The pejorative “industry plant” shuts out new artists before they even have their foot in the door. Loosely, an industry plant is someone “whose success comes from their music industry connections, rather than from artistic merit or genuine interest from fans,” per Eric Skelton via pop culture media outlet, Complex. But a quick search will reveal that there is no definitive meaning for the pejorative. 

You may have heard artists with newfound mainstream success like Doechii, Charli xcx or Chappell Roan receive this branding. I can understand this to a degree; it’s normal to be skeptical of something or someone new to you, at least initially. But what good is there for the progression of music if hatred is the immediate reaction to somebody new and exciting?

It does not make sense to complain every time Taylor Swift releases a new album while also writing off newly famous artists that gain minor success. Yet, if you look up any of the aforementioned artists along with the “industry plant” key phrase, you will receive results galore. And, this goes beyond just the aforementioned artists. 

Chappell Roan first blew up last spring following the release of her hit “Good Luck, Babe!” Since then, Roan has received comment upon comment about her alleged industry plant status, to which she replied, “This is my tenth year … professionally” of making music. This entirely negates the myth of the industry plant.

Roan was signed to Atlantic Records at the age of 17 before getting dropped due to the release of her 2020 single, “Pink Pony Club” being unsuccessful. It is only now, under her new label Island Records, that she has found success in what appears to be a sort of backlash response by the public to the slower confessional songs that were popular in the early-2020s.

Similarly, Charli xcx, who previously had a cult-like following a few hits into the early-2010s, gained mainstream attention unlike any she had ever previously received following the release of her critically-acclaimed album “BRAT.” Like Chappell Roan’s music, Charli’s music offered authenticity and escapism in a time where music that was seemingly missing spirit. Charli’s success during the “BRAT” album campaign was falsely branded as her being an industry plant, when really it was a sign that the campaign worked to the point that “BRAT” became part of the 2024 Harris campaign.

For Doechii, the “industry plant” claims came following her Best Rap Album Grammy win for her mixtape “Alligator Bites Never Heal” earlier this year. Like Roan and Charli xcx, Doechii had been in the music industry for several years, releasing multiple EPs independently before signing to Top Dawg Entertainment in 2022. 

Many of the claims around Doechii’s alleged “industry plant” status have to do with the sudden frequency of her presence in music spaces. What this criticism ignores, though, is the effort Doechii put into getting recognition. “Alligator Bites Never Heal” was released Aug. 30, 2024, but Doechii campaigned hard for the months preceding and following the release of the mixtape. We shouldn’t minimize her success simply because her efforts paid off.

In saying all of this and pointing to these artists in particular, I am not intending to write off criticism about them but to emphasize how lazy the industry plant label is. You don’t have to connect with “Pink Pony Club,” want to live a “BRAT” lifestyle nor desire to check if you can rap the fast part of Doechii’s “NISSAN ALTIMA” to acknowledge the effort new and emerging artists put into breaching the mainstream. 

It is more true now than ever that it can take 10 years to become an overnight success. And while you don’t have to be on the forefront of who’s who in new music, you shouldn’t let your ignorance negate the hard work of the artists who put their all in to get where they are today. 

I remember fondly watching Doechii blow up after seeing her perform at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival last year. I had only heard her song “NISSAN ALTIMA” in passing, but it was enough to get me to her set at the festival. Since then, I have watched song after song of hers gain traction, with her hit “Anxiety” becoming her highest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart — her first Top 10 hit. The work of getting to this point is not overnight, and dismissing it as music industry innerworkings does not make you as different as you want to be.