"Pop daughter" has become the internet's most popular phrase when it comes to the music industry. In recent years, a slew of new artists entered the scene giving pop music fans more to be excited about. Pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan have consistently released music, defining the 2020s.

Though they're only in their 20s, Carpenter and Roan still struggled for years to break through in the music industry before finally making it big. However, no artist would be where they are today without all the musicians that came before them. The internet came up with the phrase "pop daughter" to explain this phenomenon.

What Does "Pop Daughter" Mean?

Current Pop Artists Who Share Similarities Of Musicians Who Came Before Them

When social media s call someone a "pop daughter," they're saying the artist shares similar qualities to a singer from the generation before theirs. It's no secret that every generation of musicians has been inspired by the prior generation. When Britney Spears hit the music scene, she drew constant comparisons to Madonna and Janet Jackson, as those were the artists she grew up listening to and watching.

Lady Gaga also drew a lot of Madonna comparisons at the beginning of her career as they both were quite controversial in their performances and costumes, and had a flair for theatrics. However, the phrase "pop daughter" only gained traction in recent years. As stars like Rodrigo, Carpenter, and Roan take the music industry by storm, they share a lot of qualities with the pop princesses from the previous decade.

Which Singers Are Pop Descendants Of Others?

The New Generation Was Inspired By The Artists Of The 2010s

As soon as Rodrigo released "drivers license," the Taylor Swift comparisons began. Here was another teenage girl writing breakup songs that resonated with young girls, and it was hard to ignore the similarities. However, while Swift started off in country music before going pop, Rodrigo leans more into the rock genre. She takes obvious inspiration from stars like Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morisette, and Gwen Stefani, but it's clear she grew up watching Taylor Swift the closest. While Rodrigo has her own unique qualities and stage presence, much of it is inspired by the way Taylor Swift carries herself on stage.

Her recent Lollapalooza Chile performance drew a lot of comparisons to Taylor Swift's 2011 Speak Now tour. From how Olivia Rodrigo introduces her songs to how she stares out at the crowd, she's undoubtedly reminiscent of a young Swift. There are also countless TikTok videos of Rodrigo and Swift set to The Tortured Poets Department track "Clara Bow." The song acknowledges the way Hollywood is always tossing aside its stars to replace them with the next big thing. The lyrics "You look like Taylor Swift in this light we're loving it. You've got edge she never did" seem to reference Rodrigo.

In fact, it's Rodrigo's edge that sets her apart from Swift. Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams also share similar qualities to Swift, as they both grew up writing songs because of her. However, Carpenter is also frequently called Ariana Grande's pop daughter. Both singers are around the petite same height, and Carpenter is known for some of her Grande-esque R&B-influenced songs like "Nonsense" and "Bed Chem." However, Carpenter's pin-up girl-inspired Short n' Sweet persona also feels heavily inspired by Katy Perry's One of the Boys era.

Along with her R&B songs, Carpenter also has an array of catchy pop songs that are as enjoyable as Perry's 2010s hits. On the other hand, Chappell Roan's image is heavily influenced by the LGBTQ+ community and drag culture, the same way Lady Gaga's was. The two even created stage names that complement their personas. There have also been arguments over whether Addison Rae or Tate McRae is the true pop daughter of Britney Spears since they're both gifted in dance.

However, there hasn't been a resolution, and some feel like no one has been able to recreate what Spears did in the 2000s. None of this is to say that these artists are ripping off the singers that came before them, but that so much of who they are comes from the artists they grew up watching.

Why Is The Phrase Sometimes Controversial?

Not Everyone Loves The Pop Daughter Label

Unfortunately, some people feel that the "pop daughter" label has a negative connotation. This is especially prevalent with Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. There's a contingent of Rodrigo fans who feel like calling Rodrigo Swift's pop daughter is accusing her of copying Swift's career. On the other hand, some Swifties fear that Rodrigo's fans think that the singer is capable of replacing Taylor Swift in the industry.

It does sometimes seem like fans are just comparing all the singers to each other, as the public sadly often does. However, the truth is that every artist has been inspired by someone that they grew up watching, and as we move into a new generation of stars, they seem to have taken notes from the artists of the 2010s. However, this doesn't mean the older stars have anything to worry about.

Lady Gaga's recent album Mayhem debuted at #1 on Billboard 200, while Ariana Grande took the world by storm in Wicked, and Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour became the highest-grossing tour of all time. If anything, it's proof of how successful these artists are that a new generation sees them as worthy of encapsulating.