Analysis of star and Dyer theory - Miss Miller

Celebrities seem to reinvent themselves in the eyes of the media when they're in the music industry, there could be many reasons for the sudden and diverse changes of themselves. One reason an artist may want to change how they look to the world is that they want to appeal to a different target audience, they may realise that they're so popular to an audience but would also want to become popular to another set of fans and maybe increase their target audience. Artists may also just want to do it for all the media and the attention they get and use it to promote themselves further as well as an album they may be soon to release. A perfect example of this change in an artist is Miley Cyrus, She first started out as Hannah Montana with light hearted songs like "best of both worlds" where she had just become famous, she was seen as an innocent girl when she had her show on Disney, she then progressed to an older stage with the song "party in the USA" talking about how she becomes more of a party animal, she talks about how she was nervous but loves the party lifestyle and atmosphere and then her next stage is her current stage with songs like "we can't stop" and "wrecking ball" where she wants to be overtly sexual. This is how Miley cyrus has become so popular in the eyes of the media because she has had so many drastic changes to her image, many like it and many dislike it but it all created a lot of controversy which created hype and buzz around the subject of Cyrus and her changes but it's made her undeniably famous everywhere. For my discussion i'll be looking at an artist that has also changed three times throughout their career much like how Cyrus has changed and this person is Justin Bieber, the songs i'll be referring to as the different time periods are Baby, Boyfriend and Where are U now.

Baby is a video about a boy who falls for a girl and really wants her but she doesn't seem to like him until the very end when they pear off with each other. The artist, Justin Bieber, is in love with this girl as the lyrics suggest as well but he doesn't seem to get her right away, she seems to friendzone him first, seeing him as a friend rather than a boyfriend, and trying to brush him off. The audience see exactly this in the video, he tries to pull her and get closer to her but she either pushes him away or walks off, this falls into Goodwin's theory as there is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals, however the song's lyrics and visuals at the end are completely different, but the relationships are present for example at the very beginning of the video Justin Bieber sees this girl and is immediately head over heels for her and gets his friends to help get her by following her up and escalator, the very first lyrics of the first verse explain this "You know you love me, I know you care, just shout whenever and i'll be there, you are my love, you are my heart". Clearly he would go anywhere for this girl as we've seen him try and follow her with his friends to help him get her and he clearly does show that this girl means a lot to him, this is trying to evoke that Justin Bieber really does care about this girl and wants her more than anything bu he doesn't really know girl, many boys at around his age feel this way about girls so they relate to him on that aspect but it's also used for girls to sympathize with him as they feel bad about how he's been treated by another girl. Bieber is going for the pop genre for this video as he follows all the different conventions of the pop genre, firstly there is one quick shot in the video where the audience can see drake and lil twist as well as other famous people that have a main feature like ludacris who has his own verse that's related to the song, this is a convention in pop songs because the artist is trying to show off their life, he knows these really famous people and wants the audience to know it and be jealous of him, therefore he comes across as cool in the video. Another convention of the pop genre that is followed in the video is that Justin Bieber seems really down to earth and he does quite ordinary things like going bowling, going out with his friends and playing pool, but he also does things that are quite out there like having a dance off with his and the girl's friends, this implies that Bieber wants to live happily and show the he is a fun person to be around which is a convention of the pop genre as artists want to come across as likable people towards audiences. The video represents the artist in a way that shows he is like most other kids of his age, a lot of kids growing up fall for someone and sometimes it just doesn't work out at all, Justin Bieber is a representation of these kids but showing them get the girl instead, in the video he gets the girl, because he persisted, therefore it inspires a lot of young kids to just not give up and try and try if they really want something. The artist isn't a product as such because in the video for baby, he seems more down to earth, he has a bunch of friends that he goes out with and struggles to get girls like certain audiences he is targeting towards, however he does seem to have some features that could consider him a product instead, his hair for example was trending back then so it's almost done on purpose but this is just one point and the song is meant to be relatable for audiences. Bieber is singing about and trying to achieve the girl that he loves so much, that part is ordinary, the lengths he is willing to go just to get the girl in this video is extraordinary including dancing, pulling her closer, always following her and even the singing sometimes makes him sound more desperate than enchanting "I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring" this shows that Bieber is willing to go to some extreme lengths for this girl who may or may not actually like him, this is relatable to the audience to some extent, they understand his need to keep trying but never really consider following these crushes they have to try and impress them. The video places fans for hegemony as Bieber is known as a dominant figure in the music industry, the video shows that if you follow what he does and look the way he does then you could get all the girls you want, this therefore makes fans want to start looking up to Bieber and become as cool as him. Biebers target audience are supposed to be young people of both genders that are aged 12-16 as these are the kind of problems they face at about this age and are able to relate to the songs messages a lot more easier, the reason why girls would like it is because they would find him attractive and feel sorry for him that someone turned him down (lyrics more than the video), either genders would be jealous as the two in the video are supposed to be attractive for those ages. The message the Bieber is trying to get across in the video is that everyone does fall in love and everyone gets their heart broken, it's a natural part of life that you get used to but in the video it shows him getting the girl, in the song he doesn't and Ludacris almost hints that is just what happens in life and you've just got to move on.

