4 Female Artists Who Epitomized Recession Pop in the Late 2000s

Like all music movements, recession pop is essentially made up. However, there is some merit to that era of pop music, from 2008 to around 2012. Certain albums and artists shaped and influenced pop during that time, and there was a certain style to this era. Here are four female artists who defined recession pop of the late 2000s and early 2010s!

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Kesha

Kesha made her debut in 2010 with a dollar sign in her name and a brash, hypersexual persona that took over pop music. With albums like Animal, Cannibal, and Warrior, she taught an era of teenagers how to party. While at the time she was under an abusive and controlling recording contract, there is still merit to her work during the 2010s.

However, now that she’s finally free of Dr. Luke, I’m personally excited for her upcoming album, (Period). Her previous music was good, and it was definitely of a certain decade, but there was always a feeling that it wasn’t truly what she wanted to be doing. Now, though, she’s broadcasting her liberation for everyone to hear.

Katy Perry

It’s convenient that I’m mentioning Katy Perry here, as she went to space recently. But, besides being thrown around in a space capsule for about 11 minutes, she’s also known for her impact on pop music in the 2010s. She technically debuted in 2001, but didn’t break into the mainstream until 2008 with One Of The Boys. She went to even greater heights with Teenage Dream in 2010, shaping the sound of pop with those two albums. Teenage Dream, in particular, was a huge influence on the genre, helping to usher in hyper-girly pop with an edge.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj burst onto the pop/hip-hop scene in 2010 with her debut Pink Friday. It featured huge names of that era, like Rhianna, Drake, and Kanye West, as well as will.i.am, Eminem, and even Natasha Bedingfield. Pink Friday spawned hits like “Moment 4 Life” and several others, but it was the deluxe edition that introduced us all to “Super Bass”.

This, in turn, led to Minaj’s second album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012. This album featured mega hits like “Beez In The Trap”, “Starships”, “Pound The Alarm”, and “Stupid Hoe”. Minaj is often called one of the best female rappers of all time, and it’s clear that she had a profound influence on recession pop and rap during the 2010s.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga was a huge influence on recession pop, and she’s still going strong in 2025 with the release of her recent album MAYHEM. In 2008, she debuted with The Fame, which featured the instant hit “Just Dance”. From there, Gaga had a couple of great hit albums, from the deluxe album The Fame Monster which included the cultural touchstone “Bad Romance”, to Born This Way in 2011 which saw Gaga playing with identities and personas.

Overall, Lady Gaga was a staple of recession pop from the beginning, and she’s making a return to her roots with the new era.

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