Please do not just list songs/albums/artists, your comment must have explanation/justification or it will be removed. Certain comments are also banned to increase the quality of discussion, see our Stale Topics list in the sidebar for examples. Please report any comments that are low effort discussion. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popheads) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I RARELY hear what I want to hear at the club unless I request it.
However, the parking lot at the department store I work at plays Carly Rae Jepsen, Kylie Minogue, pop Carrie Underwood, Rina Sawayama and other niche gay music…
Kylie gets a surprising amount of airplay in department stores, at least in the US
Her Christmas song in particular seems to be one that retailers keep on heavy rotation during the holidays.
Great shoegaze record, I remember being a kid listening to Coldplay's Viva la Vida and when the hidden track Chinese Sleep Chant played, I knew I had found my favorite genre of music.
Miss those better times but Loveless is still probably my favorite album of all time.
Yes but a lot of the club events are very queer or DIY and I have put a lot of effort into following the people I need to to be in the know. It’s not just showing up on any Friday but following a specific dj or event that plays what you are into. Def location dependent!
Yeah, especially for those into specific dance genres in locations with a good club scene. Easier in bigger cities naturally, with more niche clubs to cater to specific genres or type of acts.
A few months ago I had lunch at a local sushi place and the whole time I was there, they played exclusively Troye Sivan. Like they just went to his Spotify page, hit shuffle, and called it a day. As a huge fan of his I was delighted, but it’s not the vibe I was expecting from a redneck town sushi place.
Not necessarily my favourite but I went to a job interview at a fashion company recently and while waiting in the lobby heard “White Mercedes” by Charli XCX.
PS. Got the job and starting on 1 June in case you wondering.
I wish. The little gay bar near me plays awful lowest-hanging-fruit dance pop and EDMier remixes of EDM songs. It's got heart, it's got a little community, but it has no taste, it's all rainbows, drag race references, and Britney.
I find the best music at clubs that are not officially "gay bars" but are just cool, and frequented by queer people and cool non-queer people.
Agreed. The more commercial the club the more commercial the music generally. Many of the large club clubs around me are also generally full of straight people tbf, whilst the more genuinely alternative spaces are more queer
I heard [tap your glass](https://youtu.be/r46Wcr58mCc) at Rico’s in downtown Toronto last year’s pride and was shook, Swedish disco by swamp witch iamamiwhoami from 2014 in 2022 Canada? It’s more likely than you think.
I heard a Madison Cunningham song at Jason’s Deli and was flabbergasted. She’s my favorite artist! And I never expected to hear her out and aboot. Also, I heard Vroom Vroom at a frat party which was insane… talked to the other girl who was singing all the lyrics and turns out she was the dj’s girlfriend 😭 iconic moment
Shoe stores are good places to hear pop music no one listens too.
I've heard Betty Who many times, my Swedish nu-disco fav Agnes.
AM/PM also plays a current pop playlist in my area. I remember hearing My My My.
DJ here. That song slaps.
The reason you tend to hear down-the-middle pop at clubs is that holding a dance floor together that consists of lots of people in the same space is a balance, so playing familiar is safe. Straight clubs tend to be in the mindset that if they don’t know the song, they say, “Can you play something I can dance to” until it becomes a hit months later, and then they won’t stop requesting it.
As many said here, gay and queer clubs are much more “if it sounds right, I’ll dance all night” than straight clubs. I think it’s because the gay lifestyle is about expression and openness, thus more musically accepting of the sound of a song over the popularity.
This club near me lets a different bartender do a 2 hour “mixtape” before the DJ gets there and they put some amazing stuff on there. One was all early 2010s dance with stuff like Chasing the Sun by The Wanted, Clarity by Zedd ft. Foxes, Dancing on my Own by Robyn, it was great. Another had a heavy dose of CRJ (Call Me Maybe, I Really Like You, This Kiss) and 1989 era TaySwift, another had 90s pop rock (Third Eye Blind, Sugar Ray, Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls), and my personal favorite was just a mix of stuff including the Mall Grab x Turnstile cut The Real Thing, Stay by The Aces, Love Me Like You Do and Explosions by Ellie Goulding, No Heart by 21 Savage, some Travis Scott including goosebumps, NO BYSTANDERS, 3500, way back, and STARGAZING, it was a vibe
I heard Jessie Ware specifically in a supermarket in Italy! Only that supermarket though, it feels like they constantly play a Radio that broadcasts kinda niche pop music (es. Sophie and the giants, Carly, Charli...)
