 ‘Pop’ music is a term used due to the music having popular appeal  According to ‘Grove Music Online’, pop music originated in Britain in mid 1950s as a description for rock and roll and the new youth music styles  Pop music is a popular music genre targeted at the youth.  Usually consists of short love songs which are often new variations on existing themes.

Musicologists often identify the following characteristics as typical of the pop music genre:  A focus on the individual song or singles, rather than on extended works or albums  An aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub culture or ideology  An emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal ‘artistic’ qualities  An emphasis on recording, publishing and technology, rather than live performance  The majority of pop music is intended to encourage dance as it uses dance orientated beats or rhythms

Overtime, pop music has been influenced from most other genres of popular music. Early pop music took the sentimental ballad for its form; Gained its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music; Instrumental from jazz and rock music; Tempo from dance music; Backing from electronic music; And recently been influenced by rap.

Pop music can be traced back to 1954, when Elvis Presley recorded “That’s All Right Mamma”--the first rock-n-roll song made by a white artist. In the 1970’s pop music went through another transformation. In 1971, Marvin Gaye released “What’s Going On,” a soul concept album that addressed Vietnam, racism and inner city life. Michael Jackson came out with “Thriller,” the biggest selling pop album of all time.

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