THE PRESENCE OF POETRY IN CONTEMPORARY POP MUSIC
THE HIDDEN POETRY IN POP MUSIC AT UNTOLD
In 2025, the organizers of UNTOLD announced its 10th anniversary, which drew over 470,000 attendees from more than 100 countries and hosted 250 artists on massive stages. Beyond its spectacular scale, UNTOLD has become more than a music festival. It is a cultural experience, a cultural exchange, where the beat merges with the word, and where lyrics are elevated by the voice of Europeans.
Poetry and music have always been connected. Taking a step back in history, in the Middle Age, troubadours composed songs that served both melody and verses; folk tradition across the world, from Romanian doina to Irish Celtic, French chansons, or Spanish flamenco, prove that words were never separate from rhythm. In the 20th century, figures like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen blurred the line even more, showing that a song could be literature. When Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, the world was reminded that lyrics can stand as poetry in their own right. Today, pop music still inherits this tradition, even if it often appears simplified, reduced to a catchy chorus. The essence of poetry: emotion, metaphor, rhythm flows through many pop songs. In this case, as a curator and writer, I have long observed that poetry and music are deeply interdependent, so this article is trying to answer a central question:
Can poetry survive in mainstream pop music culture?
For instance, poetry stimulates the imagination, transporting us into memory or dreams of the future, while music anchors us in the present, creating a meaningful experience. Don’t forget that pop music today still uses the tools of poetry, but in a new way. Consider Imagine Dragons, ‘Believer’, where pain is turned into metaphor and suffering becomes strength. The repetition in the chorus gives it the power of a prayer. Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ presents love in plain, accessible language, much like romantic lyrics poetry, but in a form millions can sing along to. These examples reveal that pop lyrics use imagery, repetition and rhythm much like written verses in poems. Pop music may be mainstream, but its lyrics often carry emotional truth that reflects the deepest aspects of human experience.
I spoke with Romanian artists about this topic and each of them experienced pop music through a different lens: the songwriter mentioned the rhythm as a cup for emotions, the writer noted simplicity makes verses universal, the poet feared the dilution of depth, while the journalist argued that accessibility is its own power. The editor reminded me that words come alive whenever they carry love for people, regardless of form and the teacher & literary critic connected it all back to tradition, where oral poetry was always meant to be sung.
Together, their voices created a mosaic that showed me poetry is not disappearing, it is transforming. Romanian artists also bring poetry into pop music. The singer Irina Rimes is known for her emotional verses, with songs that feels like a journal: intimate, confessional, and metaphorical; Carla’s Dreams plays with layered imaginary and coded language, mixing everyday symbolism, offering lyrics that invite multiple interpretations. While critics sometimes accuse pop music of being superficial, these Romanian voices that I interviewed prove that the genre can be deeply poetic in the context of festivals.
As editor Octavian Groapa observes, emotions and metaphor are imprinted in the listener’s mind, creating connections that go beyond the superficial:
‘An emotion conveyed through a metaphor remains imprinted as a semi-poetic idea in the listener’s mind. So the elements that make the lyrics of a pop song poetic are similar to poetry itself: metaphors, expressiveness, the emotion… I think in music, the text must be in harmony with the music, with the voice, with the song’s flow in order to create an ideal harmony. I strongly believe people are looking for poetry in music, also for music in poetry. Poetry can live without music, the music I like cannot.’
This idea comes alive, too, in the work of the Belgian artist Stromae, whose ‘Papaoutai’ combines metaphorical storytelling and emotional resonance with precise rhythm. The song’s lyrics, paired with music and visuals, create a poetic experience that imprints itself on the listener’s mind like a poem.
The journalist Andrei Bobeica highlights the accessibility of pop lyrics. He told me:
‘Music that’s shallow may succeed, but it’s fleeting. Festivals are the new cathedrals, lyrics are our secular players. In moments when people sing together, words become almost sacred, bridging individual and collective experience. I think UNTOLD does support this dynamic. I have been to four editions and each time I found artists who bring poetry into music, even in genres where you wouldn’t expect. UNTOLD is a commercial festival, but the diversity of its lineup allows you to discover artists who deliver motion and meaningful lyrics, beyond the beat and the spectacle. There are moments when artists who focus on poetic lyrics receive coverage, but it’s not consistent and is often overshadowed by more commercial or sensational topics. Still, there are Romanian artists who manage to stay in the spotlight and reach audiences with poetic lyrics: The Motans, Carla’s Dreams, Irina Rimes, Feli, Delia.’
