Four years ago I got onto iTunes just to browse at their growing selection. Being Dutch, I inevitably found myself on the “free download” page. The song that was up for this weeks discovery download was the song “Hometown Glory” by an unfamiliar British girl of 19 years old, Adele. I listened through the song once and immediately found the tune captivating and her mature voice ringing through my ears. Over the years, Adele has found her spot at the top of numerous music charts and become a pop culture icon with her soulful melodies; it’s almost hard to believe that this woman is only 23 years old.
Adele shows a great deal of contrast in the wild world of music now a day. With synthesizers and heavy dance beats, Adele really breaks through with her emphasis on simplicity. Not only does she show that she’s got the talent for what she is doing, but also she has an incredibly positive outlook on herself. Adele doesn’t fit the so-called “norm” of what society expects for this industry. “I like having my hair and face done, but I'm not going to lose weight because someone tells me to. i make music to be a musician not to be on the cover of Playboy." I think that in the obsessive world of Hollywood and in the music industry we can lose sight of where the real talent is because the face that comes with the performer hinders our views. It’s very clear to see that Adele truly cares about herself and the amazing talent that she has been given. After watching and discussing the film America the Beautiful and talking about the issues with appearance in class, I can really understand how having a very successful, and beautifully proportioned woman representing some of the best that pop culture has to offer can make a huge difference in the world’s views on what is truly beautiful.
Questions:
1. What has caused the music industry to change to dramatically over the years to focusing primarily on the visual and the presentation of the performer?
2. Where can we see brokenness and evidence of the empire in music and artists of today when every person has their own opinion and different taste? Is this "broken" or just something that we are not used to?
Personally I am not a big Adele fan but I do respect her morals and where she stands. I think there should a lot more artists like this. The music industry has changed drastically over the last few years and it is so sad to see how it has changed so much and that the majority of these changes are negative.
ReplyDeleteGreat quote from Adele! I imagine, though, that there's a lot more to her than her appearance. In fact, when we only talk about an artist's looks or dating life, we turned the human being who is the artist into a product themselves -- instead of primarily looking to their art as the cultural artifact they're creating.
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