Artist and Genre Research

Pop Music

‘Pop’ music is a popular genre of music which originated from the 1950s – 1960s in as a softer alternative to ‘Rock and Roll’ style music in the Western World. Despite originating in the 1950’s - 60s, the term ‘pop song’ was first recorded being used in 1926 to refer to a piece of music having “popular appeal”- however the term was mainstream at least 10 years earlier.

Although Pop music tends to borrow elements and ideas from other styles of music, including urban, dance, rock, Latin and country, there are core elements and factors that define pop music. These include an often short to media length song, normally written in a verse-chorus structure where the chorus contrasts the verse with a higher level of dynamics. Pop music also commonly includes repeated choruses, catchy, melodic tunes, and hooks. Many other genres such as country, blues and hillbilly music.

Shawn Mendes

Shawn (Peter Raul) Mendes is a Canadian singer and songwriter born in Toronto on August 8^th 1998. He is a moderately recent artist, gathering a following when he began posting covers of popular songs on Vine (the app) in 2013 gathering millions of views/loops and followers in just a few months. By August 2014 he was the third most-followed musician on Vine. This brought him to the attention of artist managers Andrew Gertler and Island Records AandR, Ziggy Chareton- bagging him a deal with the record label. After signing to the label Shawn Mendes released an EP and his first studio album, ‘Handwritten’, in 2015. His most notable single from this EP was ‘Stitches’ which reached the top 10 on the U.S charts and No.1 in the UK. Despite the popularity Mendes’ first single was called ‘Life of the Party’ which he released in June 2014. This single made him the youngest 15 year old artist to debut a song on the Billboard Hot 100 where his song made it to No.24 on the week ending July 12^th 2014.

Shawn Mendes Current Albums

·         Handwritten (2015)

·         Illuminate (2016)

Singles on the Hot 100 charts 

·         Stitches (No.4)

·         Treat You Better (No.6)

·         I know What you did Last Summer (No.20)

·         Life of the Party (No.24)

·         Something Big (No.80)

·         A Little Too Much (No.94)

·         Mercy (No.95)

Awards-

2014

Teen Choice Awards:

Choice Web Star

2015

Shorty Awards:

 Vine Musician

Much Music Video Awards:

Fan Fave Video (Song: Something Big)

Teen Choice Awards:

Choice Web Star Music

Streamy Awards:

Breakthrough Artist

MTV Europe Music Awards:

Best New

 Best Push

2016

People’s Choice Awards:

Favourite Breakout Artist

Nickleodeon Kid’s Choice Awards:

Favourite New Artist

Much Much Video Awards:

Best Pop Video (Song: I Know What You did Last Summer)

Fan Fave Video (Song: I Know What You did Last Summer)

TOURS

Headlining

Shawns First Headlines (2014–15)

Shawn Mendes World Tour (2016)

Illuminate World Tour (2017)

Co-Headlining (with various other artists):Jingle Ball Tour 2014  (2014)
Jingle Ball Tour 2015  (2015)

Opening Act (North America):
Live on Tour (Austin Mahone) (2014)
The 1989 World Tour (Taylor Swift) (2015)

Target Audience:
The majority of Shawn Mendes' target audience is young adults, often between the ages of 18-24. The gap between percentages is quite small with females being 51% of his target audience. These target audience members often have a disposable income of £1000 or more and are interested in hobbies such as spending time with family, shopping and watching TV. Shawn Mendes' music is quite family friendly which relates and is suitable for his audience.The audience often like to experiment with new genres of music and new artists. Mendes' style is quite unique and he is a relatively new artist which also works to his favour. Other artists they enjoy include Jess Glyne, Justin Beiber, James Bay and Little Mix who all produce upbeat pop music- relatively similar to Mendes. 

James Arthur

James Arthur is a British Singer and Songwriter who started as lead vocal in unsigned bands such as ‘Cue the Drama’ and ‘Moonlight Drive’. He rose to fame upon winning the 9^th Series of The X Factor in 2012. After winning he was signed to Simon Cowell’s record label, Syco Music, before signing a new deal with Columbia Records in 2016. Whilst at Columbia Records he has released a second album called “Back from the Edge”. He has since re-signed to Syco Music.

His winning song ‘Impossible’ debuted at No.1 on the UK Singles Charts in its first week of release after the finals and has sold over 1,289.000 copies in UK and 2.5 Million Copies worldwide since. He had a follow up single named ‘You’re nobody ‘til Somebody Loves You’ as well as a debut album named ‘James Arthur’ which both reached No.2 in the UK Charts.

