The Imperial Phase
Jan 31, 2023 23:18:25 GMT -5
Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Jan 31, 2023 23:18:25 GMT -5
Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys coined the term "Imperial Phase" in the late 80s regarding the point when his band was at the height of their popularity. I've read it used a few times recently to describe artists who are at a dominant peak in their career. The point when they are so popular and successful, everything they touch turns to gold, they can do no wrong, they achieve instant success with whatever they do. But it's not something that lasts forever, or even for very long. It's said that most artists who reach a point of being in their "imperial phase" will reach it just one time, but some may have multiple ones.
From wikipedia:
Critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase: "command, permission, and self-definition".
The Spectator put out this article last year about Harry Styles entering his imperial phase and they explain it pretty well:
"The imperial phase is when an artist isn’t just selling records; it’s when approval of them has reached such a pitch that they can do no wrong. It’s when every magazine and newspaper uses any excuse to run photos of them, when their peers garland them with approval, and they seem to have a golden key that unlocks every day. This period usually defines a star for the rest of their life: a young Elvis swivelling his hips; Marc Bolan with tumbling curls and glitter on his face; Michael Jackson – whose empire stretched further than anyone before or since: the Alexander the Great of pop – in a red leather jacket and a single glove."
www.spectator.co.uk/article/harry-styles-has-entered-his-imperial-phase-but-his-music-still-has-no-distinct-identity/
It got me wondering about others artists from today or recently who have had their imperial phase and how long it lasted, or even who we might think is on the verge of entering their own imperial phase. Using the above references, the imperial phase extends beyond chart stats so hopefully we won't reduce discussion to simply listing chart stats.
Obviously the first one that came to mind for me was Lady Gaga, who's imperial phase likely went from 2009 until 2011. Maybe from "Lovegame" to "Born This Way" ish. I say it started then because my thought is that an artist needs time to build to a point where they can be seen as being at a point where everything they do is an instant success, and both "Just Dance" and "Pokerface" were builders that established the foundation of her popularity. Everything onward was instant and smashing, she was everywhere, her fashion and looks were all the talk, and then reached a point of oversaturation after the BTW album came out, people kind of lost interest in the day-to-day of Gaga.
Then you have Adele, who's imperial phase likely included all of the 21 era, from shortly after "Rolling In The Deep" became an established hit (probably actually after she performed "Someone Like You" at the Brits. That was what really pushed her popularity over the edge) and it probably continued until maybe after the hype of 30 died down? It's harder to judge her because her albums were years apart but the hype didn't really subside until after 30 came out. Even if the singles from 25 weren't huge, her popularity and album sales remained pretty steady.
Taylor definitely has an imperial phase. Likely centred around the 1989 era, probably beginning around Red and going from 2013-2015ish. I do wonder whether Midnights could be seen as a second one for her - or even if the folklore/evermore/TV's era could be some sort of precursor to that. I guess it depends on the legacy of those in relation to the rest of her career, but from 2020 onward, she seems to have been omnipresent in the music industry. Imperial phases aren't limited to a single album era.
From wikipedia:
Critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase: "command, permission, and self-definition".
- He defined "command" as an artist's ability to push the boundaries of their medium in a way that produces lasting change.
- "Permission" is the public's goodwill toward and interest in the artist's work.2
- Finally, "self-definition" is the concept that the imperial phase defines the rest of the artist's career; future works will be compared to those from the imperial phase.
The Spectator put out this article last year about Harry Styles entering his imperial phase and they explain it pretty well:
"The imperial phase is when an artist isn’t just selling records; it’s when approval of them has reached such a pitch that they can do no wrong. It’s when every magazine and newspaper uses any excuse to run photos of them, when their peers garland them with approval, and they seem to have a golden key that unlocks every day. This period usually defines a star for the rest of their life: a young Elvis swivelling his hips; Marc Bolan with tumbling curls and glitter on his face; Michael Jackson – whose empire stretched further than anyone before or since: the Alexander the Great of pop – in a red leather jacket and a single glove."
www.spectator.co.uk/article/harry-styles-has-entered-his-imperial-phase-but-his-music-still-has-no-distinct-identity/
It got me wondering about others artists from today or recently who have had their imperial phase and how long it lasted, or even who we might think is on the verge of entering their own imperial phase. Using the above references, the imperial phase extends beyond chart stats so hopefully we won't reduce discussion to simply listing chart stats.
Obviously the first one that came to mind for me was Lady Gaga, who's imperial phase likely went from 2009 until 2011. Maybe from "Lovegame" to "Born This Way" ish. I say it started then because my thought is that an artist needs time to build to a point where they can be seen as being at a point where everything they do is an instant success, and both "Just Dance" and "Pokerface" were builders that established the foundation of her popularity. Everything onward was instant and smashing, she was everywhere, her fashion and looks were all the talk, and then reached a point of oversaturation after the BTW album came out, people kind of lost interest in the day-to-day of Gaga.
Then you have Adele, who's imperial phase likely included all of the 21 era, from shortly after "Rolling In The Deep" became an established hit (probably actually after she performed "Someone Like You" at the Brits. That was what really pushed her popularity over the edge) and it probably continued until maybe after the hype of 30 died down? It's harder to judge her because her albums were years apart but the hype didn't really subside until after 30 came out. Even if the singles from 25 weren't huge, her popularity and album sales remained pretty steady.
Taylor definitely has an imperial phase. Likely centred around the 1989 era, probably beginning around Red and going from 2013-2015ish. I do wonder whether Midnights could be seen as a second one for her - or even if the folklore/evermore/TV's era could be some sort of precursor to that. I guess it depends on the legacy of those in relation to the rest of her career, but from 2020 onward, she seems to have been omnipresent in the music industry. Imperial phases aren't limited to a single album era.
