I like to think that my tastes in music, art and film are eclectic. In my eyes, the Queen of songwriting is Joni Mitchell but, following not too far behind, is the Princess, Lady Gaga. We have a tendency to be overly nostalgic about creativity but let's not forget that everything was once contemporary and sometimes even dismissed as trash. Nowadays, for example, the Marquis de Sade's writings are often highly acclaimed, recognised as great works, but, in his day, he was imprisoned for the supposed filth he wrote. Times change and we are hard and critical on people working in our post-postmodern world today. Yes, there has been a boom in money-driven and unoriginal 'pop' music but, on the other hand, this is a genre and no genre should be looked down upon; each requires its own skill.
There are always new places to go in creative arts: the dawning of sound, colour, HD, 3D, and the real refinement of merging performance art into music, done so adeptly by Lady Gaga and Jeffree Star. Both are working under the umbrella term of 'pop' and, in my opinion, have brought it some credibility.
The Controversy of Jeffree Star
Star is a DJ, model, make-up artist and singer-songwriter. He gained internet stardom in 2006 with his shocking appearance and controversial music. Since then, he has released 2 EPs, Plastic Surgery Slumber Party (2007) and Cupcakes Taste Like Violence (2008), and one full-length studio album, Beauty Killer (2009). 2012 wil see the release of his new EP, Virginity, and first project with major label, Kon Live.
As for the music, his singing voice is no Pavarotti and the music is good but fairly standard of the genre; simply listening in this way could reveal nothing more than a relatively underwhelming endeavour at electronica.
But - his cross-dressing places the music in context, adding necessary flavour along the way (Star's sounds really do need to be seen). When taken into account, his use of vivid colours, extravagant make-up, symbolic imagery and unusual costumes, all decode something special. The reality of it is that the content and the style and the form, the rhythm, the heavyweight pop, the lyrics and the videos are all a parody. He is an outrageously hyperbolic reflection of what society has become. Beauty Killer, coming at it this way, is arguably the greatest satirical album of the decade. A closer listen to the startling, but often humourous, lyrics of 'Fresh Meat' and 'God Hates Your Outfit', for example, reveal his real awareness of the kind of Hollywood life he is satirising. By watching his short video clips documenting his life, you deepen your understanding of the music. He lives the kind of life he writes about - this is the artwork. The very fact that he has the word Vanity tattooed somewhere as obvious as his face confirms this.
The official video for the single Beauty Killer, from the 2009 album of the same name, is shot by artist Austin Young and is Star's best visual piece to date. The make-up is astounding, the lighting is perfect and the super glossed veneer is complimented beautifully by the hand-written credits at the beginning and end. It's a motion picture portrait. Most of it is simply Star singing against a candescently white backdrop but his appearance keeps it engaging and heightens the meaning of the song. It's almost essential to see the video when listening to the song.
Ultimately, he's not an air-head dripping in labels; a look at his life shows his intentional partaking in the superficiality of it all. This is someone intelligent enough to recognise their involvement with triviality and even to enjoy it.
The Success of Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is a good comparison. She too is a very visual artist. But she's also become one of the most successful of this generation. Her high-budget tours are like pieces of epic theatre, thanks to innovative and original costuming, make-up and set designs. Songs like 'Fashion', 'The Fame' and 'Beautiful, Dirty, Rich' are similarly satirical in nature to Star's but often they are as raw and emotional as Joni Mitchell; the difference is that Gaga's are embedded in heavy pop. Her success has perhaps limited her freedom and locked her in commercial constraints that Star hasn't yet had to contend with. For this reason, her early work on The Fame (2008) was, for the most part, extremely conventional, as was her look, and she was nothing more than a Christina-alike. Gradually, she's become the eccentric we all know and film has played an important part in her development of 'visual music'.
A good example is the staggeringly long recent video for 'Marry the Night', which is typically strange and darkly comic. A real versatility is expressed here; this film takes a gritty approach as opposed to the cartoony one of 'Telephone'. The writing is a little off-beat in places but its real strength is the choice of imagery, which is what counts.
The opening scenes, shot with a steadicam, are poised next to the rapidly cut, handheld-camera scenes of the song itself; the latter featuring menacing but bright colours (the scarlet on outfits, the burning orange of fire) and the former with bleak and drained ones. It's a nicely constructed film, with two clear Acts, and is the culmination of all her work to date. The interesting concept of memories filtered through perception, explored in 'Marry the Night', is a thought-provoking comment on the idea of a life being artwork in itself and this is precisely what I feel both Star and Gaga are achieving very well.
The Grades
So her skill as a musician is undeniable and her talent as a vocalist is equally extraordinary. Jeffree Star wins the 'controversial' battle but the longevity and legacy goes to Gaga. Really, these people are Creatives with involvement in all aspects of their work - not just the singing - they know that a visual presence is essential to their music. That's what makes them sensational. They are more than singers. They are performance artists.
An A* to you both.
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