funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

Harry styles? Lol GTFOH etc

word...he's talentless puppet

MotownSubdivision said:

onlyforaminute said:

MotownSubdivision said:

Eh... to me, Gaga was the last megastar we had. Styles may be branching out and have shed that teenybopper image but there's still really nothing about him that stands out, at least in my eyes. Backcin the day, there were much clearer metrics on who had star power whereas in this beige, homogenous music scene today where streaming (and not actual sales) dominates it's a lot harder to distinguish.

Lady Gaga was one I got to watch the rise and fall of at the sidelines. THAT was an interesting observation. Everything seems so gimmack driven now. There's always been a gimmick to reel you in but it just seems the gimmick is the attraction. You look closer and it crumbles to dust. I think the glass ceiling was reached a long time ago.

I guess I agree with this sentiment.

I was and to a more diminished degree am a fan of Gaga and even I can admit that the gimmicks only take you so far.

She tried to work from the Madonna playbook but left out the one key ingredient to her longevity, the songs.

Plus time and place. Madonna came of age exactly when video was coming of age.

I know I'll probably get laughed off the org but to me Styles SEEMS more authentic.

But I guess the test will be the next project. Maybe then we'll see if he can generate the interest to stick around.

But right now he's that guy. The songs are really good and he has a presence on stage.

It's not my intention to be shadty but have you seen Drake or Taylor Swift perform? It's not what I'd expect from THE top selling artists of their day.

Drake is THIS generations male star...period...whether you like it or not... consistently good music that sells and crosses over internationally...and his current joint "Sometimes I Laugh, Sometimes I Cry" is the best song AND video in the air right now...every time he releases a project, his streaming and sales numbers are historic...and he genuinely makes good music ...every year... good looking dude...a little corny and goofy, but he makes it work in his favor, and he plays to it and plays through it... and the women and kids (and NIKE) love him and thats always the recipe for stardom

[Edited 1/2/21 12:24pm]

RJOrion said:

RJOrion said:

Drake is THIS generations male star...period...whether you like it or not... consistently good music that sells and crosses over internationally...and his current joint "Sometimes I Laugh, Sometimes I Cry" is the best song AND video in the air right now...every time he releases a project, his streaming and sales numbers are historic...and he genuinely makes good music ...every year... good looking dude...a little corny and goofy, but he makes it work in his favor, and he plays to it and plays through it... and the women and kids (and NIKE) love him and thats always the recipe for stardom

[Edited 1/2/21 12:24pm]

It is what it is.

I don't really have a dog in this race I just know what caught my attention.

But I have seen him perform (not live) and while he packs the house I couldn't figure it out.

I see Justin Tmberlake and Bruno Mars perform and I understand. Drake is no Justin Timberlake.

But he is the star of his generation and hats off to him.

CynicKill said:

But I have seen him perform (not live) and while he packs the house I couldn't figure it out.

I see Justin Tmberlake and Bruno Mars perform and I understand. Drake is no Justin Timberlake.

But he is the star of his generation and hats off to him.

You mean like dancing or something? I doubt people went to see Robert Palmer in concert to watch him dance and he was popular in the 1980s. There was a reason he had all of those models in his music videos. Most singers/bands don't dance. Large crowds go to see techno acts like Skrillex who basically pushes buttons and has a light show.

It doesn't matter and it hasn't mattered since everyone stopped listening to the same radio stations, watching the same tv shows etc.

At most it's Taylor Swift or Adele or Beyoncé or Ed Sheeran but even then it's not really. Nothing against Harry Styles at all but that's probably part of the problem, I don't need to engage with his music if I don't want to.

datdude said:

onlyforaminute said:

datdude said:

its Taylor. I don't fuq with her (she's not transcendent like an icon is supposed to be IMHO) but she checks all the boxes for those that do apparently and these two albums in the past year were critically lauded and said to be her best.so she's surpassed her pop tart expiration date apparently [Edited 1/3/21 2:20am]

Taylor's got the power of a country music foundation under her which doesn't rely heavily on gimmicks to draw an audience. She's got a good look and seems to make music relatable to her audience which appears to be quite loyal.

yeah it's Taylor mainly because she is consistent with her releases and how she engages with her fans, but also I think it's missed how she is a female voice that constantly speaks about ownership and the constant sexism in the industry, I don't hear that from other female icon performers sadly. Also she began in country, she plays and writes, she hit into pop, but now her two new albums she is listed as alternative, as she is working with artists like Bon Iver, the National and HAIM, so she clearly has a finger on the pulse for strong artistic people and who to work with.

lastdecember said:

yeah it's Taylor mainly because she is consistent with her releases and how she engages with her fans, but also I think it's missed how she is a female voice that constantly speaks about ownership and the constant sexism in the industry, I don't hear that from other female icon performers sadly. Also she began in country, she plays and writes, she hit into pop, but now her two new albums she is listed as alternative, as she is working with artists like Bon Iver, the National and HAIM, so she clearly has a finger on the pulse for strong artistic people and who to work with.

