Studying Pop Stars
This article raises the idea that pop music is primarily aimed at the young and that there is a certain image needed to be a pop star, whether that is a good or a bad image. The value of the pop music is dependent on the currency attached to it by its fans. Although pop music is the current biggest music genre listened to, pop stars do become washed up and pop music moves on from them. However although pop music is constantly changing and evolving from Elvis Presley to Nicki Minaj, and forming a number of hybrid forms, some pop stars maintain common characteristics that seem to be successful in the pop music business.
The article claims that there has to be an element of youth and a sexual magnetism to lust after as well as a kind of rebellion that makes the fans more likely to listen to the music. Tying in with the rebellion, most pop stars must have an anti-authoritarian attitude which seeps through into their music and a significant amount of aggression/anger that keeps them motivated. However they must also be original and have some talent and creativity and preferably success against the odds which could be associated with the anti-authoritarian attitude. There must, of course, be an element of scandal when it comes to celebrities for the gossip magazines to write about which links to references to sex/drugs and alcohol in the artists songs themselves, leading their fans to believe they may be consuming such items, contributing to the scandal of being a pop star and the rebellious side.
However an issue raised is that the creativity and originality could burn out as the pop stars become washed out and replaced by younger versions as the music business "erodes good looks".
A pop star is seen as a semi-mythological role model and an image of who we thought we could be. As the article claims this is the reason for many pop stars dying young "They are too busy living out the dreams of the masses to work out who they really want to be. Fame insulates them from the realities of what they're doing to their bodies. They think the usual rules don't apply to them". Many stars such as Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix died at a young age.
All three pop stars above (Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix) died at a young age.
Dyer's Star Theory can be applied to pop stars as we read and understand songs and their meanings differently depending on who is singing them, what personality they have and their star persona. These elements fuse with the music and the lyrics of their songs, this means that a song forms part of a pop stars ongoing narrative through their music. A perfect example of this is Eminem's album 'Relapse and Recovery' which tells his personal story of overcoming addiction and becoming a new person.
With this in mind, my artist must comply within the standard pop star image, preferably with their own quirk or style that makes them stand out from the other pop stars giving them an element of originality. As well as this, I think my artist should vary their style even on the same album. I think part of the reason that pop stars get replaced is because their songs are all quite similar and they don't experiment with their style to keep the fans entertained and able to see the artists musical journey and travel it with them. That being said, this is always a risk with an artist as some fans would hate the idea of change and prefer the old material, whereas some fans would be glad their artist is experimenting with their style and support the artist. This has happened to many bands, for example the popular band Linkin Park were criticised greatly for their huge change in style and sound from their original grunge metal/rock albums, such as 'Hybrid Theory' and then radically changed their style to an electronic/alternative sound in 'A Thousand Suns'. It was a huge change and many fans were outraged and claimed they wanted the 'old Linkin Park' back. Other fans accepted the change, enjoyed the music and stuck with the band with the release of the equally as different album 'Living Things'. It was a bold move, they changed up their entire style from their old albums, risking many fans and creating controversy but I think it worked for the best as a large majority of the fans supported the band in their musical style exploration and defended them. I'm hoping changing the style and sound of my artist will give the same successes as it did for Linkin Park.
However an issue raised is that the creativity and originality could burn out as the pop stars become washed out and replaced by younger versions as the music business "erodes good looks".
A pop star is seen as a semi-mythological role model and an image of who we thought we could be. As the article claims this is the reason for many pop stars dying young "They are too busy living out the dreams of the masses to work out who they really want to be. Fame insulates them from the realities of what they're doing to their bodies. They think the usual rules don't apply to them". Many stars such as Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix died at a young age.
All three pop stars above (Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix) died at a young age.
Dyer's Star Theory can be applied to pop stars as we read and understand songs and their meanings differently depending on who is singing them, what personality they have and their star persona. These elements fuse with the music and the lyrics of their songs, this means that a song forms part of a pop stars ongoing narrative through their music. A perfect example of this is Eminem's album 'Relapse and Recovery' which tells his personal story of overcoming addiction and becoming a new person.
With this in mind, my artist must comply within the standard pop star image, preferably with their own quirk or style that makes them stand out from the other pop stars giving them an element of originality. As well as this, I think my artist should vary their style even on the same album. I think part of the reason that pop stars get replaced is because their songs are all quite similar and they don't experiment with their style to keep the fans entertained and able to see the artists musical journey and travel it with them. That being said, this is always a risk with an artist as some fans would hate the idea of change and prefer the old material, whereas some fans would be glad their artist is experimenting with their style and support the artist. This has happened to many bands, for example the popular band Linkin Park were criticised greatly for their huge change in style and sound from their original grunge metal/rock albums, such as 'Hybrid Theory' and then radically changed their style to an electronic/alternative sound in 'A Thousand Suns'. It was a huge change and many fans were outraged and claimed they wanted the 'old Linkin Park' back. Other fans accepted the change, enjoyed the music and stuck with the band with the release of the equally as different album 'Living Things'. It was a bold move, they changed up their entire style from their old albums, risking many fans and creating controversy but I think it worked for the best as a large majority of the fans supported the band in their musical style exploration and defended them. I'm hoping changing the style and sound of my artist will give the same successes as it did for Linkin Park.
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