SuperWooper

I'd buy a copy of that for sure! Anything that features First Aid Kit, Agnes, Natasha Hamilton, Slayyter, and A*Teens is an instant winner in my book!

I do wonder how NOW are gonna fill two discs with songs. The hits are sparse, and so are the releases in general. Then throw in a larger selection of artists now saying “No” to compilations, and we’re slim on the ground. It could give a chance for more under appreciated tracks and artists to fill the space. Melanie C, Jessie Ware, MEEK, Robyn, Blue, and Hilary Duff would be fabulous inclusions.

Waterfalls, Human Nature, Fantasy, and Runaway back to back?! That’s gay rights!

Love this! I’d like to imagine if HITS still kept the Numbers and this was Volume 35 they’d still be around today. Also, props to you finding a way to add Madonna’s Evita single without it sticking out like a saw thumb. Regarding NOW 123 - I would LOVE Zara to appear with Midnight Sun and also with Stateside. All her singles deserve an appearance really

I’ve been obsessed with “Fabulous” by Meek since she played a snippet on TikToK last year. Didn’t think it was ever gonna arrive, and here it is! What a tune! Hope this is a big hit for her.

I would be very happy if you went past 60! No need to worry about filler, that’s part of the NOW DNA. These have been such fun to look at, I can’t tell you how excited I get when I see the thread has new posts! You’ve made this thread such fun to be in @nowmusic1993 ! Keep doing what you’re doing!

Wow wow wow! This is brilliant, I also love the artwork. Is it a nod to Gabrielle’s Rise which starts off the real NOW 45 or is it just coincidence?

Wow @nowmusic1993 these albums are bringing back such nostalgic memories of my mixtapes I used to make. These track listings are just so good. (I would replace “This Groove” on 57 with “Let Your Head Go” though). It’s also amazing that you did a better job rounding up the rest of the chart hits, when the compilation big wigs at “Hits” struggled so badly. I hope we get to see more!

The Pitbull version also appears on NOW 39 (US). As does the B.o.B version of Price Tag. It is odd that in the UK the collabs hit a bit of a snag for licensing.

That line up of the first 7 tracks on Disc 1 is so flawless!

Seeing these are fabulous, and makes me realise how little Kylie appeared pre-2000. Those PWL compilations really took away a lot of banging tracks from her.

It’s weird ‘cos the digital artwork is less zoomed in. It’s suppose to be a speaker system right? I’ve never been a fan of 52’s artwork. It doesn’t scream summer to me.

A lot of Pop Forums (and parts of Reddit/Twitter) have a large LGBTQ+ following, mainly gay men, who gravitate to female pop stars as icons. Women in pop are often seen as embodiments of empowerment, escapism, and theatricality. Female artists also tend to embrace camp, glamour, reinvention, and melodrama, which resonates with fan communities who love dissecting eras, aesthetics, and narratives. And as a gay, I eat that up so much! Female pop stars are also much more relatable, often positioned as underdogs or innovators fighting against industry pressures (misogyny, ageism, controlling labels, etc.). Which can reflect struggles the LGBTQ+ community fight against with homophobia, transphobia, and the government controlling our rights. Male pop acts are rarely discussed with that same lens; they’re often marketed as mainstream-safe, which can feel less exciting (especially for someone like me). Then if you throw in fan behaviour and "Stan Culture" it adds a whole new dramatic element to it all, with each fanbase fighting for it's side - adding more fuel traffic to the forums. Then (and this is most important part) the music itself. Female-led pop often leans into melodic hooks, dance beats, and emotional themes (heartbreak, empowerment, drama) that fans love to analyse, remix, and celebrate. Male pop tends to be less sonically adventurous in the mainstream (with exceptions), or it’s tied to bands marketed at teens (One Direction, BTS) where fandoms cluster elsewhere (Twitter, TikTok, Discord). Plus the forums like BuzzJack, PopJustice, and UKMix were built on Pop Music to begin with, and back then there were a plethora of male pop stars that used to dance, sing pop bangers, be colourful, and perform like there life depends on it - but now there's only a small amount compared to the girls output - it's not gonna generate a lot chit chat. It's a shame, because a lot of male singers in the LGBTQ+ community still deliver is, but that also doesn't bring in much traffic (besides artists like Troye Sivan, and Conan Gray), but that's a whole other topic.

I’d love that, but I’m just worried about the lack of tracks that have become harder to license or can’t be licensed at all anymore. For example: Yearbook 2000 could be missing Spiller, Fragma, Geri Halliwell, Darude, Tom Jones Yearbook 2001 could be missing Gorillaz, Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child, iiO, D12, Daft Punk This is just based on what artists I don’t really see appear on Comps anymore. But again, I’d love 00s Yearbooks, and the Extras that’d come with them.

I wonder if we’ll get another “Massive Party” album this year, if so I hope it’s a 90s one. Macarena, Saturday Night, and 5,6,7,8 all back to back? Yes please.