by Phoebe Dobie

Popular music, by nature, is in a constant state of transition. As a genre defined by the most favoured trends, styles and instrumentation of a given period, it is continuously developing in different directions across the musical spectrum. Thus, it should be expected that in an increasingly digitalised world, where not only new fashions but new mediums through which to make music are emerging, pop will itself adapt to become more digitalised. It is through this transformation that revolutionising sub-genres such as hyperpop, electropop and avant-pop take hold of the music scene; with them comes the ingenious work of trans artists at the forefront of the movement.

The use of digital software to produce and edit music in a distinctly artificial way has given birth to PC music (a genre kick-started by the music label). With easy-to-use software like Ableton Live and FL Studio on the market, contemporary artists, amateur and professional, have begun to play with the synthetic nature of electropop; creating thrillingly original, and in some aspects completely alien, songs that challenge previously expected boundaries in pop.

So, who are the artists exploring and popularising PC music?

Much of the credit for the genre’s quality belongs to trans creators and their auditory wonderland of work. One of the driving forces behind PC music’s breakthrough onto mainstream charts was Scottish artist Sophie Xeon, whose collaboration with premier pop acts as well as innovative solo work arguably shifted mainstream pop towards the realm of the electronic.

Sophie’s rise to prominence began with the 2013 release of Bipp, a single that received critical applause from the likes of XLR8R and Resident Advisor. Pitchfork described the track as “rearranging emblazoned beats and roller coaster dynamics in favour of vigorous sound design and the sticky hooks”, and for many the song was their first introduction to the use of pitched vocals and digitally created baselines to construct a refreshing and exciting sound.

Sophie’s production work with other pop artists was prolific, collaborating with Kim Petras, Vince Staples, Madonna and more. However, I would like to highlight Charlie XCX’s EP Vroom Vroom, on which Sophie was the primary producer, as a representation of Sophie’s brilliance in creating electrifying music that felt new in a pop landscape struggling to find originality. While the EP met more mixed reviews from critics, I believe the rubbery-sleek feel of Vroom Vroom, and the inherent coolness embedded in each track cements it as a standout moment of mid-2010s pop.

As Sophie collaborated with more celebrities in the pop scene, more and more listeners were exposed to the artist’s electric sound. In 2018 Sophie released Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, an album that takes the listener on a sprawling journey of tragically beautiful plastic beats (including my personal favourite track, Ponyboy). Its nomination by the 61st Grammys for Best Dance/Electronic Album made Sophie the first openly trans artist to be nominated for the category, and this benchmark signifies Sophie’s dual influence on the pop scene, both as a trailblazer for PC music and for trans music artists to be comfortable in their identity. Sophie Xeon’s work is supremely significant to many listeners and creators alike.

Sophie’s challenging of pop boundaries in 2013-18 certainly paved the way for another genius trans musician in electropop: Laura Les. One half of the creatively explosive duo 100 gecs, Laura Les comes together with Dylan Brady to inject a much-needed dose of hyperpop and avant-pop into the mainstream consciousness.

Releasing their debut album 1000 gecs in 2019, 100 gecs broke through into the pop scene with an extremist take on electropop, taking influence from different genres and styles to form an eclectically invigorating album that is both delightfully catchy and abrasively unconventional in the best way possible. There are many elements that attract listeners to 100 gecs’ work, but for me it is their use of ska instrumentals and emo-esque vocals that made me fall in love with tracks such as stupid horse and their Christmas single, sympathy 4 the grinch.

A lot of the popularity surrounding 100 gecs can be attributed to internet exposure, particularly the wide use of samples from money machine on the video-sharing platform TikTok, and thus the digitally constructed music has drawn in a digitally constructed cult following. An example of the dedication of the duo’s following is their obsession with the famous “1000 gecs tree”. Fans tracked down the tree featured in the album covers of 1000 gecs and its remix album Tree of Clues to an office park in Illinois and have now began to make pilgrimages to see the sacred tree and leave gifts.

100 gecs’ use of synthesized sounds and heavy digital production is integral to the duo’s musical character, just as Les’s identity as a trans woman is integral to her creative process. In an interview with them., Les speaks about how her gender dysphoria caused her to play with and explore vocal modulation, preferring to only sing in “night core style” pitched-up vocals. The use of vocal modulation to create music is a common practice with many trans and non-binary artists, often citing their art as an additional outlet to explore their gender identity.

Curious about this intersect between PC music production and the trans music community, I asked non-binary underground artist Polygon Cove about their experience with the crossover. “Of all the music scenes I think hyperpop is, like, the one that trans women and LGBT+ people are actually more popular in,” they expressed, explaining the substantial queer presence in electronic music communities. “I don’t know whether that’s because trans women like SOPHIE got to it first or just because enough of us entered the scene for it to be majoritively LGBT.”

When asked on their opinion of what draws trans artists towards the scene in a musical sense, Polygon Cove said this: “The idea of hyperpop is to take this normality, this primary cishet genre of pop, and distort it and fracture it into something we can put ourselves into. That’s something that a lot of lgbt people would want to get involved in.” They later elaborated that artists such as Dorian Electra and Laura Les best exemplified this concept, using auto tune and pitch-shifting to create an “androgynous tone”. For many trans artists, music can be a tool with which to further break down western, heteronormative gender structures. As Polygon Cove also points out, hyperpop and electropop are very easy and accessible genres to create in for “teens and bedroom producers”, therefore allowing creators an opening into the music industry without the help of corporate music or big-time record labels, who rarely sign on non-cis acts.

So, if this article has convinced you to delve into the depths of PC music, or you’re simply looking for a way to revitalise your listening experience, I encourage you to turn to the innovative trans creators currently reshaping the pop scene. Whether it’s Shea Diamond bringing her gorgeous vocals into soul-friendly pop, Sateen rebooting disco pop in a marvellously danceable form, the sugary sweet beats of Ah-Mer-Ah-Su showcasing her take on electronic indie pop, or KC Ortiz seamlessly blending church sermons with bold and tenacious rap verses, trans artists are taking the pop scene to a level that it had yet to explore, challenging the boundaries of music and revolutionising the genre as a whole.

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