Okay, let's unpack this. You know that specific,
creeping anxiety you get when a band you've loved
for a decade announces a hiatus? Oh, it is the
worst feeling. It really is. Like, it's a very
polite word, hiatus, but for a fan, it feels
exactly like a breakup. It does, yeah. And then
comes the waiting game. You're watching the individual
members kind of holding your breath, wondering
who is going to be the breakout star, and maybe
more terrifyingly, who is going to struggle to
find their footing. I mean, it is the... single
most high stakes moment in the pop music ecosystem.
We call it the transition phase, but really it's
a trial by fire. History is just absolutely littered
with members of massive stadium filling groups
who stepped out solo and just they couldn't replicate
the magic. Exactly. It's the Justin Timberlake
leaving NSYNC archetype. Or Beyonce leaving Destiny's
Child. You go from having three or four people
to lean on to suddenly being the only person
standing under that spotlight. Which is an incredible
amount of pressure. Huge pressure. And today
for our deep dive, we are getting into one of
those massive pop culture moments. We are talking
about the transition from girl group superstardom
to the solo career. Specifically, we are looking
at Perry, formerly of Little Mix, and her debut
solo single, Forget About Us, which dropped back
on April 12, 2024. And just to set the stage
here for you listening, we have a really interesting
stack of sources for this deep dive. We aren't
just reacting to a song. No, we've got a lot
of ground to cover. We really do. We're looking
at everything from the initial production credits
and the hard chart data to critical reviews from
major publications, places like Billboard, NME,
and the Shields Gazette. We've got the numbers,
we've got the, well, sorry, the speculation,
and we've got the music theory. But our mission
today isn't just to review a pop song. If you
really look at the materials we have, this is
a case study in rebranding. Definitely. It's
all about artistic independence. How does an
artist who has spent years as one -fourth of
a harmonizing unit establish a completely singular
identity? Right. How do you tell the world, this
is who I am now? without alienating the millions
of people who loved who you were. Exactly the
challenge. And let me tell you, there are some
surprising connections in here. When I was prepping
for this and looking at the songwriting credits,
my jaw actually dropped. It is definitively not
the team you might expect for a standard pop
debut. It is a fascinating list. It tells you
a lot about the strategy behind the sound. So
let's get right into the origin story of Forget
About Us. Usually, the narrative we're sold is
the artists locking themselves away in a cabin
with an acoustic guitar to, you know, find themselves.
The classic indie pop myth. Right, the myth.
But this track started with a pretty famous voice
on the other end of the line. It did. The spark
for this track actually came from Ed Sheeran.
Ed Sheeran, I mean, I feel like he's everywhere,
but it's still a massive cosign for a debut solo
single. It absolutely is, but I think we need
to pause and analyze that for a second. Because
while getting a song from Ed Sheeran is a gift,
it's also a bit of a Trojan horse. How so? Like,
what makes it a trick? Well, Sheeran has such
distinct melodic fingerprint. We call it the
Sheeranification of Pop. Oh, I like that term.
Right. His demos usually sound very much like
him. the cadence, the rhythm, that specific acoustic
strumming pattern. Yeah, you can hear it immediately.
Exactly. So if you are a new solo artist trying
to define your unique sound, the easiest trap
to fall into is just releasing basically Ed Sheeran
featuring you. That makes total sense. You don't
want to sound like a cover artist on your own
debut single. You really don't. Yeah. And according
to an interview Perry did with NME, that was
the exact crossroads she faced. Sheeran sent
her a demo version of the track. Now, the commercially
safe route is to just learn the vocals, record
it, and ride the shear and waves straight to
the top of the charts. But she didn't do that.
And this is the part of the story I really love.
She took that demo to her home studio in London,
and she didn't just record it. She completely
reworked it. That is the key distinction here.
She specifically mentioned that she changed the
concept and the lyrics. She wanted to fit her
specific perspective on past relationships. She
told NME it was about making the song, quote,
the truth. The truth. That is such a heavy phrase
for a breezy pop song. It signals to the listener
right away, I'm not just singing someone else's
words anymore. Precisely. In a group, you are
often singing a consensus. You're singing a sentiment
that everyone in the room agrees on. Right, it's
a collective voice. But solo, you have to sing
your specific reality. If she had just sung Sharon's
lyrics exactly as they were, she would just be
a vocalist. by rewriting it to fit her actual
life, she becomes an artist. So she's got the
skeleton of the song from Sheeran and she's putting
her own flesh and blood on it in London. But
then we really have to talk about the rest of
the team because while Ed Sheeran is the headline
name, if you look at the credits, there is a
name that might legitimately shock you. David
Hodges. Yes. This is where the production credits
get really interesting. Okay, for the listener
who might not check the liner notes of every
single album, who is David Hodges? He is formally
of the rock band Evanescence. Evanescence. Like,
bring me to life, goth rock, early 2000s, Evanescence.
