Concert List

Billy Joel concert tickets are something that you don’t get to see sitting for long. Why? Because they sell out in seconds! A singer, pianist, and songwriter, Billy Joel devoted himself to music since he was a child. At the age of 14, he joined his first band and since then, played the piano in various piano bars as “Bill Martin.” His real name is William Martin Joel.

Billy Joel’s style is different. He takes you on a trip to romantic boulevards, packed bars, and hazy factory streets down America’s northeast. His concerts are perfect for your date, your family, or a group of friends, or even your grandparents!

Billy Joel has successfully toured with Elton John. He has been compared with the Beatles and Elton John by his fans. His debut album was the “Piano Man”, released in 1973.

Billy Joel’s first love has always been classical music. He’s fond of experimenting with new classical styles of entertaining his audience. His numbers have managed to climb the top of charts. His first classical album “Fantasies and Delusions” received a mixed response, but became the Number One in the list of classical charts. After the 9/11 attacks, about 150 songs were pulled from airplay. In the list was included Billy Joel’s “Only the Good die Young.”

Billy spent his childhood in a town known as Hicksville, which is located in the outskirts of New York. In his songs, Billy has made several references to the metropolitan area of New York City, especially the Long Island. However, his most popular songs are those that refer to life in Lehigh County in Pennsylvania. They are compiled in an album titled “Allentown” that was released in 1982.

Billy Joel has also appeared on the renowned “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in order to promote his Legacy release under the name of “The Stranger 30th Anniversary Edition.” The release contains numbers that are typical Billy Joel style. A few examples are “Just The Way You Are,” “She’s Always A Woman”, and “Only The Good Die Young”.

If you missed the show, don’t worry. You now have a chance to watch Billy Joel, not from your television sets, but live on stage! This will happen on July 16th and 18th this year at Shea Stadium situated in Queens, New York. Billy is preparing to enchant you with his sensational “Last Play at Shea”. Are you prepared to be seduced by some heavenly music?

If yes, then pick your phone and dial the number of ticketing services. Forget the box office or anything else. These are not the places to look for Billy Joel concert tickets. The best place is the internet. Book your tickets online or call the services. They will even deliver your tickets at your doorstep. Wow!

Getting ready to watch the star? Then first be pampered as a star yourself! Make no efforts and get the tickets to one of the most happening shows in town. Billy Joel concert tickets are an all-time favorite.

Al writes articles about New York City entertainment and reviews many current concert tours with advice for getting Billy Joel Concert Tickets for any venue. His site offers great resources for locating and purchasing any Billy Joel Concert tickets for the current tour.

Rock Music – Thrilling and Entertaining-Rock is an exciting and highly admired genre of popular music which mainly appeals to the young generation. This extremely famous form has attained great recognition and adulation amongst the music lovers for several decades. The most admirable aspect of this genre is its variety and unique style. This form uses several high tech instruments which give an attractive and interesting appeal to it. The instruments like synthesizers, mouth organ and piano etc are used while playing the melodies. Rock is the modern and advanced form of music that is comparatively faster and louder than the conventional genres like classic and folk. It gives the artists a liberty to experiment with variety of styles and express themselves with freedom. The soul of rock is the rock band or the group of musicians and singers who collectively play the songs.

The youth is simply crazy for this form of music; they are ardent fans of the various rock stars. The rock albums take you through the various aspects and emotions of life. The words of the songs simply enthrall the senses and thrill the listeners. In this kind of music the prominent vocal melody is accompanied with hard instruments like drums, brass and guitar etc, along with the mellotrans and other keyboard instruments.

Some rock bands also use the conventional instruments like harmonica, melodica, banjo etc. Some highly creative artists have experimented a lot with the less known instruments like sitar and mandolin. This gave their songs a completely different appeal.

Rock music evolved around 1940’s and 1950’s. This genre is highly influenced by the country music and blues which were very popular around that time. This style was basically a blue-based song with fast and peppy dance tracks. One can find the classic albums on various online music stores. You can search top rock music albums on the internet.

