The People’s Pop Princess
Written by Alice Lindsell
The arrival of Audrey Hobert is ushering in a refreshing aesthetic shift in the high-glam genre
“I feel like it totally works / When the blue in my skirt doesn't work with the blue in my top / And if I tried to be her, it'd fall so flat, you'd feel badly” recently crowned pop princess Audrey Hobert sings in ‘Phoebe’, the 11th track from her debut album Who’s the Clown?. In the midst of a song that explores imposter syndrome, grappling with unrealistic expectations and struggles with self-confidence, these lines distil a core part of what Hobert projects – a refreshing brand of authenticity that, like the rest of her album, feels like a fresh take on the hyper-feminine genre.
Hobert started out as a TV writer before moving into the music industry with her first project, collaborating with childhood friend and fellow pop star Gracie Abrams on her second studio album, The Secret of Us. For Hobert’s own debut, she created on instinct, writing the entire thing in 8 months - directing, editing and choreographing the gloriously fun, kitschy music videos. Hobert’s all-encompassing approach to her album and career has allowed her to inhabit a new kind of pop persona. Styling ballet flats with stripy socks, hiking her hair into a scrunch-ied side ponytail and approaching make-up minimally, she projects a cool, casual relatability - complementing her candid songwriting - that feels like a playful yet relatable addition to your Spotify rotation.
‘Pop girlies’, like most trending monikers emerging from Tiktok, are huge right now. From ‘Father Figure’ Taylor Swift to recently SNL double-duty host Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX, whose influence extended to rebranding an entire season - you can’t move for the female icons dominating the genre. Their distinct styles, often so marked they’re mimicked by fans attending their tours, play a huge part in their stratospheric success, and often nod to the long-held tropes of the genre. From Sabrina Carpenter’s ABBA-esque gogo boots and Dolly Parton glam, to Taylor Swift’s recent release explicitly recalling the ‘showgirls’ that came before her, they are in keeping with a sound that has always thrived on diva personas and ultra-feminine looks. This is undeniably a core part of pop’s appeal, revelling in the primed perfection of your favourite stars, only achievable through their finite echelon of celebrity and a megawatt production budget. Despite this, the offbeat aesthetic Hobert embodies undoubtedly carries significant value, one that feels refreshing, quirky and uniquely relatable.
Hobert’s low-key approach doesn’t exist in a vacuum, nor does her unpolished brand of pop royalty. Haim, currently on tour with ‘I quit’, have populated Pinterest boards for years with their effortlessly cool California style. Referencing their ineptitude with make-up until getting to grips with it in lockdown, Alana told Variety in 2020, "I don't think it's a surprise, but beauty was not at the forefront for us […] now I think we're like semi-okay at it - which is kind of pushing it. But our fans are used to seeing us look like s**t". Their I quit artwork also leans into their laidback aesthetic, explicitly referencing noughties celebrity paparazzi pictures depicting iconic unguarded moments – from Nicole Kidman’s post-divorce euphoria to Kirsten Dunst eating a salad with then-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal.
Lorde, also currently touring with Virgin, has always leaned towards the more alt side of pop – both musically and stylistically. For years, the singer has been candid about her struggles with cystic acne, often going makeup-free and recently describing it in an interview with Dazed magazine as, “one of the most formative relationships of my life […] if you have acne, I think you’re cool and hot”. This summer, she even kick-started a normcore trend after fans sought to emulate her laid-back style in the ‘What Was That’ music video. Even the shiniest of pop princesses, such as former TikTok star Addison Rae, are leaning towards a more pared-back aesthetic– with the singer going noticeably make-up free doing her own debut album interview cycle in June.
This low-key approach may not be new, but the reasons for its resurgence and why it is resonating so effectively, are closely tied to the current omnipresence of TikTok. The influence of social video content has garnered an intimacy with artists that fans have never experienced before. We see their tour buses, kitchens, skincare routines and beside tables. Although guises continue to be expected and popular, we are now more aware than before of what it takes to construct them – the art directors, MUAs, stylists, producers and more that prop up a single artist, as well as what they look like behind closed doors. When musicians eschew some, or all of the façade, it opens up space to connect with their output in a way that can make the gap between artist and fan feel smaller. Considering the content of pop – confessional, soul-baring, full of soaring highs and rock-bottom lows – this feels like an effective fit and natural progression for an over-sharing generation.
Hobert has spoken about how there are no intentional music references in her album. She has mentioned, however, plenty of wider cultural inspiration that has influenced her debut, ranging as disparately from Girls to Annie Baker, 8 ½ and Friends. In recent years, Girls has seen a resurgence, with many theorising this may be due to a better cultural understanding of the kind of authenticity and un-tropey female experience the characters depict. This is where Hobert and her contemporaries step in. They’re not a pastiche of the ‘messy girl’ or lamely trying to emulate Gillian Flynn’s ‘cool girl’. Nor are they hyper-sexualised contemporary pin-ups or even performatively eschewing all the trappings of classic femininity. They’re just, normal. Or as close as you can get when your weekly shop is at Erewhon.