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The pop music industry is booming with new music, new artists, and new releases. But the one thing that has remained constant is the deep-rooted sexism. 

Hardly any of us would be ignorant about the general consensus of the world on male pop groups or singers. Every conversation about BTS, One Direction, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes elicits the same scorn filled reaction from self-proclaimed music critics and experts- a passing trend, shallow music, etc. “They’re only famous because they’re pretty” is a popular belief, and it becomes important to acknowledge the not so subtle sexist undertones that lace this common misconception. 

A common feature of these singers and groups is their predominantly larger female fanbase. It is this demographic that automatically reduces their music to something that only ‘thirteen-year-old teenage fangirls’ listen to. And even if it is just thirteen-year-old teenage girls listening to it, why is it that it becomes a bad thing? One could say that every neighbourhood rapper in the past 12 years has had the same sad flow beaten to death over and over again, and yet with a fanbase that is predominantly male-centric, it becomes a thing of critic and is labelled ‘cool’. 

Anything that women and girls love is deemed hysterical, even though men and boys might have the same level of passion for an artist without being considered ‘frenzied’ or ‘mad’. Fans of artists like Eminem haven’t truly been sneered at for decorating their spaces with his merch, which unfortunately does not hold true for pop artists like BTS and Taylor Swift.

The biggest example of this has to be the global sensation Beatles. The band’s rise to popularity in the 1960s came to be termed as Beatlemania. The band was known for its ‘screaming female fans’ and was even dismissed early on as a fad. The fans, who were termed hysterical and their expression, which was termed as a mania probably says more than enough. Yet, almost seven decades down, they’ve only gotten bigger; The band that paved the way for fangirling is now termed a classic.  

The sexism in the industry becomes apparent when these artists are called homophobic and sexist slurs when their hard work and talent is reduced to nothing, when their sense of self-expression is labelled ‘girly’ because that makes them ‘less than’. And it isn’t just the artists who suffer too. As a male, liking these artists or groups makes the fans social pariahs as well. They are ridiculed and shamed for liking something ‘girly’. 

But that’s the notion that’s been established by the toxic masculinity perpetuated by society-  that men and soft emotions cannot coexist. That artists that rap and rock it out over dark, intense concepts are applauded in the same musical space where soft, peppy love songs are given a cold shoulder. 

 “I feel like the toxic notion that men are supposed to be rough and into ‘dark’ music is the reason why a lot of men only listen to rock/rap. Everyone somewhat enjoys pop music which is why it is pop. But revealing themselves as fans of easy, uplifting pop music does not align with their entire aura of being tough,” said a twenty-year-old male fan.

Sexism is not just limited to genres and artists though. The catchy songs hitting the charts reek of objectification, misogyny and in cases, even violence. Songs by popular artists like The Weeknd, David Guetta, Jason Durelo, have multiple lyrics objectifying women and calling them names. Eminem is known for producing music that talks about bashing gays and raping women, and well, he’s remained a favourite. Because, honestly, hardly any of us care about the lyrics when ‘the beat slaps’.

Evidently, in the industry, this sexism is perpetuated and sustained by the very industry itself- the artists and the fans alike. 

Feature Image Credits: Scopio

Satviki Sanjay

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Shreya Juyal

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2018 will mark the tenth anniversary of iconic songs like Poker Face, Just Dance and Paparazzi and it’s only fitting to honour and learn from the woman, who within those ten years has been able to do what very few artists have been able to do.

1. No lip-syncs – One of the best things about Lady Gaga is that she remains true to her art. She can dance in 10 inch heels, sing immaculately, and maintain her breath while doing all that. Whether she is performing jazz, pop, or the American national anthem, she sings live and does that flawlessly. Her “Sound of Music” tribute at The Academy Awards in 2015 remind us of her impeccable vocal abilities. She can perform her well orchestrated songs over just a piano, with ease.

2. Pride and activism – She was the only modern generation pop artists that chose to stand up for LGBTQ+ rights when policies such as ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ were being followed in the American army. In 2010, she wore a 50 pound meat dress at the VMAs to share her message that we’re just meat and its the various identities that make us humans. She stands up against bullying and started the ‘Born This Way Foundation’ in order to spread a message of acceptance through out the world.

