A look at todayâs stars with actual talent
By Clive Ramroop, Contributor
While some observers, myself included, might feel the music industry today is short on standout acts in a homogeneous crowd, that doesnât mean our era is completely lacking in them. This isnât a complete list of every mainstream act that I feel have âitâ; these are just observations on three artists, so donât feel jilted if I havenât named your favourites.
At first glance, Adele doesnât resemble the prototypical pop princess; but once her voice erupts, image means nothing. âRolling in the Deepâ premiered in late 2010, going onto conquer the airwaves with a seven-week number one reign on Billboardâs Hot 100 Singles chartsâalong with other worldwide successes. Without depending on repetitive computerized loops, she delivers a performance of classic soul in a modern era, tapping into real emotions. Her album 21 earned six Grammys and sold over 20-million copies worldwide. Putting that figure into perspective, the second most recent album to reach 20-million albums sold worldwide was Usherâs Confessions in 2004. Not bad for someone who balked at an executiveâs suggestion that she lose weight. Given a proper chance, an artist can flourish without conforming to some media-perpetuated cookie cutter image.
Daft Punk certainly has a unique look; their robotic helmets are as integral to their image as Kissâs trademark make-up. However, itâs difficult to stand out sonically in the electronic music realm, a genre defined by repeating digital loops of âfour to the floorâ beats. And four studio albums and one soundtrack album in 20 years doesnât sound like a prolific output. Yet their current album, Random Access Memories became one of 2013âs bestsellers and the duoâs first number one album in the US charts. This success came despite assembling their works using unconventional tactics; how many people of this generation had heard of Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, or Paul Williams? Collaboration with older artists and a current star, Pharrell Williams, and working modern-day spins on classic funk, soul, and disco is whatâs given Daft Punk their biggest commercial success to date.
Looking at Lady Gaga, I canât tell if Iâm looking at a future pop music legend or a hyper-amped one-person freak show. I donât need to recap her publicized antics or her concerts, which often reach a spectacle comparable to Michael Jacksonâs tours. Many of her hits often fall under the commonly heard electro-pop style played today. So despite not being a major Gaga fan, why am I naming her here? Believe it or not, although sheâs known for pop, she really has a legitimate arts background, and earned her way into the industry not by going for instant TV exposure like an American Idol wannabe, but the hard old-fashioned way: working bar shows while living in cheap apartments, then becoming a songwriter before launching her solo career. To reinforce her legitimacy as an artistârather than a mere performerâlisten to her album track âSpeechless.â Strip away the gimmicks and blingy bullshit, give her a simple piano, and she can still play and sing without auto-tune. Try that with Miley Cyrus and sheâd get her ridiculous tongue stuck between the piano keys. While some may accuse Gaga of ripping off stars like Madonna, well, remember that even the King of Pop wasnât shy about borrowing from James Brown.
There are several others whom I havenât mentioned, who stand a chance to be future legends by forging their own paths with music that actually sounds like music. I just wish that more of themâand a new innovatorâwould be allowed more prominence in the business.
