MANILA, Philippines - In the early 2000s, when Justin Timberlake ditched ‘N Sync to hang with The Neptunes, Britney Spears writhed with a snake, and Christina Aguilera put on leather chaps, pop became, as ‘N Sync famously sang, “dirty.” The teen pop bubble had grown so big — even third-tier non-singers like Willa “I Wanna Be Bad” Ford could score hits — it left itself with nothing left to do but burst. By 2003, teen pop was a punch-line served with gusto by the likes of Fred Durst, while girls with guitars like Avril Lavigne and Michelle Branch openly rallied against the Britneys and Christinas of the world.
It’s a shame, though. While some of the material could grow trite, the clothes cringe-inducing, and the hair even worse, the talent was undeniable and some of the tunes — against all odds — were pretty good. I mean, can anyone really resist the pop brilliance of Baby One More Time or I Want It That Way? Not really, but amidst charges of manufactured music and robotic personalities, it was easy to hate.
This year, though, almost 10 years later, teen pop has staged a comeback — and this time, the kids are running their own ships. There were singer-songwriters like Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift, unlikely torchbearers of the Carly Simon tradition, writing and singing about the condition that their condition is in, set to the stickiest of melodies. There were boy bands like One Direction and The Wanted, setting teen hearts on fire with their undeniable combo of catchy tunes and really tight pants. And there were songs — real, supremely crafted, sometimes even sincere, often undeniable songs. Call Me Maybe, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, One Thing — who didn’t have those on loop in 2012? They were the soundtrack to our lives this year and there’s nothing dirty about that.