Thursday, 25 September 2014

Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Star Theory - Miss Miller


Artists may feel the need to reinvent themselves for the following reasons


  • Different target audience 
  • Tired of their old image
  • Change their genre of music  - Experiment
  • Increase their revenue by having wider audiences
  • Improve their fan base - more varied
  • Created publicity 
  • Previous bad press
The artist I have chosen to analyse whom I believe has changed their image over the years is singer/rapper Chris Brown. The three music videos by Chris Brown I have chosen to compare is his 2007 music video 'Kiss Kiss' his 2012 song 'Don't judge me' and his recent 2014 song 'Loyal'.

The first music video is 'Kiss Kiss'. "Kiss Kiss" is composed as upbeat chanting record that incorporates elements of R&B and dance music. The song is written many about getting a woman's attention. The song was a commercial success as it topped the charts in New Zealand and the United States, becoming Brown's second number one hit in both countries.


Within Chris Brown's music video 'Kiss Kiss' Goodwin's theory is portrayed. The music video contains both narrative and performance. This is evident as he is telling a story throughout the music video about a love triangle between a girl, a geek and a popular boy of whom both are played by Chris Brown as well as lots of dancing and singing involved performance wise. The purpose of using the narrative and performance combined style of Goodwin's theory helps to connect and build a relationship between the audience and the artist as by telling a story it seems more realistic so therefore could be more relatable to the audience. This music video also follows Goodwin's theory through the relationship between the music and the visuals. This is because it uses disjuncture to promote the song as the song is completely ignored in the music video and has nothing to do with what is being shown so therefore stands out to the audience in a surprising manner. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory is the idea pit forward of a Star Image(protagonist), as lots of camera shots are used on him throughout making Chris Brown the centre of attention. Chris Brown's star image is being presented through his clothes and his dance moves in the video which are both seen to be conventional to his music genre. The purpose of this is to help promote his star image towards the audience as well as promoting the music video itself.

The genre of Chris Brown and his 'Kiss Kiss' music video is RnB. This music video is not conventional to the RnB genre as the mise-en-scene used-his clothing subverts the conventions of typical RnB artist outfits which tend to be hoodies,chains ect. Chris Brown however, is seen to be wearing clothes of a school boy/student including costumes such as a football/soccer kit and a stereotypical nerds outfit. This is to portray his youth as an artist as he was a teenager when producing the video.

By using Goodwins theory we can identify that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals in this music video. This is shown when Chris Brown says 'It's bird-like'. The visuals then shows a mascot costume of a 'bird'. The link between the two gives the audience a more visual understanding of the song and shows that Chris brown has control of the music. 



There are also a lot of close up shots of Chris Brown to develop motifs for the artist. These close ups are done by the demands of the record label. These close ups show Chris Brown's face clearly, as he was a upcoming artist at this stage in her career, it allows the audience to remember his image and appearance; it Identifies who Chris Brown is.


Richard Dyer's theory relates to the music video, especially through youthfulness. This is because Chris Brown is portrayed as a teenager in school around other young people. No drugs, violence or sexual references are used which portrays a sense of innocence through his youth. The star theory hegemony is also used as the target audience can relate admire and share the same experiences as Chris Brown within school/college.

Chris Brown's target audience within this music video consists mainly of teenagers similar to his age at the time which has changed over the years slightly to young adults due to his explicit content.
In this music video I feel that Rihanna was portrayed to be a regular teen. By his costume, mise-en-scene being quite casual making him blend in with the extras/dancers within the music video. This applies to Dyers theory as Dyer believes that the institution models the artist around the target audience they choose. Dyers theory says that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for a financial return. He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing relatable things. Which is what Chris Brown does in this video, appearing to be an average teenage boy.
The messages and values Chris Brown is bringing across within this music video is that you don't have to be popular or rich in order to 'get the girl', instead he is saying that even the 'geeks' or 'nerds' can get them because it's not all about the exterior of a person but also the interior. This message is influential to his target audience as it gives them confidence to achieve what they want.

The next song "Don't Judge Me" is a song by Chris Brown on his fifth studio album, Fortune (2012). "Don't Judge Me" is a midtempo ballad, with lyrics in which Brown asks his lover to forgive him "for his past indiscretions" and "move on with the future."



