappelle Roan to Charli xcx and even Carpenter — making a curious discovery: It's a hell of a lot more satisfying to sing about ditching a boy for a girl (or an alien for that matter) than to cry over the age-old truth that boys suck. Lesbian "brat" pop is having its "super graphic ultra-modern moment."
Billie Eilish released a single earlier this year called "Lunch," in which she sings about eating out, well, a meal that has less to do with boys than with girls. Chappell Roan, riding perhaps the fastest rocket to the outer reaches of super stardom, said in her "Best New Artist" VMA speech: "For all the queer kids in the Midwest... I see you, I understand you, because I'm one of you. And don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't be exactly who you want to be, bitch." Gone are the days of love sick ponderings about a boy. Say goodbye, Taylor Swift! We are in the era of pop girls — gay, straight-ish, pan, trans, bi — crooning about being knee deep in the back of your girl's seat. Buckle up because it's a delicious ride!
Though Carpenter plays for the hetero crowd, you'd be remiss to think she isn't meeting the moment. Her chart-topping hit "Espresso" is caffeinated with lyrics about how her "give a fucks" thinking about a boy are on vacation. In her song "Slim Pickings" off her No. 1 album "Short n' Sweet," she sings, "Since the good ones call their exes wasted / And since the Lord forgot my gay awakenin' / Then I'll just be here in the kitchen / Servin' up some moanin' and bitchin.'" There was even a minor controversy over a lyric in a bonus track called "Busy Woman," in which she sings, "If you don't want me, I'll just deem you gay."
Even Charli xcx, though not a newcomer, is channeling the zeitgeist with the release of her new album "Brat" earlier this year. She's conquered the airwaves over the last few months with infectious pop sounds that are aggressive, rebellious and dripping with queer subtext. The term "brat" even went viral, suggesting an angsty rebellious streak that is at once playful and free. The album also features a number of introspective songs, finding Charli pondering planethood and mourning the loss of her friend and early collaborator, the late trans producer SOPHIE. The duo worked together on a number songs, most notably the queer anthem "Vroom Vroom."
To further accentuate Charli's queer vibe, the U.K. songstress is going on tour with Troy Sivan, an out twink popsicle who made the gay boys salivate with a "Rush" of gay anthem bops last year and continues to make lesbian "brat" pop the indelible cultural equivalent of early 2000s boy bands.
But lesbian "brat" pop isn't just about ditching boys and having fun; it's about defiance. It tells a story of standing out from the crowd, a proud outcast, unafraid to be who you are in a world accustomed to blending in and shutting up. Then perhaps it makes sense that Chappell Roan is the undeniable leader of the pack. She left her Midwestern upbringing and "all those super mega bummer boys" for girls and songs at the "Pink Pony Club" on the west coast.
"Her music has an easy-to-root-for, mouthy, unpolished charm, trading in varying shades of disco, synth-pop and rock, unified by Roan's cheerleader theatricality and queer, outcast streak," Twrites Hazel Cills for NPR. "There are echoes of bratty, stupid-on-purpose, early 2000s electroclash in songs like the addictive "HOT TO GO!", which has a "Y.M.C.A."-style dance routine to do along with the chorus." That the queen of lesbian "brat" pop is reaching back to the buried queerness of Y.M.C.A. and linking past with present for a throughline that brings our queer stories full circle suggests this moment isn't just a flash in the pan. She's gathering us around a rallying cry of authenticity that has been absent from pop culture in recent memory.
Lesbian "brat" pop has even made its way into the election campaign. In viral meme after viral meme, the Harris campaign has capitalized on the moment to connect with younger voters who may feel left out of the political conversation.
"While Harris may not have always been people's 'number one' choice for the top of the Democratic ticket, pop music-driven memes have helped her ascend to that position in the minds of left-leaning online communities," according to an article at Billboard. "Pop music has never been more ingrained in U.S. politics — and it's giving real weight to the voices of America's youngest and newest voters."
If we're indeed in the midst of a "Femininomenon" — where pop music reflects the larger mood of a collective eye roll — then the ladies of lesbian "brat" have faced the moment head-on. It's no coincidence, then, that these pop stars' fun, fizzy, and flirtatious sounds feel so good to rock out to with your friends and family. And that's what we need right now: a reminder to be human in an increasingly anxiety-ridden experience. Regardless of the direction of the music industry, politics or even the culture-at-large, lesbian "brat" pop is here to stay, reminding us that sometimes a defiant middle finger to a boy or a situation is the only way forward.