| Bubblegum dance | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Eurodance, Bubblegum pop |
| Cultural origins | Denmark, mid-1990s |
| Mainstream popularity | Large: Scandinavia, Japan. Moderate: Central and East Europe. Weak: Western Europe |
Bubblegum dance is a subgenre of Eurodance music. The genre is characterized by cute lyrics and happy sounds. Bubblegum dance usually has a more pop sound than other Eurodance. The lyrics and style are often light-hearted and are not intended to be taken seriously. They are often amusing and cheerful. Bubblegum dance is similar to bubblegum pop music in that they both tend to have fun, childish subjects.
The name "bubblegum dance" was probably coined because of its similarities with the 1950s pop music, in which the women artists often appeared in photos with a pink bubblegum balloon in their mouth and exaggerated, wide and colorful skirts. Some subsequent pop styles have also been silly and cheerful, such as 1980s pop music. In bubblegum dance tracks, females usually sing the chorus, often in a high-pitched tone. Males often provide rap vocals, which are sung in low tones. Bubblegum dance music can be described as cheerful, amusing, silly and childish, which may suggest that the songs are aimed at children. However, this is not always the case - it is common for "bubblegum dance" artists to use sexual or suggestive lyrics in their songs that are more appropriate for adult audiences.
Many bubblegum dance acts have been heavily featured on the Dancemania series albums.
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Euro bubblegum dance originates in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark where a large percentage of bubblegum dance music is produced. The late 1990s and early 2000s marked the high-point in bubblegum dance production. Bubblegum dance music can be seen as the transition point between the harder style of music that was popular in the late 80s and early 90s and the happy "teen pop" music that was popular during the early 2000s.
Euro bubblegum dance music has a huge following in Japan, probably due to its use in popular dance games such as Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), In The Groove (ITG) and the Dancemania series. Many artists, such as Smile.dk, Bambee, Rebecca and Miss Papaya, have gained recognition and fame through these games. As well as this, Anime has a large bubblegum dance following, and many fans choose to use bubblegum dance styled music in their fan-made Anime Music Videos (AMVs).
The lyrics and style of bubblegum dance music is often silly and should not be taken seriously. Traditionally, bubblegum dance music can be described as cheerful, amusing, silly and childish, with many people leading to the conclusion that the song or artist is aimed at children. However, it is common for artists of this genre to incorporate sexually suggestive lyrics into some of their songs. While sometimes these suggestive lyrics might be very obvious, other times they might go unnoticed.
There are many different "sub-categories" of bubblegum dance music that help specify a particular sound/style. These terms were coined by the Web site "Bubblegum Dancer", and include traditional bubblegum, contemporary bubblegum, bubblegum dance speed, bubblegum macho, bubbledeath, bubblegum satire, technobilly bubblegum, and organic bubblegum.