The Y2K movement extends to music


System of a Down, Evanescence, Korn, Placebo… This could be the poster for a rock festival at the start of the millennium. However, all these groups, whose names seemed forgotten for twenty years, will be present on May 13 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, a vast open-air space in the city of Nevada intended to host concerts.

In October, other emblematic groups from the same period (Blink-182, Green Day, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, The Offspring, Simple Plan…) will also meet there. Behind these two events, the world giant of the organization of concerts, Live Nation. In a few days, the ticket offices were sold out.

In the media, a word circulates to explain this success: Y2K, for “Year 2000”. In recent months, we find it everywhere. In fashion magazines, for example, with vintage photos of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez enthroned as the muses of a baggy style or low-waisted skinny jeans, crop top, Buffalo wedge shoes. Canadian rapper Drake had, in 2018, celebrated his 32nd birthday with a huge Y2K-themed party, draining an audience of stars decked out in Von Dutch or Juicy Couture outfits, brands that achieved major success at that time.

Business of nostalgia

But the big Y2K recycling doesn’t stop at fashion. In music, the 2000s are coming back through music videos, like Baby, by Aya Nakamura, released in January, whose retrofuturistic decor is a reference to that of No Scrubs, from TLC (1999), itself a reference to the master yardstick of Y2K aesthetics, scream, by Janet and Michael Jackson (1995). Through unexpected covers, such as the respective versions of Eiffel’s eurodance hit 65 by David Guetta or Gradur, or even barbie girl of Aqua by Booba or Jul.

Also on stage, when French singer Adé created a surprise during her April concert at La Cigale, Paris, by inviting 2000s teen pop icon Lorie to sing a song from her 2002 album, doudou de a whole generation. On the pop culture side, finally, we can see the 2000s return with the most famous French youtubeur, Squeezie: he challenged himself to produce a Y2K hit on the model of the ear worm (a heady melody) from 2003 Dragostea Din Tei, by O-Zone, which became the most streamed single in France in just forty-eight hours after it was put online. Not to mention the strong comeback of Freed From Desire, de Gala, unofficial anthem of the Blues during the Football World Cup.

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