The very same. That is wild to me. You have Perry
from Little Mix, Ed Sheeran the acoustic pop
king, and a guy from a goth rock band. It sounds
like a complete mishmash. It sounds like a train
wreck on paper, doesn't it? Oh, yeah. But if
you actually analyze the musical structure of
it, it makes perfect sense. Think about Evanescence
songs. Yes, they were heavy. Yes, they had guitars.
But they were built on massive, soaring, anthemic
melodies. Oh, that's true. Big choruses. Big
choruses that you can literally scream in a stadium.
I see. It's not about the electric guitars at
all, it's about the architecture of the song
itself. Exactly. David Hodges has become a very
prolific songwriter in the pop space because
he understands how to build that wall of sound
crescendo. He brings a certain structural drama
that pure pop producers sometimes miss. So you
combine Sheeran's rhythmic hookiness with Hodges's
stadium rock structure. Plus you have Stephen
Solomon and Andrew Goldstein on production as
well. Right. What did the critics actually make
of the final sound? Because when I listened to
it, I certainly didn't hear goth rock. No, absolutely
not. The consensus from the sources is that this
is a pop ballad, but with a very specific twist.
Multiple sources, including Billboard and the
Shields Gazette, pointed out distinct country
influences. Country, really? I mean, she's from
South Shields, not Nashville. It's fascinating,
right? But they aren't talking about banjos and
fiddles here. They are talking about country
sensibilities. OK, what does that mean in this
context? Well, Billboard actually described it
as having Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson vibes.
Oh. I can totally hear the Kelly Clarks in comparison.
That big belted out energy. Like, Since You've
Been Gone isn't country, but it has that driving
organic band in a room feel. Exactly. It's about
the instrumentation feeling grounded and real.
NME used a phrase I quite like. They called it
a sun dappled stomper. Sun dappled stomper. That
is poetry right there. It sounds like the perfect
description for a song release in April, right
as everyone is getting ready for summer. That
was the exact vibe they were going for. Attitude
magazine and the Shields Gazette both framed
it as a song of the summer contender. It's polished.
It's bright. It feels like driving with the top
down. Yeah. But what really anchors it, and this
is something almost every single review mentioned,
is the vocal performance. Now we know Perry can
sing. I mean, she was in Little Mix. You don't
survive a decade in that group without serious
pipes. But. Was there anything specific the critics
noted about this vocal performance? Holly Alton
from the Shields Gazette wrote a really detailed
breakdown of the vocals. She specifically noted
Perry's range. She talked about how Perry navigates
the lower notes and the verses before finishing
with that massive high note. Can we talk about
those low notes for a second? Because I feel
like in pop music, everyone obsesses over the
high notes, the money notes, you know? Oh, always.
But staying in that lower register without sounding
muddy or losing your breath is actually really,
really hard. It is incredibly difficult. It requires
a lot of breath control and vocal resonance.
If you don't have the technique, you just disappear
into the production mix. But Perry stays very
present and very rich in those low verses. It
pulls you in. It does. It creates a sense of
intimacy, like she's talking directly to you.
And then, of course, she hits you with the high
note at the end just to remind you exactly who
she is. Aliser James at Attitude called it a
powerhouse vocal. And that is so important for
a debut single. It's basically a three -minute
resume sent out to the world. It says, hello,
I'm here. And yes, I can still out sing almost
anyone on the radio. So we have the sound. It's
polished. It's pop. It's got a little bit of
country sensibility and big vocals. But let's
go back to that idea of the truth in the lyrics.
Because when a massive pop star releases a song
called Forget About Us, the Internet does what
the Internet does. The rumor mill fires up. The
rumor mill went into absolute overdrive. Everyone
was trying to figure out who the song was about.