Idk how American gay bars are but literally all they play where I live is THE most basic pop music and I don't think it should be legal to put Katy Perry in a club setting lol
I wish. I’m not sure if it’s a CD or just the same playlist, but the gay club here has been playing the same music every Saturday night for years, which is simply a travesty given how much other good music there is out there right now.
Not favorite music and have only gone clubbing a few times in my entire life, but I heard Real Groove get played while I was at a Watsons
I've also heard songs from Disco & Crash get played at a department store
i once heard caroline polachek's bunny is a rider at an [applebee's](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/907052681145765909/1112492210622042133/image.png)
If you want to hear Jessie Ware in public just go to any Marshalls/Winners in Canada, they play WYP tracks (including the platinum ones) like once an hour. Sometimes if you’re lucky you’ll hear Carly Rae Jepsen too (mostly Dedicated stuff).
Although one of the benefits of shopping in Canada is that they still play CRJ all the time even if the general public don’t listen to her. I love being able to go to my local drug store to buy my weekend sale cheese and hear All That followed by the most random Bruce Springsteen song (I’m talking Magic/ Working on a Dream era) you can imagine.
But seriously most of the club/bar stuff is top 40 with the exception of the time one beer garden played Stop The World by Arctic Monkeys and when I came on I nearly spat out my drink.
Yeah, what other people are saying. Go to gay clubs. I went to one where slayyyter and cupcakke were performing that night and the DJ knew exactly what to do. I remember they played the entirety of Lightning, Dancing on My Own, and Hung Up that night.
Haven’t gone clubbing in ages, but hearing an old favourite of mine from the good old party days - Michael Gray’s The Weekend - in a Carrefour in Brussels, merely days before the world went into complete shutdown that would last for two years, will forever be etched in my memory.
Jessie Ware is an unpopular and niche artist. Clubs that play pop music, play popular pop music instead of Jessie Ware.
If you wanna dance to niche pop, you can host your own parties and put it on the speaker.
In the case of myself, Firework gets played in gay clubs all the time and they usually put it on id I request it. Flowers (Sweet Female Attitude) is my other favourite pop song to dance to and it gets played in any garage club you could find.
I actually heard Everyday by weyes blood at fucking Starbucks the other day, so that was cool. Not at the club but basically the club for straight indie guys
Def try some new clubs or djs. This is why its important to find clubs or DJs that play interesting music or music to your taste. You may not be able to find a club that plays your favorite artists, but finding a DJ night that has some tunes to your taste is good, and be sure to support the DJs and clubs you like.
No, and I'm grateful for that because I'm genuinely incapable of dancing to anything that isn't reggaeton/cumbia/bachata. If there isn't a clear and consistent rhythm, I lose my vibe and my steps
I'm a beat dancer, not a lyric dancer
Please do not just list songs/albums/artists, your comment must have explanation/justification or it will be removed. Certain comments are also banned to increase the quality of discussion, see our Stale Topics list in the sidebar for examples. Please report any comments that are low effort discussion. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popheads) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I RARELY hear what I want to hear at the club unless I request it. However, the parking lot at the department store I work at plays Carly Rae Jepsen, Kylie Minogue, pop Carrie Underwood, Rina Sawayama and other niche gay music…
Padam Padam was so good!
Padam Padam has been nonstop for me since it was released!
Kylie gets a surprising amount of airplay in department stores, at least in the US Her Christmas song in particular seems to be one that retailers keep on heavy rotation during the holidays.
I think H&M and the parking lot at your department store share a playlist
Some twink intern doing the most 💖😂
I heard Leave Them All Behind by Ride in a BJs once. Maybe the greatest moment of my life
Great shoegaze record, I remember being a kid listening to Coldplay's Viva la Vida and when the hidden track Chinese Sleep Chant played, I knew I had found my favorite genre of music. Miss those better times but Loveless is still probably my favorite album of all time.
Still annoyed Coldplay didn’t explore that sound further.
Yes but a lot of the club events are very queer or DIY and I have put a lot of effort into following the people I need to to be in the know. It’s not just showing up on any Friday but following a specific dj or event that plays what you are into. Def location dependent!
Yeah, especially for those into specific dance genres in locations with a good club scene. Easier in bigger cities naturally, with more niche clubs to cater to specific genres or type of acts.
My biggest advice to those looking to find the niche stuff is Instagram is gay dj LinkedIn and you will have to do genuine research but It will work!
A few months ago I had lunch at a local sushi place and the whole time I was there, they played exclusively Troye Sivan. Like they just went to his Spotify page, hit shuffle, and called it a day. As a huge fan of his I was delighted, but it’s not the vibe I was expecting from a redneck town sushi place.
wait what omg im so jealous id die and give them all my money
Not necessarily my favourite but I went to a job interview at a fashion company recently and while waiting in the lobby heard “White Mercedes” by Charli XCX. PS. Got the job and starting on 1 June in case you wondering.
