PHOTO from www.people.com
Change, that is one thing that is almost certain for most artists. However, is every kind of transformation beneficial for their careers? And nope, I am not talking here about a shift in their musical style or creative direction.
Rather, I speak of who they are to their fans—it is the perception people have of them—the public image they give off.
On the other hand, it is also about trying to understand makes their followers turn away from them and suddenly chose to support other artists instead!
In this article, I will be focusing on two controversial artists and the consequences of the “transformations” they have gone through during the last few years, and what in my opinion can perhaps be done to save their public image.
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In the case of Justin Bieber
Just mentioning the Canadian pop sensation’s name these days instantly elicits a response, and not surprisingly, it is mostly comprised of negative and harsh remarks.
Indeed, how quickly things have changed for the public perception of Justin Bieber!
Why so? Almost all of us can remember how just a few years back he was so adored by his supporters—his screaming fans composed mostly from the pre-teens to late teens—who stood by him every step of the way and how they would gobble up every licensed merchandise related to him. Bieber was such a phenomenal success the he was the envy of even seasoned artists and veteran performers. Not the case so, now.
The reality is that the ongoing problems that beset Bieber are not done with yet. All those controversies that surround him will continue to hound him until such he decides on his own to free himself of his “excess baggage”.
All his “excess baggage” have clearly become the main reasons why he began experimenting with drugs. This, in turn, led him to commit misdemeanors which in one instance landed him in jail. All of these have badly hurt his public image. The very same perception people had of him as a very wholesome and likeable teen pop star is now virtually “dead”.
But before anybody can rule that his career is already winding down, and that his career has peaked already, it is important to point out that Justin Bieber is still raking in huge numbers when it comes to album sales and digital sales. He can still sell out venues when he does his tours to support each new album he has released in the last couple of years.
So, the numbers are still there. It is just that he has to really get a hold of his personal life, and focus more on his work as a recording artist. Perhaps a shift in his attention could lessen the source of “distractions” that have plagued him and pushed him to do unsavory things that are slowing killing his reputation.
On the other hand, Justin Bieber is still a big name in the music industry. He can still draw support from certain places and for what it is worth, he is after all one of Canada’s greatest exports in music industry in the last 30 years. He can still bounce back from all of these issues bogging him down. He can still repair his public image. Not only that, he can still redeem himself, if he so wishes. It is not impossible. But the journey for him would require of him to surround himself with positive people again in his life and who are after his best interests with no strings attached.
In the case of Miley Cyrus
Where do I start ? Well, in the case of Miley Cyrus, her transformation over the last few years is almost a complete 180 degree turn from her old self when she was still portraying the “Hannah Montana” character for Disney. But of course, there are some who will say that there is nothing wrong with what she is doing and that she is being criticized unfairly. And that everything she has done since then is all part of growing up. Really, now?
Unless you have been living under a rock, of course, you can say that. But some of the things she has done have frankly disturbed me, and it is not just about the twerking and so on. It goes much deeper than that. It is the message she sends to her young supporters and listeners which in the long run will have an influential effect on them.
For me, when you reach a certain age, you don’t have to be a parent to realize that you should watch with your kids, from time to time, what they see on television and on the Internet. After all, there is so much filth that are easily accessible from media. And whether we want to admit it or not, a few of those objectionable and extreme antics do come from Miley Cyrus.
It would be easy to point our fingers at her and ask, “When will she stop with her racy and highly inappropriate behavior?” I will venture to answer this.
It is because artists like Miley Cyrus, legally, don’t have an obligation to be mindful of what they do while they are performing onstage or while they are on tour. And they can’t be held liable if someone’s kid decides to follow the messages in some controversial songs. The responsibility really falls on the listeners in trying to filter on their own to able to choose wisely what they believe is good or bad. In the case of minors, this is where their guardians come in.
Since we are on the topic of Miley Cyrus, I have to say this. A while back, when I did a single review of “Wrecking Ball”, it did cross my mind and got me reflecting if I was a bit too harsh in how I have criticized her single and the music video? Months went by, and after reading all the confirmed reports of controversial things she continues to do—I mean, it is all over YouTube also—I, then, came to the conclusion that I wasn’t wrong, after all, in the things I had said in that old article of mine. In fact, my opinions expressed they were perfectly justified. They had to be said and I have no regrets about them.