Within Chris Brown's music video 'Don't judge me', Goodwin's theory is portrayed as the lyrics match the visuals. The song contains the lyrics quote 'please don't judge me' whilst the visuals show a lady sitting distressed with Chris Brown trying to assure her. The purpose of this is to help the audience gain an understanding of the song and its meaning along with the message Chris Brown is trying to bring across as they get a visual perspective of it. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory shown within this music video is the demands of the record label as the video includes many close-ups of the artist. The use of these close-ups help to create emphasis on the artists emotions as well as reflecting the words of the song with the movements of the lips of the artist. This gives emphasis on the song and what is being said, as well as their emotions, allowing for the song to have more engagement to the audience, also making them feel as if the artist is singing directly to them, which then allows for a connection to be built between the artist and the audience.
Chris Brown's genre changes slightly within this song and music video as he is an RnB artist however 'please don't judge me' sways more towards the Pop genre. He had previously followed generic conventions in his music of the RnB genre, but during his artist reinvention after his criminal offense he toned down and reached out to the audience with a more sympathetic down beat tone. 


Linking to Goodwin's theory I believe that many close ups were used as demands of the record label. The many close ups of Chris Brown allow his face to be remembered by the audience it also helps him to become more of a brand, as his face becomes something which is memorable and identifiable to the target market. Through close ups we can also see Chris Brown's facial expressions, this helps the audience to understand the way he is feeling and form an emotional connection with him. This can potentially make fans more dedicated to purchasing the artists material as they will feel as though they have an emotional connection with Chris Brown, which in turn benefits the record label through sales and profits.

Richard Dyer's theory is shown mostly through the use of aggression/anger within the music video, this can be shown through close-ups of his facial expressions.
His target audience changed slightly for this music video as he was reaching out to fans of the Pop genre too, interested in slow lyrical music. Furthermore,  increasing the brand identity benefits the institution as they become a household name increasing sales in all of the media platforms they are in. This brand identity may mean that fans start to replicate and mirror the artists behaviour, fashion or look. This can be identified with Chris Brown's blonde hair, Chris Brown started the iconic bleached hair for boys in 2012 which became a trend.

The messages and values Chris Brown is bringing across in this music video is a lot more 'mature' and 'deep' than his 'Kiss Kiss' music video as it relates to situations older teens/adults tend to be in as it is saying that the amount of judging society can do to one person can cause them to erupt and turn to suicidal thoughts- which is shown when Chris Brown goes on a suicide mission for the ones he loves. Chris Brown has changed his message due to society judging him for the assault he committed so therefore needed to come across to the public in a personal sense. The change is also in accordance with the era as society has become more suicidal and stress revolved since social media or any kind of media has developed and is used to portray people since Chris Browns older music.
Chris Brown has definitely changed his music content since 'Kiss Kiss' as his music is now aimed at a more mature audience going through breakups and more adult situations. I feel that Chris Brown has changed because he has grown up, it was 5 years since 'Kiss Kiss'. He has also changed more because of his own freedom and independence to sing and entertain the way he wants by linking in his music with personal situations. Compared to when an artist first comes out where the record label mould the artists look and character to fit what they feel will sell and are less free to sing about what they want.


The last song "Loyal" is a song by Chris Brown, released as the fourth single from his sixth studio album X (2014). The overall theme of the song is about unfaithful women. It was reported that Brown makes references at ex-girlfriend Rihanna in the song, as he sings about a girl not being loyal in a relationship.


Chris Brown's present day music video 'Loyal' portrays Goodwin's theory with his Star image. Chris Brown presents himself through his conventional RnB/rap choice of clothing and also his dance moves. The purpose of this is to appeal to the target audience of the genre as they may inspire to dress in the same way as they enjoy that type of music. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory is again the lyrics matching the visuals for example 'white girl with some fake...' and a white female is shown matching the description of the lyrics. The purpose of this is to give the audience a visual aspect of the song making it more entertaining and understandable to them.
The genre of this music video has changed as he now brought rapping into his music to combine with the RnB genre. 
Chris Brown's tattoos are visible within this music video which is conventional to the RnB rap genre as tattoos can relate to previous experiences that have occurred in their life.


Goodwin's Theory is also shown with the  relationship between the visuals and the music. This is shown through the pace of the music and the pace of the Chris Brown and the back-up dancers dancing. They dance  to the beat and when the base drops. This is to keep up and connect with the pace of the music. This makes the video more exhilarating to watch as everything is in rhythm. This is done because there is a dance routine and an out of pace dance routine would look odd and uncomfortable to watch.

Lastly, their is voyeurism and sexual objectification shown in this music video. For example, all the women included within the music video are wearing minimal clothing, and are treated as sexual objects by the men in the music video. Many of the shots are of the females bodies including shots of their backside. This proves that they are treated as objects just for pleasure and sexual enjoyment. Also voyeurism is shown, as many of the female dancers pay no attention to the camera. They look as if they are being watched in a sexual manner by the men within the music video including Chris Brown. The purpose of this is to fit genre conventions. As Rap tends to exploit women to see their assets when their dancing and to please the male target audience.


