How to Make a Pop Star’s Style Go Viral

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Post Brat Girl Summer, there’s a new brand of internet pop divadom.

Six months after her culture-shifting album release, Charli XCX dropped her Brat manifesto. “Some people will hate it,” she proudly declared on Instagram.

The post, which outlined the plan she had laid for musical world domination months back, showed exactly how and why “Club Classics” became the sound of the summer. The low-fi screenshot proclaimed that “the artwork for Brat will be obnoxious, arrogant, and bold” and “the answer is always ‘no comment.’” This was not just an album release, but a slime green, indie sleaze, tank top–clad party girl fantasy—and the “Girl, So Confusing” singer wanted the whole of Al Gore's internet to know it.

This rare look behind the curtain of pop image-making exemplifies exactly what makes the next generation of breakthrough musical stars tick. Can you imagine Beyoncé or Taylor Swift showing us their marketing plans? Me thinks not. But there it was, outlined in all caps for the world to see—Charli’s formula for going viral.

Of course, Charli XCX isn’t the only pop girlie who’s found success in self-mythology. Music’s new guard (Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Doechii, et al.) offer a clear vision and personal aesthetic that extends beyond Spotify Playlist ubiquity and trending TikTok sounds. They build entire worlds with their artistry, delivering escapism and authenticity to fans in equal measure. 

Fashion plays an outsized role in cultivating that pop star It factor, and there’s no better example than Chappell Roan’s meteoric rise. Thanks to stylist Genesis Webb, the “Red Wine Supernova” singer has become just as known for her vaudeville, drag-inspired performance attire as her undeniable bops and record-breaking Coachella crowds.

“I hope what Chappell has done opens up a space so that artists don’t feel like they have to be safe to be popular and digestible,” says Webb, adding that she and her client like existing in their own genre-less universe. “I’m not a big fan of a constant in someone's persona—a high ponytail, a mini dress, a platform heel, a thigh-high boot, etc. I don’t enjoy a constant. I think self-expression is endless and should be that way.”

Though hard to pin down aesthetically, Webb’s work with Roan is unified by a sense of high drama and layered storytelling. Case in point: the artist’s first VMA performance, for which the duo created a Medieval-inspired fashion narrative via three standout looks. 

“It had a beginning and end, and there were three different looks that intertwined with one another,” says Webb. The beginning, a Gothic Y Project gown worn on the red carpet, evoked French fables with its sage-green cloak and cross accessories. Then, Roan performed in custom Joan of Arc armor by Zana Bayne and Doc Martins. By the end of the night, the singer had accepted the award for Best New Artist wearing a Knights-of-the-Roundtable metal hood and glittering chainmail by Rabanne.

This three-part arc is classic Roan. She’s not afraid of a niche reference, drawing much of her inspiration from art historical cues like Swan Lake and the Casino De Paris. She’s wont to transform into a walking, talking allegory (see: her viral Statue of Liberty Gov Ball ‘fit) when the spirit moves her. What brings it all together, from lipstick-stained teeth to leather chaps, is the sense that once Chappell Roan hits the stage, you’re entering the fashion dreamscape she and Webb have created. 

Another of last year’s newly minted pop stars, Sabrina Carpenter, has made style a key touchpoint of her personal brand. Before her album Short n' Sweet, the singer’s Disney Channel stardom was obstructing her pop career—a recurring pain point for teen idols trying to transition to adult fame. But after nearly a year of opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, in April 2024, her song “Espresso” debuted at the top of the charts, thanks in part to a strong visual and sartorial rebrand. 

This was more than just a clever application of TikTok’s Hollywood Hair Theory (although Carpenter’s teased blonde Bardot cut is her most distinguishable feature). She’s crafted a head-to-toe pop persona that’s instantly recognizable, from the tops of her generously blushed cheeks down to the soles of her platform Mary Janes. 

There’s no doubt this fresh look, created with It Girl–loved stylist Jared Ellner, upped her “viral factor.” The singer’s coquette accessories and thick nude pantyhose capture not just the fashion zeitgeist, but her essence as an artist: Betty Boop minis, heart cutouts, and lace trim pair naturally with her lyrics’ flirty innuendos and midcentury choreography. 

Style isn’t the only factor contributing to Carpenter’s recent success, but it’s certainly no coincidence that her pop culture breakthrough coincided with her personal style makeover. After all, when you’re more recognizable as an artist, so is your music.