The rock reached great heights with several amazing rock stars that awed the audiences with amazing performances. Elvis Presley is the most admired and popular artist in the world of rock; his astounding style, classic dance movements and incredible songs entertained the music lovers. The Beetles is the most famous and highly applauded rock band. They had the most numbers of the chart topping hits.

Eventually by the late 1960’s the various rock bands emerged which were famous amongst the music lovers at that time. The bands from United States and Britain gained immense popularity. Some of the most famous bands were Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Queen and Judas Priest.

By the 1980 the glam metal genre made waves in the rock music world. Bon Jovi, New York Dolls, Sweet, Guns and Roses, Twisted Sister and Kiss were the several most popular artistes of the 1980’s. In the 1990’s Rock soared new heights with emergence of some highly commendable forms like Grunge. This popular genre was associated with the fusion of various elements like hardcore punk and heavy metal sound to give amazingly enthralling melodies. The lyrics of the songs focused on the themes of social concern like entrapment and alienation. The Grudge had heavy and loud tunes with extensive use of guitar and fuzz. Several famous bands like Alice in Chains, Candlebox and Soundgarden, gained a wide audience applause and appreciation.

The Britpop and Indie Pop were few forms that gained immense adulation in the 1990’s. In the 2000 several new styles of pop gained recognition and flourished with great adulation. Garage rock, Emo and Metal core are the most admired sub genres of rock. Various rock bands like the White Stripes, The Vines and The Strokes came with some thrilling and happening albums. These are very famous CD rock music hits.

With the emergence of MTV rock gained immense hype and recognition. Internet further enhanced the growth of this unique genre. The highly popular rock music CDs are available on the internet, you can easily find your favourite DVD for rock music on various websites.

Rap Music For Youngster-The history of rap music would not be complete without a look at the performers who make it all possible – the rap artists. Most rap music typically includes one or more rappers who often rap about their own personal life stories, important events in their lives, or social problems they wish to make a public statement about. Rap songs can also represent romanticized or fictional themes. The sky is the limit. Musically, rap songs usually have a strong rhythmic aspect with the spoken lyrics emulating the intense rhythm of the beat. Rap songs are known to make use of many poetic techniques including simple word rhymes and alliteration.

The history of rap music also shows that the instrumental track or beat performed by the DJ often includes the rhythms and beat “samplings” from popular and/or well-known funk, rock, or soul songs. These sampled sounds and rhythms are synthesized, integrated, and reinvented with original twists by the performers.

Two other highly popular aspects of rap music that saw their rapid growth into the American mainstream are break dancing and tagging (graffiti). Break dancers and taggers are now stars in their own right with loyal followers and fans throughout the world. Annual break dancing competitions are now very popular even in countries throughout Europe and Asia. The history of rap music can be considered relatively new, yet it is clearly a powerful influence in today’s music world. Indeed, the musical influence of New York City African American and Latino culture is now as pervasive worldwide as fast food hamburger chains.

Pop Music Can Be Creative-Pop music may include elements of rock, hip hop, reggae, dance, R&B, jazz, electronic, and sometimes folk music and various other styles. Pop music performers typically make use of state-of-the-art technology and recording studios to achieve the sound they want, and record producers may have a heavy influence. Pop music generally uses a simple, memorable melody and emphasizes the rhythm, often with syncopation, and stripped down to a basic riff or loop which repeats throughout much of the song. Pop music is often criticized for being overly simple and repetitive.

Popular

Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. Popular music is music that is not something else (usually ‘folk’ or ‘art’ music). Popular music is associated with (produced for or by) a particular social group. Popular music is disseminated by mass media and/or in a mass market. Popular music is also rarely entirely instrumental. Popular music is not really about ‘being heard’, but rather about ‘being heard again’; and ‘being heard again and again and again’ is what really popular music is really about. Pop is contemporary music and a common type of popular music (distinguished from classical or art music and from folk music).

