Artists with the "it" factor

[Deleted]

This is more of a random topic, but it's something I was thinking about the other day. People often talk about certain artists having an "it" factor about them, or some sort of undeniable star quality. Sometimes it varies, too. Some people can see a certain star quality in a certain artist, while someone else can look at that same person and fail to see or hear anything particularly special.

So, my question is, what is your definition of "star quality," or the 'it factor,' and what artists possess it? Are there any superstars that seem to lack that 'it factor' for you? It's more of an open-ended question, but I'm curious to see the answers.

[Deleted]

My faves.

[Lockheart]

Beyonce, GaGa, Rihanna, Britney, Justin Bieber all have that it factor and star quality for me but I still fail to see any in Katy, Ke$ha, Taylor Swift, One Direction etc

[Deleted]

Britney has gone almost 10 years relying on her "it" factor(and fumes). She has spent the last 8 years of her career wobbling and stumbling through and yet has maintained a great career. She's the definition of "it" because it sure isn't her talent that's keeping her at the top.

Beyonce and GaGa have it aswell(although both have the talent to back "it" up)

Oh I didn't answer the question. I don't know if you can put "it factor" in a box. Some stars just have the presence that makes them stand out among the rest. The opposite of having "it factor" would be Rihanna to me. She has a great team and a great style but she's lacking the "it" factor. Take away her smoke and mirrors and I'm not sure she could stand as tall as she does.

[Dalliance]

The one that immediately comes to mind is prime Britney, I suppose. It didn't matter if she couldn't sing; and I don't even think she was all THAT great a performer in retrospect...but she did have an "aura," I suppose. Still does, actually.

I'm not going to go all out listing people though. It's become way too easy and boring to define "it" factor as anyone successful with a pretty face, a good voice and an overwhelmingly "well" constructed facade/public persona. I think if we were to be more discriminating and less prejudiced about this we'd conclude that the whole thing is incredibly shallow, fake and meaningless--relevant only because of our own desires to project: that is, "transferred narcissism."

[Keelzit]

Britney is the definition of 'it' factor. Same goes for Rihanna and Beyonce.

GaGa doesn't have that but she's super talented and a perfectionist which is why she's an entertaining performer too.

[K.]

I think the "It Factor" is just another way of saying you cannot divert your attention away from the artist. When their song comes on, everybody stops and goes "what is that"? Or if she performs on television, people come in from the kitchen to see what is going on.

That can be accomplished in a number of ways, but I really think it has little if anything to do with talent. It's more about just being different from anybody else, while at the same time, all the pieces of what make up the artist (voice, image, performance, etc.) make sense and gel together.

As for who has the "It Factor," I don't really know how to answer that question. All of the artists frequently discussed on this board have "It."

[Au$tin]

I'm with Khrazy. Everything said there.

I'd say artists with the "it" factor right now include Britney, Gaga, Taylor, Bieber, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Bruno, and Timberlake to name a few.

[G-Reg]

Justin Bieber - If "it" is tons of record label $$$.

[Au$tin]

Feb 5, 2013 19:04:44 GMT -5 G-Reg said:

Justin Bieber - If "it" is tons of record label $$$.

That wouldn't explain the huge album sales. I don't like him, but I can't deny that he has something that makes girls cream themselves. That's "it" when it comes to cheesy pop boy music.

[Fat Ass Kelly Price]

Michael Jackson

[Arrow]

I think the "it" or "x" factor is mostly about people becoming obsessed with someone simply for being who they are and just kind of becoming interested in the person solely for breathing. The Beatles, Elvis, Princess Diana for instance are some figures I think of as having a massive x factor.

Britney has been named in this thread and I agree with the sentiment only because it really does seem like people were obsessed with her simply for being who she was. There was a very prolific period of her life where Britney wasn't a pop artist and wasn't doing anything noteworthy and yet people still stalked her, talked about her and obsessed over her for doing virtually nothing but driving around in sweat pants and scratching her head.

I wouldn't say that Beyonce and Gaga have the it factor though, mostly because I don't think it's their natural charm or general personality that brings interest to them. That's not what draws people in. Their audiences seem to be drawn to the fact that they work hard, put forth a ton of effort and do whatever it takes to gain the attention they receive. It's not naturally afforded to them just because of who they are or an innate charm that comes simply by existence. It's not just a general air about them it's their work and effort that has paid off for them in spades. I would say in essence their "x factor" is manufactured based on what they do to deviate themselves from the pack -- through effort, costumes, visual aesthetics, controversies and everything else.

