Aguilera is very versatile in her music and she shows this through her latest single "Your Body", which shows her singing a more upbeat song with strong elements of electro pop. This was a rapid change from the Jazz and Blues genre which all her latest songs had been. Not only has her style of music changed but her look has gone from "girl next door" when she started out as a teen sensation to Marilyn Monroe look alike and sexy young mum. This gave her the opportunity to attract a broader target audience which then led her to developing her music more.
Christina Maria Aguilera
DOB: December 18th, 1980
Genres: Rnb, Pop, Electro, Soul, Latino
Occupations: Singer, Songwriter, record producer and actress.
Years active- 1993-present
Label- RCA
Website: www.christinaaguilera.com
EARLY LIFE.
Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York. At the age of 6 her parents divorced and Aguilera moved to Pittsburgh with her mum and younger sister. Aguilera has spoken of her fathers controlling nature and physical and emotional abuse to her and her mother and how music was her only escape.
CAREER
in 1998, Aguilera sent in a demo of her covering a Whitney Houston song to Disney as they were looking for someone to cover "Reflection" from the film Mulan. The demo caught caught the attention of producer Ron Fair who managed to get her signed to RCA Records in the same week.
Relationship:
Aguilera began dating Jordan Bratman, an American music Marketer in 2002. They were infamously known for their strong relationship and they were happily married from 2005 - 2011. In this time they had a son, Max Liron Aguilera. Aguilera has openly spoken about the link between her marriage and her music.
Sales
Stripped was the album on which Fighter, our chosen song, was released. This was Aguilera's fourth studio album and it debuted at number 2 in the US, selling 330,000 copies in it's first week. To date the album has sold over 4.4 million copies. Stripped was certified 5x platinum and was named the 3rd best selling album of 2003.
1) Analysis of Candyman
Dyers theory relates to Aguilera in this video as she appears as a normal person who wears make up and is interested in fashion. However there is something about her looks and her voice which the audience aspire to. The image below portrays Aguilera in a normal looking, quite casual outfit. However the scene shows her surrounded by men which leads the audience to looking at her as and inspiration.
In Aguilera's "Candyman" Dyers theory isn't actually shown as much as with other artists such as Flo Rida or Trey Songz. However in some of the lyrics Aguilera talks about places such as "The Spider Club at Hollywood and Vine" and talking about drinking champagne. This shows the record label using the song and the artist as a product as they are creating an idea for the audience of what her life is like and what they can aspire to be like.
In Aguilera's "Candyman" Dyers theory isn't actually shown as much as with other artists such as Flo Rida or Trey Songz. However in some of the lyrics Aguilera talks about places such as "The Spider Club at Hollywood and Vine" and talking about drinking champagne. This shows the record label using the song and the artist as a product as they are creating an idea for the audience of what her life is like and what they can aspire to be like.
The above image shows one of the outfits which Aguilera wears throughout the video. Aguilera portrays all three singers, however with a different hair colour for each one. She wears a military like white blazer and skirt which is below the knee. This creates a subculture as most pop artists want to be seen in skimpy outfits which show their toned bodies to their audience. Aguilera is demonstrating her versatility and her willingness to broaden her target audience by appealing to people who don't conform to the mainstream.
The above image shows another scene in the video where Aguilera portrays the famous factory worker, from the "We Can Do It" poster during the war. This again shows Aguilera keeping away from the mainstream and showing her younger target audience some history and iconic people. However she has made the outfit more fashionable and tighter to show the sexier side to her personality, which relates to the song.
Goodwins Theory
There is a strong link between lyrics and visuals in this video. For example when Aguilera begins singing "Candyman, Candyman, Candyman" a group of young hunky army men walk down the stairs towards her. Aswell as this when Aguilera portrays the three singers she links the lyrics to simplistic dance moves, such as rubbing her belly when she says "He really had me working up an appetite", this is shown below. This makes the three singers look like an in sync group of performers and they look more professional.
The relationship between music and visuals is shown throughout through the use of dance. Whenever the beat picks up in the chorus Aguilera is either shown dancing on the stage as part of the three piece group, above, or with a male army partner. The image below again shows an older style of dance, which doesn't conform to the mainstream and present day hip hop dancing. The dancing duet goes in time to the jazz style of the trumpets and flutes being played in the background by the live band on stage.
In this video there is a strong sense of voyerism as Aguilera is constantly the main focus of attention and being watched by the men in the room. All eyes are on her as she is dancing on stage, walking around the room and wearing tight outfits, which aren't skimpy but were seen as provocative and sexy during the war.
