Luckie Starchild
Diamond Member
Has a special title
2020 PMA Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011 PMA winner and 8X nominee!
Joined: September 2003
Posts: 14,525
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Post by Luckie Starchild on Nov 11, 2014 20:45:16 GMT -5
The music is good plus she's smart, pretty and comes across as genuine.
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popstop
6x Platinum Member
Pulse's Summer Intern
Advancing the Mountain Time Zone for all mankind
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Post by popstop on Nov 13, 2014 16:01:05 GMT -5
I just saw that she has been sending some of her stans early Christmas presents and they are posting to tumblr, twitter, and insta what she has sent them.
I think she is just proving to be a savvy marketer in a social networking age - she's made a point of the fact that she studies her fans, and so she's using technology in brilliant ways. She knows what makes her fans tick and she crafts songs to appeal to them. She's also indirectly getting her name out there and using social media in a way that endears her to her fans. I'm not sure it all has been a consciously shrewd move - it could be just how she is, but it is clearly working for her.
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Post by K. on Nov 14, 2014 7:33:49 GMT -5
She strikes the delicate balance between being wholesome and yet still talented/interesting enough for 20-somethings to not feel uncool saying they like her songs.
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kanimal
3x Platinum Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,043
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Post by kanimal on Nov 14, 2014 11:05:50 GMT -5
Music: Good music wins. From the beginning of her career through 1989, she has steadily released good songs. While I personally still feel Fearless was her best work, there has not been any significant drop off or "bad album" that an artist typically has at this point.
Demographics: I can't think of any modern artist whose appeal is this broad. For starters, her music alone is a reason she appeals to so many different crowds. I've seen six-year-old flower girls at a wedding jumping around to Shake It Off...and I've seen 30-year-old, heavy metal-loving, former college football players doing the same.
Kids also love her because they can relate to her or because they're growing up with her as the big, catchy pop star. Moms love her because she's wholesome (and thus good for their kids) has "old lady" tendencies (uses words like darling, takes cooking classes, loves cats, etc), and successfully panders to that crowd with songs like "Never Grow Up" and "The Best Day." Guys love her because she's attractive (but not defined by her hotness in a way that would make liking her seem transparent - the way it would if you, say, liked Megan Fox as an actress) and adheres to a lot of All-American girl tendencies (she's independent and strong but also very feminine and classy).
The Journey: Her sound has evolved in such a way that it remains faithful to why her core fans like her but also becomes more accessible to non-believers (or at least those who wouldn't admit to liking her, as I've yet to find one person of any gender or musical taste who truly didn't like "Our Song"). But it's more than that. She's also transitioned from "innocent" to "down-to-earth."
Don't get me wrong - she was always "down-to-earth" - but I think there was an element of the "innocence" that people didn't buy (and made hipster/blogger-types resent her). Is she really that shocked that her amazingly buzzworthy and acclaimed album is winning awards? Does she really think every guy who says he loves her actually means it? Could she have possibly thought hooking up with a notorious playboy like John Mayer was a good idea?
By becoming more self-aware, she allows the truly likable qualities (hot but not slutty or overtly threatening about her looks, funny but not in a mean-spirited way, nice but not in a hopelessly naive way) to shine. She is *different*--and more likable and accessible--than the typical pop star, and that resonates so much clearer now that she's ALSO demonstrating her wisdom and self-awareness.
(Case-in-point: remember how she got offended when Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood mocked her love life? That made her unlikable to some, but now she's making the same types of jokes about herself)
She Actually Does Stuff: A lot of people look down upon the calculated way she behaves. "She only dances like an idiot at awards shows to get on camera." "She's only doing these fan sessions or hospital visits to get publicity." And while I do think there is a lot of authenticity there, let's be honest - a lot of what she does IS calculated. She's one of the savviest, most calculating players in the game.
But at the end of the day, she's actually doing all this calculated stuff. If uncoordinated, goofy dancing gets you face time, DANCE...or accept less face time. If inviting fans to your house is a great way to get publicity, do it...or accept less favorable press.
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