I would say no one else really has it in pop right now, from what I have seen in terms of the pop girls. Katy is to bland and Rihanna feels both lost and contrived. P!nk, Lana and Ke$ha are more like icons rather then holders of a specific x factor in that they have personas that feel like they are identifiable to a certain niche group of people and say something about our rather divisive time period.

[Lockheart]

Clearly THE Michelle Williams has the "it" factor

[Luckie Starchild]

Feb 5, 2013 15:39:18 GMT -5 @carrieflattsfan said:

Are there any superstars that seem to lack that 'it factor' for you?

Bette Midler comes to mind... I don't really get her...

[Almost Honest]

Go to 4:10:


Nuff said.

[Keelzit]

Pls. Kelly is one of the best vocalists ever but she's nowhere near the level of Britney, Madonna, Beyonce, etc. when it comes to people being stunned by just seeing her ie. not opening her mouth to sing.

[musicjunky318]

Why is Britney more popular than Christina? Someone generally regarded as being the more talented between the two?

Why was Diana Ross peerless in her day? Patti and Gladys were both on the scene.

Why can the same be said for Beyonce now?

Why does Michael Jackson continue to be held up above Prince, who frankly is a musical genius?

Why is Marilyn Monroe given more props and accolades than Jayne Mansfield and Lauren Bacall?

Ladies and gentlemen, here's the "it" factor. Some call it swagger. You either got it, or you don't. It can't be bought, defined, or created. But when it's there, you'll know.

[Deleted]

What Jazzy said, of course.

When I think of 'it' I think of someone who has a magnetic personality and story. Like Arrow said, people with 'it' seems to naturally draw interest simply for being who they are. It's something separate from their actual career but having 'it' heightens the perception of said career. If Britney were an actress or a model, rather than a singer, she'd still have that undeniable appeal. If Marilyn Monroe had only been a singer, people still would have been drawn to her. For whatever reason, her life story is just fascinating; it's the book that you can't wait to see how the next chapter will turn out.

And I do think there are varying levels of 'it.' Some have it in huge does, some in smaller ones. Some have it for a lifetime and some only have it for a couple of eras ('it' is like mojo, it can be lost). Some have zero, and then some have what I consider a negative 'it' factor. This is a case where people are drawn to talking about you, but for all the wrong reasons...rather than being interested in your story they are obsessed with seeing your eventual downfall, and even after it's clear you're kind of over they insist on dragging your name back up just to they can crap on you. Christina Aguilera is one of these people IMO. And for Pulse, Ciara and Ashanti have this (though for the general public those two likely have zero 'it'). Some stars are very polarizing and have both positive and negative 'it.' Gaga, for example, either pulls people in or repels them.

Since every female fave is going to be mentioned and disputed at some point I'll just talk about one. Adele has 'it' in SPADES right now. People are riveted with her, and her private nature makes her even more interesting and a bit mysterious. Then when you do catch a glimpse of her personality in an interview or acceptance speech, it's really bubbly and sweet and fun, and it adds this really great contrast to the mature and serious demeanor of her music. And I feel that if Adele were an actress or philanthropist or whatever, we'd still have that impression of her and find her fascinating because of it.

[Deleted]

Feb 5, 2013 21:13:41 GMT -5 Almost Honest said:

Go to 4:10:


Nuff said.

I use to watch Idol back then and from the first time she came on the screen and sang i knew she had 'it", rooted for her throughout the show and rather odd i didn't follow her career after. Fantasia was another one, if you have any sort of musical taste and ear the first time you hear a singer or see them perform you can tell if they have the it factor, regardless of musical preference.

[bornfearless2000]

Britney Spears is the only right answer.

[Envoirment]

Feb 5, 2013 22:17:41 GMT -5 Keelzit said:

Pls. Kelly is one of the best vocalists ever but she's nowhere near the level of Britney, Madonna, Beyonce, etc. when it comes to people being stunned by just seeing her ie. not opening her mouth to sing.

But she is a vocalist, which defeats the whole point of it if she's unable to open her mouth. Madonna, Beyoncé, Britney ect are known more so for putting on great shows rather than vocals, although Beyoncé is a great vocalist too. When kelly sings, she is definitely on par with those mentioned regarding the "it" factor.

[Keelzit]

Feb 6, 2013 5:37:29 GMT -5 Envoirment said:

Feb 5, 2013 22:17:41 GMT -5 Keelzit said:

Pls. Kelly is one of the best vocalists ever but she's nowhere near the level of Britney, Madonna, Beyonce, etc. when it comes to people being stunned by just seeing her ie. not opening her mouth to sing.

