Slayyyter and the Future of Pop Music
The year is 2019 and pop music is shapeshifting in time with the culture. Slayyyter, a superstar to-be, is more than a key piece in the growing pop puzzle. The twenty two year old has more fingers on two hands than singles in her discography, yet has managed to establish an incredibly promising online presence. Slayyyter has become a figure for the, mostly queer, subsection of Twitter known as “stan Twitter,” a title coined from Eminem’s “Stan.” Her fanbase proudly paraded “Stream Mine by Slayyyter” in their tweets, headers, and bios when the singer dropped a Valentine’s Day single. Slayyyter fever has struck.
Slayyyter’s well-packaged professionalism separates her from other rising artists. Even in her miniscule discography and comparatively small follower count, she feels like a real pop star. Twitter user @glitchmood also known as Josh, crafts her single covers that are equal parts pink and polished. This duo, combined with high tech production from LA-based musician Ayesha Erotica, manage to create an illusion that Slayyyter is more famous than her 78,000 Spotify monthly listeners. Slayyyter has captured the idea of what a pop star looks and behaves like in 2019 with remarkable precision.
Beyond mastering the social media game with the ability only a twenty two year old could, Slayyyter’s music speaks for itself. Her music, a self described “Myspace-core” sound, fits in line with artists like Charli XCX, Kim Petras, and SOPHIE, while maintaining a pop integrity to the likes of Britney Spears. Her work ranges from sounding mechanical (“Alone”) to house-esque (“Mine”) to syrupy sweet PC pop (“Ghost”.) Within her multifaceted music, there remains an integral “Slayyyter” sound that bounces between Britney Spears-autotuned belts and tastefully sultry murmured vocals. “Mine” has quickly become Slayyyter’s most popular single thanks to promotions from alternative press outlets like PAPER and The Fader and her dedicated stans’ missionary work. The charming track blends house music with subtle pop, creating a track equal parts bubbly and relaxed. Her vocals shine as she belts “got me feelin’ so high, i’m high” on the aptly named “I’m High,” dancing over a bubbly, industrial pop beat.
The song that marked Slayyyter as more than just a new face in the pop game is the explosive “Alone.” I could speak on this song for a thousand words in itself. The production, featuring roaring drums and chattering claps, sounds like a cacophony of pop perfection when combined with Slayyyter’s angry, powerhouse voice. As a collective, Slayyyter’s music is a combination of advanced post-production pop that echoes artists like Hannah Diamond with the same sonic enthusiasm for the 2000’s as Mad Decent’s LIZ.
Slayyyter is shaping herself into the pop icon the 2020’s will mark as a figure of the times. Her ability to combine old and new sounds together to form a sexy, feminine, and consumable body of work is admirable. Beyond her abilities as an artist, Slayyyter is gifted in the branding department. By creating a sound, look, and generalized aesthetic that feels ultimately “Slayyyter,” the self proclaimed “wh*re from the 314” is a pop princess in the making.
