The Year of the Genre-Bending Artist
The inception of genres I’m sure came around the same time that humans thought it would be a good idea to deliberately label ourselves and the things around us, because nothing should exist without a neat little box to put it in, right?
Wrong.
The concept of genres is wonderful; it characterizes the style of music and makes it easy to find new
music based on the characteristics of music previously listened to. There’s also a reason why companies and record labels like to market artist’s music based on a certain genre; it targets a certain audience, draws more fans, and therefore, drives up sales. By associating an artist with a certain genre, it also allows them to dig their heels and create the ideal identity for themselves.
Wrong.
The concept of genres is wonderful; it characterizes the style of music and makes it easy to find new
music based on the characteristics of music previously listened to. There’s also a reason why companies and record labels like to market artist’s music based on a certain genre; it targets a certain audience, draws more fans, and therefore, drives up sales. By associating an artist with a certain genre, it also allows them to dig their heels and create the ideal identity for themselves.
But recently, this has been changing.
The shift from strictly partitioned genres has been happening since the early 2010s, but in my opinion, really became noticeable in 2019. Particularly, the introduction of genre-bending artists is most noticeable in the pop music category.
So, what do I mean by genre-bending?
Genre-bending can mean a multitude of things, but in particular, it refers to a musical artist who creates music that encompasses more than one genre, or music that is not traditionally identified with that genre.
And who are the artists out there bendin’ it like Beckham? (see: 2002 comedy-drama ‘Bend It Like Beckham’)
The easiest place to find the answer to this question is right in the Today’s Top Hits playlist on Spotify. There, one of the most prominent artists you’ll find is Billie Eilish, an artist whose dark, haunting lyrics and melodies have become commonplace in the headphones of people all over the globe. While it’s true that she has dominated the alternative scene, much can be said of the mainstream, “pop” music scene as well. Eilish is an artist who is incredibly dynamic and has made waves in various genres across the board.
Another artist you’ll find? Lizzo.
Lizzo is two of the most unexpected things; a rapper, singer-songwriter and a flutist. As a kid, she chose the flute as her instrument in band, and ended up loving it so much that she joined marching band once she got into high school. From there, she attended Houston University and majored in classical flute. While the flute hasn’t been integrated into her recordings very much, her skills really shine during live performances. Her flute, whose name is Sasha and can be found on Instagram @sashabefluting, often makes an appearance in clever and creative ways during Lizzo’s live arrangements, such as the performance of “Truth Hurts” at this year’s BET Music Awards.
Who else? Harry Styles.
The 25 year old, who is often recognized as being a member of the wildly famous English-Irish boy band, One Direction, has more than made a name for himself independently. The release of his self-titled album in 2017 was heavily influenced by 70s rock and roll, combined with traditional psychedelic rock and Britpop. This album was a stark contrast to the music he had created previously, and all of the adjectives prove rather difficult to place or identify the album with one particular genre. With the release of his sophomore album, Fine Line, he’s caused much of the same confusion. The same 70s rock influences can be identified, but layers of pop-esque tones and faintly folk influences are built over top of it, creating something that is vaguely reminiscent of 70s Fleetwood Mac and Paul McCartney & Wings.
Each of these artists, and many, many more, have persisted that they refuse to be stuffed into boxes and labels in which they do not fit, and their persistence has paid off in more ways than one. In October, Billie Eilish’s 2020 World Tour sold out almost immediately, and “a half-million tickets were sold just during the first hour”₁. Lizzo has been named TIME Magazine’s Entertainer of the Year for 2019. Harry Styles’ sophomore album, Fine Line, is spending its second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and simultaneously, holds the distinction as the first No. 1 album of the new decade.
Cheers to genre-bending, it’s brought us a variety of good music this year, and will continue to do so. To more good music in the next decade, Happy New Year!
₁: https://variety.com/2019/music/news/billie-eilish-arena-tour-sells-out-immediately-1203365238/
All images courtesy of Google Images.
The shift from strictly partitioned genres has been happening since the early 2010s, but in my opinion, really became noticeable in 2019. Particularly, the introduction of genre-bending artists is most noticeable in the pop music category.
So, what do I mean by genre-bending?
Genre-bending can mean a multitude of things, but in particular, it refers to a musical artist who creates music that encompasses more than one genre, or music that is not traditionally identified with that genre.
And who are the artists out there bendin’ it like Beckham? (see: 2002 comedy-drama ‘Bend It Like Beckham’)
The easiest place to find the answer to this question is right in the Today’s Top Hits playlist on Spotify. There, one of the most prominent artists you’ll find is Billie Eilish, an artist whose dark, haunting lyrics and melodies have become commonplace in the headphones of people all over the globe. While it’s true that she has dominated the alternative scene, much can be said of the mainstream, “pop” music scene as well. Eilish is an artist who is incredibly dynamic and has made waves in various genres across the board.
Another artist you’ll find? Lizzo.
Lizzo is two of the most unexpected things; a rapper, singer-songwriter and a flutist. As a kid, she chose the flute as her instrument in band, and ended up loving it so much that she joined marching band once she got into high school. From there, she attended Houston University and majored in classical flute. While the flute hasn’t been integrated into her recordings very much, her skills really shine during live performances. Her flute, whose name is Sasha and can be found on Instagram @sashabefluting, often makes an appearance in clever and creative ways during Lizzo’s live arrangements, such as the performance of “Truth Hurts” at this year’s BET Music Awards.
Who else? Harry Styles.
The 25 year old, who is often recognized as being a member of the wildly famous English-Irish boy band, One Direction, has more than made a name for himself independently. The release of his self-titled album in 2017 was heavily influenced by 70s rock and roll, combined with traditional psychedelic rock and Britpop. This album was a stark contrast to the music he had created previously, and all of the adjectives prove rather difficult to place or identify the album with one particular genre. With the release of his sophomore album, Fine Line, he’s caused much of the same confusion. The same 70s rock influences can be identified, but layers of pop-esque tones and faintly folk influences are built over top of it, creating something that is vaguely reminiscent of 70s Fleetwood Mac and Paul McCartney & Wings.
Each of these artists, and many, many more, have persisted that they refuse to be stuffed into boxes and labels in which they do not fit, and their persistence has paid off in more ways than one. In October, Billie Eilish’s 2020 World Tour sold out almost immediately, and “a half-million tickets were sold just during the first hour”₁. Lizzo has been named TIME Magazine’s Entertainer of the Year for 2019. Harry Styles’ sophomore album, Fine Line, is spending its second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and simultaneously, holds the distinction as the first No. 1 album of the new decade.
Cheers to genre-bending, it’s brought us a variety of good music this year, and will continue to do so. To more good music in the next decade, Happy New Year!
₁: https://variety.com/2019/music/news/billie-eilish-arena-tour-sells-out-immediately-1203365238/
All images courtesy of Google Images.
Comments
Post a Comment