I've always wanted to explore the use of "artistry" as a signifier in American Idol judges' critiques. It seems to come down to a matter of authenticity. Does the performer have an original voice that has been developed, or is the singer merely copying those who came before them?
Authenticity is something that has been coming up a lot in critiques of female pop performers this summer. Katy Perry continues to ruffle feathers with her exoticism (article written before this video was even released) and cultural appropriation , which is also a similar complaint launched against Iggy Azalea.
All of which comes back to early twentieth century American musical culture, where the women who were most popular in cultivated musical society upheld the status quo of female performers-- gentile decorum. And those who tried to do things differently were made into caricatures. Granted the closest appropriation for white women was that of public masculine identities. And the exotic other was still regulated to the racial others.
But perhaps that is why we see such success with Taylor Swift. It's less than 24 hours old at this point, Taylor's newest music video plays directly to her fan base, much like the female classical musicians of the 1900s. Taylor tries out different genres of dance, realizing though that she doesn't fit, she "shakes it out" and joins in dancing with her fans. She might dress like Audrey Hepburn, and she seems to have 'shaken off' the country roots that helped launch her career, but she still appeases the widest possible audience without appropriating anything seemingly "inauthentic."
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