Research: Star Image

Introduction: What is a star image?

Star image is the way in which an artist is portrayed by the audience which is also referred as their image, the way they look, dress and behave. Star image is represented though the music videos that are shown to mainstream and international audiences which they are then able to recognise easily.
The artists image is important as it plays a role in determining the success od the artist and also allows the audience to form their own opinions on them. Their star image is further important for the music industry as an artists success determines the industries overall success and their financial gain.

How can music videos help boost an artists career?

• Makes the artist more popular - By making a music video that's successful and with the audience can enhance an artists fame and popularity by making them even more famous in the music industry as their unique music video will be easily recognisable.
• Shows the artist off to a mass audience - A music video is very important as it helps the audience understand what type of music this particular artist produces, further giving them a choice to whether they want to listen to their music or not. Without a music video, an artist may only be known by a smaller audience. There are many different platforms such as YouTube, iTube, iTunes, etc for an artist to use to produce music on and allows them to gain a larger and international audience.
• Promotes the artists image - Through a music video, an artist is able to promote their unique style to the audience and is given the chance to show off their individuality. This could potentially attract the type of audience they're looking for themselves, someone who has the same music taste and other interests like them.
• Music videos live longer than an artists single - Its beneficial for an artist to decide to make a music video as it is unlikely that it will be removed, unless there are problems such as censorship issues. As a result, they are likely to receive many views no matter how old the video might be and will carry on getting views. In contrast to an artists single which doesn't last forever and is very likely for people to stop listening to after the  hype revolving around it has dispersed.
• Artist and audience build a relationship - Creating a music video will allow the audience to build an ongoing relationship between the artist and audience as the audience will gradually feel closer to the artist. Moreover, they can feel closer to the artist and are able to relate to the particular lyrics or narratives within the music video. Through this, the artist is also able to build a fan base.

Music videos can either make you more successful and popular with the audience however, sometimes music videos can also effect an artists career in a negative way. For example, they could be misinterpreted differently to how they initially wanted causing them to loose fans.

Case Study - Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue is an example of how her music videos have changed over time discovering how they changed and how this also influenced her image to change as a result.

1980's

• Started in the soap industry 'Neighbours'
• Her target audience was pre-dominantly teenage girls as they were able to relate to Minogue's songs and behaviour.
• She had a star image of an innocent, sweetheart, girly body language
• Her singles were never sexy or based on hard core relationships
• She was a young girl with values, cheerful and chilled
• Her lyrics were often childish and innocent

Early 90's

• Her target audience was between boys and girls in their late teenage years
• She began to intimidate young teenage girls as they were unable to connect or relate to her
• Her appearance also changed as she became more glamorous and sophisticated in a sexual way to attract attention from the opposite sex, also to be admired by other females
• Her dancing became carefully choreographed as became the centre of attention
• Her values drifted more towards the opposite sex
• Her lyrics became more meaningful and mature

Late 90's

• Minogues target audience gradually drifted from teenagers to a wider male audience as her image also changed into a more sexy, sophisticated, mature look
• As her image became more sexy and somewhat daring, she was perceived as more intimidating and empowering for some audiences
• With her image changing, her values also changed. She was portrayed as flirtatious yet independent
• Her dances developed as she began to dance alone in skimpy outfits
• Her lyrics also changed, becoming more confident and daring to the opposite sex for example, "I've got nothin' left to hide."

2000's

• From young teenagers to a predominant male audience, Minogues target audience become young adults in their 20's of both sexes. This was due to Minogue producing music for clubs,
• She become more sexual and this time aggressive and intimidating
• She had more backup dancers and the style was very much daring and sexy
• Her values focused on the importance of being confident in yourself
• Her lyrics changed, intensively becoming more aggressive supported by her daring tone.

Case Study - Miley Cyrus

I also looked a how star from young, Miley Cyrus has changed through her music videos over the years and how this has also influenced her image.

2007

• Miley Cyrus began her career through the popular childrens channel 'Disney' staring in a show called 'Hannah Montanna'. She played the strong female lead role in  the show and was seen as a role model to young female audiences.
• She was already recognised for sweet girl image and charming voice in which she decided to develop her singing career. Her music video '7 Things' released during 2007 portrayed her as an innocent and relatable teen girl who other young females can look up to. In the song, she sang about girl problems and boys which most young girls can relate to therefore making her very popular. Singing about relationships despite her young age was still perceived in an innocent way and not sexual at all. Her values being that every girl experiences heartbreaks no matter he age.
• Wearing minimum makeup with her long curly locks, this image was just another cute and innocent girl, a conventional teen. She is perceived to be wearing vests and skirts in a innocent way and not by exaggerating any of her female assets. 

