Pop soul music originated in the 1960s as soul music performed by white artists blended with pop music influences. Key recording studios like Motown and STAX helped popularize R&B and soul music, leading to the emergence of pop soul performed by white artists. Leading artists in the 1960s-1970s included The Rascals and Tom Jones. Later, artists like George Michael and Amy Winehouse incorporated soul influences into their pop music and achieved significant commercial success. Today, Adele is one of the top pop soul artists with a rapidly growing fanbase in the American charts.

1. The History Development of
Pop Soul Music
I decided to look into the development of Pop Soul music because it is one of
the genres Jason Mraz’s music is categorised in. Therefore, I felt it was
appropriate to research the history of a genre I will be studying for this
project.

2. Origin:
• Pop Soul music originated around the 1960s in the United States. This style of
music was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by
white artists, which had a strong influence from pop music, therefore pop and
soul music intertwined with each other.
• Soul music originated in the United States which is a combination of gospel
music and rhythm and blues, whereas Pop music is a genre of popular music
which evolved around the 1950’s in both the UK and USA after deriving from
rock and roll.
• Pop Soul music, also known as blue-eyed music and white soul had sub
genres of soul music, pop music and Rhythm and Blues.
• This style of music then continued to be used in the 1970s and 1980s,
especially by the British music press to describe a new generation of white
singers who adopted elements of soul music into their works. Additionally,
this style of music has been applied to singers in other music genres that are
that are influenced by soul music such as urban soul.

3. • Two important recording studios of this time period called: Motown and
STAX, are associated with the rise and popularity of R&B and Soul music
and which resulted into the birth of blue-eyed soul (pop soul) music.
• Examples of Pop Soul artists include not only Jason Mraz but Paolo Nutini,
Elton John, James Morrison, Rolling Stones and Adele.
• Pop Soul music usually includes instruments such as Guitar, Bass, Piano,
Organ, Drums, Keyboards, Acoustic guitars and vocals.
Jason Mraz in one of his music videos. He
is playing a guitar which is a typical Here is a photo of Jason Mraz playing the
convention of Pop Soul Music. piano, another tradition within pop soul
music.

4. 1960s and 1970s:
• Pop Soul began when white musicians remade African American music for
mass audiences. However, there was a perception that the music was diluted
for its new audience, a move then irritated African American culture although
it pleased others and many thought the growth of the music genre was
positive.
• Nevertheless, beach music and Carolina Shag was popular in the areas around
North and South Carolina in the late 1950s, almost in a way a demonstration
of pop soul emerging.
• Moreover, a Philadelphia Radio DJ, Georgie Woods came up with the term
pop soul/Blue-eyed soul in the 1960s to describe white artists who received
airplay on rhythm and blues.
• Groups such as The Rascals had soul-tinged songs, but it was the soulful vocals
of Felix Cavaliere that gave them the blue-eyed soul sound.

5. • By the mid-1960s, British singers such as Eric Burdon and Tom Jones had
become leading vocal stars of the arising style.
Here is a photo of Tom Jones (a leading vocal star of pop
soul) in the mid 1960s.

6. 1980s and later:
• 1980 is the period when artists, especially George Michael brought soul
influences into his pop music and was the first white solo artist to sing a
duet with Aretha Franklin, with their hit ‘I Knew You Were Waiting For
Me’, in which he was the first white male vocalist to hit number one on
the US R&B album charts.
• In the late 1980s some black individuals felt that white people were
cashing in on the popularity of their music, however this was not
entirely agreed upon. As a result in 1989, ‘Ebony Magazine’ published
an article exploring whether white people were talking over the R&B
music genre. The article featured various members of the music
industry, both black and white, who believed collaboration would unite
them together. In the late 1990s, artists such as Christina Aguilera, Jon
B., Jamiroquai, and 98 Degrees have continued the blue eyed soul
movement.

7. • In the early 2000s, Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Duffy, and Adele have had
huge success in the American charts with this style of music, which was
known as the "Second British Invasion", "Female Invasion" or "British soul
invasion". In the late 2000s, artists includes Mayer Hawthorne, Remy
Shand, Jamie Liddell and Plan B who are Pop Soul artists that have
produced successful music.
Here is a photo of pop soul artists Adele. Here success
has grown rapidly over the last few years in the
American Charts.

8. • However, from the early 1990s to 2000 this style of music became quite due
to the music industry's popularity with hip hop.
• On the other hand, as you can see in this present day the demand for pop
soul has increased which we can see for the likes of Adele.
Here is a photo of Hip Hop rapper, Eminem.

9. Pop Soul Music Videos:
- Happy atmosphere
- Quick paced shots from clips to clips
- Usually uses teenagers as they are the main target audience (pop), however
soul can be targeted at the older generation. Intertwining pop with soul
creates a modern feel to the genre.
- Narrative is generally based on romance
- Emotion is shown through their works
- Usually a mixture of both performance and narrative
- Members of the band are usually included in the music video
- Lighting is generally natural on the subject during the narrative scene
- Clothing is usually slightly smart dressed

10. Pop Soul artists: