Last month, American Songwriter caught up with Cook to discuss all of this.
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Between the record’s tear-jerker ballads, saw-clad dance tracks and alternate-universe Twain-esque pop cuts, Apple is a profound statement, proclaiming the artistic relevancy of an entire generation. Honestly, it presents a new way to think about what “music” can be. Stepping back from the maximalism that is usually associated with the style, Apple presents a new way to think about what “hyperpop” can be. Then, just a few weeks later on September 18, Cook followed up 7G with Apple, a more traditional pop record with a strong influence from “classic songwriters” and Americana (Cook cites Shania Twain as his biggest influence during the record-making process). Focusing each of the 7 discs on a specific element of his process - drums, guitar, supersaw, piano, nord, spoken word and extreme vocals - the record is almost like a manifesto of Cook and the vision he’s executing. On August 12, he released 7G, a sprawling, 49-song, 7-disc, “producer album” opus which shows off the versatility and ingenuity of his production talents. Now, in 2020, Cook is taking this to the next level by debuting himself as a solo artist. In addition, Cook has proven himself to be highly prolific, earning upwards of 50 credits on songs by folks like SOPHIE (a longtime collaborator of Cook’s), Oneohtrix Point Never, 100 gecs, QT, Tommy Cash, Jónsi, Hannah Diamond, Caroline Polachek, Christine and the Queens, David Guetta, Skrillex and more. Serving as her creative director, he began to really push these more abstract concepts into the mainstream perception of what “pop music” is. With his label’s clout behind him, Cook began working with some of the bigger names in pop music - namely, Charli XCX.
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Providing an invaluable platform for this new sound to develop, PC Music fostered a roster so unique and inimitable that the genre itself was referred to as “PC Music” for a period of time. As label-head, Cook oversaw much of the production work and began executing his visions of deconstructing pop music. The 30-year-old, English producer and songwriter has been making waves since 2013 when he founded the cult-adored record label, PC Music. Yet, that explosion didn’t happen overnight - hyperpop itself has been simmering beneath the surface of popular music for the better part of a decade, thanks to one person: A. In 2019, the genre stepped into the spotlight with the release of 100 gecs’ masterpiece, 1000 gecs, and the creation of the official Spotify hyperpop playlist. But - perhaps most impressively - it manages to do this while remaining genuinely fun. With saw synths, auto-tuned vocals, glitch-inspired percussion and a distinctive late-capitalism-dystopia vibe, the sound captures the sense of catharsis and anxiety which seems to have become so prevalent in our modern world. An exciting, bombastic and iconoclastic genre - if it can even be called a “genre” - hyperpop draws on every-day symbolism and the cliches of “popular music” to craft something which is maximalist, impressionistic and, well, incredibly entertaining. But, nevertheless, this conversation has been brought into center stage with the explosion of “hyperpop” over the past year. Music is music and if it’s good, it’s good.
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You’ve undoubtedly heard the term before, but… what actually is pop music? Is a pop song determined based on its format? On its lyrics? On how relatable and dance-able it is? I mean, is “pop” even a genre? Or is it just a qualifying description of songs from other genres that get really popular? How do we define this nebulous thing that plays such a crucial role in our mass culture?