Saturday, August 28, 2010

Why I Love #9: Pop Music Artists with Personality



No, "pop music artists with personality" probably does not mean what you think it means. I don't mean artists with a bad reputation or criminal history- like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. And before you say anything, I am huge fans of both of their music. I don't judge songs based on who sang them, I judge songs based on their content regardless of who the singer is. So yes, I do have "Nothing in this World" and "Ultimate" on my list of fave songs ever.

Pop Music Artists with Personality actually refers to pop songs themselves. I <3 when I hear a song and can tell who the singer is immediately without knowing before. This could be because of the singer's distinctive voice, or because their songs all have a certain "style" to them. Seriously, I doubt anyone would confuse a Ke$ha song with Taylor Swift one- or even a Lady Gaga song despite both being dance music. (By the way, I'm a huge fan of Ke$ha... I might devote an entire post to her one day.) I love artists that let their personality seep into their songs.

So the reason I'm bringing this up now is because I mentioned "personal style in music" in the past two posts. CRITICAL WARNING: Miranda Cosgrove fans should skip the rest of this post. Okay, I love teenage singers just like everyone else. And Miranda's songs are admittedly very catchy. I do have her CD in my collection because the songs are awesome. However, I recently read an interview where Miranda stated she tried to put her "own personal touch" on all the songs. Wait up! This is the girl whose biggest hit, About You Now, is a Sugababes cover! In fact, in her debut album, she covers Avril Lavigne "Daydream", Ke$ha "Disgusting", and my fave song on the album "Shakespeare" is also a cover- though of a less-known singer/songwriter.

When she only co-wrote one song on the album "There Will Be Tears", it's pretty hard to put a personal touch on an album. Her singing voice, though pleasant, is not very distinct by the way. So now you're thinking, she's just a manufactured teenage pop star- like Miley Cyrus. She can't help it. BUT SHE CAN. One of my fave singers is Keke Palmer, who is also a teenager star with a Nickelodeon TV show. One listen to Keke's album "So Uncool" and you'll instantly realize what her style is like. Whereas Miranda's album is just a mix-and-match of a bunch of random pop songs, Keke's album is actually cohesive- the songs work well together as well as being catchy. Though both of these stars are similar in ways, Keke managed to show her personal style on her debut album, and that's why I like her songs better. I hope you understand now the type of singers who I consider to be true pop music artists with personality. Thanks for reading!!

Photo credit: GenusPhotography
...

No comments:

Post a Comment