3. Raised the standard of the music industry – Before Gaga made everyone go gaga, hollywood celebrities did not experiment with their craft and their fashion. Nicki Minaj had black hair and Beyonce was seen sporting jeans to the red carpet. Her craziness and uniqueness brought a revolution and her music has always been out of the trends. She creates her own music, writes the lyrics and is not merely just a singer.

4. Superbowl 2017 – At this year’s Superbowl Halftime Show, Mother Monster not only jumped from the roof and performed acrobats throughout the performance but she was a one woman act. The last woman to perform alone at the show, viewed by over 100 million people live, was Diana Ross in 1996.

5. Charity- She has her own NGO and  has been an advent donator to various causes including natural calamities throughout the world or against issues like rape and mental illness. She recently donated $1 million Dollars to relief efforts for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, José, Maria and the Mexico City earthquake. As a rape, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and fibromyalgia survivor she has been working hard on these issues.

6. Strong Headed Woman – In 2013, Gaga broke her contract with her long time manager Troy Carter in order to pursue her creativity without bounds. She overworked and also went through a severe hip injury in 2011 during her Born This Way Tour. She released Artpop afterwards, an intensely creative and experimental album.

7. Flawless Actress – She has accredited with the lead role in American Horror Story Season 5 where she played the role of “The Countess”. She won ‘Best Actress’ at ‘The Golden Globes’ for her role in 2016. In 2018, she is set to release her first full feature film – “A Star is Born” as the lead actress alongside Bradley Cooper.

8. Awards and Accomplishments – She is not only a thirteen time Guinness World Records holder but has won six Grammy Awards, an Oscar nomination, awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. With 27 million albums and 146 million singles sold, she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was also Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2015 and Time’s person of the year in 2010.

Paws up!

 

Feature Image Credits: Pinterest

Varoon Tuteja
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What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when hear the word ‘South Korea’? Is it Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’? Well, most of us have certainly danced to this tune without even understanding what he was trying to convey, but K-POP is not just limited to this tune. In fact, Korean wave or Hallyu as Koreans call it has marked its presence in the global music industry for at least 6 years now.

The Korean singers’ eccentric style-sense, ingenious approach to music, talented voices, on point choreography and not to forget their irresistible cute-faces, has certainly set K-Pop apart from other genres. So, let us look at 3 K-pop bands which are stealing the hearts around the world and leading the Korean wave at this very moment!

EXO

The largest band after Super-Junior, this band has 12 members and is equally divided in two parts – EXO-K (Korean) and EXO-M (Mandarin). EXO with its mixture of Korean and Chinese culture made its debut in 2012 through S.M. Entertainment and has a strong fan-base with each member having about 3 million followers each on Instagram.
They’ve been hailed as the ‘biggest boy band in the world’ by many media outlets due to their knife-point choreography which gels well with their songs. They’ve received numerous awards till now with their first solo concert being sold out in 1.47 seconds which is the fastest for any Korean artist ever.
This is the band whose boys will surely win your hearts with their strong personalities and talent as they concoct magic in each album! EXO has just released its fifth extended play For Life on 19th December, 2016. Go, check it out!

exo

BTS

BTS is a seven member band, also known as ‘Bangtan Boys’. They debuted in 2013 with their first album 2 Cool 4 Skool, for which they won several “New Artist of the Year” awards including those at the 2013 MelOn Music Awards and Golden Disk Awards, and the 2014 Seoul Music Awards.
Time and again they’ve surpassed themselves and have recently clinched their second daesang for ‘Artist of the Year’ at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards in row. They have a strong international fan-base due to their strong and myriad range of personalities and talented members. They’ve also managed to dominate the worldwide music charts with their Most Beautiful Moment in Life trilogy and also became the most retweeted artist in March 2016 following which twitter launched its first K-pop emoji featuring BTS. Follow them for some Hip-hop and R&B tunes, in addition with young-cute guys role-playing as tough bad boys or just their usual adorable selves!

