R & P Post 12: Artists/bands that have influenced my ideas

Whilst researching, we have taken a huge number of influences from a plethora of female artists. I have listed the artists I feel are the most significant to our project, and whose music, style or personality have inspired our ideas below:


Meghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor has been a massive influence on our project since we started researching. She is a bubblegum-pop singer-songwriter from the United States, who has had a number of successful hits, including her debut single, "All About That Bass", which topped the charts. Trainor began writing and producing songs aged 15.

Both her signature high-saturation, pastel-coloured music videos (which reflect her doo-wop, bubblegum-pop style), and the messages of female empowerment and acceptance of your body which run through her songs have provided really useful inspiration to us and our project, and we feel that we can use both her signature aesthetic, as well as her promotion of positive messages to good effect.


Taylor Swift

Another artist whose message and music have had an influence on our ideas is Taylor Swift, who originally began her career in 2004 as a country singer. I believe that the difference in promotion between her first album in 2006 and currently, as one of the most famous, internationally recognised pop artists worldwide, is really interesting, and something we could use when completing our own project.

Perhaps of more relevance, though, is - once more - the messages delivered both in her songs and also away from music, promoting numerous charitable, and feminist causes and acting as a role model figure. The intertextual style of her video, 'Shake it Off', which we used as our A2 Prelim task, is another potential influence, to intercut numerous ideas into a flowing music video.


Daya

The third artist who has influenced our ideas is Daya, an upcoming 17 year-old singer from Pittsburgh, USA. She already has a chart-topping hit, featuring on Chainsmokers' 'Don't Let Me Down', and her current music is also appealing to use as our track.

Once again, the messages conveyed by her have had a strong positive influence on our ideas, with her song 'Sit Still, Look Pretty' in particular promoting female empowerment. Her age, meanwhile, is another positive inspiration for us, as we can take inspiration from how a singer at seventeen years old has been marketed, and incorporate this into promoting our own artist, who will be played by Georgina.


Demi Lovato

The fourth, and perhaps most significant artist who has influenced our ideas is Demi Lovato. She is a 24 year-old US singer of the pop-rock genre who started her career on Disney. Once again, the change in marketing styles between the start of her career and her latest album has been interesting, and can be a potentially useful reference point.

Stylistically, Lovato is also a useful reference point in terms of costume & makeup, reflecting the archetypal "rock chick":

Moreover, as well as not only battling mental health problems, self-harm and bulimia, and promoting good causes using her celebrity status and as an ambassador for anti-bullying campaigns, she can also be an influence in the construction of our artist's identity, as the issues which she has faced have created a strong, sincere character, which we ourselves can use as inspiration for our own artist's potential background, strength and positive messages.


For these reasons, I believe these four artists have been very helpful reference points and can provide a number of influences on our own eventual artist. Based on their position as a role model, their style of music and fashion, as well as the messages which they promote & associate themselves with, I feel like all four artists can help us construct our group's artist and their persona, beliefs and style.