Analysing Brat Culture & ‘Iconic Party Whore’ Music | CULTUR:ED
- nycto
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
Buckle up, brats, you’re at the 21st installment of Cultur:ED and it’s a fun one considering how wild we can go in this space of the respectfully relentless so a little ragebait hopefully doesn’t hurt anybody.
As working artists it almost feels unavoidable to do research on the most popular projects - just to try and understand the majority of the audience.
I tend to keep it cute & neutral but when we’re in the brat space we can go harder than any fucking metaphorical nipple, no?
Because brats don’t get fucking offended, right? It’s all about freedom of speech amongst other things as much as it’s about shutting the fuck up and dancing.
This episode is shaped by AI and we used the theme to get into this whole thing much deeper through AI to understand this dare I say my own personal cultural phenomenon.
It became like a late night, unintentional extensive lecture & it literally made everything feel so wildly ridiculous until it all started making some sense.
Because at first I couldn’t even understand that someone wants to come off as a party loving promiscuous drug friendly brat.
Iconic whore music’s ideal audience is the chic young party girl who’s down to have a great time wherever she is and whenever it is. I was confused why it’s achieved such big numbers but then again it’s come at a time when electronic music was getting even more popular and it was kind of everywhere. From Charli xcx to Katy Perry & Demi Lovato - everyone was open to a club anthem.
It’s definitely reached a point where it’s not even a joke anymore because such a big amount of people have genuinely accepted this as the reigning energy above all other options.
Before I continue,
why did I choose such strong words in the first place? Because I could’ve easily wrote it much nicer..
Mostly because we are advised to do much more clickbait, marketing, anything which makes you feel more and I literally do not consider any of it chic just because some of the girls wear something like Manolos on their feet & whatever techno brand, perhaps Misbhv is most popular to accompany the juicy pants.
Nothing chic about trash aesthetic, and this new depth of the mainstream pop music seems to make anything look like high quality & high fashion just because of solid photography & certain clothing brands.
To be fair, it would all seem kind of normal if it wasn’t for this music & social media behavior that gives it all much more than it needs or deserves.
As I’ve stated at the beginning - as working artists it almost feels unavoidable to do research on the most popular projects - just to try and understand the majority of the audience.
Here’s some guiding questions before you start the read if you’re into these. If not scroll a bit and get to the nip of it - bad pun intended.
Why do songs about partying, hookups, intoxication, and reckless behavior repeatedly dominate charts?
Why are artists often criticized for being “messy” while simultaneously becoming cultural icons because of that image?
Does mainstream culture reward transgression more than virtue?
What do streaming numbers reveal about the gap between what people say they value and what they actually consume?
We’ve mentioned understanding the creative psychology of mainstream and underground music on this segment before.
Considering the big impact it’s made in the mainstream space we’re focusing on music such as the entirety of the Brat album by Charli XCX & all the similar works targeting that same audience titled “Iconic Party Whores” because to be honest that’s exactly what they characterize as, no?
Sexually free, drug using, half naked girls & gays, no?
Ideally all except for the gay part wrong things, yes?
Usually people could imagine their own children abusing these categories and start to grow distance with love for it yet something specific about brat culture is how they despite it all simply understand and simply do not give a fuck.
Ok so how do we characterize this “brat” music?
It’s music that celebrates excess, nightlife, sexuality, and chaos. It’s popularity signals that these things have mass appeal.
Before I used some thinking & went into the critical function of it I thought it was all about being sexual, young and stupid and just connecting to those things naturally because it’s easier to ignore our flaws, put on any outfit you like and go out and dance about whatever keeps you going.
But as the seconds went on I quickly realised it’s not so much about resonating as much as it’s about feeling good about those things, right?
If you can’t beat it join it type of resolvement on an unconscious level.
It’s not about ignoring being in the real world, it’s about finding a balance with the real world and the fantasy this music allows you to feel.
When you think about it, when you use a sonic formula that works & throw in the lyrics that promote feeling good about usually considered bad things it’s kind of weird to even naturally object it the way that some do. Some being myself.
Granted, it’s also got a feel to it that if you’re above the age of 20 (for example) you’re approaching its limit. Then again that one might be a case by case basis considering a lot of people have genuinely achieved their financial and lifestyle goals and can freely party at whatever age:
Either way, there’s a big youthful element to this music because in youth you’re mostly forgiven for your recklessness, promiscuity, excessive partying, drug induced behavior etc.
Just like all the famous creatives throughout history of pop culture. They weren’t loved for being perfect - they were loved for being shamelessly imperfect in many ways and creating their own world at a time where it was all basically uncharted territory, no pun intended actually.
The Appeal of Escapism is clear, why it’s got to have anything to do with promiscuity & drug abuse isn’t
It’s one thing to occasionally do this type of partying and it’s a whole other ball game to change your social media presence, priorities & goals towards this whole toxic narrative which only works out for some - logically.
Genuinely, when you look at it objectively for real, high energy low frequency party music is supposed to make you go, stay a bit & continuously do that.
It’s not supposed to turn you into a brat.
This is a clear example of why so many people get starstruck with these celebrities.
Their music truly influences, truly shapes.
And we’re not here to reject it, we’re here to let you know this music isn’t about abuse, more so it’s to use.
It’s amazing for you to appreciate it and to play it, but you’re abusing it it’s time to accept it for what it is.
Let us know what you think about this style of writing! It feels illegal to tell you a stance so negative! But sometimes we dare to make something a bit different to see what happens, always with style. Don’t shoot the messenger, use your logic not what your heart approves & desires.
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