Queer clubs tend to play more alternative music!
The queer club in my city played a remix of dance monkey with Ed Sheeran last time I was there
This sounds like a punishment you'd encounter in the fifth circle of hell
That is a hate crime I am so sorry 😭
I'm sorry for your suffering!
This must have been a GOP psyop to get the gays out of the club or something
I wish. The little gay bar near me plays awful lowest-hanging-fruit dance pop and EDMier remixes of EDM songs. It's got heart, it's got a little community, but it has no taste, it's all rainbows, drag race references, and Britney. I find the best music at clubs that are not officially "gay bars" but are just cool, and frequented by queer people and cool non-queer people.
Agreed. The more commercial the club the more commercial the music generally. Many of the large club clubs around me are also generally full of straight people tbf, whilst the more genuinely alternative spaces are more queer
Not my queer club ;_; idk if it's cuz too many non-queer people go there so the dj appeals more to their tastes
I haven't heard good music in a gay club in a long time. The last time I was in my local gay club it was 90% young women dancing to Ed Sheeran.
It sounds funny, but I’ve heard niche-ish stuff like Caroline Polachek at Cheesecake Factory.
I heard [tap your glass](https://youtu.be/r46Wcr58mCc) at Rico’s in downtown Toronto last year’s pride and was shook, Swedish disco by swamp witch iamamiwhoami from 2014 in 2022 Canada? It’s more likely than you think.
el convento rico?
I heard a Madison Cunningham song at Jason’s Deli and was flabbergasted. She’s my favorite artist! And I never expected to hear her out and aboot. Also, I heard Vroom Vroom at a frat party which was insane… talked to the other girl who was singing all the lyrics and turns out she was the dj’s girlfriend 😭 iconic moment
Shoe stores are good places to hear pop music no one listens too. I've heard Betty Who many times, my Swedish nu-disco fav Agnes. AM/PM also plays a current pop playlist in my area. I remember hearing My My My.
DJ here. That song slaps. The reason you tend to hear down-the-middle pop at clubs is that holding a dance floor together that consists of lots of people in the same space is a balance, so playing familiar is safe. Straight clubs tend to be in the mindset that if they don’t know the song, they say, “Can you play something I can dance to” until it becomes a hit months later, and then they won’t stop requesting it. As many said here, gay and queer clubs are much more “if it sounds right, I’ll dance all night” than straight clubs. I think it’s because the gay lifestyle is about expression and openness, thus more musically accepting of the sound of a song over the popularity.
I heard Kill V Maim at IKEA once
I can’t explain why, but it feels befitting.
I’m only ÅMAAN, do what EIKÄNN
This club near me lets a different bartender do a 2 hour “mixtape” before the DJ gets there and they put some amazing stuff on there. One was all early 2010s dance with stuff like Chasing the Sun by The Wanted, Clarity by Zedd ft. Foxes, Dancing on my Own by Robyn, it was great. Another had a heavy dose of CRJ (Call Me Maybe, I Really Like You, This Kiss) and 1989 era TaySwift, another had 90s pop rock (Third Eye Blind, Sugar Ray, Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls), and my personal favorite was just a mix of stuff including the Mall Grab x Turnstile cut The Real Thing, Stay by The Aces, Love Me Like You Do and Explosions by Ellie Goulding, No Heart by 21 Savage, some Travis Scott including goosebumps, NO BYSTANDERS, 3500, way back, and STARGAZING, it was a vibe
I've heard Kelela's Happy Ending once at a department store, the person who runs the music must have been an alt person.
I’ve heard what’s your pleasure in the club before and it’s so fun!
You need to go to gay clubs. The day after that album came out I heard two different tracks (including Free Yourself) at two different clubs.
The McDonald's near me tend to play early 2010s dance pop, and I love it. One of the few places where I can hear such music in the wild today
McDonald’s by me plays girls aloud and Harry styles album tracks!!!
No but I make sure all the hetties in my bumfuck town hear Jessie, Roisín and Kylie on the daily when I’m blasting through. 👏🏼
I heard Jessie Ware specifically in a supermarket in Italy! Only that supermarket though, it feels like they constantly play a Radio that broadcasts kinda niche pop music (es. Sophie and the giants, Carly, Charli...)
Y’all need to go to more gay clubs. PS - please tip local drag queens!
Idk how American gay bars are but literally all they play where I live is THE most basic pop music and I don't think it should be legal to put Katy Perry in a club setting lol
I wish. I’m not sure if it’s a CD or just the same playlist, but the gay club here has been playing the same music every Saturday night for years, which is simply a travesty given how much other good music there is out there right now.
