Pop Ballad
tagStarted 1970Peak 1990-2002Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
The genre's flagship slow song: a clean lead vocal over piano or soft band, verses kept restrained so the chorus can open wide with strings, backing harmonies and a held money note. Often a late key change. Polished, radio-ready, built around devotion or longing and a singer who can soar.
History
Crystallized in the 1970s out of soft pop and adult-contemporary radio, the pop ballad became a chart staple as diva vocalists like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion dominated the 1990s. Producers built sleek, string-padded arrangements as showcases for vocal range; the template still defines the modern pop slow jam and ballad single.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/ballads-ma0000012003
- https://www.billboard.com/charts/adult-contemporary/