Speech - Rachel Bragg

Not an Irrelevant Tumblr Rant

Music has been part of my daily life for as long as I can remember. Whether I am playing my violin during school, or listening to songs on my phone after school, it is always with me. And I have an enormous amount respect for every single person that takes part in producing it. The singers, the musicians, the managers, and the producers all play a huge role in making music. The music industry today is full of incredible artists who work hard to produce the best sound for their fans. But people tend to overlook all of this hard work because of things they see in the media.  Though this instant spread of information can be useful in events such as a natural disaster or criminal action, it has brought even more judgement and criticism of the lives of these people. That is right, they are actual people, with actual feelings. A musician’s social image should not influence the way people view the quality of their music.

Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson. These five boys have just been thrown into a band by Simon Cowell on a British TV show, and with the support of a few thousand teenage girls in the UK, they would go on to make music and tour worldwide for five years straight. One Direction is the definition of “started from the bottom now we’re here.” All came from working class families around the UK, all auditioned for the X-Factor in 2010, and all stayed together even after the show was over. After they left the show, they took immediate action and worked for 10 months to create their first album, Up All Night. The boys have released an album and gone on tour every year since. Over the years their music has changed quite a lot. “Right from the start, we were always very vocal we couldn’t do the boy band stereotype – choreographed dance routines and everything’s the same.” – Louis Tomlinson (Spurlock). After their first two albums, however, people started to view them with this preconceived notion, but over the years they have developed their own style by writing their own music and being super involved with the production of their music. It is easy for people to still view One Direction as that bubblegum pop, teenage boy band, but in reality, the boys have matured and their music reflects that. Would you want a person to view you as the person you were five years ago? Maybe we should give One Direction that same respect.

How an artist is portrayed in the media leads to judgments made about them. “Sure, [Lady Gaga] can play piano. She's got some songwriting talent, too. But music isn't what comes to mind… Instead, it's the attention-getting antics: The controversial videos. The in-your-face sexuality. The crazy concerts. The meat dress.” (Leopold)  People don’t usually give Lady Gaga enough credit for her musical abilities because they are often distracted by her appearance. They are judging her decisions, not her music. And the same happens to other musicians. When you google One Direction, you will see the normal stuff, their wiki, social media accounts and maybe some YouTube videos of recent performances. But you will also see news articles. Articles that single out the boys on mistakes or recent events in their lives. Such as Zayn leaving the band, the band breaking up, Louis Tomlinson being a father, or Harry Styles needing a haircut. Some of these article are genuine, and informative, but most others are offensive and misleading. One Direction, like most other music artists, is a victim of bad press. Journalist use social media to constantly comment on what these people are doing with their lives. Companies like MTV or E! are constantly drawing conclusions on who is dating who or what people are wearing to fancy award shows. Why is our news filled with all of that crap? I don’t want to hear about Kim Kardashian having another baby or something else that Donald Trump did wrong. This obsession that we have today to know what everyone is doing every second of the day is ruining beautiful artistic outposts, like the music industry, because “nowadays, in our 24/7 world of rapidly posted YouTube videos, instant MP3 releases, reality shows, lurking paparazzi and meat dress one-upmanship, it's easier than ever for spectacle to overwhelm singing.” (Leopold) People see a negative post about One Direction and they are opposed to the band instantly. They don’t take the time to listen to their music or watch an interview; they solely make judgements based on the limited information they are given by the media. Take the time to listen to an artist before you develop an opinion of them based on what you read online.

            People often justify their judgements of musicians by stereotyping the people who support them. People love to say things like “only old people like that kind of music” or “that music is for young girls.” These analyses are, at times, misguided. One Direction fans are stereotyped as hormonal teenage girls who obsess about these British boys 24/7. When in reality, we are more like a family, one that varies in race, age, and gender, who appreciate all of the hard work One Direction does to provide us with good music. I am aware that a large percentage of the One Direction fan base is female, and below the age of 18, but that does not justify to judging their music. “To me, once they left the show, it was all about the fans. Literally, from the second they finished, the fans made it their mission, that One Direction was gonna become the biggest band in the world” (Spurlock). This quote from Simon Cowell stuck out to me because I feel that it accurately describes the fans. They made it their job to make sure the boys stayed on top by showing support on the internet, voting for awards, and simply buying their music. One Direction fans are also not alone in this kind of stereotyping. Fans of other musicians have also formed families through social media to show their support for their music. Swifties, Directioners, Katy-Cats, and Beliebers, are all examples of these fandoms. A fandom is a term used to describe a subculture formed by fans in support of a common interest, which in this case is a music artist. They bring positivity and joy to every person who takes part in them. They provide a community for people with similar interest, and often provide a safe haven for people to go and talk to people similar to them. These support groups for artists should not be stereotyped, and it is offensive to both the fans and the artists. Don’t judge an artist for the people who enjoy their music.

            In the end, when you look on iTunes today, you will find very talented and dedicated musicians. But those same musicians are judged endlessly because of their life decisions and the people who support them. I find this to be completely useless because in the end, isn’t it just about the way a song makes you feel? It’s not about the person themselves, it about their ability to create emotions in other people through their music. I am not saying that everyone has to like One Direction, because I am aware that their music doesn’t appeal to everyone. What I am saying is go home and listen to a couple of their recent songs. If you don’t like it, that is fine, but don’t condemn their music before you have heard it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

Leopold, Todd. Has Image Overtaken Music? http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/showbiz/art-pop-music-image/index.html

Spurlock, Morgan. One Direction: This Is Us. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2515086/