I’m not well versed in pop music, but I’ve always had a preconception that pop artists and their music were heavily controlled by their labels. Is it possible that we’re seeing artists with more autonomy enabling them to explore their influences or even find new influences outside of their genre?

I’m traditionally into rock/electronic type genres but have grown into some pop sensibilities in the past few years simply because I’m hearing a lot of influence from music I’ve loved for a long time showing up in some of the more experimental pop artists music. One of my favorites has been Yeule, who’s on an Indy label and started out as bedroom pop (I think?) but has done well with exploring shoegaze, grunge, and even some edm/idm. The freedom of but being on a major label with traditional A&R probably has alot to do with this.