Who Is Your Idol?
It's fun to sometimes go crazy about a show
Two of the biggest names in music, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, are currently doing their world tours, and journalists are following them with reports about what effort and money fans are willing to give to attend one of the shows.
As a musician, how do you get there? It is undoubtedly not the quality of the music alone. While fans swoon over what magic Taylor’s or Beyoncé’s songs do to them, many other brilliant lyricists and composers are around on all levels of popularity.
What is it, then? While becoming a superstar always involves a lottery jackpot level of luck, it is undeniable that very few people just got the special something. They walk into a room, and somehow, the lights shine on them. And some can transport this to a hall with 50,000 people, and even via the Internet.
I get it. Like no other art form, music lets you deeply connect with its creator. Good songwriting always includes vulnerability, which can make you feel close to a musician without ever meeting them. And seeing them in real life, even if it is together with a thousand other people, can be an extraordinary moment.
I certainly remember the rush when I saw my favorite act live on stage for the first time. And while some played in big arenas, I came to appreciate the opportunity to meet the artist in person and take that over big show productions and the glamor of a superstar.
So yes, I do understand when Swifties and the BeyHive break the bank to see their idols live or camp in front of the merch booth to take a little piece home.
Who is your idol who played the best show ever for you? Who are you looking forward to seeing next? Being excited about artists and sometimes doing silly things to connect with them is fun, regardless of age.
Song Pick of the Day
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The Canadian musician Frankie Flowers went through some bad times in "I Just Want To Disappear," but turned to singing and creating post-punk-inspired indie rock.
We have loved the super-talented singer, songwriter, and producer Mïrändä (her real name minus the umlauts) since the dawn of glamglare. Her latest song, "Porcelain Dolls," is an elegant, bright synth-pop track about the complexities of uncommitted dating.
While "Cellophane" comes from the other side of the Atlantic, we don't diverge much musically. We have had London musician Tiiva a couple of times on glamglare with swirling, shimmering synth-pop productions. This time the singer, songwriter, and producer collaborates with Polly Scattergood for a song about the "UK government pushing creatives to 'retrain.'"
Berlin-via-Croatia musician Mirna Stanic, aka M.Rider, released a beautiful track about listening to the "Little Things" in a relationship. "These little things, little signs, quietly whisper the truth to us – if only we would listen," she says.
London singer/songwriter Eaves Wilder gave herself only a three-month break after her debut EP Hookey before releasing new music. Is it really "Better Together," she asks, because "I'm not gonna cut myself in two to be your other half."
Now I Can Get Over You" could be a prequel to the previous song. Singer Lydia Read of the Bristol band Hunny Buzz muses about the relief after the end of an unsatisfying relationship.
Calling a song "Champagne!" already invites you to party and dance. Add Kelsey Warren's (Black Emoji) funky production, and you have a new summer hit at your hands. With her song, New York singer/songwriter Cillë celebrates the "irreplicable bonds between women."
Also Happening at glamglare…
The Nobel-prize-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman takes a break from analyzing the world economy and turns to music. “Is Taylor Swift Underpaid?” he asks, and his answer comes down to a “Yes.”
Water & Music interviewed Lex Dromgoole (behind the paywall), the CEO of Bronze, a startup working on a new “fluid” music format. Their COO, Denzil Thomas, explains it here. The idea is “recording” music as a model that can produce different song versions while keeping its essence intact. Think of multiple life performances of the same song.
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