There’s really nothing fresh or original anymore. Industries like fashion and film are dominated by remakes and sequels, obsessed with digging up past hits to present them to today’s audiences. The music industry is no exception.

Today’s youth culture is nostalgic for the early 2000s, yearning for the stars and songs of that time. It’s understandable; nostalgia offers comfort when the present appears bleak. However, while glancing back can be tempting, we’ve seen that relying solely on nostalgia—without innovating to create something new—is ultimately fruitless.

From ‘Teenage Dream’ to adult nightmare

Katy Perry’s new album “143” exemplifies the issues surrounding nostalgia in pop music. Initially, this album aimed to mark Perry’s significant return. Collaborating with past producers, including the controversial Dr. Luke, she tried to revive the sound of her legendary 2010 album “Teenage Dream” for today’s audience.

However, what emerged felt more like a disappointing metaphorical nightmare. “143” is marked by a strikingly uninspired quality, highlighted by its dull hooks and unoriginal samples.

Take “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE,” featuring Florida rapper Doechii, which uses a sample from Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee),” a classic house music favorite. The track relies heavily on this recognizable sample for appeal, yet its glaring lack of creativity makes it flop. Perry’s overly processed voice on the refrain is particularly off-putting, and not even Doechii’s energetic rap verse can revive its mediocrity.

Perry also tries to play her card at the house party with “Lifetimes,” the album’s second single that got lost in the hype surrounding “Woman’s World.” The song features a tropical house vibe that feels more appropriate for a “Love Island” montage—it’s a formulaic track merely mimicked a million times over—each version just as lackluster as the last.

<p”Almost every track on “143” fails to grab attention. Songs like “Crush,” “All the Love,” and “Nirvana” blend into a haze of dull electro-pop, reminiscent of royalty-free tracks you might find on YouTube. Perry’s dispassionate delivery makes this album feel even more tedious.

This album highlights that Katy Perry’s identity as a pop star and cultural icon is no longer sustainable as it once was—and we shouldn’t let nostalgia trick us into thinking otherwise. She should not be limited to past formulas when creating music. As dissatisfaction with mainstream pop grows, audiences are inevitably drawn to what once was.

Record labels are clearly aware of this trend.

Sampling practices only worsen pop’s nostalgia problem

In 2022, MRC Data reported that older songs comprised 70% of the U.S. music market.

Several well-known pop figures have sold their music publishing rights to private firms like Hipgnosis and Primary Wave, which have acquired the catalogs of icons such as Whitney Houston, Prince, and Stevie Nicks.

These acquisitions exploit the public’s fondness for nostalgia to generate new revenue streams via sampling, remixes, usage in films and television, and unexpected comebacks on platforms like TikTok (consider how “Stranger Things” revived Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”). And this strategy has proven effective.

For instance, Hipgnosis acquired half of Rick James’s catalog in 2020, which later inspired Nicki Minaj to sample his track for her hit “Super Freaky Girl” last year.

Rapper Yung Gravy’s 2022 hit “Betty (Get Money)” samples Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up,” thanks to Primary Wave’s rights acquisition of Astley’s catalog.

Even the current No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, interpolates a track from J-Kwon dating back to 2004.

While sampling itself isn’t a new practice, the financial motivations driving this renewed focus on vintage songs are. Unfortunately, what we have witnessed from this streamlined approach is uninspiring and bland, transforming sampling into a mere cash grab, divorcing it from its artistic roots and historical significance across music genres.

Enjoying hip-hop.

Artists Embrace Nostalgia

Musicians are also tapping into the audience’s nostalgia this year. The recent Video Music Awards showcased numerous tributes to Britney Spears, highlighted old-fashioned looks, and made frequent nods to previous events and artists.

Up-and-coming pop star Tate McRae has drawn many comparisons to Britney Spears, especially due to their mutual focus on dance as a core element of their performances. McRae even embraced these parallels by replicating one of Spears’ iconic outfits at the VMAs. However, relying too heavily on these comparisons and references early in a career can hinder artists from establishing their own distinct identities and unique visual styles that audiences might recognize.

A major drawback of Perry’s “143” is that it lacks a sense of authenticity. The album doesn’t convey a clear sense of who Perry is or what her artistic voice represents. It seems like it could be performed by anyone, and the abundance of cliché lyrics doesn’t add any value.

“143” illustrates that efforts to reclaim past successes don’t always succeed. While it’s crucial to learn from the past to shape the future, continuously looking backward can ultimately hinder progress.

Kofi Mframa is a columnist and digital producer for YSL News and the YSL News Network.