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Sophie Powers broke through with a unique blend of hyperpunk alt pop and glitch rock. Her track "Obsessed" became the catalyst for her rising profile, cleverly mixing in blog house influences - those Justice/MGMT-style dance beats that dominated hip clubs in the late 2000s.

"Obsessed" had this distinctive "ting" quality that set it apart. The campaign around this single got her noticed in the alternative music scene. This early genre-blending approach proved smart. Powers established a unique sonic identity with "Obsessed" that laid the groundwork for her future evolution.

Blog house represents one of my favorite music eras. Those were the last days of getting blackout drunk at clubs and dancing all night - something this mellow old man definitely never does anymore. Definitely not.

Atlantic Records & TikTok Success

Powers signed to Atlantic Records in 2023 - my former workplace. Though, I hadn't spoken with anyone there about her during this dissection. She landed on my radar purely through her impressive TikTok strategy. Her content caught my eye, so I started following her journey toward Atlantic and decided this was worth tracking.

The campaign around "Obsessed" has some very interesting insights to discuss. In this dissection, we're examining Sophie Powers in the midst of her initial breakthrough moment - capturing the specific strategies she implemented during this rise, before all her subsequent evolution and growth.

Consistent Sustained Promotion

"Obsessed" reached a quarter million plays in just nine days after release. Powers built this momentum through extensive teasing beforehand. She also signed to TAG Music, the label run by my old friend Gabe from Cobra Starship.

Sophie Powers follows the consistent sustained promotion formula we always talk about. She dropped the original "Better On Mute," waited 4 weeks before releasing sped-up and slowed-down versions, then 8 weeks later added a Chandler Leighton feature to refresh the track. About 6 weeks after that, she released "Obsessed."

This 6-8 week release cadence gives each track long enough to cook and then drops right when listeners have rinsed it enough and need a new dose.

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