Poor Kelly Clarkson.
Things were going so well for the singer a year ago. She was at the top of her game with a hit album, a successful tour and rising record sales. She had achieved what every pop star only dreams of - to have the praise of the pop community, teenage girls and indie rockers.
Unfortunately, things aren’t going so well for her these days. Her feud with RCA chairman Clive Davis has been all over the news, she recently fired her manager and she’s just cancelled a summer concert tour because of poor ticket sales. All this, and her hugely anticipated follow-up “My December” has yet to be released.
To add to the mix, rumors are circulating that the album is not as good as it’s predecessor, and is causing fans to wonder whether Clarkson should’ve taken the reported $10 million to ditch songs that were too “negative.”
All of this bad press, and alleged turmoil in the Clarkson camp may make fans leery of the new album.
But no one seems to give Clarkson the props for fighting for a record she’s proud of. As a fan of both rock and pop music, it’s refreshing to see a young woman, both successful, and with this kind of an appeal exercising this much determination.
In an industry that has become a shark-infested sea of record executives seeking to sell enough to support condos and million dollar mansions, I’ve come accept the fact that many of today’s pop artists don’t pen their own lyrics or melodies. It’s a given that many female artists are as manufactured as a Bratz Doll.
Music has become second to image, and it’s unfortunate that, these days, I’ve come to take that mind set in stride.
This kind of mentality isn’t just plaguing the pop genre. The New York Post recently ran an article chronicling the rise of Crush Management, the agency responsible for the popular emo-driven bands Fall out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, and The Academy Is… The most disheartening, but unsurprising quote is from mega-producer Butch Walker who has worked with Fall Out boy and The Academy Is…
“It’s no different than *NSYNC with guitars,” says Walker. “Which they’re not. But I don’t think (these) kids are as critically discerning as they would be if they were older.”
And even if this kind of mentality has made millionaires out of Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy’s chief songwriter, or Clarkson, as well, with her first album, maybe it’s the needed push an artist must endure to get to the point where they’re successful enough to navigate their own future.
Then again, “My December” might be a huge disappointment and Clive Davis might be the winner in this battle, but Clarkson fought for her music, and for that reason, she will win over a new breed of fans.
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Crystal Olvera is a copy editor and music columnist for the Valley Morning Star. She can be reached at crystalo@valleystar.com.