Current Albums:

The James Arthur Collection

James Arthur

You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You

Fractured Hairs

Honte Dural

Da Funktastic Resolve

Back From the Edge

Singles on the Hot 100 charts 

Say You Won't Let Go (No.1)

Impossible (No.1)

You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You (No.10)

Awards:

2013:

Los Premios 40 Principales:

Best International Song (Song: Impossible)

NRJ Music Awards:

International Breakthrough of the Year (Song: Impossible)

TOURS


The X Factor Live Tour (2013)
James Arthur Tour (2014)
The Story So Far Tour (2015)

Target Audience:
James Arthur's target audience is supposedly middle aged females at 55+. I however, find this hard to believe as Arthur is an X Factor winner who's audience is majorly young adults and teenagers. He seems like a teenage heartthrob so I would've thought that his target audience would be considerably younger. His target audience has a disposable income of £125 or below and as Arthur isn't as big as artist as say Rihanna, he is less expensive for consumers. General interests include People and celebrities, and Television- which is appropriate due to how he rose to fame.They are bighearted which matches James' style of music.

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld is an American Actress, Singer and Model born December 11, 1996 and has been nominated for numerous acting awards.

Steinfeld featured in the music video of ‘Endlessly’ by ‘The Cab’She debuted her singing voice in the film ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ where she then released a cover version of the song ‘Flashlight’ which was written by Jessie J for the film. She has since also been in Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ music video as well as the ‘Sing’ video by Pentatonix.

In November 2015, Steinfeld released her debut EP named ‘HAIZ’- which is a nickname given to her by her fans. This EP consisted of four songs “You’re Such A”, “Rock Bottom”, “Love Myself” and “Hell Nos and Headphones”. Critics questioned the album on having too few singles as it didn’t give us a true sense of who Steinfeld is. She has released a second version of her song “Rcok Bottom” featuring DNCE, as well as a single called “Starving” alongside Grey- featuring Zedd

Republic Records:
Republic Records is the label Hailee Steinfeld is currently signed to. They were founded in 1995 by Monte Lipman and Avery Lipman and are under the parent company Universal Music Group.The label's best selling artists include Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Amy Winehouse, Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, and Lorde.

Current Albums:

HAIZ (2016)

Hot 100 Charts:.

Love Myself (No.30)

Starving (No.31)

Awards:

0 Music orientated. However she does have 2 film awards.

McFly:

Mcfly is an English band formed in 2003. The band consists of 4 members being- Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd. McFly rose to fame after fellow a English band, Busted, invited them to tour in 2004 after which they signed to Island Records (2004-2007) and eventually making their own record label, Super Records. In November of 2013. Tom Fletcher originally auditioned to be a member of ‘Busted’ in 2001 but after losing out on the opportunity he began developing his songwriting skills as a member of their songwriting team. Whilst in this position, Fletcher was asked by the record company to film auditions for a new band which is where he met fellow band member Danny Jones after Jones mistook the auditions to be for an instrumental band as opposed to an all singing band. Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter were later recruited via a classified advertisement in the NME magazine. McBusted was formed when McFly and Busted joined together to form the supergroup.

McFly became known as the youngest band ever to have debuted at album at No.1 not once but twice with their debut album, named ‘Room on the 3^rd Floor’ and their second album ‘Wonderland’ which also debuted at No.1. ‘Room on the Third Floor’ later went one to be certified as double platinum and earned McFly a Guinness World Record for being  the youngest band to debut their album in their charts in the top position, a record previously held by The Beatles. Their first album was closely followed by their first headlining tour a month later. Their popular singles ‘5 Colours in Her Hair’ and ‘Obviously’ both topped the UK charts when released in 2004.

Island Records:
Island Records is a Major record label which has been based in the UK since 1962 after being founded in Jamaica 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall and Leslia Kong. The possess 3 Island Brand labels being Island UK, Island US and Island Australia. Their UK base is in London.  They have signed many major artists that are well known throughout the world including- Demi Lovato, FallOutBoy, Nick Jonas, American Authors and Aviicii. The record label is parented under the Universal Music Group

Super Records:
Super Records is an independent record label operated, founded and owned by the band McFly. They made the label due to issues with previous label Island Records. The label has yet to sign any other artists other than McFly but one of the singles they released whilst at the label, 'One for the Radio', reached number 2 on the UK charts.

