The self-acknowledged fan girl of pop music is finally starting to garner some fans of her own (cue the “Who Crew”), and in doing so she is creating music far superior to her pop-predecessors. While it’s definitely a close call with the likes of Robyn and the Spice Girls, Betty Who has risen above the other mainstream ladies of pop music from the past two decades, taking whatever they have brought to the world and expanding it beyond the genre that defines the ethos of their music.
Betty Who (also known as Jessica Anne Newham) is, for lack of any other way to explain what she’s doing, killing the pop game and it’s OK to describe her music with cheesy statements like that. Yes, Betty Who’s music pretty much makes anything and everything feel cool, for she encompasses and broadens the essence of pop music — not necessarily in the popularity sense, though she is popular, but in the instant gratification her music gives to the listener.
At the moment, it seems like her music is only matched by her own live performances where she, along with her incredible band mates, give off an amazing energy. If you watch their half-decent, synchronized choreography, which both mocks and pays tribute to ’90s girl and boy bands, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
If I had to choose one song to support my argument for the greatness that is Betty Who, it would have to be “Heartbreak Dream.” While the song may be influenced by Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” it goes where Perry could not — total euphoria. Oh, and she didn’t have to dress up like a cat, a cupcake, or strip naked and twerk to get there. With “Heartbreak Dream,” Betty injects a playful feel into her chanting lyrics, putting power back into pop in a way that feels simple and silly. That in itself is setting her apart from the rest of the world; she’s having a blast and she wants you to join in on the fun.