(Credits: Far Out / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Pop music often comes under scrutiny, which, the majority of the time, is unjustified.
You hear it a lot with rock purists, who think that the idea of someone who doesn’t play guitar is complete blasphemy. They attest that the only real music is that which is made by bands, and anybody else trying is just imitating proper artists.
Do you remember that video of Royal Blood hitting out at the crowd at Radio One’s Big Weekend? For those of you who don’t, the duo were playing their regular riff-heavy ruckus, and became agitated when the crowd didn’t respond the way that they would have liked.
“Well, I should introduce ourselves, considering nobody actually knows who we are,” said bassist and vocalist Mike Kerr. “We are called Royal Blood, and this is rock music. Who likes rock music? Nine people, this is brilliant.”
I’m not saying that Kerr is the embodiment of a toxic mindset, and I’m sure there are plenty of great pop artists he likes listening to, but this seeming superiority that rock artists (and lovers) think they have over other genres is representative of a pretty closed mind. Big Weekend is notoriously a pop heavy festival, and it was evident Royal Blood weren’t remotely interested in pleasing this pop-loving crowd.
This attitude is lazy. While there are no doubt some pop musicians who aren’t exactly the epitome of musical talent, the idea that the entire genre should be dismissed is reckless. Some of the most innovative artists in the world operate within the world of pop, pushing boundaries, changing cultural mindsets and, most importantly, releasing great music in the process.
Madonna is one of the best examples of one of these artists. When you analyse the pop superstars career, one of the most consistent aspects is a string of hits following behind her. She is no stranger to the top of the charts, in fact, she may as well own a small flat up there given it’s where she spends so much of her time, and this isn’t the result of churning out predictable and boring music. She has had a number one in every decade she’s been making music, and this isn’t an accident.
That being said, it seems that even someone with the plaudits of Madonna isn’t immune from the scrutiny of musicians from other genres. One of the biggest artists who she felt always looked down on her was Sting. She had a good relationship with the Police singer and his wife, but often felt as though he wasn’t the biggest fan. She still considered him a good friend, but given his calibre as a musician, she also felt as though he was always somewhat looking down his nose at her.
“I would consider Sting my friend, but I’m more friends with his wife, Trudie,” Madonna said.
Concluding, “He’s an incredible musician who plays 50 different instruments, and I’m always a little intimidated by him. I always think he looks down on me. Not down on me, but I’m just a pop star. He’s a real musician.”
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