2010

• In 2010, Miley released another song called 'Cant Be Tamed' and from the previous song she released in 2007 is different which by promotes that shes becoming more rebellious and does not take the audiences opinions into consideration hence the title 'cant be tamed'. She begins to present herself in a provocative way as she wears clothes in which reveal more of her female assets following with close-up shots to really accentuate them. Moreover, she wears more makeup than she does in her other music video which gives her a new image by making her look older than she is. Miley now looks even more glamed up to make her look 'grown up' with blonde highlights all over.
• Her lyrics are relatable to teens which make her very popular among the younger audiences, it tells the audience that she is ambitious and wants to be set free with daring lyrics like 'I cant be tamed, I cant be tamed, I cant be blamed'. This is evident that this is a new stage in Miley's life, she is getting older and she wants to address her young audience of the changes. The close-up and long shots highlight her in the developing stages into adolescence. In addition, her dancing has also changed in a way that involves more back-up dances to have the audience focus on her more. Her values within the video are that individuals should be free to whatever they want to do, do what they believe in and ignore the people that tell you cant.

2013

• In 2013, Miley cyrus really changed up her image despite the fact that many didn't agree with what she had become. She came out with two songs that described how she really felt about the situation and both made a positive and negative impact. Her music video 'Wrecking Ball' portrayed Miley as a changed person evoking harsh criticism and controversy due to her recent situations. It is seen as provocative and controversial as she sits on a large wrecking ball with little clothing, licking the building tools sexually. Her passion is also supported by her red lipstick which connotes her love, lust and passion about the person shes singing about. The younger audience may not relate to her song, instead they perceive her as a threat due to her lyrics and visuals becoming more sexual and intimate rather than playful and light-hearted. 
• Her song 'We Cant Stop' also reflects her own problems in dealing with criticism she got from many people however she just shakes it off. She dances  provocatively and constantly sticks her tongue out making her look more sexually appealing to audiences. She sings about drugs and sex which the younger audience cannot relate to and therefore make people react in a negative way as she has a big influence in the younger audience.

Star image: Sexual, political, moral and social reasons

• Star Image: Sexual - Some individuals can sometimes use music videos in order to exploit or to feel comfortable with their sexuality. For example, Jessie J and Macklemore promote their support for the 'LGBT' community by mentioning it in their songs. Some artists also use it in a way to attract more audiences.

• Star Image: Political - Some artists like Kanye West and George Micheal use their music videos in order to promote their political views on some things to spread awareness to a large audience. This informs and educates the audience about the important political issues. For example, Kanye West's 'Sierra Leone' music video was to present young black children from west African countries who have been through poverty and trafficking. Although, due to his content, the music video was said to be quite controversial.

• Star Image: Moral - Some artists use their music videos as a  way o express their personal opinions on issues in like what they believe in and what is important to them. For example,  Micheal Jackson promotes his opinions and morals about the earth through the 'Earth Song' using realism and harsh imagery to show audiences the damaging that we're doing to the world. This also evokes emotions from the audience and therefore he is able to get his point across effectively.

• Star Image: Social - Some artists also use their music videos to simple represent a type of lifestyle or ideologies they believe in for example, the Saturdays and Drake are portrayed to reflect their own lifestyle within their music videos such as showing off their expensive taste in material things and the type of parties they attend, the lively atmospheres and etc.

Conclusion:

Star image is important as it encourages the audience to form their own opinions about the artists they watch and listen to. Through music videos, viewers are able to make their own decision and opinion on particular things, seeing the transformation of artists can be shocking for the audience as they may discover changes that occur in an artists image and persona over time that can be different from he last time. When creating a music video, I plan to represent my star image in a conventional manor as a mass audience is able to relate to that particular persona, therefore giving the music video a higher chance of success. I will ensure that I follow Dyer and Goodwin's characteristics for this to happen. I want my artist to promote their moral values through the lyrics and their performance as it is important for an artist to draw upon particular issues within society they feel should be addressed or lack the importance they deserve.