Of all 2025’s Grammy-nominated new guard, however, the most viral artist right now is Doechii. A clip from “Denial Is a River” has been TikTok’s favorite sound for a few months running, making her Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape both a populist hit and critical darling. Her personal style is no less lauded, racking up likes, views, and online imitators throughout a recent promo tour.

“We like to do things people don’t expect from a female rapper, but also move in a direction that aligns with the music she has created,” says stylist Sam Woolf about how he and the starlet think about her personal aesthetic. Ranging from subversive prep (like a Miu Miu shrunken polo and underwear combo ) to full-on office siren attire, the “Nissan Altima” rapper’s looks often play with androgyny and gender.

“Doechii’s aesthetic lives on different planets in the same world—feminine, masculine, preppy, office siren, Motown, and sexy,” explains the stylist. That kaleidoscope of fashion references reflects her myriad musical influences—and embodies the rapper’s self-described “alternative hip hop” sound. Fashion is part of her larger vision, adds Woolf: “It’s more about thinking about where she’s going, where she fits in that world, and the story behind the look. It’s always very intentional.”

Even Doechii’s Instagram grid reflects her duality. Scroll, and you’ll see a puffed-sleeved unitard by Acne Studios in one photo and a Thom Browne shirt and tie in the next. She and Woolf are constantly exploring the push and pull between prep and streetwear, masculine and feminine, established and rising designer. 

Somehow both consistent and chaotic, Doechii’s aesthetic mix is perhaps described best by the rapper herself: “I’m the new hip-hop Madonna,” she asserts in “Nissan Altima.” It’s a bold move, comparing oneself to the Jean Paul Gaultier cone-bra–wearing mother of pop reinvention, but you can’t help but respect the declaration from an up-and-comer who has already exhibited a knack for fashion showmanship.

These pop stars put their own spin on personal style, but what unites them all is their back-and-forth dialogue with fans. Each fandom (many of which overlap) disseminates lovingly crafted outfit inspo and beauty tutorials ahead of big concert dates. Music-loving resellers curate online shops for both the Sweat tour and Midwest Princesses. Fans even make their own Brat merch and post the DIY videos online as proof. 

This fan-lead fashion ecosystem has an amplifying effect on an artist’s popularity—and, in an increasingly competitive attention economy, every view matters. “Fans love to be able to reference a look or style when they attend a concert. It's become part of the experience of seeing a live show now,” says Elliot Soriano, a music industry stylist who’s worked with Charli XCX and Lady Gaga. 

You can see pop stars’ personas mirrored in the way people shop. According to Gen Z’s favorite resale platform, Depop, searches for “Medieval core” have risen (more than 230 percent) since Chappell Roan’s VMA appearance in September. So, too, has Sabrina Carpenter’s “pin-up style” (which increased 235 percent in 2024), Doechii’s “micro-shorts” (up 934 percent), and Charli’s signature “white tank top” (231 percent just last year). 

“The new playbook for dressing a pop diva sees style not only as a form of personal expression, but also as a blueprint for collective representation within their fandoms,” says TikTok creator and Depop trend forecaster Agus Panzoni. “These artists embraced specific 'dress codes' for their shows, creating a sense of unity and community through style,” a phenomenon Panzoni expects to continue this year.

Predicting virality is a tricky business. Predicting fashion trends is even trickier. What plays on the internet one week might not take off the next, and today’s style microtrends flame out faster than you can shake a match. That said, there are a few things today’s pop stars can teach us about the internet. 

First, personal style is queen. No unknown musical artist is taking off in 2025 without a clear vision. Second, the fans matter. Call it the starter pack-ification of pop music or just plain TikTok brain rot, but if no one knows what “aesthetic” to wear to your concert, likes and shares (not to mention ticket sales) will dip. 

Finally, there’s a bit of mess and mayhem in the air. It seems younger generations are starting to tire of the glossy image and critical distance of more established pop stars, several of whom tried and failed to stage music (and fashion!) comebacks last year. It almost goes without saying that in a tumultuous world, music lovers relish the appearance of honesty and ignore neatly packaged A-listers and record label–generated industry plants. In a political landscape where everything is for sale, no one likes music—or the fashion that goes along with it—to look and sound like a product. 

Perhaps, as Charli XCX wrote in her manifesto, “we must cultivate desire, chaos, and destruction” to go fashion viral in 2025.

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