This time it's Miley Cyrus, a 17-year-old (yes. . . not even legally an adult) who has chosen to walk the path to pop music sustainability by going through an almost overnight transformation. It's not an original move. It's a path that's been followed many times before. . . . and, it works. Now, one must wonder what effect Miley's makeover will have on the values, attitudes, and behaviors of a host of elementary-aged kids who watched and adored her and her every move.
Rewind a few years. Some of you have been around long enough to remember me showing the four-paneled photo from a 1999 edition of Entertainment Weekly that depicted the first-step in the well-researched formula for pop stardom. There it is, over there to the right. You might not recognize the four look-a-likes in the photo. Each of them went through a rather hasty transformation process that left them looking, living, and leading quite a bit different than when that photo was published. A few years after that photo ran in EW, I wrote a piece entitled "How To Make A Pop Star" that explained the time-tested recipe and how it works. The piece included these words:
In an effort to help parents and youth workers understand the Britney Spears phenomenon, I researched Britney’s short 16-year-old story, deconstructed the lyrical themes of her debut album, and looked to discover the reason for her almost overnight success. Little did I know how successful and enduring she would be, but a young and relatively innocent Britney Spears was giving hints to the secret of pop idol longevity when she verbalized her determination to follow in the footsteps of her idol, Madonna, by constantly reinventing herself so that her popularity would never fade.
What’s all this musical history and trivia got to do with teens and their culture today? Fastforward to the Spring of 2005 and you’ll find the answer. That’s when I was a fly on the wall at a conference for marketers on how to successfully market to children ages two to 12. While there, I sat in on a seminar featuring a woman from Virgin Records who takes credit for creating and masterminding Britney’s meteoric rise to fame and fortune. Her seminar was titled “Grabbing Kids’ Attention in a Competitive Marketplace: Creating the Next Pop Icon.” Finally, I was going to learn the secret formula from someone who had actually enlisted and refined it!
After showing us a video of a young male artist Virgin hoped to launch later that Spring, the seminar presenter showed a clip that documented Britney Spears’ evolution as a pop star. She then went on to tell us what the record company did when they first met Britney back in 1998. The first step, she said, was to put her out in the public eye and portray her as the All-American girl. The reason? She’ll grab the attention of kids and gain the approval of mothers, those gate-keepers and pocket-book-holders who first need to embrace Spears as wholesome and healthy if there’s any hope of selling music, tickets and merchandise to their kids. The kids in her target audience, by the way, were as young as four and five years old.
But that’s not enough. Pop stars—to be enduring (we were told)—need to maintain “edge.” You see, the marketers understand that kids don’t always remain kids. They grow into teenagers and then into adults. Just as their bodies go through change, their tastes change as well. Consequently, if Britney Spears stays the same, she’ll wind up being nothing more than “so yesterday.” Because kids are in the process of breaking ties from mom and dad, they want their own music and their own stars. If mom approves, then it can’t be good. How did this work with Britney? Our seminar leader told us that Spears, by design, was initially a darling of mothers of young girls. It was all part of the master marketing plan to establish and sell the Britney Spears’ brand. But as those young girls grew up, they didn’t want to be listening to music that soothed mom’s ears and worries. So, Britney started the process of going over the edge, reinventing herself like Madonna, over and over again. In the words of our friend from Jive, Britney’s success—and the long-term success of any pop star—is that “she’s constantly pissed parents off!” That’s also why today, Britney and her three clones don’t look, sing, or act anything at all like each other or like they did back in that original photo!
(You can read the full text of "How To Make A Pop Star" here.)
Well, the formula's been used again. This time its with Miley Cyrus. Take a look. . .
The formula - and Miley - are worth talking about with your kids. Just remember, it will happen again.
11 comments:
Why would we be upset at a money-making machine when its simply doing its job? Its making money. Its industry. Its gears and cogs. Every artist everywhere, when they sign their name on the line of a major record label is (perhaps unwittingly but probably not) turning in their right to say what's what on just about every level and allowing the money-making machine to draw those lines and make those calls. In exchange: big payday. So, we see Hannah Montana turn into Hipboot birdgirl. This video is argued to have been "tastefully done" but regardless, its the same formula that has prevailed for the past 60 years or so: Sex Sells. Yep, Hannah Montana got killed by a bird.
Great post, Walt.
My cautious optimism regarding Miley Cyrus over the past few years has proven to be wasted. It is saddening that a girl who has declared herself to be a Christian (google "Miley Cyrus and Jesus" for specific instances) leaves Christian teens wondering what happened, as she chooses to portray herself in an intentionally ungodly way. I am especially disappointed because I thought her performance in "The Last Song" was very good, and the movie itself was poignant and positive. Every time I shake my head in dismay, I will also try to remember to pray for Miley.
Very sad. She leaves the viewer with no doubt that she intends to be rich and famous, no matter the cost; even if that price is her soul. Unfortunately, she's heading for disaster. Another life tainted and destroyed by Satan and his lies for this world.
My teen daughters and I watched the Miley video "Tamed" and we processed it together. We immediately noticed how edgy and sexy she was trying to be, and found it disappointing and unnecessary. "Why did she have to go there?" we asked ourselves. Thanks for the reminder that there is a "machine" behind these pop stars and with a strategy to maximize the marketing of their "product".
Finally, do you expect this same shift to happen to Taylor Swift (rising young artist, who actually has cornered the market on sweet and innocent on many levels)? I hope/pray she doesn't go there!
Surprised? not at all sadly. You warned us Walt. I tried to warn my youth about it and I hate to say "told you so" to them but you were right. I just wish one pop star could break the mold someday and not buy into this. take care
craig
My daughter and I are disgusted! Same story, new verse! Very unoriginal, very disappointing, and very nasty! I'm really sad and would love to know where her parents stand in all of this. Unbelievable!
Excellent post. Don't forget to pray for the marketers who often don't really realize what they are doing...they just know how to build marketing "success models" and continue to push the models without realizing what they are doing to our youth culture.
At times in the song it sounds like she's singing "I can't be saved" - not "I can't be tamed".
Maybe it's my 'dad' ears that are picking that up, but the only real comment I have for that is how sad. There's a reason I've not let my children watch Hannah Montana, and now I know why.
We all need to be discerning - and to not be fooled.
Thanks Walt.
We enjoyed the early Hannah Montana years but remained cautious all the way because of previous examples. We stopped listening when the first Miley Cyrus album came out. It is interesting now that she still has one more season of Hannah Montana to finish on the Disney Channel.
When you intentionally build a machine that you know will end up at this stage, you are purposefully setting kids up to stumble into immorality and rebellion and selfishness. This seems to qualify the people behind this marketing as people for whom Jesus said were in a heap of trouble if they don't repent.
It is important, as many have pointed out, that we watch and listen with our children. My daughters and I saw the switch on the Hanna TV show a few years ago. I have noticed that all Disney and Nick shows encourage dating and sexuality above all else, got to get the guy, got to look just right to get the guy, I teach Kindergarten at a Christian school and when I have a 5 year old girl that is behaving too old for her age, wanting a "boyfriend" etc.. I speak to the parents about what they are letting their daughter watch... Surprise!
All the things that people said she was going to start doing, she's proving them right, and that's incredibly sad. I understand that a lot of Christians are trying to be as positive as they can about it, but at some point you need to realise what a dangerous path she seems to be going down.
One of the biggest problems to me, seems to be her belief that it is 'art', and therefore harmless, but after seeing that video, I certainly don't think it's harmless.
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