In the reading, Walter Hughes make several points regarding disco music and its influence on gay culture that are comparable to pop music today. In the 1970’s, disco music inspired social liberation for queer men and was the first to do so. Today, pop music is frequently played in gay clubs which give people the ability to freely express queerness in a safe space. Pop music, which emerged after disco, has lived on for forty years and continues to evolve and be the number one listened to genre by young people. Stemming from the 1980’s to present day, pop music has changed significantly over time. Even so, pop songs continue have certain things in common. They are danceable and have upbeat melodies and tempos, as well as catchy lyrics and a catchy chorus. Many songs that have become iconic gay anthems are pop songs by female artists. This includes female pop music icons such as Cher, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga, who became idols to their LGBTQ+ audience. Their song lyrics, unapologetic attitudes, flashy stage outfits and performances are inspiration for drag queens as well. With the rising popularity of drag over the past five or so years, I have been seeing several drag queens making pop music of their own. There has also been a surge in popularity of openly gay artists in mainstream music quite recently.

               I believe that disco music blazed a trail for pop music, just as “disco diva” Donna Summers did for female artists like Beyoncé. Beats and synths which are familiar to disco are emerging now in pop tracks as well, like a sort of disco pop revival. “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa (2019) and “Say So” by Doja Cat (2020) are examples. This does not surprise me now that 70’s shag hairstyles are coming back in style, and both fashion and music trends tend to cycle every few decades. I would love to see disco music make even more of a comeback this year.