I always wonder why people insist that someone they like has to be "folk". John Lennon and others wrote/made great music - no doubt about it.
But still they are not considered folk musicians by the general public (even if they started their career playing skiffle etc. - but hey: we all started music singing traditional children`s songs ;0)

Maybe those people think that pop music is something inferior and (even more horrible) commercial. Must have something to do with political opinions and views of "class" that are even more outdated than the traditional stuff they dislike....

Well, her`s some good news: "pop" is derived from the word "popular" which is in turn derived from the latin word "populus". Which means folk. Does that ease your pain a little?

Regards
Ernest