By Autumn Hartshorn
Over the summer, we have seen a lot of new music from artists who have been known to be very controversial over the years. Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy, and even Kesha have all changed their music and image at some point within the past year. Something that has become very noteworthy about these musicians is that they have shifted their image within the process of releasing new music. It’s as if listeners want to hear them more, but not for what they use to be. They want their old favorite artists from the 2000’s to create new content, yet conform to the new music standards and completely change their style in the process.
Now, I understand the fact that this is required for artists to survive on the market. However, singers have taken it a step further recently and have completely changed their music from what it use to be. Take Fall Out Boy as an example. They are known for their pop punk feel, long song titles, and unique lyrics. Now, they don’t utilize any of these qualities whatsoever. Their new single,”Young and Menace,” has a short artistic title, uses heavy EDM influence, and the lyrics are a lot more simpler in comparison to the band’s older music. I feel as if all of these qualities can be easily applied to music’s new age artists, including Twenty One Pilots. “Young and Menace” shares a lot of qualities with Twenty One Pilot’s music. Dubstep and EDM seem to show influence on their new music as well due to the heavy remixing and strong beat that can be heard in the song. Fall Out Boy has also completely changed their aesthetic too. Their new album has more of a fantasy theme to it and it has a direct focus on the color purple. Honestly, I’m in love with the new aesthetic for the band, yet I miss the band’s old rock and roll feel. All of the change they have put towards their image is a little too much. A lot of the old fans have been very critical of this shift. Some even think they are selling out. I believe they are just hopping on the new age music ‘bandwagon’.
What does this ‘bandwagon’ entail? Well, new age audiences seem to enjoy watching their favorite musicians go through their own hero’s journey. Being relatable is the most essential aspect for most media industries now. It has always been a key factor to success in the media, however it has been reinforced much more throughout the years. Music strictly includes this factor. Usually we see it applied within song lyrics, but now we see people focus on it when looking at an artist’s image. I find that the perfect example of this is Kesha and her new album, Rainbow.
Kesha’s image completely changed this past summer. She use to make music about partying, sex, drugs, and whatever else she could do that was rebellious. She had her classic auto-tune, heavy utilization of curse words, and lyrics all about partying. However, this year she flipped her image on it’s head after her whole recording label fiasco thinned out. Her new music’s lyrics have moved many viewers to tears as she discusses her hardships in the past 4 years. Meanwhile, she has kept similar past qualities to her music like her care-free attitude, giggling in her music, and other stylistic choices that listeners continue to enjoy. She has helped many others in the public eye see what direction they need to go with their art.
Kesha, along with other artists like Miley Cyrus, have shown a huge theme of redemption in the industry recently. I think all of the big time artists releasing music right now are someone seeking some form of this. Even Taylor Swift and Katy Perry have shifted their image, yet they have somewhat done it in a negative way. Still, they seem to be seeking redemption from their audiences in some way. While it is definitely with the intention of getting attention, all of these musicians are trying to cope with previous mistakes in recent years. So why is it working? Is redemption the new music trend? Honestly, I believe it’s becoming the new pop culture trend.
Music is not the only outlet trying to show this new fad. TV shows, movies, books, and various other outlets have been using the idea of redemption in various ways. Why is the media trying to repress the past so much? I think it might be perhaps the 2000’s and early 2010’s that have influenced this. Think about it: after the 1990’s, we walked into a very risque world where people did whatever they felt like without any shame. While it was fun at the time, this led to many bad decisions and constant conflict. We as viewers fed off of it thanks to our high interests in reality television, celebrity gossip, and that need for action we would not receive in our day to day lives. Pop culture has matured and I feel as if 2017 is the year that we might be waking up and realizing the consequences for our decisions as a society. So in conclusion, no, I don’t believe redemption is the new music fad. I believe redemption is something our society is seeking now that we realize the mess we made. Music just happens to be the outlet that displays that need.
Images Courtesy of Kesha’s Music Video, “Praying.”