Among our generational pessimism, there are many things to celebrate and be optimistic about. One such thing is the emergence of individuality. As the world shrinks and cultures clash, new inspiring individuals are taking advantage and amalgamating human culture. Gus Dapperton is the messiah our generation greatly needs, a musical melder. The 20-year-old musician from Warwick, New York exemplifies self-expression. The young artist has much to teach this generation. Essentially, his message is: be yourself, in defiance or compliance and never acquiescence.

Typically, pop was based on trends. One person produced a new spark and the rest followed. Luckily, this mechanism offers retribution to a genre that is highly vulnerable to unhealthy messages. Normalising individuality is the new trend, the performative expression of uniqueness is catching on. In this case, pop stars such as Gus Dapperton are following the trend, they performatively express the awkward parts of their personalities.

 Gus sports an ’80s like dreamy sound, a homemade haircut and thrifty fashion sense. He breaks gender norms by wearing blue mascara because he wants to.

 So the question lingers, why should we pay attention to a young musician who seems to be going through the motions?

 The answer lies in the importance of pop music to our society today. It is an unfortunate reality that pop music will reach more ears than any social justice message or ideology. We consume more music than we do ideologies. Some would even argue that music carries important messages. But a few hours of pop will leave you yearning for something whole.

 Artists like Gus are blooms that the pop industry has been cultivating the field for. Given the coercive power of pop, an artist who teaches his listeners to do what they want is potentially healthy. Upon discovering Gus, a spark of individuality reignited in me. It was birthed from a jealous enjoyment of his talents — a need to be as comfortable as he is.

 The message that Gus is selling is attainable and accessible. Not every music fan can attain the beauty standards of One Direction, not every listeners can pursue the street smart savvy of rappers, and certainly few fans can attain the exuberant lifestyles of pop stars. However, if we support individuality to the point that it is normalised, the distance between those we look up to and ourselves will shrink. Once this occurs, we will find ourselves listening to artists that correspond with our existential struggles.

 We would be listening to music that is individualised for us. But if we reinforce the status quo and support the staple pop star image (Katy Perry), pop will continue to be a genre with false interest in our experiences. A genre that offers no individual satisfaction because every artist is producing and looking the same. Gus Dapperton offers new hope, he represents a generation that seeks to reclaim the expressive power of music and touch many with personalized messages.