It is inevitable. The sources mentioned that
fans and critics immediately started speculating
that the lyrics might refer to her ex -fiance,
Zayn Malik. I mean, it's the low hanging fruit
of pop culture speculation, right? High profile
breakup, super famous ex. It is. But I think
focusing solely on the gossip misses the entire
point of the songwriting. If you actually look
at the lyrical analysis provided in the sources,
particularly from Attitude, they view it very
differently. How so? They describe the lyrics
not as gossip fodder, but as a mature take on
relationships. That's an interesting distinction.
Because a breakup song usually implies anger
or intense sadness. You know, the typical I Hate
You anthem. But Forget About Us feels different.
It does. It isn't a burn book. It's a look back
at past relationships and friendships. It acknowledges
that things didn't work out, but it doesn't seem
to dwell in bitterness at all. Right. It fits
that country sensibility we talked about earlier.
It's storytelling, it's looking back, but ultimately
moving forward. It's almost like she's saying,
I hope you're doing well, but we are definitively
done. Which is actually a much more grown up
sentiment than, say, I keyed your car. And Perry...
really leaned into that narrative for the rollout.
Do you remember the caption she used when she
first teased the song on social media? Yeah,
it was. Here's the truth of it. That is brilliant
marketing psychology. Really? Why is that? Because
it signals intimacy. It breaks the fourth wall.
When you are in a girl group, the narrative is
almost always shared. It's our story. Right,
the collective. When you go solo, you have to
convince the audience that they are finally meeting
the real you by saying, Here's the truth. She's
inviting the listener into her confidence. She's
building a parasocial bond immediately. Like
she's whispering a secret to you. OK, the other
girls aren't here now. Let me tell you what really
happened. Exactly. It creates a personal narrative,
which is absolutely crucial when you are trying
to separate yourself from a massive group identity.
So she teases the truth. She drops the single.
Now let's talk about the visuals and the rollout.
Because she did not do this by halves. She went
big. She certainly did. Let's talk about the
music video. Filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.
Which provides just a stunning, expansive backdrop.
Again, fitting that sun -dappled vibe we mentioned.
Yeah, it wasn't filmed on some dark soundstage
in Burbank. Right. It feels organic and huge.
And it was directed by Jake Nava. Who is a massive
name in British music videos. He is royalty.
He's worked with Beyonce, Adele. Hiring him is
a statement of intent. It tells the industry,
I am not an indie artist experimenting. I'm a
main pop girl. And we should mention she teased
it on the Jonathan Ross show on April 13th, right
before the full release on April 19th. Yes. And
the rollout wasn't just digital. She was physically
out there. The sources detail a pretty extensive
promotional tour. She was doing listening parties
across London for fans and critics. Those listening
parties are so incredibly smart. Think about
it. You invite your hardcore fans into a room.
You play them the song before anyone else in
the world hears it. You make them feel like insiders.
And then they go online and defend the song with
their lives because they feel like they're literally
part of the team. Exactly. It mobilizes the base.
And she wasn't just in the UK. She was doing
radio visits in France, the UK, and Amsterdam.
Oh, wow. Amsterdam, too. Yes. It shows a real
desire to compete on an international level right
out of the gate. She wasn't just resting on her
UK fame. And we can't forget the live performances.
And this is honestly where my anxiety would have
picked in. She hit the festival circuit. Well,
the ball circuit, I should say. Yes. Capital
FM's summertime ball in June 2024 and then the
Jingle Bell ball in December 2024. These are
huge stadium events. We're talking Wembley Stadium.
80 ,000 people. Talk about a trial by fire. You've
spent a decade with three other girls on stage
to banter with, to harmonize with. If you forget
a lyric, someone else is singing. Suddenly, you
are on that stage completely alone. It's the
ultimate test of stage presence. You have to
fill that space physically and sonically all
by yourself. The sources confirm she played those
gigs, which shows she was ready to stand on her
own two feet immediately. So she did the work.
She had the song, the big video, the international
promo tour, the stadium shows. The big question
is, did it actually work? Let's look at the scoreboard.
This is where we get to see the actual result
of that rebranding. The song debuted at number
10 on the UK singles chart. Top 10 debut. Now
I can hear a cynical listener saying, Only number
10. Little Mix used to get number ones all the
time. And that is a very dangerous comparison
to make. We have to contextualize this. In the
current streaming era, the charts are incredibly
stagnant. It is very hard to break into the top
10 as a new solo act, even if you're already
famous. That's true. It's a totally different
landscape now. A top 10 debut validates that
the core audience migrated with her. It proves
she has standalone fan base and the sources say
it did even better on the sales charts, right?
