Skip to content
The Niche Reference

The Niche Reference

A new name, inspired by all influences…

  • About Me (and the Blog)
  • Publications I’ve Written For

Category: Spotify

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 19)

May 12, 2022Nov 3, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Tapping into the modern America country song book was continuing to pay dividends for Ronan Keating, as he launched his second solo album Destination with another number one...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 18)

May 5, 2022Nov 3, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

The path from soap to pop was a well trodden one, but with a rewritten cover of a Turkish hit from Tarkan and a racy new image, Holly Valance successfully crossed over from Ramsay Street to the top of the charts...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 17)

Apr 28, 2022Nov 3, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

On a new label and with a brand new lineup, Sugababes not only bought the mashup to the mainstream but also delivered one of the year's most redefining pop smashes courtesy of a Gary Numan sample and lyrics from Adina Howard...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 16)

Apr 21, 2022Nov 3, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Although no longer at the apex of their mega stardom from the 90s, when Oasis returned with a brand new album, it was still guaranteed to be a big success, as Heathen Chemistry proved...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 15)

Apr 14, 2022Mar 29, 2025 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Signed to the same label that had made Fatboy Slim a success, X-Press 2 teamed up for an unlikely collaboration with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne for one of the year's biggest dance anthems...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 14)

Apr 7, 2022Nov 13, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

The signature tune from her big screen debut in the movie Crossroads, "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" also found Britney Spears at her own personal crossroads as she navigated her journey into womanhood...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 13)

Mar 31, 2022Nov 13, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Although they were to be much maligned by the serious rock crowd, no one could deny the enduring popularity of the debut UK hit from Canadian rock band Nickelback following its Stateside success...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 12)

Mar 24, 2022Nov 13, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Even with the huge sales for his fellow finalist and Pop Idol winner Will Young, Gareth Gates proved he had a sizeable fanbase awaiting his debut with an equally record setting number one smash with a song as old as the charts themselves...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 11)

Mar 17, 2022Nov 13, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Sacha Baron Cohen's best known comic creation made the potentially rocky leap from the small screen to the big one with Ali G Indahouse, thanks to help from Mr Lover Lover himself on the film's theme song...

The Story of Pop: 2002 (Chapter 10)

Mar 10, 2022Nov 13, 2024 ~ Alex the Pensmith ~ Leave a comment

Making her English speaking debut following years of success in Latin American territories, Shakira's first single heralded the arrival of one of the decade's most engaging international female solo artists...

Posts navigation

Older Posts
Newer posts

Recent Posts

  • A Reflection On A Year
  • Top 10 Singles and Albums of 2025
  • Album Review: Olly Murs (@ollymurs) – “Knees Up”
  • Pop Essays #64: Girls Aloud, ‘Swinging London Town’
  • Pop Essays #63: Daniel Powter, ‘Free Loop’

Recent Comments

Matthew W's avatarMatthew W on Pop Essays #58: Mini Viva,…
Unknown's avatarPop Essays #64: Girl… on Girls Aloud’s “Wha…
Unknown's avatarPop Essays #64: Girl… on Pop Essays #48: Moonbaby,…
Terry Campuzano's avatarTerry Campuzano on Pop Essays #50: Diana Ross,…
Unknown's avatarPop Essays #61: Vict… on The Story of Pop: 2000 (Chapte…

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Create account
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Blog at WordPress.com.
The Niche Reference
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • The Niche Reference
    • Join 228 other subscribers.
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Niche Reference
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...