NY mag: "What's the point of Katy Perry, even?"

[ByeBye49 161]

Eh, I still like Katy.  

[Mobster 14,604]

How much Country music have you bought and listened to in your life? How many Country concerts have you been to? 

Taylor may be a pop artist right now (who, by the way, still writes most of her songs like a country artist), but there is no doubt that she started out as a Country music artist and fit comfortably in that genre for most of the last decade. 

Maybe her first singles, but if I recall correctly, she became really famous (at least in the US) with Love Story and You Belong With Me, and those songs are Country Pop at most... and most singles from Red were solely Pop, such as WANEGBT,  IKYWT and 22.... and I'm not saying it's right or wrong and I know she is a gifted songwriter (not exactly my taste, because I'm not so into love songs, but I'll enjoy her music occasionally) ... It was just an observation about why people have found her transition so shocking, when songs like "You Belong With Me" are probably just as Pop as "Wildest Dreams"...

Anyhow, country is one of my least favorite genres, so yup, I wasn't referring to the quality of her music

[Didymus 34,379]

Some people calling this article trash and pointless would be quick to agree with trashy and pointless articles calling Gaga pretentious...  

Ugh.

First off: kinda off-topic, so let me steer you back. The difference between an article that claims Katy Perry to be pointless and valueless for the reasons listed in the text itself and an article that claims that Gaga is pretentious is that the first is a logical mistake and the second is just an opinion. Therefore people who aren't even Katy fans (like me) can call out this article for being wrong without even having to refer to her. That would be impossible with an article calling Gaga pretentious because it's about her - it's not referring to Gaga's place or "point" in the music industry which is ultimately about everything but the actual artists themselves, something the article's author isn't even capable of grasping.

[Kayla 7,595]

I just realized something.

 

The article references Taylor as an artist who shows growth and empowerment with her image. 
Taylor's first album was released at 16 and she started out very country. Her big change was recently when she donned a conservative yet s-xy style and went Pop. 
Katy was also singing very young, and was singing religious songs that were very different from her Pop albums. Her big change was when she came on to the scene and went from conservative christian girl to the 50s style bombshell style she had for her first big album.

The only reason we see Taylor as someone who's made a huge change in her style and music and Katy as not someone who has is because of how we view the timeline of their careers. If we looked at them both starting at age 16, not starting at just their big debut albums, we'd realize Katy has evolved just as much as Taylor. 

Taylor went from a wholesome country girl singing about love to a modestly s-xy pop girl singing about love. 
Katy went from an acoustic christian girl singing about Jesus to a s-xualized pop girl singing about kissing other women. 

That's a more drastic change, imo. 

[Whispering 18,865]

Maybe her first singles, but if I recall correctly, she became really famous (at least in the US) with Love Story and You Belong With Me, and those songs are Country Pop at most... and most singles from Red were solely Pop, such as WANEGBT,  IKYWT and 22.... and I'm not saying it's right or wrong and I know she is a gifted songwriter (not exactly my taste, because I'm not so into love songs, but I'll enjoy her music occasionally) ... It was just an observation about why people have found her transition so shocking, when songs like "You Belong With Me" are probably just as Pop as "Wildest Dreams"...

Anyhow, country is one of my least favorite genres, so yup, I wasn't referring to the quality of her music

She had three albums that were country albums. Country crossover still "counts" as country music, as it is a long and established part of that genre of music. "You Belong with Me" was definitely country pop, but it still had those banjos in the song...and it was produced by Nathan Chapman, who is a country music producer who does a lot of country crossover type songs. So no, "You Belong With Me" was a song with different instrumentation and production elements than "Wildest Dreams". 

I don't think the majority of people have found her transition shocking. They find it shocking that she completely left the comfort of that country crossover world. That move right there gave up a ton of radio support that could have helped her singles jump into the number one spot quicker and for longer. Also, it would have meant more sales for a singles and scarily enough, her album. 

[Whispering 18,865]

I just realized something.

 

The article references Taylor as an artist who shows growth and empowerment with her image. 
Taylor's first album was released at 16 and she started out very country. Her big change was recently when she donned a conservative yet s-xy style and went Pop. 
Katy was also singing very young, and was singing religious songs that were very different from her Pop albums. Her big change was when she came on to the scene and went from conservative christian girl to the 50s style bombshell style she had for her first big album.

The only reason we see Taylor as someone who's made a huge change in her style and music and Katy as not someone who has is because of how we view the timeline of their careers. If we looked at them both starting at age 16, not starting at just their big debut albums, we'd realize Katy has evolved just as much as Taylor. 

Taylor went from a wholesome country girl singing about love to a modestly s-xy pop girl singing about love. 
Katy went from an acoustic christian girl singing about Jesus to a s-xualized pop girl singing about kissing other women. 

That's a more drastic change, imo. 

I'm pretty sure they are referring to the change that the actual public witnessed. The change when theses artists were putting out music that more than a couple of hundred people noticed. What happened once they signed with a major label and had recognition from a somewhat sizable section of the GP? What has the GP seen over the course of your career? That's what they are referring to here. 

