The Biggest Popstars of the Pandemic

This pandemic has been one of the strangest times for many industries and for the music industry in particular it has meant stars have cancelled tour dates, album and single releases. There are two popstars though that have been rising stars during the pandemic due to how they have dealt with the release of their music in unconventional ways.

Just weeks before the release of her sophomore album “Future Nostalgia,” Dua Lipa started having second thoughts. She had been preparing for its release for months, starting with a blitz of major awards shows in November that reintroduced the English pop star as a blond-haired disco dancer with the same husky voice.

Executives at her record label, Warner Records UK, began tabulating how much they might lose in sales of physical CDs. They also questioned the logic of releasing a disco record as a virus killed thousands of people a day.

Lipa decided to go ahead anyway, unwittingly offering a case study in how to release new music during a global pandemic. The record has sold more than 1 million copies since its release in March, and is on track to surpass her first album. The power of working online meant she could do live streams into TV shows, Youtube and Instagram all without leaving home.

Acts fluent in speaking to fans online have benefited from limitations on travel and physical appearances. No act has proved this more effectively than Travis Scott, the rapper who dropped a new single earlier this year featuring Kid Cudi within the video game Fortnite. More than 25 million gamers have watched a digital avatar of Scott perform a 10-minute set in the battle royale video game. This brought in income streams from digital sales.

The whole industry has suffered during this time but music is what lifts people and brings people together so it is important to recognise those forward thinking popstars that have gone over and above to provide new music in a time when many of us where stuck at home. Let us know who your favourites have been.