The term popular music does not refer specifically to a single genre or sound, and its meaning is different depending on the time and place. Within popular music, “pop music” is often distinguished from other subgenres by stylistic traits such as a danceable rhythm or beat, simple melodies and a repeating structure. The broad appeal of pop music is seen to distinguish it from more specific types of popular music, and pop music performers and recordings are among the best-selling and most widely known in many regions of the world. The development of recording methods is seen as a major influence on the sound of pop, distinguishing it from classical music and jazz, as well as from some types of popular music which may seek a more “natural” sound.

Album

In the recorded music era, the single (a single song) and the album (a collection of songs) are the usual methods of distributing pop music. Notable highlights for pop music in the 1980s are Michael Jackson’s second Epic label release, Thriller, which went on to become the best-selling album of all time. Jackson was the most successful artist of the 80s, spanning nine #1 singles in the United States alone during that decade, and selling over 133 million copies with only two albums — Thriller, and its follow-up Bad.

Pop music in the 1980s was heavily influenced by an electronic sound with synthesizers and drum machines, and dance type music. Pop music, on the other hand, has primarily come into usage to describe music that evolved out of the rock ‘n roll revolution of the mid-1950’s and continues in a definable path to today. Pop music can range from the highly creative, iconoclastic or virtuosic to simple and downright dumb.

Talkin’ ‘Bout Pop Music-“Songs go far beyond words in their ability to insert emotion into
communication.” Robert Sylwester, A Celebration of Neurons

Filmmakers, if they knew who brain researcher Robert Sylwester was, would agree
with him. They often integrate familiar songs into their movies. Pop songs are so
successful that movie producers will pay exorbitant sums, in some cases as much as
$100,000, to acquire the rights for the song.

Sylwester, in his book A Celebration of Neurons, went on to explain:

“The songs of our adolescent years often become the beacons of our adult life
because they can help us to recall the important developments of our adolescence.
We often listen to this music to relive the memories in the extended reverie of song.
The song slows the simple message so that we can savor all the emotions of the
experience.”

In a film composer’s hands, pop songs are chosen and linked to those memories in
a way that adds emotional texture to the film. Films with pop music scores function
on two distinct levels. The first level is the application of the song in the film. Every
song lyric tells a story and a well placed song’s story will dovetail with the film’s
visual.

The second, and deeper, level is the emotional meaning the use of specific songs
brings forth within the listener. The songs become metaphors, placing the subject
to be taught in the context of the learners prior experiences. When people hear
songs they know, and have personal memories of, they immediately are drawn back
into those memories, and the experience is enhanced. In essence, pop music helps
us relate to the story being told in a deeply personal, highly emotional way.

Three famous films used this technique to achieve success.

American Graffiti (1973), telling the story of a group of early 1960s high
schoolers enjoying a last summer before adulthood, was intentionally designed as a
series of pop music vignettes. George Lucas, the film’s director, developed the
storyline, and selected the songs to almost simultaneously.

Each scene matched the length of the song accompanying it. For example, Bill
Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock,” played during the opening credits, set up the
film’s innocence of summer theme. The Crests’ “Sixteen Candles” accompanied a
young girls sixteenth birthday. “Teen Angel” by Mark Dinning was played when a
character dies in a drag race. The film ends with the Spaniels’ “Goodnight, Well It’s
Time To Go.”

The Big Chill tells the story of a group of former 1960s radicals turned
1980s yuppies who gather to mourn the passing of an old friend. Like American
Graffiti, The Big Chill uses pop songs, although in this case, to add commentary to
the on-screen occurrences.

Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” accompanied the actors as they
hear about their friend’s passing. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the
Rolling Stones is played as an ironic commentary on the friend’s death. As the
friends discuss relationships, The Young Rascals “Good Lovin’” is performed. Finally,
“Bad Moon Rising’” by Credence Clearwater Revival is played immediately after a
former lover proposes that she and her old flame reunite for an evening.

The best subconscious music placement occurs in a supermarket between the two
former lovers who contemplate rekindling their relationship. Although their desire
for each other is palpable, both hold back, only conversing about the shopping task
at hand as the store’s Muzak system plays Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers In The Night.”

