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The Niche Reference

A new name, inspired by all influences…

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Category: Pop

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 30)

Jul 28, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

From the moment its iconic piano riff chimed in, the debut single from the classically trained Vanessa Carlton instantly announced itself as an example of early 00s pop at its finest...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 29)

Jul 21, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Hailing from the same Murder Inc hip hop stable as Ja Rule, Ashanti quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the US R&B scene with her debut album and single...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 28)

Jul 14, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

In the race to releasing original material after Pop Idol, Gareth Gates was first to pole position with his second number one, with a song whose subject matter proved oddly prophetic in the year that followed...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 27)

Jul 7, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Red Hot Chili Peppers had always been one of the more interesting propositions of US rock, but unexpectedly crossed over to an even bigger audience with their By The Way album...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 26)

Jun 30, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Fronted by the youthful looking Alex Band, The Calling broke through with their own unique brand of soft rock with their massive debut single on both sides of the Atlantic...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 25)

Jun 23, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

German ravers Scooter had been something of a localised success until 2002. But a sped up sample of a Supertramp hit changed all that as they unleashed one of the dance anthems of the summer...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 24)

Jun 16, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Previously forgotten about from his late 60s wilderness years, a lesser spotted Elvis track quickly became a modern classic - and a record breaking chart topper - via a remix from Dutch DJ Junkie XL...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 23)

Jun 9, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Although they had long since left their pop days behind them, even the opportunity to record the official England anthem for the 2002 World Cup was too good a proposition to resist for Ant and Dec...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 22)

Jun 2, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Even with the task of following up a record breaking debut number one, Will Young proved he was in it for the long run with the release of a song he'd wowed the audience with on Pop Idol and his second chart topper to boot...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 21)

May 26, 2022Nov 2, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ 2 Comments

After a year away, Eminem announced his long awaited return with the lead single from his album The Eminem Show in his own inimitable, controversial and tongue-in-cheek style...

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