Is the flute making a comeback in pop music? And wouldn’t that be lovely? To give two examples: Lizzo is an accomplished flautist and you can clearly hear a flute in Dua Lipa’s Physical. And now, another female powerhouse artist features the instrument prominently. What’s more, it’s used in a genre where you wouldn’t expect it. I may be mistaken, but how many country-pop songs do you know with a flute in it?

Let’s start at the beginning… The artist I’m talking about, Kacey Musgraves, just made a break-up album: Star-Crossed. Based on a true story (her divorce from her now ex-husband Ruston Kelly), it deals with a rollercoaster of emotions. It chronicles the peaks of new love to marriage to divorce to solo acceptance. Be prepared for an emotional ride!

But once you get to the 14^th song on this 15-track album, you reach the stage of hope. The title There Is A Light says it all. It’s a disco-influenced pop song with phased drum fills, lush acoustic guitars, bells and all. But still it manages to incorporate a certain country twang. Then, after the 1’30 mark, out of the blue, there is a flute. An uplifting flute. A flute that sounds like the musical equivalent of a middle finger. A flute that says: blow me!

The song brings together so many ingredients, that it stands out in the current musical climate. To me, that would be enough reason to put it out as a single, but in the United States, especially, radio stations might struggle to decide upon the right format for the song. Well, let me help you, dear programmers: this is as pop as pop gets, and it deserves to be all over your radio stations. After all, this is Kacey Musgraves you know? What could possibly go wrong?

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Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.