Richard Dyer's theory is used within this music video mostly through rebellion, sexual magnetism, and a disregard for social values. 
Chris Brown's target audience within this music video are viewers aged 16+ due to the explicit language and content used. This differs from his previous target audience who used to range from a younger age due to his youthfulness. I think the target audience has changed and increased in age as the artist himself has increased in age- in a sense he has aged his music and it's content with himself as he as matured and stepped out of his adolescence. 
The messages and values of this music video aren't heart felt like his old music videos, instead he is provoking women and promoting sexual content by expressing the values of women as he calls within this song 'hoes'. I believe he has changed his values as he is more careless as to what the public think of him and is instead trying to mould into a generic RnB/Rap artist of today.
We can identify Dyer's Star Theory in this music video with the audience and institutions. Dyer's theory say's that Stars are made for money purposes alone. This can explain Chris Brown's change from a sweet average teenage boy in Kiss Kiss to edgy and sexually open in Loyal. It shows us that the star is treated like a product, a star adapts to the changes in demand and tastes. The same way an artist changes to trends, tastes and fashions. Dyer's theory explains that this is all done to suit the audience and create what they want to see in order for the institutions to benefit from it profitably. Furthermore, increasing the brand identity benefits the institution as they become a household name increasing sales in all of the media platforms they are in. This brand identity may mean that fans start to replicate and mirror the artists behaviour, fashion or look. 

The target audience here has definitely changed as when Chris Brown first came out with his first debut albums they were more in the Pop/Rnb genre as opposed to Rap. Which I feel is aimed at a younger target audience. In this song Loyal, it has connotations of more adult topics such as sex and romance. I do feel like his audience have adapted but that he is keeping the same audience he had since he first came out but both audiences have matured.

Hegemony and cultural beliefs in the star theory is that we as the audience can relate to the star we admire or share experiences with. This develops into idolizations. Chris Brown has a massive fan base and he is on many social networking sites so the audience can see all of his actions. This keeps Chris Brown's movements in the public eye. So with this 'Loyal' music video with the exploitment of women and raunchy dancing. It can make Chris Brown appear to be a bad role model for his fans and younger audience. Chris has also appeared to be a bad role model in the past for his abuse on ex-girlfriend and star Rihanna,doing drugs and taking alcohol. This can be bad for the people idolizing him as they can start copying his actions. Chris Brown makes constant refers to drugs within Loyal "smoking marijuana -rolling up that molly" and refers to females as "broke bitches" which can have a negative effect on his artist representation.

The reality of Chris Brown could be different to that displayed and brought across within the music industry however as Chris Brown supports many causes and gives back to children in need, giving his money -which is so showed off within his music- to make a positive difference in the world. This relates to Dyer's theory saying that the star's brand is focused around certain things, going on to say that they are not real just constructed people. But the real Chris Brown could be the one doing all the charity work and helping people. It show's two sides of Chris Brown which makes it hard to establish which Chris Brown has been produced by the record label and what is really his personality. 





To summarize, artist Chris Brown began his music career as a young teenage boy reaching out to a teenage target audience of whom could relate and be entertained by him - his youth was reflected with innocence. However, he then made certain choices and decisions to reinvent his image and career after his public criminal offense towards another young music artist 'Rihanna'. After this, he tried to reach out to his current fans as well as the general public to gain their sympathy by giving them his perspective and how he feels through his music but by also coming slightly out of the RnB genre. Chris Brown then stepped out of this zone to reinvent himself again as a confident conventional RnB/rap artist to appeal to the target audience of similar rap and RnB artists in the industry today in order to fit back into his music genre.

3 comments:

  1. This is a fairly sound analysis of Chris Brown's artist image, as you have managed to explain briefly how he has changed overtime as well as linking some points to Goodwin's and Dyer's theories.

    You need to:
    1) Analyse genre conventions using micro-elements and PEER analysis to support points made
    2) Talk about who the target audience is for each video and how they have changed over time
    3) Explain the messages and value of each video and how they have changed over time
    4) Elaborate on all points made to show a more in depth understanding of the videos
    5) Include a conclusion stating how this research has helped you understand the importance of an artist's image and helped you decide on your artist and target audience

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  2. 6) Focus on Dyer's paradoxes for a better analysis

    ReplyDelete
  3. You have explained what the various messages and values are of each video and how they have changed over time, as well as elaborating on who the TA is at each point. You have referred back to Dyer's theory, but still need to look more at the paradoxes for a better analysis. You still need to include a conclusion explaining how this has helped you understand the importance of artist image etc.

    ReplyDelete