1. Why may artists feel the need to reinvent themselves?
An artist may want to reinvent themselves for many reasons. Some of these may be personal reasons why others may be encouraged by the artists record label and PR as a strategised career move in order to further their career securing a future within the industry. One way they may do this is changing the genre of style of the artists music in order to attract a new target audience. This could be because the artist has seen a recent slump in sales or interest as they're music has become out dated so they decide to move with the times and create entertainment targeted to the current tastes of music audiences. By doing this the artist is musically resurrected re-entering the music scene as fresh and current with a new audience interested.
The artist may personally chose to reinvent themselves as they are tired of their old image and may personally be struggling to be inspired and passionate staying within their current genre. This may also happen as when artists grow old and perhaps mature of gain more life experience their tastes in music may change and they may want to express themselves differently to how they were first branded.
As well as this an artist may choose to reivent themselves strategically in order to increase and heighten their success within the music industry. This is as their existing genre may limit them meaning they are niche market appealing to the minority audiences and a certain age category or bracket. So by appealing to a wider audience the artist inventively will increase there fan base which will see an increase in album and single sales which ultimately increases there overall revenue.
One example of an artist who have recently controversially updated her image and reinvent herself is Miley Cyrus.
2. Godwins theory (3 points) what point have you identified, where is it used, what is the purpose.
Godwin's theory states that in order to be successful there needs to be a relationship between lyrics and visuals within the music video. For the first video the lyrics are about a 'Climb' stating 'Ain't about how fast I get there, Ain't about what's waiting on the other side it's the climb' and although metaphorically used to encourage her fans to preserver and continue aspiring to their dreams the video matches the connotations of the lyrics featuring Miley travelling and 'climbing' up a mountain. In the second video Miley is also seen to subvert to Godwin's theory. The songs lyrics and message indicates her brewing wild side and frustrations at society labelling and expecting her to behave in a certain manner which is shown through the chorus where she repeats 'I can't be tamed'. This matches the visuals as in the music video Miley is dressed up as a bird which the narrative of the story explains is rare and expected to be extinct. The bird is trapped within a cage for the amusement and entertainment of others as people gather to take pictures. Miley then breaks out into dance reiterating the lyrics that she can't be tamed as a result of not wanting to be suggesting a desire of freedom and escape from her celebrity lifestyle. Finally in the video 'We Can't Stop' Miley sings about partying and living the stereotypical young adult lifestyle where she states 'It's our party we can do want we want to, It's our house we can love who we want, It's our song we can sing if we want to, It's my mouth I can say what I want to'. This is shown through the visuals as Miley is shown to be throwing a house party reiterating the lines about partying she then is shown to be flirting with both male and female extras showcasing the line where 'we can love who we want to' whilst the line it's my mouth I can say what I want to is shown through the image of a mouth with the censorship label across it suggesting that as an artist she is typically creatively restricted and corrected.
To add to this Godwin's theory shows how as a result of demands of the record label music videos often need to include a lot of close-ups of the artist. This is a key and used feature within Miley's music videos as her music sells and gains through popularity not only through her extreme videos and personality allowing her videos to often an almost escapism element, she also relates heavily to the audiences and fan base writing her songs about current issues or phases they may be going through. Therefore through using lots of close ups the audience are able to connect to Miley and feel empathy or relate ability towards the emotions she expresses. As well as this through showing close ups of Miley's performance she is able to reiterate or express the mood and emotion felt within the song and the lyrics reinforcing the message of the song.
A fifth element of Godwin's theory tells that there is often particularly voyeuristic treatment of the females body. In the first video Miley is still young and appealing to her Hannah Montanna fan base so the video and her record label instead appealed to the interests of her fan base which includes her hair, clothing and dance routines. In the second video 'Can't Be Tamed'', Miley is dressed in a revealing outfit with PVC elements. It leaves little to the imagination and shows her as a maturer and now desired sex figure showing how she is now appealing to a maturer audience and also making her music appealing to both genders as her fan base was majority girls. However in the final and most up to date video 'We Can't Stop' Miley has a number of revealing outfits often with knicker type hemlines. In the pool Miley's swimming consume is also see-through just covering her nipples. This again reiterates this sex like figure that her record label is trying to create making her seem more desired. As well as this Miley is also seen to be tweaking and sticking out her bum accentuating her curves and 'assets' confirming her voyeuristic treatment of her body.