It did. It topped the UK singles downloads chart
and peaked at number two on a sales chart. What
does that actually tell us? Because nobody downloads
music anymore, right? We all just stream on our
phones. Casual listeners stream, super fans buy.
Topping the download chart means her core audience
is highly engaged and willing to spend actual
money to support her. That is a much more valuable
metric for a long -term career than passive streaming
numbers. That is a really good point. You can't
build a massive arena tour on people who just
have you on a background playlist while they
do dishes. You need people who will buy the ticket.
Correct. And that silver certification, which
in the UK means 200 ,000 units shifted, confirms
that commercial viability. It wasn't just a UK
thing either. I saw some other countries popping
up in the data. Yes. It charted in Ireland. It
hit the Hot Singles chart in New Zealand and
the Heatseeker chart in Sweden. It shows global
curiosity. Now, you mentioned earlier that this
is a case study. We have the single. We have
the success. But what is this leading towards?
This is the lead single for her debut album,
which is self -titled Perry. But here's the wrinkle
in the timeline that I found most interesting.
The single dropped in April 2024. The album is
slated for 2025. Whoa, wait, the single came
out in April 2024, but the album is 2025. That
is a massive gap. In pop ears, that's like an
entire century. It is a very long time. Usually
you drop the single and the album comes out like
six weeks later to capitalize on the hype. Why
wait a full year? It creates a very long runway.
It suggests a strategy of building momentum slowly,
releasing more singles, and establishing a real
catalog before dropping the full project. It's
a marathon, not a sprint. It also gives listeners
time to get used to Perry, the solo artist, versus
Perry from Little Mix. Exactly. Prevents a flash
in the pan effect. And looking at the critical
reception we talked about, that strategy seems
to be working. Lars Brandl at Billboard called
it a polished pop ballad. Holly Alton hailed
it as the perfect pop debut. Perfect pop debut.
You really can't ask for a better quote than
that to put on your promotional poster. It validates
the choice to go with a sound that is familiar,
but elevated. She didn't try to release an experimental
jazz odyssey. She released a polished, high quality
pop song that played directly to her strengths.
So let's recap the journey here. We started with
an Ed Sheeran demo. Perry takes it, reworks it
in her London home studio to make it the truth.
She teams up with a rock veteran from Evanescence
to build this country pop anthem structure. She
launches it with a massive video in Cape Town,
hits the top 10, tops the sales charts, and sets
the stage for a 2025 album. It is a textbook
execution of the solo launch. It really is. It
feels like she managed to thread that needle
of being new, but also being the Perry everyone
fell in love with years ago. And that brings
me to a provocative thought for you listening
to Takeaway. I've been thinking about this while
reviewing all these sources. OK, late on us.
What's the big takeaway? We often obsess over
reinvention in pop music. We want artists to
shock us. We want the Miley Cyrus sticking her
tongue out moment. We want them to destroy their
old image and build something radically different.
Right. The good girl gone bad narrative. We expect
them to dye their hair and start singing heavy
metal. Exactly. But Perry's approach with Forget
About Us raises a completely different question.
Is there more value in refinement? than reinvention.
Oh, that's interesting. So instead of burning
it down, you just polish it up. Exactly. When
you come from a massive group like Little Mix,
maybe the boldest move isn't to run away from
pop, but to look the audience in the eye and
say, I can do this better than anyone else. By
bridging the gap with familiar excellence, she
might be building a more sustainable foundation
than if she had tried to shock the system just
for the sake of headlines. That is a great point.
Sometimes just being really, really good at what
you do is the most radical statement of all.
Indeed. It's about confidence in your craft,
not just your image. Well, thank you so much
for walking us through this deep dive. It's fascinating
to peek behind the curtain of a song like this.
It's not just a melody, it's a full business
strategy. My pleasure. And for you listening,
I have a little homework assignment. Next time
Forget About Us comes on your playlist, and it
probably will because it's catchy as heck. Do
me a favor. Wait for that bridge. Don't just
sing along. Really listen to how she navigates
those low notes before she belts it out. That
is the sound of an artist claiming her space.
Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you on
the next deep dive.