Forest Gump tells the story of a dimwitted man who experiences a series of
life adventures over several decades. Because the film’s extended time frame, the
music serves to establish the time and place.

Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” sets up Gump’s Vietnam tour. To
state that Forest’s girlfriend has moved to California, California Dreaming” by the
Mamas and Papas is used. “San Francisco” by Scott Mackenzie frames Forest’s 1960s
visit to San Francisco. When Forest returns home to Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s
“Sweet Home Alabama” is played. These music placements help the films listeners
comprehend the different locations and eras represented in the film.

American Graffiti, The Big Chill, and Forest Gump were all highly successful films,
and their pop song application played a huge part in creating that success. All three
films appealed to people at a deeply personal level.

Pop Songs in Learning
In Training With A Beat, I discussed at length the application of pop songs in the
learning environment. In part, I said:

“Concert halls, ballrooms, parties, and yes, the class room, can be uncomfortable
environments. When people hear a song they’ve listened to in the privacy of their
home, they relax. Comfortable music emotionally warms the training room, placing
learners in a receptive frame of mind for learning. Songs with lyrics, especially
popular hits of the last 50 years, are extremely useful for this reason. They are old,
well worn, welcome friends.”

Songs with lyrics also engage learner brains in multiple ways. The words and rhythm
of a song are largely processed in the brain’s left hemisphere, where the melody is
largely processed by the right hemisphere. By using songs with lyrics, you help your
learners engage both hemispheres. In the process, they gain a deeper meaning than
is possible with one hemisphere alone.

Song lyrics can, as was the case in The Big Chill, speak directly to the learning topic.
The many applications are too numerous to state in this one article, but a few
examples should prove the point:

Career planning – “All Star” by Smash Mouth

Change management – “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter

Communication – “Hello, Goodbye” by the Beatles

Conflict management – “Shut Up” by the Black Eye Peas

Customer service – “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers

Diversity – “Short People” by Randy Newman

Finance – “Takin’ Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Project Management – “One Little Slip” by the Bare Naked Ladies

Sexual harassment – “Respect” by Aretha Franklin

Time management – “Right Place, Wrong Time” by Dr. John

Once you’ve decided on an appropriate song, placement is simple Considering the
Randy Newman song “Short People” for example:

Introduction – Play the song as the learners enter. Once the song is over call
attention to the songs lyrics and ask for comments about the meaning conveyed by
those lyrics. Use those comments as a transition to your presentation.

Filler – Play the song during breaks to add a subliminal message to your content.

Activity – Divide your learners into groups and instruct them to read and discuss the
lyrics. Then lead a general discussion to share each group’s observations.

Conclusion – Conclude your session by stating, “We are all short people in
someone’s eyes.” Then ask the rhetorical question, “If none of us were welcome
around here, who would be left to complete our work?” Start the song and thank
everyone for attending. Your learners will walk out of the classroom with the song
and its lyrics firmly implanted in their brains, and you will have closed with a visually
powerful learning point.

Given the large number of pop songs available, the options are limited only by your
imagination and the musical preferences of your learners. You too can have your
learners, in the words of the old song by “M”, “talkin’ ‘bout pop music.”

Pop- Music Uncorked!-Pop music is a genre of popular music notable from classical or art music and from folk music. The term indicates specific stylistic qualities, but the genre also includes elements of rock, hip-hop, dance, and country, making it a flexible musical form. The definition of pop music is purposefully flexible as the music that is identified as pop is constantly changing.

The expression pop music may also be used to refer to particular subgenres (within the pop music genre) that are referred to as soft rock and pop/rock. The pop music genre also often involves mass marketing and consumer-driven efforts by major record companies and music labels, which makes it an often-scorned genre by non-mainstream musicians as they feel that the quality of music suffers.