3. Genre and generic conventions- What is the genre of the artists and the three videos analysed. is it conventional
Miley Cyrus is known as her work and associations within the pop genre however Miley's earlier song 'The Climb' could be categorised as country folk. To add to this her song 'Can't Be Tamed' is pop with heavy elements of rock whilst her latest video 'We Can't Stop' is solely pop. This is conventional to Miley as her dad and too recording artist Billy Ray Cyrus is a country artist so it makes sense that Miley's earliest songs reflect this upbringing and influence. However her then cross over into other genres is stereotypical as it shows how she has experimented within different genres in order to find what best fits her as an establishing artist.
4. Artists image/dyers image- how is the artist, how is dyers theory applied
How does the video represent the artist?
Can the artist be viewed as a product?
Is the artist both ordinary and extraordinary?
Yes, Miley through growing up with her fans and in the view of the public
Does the video place fans for or against hegemony?
5. What is the artists target audience?
Miley cyrus gained her famous status through appearing on the hit disney TV show 'Hannah Montanna'. At the time Miley's target audience were pre-teens and young teenagers. Since her music has developed Miley has changed her image and therefore appeals to a new demographic and target audience which is more mature such as 15-25 year olds. The sudden change from her previous target audience which saw her ditch her previous disney princess image to a more controversial level of performance. This sparked outrage as it was said to be unfair as Miley's younger's fan were excluded from her work with many of her videos being deemed inappropriate and censored. However many of Miley's original fans, from her Hannah Montana stint, have grown up along with the artist and are going through similar situations to the artist making them more relatable and having a greater connection to the artist as they have grown up and matured together. Therefore, Miley may be seen to be moving with the times and growing up along with her fan base whilst experimenting with new sounds.
6. Messages and values in the music video and also of the time. what messages/ values is the artist portraying? have they changed? why is that, is it in accordance with the era
In the earlier video 'Climb' by Miley Cyrus, Miley is shown to promote the optimistic message to her fans to continue to follow their dreams and enjoy the journey to achieve it as well as encouraging them to persevere and accept the fall backs that may come with trying to be successful. In her second video Miley seems to use the video as an opportunity to vent her own frustrations. She uses the music video to show how she feels enclosed and trapped through her rising fame and suggests a troubled relationship with paparazzi. This allows her to get her point across conveying her personal troubles with her fans making them feel trusted and connected to her and feel although they can relate and have a better understanding of the artist and their lifestyle. This conveys a different message to her previous song as where the first promoted dreams the second shows the downfalls and drawbacks maybe not expected or appreciated that come as a result of success showing that what we aim to achieve and strive for may not be as good as we may have hoped showing a more real and conditional message. Lastly in 'We Can't Stop' Miley instead shows how she has released her wild child and will not let society tame or adapt her into someone or something more socially desired and acceptable faintly touching on the message to be yourself and to not let anyone change you or stop you from being who you are. Negatively the song may show her young fans to rebel and become wild which they would role model and imitate showing punishable and generally 'bad' behaviour.
An artist may want to reinvent themselves for many reasons. Some of these may be personal reasons why others may be encouraged by the artists record label and PR as a strategised career move in order to further their career securing a future within the industry. One way they may do this is changing the genre of style of the artists music in order to attract a new target audience. This could be because the artist has seen a recent slump in sales or interest as they're music has become out dated so they decide to move with the times and create entertainment targeted to the current tastes of music audiences. By doing this the artist is musically resurrected re-entering the music scene as fresh and current with a new audience interested.
