Though the button-downs (not button-ups!) that I wear regularly and the baggy jeans and the mullet may make people think that I am a performative male, I am quite estranged from the concept.
Honestly, I don’t understand why somebody would want to be a performative male or why that is something that is seen as desirable by young men today, but I’m not opposed to trying to understand.
A performative male is an archetype of a man who takes on traditionally feminine interests. These include literature that is written by female authors, tote bags and Labubus (things that women stereo-typically like), and, of course, music that women like.
To truly embody a performative male and understand what goes through the mind of one, I figured there was no better place to start than with music. I put on my headphones (unfortunately, they aren’t wired earbuds) and listened to 5 albums that TikTokers say performative males love and that make frequent appearances in performative male Spotify playlists.
Charm by Clairo
To start off my performative male enlightenment journey, I listened to Clairo’s newest album, Charm. Clairo has gained popularity amongst performative males, presumably due to her music’s soft, indie tone and her fan base of primarily liberal women.
I had high hopes for this album, but unfortunately, I was disappointed by its mediocrity. The songs alternate between being about love and a lack of love, which made assessing the work as a whole and its meaning difficult.
The songs all sound very similar to one another—using the same instruments, melodies, and vocal techniques. The lyrics are nothing special, following basic rhyme schemes and talking about experiences in the same way that thousands have talked about them before.
Out of the 11-song album, I added four songs to my playlist.
My favorite song on the album was “Add Up My Love.” The lowest rank is a tie between “Second Nature,” “Thank You,” “Terrapin,” and “Glory of the Snow” at 4/10. After rating each song individually, the mean of my ratings for the album was 5.95/10.
Everything I Know About Love by Laufey
Laufey, whose Icelandic name causes a lot of conflict amongst listeners over its pronunciation, is a Chinese and Icelandic jazz singer who has gained popularity for her beautiful love songs and catchy melodies.
I’ve been a fan of Laufey for a while now, after discovering her music through TikTok and listening to her sophomore album, Bewitched. I hoped her debut album would be an enjoyable jazz album similar to her other works, and I was pleasantly surprised.
I enjoyed listening to the majority of the songs on this album, though I did find some of them to be uninteresting and run-of-the-mill. Laufey has a bewitching voice, and many of the songs on this album are well-written and encapsulate their topics very well.
Overall, I think that Laufey is a very talented artist, but her more recent works are preferable to this album. Her music has noticeably improved throughout her career and she’s seemingly grown more into herself and her metaphorical voice.
Out of the 16-song album, I added seven songs to my playlist.
The song I ranked the highest was “Falling Behind” at a 9/10, but “Above The Chinese Restaurant” and “Dear Soulmate” deserve honorable mentions at 8.5/10. “What Love Will Do To You” and “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” tied for the lowest ranking at 3.5/10. After rating each song individually, the mean of my ratings for the album was 6.54/10.
This Is How Tomorrow Moves by beabadoobee
With 25.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify as of October 23, beabadoobee has gained a lot of popularity in the last year after the release of her third album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, in August of 2024.
Before the release of this album, I viewed beabadoobee as being a more underground and unknown indie singer who wrote songs about depression and unrequited love. However, she’s now more popular than ever, and is gaining a lot of recognition in performative male culture.
This album was different from other works of beabadoobee’s I’ve heard and I really enjoyed it. The album’s topics varied with some songs being about love, and others being about struggles related to grief, gender inequality, and of course, heartbreak.
The genres of songs on the album shifted between indie-rock and bedroom pop. The instrumentals paired well with her soft vocals and thoughtful lyricism.
This album had a good mix of songs that had fun energy and were enjoyable to listen to, and songs that were more melancholy and made me ponder life.
Out of the 14 songs on the album, I added seven to my playlist.
“Take A Bite” and “Girl Song” both tied for highest ranked at 9.5/10. Since listening to the album, I’ve listened to “Beaches” the most because of its lighthearted and joyful tone. The song I ranked the lowest was “Post” at 4.5/10. The mean of all the songs’ ratings is 6.89/10.
Atlanta Millionaires Club by Faye Webster
Faye Webster—like Clairo, Laufey, and beabadoobee—is a female indie singer whose music has been popularized through social media. Before listening to this album, I’d only heard clips from songs through TikTok videos, but I liked what I’d heard.
Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in this album. Most of the songs felt too slow, too repetitive, and too basic. The work as a whole felt overly experimental and had no congruity between topics of songs, or even thoughts within each song.
Her writing is presented in a way that feels like it should be profound, but instead just sounds like meaningless words strung together.
The album was only 31 minutes long, but at multiple points I found myself wondering how much longer until it was over.
Out of the 10 songs on the album, I added two to my playlist, as they were the only good ones. Unsurprisingly, those are also the ones that have gained the most popularity online. The song with the highest rating was “Kingston” with an 8/10. The song with the lowest ranking was “Jonny (Reprise)” with 2/10. The album’s mean score was a 3.85/10.
five seconds flat by Lizzy McAlpine
Prior to listening to this album, I’d only heard a few Lizzy McAlpine songs, which I had liked for their calm acoustics and deep and intelligent lyrics. McAlpine’s majestic voice was also a bonus.
I had high expectations for this album and it exceeded my expectations. Immediately, upon listening to the first song “doomsday”, I was amazed. It was the first song I listened to out of all of these albums to receive a 10/10 rating.
I thoroughly enjoyed McAlpine’s introspective and impactful lyricism that articulates life experiences in a unique and beautiful way. She made very creative artistic choices, such as having the song “reckless driving” end abruptly.
Sonically, the album was very enjoyable both due to its instrumentals and McAlpine’s beautiful vocals.
Since listening to the album for the first time, I’ve found myself streaming it multiple times. This album will definitely become a staple in my playlists.
Out of the 14 songs on the album, I added 10 songs to my playlist. “doomsday,” “reckless driving,” and “hate to be lame” all ranked the highest at a 10/10. “an ego thing” and “what a shame” both tied for the lowest ranking at 5/10. The mean of all the songs was 8.07/10.
Ranking:
- five seconds flat by Lizzy McAlpine – 8.07/10
- This Is How Tomorrow Moves by beabadoobee – 6.89/10
- Everything I Know About Love by Laufey – 6.54/10
- Charm by Clairo – 5.95/10
- Atlanta Millionaires Club by Faye Webster – 3.85/10
Why Do Performative Males Flock To These Artists?
After listening to all five albums, I noticed qualities that all of these albums and artists share that may be the reason behind their popularity amongst performative males.
Most obviously, all of these artists are women. On top of that, they all have soft, higher-pitched voices.
They all write songs about love and heartbreak. I think that these types of songs may make performative males feel inspired to treat women better and to not break women’s hearts in the way that people have broken these female singers’ hearts.
Some of the artists also write songs about feminism and the struggles they face as women. Performative males are inherently insincere, and listening to these artists talk about their struggles may make these men think that women will value them more and be more attracted to them because they supposedly hold feminist values.
These artists’ lyricism is also made to seem introspective and deep, even when it’s not. Performative males may believe that listening to music that makes them seem deep is beneficial to their chances with women because they’ll appear more thoughtful.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with men liking indie music, using tote bags, or drinking matcha. But when they’re only doing it as an attempt to impress women with their “cool liberal values,” the in-authenticity shines through, and they don’t end up seeming more attractive—they just seem disingenuous and unapproachable.
Women don’t want men who pretend to care about their interests and their values. They want men who actually care about their interests and their values.