But she is a vocalist, which defeats the whole point of it if she's unable to open her mouth. Madonna, Beyoncé, Britney ect are known more so for putting on great shows rather than vocals, although Beyoncé is a great vocalist too. When kelly sings, she is definitely on par with those mentioned regarding the "it" factor.

Kelly is talented but that's it. For me talent is not the same as 'it' factor.

[REBIRTH]

Britney, without a doubt. There's something about her, besides her charming personality, incredible performance skill, catchy tunes and all around flawlessness, that keeps the world intrigued and literally wanting more.

[Deleted]

Feb 6, 2013 9:42:05 GMT -5 Keelzit said:

Feb 6, 2013 5:37:29 GMT -5 Envoirment said:

But she is a vocalist, which defeats the whole point of it if she's unable to open her mouth. Madonna, Beyoncé, Britney ect are known more so for putting on great shows rather than vocals, although Beyoncé is a great vocalist too. When kelly sings, she is definitely on par with those mentioned regarding the "it" factor.

Kelly is talented but that's it. For me talent is not the same as 'it' factor.

This is the kind of response I was hoping to see when I started this thread. Just because someone is talented doesn't mean they have the "it" factor, and frankly I didn't start this thread so people could just stan for their favorites. Not everyone that I listen to has an 'it' factor, and it's worth noting.

My personal list of artists who have the 'it' factor is VERY short, and it's because I don't think every artist out there deserves to be labeled a star.

The ones I agree with:

Beyonce
Gaga

I don't see the star quality of:
Taylor
Katy
Rhiannah

Indifferent:
Britney

[Luckie Starchild]

Feb 5, 2013 22:19:52 GMT -5 musicjunky318 said:

Why was Diana Ross peerless in her day? Patti and Gladys were both on the scene.

A lot of it comes down to good management, label support and MONEY. There are big corporate machines behind all of this.

BTW, in June of 1986, Patti LaBelle had the #1 album on the Billboard 200 (Janet and Whitney were #2 and #3). Patti had already been around for 25 years at that point but she was at a new label that was making her a priority. Diane Ross' hit-making days were already over at that point.

[tsr]

Taylor and Beyonce are probably the biggest ones in my mind.

[Love Plastic Love]

I am always interested to read what other people define as It Factor. I have never thought of It Factor to be natural charm or personality, for example. To me, it is an indefinable star quality that pulls people in. Britney had it, but I don't think she does anymore so it can be temporary.
Gaga had it (maybe still does). For both, they became wildly more popular than other pop stars out there with similar airplay and promotion. Like, there is a reason Britney exploded bigger than Christina, Jessica, and the slew of pop girls at that time. There is a reason Gaga exploded over Rihanna, Katy, and Kesha (at least momentarily). That reason cannot be boiled down to "they worked harder" or "they had more promo" in my opinion.
Katy is interesting to me because she is basically a star that doesn't have It Factor at all, but they are trying to force it anyway. She has a huge team behind her calculating everything, constant promo, there isn't an awards show she hasn't attended in like, the past three years, attempt after attempt to get people interested in her personal life and, to some extent, it has worked. I do think that just a great team and great career choices can manufacture It Factor well enough to keep a career going. Or, rather that It Factor isn't the only aspect of a career that matters.

[Almost Honest]

Feb 5, 2013 22:17:41 GMT -5 Keelzit said:

Pls. Kelly is one of the best vocalists ever but she's nowhere near the level of Britney, Madonna, Beyonce, etc. when it comes to people being stunned by just seeing her ie. not opening her mouth to sing.

If that's the case I guess I'm a little confused as to what this "it" factor is. I believe all four of the singers that are mentioned have at one point had that "it" factor if that means that there charisma when they are performing or singing shines through. But like the thread states not everyone is going to agree on which artist has the "it" factor since we all have varying tastes in music and performance.

[Joe1240]

Taylor Swift
Katy Perry
Rihanna

Taylor,Katyand Rihanna are the biggest it factor out of the artists out there IMO.They have the most buzz in the industry.These are three artists that come to mind when great performances are at first throught.

Ones with no "It" Factor-
Lady Gaga
1D
Justin Bieber
Psy
CRJ
The Wanted

Yeah I love CRJ's album Kiss but you never hear anyone buzzing about any of these artist's performances at all in recent years.

[moore746]

I'll never forget what Sheryl Crow said about Michael Jackson, who she served as a backup singer for: he had the ability to change the molecules in a room. Now THAT is the it factor.