The artist may personally chose to reinvent themselves as they are tired of their old image and may personally be struggling to be inspired and passionate staying within their current genre. This may also happen as when artists grow old and perhaps mature of gain more life experience their tastes in music may change and they may want to express themselves differently to how they were first branded.
As well as this an artist may choose to reivent themselves strategically in order to increase and heighten their success within the music industry. This is as their existing genre may limit them meaning they are niche market appealing to the minority audiences and a certain age category or bracket. So by appealing to a wider audience the artist inventively will increase there fan base which will see an increase in album and single sales which ultimately increases there overall revenue.
Finally an artist may choose to do this in order to create publicity. The music industry is extremely competitive and as a result the top charts are constantly changing. Through choosing to adapt with times and reinvent themselves the artist will ultimately create publicity raising awareness and recognition of not only the artists music but them as a brand. On the other hand, in some cases an artist may want to change their image as a result of previous bad press. Through causing too many scandals the artist may have received a lot of bad press and whilst this would tarnish they're public image and popularity although they are made aware of, too much press and exposure to the public eye could leave the artist as predictable, boring and repetitive.
One example of an artist who have recently controversially updated her image and reinvent herself is Miley Cyrus.
Earlier Miley- The Climb
Transitional Miley- Can't Be Tamed
Current Miley- We Can't Stop
2. Godwins theory (3 points) what point have you identified, where is it used, what is the purpose.
Godwin's theory states that in order to be successful there needs to be a relationship between lyrics and visuals within the music video. For the first video the lyrics are about a 'Climb' stating 'Ain't about how fast I get there, Ain't about what's waiting on the other side it's the climb' and although metaphorically used to encourage her fans to preserver and continue aspiring to their dreams the video matches the connotations of the lyrics featuring Miley travelling and 'climbing' up a mountain. In the second video Miley is also seen to subvert to Godwin's theory. The songs lyrics and message indicates her brewing wild side and frustrations at society labelling and expecting her to behave in a certain manner which is shown through the chorus where she repeats 'I can't be tamed'. This matches the visuals as in the music video Miley is dressed up as a bird which the narrative of the story explains is rare and expected to be extinct. The bird is trapped within a cage for the amusement and entertainment of others as people gather to take pictures. Miley then breaks out into dance reiterating the lyrics that she can't be tamed as a result of not wanting to be suggesting a desire of freedom and escape from her celebrity lifestyle. Finally in the video 'We Can't Stop' Miley sings about partying and living the stereotypical young adult lifestyle where she states 'It's our party we can do want we want to, It's our house we can love who we want, It's our song we can sing if we want to, It's my mouth I can say what I want to'. This is shown through the visuals as Miley is shown to be throwing a house party reiterating the lines about partying she then is shown to be flirting with both male and female extras showcasing the line where 'we can love who we want to' whilst the line it's my mouth I can say what I want to is shown through the image of a mouth with the censorship label across it suggesting that as an artist she is typically creatively restricted and corrected.
To add to this Godwin's theory shows how as a result of demands of the record label music videos often need to include a lot of close-ups of the artist. This is a key and used feature within Miley's music videos as her music sells and gains through popularity not only through her extreme videos and personality allowing her videos to often an almost escapism element, she also relates heavily to the audiences and fan base writing her songs about current issues or phases they may be going through. Therefore through using lots of close ups the audience are able to connect to Miley and feel empathy or relate ability towards the emotions she expresses. As well as this through showing close ups of Miley's performance she is able to reiterate or express the mood and emotion felt within the song and the lyrics reinforcing the message of the song.
