Sophisti-pop

Sophisti-pop is a retrospective term for a style of Pop music that incorporates influences from Jazz, classic R&B and Soul along with a slick, polished production style. The genre arose in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, with acts such as The Blue Nile, Scritti Politti, and Prefab Sprout. Informed by a renewed interest in 1960s Blue-Eyed Soul, these New Wave, Synthpop, and Pop Rock artists introduced complex harmonic progressions, jazzy acoustic guitar leads, and the accompaniment of saxophones and brass alongside synthesizers. Another influence was the lush pop stylings and focus on fashion of New Romantic, with these original sophisti-pop groups taking on a clean-cut, "sophisticated" image to reflect the music. The early 1980s work of Bryan Ferry with Roxy Music is cited as foundational to the style. Artists like The Style Council, Sting, and Sade (who blended sophisti-pop with Smooth Soul) would find huge chart success with a sophisti-pop sound through the 1980s, but the style's popularity would fade with the 1990s as other styles dominated the charts and some artists moved on to Adult Contemporary, further removed from their new wave roots. The genre also left its mark on Japanese pop music in the 1980s and 1990s, with City Pop often featuring similar jazz influences and the later Shibuya-kei scene incorporating sophisti-pop into its retro sound. Sophisti-pop would see something of a revival in the 2010s as part of a 1980s nostalgia trend, with Rhye and Blood Orange displaying influence from Contemporary R&B and popular artists like The 1975 and HAIM dabbling in the style.