Research- Conventions of Pop music

Conventions of Pop music

Background of pop music:

• The term 'pop' is an abbreviation that originally derives from the word 'popular'.  According to Grove Music Online, the genre 'pop music' originated during the 1950's in Britain. However this term was originally used as a description of Rock n Roll music, due to this type of music being 'popular' during this era. Whereas now, it could be argued that Rock n Roll music has become less valued in today's society. This is because, new genre's have been introduced, and therefore the term 'pop' is now used to describe/refer to a numerous amount of different genres, which are currently popular in the charts.

Conventions of pop music:

 

• The lyrics are often revolved around relationships or love. 
• The duration of a pop song usually lasts between 3-5 minutes, as well as having a clear, set structure and a consistent beat.
• Pop music also tends to follow current trends instead of being independent and unique.
• A 'verse-chorus-verse' structure is normally followed and hook lines are sued, as this therefore stays in the audience's head due to it being catchy. 

Conventions of pop music videos:

• Narrative's usually tend to be about relationships, breakup's or partying.
• The artist is often the main character and therefore has the camera predominantly on themselves. 
• Artist's are shown to be wearing modern and fashionable costumes.
• The artist's are usually presented as being happy and enjoying life.
• Pop music is stereo-typically associated with teens, as teens tend to be the main audience for this genre.
• Video's often include scene's of people partying/clubbing or being affectionate with their partner.
• Female artist's often represent themselves as seductive and therefore this can engage the audience due to them behaving in a mischievous or rebellious way. 
• Female artist's are also presented as wearing heavy amounts of makeup and this is because, in today's society, makeup is a way for artist's to express themselves and their emotions. 
• Over the last few years, technology has shown to dramatically improve, therefore, animated scene's have become more popular within pop videos, as this helps to create an exciting, loud and energetic atmosphere.

Key players in pop music:

A key player in pop music at the moment is female artist, Selena Gomez. Selena has currently released a new album called 'Revival' , which has been shown to be a great success and also the name of her current world tour. One of the main tracks which features on this album, is called 'Hands to Myself' and this video includes many stereo-typical conventions of pop music/videos. 

In this video, Selena is represented as being seductive and mischievous. She is also presented to be wearing a full face of makeup and wearing very little clothing. All in which are common conventions of a pop music video. In addition, the narrative in the video is based around a relationship and therefore both characters, including Selena, are shown to be happy and enjoying life. Furthermore, the lyrics are revolved around love and a relationship and the duration of the video is 3 minutes and 47 seconds, again being the usual duration of a pop song.

Another key player in pop music at the moment is male artist, Justin Bieber. Justin has currently released a new album called 'Purpose' , which has been shown to be also be a great success and also the name of his last world tour. One of the main tracks which features on this album, is called 'Company' and this video includes many stereo-typical conventions of pop music/videos.

Although Justin Bieber doesn't feature in this music video, the other characters are shown to be having fun and are represented as stereo-typical teenagers as shown via their choice of outfits and behavior. In addition the narrative of the video is based around teenagers partying and spending their day in the company of their peers. All in which are common conventions of a pop music video. Furthermore, the lyrics are revolved around love and relationships and the duration of the video is 4 minutes and 55 seconds, which although could be considered as fairly long for a pop video, however, still remains in the common duration. 

 Laura Mulrey's theory on the Male Gaze, suggests that women who are in front of the camera are usually objectified by the male camera crew and forms the idea of Voyeurism. This is the idea of looking in order to gain a sexual pleasure and therefore male viewer's gaze at the screen to notions of voyeurism. In addition, Goodwin argues that the female performer will frequently be objectified in this fashion, often via a combination of camerawork and editing with fragmented body shots, emphasising a sexualised treatment of the artist. Furthermore, I feel that this is very common in pop music video's and is also noticeable in both Selena's and Justin's video's.