A fifth element of Godwin's theory tells that there is often particularly voyeuristic treatment of the females body. In the first video Miley is still young and appealing to her Hannah Montanna fan base so the video and her record label instead appealed to the interests of her fan base which includes her hair, clothing and dance routines. In the second video 'Can't Be Tamed'', Miley is dressed in a revealing outfit with PVC elements. It leaves little to the imagination and shows her as a maturer and now desired sex figure showing how she is now appealing to a maturer audience and also making her music appealing to both genders as her fan base was majority girls. However in the final and most up to date video 'We Can't Stop' Miley has a number of revealing outfits often with knicker type hemlines. In the pool Miley's swimming consume is also see-through just covering her nipples. This again reiterates this sex like figure that her record label is trying to create making her seem more desired. As well as this Miley is also seen to be tweaking and sticking out her bum accentuating her curves and 'assets' confirming her voyeuristic treatment of her body.
3. Genre and generic conventions- What is the genre of the artists and the three videos analysed. is it conventional
Miley Cyrus is known as her work and associations within the pop genre however Miley's earlier song 'The Climb' could be categorised as country folk. To add to this her song 'Can't Be Tamed' is pop with heavy elements of rock whilst her latest video 'We Can't Stop' is solely pop. This is conventional to Miley as her dad and too recording artist Billy Ray Cyrus is a country artist so it makes sense that Miley's earliest songs reflect this upbringing and influence. However her then cross over into other genres is stereotypical as it shows how she has experimented within different genres in order to find what best fits her as an establishing artist.
4. Artists image/dyers image- how is the artist, how is dyers theory applied
How does the video represent the artist?
Can the artist be viewed as a product?
Is the artist both ordinary and extraordinary?
Yes, Miley through growing up with her fans and in the view of the public
Does the video place fans for or against hegemony?
5. What is the artists target audience?
Miley cyrus gained her famous status through appearing on the hit disney TV show 'Hannah Montanna'. At the time Miley's target audience were pre-teens and young teenagers. Since her music has developed Miley has changed her image and therefore appeals to a new demographic and target audience which is more mature such as 15-25 year olds. The sudden change from her previous target audience which saw her ditch her previous disney princess image to a more controversial level of performance. This sparked outrage as it was said to be unfair as Miley's younger's fan were excluded from her work with many of her videos being deemed inappropriate and censored. However many of Miley's original fans, from her Hannah Montana stint, have grown up along with the artist and are going through similar situations to the artist making them more relatable and having a greater connection to the artist as they have grown up and matured together. Therefore, Miley may be seen to be moving with the times and growing up along with her fan base whilst experimenting with new sounds.
6. Messages and values in the music video and also of the time. what messages/ values is the artist portraying? have they changed? why is that, is it in accordance with the era
In the earlier video 'Climb' by Miley Cyrus, Miley is shown to promote the optimistic message to her fans to continue to follow their dreams and enjoy the journey to achieve it as well as encouraging them to persevere and accept the fall backs that may come with trying to be successful. In her second video Miley seems to use the video as an opportunity to vent her own frustrations. She uses the music video to show how she feels enclosed and trapped through her rising fame and suggests a troubled relationship with paparazzi. This allows her to get her point across conveying her personal troubles with her fans making them feel trusted and connected to her and feel although they can relate and have a better understanding of the artist and their lifestyle. This conveys a different message to her previous song as where the first promoted dreams the second shows the downfalls and drawbacks maybe not expected or appreciated that come as a result of success showing that what we aim to achieve and strive for may not be as good as we may have hoped showing a more real and conditional message. Lastly in 'We Can't Stop' Miley instead shows how she has released her wild child and will not let society tame or adapt her into someone or something more socially desired and acceptable faintly touching on the message to be yourself and to not let anyone change you or stop you from being who you are. Negatively the song may show her young fans to rebel and become wild which they would role model and imitate showing punishable and generally 'bad' behaviour.
This is a basic analysis of Miley Cyrus' artist image, as you have managed to explain how she has changed overtime but you have not related specific points within each video to Dyer's theory
ReplyDeleteYou need to:
1) Elaborate on the genre of each video and explain how each video is conventional or not of each genre identified
2) Apply Dyer's theory to each video throughout the analysis
3) Include a conclusion stating how this research has helped you understand the importance of an artist's image and helped you decide on your artist and target audience