Back in the day a performance qualified as someone walking on stage and bearing their soul. It was about the music, and it was about the talent. Now an artist qualifies as someone who is so bizarre, so outgoing, so appealing they can sell anything.
Lately the music industry has been lacking in real talent. Many artists are truly talented, that goes without saying. But this talent tends to be hidden because of the glamour and popularity of their appearance.
The reason why certain artistes are so widely popular despite their lack of talent is because they appeal to the masses.
Lady Gaga is someone who has entered the world of pop culture and has taken it by storm. Behind all the crazy makeup and fashion choices, Gaga has raw talent. She can actually sing, and her songs are Gaga original. But people don’t see Gaga for her vocals; they see the overexposure.
Justin Bieber has found a way to go from a small town boy to one of America’s heartthrobs. Bieber is so widely known and is selling out show after show because he appeals to the younger generation.
It doesn’t matter whether he can sing or not. If the masses find him attractive, he will find a way to stay famous. It’s a popularity contest, and he is one of the winners.
Now an artist is all about the hype. The music is lost behind all the glitz and glam. No one notices what an artist is trying to say when they’re distracted by fire and lights and the bizarre.
It is entertaining, no doubt about that. It’s fun to see people suspended in midair doing flips, and it’s fun see people jump through flaming hoops. But where’s the music? Where are the lyrics? Where’s the heart?
The definition of a musical artist has evolved and changed. Now it is not about the music, just the appearance. It is not about the talent, just the entertainment value.
The music industry has lost most of its credibility and needs to find a way back to when it was about the feeling and the words, to when lyrics meant something and were not just random ideas strung together nonsensically. That was when music was the greatest it has ever been.