LESS IS SO MUCH MORE

In the world of pop, minimalism has become a signifier of maturity as musicians mark new artistic chapters with a sense of simplification both sonic and aesthetic. Allysha Nila delves into why stripping away takes on new age of maximalism meaning in the

- Allysha Nila

Part of being an artiste, particularly a musician, is perpetual self-engineering. Creating and changing one's image go hand in hand with one's music, how it's marketed, what one experiences and how he or she connects with the audience. The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed artistes to reinvent themselves in introspective ways from having to produce in isolation, and this has proved polarising as we get well into 2021.

At a macro level, today seems like the time of maximalists, with the likes of Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, Lisa and Dua Lipa topping the charts while donning the most outrageous and bombastic fashions in music videos and performances as well as on the red carpet. At the micro-level though, it is the musicians doing the complete opposite who are standing out with simplification becoming the modus operandi for making a mark in an oversaturated industry. Self-reflection, Igia, escapism, restoration and timelessness are vital themes in pop's most critically acclaimed albums-accompanied by a preference for raw visuals, monochromatic colour palettes and clean styling. As the saying goes, less is more.