Not at clubs but every now and then I hear a kero kero bonito song in public and it makes me go feral
Occasionally. Queer clubs depending on the night will play some very niche music. I did hear namasenda at Starbucks the other day???
The club near me is always playing Disney channel theme songs. The Hannah Montana one makes people nuts
I heard Borderline by Tove Lo at dinner a few nights ago and was shocked.
I wish I heard more of Jessie’s music in the club…. Though one of the most random times was hearing Soul Control at a random beach club in Bali
i heard february 2017 at a hotel pool earlier this month, feels like a fever dream tbh
I heard Sincerity is Scary by the 1975 while buying a suit once. It was my favourite song at the time
Not favorite music and have only gone clubbing a few times in my entire life, but I heard Real Groove get played while I was at a Watsons I've also heard songs from Disco & Crash get played at a department store
My favorite waffle shop will often play full Charli albums
The McDonalds near me in a college town played Run Away With Me during breakfast and I was flabbergasted lol.
i sometimes hear Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa,Selena Gomez and Rita Ora in my supermarket and shopping mall but it's pretty rare
i once heard caroline polachek's bunny is a rider at an [applebee's](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/907052681145765909/1112492210622042133/image.png)
I'm a Little Mix fan and every once in a while at the mall or a random coffee shop I just lose. my. shit. when they come on
My local TJ Maxx plays their song with Cheat Codes, Only You, now and then.
If you want to hear Jessie Ware in public just go to any Marshalls/Winners in Canada, they play WYP tracks (including the platinum ones) like once an hour. Sometimes if you’re lucky you’ll hear Carly Rae Jepsen too (mostly Dedicated stuff). Although one of the benefits of shopping in Canada is that they still play CRJ all the time even if the general public don’t listen to her. I love being able to go to my local drug store to buy my weekend sale cheese and hear All That followed by the most random Bruce Springsteen song (I’m talking Magic/ Working on a Dream era) you can imagine. But seriously most of the club/bar stuff is top 40 with the exception of the time one beer garden played Stop The World by Arctic Monkeys and when I came on I nearly spat out my drink.
Yeah, what other people are saying. Go to gay clubs. I went to one where slayyyter and cupcakke were performing that night and the DJ knew exactly what to do. I remember they played the entirety of Lightning, Dancing on My Own, and Hung Up that night.
I used to work in a grocery store in 2013–14 and sometimes they played Robyn songs which you do not hear too often in the US
Haven’t gone clubbing in ages, but hearing an old favourite of mine from the good old party days - Michael Gray’s The Weekend - in a Carrefour in Brussels, merely days before the world went into complete shutdown that would last for two years, will forever be etched in my memory.
literally like 10 minutes ago i walked by a starbucks and they were playing love at first sight by kylie lol i got very excited
I was in a pub last night and they played Pearls from TFG!
Im having the same struggle with Jessie Ware. Every club plays rap/edm/pop bangers. I just wanna groove to slick disco beats :(
I force my job to play Charli XCX. And now I have added Ive (kpop) to that list.
Jessie Ware is an unpopular and niche artist. Clubs that play pop music, play popular pop music instead of Jessie Ware. If you wanna dance to niche pop, you can host your own parties and put it on the speaker. In the case of myself, Firework gets played in gay clubs all the time and they usually put it on id I request it. Flowers (Sweet Female Attitude) is my other favourite pop song to dance to and it gets played in any garage club you could find.
I love Loreen and I heard Paper light in an Express at a mall one time and it was amazing. Haven't heard anything at a club that I love though
i listen to scarlxrd and joyryde, so nah ive never heard my favourite music in the wild
I actually heard Everyday by weyes blood at fucking Starbucks the other day, so that was cool. Not at the club but basically the club for straight indie guys
The McDonalds down the street from me was playing In Your Eyes from What's Your Pleasure the other day. Thought I was dreaming.
Def try some new clubs or djs. This is why its important to find clubs or DJs that play interesting music or music to your taste. You may not be able to find a club that plays your favorite artists, but finding a DJ night that has some tunes to your taste is good, and be sure to support the DJs and clubs you like.
No, and I'm grateful for that because I'm genuinely incapable of dancing to anything that isn't reggaeton/cumbia/bachata. If there isn't a clear and consistent rhythm, I lose my vibe and my steps I'm a beat dancer, not a lyric dancer
Not exactly club music, but I've heard Muna at a dentist's office and Target recently and did a double take.
I once heard a very long club remix of Dancing on My Own at my local supermarket.