The average consumer of pop music is often identified to be in his or her teenage years, making it an important icon of youth culture. Pop music has always been the source of numerous moral panics, especially as many of the styles that influence it trickle up from minority groups (racial, ethnic, sexual or class-based). This is partly because youth culture itself is an object of social trepidation. It is tempting for anyone to confuse pop music with popular music. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, popular music is identified as the music since industrialization in the 1800’s that is most in line with the tastes and interests of the urban middle class.

This would include an extremely wide range of music from vaudeville and minstrel shows to heavy metal. Pop music, on the other hand, has primarily come into usage to describe music that evolved out of the rock n roll revolution of the mid 1950’s and continues in a definable path to today.

One of the steadiest elements of pop music since the 1950’s is the pop song, which is not usually written, performed and recorded as a symphony, suite, or concerto. The basic form for pop music is the song and usually a song consisting of verse and repeated chorus. They are short in length but there have been notable exceptions though. The Beatles Hey Jude was an epic 7 minutes in length. However, in many cases, if the song is abnormally long, an edited version is released for radio airplay such as in the case of Don McLean’s very famous American Pie. It was edited down from its original 8 1/2 minutes length to just over 4 minutes for radio airplay. While on the other extreme, some hit songs clocked in less than 2 minutes in length.

Like other art forms that aim to attract a mass audience (movies, television, Broadway shows), pop music has been and continues to be a melting pot that borrows and absorb elements and ideas from a wide range of musical styles. Over the past five decades, pop music has been influenced and incorporated genres of music like Rock, R&B in various ways. Most recently, Latin music seems to be impacting pop music more significantly than at any point in the past.

Although pop music continues to be a melting pot of styles, there is a genre of pop music that claims to be pop music in its purest form. This music, usually called pure pop or power pop, typically consists of relatively brief (not over 3 1/2 minutes) songs played on the standard electric guitar, bass and drums with vocals that have a very strong catchy chorus, or hook.

In the 2000s, hip-hop blended in with pop music, is paving the way for the multi platinum successes of artists like Nelly, Eminem, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Ciara, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and especially Britney Spears. Artists such as Mariah Carey and pop queen, Madonna, presented comeback albums that continued to make them rule the music charts and keep their titles.

For the past 50 years the most successful musical styles on the pop charts have continually changed and evolved and times will tell as how much more popular they become in future.

Pop Music-What is ‘pop music?’ Where did this distinction arise and what is it’s purpose? If it has a purpose, who does it serve?

On close examination, you see that it’s the way society absorbs a thing; the way the tiger is defanged. It’s another useful illusion from society’s toolbox of illusions. All through my school years, I had to put up with this prattle about ’serious music,’ and ‘pop music.’ Oh sure, I bought into it a bit, at first. But one only has to question the status quo.

First of all, we all know what it means, this business of ‘pop music’ and ’serious music.’ It depends a lot on what side of the fence you’re sitting on, of course. If you’re a ’serious musician,’ ’serious music’ is ‘good,’ and ‘pop’ music is ‘bad.’ Of course we all know that ’serious music’ will make you no money. Why? Because it’s ‘good,’ of course, and the majority of people don’t know about ‘good.’ They only pay for music that’s ‘bad.’

Now to be fair, if you’re on the other side of this particular fence, ’serious music’ is ‘boring,’ (that’s bad) and pop music is ‘cool.’ (That’s ‘good’). Moreover, this historically speaking, has tended to be ‘radical’ and ‘revolutionary.’

‘Serious music?’ Part of the establishment.

It’s important to reflect on the political demographics implied by these distinctions in music. They are fairly obvious, when you stop to think about it, but it is interesting that most people toss these distinctions about without a second thought. From these two simple musical categories, you could easily build up profiles of the listener’s politics, religion, average income and so on and so on. People do plot these demographics. Not the audience, but the people who are in the business of sales and marketing.

However, as you might suspect, all these demographics are bound and held in place by belief systems that are spun on half truths, exaggeration and out right fantasy.

Even ’serious’ musicians have allowed themselves to be saddled with ridiculous myths and caricature profiles of past composers, much to their own detriment and decline of the tradition. Most of these folks, who should know better, have been content with whatever historical spin has been handed down.

