How To Source Pop Hits For Your Creative Project
Within creative fields like music, TV and film, there’s a very stark gap between the highly-paid celebrity class and the rest of the working artists in the industry. Quibble about the ethics of this wage disparity all day, but the unfortunate fact remains that up and coming cinematographers aren’t going to score a Dua Lipa song for sync in their early projects. The cost is simply too high to enlist a superstar of her status, and there’s no way a low–budget show or full-length feature could afford it. On the flip side of things, if a movie or show becomes popular, a song the project used can get a huge boost, even if it’s by a previously unknown artist.
Luckily, Dua isn’t the only one who produces high-energy disco-pop about jilted lovers and falling hard in new relationships. There are plenty of artists working in the music industry who haven’t achieved quite her level of success, but are just as skilled at writing a retro pop anthem.
Check out a few selections of artists in the APM catalog who can go toe to toe with the likes of Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and more. In the sync world, it doesn’t always take a superstar to make a moment pop, and half the time it’s the success of the film itself that turns the song into a hit. Browse below for a few picks that just might turn into the next Future Nostalgia.
“Give It To Me”
Composers: Michael James Austen and Daniel Corbin
Sounds Like: Dua Lipa, “One Kiss”
Sexy and flirtatious, “Give It To Me” leaves just enough to the imagination to make it feel apiece with some of Dua’s flirtier hits. In particular, the pulsing beat, orchestral flourishes and long drawn out chorus are reminiscent of one of Dua’s early collaborations with Calvin Harris on “One Kiss.” That song was co-written with Jessie Reyez and became one of Dua’s earliest hits, picking up several Brit Awards and became a No. 1 single in the UK, with a peak at No. 26 on the Billboard chart. This comparison track, “Give It To Me,” was composed by Michael James Austen and Daniel Corbin and is part of the JW Media Music, who are “one of the leading independent production music publishers in the UK.” Part of an entire album of upbeat, female-vocal led pop, this song mixes retro disco, tropical house and dance-pop. Part of a larger production pop album, other tracks from the record are available here.
“Kiss It Goodbye”
Composers: Joseph Capalbo and Julianna Isabella Pollifrone
Sounds Like: Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now”
After the success of her self-titled debut album in 2017, spurred on by the success of hit single “New Rules,” Dua Lipa needed to hit the ground running for her sophomore release. The first hint of what her next era would sound like came with “Don’t Start Now,” a song about urging an ex to stay away because the speaker had already moved on. Triumphant songs about coming out of a break up stronger than ever are always in season, and the upbeat feel of “Kiss It Goodbye” is a nice comparison to where Dua’s head was at on “Don’t Start Now.” The song has a disco funk groove and empowering female vocals, and the rest of this pop production album called Power Pop is stacked with similar sounds—check it out here.
“Champagne It’s Raining”
Composers: Brendan Thomas Makepeace and Audrey Elise Stokes
Sounds Like: Dua Lipa, “Levitating’
With a huge bassline and soaring, synthesized vocals, “Champagne It’s Raining” is such a bop it might just become a hit in its own right. Just like the pure adulation of Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” all this funky disco hit really needs to go mainstream is a guest verse from a hip-hop star. Fittingly, the album this production song is included on is called Future Pop, find this track and others like it right here.
“Get Gone”
Composers: Harlin James, Mia Mayer, Brad Evans
Sounds Like: Dua Lipa, “New Rules”
It’s not quite “New Rules,” but this lush disco hit has an inescapable energy like Dua’s first hit did. A lush pop song with lots of throwback elements and deep guitar grooves, this song splits the difference between the dancefloor and a windows-down joyride, all wrapped in a hint of moody revenge. Check out the rest of KPM’s Disco Pop release for more of the same right here.
“Shot Me Down Love”
Composers: Panauh Kalayeh, Robert Goerge Grant,Mikhail O. Johnson, James Desmond, and Maya Gabrielle Satterwhite
Performer: Samantha Blanchard
Sounds Like: Dua Lipa, “We’re Good”
After the global pandemic put plans to tour behind Future Nostalgia on hold, Dua Lipa pivoted to releasing new music. She shared an entire remix album of her sophomore record called Club Future Nostalgia in late 2020, and kicked off 2021 by releasing some new editions of the album as well. One of the new tracks added for The Moonlight Edition detailed the realization that a relationship had run its course, with Dua calling for a peaceful acceptance of the facts by both partners. “We’re Good” had a laid back island feel, even as it dealt with some pretty sad subject matter, which is exactly what “Shot Me Down” does. Even though it’s a song about disaster in love, Samantha Blanchard’s performance keeps things light and easy, building tension in the same way “We’re Good” does. Though the rest of the songs on this Future Trap project get more heavy into the EDM side of things, if that’s a sound you’re looking for check them out here.