The next video i will be looking at to see the difference is Boyfriend, this song came two years after the video of baby was released, this time difference will be key to the changes that the audience can see. Goodwin's theory can be applied from the get go when the audience see Justin Bieber right behind a girl singing to her and how he'll never let her go, he gets closer almost as if he is leaning in for a kiss, this shows voyeuristic treatment of the female body by Justin Bieber himself just showing the audience that he can get anyone he wants as he seems to have got this girl. Bieber is trying to appeal to the conventions of a pop song, one being that the artist idolizes the girl, however now that he's older, his music has got a bit more adult themed as the video at the start focuses more on the girls flesh rather than her, this is typical to the pop genre and shows a voyeuristic attitude towards the female body. Another convention of the pop music video genre is that he is seen driving a very flashy car with all his friends looking as if they're about have a party, this shows that he had a lively lifestyle and is always out doing stuff with his friends which presents him in a very rich and cool way, he even has jewelry that further emphasizes the money and the lifestyle that he has with his friends. Justin Bieber has made some significant changes to himself, one being that he is presented as a sex appeal now, the extreme close up at the beginning with the girl obviously displayed this as it looked almost sensual for both of them, with this change is doesn't make relatable at all for male audiences, because this video is trying to get across that he's aware that he's good looking and attractive towards female audiences. I would make the argument that he is now a sex product so yes, they clearly saw the potential he had if he aimed his songs and videos more towards the female demographic and that they could see all the money that he could make, he has been made so that female audiences would find him attractive so that they can bring in more money than they would've got than before. The artist isn't as ordinary as before, though he has a normal desire which to always be around his girlfriend and would do anything she wanted so long as it pleased her, but he is extraordinary and trying to express this in the video, as said before he has become much more a sex appeal, so rather than trying to get the girl, he just keeps hold of her because he just wants to show that he's protective over her and wants her all to himself. The video places it more towards hegemony, the video is trying to get across again that if you look like Beiber you will get any girl you want, this means that Bieber can't be so far in rebeliance as he wouldn't have anyone for himself, so that's what the video is attempting to get at, the Bieber followed a lot of society's norms like having good hair, nice jewlry, nice cars all the things that people think gets them girls are used by Beiber meaning he is trying to be what his audience wants to see of him. As identified earlier, Bieber has tried targeting himself more towards the female demographic as they thought he was very good looking and loved him and his music, he tried to target himself towards boys as well but all the female attention would have put others off, in straying away from being the boy that every girl wanted and some boys wanted to be, he is now just what every girl wants from him thus why they have made him much more sex appealing towards his audience. Bieber knew what he was attempting as he tried to change himself further from what he used to be by spiking his hair up instead of just brushing it to the side, this shows the Bieber wanted to go in a new direction and wanted to become more attractive for female audiences as well as more masculine for male audiences so that he's more relatable. The messages behind this video are quite simple, if you really love you girlfriend, don't let go of them, be anything they want you to be if you want to make them happy. The messages have changed since the last video but this is because he's grown up which makes him more eligible for adult themes like sex appeal. Justin Bieber made this drastic change because he knew it would make him much more successful and more popular towards the media and would make him even more famous and a much talked about topic in the eyes of the media.

