But even though I don't like her (at all) I've listened to her songs the way I listen to a lot of songs, over and over again. First it was just Tic Toc and I could live with that, but then it was also We R Who We Ru (by the way, I'm not looking up the real spellings of these songs, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!) Recently, I started listening to Cannibal which I sort of love even though it's horrible, and then I started listening to Sleazy.
Hold on a second, that's four songs that I have listened to en masse from an artist that I like nothing about. I do basically the same things with Britney songs, but I don't feel bad about that because it's Britney. Even though I don't really respect or love her, I feel a strange kind of fondness because she's the sex symbol that's setting unnaturally high standards for women that I grew up with. Also, she had a rou
gh patch there, so I'll forgive her.
Kesha, on the other hand, is terrible. Just terrible. But at one point do I stop blaming the pop industry for churning out musical cocaine and start realizing that it says something about me that I have liked four Kesha songs.
Mostly, though, I just wanted to call your attention to the following photo.
This has got to be one of the least flattering photos ever taken of anyone in existence. I'm not wrong am I? Seriously, if I was going to make a movie about a modern reincarnation of the Greek Furies (super ugly mythological women, sort of like harpies) I would use this picture as a model for the costume designer. But so much effort went into making this picture look the way that it does. Why?
Kesha is, like, pretty. I mean, without the makeup and everything she looks kind of like a freckly Taylor Swift. So why? Just why? It boggles the mind.
Am I a bad person for liking four songs by this artist when most musicians can't make enough to scrape together rent? Discuss.
I don't think that makes you a bad person. Even though I've ranted about how much I absolutely despise Nicki Minaj and that I refuse to listen to her trash, there are some songs where she's featured that I can't help but listen to (here's lookin' atchu, David Guetta's "Turn Me On" song--damn you!) And I refuse to listen to any of her other songs.
ReplyDeleteSo you have a guilty pleasure. It doesn't mean that you necessarily like the artist as a human being, but it doesn't mean they don't make catchy music. (Consequently, I feel the same way as you regarding Britney Spears.) Or maybe it just means that you love her and you refuse to admit it. But hey, no one's judging.
Much.
@Cerasi: I kind of think that Ke$ha is purposefully commodifying herself as a dirty popstar in juxtaposition to more polished acts like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. By making herself stand out we pay more attention to her. Her songs aren't the best, but she did do a great cover of a Bob Dylan song for AmFar that really does showcase her voice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNCEV7ZSNFo
ReplyDelete@Ada: Unfortunately David Guetta can do no wrong, including making Nicki Minaj less annoying
No, listening to catchy crappy music does not make you a bad person. If you wanted to be just like K-dollar sign-huh, there would be a problem and I would tell you, but just listening to it, nah. There are a number of popular songs on the radio that I hate listening to (Moves like Jagger, I'm looking at you) but sometimes I find myself listening to them anyway.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cylon that she is purposefully trashy. Though I don't think that makes it any better. I just think of her as dirty.
Weirdly enough, I confuse Ke$ha and Katy Perry a lot. I think it was over the summer that two songs of theirs sounded alike, and then they just combined into the same person in my mind. I think Katy Perry does have a modicum of vocal talent, though I'm not so sure about Kesha. Since the two melded together though, I find I listen to both of their music less. I used to like some songs from both of them (sad to say, I kind of obsessed over Tik Tok, Hot and Cold, and some others) but now I'm kinda over both.
And about Britney. Maybe it's because she was the rising pop star when we were younger, you know that impressionable middle school age. Or she's just musical crack.
But I think this touches on a larger issue of who we idolize. (Not that any of US idolize these singers, but in general) Are celebrities really worth the attention we give them?