Not only Romanian artists are relevant in shaping contemporary pop, but Spanish and French artists also bring unique poetic sensibilities to the genre. Spanish singer Rosalia, for example, introduces a flamenco-poetic sensibility into pop music. Her work demonstrates how music can be both rhythmically and poetically expressive.
Equally important is the French artist Christine and the Queens. Songs like ‘Chaleur Humaine’, the band’s internationally successful debut album, showcase the seamless merging of rhythm, movement, and lyrical depth. Through her work, Christine demonstrates how pop music can become a powerful tool for social and emotional storytelling; how poetic expression can be translated into both sound and performance.
From Raluca Barbu writer’s perspective, poetry in pop music persists when artists remain true to their emotions. Also, she sees magic in music:
‘Poetry says something beautiful and sincere, while music is the poetry you feel in your whole body. Pop music carries poetry when artists stay true to their emotions, not trends. I think poetry can survive, but it’s difficult. If an artist chooses to stay true and not just follow trends, especially in a world overflowing with them, then the poetry remains. Also, emotions are the key to a pop song. Metaphors add even more, Coldplay, for example, don’t just say I love you, they create an entire universe around that feeling.’
The poet Gabriela Manole frames lyrics as the soul of music:
‘Poetry represents the heart of the music, without man could not fall in love with music. Emotions and metaphors make the song exist and remain within the listener’s soul. Lyrics infused with metaphors and emotional depth allow listeners to inhabit a spectrum of experiences, connecting past and present, imaginary and reality.’
Those ideas made me think about the UK rapper Little Simz. In ‘I love you, I hate you’, she exemplifies this blend of lyricism and musicality. Her introspective and poetic lyrics are deeply intertwined with her flow and beats, illustrating how poetry survives in urban pop music.
Moreover, analyzing the poet and writer’s point of view, I remembered Riverside from Denmark, in ‘Run Away’, the artist uses natural motifs and reflective lyrics to illustrate that poetic expression in music and transcend genres and national borders, emphasizing imaginary, emotion and metaphor.
On the other hand, singer Jonny Bica observes industry pressures:
‘It’s quite difficult to sustain this dynamic. In principle, art requires a certain state of mind, as well as intellectual and emotional availability of those who enjoy it. In our current era of fast-forward endless scrolling and reels, delivering poetic messages becomes a real challenge. The success in pop culture is to rely on different criteria, commercial ones: how memorable the chorus or hook is, how easy it’s for the average listener to remember the lyrics… Personally, I set poetry more naturally aligned with genres outside the mainstream: jazz, folk, hip-hop.’
The songwriter Plumb George emphasizes the delicate balance between accessibility and depth:
‘Most of the time, I start from emotion, because it’s the sincere engine of the text. The verse builds the story, the chorus is the heart, the point where emotion explodes… For me, UNTOLD is impressive because it brings together diverse musical experiences, which can definitely support the dynamic between poetry and music. This festival creates opportunities for artists to reach an audience who normally engages with poetry, blending emotional storytelling with rhythm and energy. For art to survive today, poem/lyrics, it needs to adapt without losing its soul. The key is authenticity: if the art resonates emotionally, it will find its place, even in a fast-paced industry. Music will become a vessel where poetry is simultaneously free and structured, personal yet communal.’
Literature teacher and literary critic Stela Anghel frames poetry in pop music historically and philosophically:
‘Poetry and music are twins in human history… Today’s pop culture transforms poetic lyricism into an aesthetics of immediate pleasure, but the search for authenticity and sensory power forces a rediscovery of the poet in pop music. Those singers driven by the concern for musical harmonies have to deconstruct the standard. The verse and the phrasing of the performer have the gate of living the musical moment of the world; sensibility can equally step from affective reality taken from the poetic register finding a simple cohesion. Don’t forget that nowadays poetry offers a content charged with expressiveness elevated by representation, as authors exploit psychological situations, the musician creates imaginary destiny.’
From my perspective as an artist, curator and writer, poetry stimulates the imagination, transporting us beyond the present, while music anchors us in the moment. Pop music may simplify verses, yet it preserves the essence of poetry, emotion, metaphor, rhythm, while festivals like UNTOLD amplify their impact.
Poetry in pop music is collective and dynamic. From ancient troubadours to Dylan, from Romanian doina to European Folklore, the connection between words and music endures. Pop lyrics carry emotional truth accessible to millions, yet resonant with depth. Stromae, Little Simz, Christine and the Queens, Riverside, and Romanian artists like The Motans and Irina Rimes prove that poetry is alive, creating connections that go beyond the beat. It reminds us that emotion, imagination and human connection are timeless.
The fusion of the word and music is possible and essential in contemporary culture…
Photo Reference: https://www.instagram.com/untoldfestival/