The last change of Justin Bieber I'll be talking about is with his song Where are U now. Goodwin's theory can again be applied to the video, there is a clear relationship between the music and the visuals, for example when the tune of the music is quite slow the audience see a slow zoom in towards Bieber which matches the beat which is just a slow tempo, but as soon as the beat picks up and the tune changes completely, the video also changes to show thousands and thousands of animated frames for the video, it matched the beat perfectly. The purpose of the relationship between the beat and the visuals is because it makes the music video flow a lot more efficiently, with a beat drop something intense has to be happening or something has to happen to show the drastic change of beat and tone. Justin Bieber has again noticeably changed his image and even the genre of music, it was a collaboration and a remix of an existing song, the song is more of a house track or dance track so the video must follow the conventions of those genres, one example of a convention the video follows is that the music and the video flow together really well it makes the video a lot more memorable as the audience will always think of what happens in the video when they hear the song in public. Another convention the video follows is that flashing imagery throughout the video where the beat has dropped, this is conventional as it simulates the night club atmosphere in a way, the people that would listen to songs like this would understand the flashing colours because it's like that at a club when the beat drops to a song. The video represents the artist in a very different way than before, he has found love or a good friend and let them in to his life, but they never return the favor and he feels all alone due to this neglect from a friend or lover, so Justin Bieber is alone in this situation and has to get through it without help, this is a huge leap from what he did before, there are no women in this video he fantasizes about either, this direction change put Bieber in high regards from different variations of audiences. I think there is a meaning behind this that shows he has always been a product, the fact that the audience see all these different drawings all over him are to suggest this is what record labels have done to him to make him so successful, they have changed his appearance numerous times and made him do collaborations so that he can get a wider range audience, the lyrics detail that someone had used him before and they never returned the favour, there is much speculation as to whom this could be but evidence suggests it's Selena Gomez as everytime she releases a new album he's seen with her but when he was in trouble with the police recently for crimes he committed, she was nowhere to be seen. In summary, Bieber feels he has been used for media and all the paint that is covered over him are how people perceive him and how record labels have changed him multiple times just so he can sell his albums. The artist is both ordinary and extraordinary in a way for this video, he is upset that he has been used by people he thought he could trust which happens to most people and makes people feel angry and upset at both the fact the person had no grudge against doing it for their own personal gain and the fact that the used person feels stupid for trusting them, the extra ordinary factor of Bieber in this song is that it feels much more personal to him and that he's helped someone become famous that didn't really care for him and only really cared for the publicity that would follow. I believe that the video is going against hegemony instead because he is almost showing the audience that he doesn't necessarily like the image that he has become for his fame and looks sad at the fact he's been used so much by record labels, this can be seen when his face is nearly covered with paint but looks down to suggest he is upset with what's become of him. Bieber's target audience are still his core audience from before that were girls that are really attracted to him, but he is also trying to branch into new territory like house audiences and dance audiences as this is a really conventional song of a dance track, the reason why he is branching out i because he feels as though the people who are with him are just using him so he doesn't to help those types of people anymore. The message behind this video is to be careful of those you trust, and if you can't trust them, then leave them before they use you for their own personal gain. Bieber has changed significantly since the last video as he seemed so trustworthy of the person he loved, and would go to any lengths to make them happy, in this video however he has become distrustful of those around him and doesn't feel he can trust them anymore.

Justin Bieber is not a very much liked singer as people feel others should be more popular than he is but he is very famous, this is due to the fact his first song was such a big hit to all audiences, he made it relatable for those similar to his age, he also made it popular because so many girls were attracted to him throughout his whole career and still are, he reinvented himself because he wanted to try and capitalize on the all the hype that was surrounding him at the time by becoming a sex appeal and changed one last time as he felt distrust towards those around him and thought he was being used. This research will help me decide on an artist specifically because all this has helped me gain a much greater understanding of Justin Biebers career choices and why an artist may choose a different path to go down, i believe using the same style of research for my chosen artist will help me understand more about the song itself and the different way I could make the music video for it. Maintaining a target audience is always good because if you keep hopping from one genre to another, you won't have a core fan base, you wouldn't really have many fans either due to the amount of variation in the videos, no one could understand the different career paths not would they understand the sudden changes.