In a recap of this year’s Grammy Awards on his podcast, Indiecast, veteran music critic Steven Hyden critiqued Doechii’s performance as “very theater kid, in a way that a lot of pop artists are nowadays. Where it’s like, you look at someone like Lauryn Hill who is just as multi-talented—acting, singing, rapping—and there’s just something that seems a little bit more unpracticed than Doechii.” Hyden further felt that the more practiced, theatrical aspects of Doechii’s work will join other artists such as Chance the Rapper, Janelle Monae, and Lin-Manuel Miranda to be considered cringe, because their style of pop performance is, quote, “just very jazz hand theater kids.”
Well, sure. There’s no arguing that Doechii indulges in theater kid tropes. Her Grammy performance, her appearance on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, even her Tiny Desk concert could all be mistaken for a number from a modern, Tony-nominated musical. But is that a bad thing?
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Full disclosure: Knocking artists for “theater kid energy” sends my hackles up because I was—and probably still am—a try-hard theater kid at heart. I can still sing every word of Godspell, Evita, or Rent at the drop of a sparkled hat. I earnestly let people know what I want and how hard I’ll work to achieve it. I go big, even when going medium would do. And after years of seeing overt theatricality and sweaty fence-swinging dismissed by critics in music and beyond (sorry for the 2010’s, Anne Hathaway), I wanted to write a thousand words in defense of artists who go for broke and aren’t afraid to let their practice, passion, and even ambition nakedly show in their art.
But then I looked around at the current landscape and realized… I don’t need to defend anyone. Hyden’s comments aside, the theater kids are alright. Think about it:
Chappell Roan blew up huge while fully embracing flamboyant drag make-up and theatrics (theater kids and drag do go hand in hand, as Drag Race’s current frontrunner Suzie Toot also reminds us).
Tyler the Creator fully transforms himself into characters with wigs and elaborate costumes each night on stage on his acclaimed Chromakopia tour.
Pop and rock sensations Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo, respectively, don’t only come from High School Musical; they have actual theater training. Hell, Carpenter has even performed on Broadway (Mean Girls).
They both follow in the footsteps of Ariana Grande, who’s currently living every theater kid’s dream right now.
The patron saint of pop’s theater kids for at least a generation now, Lady Gaga, just came back with her most maximalist, operatic album in years with Mayhem.
On the indie rock front, Cindy Lee isn’t specifically embracing theater kid tropes on 2024’s acclaimed Diamond Jubilee, but Cindy herself is a character of musician Patrick Flegel and the epic 2+ hour album is a great example of someone making a big, overtly ambitious effort.
Even Kendrick Lamar counts. Whether he’s publicly sharing how he runs 3 to 4 miles a day to keep up his flow or layering idea upon idea to turn his Super Bowl Halftime Show into dissectible performance art, he’s never afraid of showing his desire to be the best.
And bringing it back to Doechii, she turns every public performance into a uniquely choreographed work of art. Her single, “Denial Is A River,” has even turned a character-driven duet featuring actual warm-up vocal exercises into an unexpected Billboard hit.
So, yeah, I can stand down. Theater kids don’t need me to turn my jazz hands into jazz fists. Compared to the last 10 to 20 years, they have widespread popularity and critical adoration. Doechii, Kendrick, and Chappell dominated not just the Grammys but also 2024’s “Best Of” lists. Olivia Rodrigo is cheered by the same rock critics who not long ago would’ve acted as gatekeepers against her. Popular YouTube pop culture commentators Anthony Aiken Jr. and Nathan Zed recently posted about how theater kids and try-hard energy are having a moment. For a long time, music and pop culture writers seemed to cultivate a “too cool” vibe, and also looked for it in the artists they raised up. Now, though, most folks seem to agree that it’s cool to make an effort.
Which is right on time. As we sit here at the dawn of AI, we need human artists to demonstrate what we’re at risk of losing. An algorithm can replicate musicians who make it look like they don’t care about their music or performance. However, an artist who pushes themselves to come up with ambitious, larger than life performances each time they’re in public… that’s something unique to humans. A program trying to copy Doechii or Roan or Lamar will at best be a carbon copy, whereas these artists and other “try-hard” performers will always keep striving to deliver something new.
That’s an often overlooked benefit of the theater: Each night is a fresh show. Another chance to take the stage and, hopefully, craft a performance that connects with the audience. It looks like hard work because it is. When audiences see that effort, let’s celebrate it. Help people value it before technology threatens to take it away. You can’t create something interesting without putting in the work, and you can’t create something personal without risking embarrassment. The more people understand this—and music critics appreciate it—the better, riskier, more inspiring art we get. Yes, some of it could fail, maybe even end up “cringe.” But personally, I cringe more at the thought of applauding someone for only trying the minimum.
So take a bow, grown-up theater kids. Enjoy your time in the spotlight and please, keep playing to the back row. Pop music—and culture at large—needs your energy more than ever.
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