Growing up, my all-time favorite artist was Michael Jackson, so much so that I would rarely listen to anything else. If I had a say in what I was listening to, MJ would be it. No questions asked, hands down. That was in the 80s and very early 90s. Then in 1996, I saw Celine Dion's video for "Because You Loved Me" and that one song moved MJ out of the way, for Celine's voice had stolen my heart. I became a superfan of Celine Dion, and my fandom of Celine has outdone my MJ fandom with regard to intensity.
Fast-forward to 2010, some 14 years later, and a new artist is starting to win me over. I cannot say officially yet that this new artist has trumped Celine, but I get more excited with this new artist's new releases over those of Celine's now. That artist would be Katy Perry. Admitting here, I feel immediately like I'm supposed to be this professional musician with superb taste in music and an ear for quality. Right there, Frank would disagree with me. But yes, I consider myself to have a discriminating ear. Why? Well, most people, when asked about their favorite music reply "I like everything." That's not true for me. I don't like everything. In fact, more and more hip-hop songs, for example, are coming out that have such asinine lyrics! Or the music is very redundant with little creativity involved.
My love for Celine is founded on her incredible voice and beautiful music videos. Her voice and range are velvety smooth, and all her songs are so positive, and the only thing she really sings about is love. She's moved masses with her voice. Being a classically trained musician myself, if I like someone, I want to have professional reasons for liking them. For Celine, no she doesn't really write her own songs, she records others' songs, and her interpretations are true works of art.
My love for Katy Perry stands on how she not only writes her own songs, but the words are applicable to so many people's lives. They're humorous, catchy, and you can dance to just bout all of them. They're FUN! I remember when I first heard Katy's song "I Kissed a Girl". At first I admit I was a little turned off. I didn't know who this girl was, and thought her voice was too raspy for being so popular. She sounded very "throaty" which initially turned me off. Then a friend introduced me to her song "Ur So Gay" and the song cracked me up. I thought the lyrics were clever, especially the line that goes:
You're so sad, maybe you should buy a Happy Meal.
You're so skinny, you should really Super Size the deal.
That line made me just about die laughing. Then, I heard her other single "Hot N Cold" and the energy behind that one lit a spark within me that turned that song into my favorite one on her debut album. The video was fun to watch, the lyrics were clever, the music was addictive, and she definitely at least co-wrote it. The other thing about her lyrics that I find so attractive is that they're blatantly honest sometimes. Cue the release of her songs "Thinking of You" and "Waking Up in Vegas". The former is a beautifully moving ballad with a rockish edge about struggling to love someone new because you're still in love with someone who's gone. In the context of this song, her true love was killed in war, and she can't be intimate with her new man without thinking of her deceased lover. "Waking Up in Vegas" is the adventure a lot of us want to have in Sin City: the fun, the lavishness, the risk, the gambling, and the consequences that follow. That's America, right there.
This year, she debuted her new album called "Teenage Dream". I remember reading the reviews on iTunes and 1 critic said that her music was like indulging in your favorite junk food at midnight. I don't want to think of her music as junk food, sweet but unhealthy. It's music and we love music because it's supposed to be fun to perform, dance to, listen to, etc. I could go on and on about this but that's a different blog. Her first single was "California Gurls" celebrating the beauty of the ladies populating the Golden State. Featuring what I thought was a climactic vocal climax it was enough to make me download the song and listen to it on repeat in my car. Then the album's title track was released: "Teenage Dream". Though the video has some risqué scenes, I loved the music and lyrics because they often define how I feel about Frank.The lyrics and music seem to depict, to me, a time when we're just barely out of our teenage adolescent years, in our early 20s, and find a love that feels stronger and more substantial than any puppy love we may have felt in our earlier youth. It's fresh music, it's driven, with a rock edge, and it evokes a feeling of nostalgia; being able to feel young and in love with the one you've found who's moved you so deeply. Then her latest single was released: "Firework". Initially, judging by the song title itself, I wasn't sure I'd like it. Since I follow Katy on Twitter, she was going on and on about how special this song was. When the video was finally released, I saw it and I was nearly moved to tears. The "Firework" she refers to is the spark that's within each of us that needs to be ignited so we can truly be ourselves and shine the way we're supposed to.
You don't have to feel like a wasted space.The song is a very upbeat as well as an inspirational testimony to being yourself, reflective of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors":
You're original, cannot be replaced.
If you only knew what the future holds
after a hurricane comes a rainbow.
Baby you're a firework, come on show 'em what you're worth.If I had to guess, it's very appropriate to release this song after so many teen suicides have plagued our society in the past months. The video reflects a boy breaking up his parents' arguing, a self-conscious girl not wanting to swim in public because she's not skinny, a cancer patient with no hair, a gay boy in a club surrounded by straight people who finally goes to kiss the boy he's attracted to, a magician who gets mugged, etc. The message is very powerful, and the music is balladesque making for a truly enjoyable, inspiring work of art.
Make 'em go "Oh, oh oh!" as you shoot across the sky-y-y.
I'm loving "Firework" so much that I'm even considering using it professionally at school. When the 5th graders graduate, there are 4 songs we do, and 1 keeps changing each year:
National Anthem
Moving Forward (the official graduation song I wrote myself)
Celebration (by Kool & the Gang, usually sung as a finale)
_____________ This is the song that only 5th graders may audition to sing. Whoever gets picked sings this song, and the choir performs it in Sign Language.
So that's what's going on with me. Celine and Katy and duking it out in my ears and mind. I love them both so much.
Regardless of who becomes my new #1 favorite, Celine will always have a 1-up over anyone else because it was she who inspired and motivated me to become a professional musician.
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