“It’s my world and it’s my time.” Conan Gray’s Wishbone Pajama Tour is a show on par with the top-selling tours of the ‘pop girlies.’ Gray’s show features three acts and an encore, in which he truly tells a story of love and heartbreak, with his set list organized poetically including numerous outfit changes and various breathtaking sets.
The singer immediately captures the audience’s attention, riding into his set on a bicycle and retrieving his microphone from a mailbox on stage. Grace Braden, a junior at CCHS, attended the concert on October 4 and explains “That concert stood out because of the incredible theming, costuming, and just overall performance level.” Conan is performing on a level that hasn’t been seen from men in pop for many years.
Men have been making pop music for the past 10 years, however, none have received the fame and attention often attributed to a pop star. CCHS senior Lauren Muehl states, “A male artist focuses on storytelling and expression, while a popstar is more into performance…”.
However, some of the biggest stars are able to do both, such as in the case of Conan Gray. Muehl continues on to say “Although during his concerts he is putting on a show, Conan also maintains his vulnerability and connection to music.” Such abilities, from her point of view, are impressive and rarely seen in the industry.
In a 2024 article, GQ writes “Within the pop landscape specifically, the boys have gone weirdly quiet. Where are the new Justin Biebers? The baby Harry Styles’?” Men, in the modern patriarchal world, are often pushed to be masculine and serious. However, this may be harming their careers more than it is helping.
Until last year, no new male pop stars were debuting into fame and frenzy.
However, this lack of gender diversity is not a new occurrence. For nearly ten years, male pop stars were fading, with very few male artists topping the charts and no new men emerging. Entertainment Weekly, in an article from 2015, stated “I think it’s pretty clear that when we say ‘pop star’ in the 2010s, we mean a woman.” This drought of men in the pop genre has been a ten-year long dilemma.
The cause for this may be relatively simple, yet blunt, as Entertainment Weekly also shared “Men in pop, on the other hand, are a bit personality-challenged.” Recent stars, such as Conan Gray, Sombr, and Benson Boone have embraced loud, showman personalities; being themselves unapologetically.
With recent releases from artists such as Conan Gray, Benson Boone, Sombr, and Role Model, the 2026 Grammys are likely to differ from recent years, with more chances for male nominations in pop categories. As more men continue to disregard exaggerated masculinity and the showman’s life, the world will likely see the return of the classic, 2010s male pop star.