This video is heavily performance based and also has a strong concept. There is a strong sense of dance throughout this video and the whole song is sung into the camera by Aguilera. In fact this video is so influenced by performance that Aguilera portrays a different artist on stage throughout. The concept in this video is the whole war and military theme. Every last detail has been thought through from the costumes, to the live band and even the icons which Aguilera portrays.
Aguilera's image is almost iconic throughout this video. She is shown in four different outfits which all play a part in the concept. The military suit is white which is a feminine colour which connotes purity, as she sings about her "Cherry popping" which would mean that she is what was believed to be lady like in them days. However this suit may have a long skirt but it is fitted and she adds a splash of red lipstick and nail varnish to portray lust and provocativeness. The next outfit is a short baby pink dress, which is loose and flows but pinched in at the waist to show her cleavage. This relates to her being surrounded by army men in this scene as she looks more seductive. Another scene shows Aguilera in a red cropped shirt which is tied at the waist to show her belly and matches her lipstick. This is a less feminine look as she is wearing denim trousers, however she has added red heels and the trousers come up to her waist which compliment her curves. Curves were adored by men during the war as they were seen as sexy rather than the size zero girls in the media nowadays.
The final outfit is far more sexier and seductive than any of her others. Aguilera is wearing marine blue hotpants and a crop top which mocks the navy uniform. This again shows her versatility and how she can be more promiscuous and attract a different audience such as males. The outfit compliments her figure and she is surrounded by men in the scene who are staring at her which again shows voyeurism.
Aguilera's audience for this particular video would be teenage girls who would look up to her for inspiration. However as this isn't the normal pop video it any female can relate to Aguilera who isn't seen in too many skimpy outfits. The song is very catchy and this conforms to the conventions of a pop genre. Also she isn't seen in a club or at a party which means any female can relate to it as she is simply having a good time.
Fighter
There is no relation between lyrics and visuals in this video as the whole video is concept based. The concept in this video is dark and erratic. There are no clear themes and a lot of the scenes become more random throughout as none of them link to each other. In some scenes Aguilera is performing, which adds a performance element and helps her build a relationship with her target audience.
The lighting used throughout the video is all low key artificial lighting and it never changes. This adds to the darkness in the lyrics which can be seen as a link between lyrics and visuals even though it isn't direct. The low key lighting used adds mystery to Aguilera's character as there is no narrative and therefore the audience don't understand why she is so hurt and why she has had to become stronger. The setting used represents the idea of isolation which the artist felt as there is no end to the big empty dark room which she is in.
The above image shows the low key lighting through this video.
Everytime the beat changes in the music the scene changes. There are various things happening throughout this video such as Aguilera being shut in a glass cage or being metaphorically stabbed in the back by people trying to put her down. For example Aguilera is shown smashing through the glass cage when the chorus begin's which relates to the fast bassy beat of the music. This happens again when she is pulling sharp objects out of her back because she is becoming stronger. As the music become angrier and more aggressive she is shown fighting back and breaking through all the bad stuff.
This video is performance and concept based. The concept is not actually clear, however it is dark and symbolizes raw emotions which the artist has. The performance shots in this video are used to relate to the audience and help the artist relate to the song which shows that she isn't just singing it but she actually believes what she is telling people. She is trying to send a message to her audience that they can overcome anything that happens to them in their life and they can be stronger than they think they are.
Aguilera's image in this video is all black and very dark which relates to the concept and the emotion in the lyrics. The cape shown below is worn by Aguilera throughout the majority of the video. It almost portrays the idea that she is hiding something and it adds a sense of mystery to her character. As there is no narrative in this video the audience don't actually understand what she has been through and this dark cape helps cover that up even more. There is a strong use of black and heavy make up as well which again adds darkness to the lyrics and more emotion. Black connotes sadness and death, which could mean the death of a relationship among other things.
The target audience for this video is mainly females who Aguilera feels that she can relate to and perhaps help. A younger demographic is probably more suitable for this song as the artist if trying to send a message that young girls can get through anything even when they feel so low and like no one and nothing can help them.
Researching my chosen artist has aided me in understanding her as an artist, her background and what has influenced her music and style throughout her career. This has helped me and my group to create new ideas and choose which style of music video we wish to create. We decided that when creating our music video we would add a touch of the darkness and emotion from Aguilera, however we want to create a performance based video with a narrative that the majority of our target audience can relate to. Watching Aguilera's video for fighter has inspired me to use more colour in our costume makeup and different settings to keep the audience interested and build the narrative.
No comments:
Post a Comment