There’s been a trend in 2024 for the most famous pop girlies to take their cues from horror. From Sabrina Carpenter‘s gore-laden music videos, to Chappell Roan‘s electrifying — and proudly off-putting — costumes, the pop girlie domination we’ve seen this year wouldn’t be anywhere without horror. And now with Smile 2, the follow-up to 2022’s critically acclaimed horror film, it’s clear the horror genre is taking cues from the pop world, too.
It makes sense that the pop girl domination has now made its way to the big screen, with the lead character Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) in Smile 2 working late, ‘cos she’s a singer… and she’s also cursed. It’s a horror film, after all! It follows famous fictional pop star Skye Riley as she battles the Smile Entity while trying to also deal with the pressures of fame. Basically, if somebody smiles at you in a super creepy way and then dies, you’re next.
You might recognise the British actress Naomi Scott from her previous breakout roles in Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels, but did you know that she’s also an up-and-coming pop girlie herself? The 31-year-old has released three EPs so far, and she started writing songs when she was just a teen.
“I was 15 when I started writing. One of my songs on my first EP I wrote when I was 16 on the piano. The production is different; it’s not just a piano and a voice. I’ve been doing it ever since and that’s how I got my start,” she told HuffPost.
She has quite a deep connection with music, and singing in her local church helped her realise she wanted to make a career out of it.
As part of the marketing rollout for Smile 2, Naomi’s character Skye Riley has released two singles, “Grieved You” and “Blood On White Satin”. She even has a music video for “Grieved You”, and if you can get past the creepy smiles in the video, you’ll be sure to have it on repeat.
Check out the music video here:
Naomi worked with producer Alexis Idarose Kesselman on creating Skye’s signature sound, and helped write some of the songs.
“I’ve been writing music for yonks, but what’s really lovely and fun is writing without the pressure that it’s for you as an artist,” she told Hero. “What was really fun was I got to create this character, playing into this really hot, pop, superpop.”
We’ve been blessed with new albums from Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Tyla, Billie Eilish, Charli xcx, Sabrina and more this year. And while you wouldn’t usually equate pop girlies with gore, horror and terrifying visuals — the new era of pop has completely flipped the script. With music videos that act like mini splatter films, along with some truly innovative performances, you never know what’s right around the corner.
Of course, pint-sized pop star Sabrina Carpenter is known for her outrageous music videos, and “Taste” was no exception. Following in the footsteps of her “Feather” video — where she got covered in blood during the demise of her catcallers — “Taste” saw her team up with scream queen Jenna Ortega for an elaborate mini-movie inspired by the best campy horror in film history.
It was spooky and fun, with Sabrina and Jenna both dying multiple times in extreme ways a lá Death Becomes Her. Sabrina was set on fire, had her arm chopped off, was electrocuted and casually impaled on a white picket fence.
Chappell Roan’s iconic performances and outfits are also partly inspired by the horror genre, and she actually takes glee in looking “scary”. I love how the pop girlies of today are so secure in themselves and aren’t afraid to do whatever they want!
“My stylist Genesis Webb and I pull from drag, we pull from horror movies, we pull from burlesque, we pull from theatre,” she said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“I love looking pretty and scary. Or, like, pretty and tacky. Or just not pretty. I love that too.”
Then, you’ve got Tay Tay herself. While she’s stayed away from excessive gore, her “Fortnight” music video certainly had a bunch of horror influences. Taylor’s character is seen in what looks like to be an asylum, which is a classic horror trope. What’s more, she gets shock therapy, evoking images of Frankenstein.
As someone who adores both the horror genre and plays the pop girlies on repeat, this year has been a dream.
Smile 2 is being released exclusively in cinemas from October 17, and I’m fascinated by the idea of a main pop girl taking the horror world by storm. How will she handle the pressures of fame *and* all these creepy smiles? Is it gonna be kinda camp like Sabrina’s “Taste” music video? One can only hope!
Smile 2 hits cinemas exclusively from October 17.
Lead image: Instagram @sabrinacarpenter, @chappellroan, Paramount Pictures Australia
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