‘Celebrity’ era

Looking back, the era began in a completely different way than how it ultimately unfolded. I recently rewatched the 2001 VMAs and the Pop Odyssey Tour, and the performances were so flashy, bold, and undeniably POP (lol). The tour, especially, was over-the-top: the outfits, choreography, and theatrical sequences made it feel like they were going for a vibrant, almost animated style (the Pop music video was incredible). But then, suddenly, they shifted gears entirely and took a different direction.

The album itself had two distinct sides: JC’s songwriting versus Justin’s. Don’t get me wrong I love it (it’s actually my favorite from them), but it feels like they abandoned the original high-energy aesthetic after late 2001 and embraced a more stripped-down, suave, R&B-influenced sound. I think they could’ve bridged the gap between Pop and Gone with another song that matched the initial theme before transitioning into the mellower tracks.

Honestly, I just really love Pop, contrary to a lot of the fandom, apparently (lol) and would’ve loved more music videos like it. I always wondered what made them switch like that. Perhaps the musical landscape was changing and moving away from that sound and they wanted to follow.

Just some random thoughts I wanted to share:) Maybe I’m the only one that saw it this way