This kind of thinking has drained the vitality out of the tradition. Take just the idea that composers like Beethoven and Mozart were not actually popular until after their death. This notion has bred a mentality that has said whatever it creates is too good for present day audiences and it must constantly create for some, undefined, superior future audience. This also conveniently isolates it from any criticism of what’s going on.

In point of fact, Beethoven was acknowledged as the greatest living composer in his own lifetime. The city of Vienna, an historically vital center of culture in Europe, paid the man to live there. As far as being ‘radical’ or ‘revolutionary,’ well, let’s see; we have Beethoven dedicating his third symphony to the leader of the French Revolution. We have Hector Berlioz composing an enduring masterpiece while stoned on opium.

We have premiers of famous classical works like Bolero and the Rite of Spring that were either banned or caused a riot. This list goes on and on.

And what of this hoary chestnut that says pop music is a lesser discipline? Anyone with a musical ear can tell you that there’s been plenty of great ‘pop music.’ And why not? Many of these artists, like Elton John, went to music school. They’re ’serious musicians.’ So why this great deceit? The most obvious suspect is the music business, but it’s obvious by now, that they have no idea what they’re doing either.

No, the deeper reality is that, as long as there has been a culture in the western hemisphere, there has been a counter culture. All this business of counter culture, that supposedly began in the sixties, didn’t.

How far back does it go? Well. Richard Wagner, in his early days, was part of a free love movement in Germany and his first opera was called ‘Forbidden Love,’ and it has nothing to do with rings of power or Teutonic nymphs.

It’s an opera that Wagner, later in his life, professed that he would like to forget about, and, well, we’re just not going to let him. I will deal with culture and its twin, counter culture in subsequent articles.

Pop Music-Pop music is a genre of popular music distinguished from classical or art music and from folk music . The term indicates specific stylistic traits, but the genre also includes artists working in many styles such as rock, hip hop, rhythm and blues (R&B), and country, making it a flexible category. The expression “pop music” may also be used to refer to particular subgenres (within the pop music genre) that are in some cases referred to as soft rock and pop/rock.

Characteristics as a subgenre
Pop “is designed to appeal to everyone” and “doesn’t come from any particular place or mark off any particular taste.” In musical terms, it is essentially “conservative” in that it attempts to resonate with a large segment of its target demographic rather than pushing artistic boundaries. It is “provided from on high (by record companies, radio programmers and concert promoters) rather than being made from below…” (Frith 2001, p.95-96). But over time, pop has gone from “popular in general” to “a genre” described as sounding musically similar to rap, but with singing. This is due to radio stations labeling themselves as “pop stations” taking heavy preference over certain sounds, tossing other popular bands who don’t fit into the sound or other categories like rock into the “alternative” label.

Often used to describe the current popular genres of music of any given time, the term “pop” cannot be used describe any one particular style.

History of pop music

1930s and 1940s
Styles influencing the later development of pop include the Blues (Chicago), and Country (Tennessee)

1950s
Early Pop music artists include Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Peggy Lee, but other artists like Bill Haley and his Comets, Fats Domino and Elvis Presley become popular with the younger generation.

1960s
The decade starts out with such Teen Idols such as, Johnny Tillotson, Bobby Vee, Brian Hyland, Tommy Roe, Gene Pitney, and Frankie Avalon. It explodes midway with Carole King, Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach, Aretha Franklin, Isley Brothers, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and Simon and Garfunkel. It can be said that The Beatles led the British Invasion in this decade.

1970s
A proliferation of new sounds from the disco of the BeeGees, the piano sounds of Billy Joel and Elton John, the country of the Eagles, the rock-influenced pop of artists like Rod Stewart, Steely Dan, and Fleetwood Mac. ABBA was a swedish band who grew to fame after winning Eurovision Song Contest and starting a whole new revolution of pop music.
1980s
Notable highlights for pop music in the 1980s are Michael Jackson’s second Epic label release, Thriller, which went on to become the best-selling album of all time, and Madonna albums “Like a Virgin”, “True Blue”, “Like a Prayer” . Michael Jackson was sometimes referred to as “The King of Pop” and Madonna was named “The Queen of Pop”. Other artists included Michael Bolton, Prince, Janet Jackson, Duran Duran, The Police, ABBA, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Kylie Minogue and Culture Club.

