Pop songs get a bad rap. Their popularity and lowest-common-denominator appeal somehow makes them less authentic in the eyes (ears) of the cultured musical elites. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard my “cool” friends tell me Katy Perry is the worst thing that has ever happened to the world, and if they hear that goddamn Gotye song one more time they’ll have a conniption. I think there are worse things in the world than a pop singer or an overplayed radio song.

In the 1980s I was all Metallica and Iron Maiden. These days I’m more Carly Rae and Gaga. I like well-crafted pop songs. They’re aurally aesthetic, sonically colorful, have a feel-good energy and every now and again are lyrically more poignant and insightful than any self-obsessed hipster indie tune could hope to achieve. Their mass appeal is a strength, not a weakness. There’s something special about a pure sentiment that can tap into the souls of millions of people from all over the world.

Inspiration For Moderns is my visual interpretation of the pop song. Lyrics patterned in bright, rainbow colors and formed into three-dimensional forms that burst from the surface. When I look at them I hear music playing in my head. That makes me happy.