The Importance of Authenticity in Current Popular Music - Essay Example

? The Importance of “Authenti in Current Popular Music Word Count: 1500 (6 pages) I. Introduction: The Importance of Authenti in Pop Music The importance of authenticity in 21st century popular (“pop”) music cannot be underestimated. Fans of pop stars want to know that their celebrity pop icons are quote “keeping it real.” Many times, pop stars use incidents that have happened in real life to foment their musical careers, writing one song that becomes a hit—usually particularly because of its authenticity and the way people can relate to the truth in the song. Undoubtedly, the issue of authenticity is key in pop music, because fans can relate to the struggles that stars are going through. This is what sells albums. People want music that is real in the sense that it speaks to issues that are going on in their own lives. Such music “Stripes a chord” with listeners, leaving them wanting to hear more of those particular artists who are most truthful in their pop songs. And, not only does this boost sales, but it boosts awareness of the pop star and his or her brand. Three examples of how artists have “kept it real” with their adoring public by releasing songs dealing with real life include: the song “Better on the Other Side” Tribute to Michael Jackson by The Game Ft. Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher, & Boyz II Men, based on celebrating the life of Michael Jackson after he had died; Mariah Carey’s song “Obsessed,” dealing with the topic of her stalker; and finally, Lady GaGa’s song “Born This Way,” which directly addressed the issue of gay rights in her song. II. “Better on the Other Side” Tribute to Michael Jackson Michael Jackson was popular, but with popularity came the price of fame, so to speak. “They always had Mike in a scope.”1 In the official video of Better On the Other Side2, six musical artists plus the group Boyz II Men offer a tribute to the King of Pop Michael Jackson, who unfortunately passed away in the summer of 2009. Michael Jackson was always involved in some sort of scandal or drama. There were a few times he was accused of behaving with impropriety. However, besides that, Michael Jackson was very involved in charity and many types of philanthropic ventures. He worked tirelessly for AIDS research and funding, as well as other charitable causes. Better On the Other Side is a tribute by at least 9 or 10 well-known artists in hip-hop and rap who idolized the pop icon of Michael Jackson and the widely-publicized details about how he rose to fame, first starting out in the group The Jackson 5, and later developing a musical career for himself which he carved out separately from his famous siblings—including Janet Jackson. Better On the Other Side is a special tribute song because, in a way, it documents Michael Jackson’s fame as well as some of his difficulties in being one of the best. Although it never mentions his multiple surgeries on his nose and how he had burns from an accident in filming a soda commercial, Michael Jackson had his problems. The song also expresses sadness in terms of how he died, saying that this was a song that would make the angels cry. Currently, Michael Jackson’s personal physician is on trial for manslaughter. This song by The Game featuring several other artists is one way that the music industry “kept it real”—by performing a tribute to a real-life incident (Michael Jackson’s death) which affected so many fans of his. III. Mariah Carey’s Song “Obsessed” Mariah Carey takes on a stalker in the song “Obsessed.” She says, “All up in the blogs sayin’ we met in a bar/When I don’t even know who you are.”3 One can see in her official video for Obsessed4 that she thinks the stalker is “delusional.” Mariah Carey had a real-life situation where a stalker was actually following her and so forth. She had to take some legal actions with regard to this stalker. Stalkers are a common problem in Hollywood, because usually famous people are looked at with such high regard by those who idolize them. In Mariah Carey’s case, apparently from the way the song tells it, there was someone who was saying that he was involved in a relationship with her when she really wasn’t. That is why the song is called Obsessed. This was a true situation that Mariah Carey faced in real life, and the song went to the top of the charts. It is probably because Ms. Carey was singing about a real issue that she had had in real life. What made this song more authentic is that she provided details in the song that let one know that this was not material that she “made up.” Also, in pop music, it is becoming increasingly common to start or continue beefs (“arguments”), similar to what happens in gangster rap and hip-hop, as mentioned above in the previous section. IV. Lady GaGa’s Song “Born This Way” In Lady GaGa’s song Born This Way5, she tackles the issue of gay rights, saying, “No matter gay, straight, or bi/Lesbian, transgendered life/I’m on the right track, baby/I was born to survive.” She also goes on to say that whatever color skin one has, doesn’t matter because people are born this way. She makes the case that God makes no mistakes, and that this is just another way of expressing oneself, through one’s sexuality. The song has ballooned to become a major hit. Lady GaGa has taken risks with outfits that celebrate vegans, the transgendered, and women. Gay men and women, as well as straight people, have embraced Lady GaGa’s inclusive message because they believe it is time for change in America. Right now, gays are not allowed to marry legally in most states of the United States. The GLBT (Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered) community in the U.S. and around the world continues to be stifled because governments do not want gender wars. In addition, many elected officials do not want to take a stance on gay marriage because it’s too controversial. Lady GaGa is one of the first musical artists to openly champion gay rights and animal rights, and as such she has offered a boost to human rights in turn. Many people are staunchly against gay rights, but it is becoming increasingly popular to give afford gay people the same rights that heterosexuals have. Just because heterosexuality is the dominant type of sexuality in the U.S., people are not going to put up with discrimination anymore just on the basis that people express theirs differently. In essence, Lady GaGa’s music brings up excellent points, one being that people cannot be discriminated against based on their sexuality, because she argues in the song that people are born that way and that it isn’t a choice. In this case, “being real” with her audience, young Generation Y adults, has catapulted her to the top because of the honesty and realness with which she approaches the audience in her songs. It only makes sense that Lady GaGa’s inspirational message of hope has reached millions and has meant so much to so many people. Truly, her authenticity has led to a wide, trusting fan base, as well as political support. Lady GaGa’s ability to confront these political issues head-on in her songs has made her the representative of a generation, even speaking to the President about these issues. V. Conclusion As one can see, the authenticity in the lyrics of pop stars’ songs definitely reaches people on a level that strikes a chord with them. Current popular music is most certainly fomented by what pop artists are singing about in their songs. If it were not for their truthfulness in terms of what they were singing about, albums would not sell and individual songs would not make it to the top of Billboard. The main point is that these different songs by various artists—Better On the Other Side, Obsessed, and Born This Way—were all products of real-life experiences, thus giving the pop star who sang such songs more “street credibility,” a.k.a. ‘street cred.’ People who have ‘street cred’ are known as reliable individuals with a background that is well-known by ordinary people. This is because these pop stars aren’t using difficult language, but they use the vernacular and some easily-understandable colloquialisms and slang. The artists who have recorded the aforementioned songs were able to tap into a cultural current and let their thoughts flow, thus creating a wonderful product that people could relate to and would want to listen to over and over again. That is the value of authenticity in pop music today. Undoubtedly, people have come to love these songs and these lyrics because they inspire people to be able to be better and do better in their own lives—while being able to access memories made in the form of songs which will carry them through difficult times. WORKS CITED GaGa, Lady. “Born This Way.” Accessed 16 Oct 2011 at: . The Game. “Better on the Other Side (Tribute to MJ).” Accessed 16 Oct 2011 at: . The Game. Lyrics. Accessed 16 Oct 2011 at: . Carey, Mariah. Obsessed Lyrics. Accessed 16 Oct 2011 at: . Carey, Mariah. “Obsessed.” Accessed 16 Oct 2011 at: . Read More