Nothing wrong with some sex appeal, but is this getting out of control? In a recent conversation with the Guardian, XL Recordings founder Richard Russell aggressively challenged the notion that female artists must be hyper-sexualized to succeed, while recoiling from the "faux porn" seeping into videos today. "I felt a bit queasy," Russell said after watching a raft of sex-focused music videos broadcasting on MTV.
That includes Rihanna`s "S&M," which - surprise - perfectly describes the video. "But now you see that Adele is number one. What a great thing, how amazing. Not only are young girls going to see that, but [also] the business people who are behind all those videos. It`s going to make them rethink what they should be doing."
But hasn`t this been the formula for most female artists for decades, at least in genres like pop and urban? And, a central component of the vitality surrounding artists like Lady Gaga and Madonna before her? Perhaps, but Russell complained that the resulting product is more typically "boring, crass and unoriginal," which could easily be pinned to artists like Rihanna, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and even Gaga.
The question is whether Adele is an exception, or whether she really has the power to transform the marketing and perception around female acts. "The whole message with [Adele] is that it`s just music, it`s just really good music," Russell said. "There is nothing else. There are no gimmicks, no selling of sexuality. I think in the American market, particularly, they have come to the conclusion that is what you have to do."
Then again, maybe all the hyper-sexualization is helping Adele, simply because consumer appetites are often reactionary. Meaning, too much of one thing simply produces an appetite for another, often the exact opposite. And that`s a trend that will probably never go away.
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Nothing wrong with some sex appeal, but is this getting out of control? In a recent conversation with the Guardian, XL Recordings founder Richard Russell aggressively challenged the notion that female artists must be hyper-sexualized to succeed, while recoiling from the "faux porn" seeping into videos today. "I felt a bit queasy," Russell said after watching a raft of sex-focused music videos broadcasting on MTV.
That includes Rihanna`s "S&M," which - surprise - perfectly describes the video. "But now you see that Adele is number one. What a great thing, how amazing. Not only are young girls going to see that, but [also] the business people who are behind all those videos. It`s going to make them rethink what they should be doing."
But hasn`t this been the formula for most female artists for decades, at least in genres like pop and urban? And, a central component of the vitality surrounding artists like Lady Gaga and Madonna before her? Perhaps, but Russell complained that the resulting product is more typically "boring, crass and unoriginal," which could easily be pinned to artists like Rihanna, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and even Gaga.
The question is whether Adele is an exception, or whether she really has the power to transform the marketing and perception around female acts. "The whole message with [Adele] is that it`s just music, it`s just really good music," Russell said. "There is nothing else. There are no gimmicks, no selling of sexuality. I think in the American market, particularly, they have come to the conclusion that is what you have to do."
Then again, maybe all the hyper-sexualization is helping Adele, simply because consumer appetites are often reactionary. Meaning, too much of one thing simply produces an appetite for another, often the exact opposite. And that`s a trend that will probably never go away.
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