Week 8: Aesthetic Qualities

I listen to a lot of pop music and it's often difficult to see the unique culture and identity in each artist/group. It seems that to gain popularity all music had to have the same mass appeal. And yet to maintain popularity pop music needs to always have that something new, that hip and different. In order to bring a fresh sound to pop music, artists often turn to other music cultures for inspiration. In class, student presentations continue show different ways how traditional music from all other the world are incorporated into contemporary music.

One pop artist I enjoy is Shakira, except I prefer her Spanish albums to her English ones. Shakira gained widespread fame in the Latin world and manage to break into the American music seen. This is a remarkable accomplishment for any foreign artist, but it takes some sacrifice. Even though Shakira uses her Latin background to set herself apart from the typical pop females, she had to modify her original style to appeal to the greater American audience. Her English songs include a bit of Latin beats with minimal Spanish phrases to give the songs a more exotic flavor. Her music videos also usually show some Latin dance moves. This difference definitely helps Shakira win over fans in the States. Even though I find her English songs less appealing due to their simplicity, this could just be due to a language barrier. Since her native language is Spanish, singing in Spanish allows her to fully express her thoughts and feelings. Still, I admire Shakira's insistence on keeping traditional Latin influences in her pop songs. She incorporates Latin instruments and uses the fast, up-beat sounds of Latin dance music. Her love songs are very sensual and express deep emotions. These qualities help Shakira retain her Latin heritage while spreading her music to a worldwide audience.