[Juvelius 375]

Amen to that. Also taylor swift is at the same league, or i think even worse her whole career(2006 until today) is bulit in princess and the sweet boyfriend stories(generic to hell for little teenage girls)

[Mobster 14,604]

"You Belong with Me" was definitely country pop, but it still had those banjos in the song...and it was produced by Nathan Chapman, who is a country music producer who does a lot of country crossover type songs. So no, "You Belong With Me" was a song with different instrumentation and production elements than "Wildest Dreams". 

Yet it was nominated for ROY, SOY and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and NOT Best Country Song or any of those categories... mind you, her first song nominated for a ROY/SOY... Look, I'm not complaining, I don't care what genre she is, but they have been milking this story of her country roots being so ingrained in her music style, yet her commercial success has mostly been due to her pop/country pop songs... Just baffles me, that's all

[Whispering 18,865]

Yet it was nominated for ROY, SOY and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and NOT Best Country Song or any of those categories... mind you, her first song nominated for a ROY/SOY... Look, I'm not complaining, I don't care what genre she is, but they have been milking this story of her country roots being so ingrained in her music style, yet her commercial success has mostly been due to her pop/country pop songs... Just baffles me, that's all

Because it was a country crossover song that did so well on pop radio. Of course, they submitted it to the pop categories! It was a big presence on pop radio. 

Country crossover artists have been around for decades and some of them have done EXTREMELY well. Taylor was fully in that category of Country artists for the first six or seven years of her career. Then she became a mixture of Pop artist/Country Crossover and now has put out a pure pop album. (Even though you can still see major influence from Country music in her lyrics) 

[Mobster 14,604]

Because it was a country crossover song that did so well on pop radio. Of course, they submitted it to the pop categories! It was a big presence on pop radio. 

Country crossover artists have been around for decades and some of them have done EXTREMELY well. Taylor was fully in that category of Country artists for the first six or seven years of her career. Then she became a mixture of Pop artist/Country Crossover and now has put out a pure pop album. (Even though you can still see major influence from Country music in her lyrics) 

Well that was pretty much my first statement... I was responding to someone who said Taylor did a 180° change in her career with 1989 and I said most of her singles from Red were already Pop as f*ck and a couple before that... I never said she doesn't have any country influence, I just don't see the major leap from Red to 1989... maybe you responded to me comparing her country style, to the Jonas Brothers' rock style... The Jonas Brothers are also "Rock Pop", but if they made a Pop album, most people wouldn't even perceive the difference... But hey, let's leave it there, I agree with you on Taylor Swift's genre being a country crossover... I just didn't agree with the media portraying it as out of the blue and risky

[EssenceOfPop 215]

She needed a harsh critical a--lysis, its about time really. Truth Tea though hennies. All Truth Tea.

[Raikov 183]

I don't get why anyone thought this deserved an article. We've had entertainers like this forever. The idea that a pop singer has to be artistically involved only really started in the 60s. Who cares that Katy makes generic pop music? The countless other generic and forgotten pop artists of their day never received such articles during their heyday.

Also, the choice of comparisons... Beyoncé doesn't write her own songs, so according to popular wisdom, she's not "artistically involved". Her brand of feminism is nothing subversive, full of platitudes like "woman and men should be equals." M.I.A.'s political messages are actually daring and risk making listener's uncomfortable. Beyoncé, Taylor, Rihanna, Nicki, Katy... I love their music, but it's never made me question my beliefs or reach some higher truth. Taylor's music is as conservative and uninteresting as Katy's - glass houses, people.

I'm sick of this obsession with the ideal singer-songwriter who writes, produces, sings, plays their own music and has complete control of everything. It's unrealistic. It also ignores the fact that not all music serves the same purpose. Is Velveeta healthy or gourmet? No, but that's not the point of it. The point of it is to be quick food to prepare when you've had a rough day and want easy, comforting food, not a 5-course meal. Katy Perry is Velveeta, but I don't think that's bad at all. ABBA didn't make challenging music and were hated by critics during their day for many of the same reasons as Katy, yet nowadays critics applaud them and artists cite them as inspiration! Could it be you don't need to be ~*~artistic~*~ to fit a musical niche?

Imagine if every pop singer attempted to write "deep" or "intellectually provocative" music. I would miss the superficial, silly songs! I love challenging music, but I also love simple pop songs that are energetic, that you can blast at a party and sing along to with friends. That music has every right to exist, and anyone who thinks music can only have one goal is constraining creativity as much as the Top 40 followers who only want club bangers. The Katy Perrys and FKA Twigs of the world can and should coexist.

[mic 1,415]

WTF, although some may be true... this is way too harsh.

At the end of the day, Ms Katherine has got more money in ha pockets. Bye.

and Paris Hilton even more

[Bury Me 477]

This is stupid and I don't even like Katy.

[Kayla 7,595]

I'm pretty sure they are referring to the change that the actual public witnessed. The change when theses artists were putting out music that more than a couple of hundred people noticed. What happened once they signed with a major label and had recognition from a somewhat sizable section of the GP? What has the GP seen over the course of your career? That's what they are referring to here. 

I know, and that's what I'm criticizing. As individual artists as a whole, Katy actually made a more drastic change than Taylor, but because Katy's "Before" happened before the noticeable part of her career and we got to see Taylor's "Before" and "After" during a time when she was in the public spotlight, we view Katy as a one-trick pony and Taylor as a Country-to-Pop huge change.