The newly crowned “pop princes” — Benson Boone, Sombr and Role Model — are taking over the Internet
By VRITI SHAH — features@theaggie.org
“Where’s my Sally tonight?” echoes across social media, with thousands excited to find out which fan of Role Model, a new fan-favorite pop star, will be pulled on stage to dance with him while he sings his hit song “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” Scroll down a few videos and one might see Benson Boone backflipping on stage while singing his chart-topper “Mystical, Magical.”
It seems that, in almost every TikTok video, users are making content with Sombr’s “back to friends” or Alex Warren’s “Ordinary.” The spread of trending audios has ignited the flame of fame for many celebrated pop singers today.
Of course, the concept of a “pop prince” is not a new trend. Over the years, pop princes have included all — but are not limited to — George Michael, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Justin Bieber, Michael Jackson and Harry Styles. But even with large adoring audiences and fanbases, these artists were faced with many critics questioning their talent.
Similar to prior male pop stars, new pop princes have taken the spotlight with their own loyal, adoring fan bases that are completely charmed by their stage presence and music. In turn, they are taking on their own fair share of critics, who are widely skeptical of the success and worthiness of the newly crowned pop princes.
UC Davis students have a diverse range of opinions regarding this new wave of musical artists.
“I actually really like them,” Pamela Pompa, a third-year computer science major, said. “I don’t listen to their music, but in terms of personality, I think I like that they are authentic and don’t try to, like, impress people. I actually liked [Benson Boone’s ‘Mystical, Magical’] when it came out, and I was surprised people didn’t. The lyrics were dumb, but I didn’t listen for [the lyrics].”
Pop songs are often made for the masses. Like Pompa, many believe that, as long as an artist is authentic in their work, the public will enjoy listening in.
However, others find that the issue with the new pop princes is their lack of authenticity.
“Benson Boone — I find his music to be pretty generic,” Vanessa Frutos-Salgado, a first-year chemical physics major, said. “I feel like he could try to be better. He is kind of cringe sometimes, because I feel like when he doesn’t know what to do on stage, he resorts to doing backflips, which is really cool and impressive, but sometimes I’m like […] he did this because he ran out of other ideas; […] he lost potential.”
Recently, many artists have been attempting onstage viral moments to bring light to their tours.
Pop princess Sabrina Carpenter, for example, has been an expert at these viral moments. On tour, she continuously broke the Internet with her “Nonsense” outros, in which she changed lyrics of her song “Nonsense” every night, rhyming with the cities she is performing in, with the addition of a cheeky, humorous punchline.
Another popular public opinion involves an artist’s “hype.” Many believe that an artist’s charisma does not give them a one-way ticket to success. Others believe that these new male pop stars simply pale in comparison to the iconic crowned princes of the past.
“I was a big Harry Styles fan, so I think he really came a long way,” Isha Enriquez, a fourth-year cognitive science major, said. “I like how he has a variety of styles and his voice can suit anything. […] He started touring for like a few years straight; it was crazy,”
Enriquez continued to share her admiration for some of the more classic pop princes.
“In my opinion, I don’t think male pop artists right now are as big as that, unless I’m just not in the loop — like, I kind of stopped listening to male pop artists after [Harry Styles],” Enriquez said. “I know Benson Boone’s out there, but like, I don’t know how big he is. Sure, his songs are on the radio, I hear them all the time, [and] they get stuck in my head, but I think Harry Styles made it big.”
The world will always have contrasting opinions on art, popular media and the next big pop prince, which highlights art’s purpose in promoting differing conversations and interpretations. It is the diverse perspectives, as these UC Davis students have shared, that fuel creative inspiration and give each new pop prince their crowns.
Written by: Vriti Shah — features@theaggie.org
