Why Artists Who Don't Write Their Stuff Are Not Really Artists

[inuborg 4,135]

are you saying you don't respect or appreciate artists like

elvis presley, whitney houston, aretha franklin, dusty springfield, frank sinatra, diana ross, ella fitzgerald etc etc etc?

 

interesting

Well first off, I don't respect and/or appreciate Elvis Presley cause he's a thief 

And second off all, being honest  with you, I don't really care too much for the artists you listed off. There is no doubting Whitney's technical ability though. 

[AbuHassan1992 766]

so actors aren't artists either, then?

[inuborg 4,135]

so actors aren't artists either, then?

Could you take that any more out of context? 

 

[Fusel 1,085]

Ok so i really really prefer singers who write their stuff & i'm only vaguely interested in those who don't, but i can't agree. Look at actors. They don't write their own stuff. They're a vessel communicating the writer's idea to the audience

[Alien Tulip 12,428]

If you don't write your own songs, you need to be at least extraordinary singer/vocalist and performer, that makes you an artist.

 

If you have writing camps and professional lyricists + mediocre voice - you're an entertainer/singer.

 

So people should stop bringing up Whitney or Celine or even Tony only to defend Rihanna or Britney.

They are in totally different leagues. 

No one even brought up britney to defend whitney or celine dion  Britney herself said shes an entertainer and not an artist. 

[lego 44,165]

No one even brought up britney to defend whitney or celine dion  Britney herself said shes an entertainer and not an artist. 

 

They are brought up every single time when people talk about singers who don't write their own songs.

 

[comrade 33]

You wanna compare these people to Britney and Iggy?

Really now? 

are you literate?

 

"I could never respect and/or appreciate "artists" who do don't write their songs."

[AbuHassan1992 766]

Could you take that any more out of context? 

 

It's not out of context. A writer makes a script and the actor interperpates it. Just like singers do. 

[inuborg 4,135]

It's not out of context. A writer makes a script and the actor interperpates it. Just like singers do. 

Still apples to oranges. I can see your point, but what I expect from a singer/rapper and a actor are two completely different things. 

While yes, an actor is a vessel for the script, a singer/rapper should be a vessel for their own thoughts and feelings. 

[Blue Jeans 3,815]

So you're saying that 

Edith Piaf

Elvis Presley

Whitney Houston

Diana Ross

Frank Sinatra

Marvin Gaye

and much more aren't artists ?

 

[AbuHassan1992 766]

Still apples to oranges. I can see your point, but what I expect from a singer/rapper and a actor are two completely different things. 

While yes, an actor is a vessel for the script, a singer/rapper should be a vessel for their own thoughts and feelings. 

why do you keep saying vessel? that implies ANYONE could do what actors or singers do, and do it well with emotion and while being believable. 

A recorded piece of music IS a piece of art, regardless wether the singer wrote it or not.

[Haroon 49,685]

I disagree, I believe that artists who don't write their lyrics are simply not singer-songwriters, they are still artists in their own right  Writing lyrics isn't the be all and end all, there's more to it than that. There's the album and direction and performances and touring and other things too, simply not writing lyrics doesn't discount any and all work the individual puts into these mentioned categories

Plus even if you're singing lyrics that you haven't written, you're putting your stamp onto those lyrics and conveying them in your own personal way. You're creating art even if you're creating from materials that you didn't make  

[AJH219 4,448]

Sorry, but this is a narrow minded view. Celine Dion is an artist (one of the best of all time) and she hardly ever writes her own songs. 

[mariomania1234 11,368]

If you're not going to write your own stuff, you need to be an extremely good and emotive singer for it to be considered art IMO.

A good majority of pop stars today are industry vessels. 

[Shadow 6,039]

What about actors and directors who don't produce their own material? Is what they do not art? Also, authors of books are very creative, but you don't see many of them skilled in art to express it in other ways. Sometimes, art isn't some self sufficient island, it can be an archipelago with many reflecting lagoons, in that it can be a team effort in that some produce, others reflect, regurgitate it, and express it from their perception or use their talent to magnify an art's presentation and expand the scope of creativity. One person can only do so much and kudos to artists that are jacks or janes of all trades, but with the size and magnitude of such big productions a team could accomplish more.

i grow tired of judging people for not being able to juggle, hop on one leg, and sing opera. I may not like what artists are doing, but creditability in how art is created is subjective since it isn't fulfilling primal needs or rocket science with lives at stake. And art can be so broad and vague these days, or at least what people consider noteworthy like calling a toilet a fountain... If you don't like what they're selling, decline to purchase.