Current Albums:

Room on The Third Floor (2004)

Wonderland (2005)

All theGreatest Hits (2007)

Radio: Active (2008)

Above the Noise (2010)

Memory Lane: The Best of McFly (2012)

Hot 100 Charts

Just my Luck (No.25)

Awards:

McFly have ALOT of awards. Here are a variety of them-

2004
Walt Disney Awards – Best Newcomer
Smash Hits Awards – Best UK Band
Smash Hits Awards – Best Album (Room on the Third Floor)
Smash Hits Awards – Best Video for (Song: That Girl)
Smash Hits Awards – Best Stars of the Year

2005
Smash Hits Awards – Best UK Band
Smash Hits Awards – Best Single (Song: All About You)
Smash Hits Awards – Best Album (Wonderland)

BRIT Awards – Best Pop Act

2006
Virgin.net Music Awards – God Group
BT Digital Music Award for People's Choice Award for Best Official Music Site

2007
Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards – Best Band 
UK Festival Awards – Best Pop Act (V Festival)
Virgin.net Music Awards – Best Live Act

2008
Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards – Best Band
Star Smash Awards 2008 – Best Album (Radio:ACTIVE)
Star Smash Awards 2008 – Best Band
Star Smash Awards 2008 – Artist of the Year

2009
Meus Premios Nickelodeon Brazil 2009 – Best International Artist
UK Music Video Awards – Best Live Music Coverage

2010
4Music Video Honours – Best Video of 2010 (Song: Party Girl)

2011
Nordoff Robbins – American Express Digital Innovation Award
In Rock Magazine – Best British Band

2012
Nordoff Robbins Music Awards – Best Live Act

2013
The Verified Teen Awards – Best Live Act
The Verified Teen Awards - Best Band

2014
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards UK – Favourite UK Band of the Decade 
(Source Wikipedia)

Tours:

McFly: The Tour (2004)
Wonderland (2005)
Motion in the Ocean (2006)
Up Close and Personal (2007)
Greatest Hits (2007)
Radio:Active (2008)
Up Close ... and This Time It's Personal (2009)
Before the Noise (2010)
Above the Noise (2011)
Keep Calm & Play Louder (2012)
Memory Lane (2013)
McBusted Tour (2014)
McBusted's Most Excellent Adventure Tour (2015)
Anthology Tour (2016)

(Source Wikipedia)

Target Audience:

McFly's main target audience is between in the of 18-24 with the majority being female. This target audience is probably people that grew up listening to McFly as they began around 2003. They are often in the entertainment industry. Their general interests are music and people and celebrities.Hobbies include quizzing and spending time with friends, which is why they may like friendly group made music. Their target audience's personality is often loyal which further suggests they grew up listening to the band. An example of a TV they may be interested in is "Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here", which Dougie Ponyter won in 2012.

Music Video Deconstructions - UGH

UGH! - The 1975

The final song I have decided to deconstruct is 'Ugh' by The 1975. It is an Indie Rock song so is a bit different to my other deconstructions but it has some features that I think would work well in a pop style music video.

This is medium close up shot from the video is a technique use in many Indie Rock music videos. It keeps the singer central of the shot and puts all the focus on them. The white/simple backgrounds also emphasise the singer. This is similar to Jessie J's Price Tag but there is less going on in comparison. In my music video, if I were to use a technique like this I could I could vary the background colour to match the emotion of the song. If it were emotional or loving I could use pink, or if I wanted to convey anger or hatred I could use red.

The music video also puts focus on the instrumentalists which is not often used in Indie Rock music videos, as the focus is usually on the singer or the band as a whole. However in this case it works well as it prevents a lot of jumpy and unnecessary cuts and puts the focus on the instrument, creative the same effect but not as choppy. The effect is the same as we can see the artist playing the music so it is still in time to the beat. The plain backgrounds is unconventional as Indie Rock videos often have busy backgrounds to match an upbeat song. 

However, throughout the video the jump cuts match the time of the music, and the backgrounds often swap between plain and or busy. Whenever the background is plain an instrument is often focused on or the lead singer's vocals are in a similar way which would work well with a pop song as they often put focus on the song itself- an example being the previously analysed 'FourFiveSeconds'

I find shots like this very pleasing and I may use something similar in my video. Its a simple and creative yet different way to put focus on the singer and adds variety to the same old head on shots of a singer singing with their band. It is achieved by having the lighting come from behind the person, creative a silhouette.

Although I want to create a narrative within my music video, incorporating some ideas from Indie Rock style videos may also be effective and come in handy.

The simple shots keep the emotion in the video but put focus on the singer and add variety away from the story which I like.

Music Video Deconstructions - I'm Not the Only One

I'm Not the Only One - Sam Smith

The fourth music video I have decided to to analyse is 'I'm not the only one' by Sam Smith. It is similar to 'Treat you Better' in the sense that it portrays quite a strong subject (being adultery). However, it focuses more on two characters and the singer seperately as opposed to merging the singer into the story.