Taylor might sell more physical product. But I think she has a more limited audience, probably mainly white and/or female. Acts like DJ Khaled or Megan Thee Stallion appeal to a variety of people.

MickyDolenz said:

lastdecember said:

yeah it's Taylor mainly because she is consistent with her releases and how she engages with her fans, but also I think it's missed how she is a female voice that constantly speaks about ownership and the constant sexism in the industry, I don't hear that from other female icon performers sadly. Also she began in country, she plays and writes, she hit into pop, but now her two new albums she is listed as alternative, as she is working with artists like Bon Iver, the National and HAIM, so she clearly has a finger on the pulse for strong artistic people and who to work with.

Taylor might sell more physical product. But I think she has a more limited audience, probably mainly white and/or female. Acts like DJ Khaled or Megan Thee Stallion appeal to a variety of people.

to a certain degree but Khaled and Megan though big are not consistent album sellers selling is more than streaming I know a lot feel they are equal but they are not at all. Taylor is very crossover because now she has the country respect for her early days and they still hold her dear, her pop audience though she is not an airplay person, she sells full albums always has, and now she is crossing into new ground working with two artists that are way underrated and just getting their due. HAIM which prince fans should be all over and even Morris Day did jungle love with these girls and honestly light years better than the dreadful duet with Rihanna, and The National probably one of the most consistent album artists in rock alternative genre in a long time. The reason I say Taylor is she is consistent putting out product and it's getting better she is coming into her own as an artist, I don't get growth from Khaled and Megan mainly because they do way too many guest spots, same problem I have with Drake, though he's stronger than those two, he needs to drift away from that.

lastdecember said:

The reason I say Taylor is she is consistent putting out product and it's getting better she is coming into her own as an artist, I don't get growth from Khaled and Megan mainly because they do way too many guest spots, same problem I have with Drake, though he's stronger than those two, he needs to drift away from that.

When was the last time a mainstream hip hop artist (or just a mainstream Top 40 artist in general) put out an album with just themselves on it without any features?

MickyDolenz said:

lastdecember said:

The reason I say Taylor is she is consistent putting out product and it's getting better she is coming into her own as an artist, I don't get growth from Khaled and Megan mainly because they do way too many guest spots, same problem I have with Drake, though he's stronger than those two, he needs to drift away from that.

When was the last time a mainstream hip hop artist (or just a mainstream Top 40 artist in general) put out an album with just themselves on it without any features?

well there is an issue with that, you can spread yourself too much where the purpose is to just get the other artists song played which is why these collaborations happen very few are artistic requests they are put this with this so we can get this artist to get streams that's all it is, but if you do too much that's all you are a collab artist I don't see growth in any of these artists from whom they collaborate with

lastdecember said:

well there is an issue with that, you can spread yourself too much where the purpose is to just get the other artists song played which is why these collaborations happen very few are artistic requests they are put this with this so we can get this artist to get streams that's all it is, but if you do too much that's all you are a collab artist I don't see growth in any of these artists from whom they collaborate with

Current Top 40 albums are kind of like the mainstream version of Quincy Jones albums from the 1970s & 1980s. Also back in that era jazz artists often played on each others records, although they were usually credited as sidemen or session musicians, not offical "duets". Bob James' records are a good example.

TrivialPursuit said:

onlyforaminute said:

I still think everything is more niche within niches. The niches are just pretty huge these days. Bruno was big there for a minute. I'm not sure what happened to him. Childish Gambino hot for a minute but it's been crickets. I thought it was supposed to be Cardi B but she seems to be becoming more just contoversial drama who knows. I remember there was some big news about Taylor Swift but I forgot what. She sales a lot though.

And ain't nobody even doing that WAP song/dance anymore either. Wasn't that just a thing in like July or some shit? People can't be bothered with it now.

Taylor released some record, but I ain't heard shit about it since that. Maybe her fans are carrying the torch.

I would hope Bruno is making music.

Taylor's album, 'Folklore' was 2020's best selling album of the year. It sold 1.2 million and 1.1 BILLION on demand audio stream.

"Evermore' which was released in Dec 2020 sold a million copies in the 1st week.

Taylor Swift is an album artist, a rarity in 2020/21. I'm not a fan but I at least recognise this.

JoeTyler said:

I thought that was Bruno M., Swiftie and Adele?

problem with Adele and Bruno is the length of time between records.