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Lady Gaga has been reborn this way. On her new record, Mayhem, she’s back to the rock-influenced dance tracks that defined her early career, caterwauling about someone “putting paws all over me” on “Zombieboy” and making “Paparazzi”-esque moves on “Perfect Celebrity” by belting about the glamorous violence of fame. Do a lot of these songs sound as though Gaga could have released them in 2011? Absolutely. Am I going to be requesting that every DJ at a gay bar play “Shadow of a Man” at least once a night for the foreseeable future? Hell yeah, I am.
An artist revisiting a sound they first made is one of the riskiest bets in pop music. When it works, as on Mayhem or Madonna’s Music, it sates longtime fans’ desire for a return to what they first loved about them. When it doesn’t, as on Christina Aguilera’s Liberation or Kiss’s Psychocircus, it feels like a sad attempt to recapture long-gone magic. But Mayhem has us believing in the power of the return — which means it’s time to place bets on which pop star will try it next. Here are seven we think could pull it off.
Taylor Swift
What are her roots? Country pop
Why should she do it? It’s weird seeing every pop star in the world pivot to country while Swift refuses to acknowledge the trend. And she’s the only one who would come by it honestly! Post-Evermore, she has written and released approximately 10,000 synth tracks. No more! It’s time for the former princess of Nashville to get her Liz Rose on, lose Jack Antonoff’s number, and reclaim her crown as the pop-country superstar of her generation.
What are the odds of it actually happening? 5/10 microphones. She really loves that synth pop.
Charli XCX
What are her roots? Pop punk
Why should she do it? Charli XCX is coming off a banner 2024, with her album Brat scoring her first Album of the Year nomination at the Grammys. So where does she go from here? Back to Myspace-era pop punk, of course. Pitchfork characterized her 2014 album Sucker as “a roaring punk record that’s already entered into the annals of pop myth.” A 2025 Charli pop-punk record would probably go harder and faster than anything she’s released. Now that she has conquered the world with rave tracks, Charli should return to the mosh pit.
What are the odds of it actually happening? 7/10 microphones. She’s probably looking for a pivot at this very moment, and this seems as likely as anything.
Justin Bieber
What are his roots? Teenybopper pop
Why should he do it? Justin Bieber hasn’t released an album since his 2021 record Justice, which took him away from the R&B he loves and back into pop (it also, for some reason, included a sample of an MLK speech). But Justice rarely has fun. When Bieber sings “that’s that shit” on “Peaches,” the delivery sounds like he’s still trying to shock us, like a middle-schooler saying “fuck” for the first time around his friends. Instead, avoid shocking anyone: Bieber’s next record should be a return to the bubblegum sounds of his youth. Sure, he’s married with a kid, but that’s the perfect time to get back to squeaky-clean music; he can be a lame dad singing about the love he has for his son.
What are the odds of it actually happening? 4/10 microphones. Bieber, to the level that he shows passion for making music at all anymore, seems entirely enamored of R&B.
Christina Aguilera
What are her roots? R&B pop
Why should she do it? Think back to the original Christina Aguilera who was positioned as the sultry counterpoint to the permanently pure Britney Spears. Since then, Aguilera has always had a little problem with trend chasing (nobody needed a Lady Gaga rip-off from her). When she does return, it’s time for her to resurrect the R&B-inspired pop of her youth. Technically, this is a cheat: 2018’s Liberation tried this too, but to middling effect. While doing a second R&B callback may be a tall order, she has the voice for it.
What are the odds of it actually happening? 9/10 microphones. This seems entirely possible.
Miley Cyrus
What are her roots? Hannah Montana
Why should she do it? When we say “back to her roots,” we’re not talking about Miley Cyrus reclaiming her country twang. No, we’re talking about Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, her second album with Hollywood Records, which showcased her ability to sing in multiple styles and characters. Cyrus is a documented Beyoncé fan, and we think it’s high time she tried an I Am … Sasha Fierce and recorded another project that showcases multiple personae. Is there a male outlaw country singer she could play à la Jo Calderone? What about an Adele-style grande dame? We want an alter ego!
What are the odds of it actually happening? 1/10 microphones. She seems pretty content as is.
Katy Perry
What are her roots? Christian pop
Why should she do it? Look, Katy Perry is in a bad place right now. The public utterly rejected her past three albums, and “Woman’s World” turned her into a punching bag. But you know where she could be … born again? The Christian-pop market where she released her first music! She was made for the megachurch. “Firework” is already vaguely inspirational. If she just changed the lyrics from being about him (Orlando Bloom) to being about Him (Jesus), it could revitalize her career.
What are the odds of it actually happening? 3/10 microphones. Perry loves being mainstream and probably wouldn’t want to pretend to hate gay people (Joella, you’re safe).
Rihanna
What are her roots? Releasing music
Why should she do it? It would be fun if Rihanna dropped a new song, which she used to do quite regularly. An album? Even better.
What are the odds of it actually happening? ?/10 microphones. If we knew that, we’d be making money selling information to TMZ, not speculating here.