The video begins by zooming in on a house. From the outside it looks pristine and perfect with neatly trimmed bushes and a smooth cobblestone path. The building is pure and white conveying perfection or unsulliedness. In contrast the door is black which suggests darkness and something being tainted. It makes the audience wonder whats inside.

On the inside we see a couple, who seem in love. This is portrayed by the loving look in their eyes as they look at each other, the woman's hand on the mans cheek and then when she kisses him. We can see the woman is wearing white whilst the man is wearing a black suit. Straight away this links back to the idea of something being tainted and pure.

We then see the woman walking which is seen using a tracking shot. As she walks towards the door her smile becomes bigger. This could suggest she has seen something she is happy to see but it may also suggest she is putting on a face and making it seem like she is happy outside whilst she is miserable on the inside - signified by the contrast of emotion seen in and outside the house.

As her husband leaves she walks around her house, including her garden which looks just as pristine as the front (previously shown in the establishing shot) Throughout the video it cuts to her husband in murky room clearly up to something suspicious. We can assume the wife isn't supposed to know hes their as he is wearing a suit and the dark lighting and shadows over his face suggest he is trying to stay anonymous and do also not suggest he is in a work place.

She is in the light and he is in the dark further suggesting she knows what he is up to whilst he isn't aware she knows.

This shot later on in the video is a good example of how things look fine with her on the outside. A single tear is running down her face but from the outside of the car you wouldn't be able to see that tear.

A lot of juxtapositions are made throughout the video to show the turmoil she is going through and how she everything seems fine on the outside but up close and personal somethings not right and she isn't happy about it. It shows her sitting next to her pool with a far away shot. She looks almost like a model, with a glass of champagne in her hand, a beautiful white gown and a swimming pool behind her. However, as it cuts to a medium close up shot we see the sad look on her face and her mascara is running which hints that she has been crying.

Another juxtaposition is when she is is in her bedroom. Once again it starts by showing a medium close up of her feet. She has fancy shoes on, we can see the edge of her dress and the carpet looks posh and smooth. It then cuts to another medium close up, this time of her arms and hands on a rugged carpet. She is fiddling with her wedding ring and begins to pull it off once again conveying the struggles in her relationship.

Later on in the video it shows her in a liquor store drinking a bottle of wine. This is a huge contrast to earlier on in the video where she is sipping champagne at her pool. This portrays her in a less classy and civilised manner which we can assume is due to her relationship. As the man gets more and more serious and sexual with the other woman- his wife's depression and issues progressively get worse and worse. They are cut opposite each other linking her issues with the fact that she is cheating.

The lighting when the man is cheating is blue which connotes that it is cold and meaningless sex with lack of emotion. 

This shot is a far away shot of the woman crying in her lounge. Each side of the room has a chair, which in itself is a metaphor for their relationship. One chair has two pillows and the other has one. This could show how she is still loyal to the relationship whilst he has strayed and is alone doing what he wants. On the left their is a black shelf whilst on the right there is a white shelf which links back to the clothes they are wearing - with the man being the more dark, lying and venomous of the two, whilst the wife is pure, loyal and hasn't cheated. However this is a fallen over lamp on her side which might mean their relationship beginning to fall.

We see the husband walking down the street in a far away shot. Although this shot is not long his messy clothing and thug like posture and walk make him shown as a bad character.

This is the final juxtaposition in the video as from far away we see a loving wife welcoming her husband home. However up close with the medium shot we see the distasteful expression on her face and now he is hugging her but she is less touchy. 

I really like how elaborate use of juxtapositions in this music video and how small things around the house hint at how the relationship is breaking apart.

Music Video Deconstructions - FourFiveSeconds

FourFiveSeconds - Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney

The third video I have decided to analyse is 'FourFiveSeconds' by Rihanna Ft. Kayne West and Paul McCartney. Although it is a pop song, it is an example of a video style I don't really want to incorporate in to my work. It is a very stripped down video and focuses on the artists and their talent as opposed to having a narrative and clear meaning that is apparent to everyone watching. Fourfiveseconds is a hip-hop/rap song.

The above two shots are the establishing shots of the music video. the music is very stripped down- a is what the singers are wearing. Throughout the video shots like these are used in black and white, no makeup on the people and very rugged, old clothes.

The background is always grey or white and the singers are central of the shot. This allows us to focus on them and them alone and the passion and depth they put in to the song. There may be no narrative to the video but the simplicity of it puts across the message of the video pretty well

For the rest of the video this theme continues and it is basic head on shots focusing on the singers, their voices and their instruments with no narrative or anything happening in the background.

The end credits are also simplistic and put across what is needed to be known.

This is a good example of a video style I don't want to have a lot of, if any, in my music video. I like the idea of showing the singer but a whole video of that would become pretty boring without a narrative.