1990s and 21st century
The 1990s and 21st century were marked by a resurgence of boy band and girl group trends. From the UK came the likes of Take That, Blue, the Spice Girls, a highly successful formula. Irish boy bands of the time include Boyzone and Westlife. The US had New Edition, New Kids On The Block followed by the Backstreet Boys, Hanson, girl trio Destiny’s Child and then ‘N Sync and Pop Princesses Willa Ford, Mandy Moore, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera. Canadian Avril Lavigne became popular with her album Let Go. Australia had Boys from Oz. 1999 saw the rise of the Latin explosion with Ricky Martin at the forefront with his worldwide smash hit “Livin’ La Vida Loca”. Other latin artists to follow were Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and Marc Anthony. In 2002, Justin Timberlake had critical and commercial acclaim with his “Justified” album, emerging as the new “Prince of Pop”, Jesse McCartney has emerged from Dream Street as a high-rating singer with songs like She’s No You, Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff has become popular in the 2000s. Artists like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Kylie Minogue, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and Madonna have also been highly successful. Reality television shows, such as American Idol, begin producing multi-platinum artists like Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken. British pop rock groups such as McFly emerge.

Sound and themes
Pop music, in whatever musical influence form it derives from, may be produced by a more basic songwriting approach and arrangement. The emphasis is often on a simpler melody, which makes the songs more memorable, and may use stripped-down rhythms. The combination of the melody and the rhythm allows for harmony to be a driving force of the song. Themes range from personal songs to vivacious party jams. However, the most common theme deals with the wide range of emotions which stem from physical or emotional love.

Music videos and live performances are often used for exposure in the media, and artists may have extravagant stage shows and use choreographed dancing. Many pop tunes are used in both Dance clubs and Sport clubs.

Pop Music-Pop music is a liberal and vague category of modern music not marked by artistic considerations but by its promising audience or future market. Pop is music composed with calculated objective to influence the majority of its contemporaries.

In contrast to music that calls for education or arrangement to appreciate, a significant characteristic of pop music is that anyone is able to enjoy it. Artistic concepts such as complex musical form and aesthetics are not a matter in the writing of pop songs, the key aim being audience satisfaction and commercial triumph. Although the aim of pop music is to sell records and do really well in the charts, it does not require wide acclaim or commercial success. There are bad or unsuccessful pop songs.

Originally the term was an abbreviation of, and synonymous to, popular music, but developed around 1954 to express a particular musical category. The stylistic origins of pop music is folk, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, traditional pop music. The typical instruments are electric guitar, bass guitar, drum kit and keyboard. The cultural origins date back to 1950’s in the United States.It is popular worldwide since 1960s.

The standard format of pop music is the song, usually less than five minutes in length. The instrumentation can range from an orchestra to a lone singer. In spite of this wide choice, a standard lineup in a pop band includes a lead guitarist, a bassist, a drummer (or an electronic drum machine), a keyboardist and one or more singers, generally not themselves instrumentalists.
Pop songs are generally conspicuous by a heavy rhythmic element, a mainstream style and traditional structure. The most common modification is strophic in form and focuses on memorable melodies, catchy hooks and the appeal of the verse-chorus-verse arrangement, with the chorus sharply contrasting the verse melodically, rhythmically and harmonically.

Lyrics in pop compositions are usually simple and speak of universal experiences and feelings, moving away from incomprehensible or debatable issues.The international appeal of pop was evident in the new millennium, with artists from around the world influencing the genre and local variants merging with the mainstream. As of 2008, pop music is now currently the most popular style of music of youth culture, making competition with hip hop, dance and country.