I was reading the newest issue of Rolling Stone and discovered Hasidic reggae sensation Matisyahu, whose single “King Without a Crown” is an MTV hit. In a world of glossy mass-produced pop and street-cool hip-hop, I was sincerely surprised to see someone who doesn’t fit the mold.
Pop princesses and boy-bands are familiar. Take a pretty teenage girl, highlight her hair, and make her sing bubble-gum pop. Either she becomes a sex icon like Brittney Spears or she tries to be grittier by going into so called rock, like Hillary Duff. A boy-band has 5 members (look at Backstreet Boys, N’Sync and New Kids on the Block) with carefully crafted personalities – the rebel, the sweetie, etc.
But then, someone without any formal media packaging or singing lessons like William Hung makes it big.
So I’m wondering if there really is a formula to stardom. People eat up American Idol because it’s about ordinary people trying to achieve dreams. But then, the contest tries to find someone who has that so called “it” that moves someone beyond the ordinary into singing contract negotiations. People want the familiar, but they also want something unique is well. I think the flood of pop and hip-hop are making other forms of music, like reggae, more popular because they aren’t the dominant taste. Of course, I also think most college students are allergic to jazz.
Zack Barangan @ Tue, 02/28/2006 - 9:26pm
I think there definitely is a formula for success, you named a few yourself. Artists like Matisyahu are abberrations, exceptions to the rule so to speak. Record companies can't predict everything that people will recieve well, but they do have a firm grasp on what has traditionally been the most popular. The boy band personas have gone as far back as The Beatles.
Plus, I think you underestimate college students' music tastes. Jazz lovers are definitely abound. And, I think most NYU students savvy themselves as music experts and compete against each other to see who's got the most obscure music tastes. They're called hipsters.