bts

GOT7

GOT7 is K-Pop which borders closely on hip-hop. It was formed in 2014 following which they won several New Artist awards at various award shows. The group consists of seven members including JB, JR, Mark, Jackson, BamBam, Yugyeom and WIN.
GOT7 took China by storm with Asia Style Best Influence Group. They have been twice nominated in MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Korean Act Category. They’ve recently released their first Japanese studio album, Moriagatteyo. They are the newest talent in the list and something to wait and watch for as they are steadily rising to fame. Their performances on stage are grabbing eyeballs all over the world as they include “martial arts tricking”.

got7

 Image Credits:
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Nidhi Panchal
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We’re midway through 2015 and it has proven to be a pretty good year for music with artists like Muse, Fall Out Boy and Kendrick Lamar releasing some great albums. We bring you the 5 albums we’re looking forward to in the second half of 2015:

1. Owl City- “Mobile Orchestra”

The electro-synthy-pop sounds of Vanilla Twilight and Fireflies made Adam Young’s musical project ‘Owl City’ a feature in most of the playlists around the world, though he had always enjoyed a popular presence on social media since he started posting songs online in 2007. ‘Mobile Orchestra’, his fifth studio album after a bunch of singles and EP releases, is set for release on July 10. The album will mostly remain true to the ear-pleasing electronica sounds that Owl City is known for but who’s to say that’s a bad thing?!

Image Credits- www.owlcitymusic.com
Image Credits- www.owlcitymusic.com

 

2. Halsey- “Badlands”

Ashley Frangipane, or Halsey, as she’s known by her stage name, is out earning plaudits as a powerful live performer and for her edgy, confessional lyrics. In the span of a year, she has been signed by a major record label, went on a tour with “The Kooks” and is now out again on tour with “Imagine Dragons”, promoting her album as she goes. Halsey proclaims herself to not be a particularly gifted vocalist but all of that takes a backseat when you are enveloped in the experience of her songs- they’re hauntingly beautiful with thoughtful lyrics and an entire concept around them. The same is expected out of ‘Badlands’, which the singer herself has described as “an angry, female pop record”.

Image Credits- wikimedia.com
Image Credits- wikimedia.com
3. Lana Del Rey- “Honeymoon”

She crept up on the music scene and made her way to the top before anyone could really figure out what was up. Ever since “Video Games”, Lana Del Rey- born Elizabeth Grant- has been a much-talked- about feature of the industry. From being praised for her melancholy songs, labelled an anti-feminist for the characters in her music and to serving up two huge albums- she has been there, done that. After being featured on ‘The Great Gatsby’s soundtrack with “Young and Beautiful” and 2014’s “Ultraviolence”, Lana is set to stir up another musical storm with her next album due later this year. Titled “Honeymoon”, it’s bound to be an interesting affair even if not anything else.

Image Credits- noiseporn.com
Image Credits- noiseporn.com
4. Ariana Grande- “Moonlight”

Although her sophomore album “My Everything”- which spawned five hit singles- released just about a year ago, Ariana Grande is ready to serve up more music and might release an album in the later half of this year. The pop-princess who’s been reigning the charts and drawing comparisons to Mariah Carey for her soaring vocals has been dropping hints about her upcoming release, titled “Moonlight” on social media platforms. She even dropped a 9 second teaser of a new song that seemed to have captured people’s attention for sounding like a dance tune. Although a 2015 release hasn’t been confirmed with a date, it’s safe to say that the songstress will drop at least a few singles even if not the whole album before we’ve seen the end of this year.

Image Credits- musictimes.com
Image Credits- musictimes.com
5. Kanye West- “SWISH”

Kanye West, forever embroiled in some controversy or another, is as strange a musician as he is a person. He is as critically acclaimed as a musician as he is often despised for his antics. 2014 was the only year after 2009 that Kanye West didn’t release any new albums- collaborations or solo. It’s only fair for there to be a lot of expectations of his possible 2015 release titled “SWISH”. This will also be his first album post his wildly-publicised wedding to Kim Kardashian the birth of his daughter North West, and it will be interesting to note the changes, if any, towards his approach to the album.

Image Credits- projectcasting.com
Image Credits- projectcasting.com

Shubham Kaushik
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