Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Theory - Miss Miller

There are several different reasons that an artist may want to reinvent themselves and alter how they are perceived by the public. This includes the want to break away from their previous image and representation. For example, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez changed their music style and image  to differentiate themselves from the songs they released as Disney child stars. They wanted to portray  maturity as they grew up along with their target audience. Other reasons could be to gain more publicity, change their genre and attract a new audience, shock their audience to keep them engaged or after bad press to regain audiences who may have started to dislike them. Some artists who have had a bad past containing crime or drug abuse may want to reinvent themselves in order to achieve a new image that is easier idolised by fans. An example of this could be Justin Beiber who was seen in Court and punching a camera man etc. He altered his style of music and image and returned with a new album to distract the attention of his audience from his bad representation and to his new music.  Madonna is another example of an artist who has regularly reinvented herself. This is because she has been around for a long time and so she has had to keep up with the forever changing pop genre conventions to appeal to new audiences as her previous ones get older. I have chosen to analyse music from the artist Miley Cyrus as I know she has reinvented herself several times over her music career.  

Nobody's Perfect  (2007)

                                                 

In this music video, Miley adapts the character of Hannah Montana who is the character she played in her children's show. I have identified aspects of Goodwin's music video theory in this video. One is used throughout the entire video as the style of the video is performance. The video consists only of the artist performing on stage; dancing and singing. The purpose of this is to engage the audience. The artist has a younger audience (7-13 year olds) who would be amused by the artists song and dance routine and the overall presentation of the video including the flashing lights of her name. It also shows the artists personality as she is smiling and dancing energetically showing she is happy and bubbly.

Andrew Goodwin constructed a theory of music videos whereby he stated that there is often intertextual reference in music videos to films, television programmes or other music videos etc. This is evident in this video because the artist is dressed up as a character from a television show as she is wearing a wig and acting as if she is this person. She even has the characters name in lights rather than her own.  This brings the character and television programme to life as the artists audience (specifically the younger ones) will be excited to see their favourite television character in real life. It makes them believe that they know her more due to seeing her which allows the audience and artist to form a relationship on the basis that the fictional character has been brought to life to interact with the children.

Another element of Goodwin's theory that this video follows is the idea that the lyrics of the song match the visuals in the video. The artist has a structured choreographed dance routine for every line she sings that matches the lyrics or at least music in some way. For example, when she sings "nobody's perfect" she points to the audience signalling that this applies to everyone as we are all the same and everybody has flaws. This makes her a good role model for her young audience as she is teaching them to be themselves and not put too much pressure on themselves. A dance routine is a good way to get her messages across because children are more likely to engage with visual aspects rather than being told advice without any enjoyable interaction. The dance routines also emphasise on the lyrics and there meanings so the connotations of the song are more clear.

The genre of this music video is pop which would appeal mostly to children or teenagers as it is very bubbly and joyful with a positive message to help them when growing up ('Nobody's Perfect').  The song is upbeat and catchy meaning the audience would enjoy listening to it and are likely to remember it and sing along. The song is conventional to the pop genre because the artist is attractive and fashionable which is typical in this genre as artists like to be portrayed as desirable. Also dance routines are common in this genre which makes this video conventional due to the energetic and fun dance moves.

Richard Dyer also produced a theory on music videos and artists who he refers to as 'stars'. The term 'star' refers to the semi-mythological meanings around music. 'Star' is interpreted as a performers to a large and loyal audience. Dyer made note of common values of stardom such as being glamorous or youthful. This video represents the artist as youthful as she appears young and is outgoing and energetic. She is also portrayed as a role model as she is singing to people her age about not having to be perfect to be accepted. The artist can be viewed as a product in that her performance is very carefully choreographed and planned in a way that the artist and her managers may believe will be most enjoyable for the audience. This means they are structuring the artists image and performance around the needs of the audience in order to gain more publicity.

Dyer suggested that the star image is incoherent, incomplete and open due to key paradoxes. One paradox he  constructed states what an artist must be to be a star. He suggested that a star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary which I think is evident in this music video with this artist. The artist can be seen as both ordinary and extraordinary as she is portrayed as ordinary through the down to earth and happy nature of the singer as well as the inspiring lyrics that suggests nobody is better than another and that everybody is equal. This creates the effect that the artist is similar to the audience and therefore allows her to relate to them. However, she is extraordinary in that she is talented because she can sing and dance. She is famous and performing on stage which is not a common situation for every ordinary person to be in. This allows the audience to both relate to and inspire to be like the artist which makes them an ideal role model.

The incoherence created by the paradoxes mean that the audience continuously strive to 'complete' or make sense of the artists image. This is achieved by continuous consumption of the stars image throughout their products or media. The star image consumed has the ability to position the audience in relation to dominant and influential social values. This is hegemony. The video places fans against hegemony because the artists image can not be used to position the consumer in relation to dominant and influential social values. This is because the video is entirely performance based and aimed at a young audience so does not have any typical influential social values you would expect to see such as drug use or rebellious behaviour.

The target audience for this video is children or young teenagers (aged 13 and below) as this is the typical audience who would watch Disney Channel where her television programme 'Hannah Montana' was aired. Due to the young audience, the song portrays positive messages and values in order to inspire them to be themselves. It tells them that everyone makes mistakes and has flaws and that they should just be themselves.

This music video is conventional to it's genre through body language as the artist performs a consistently choreographed dance routine. The dance routine is very high energy which would appeal to the young energetic audience as they would want to learn the dance routine for the upbeat song.
Another convention of the pop genre that is evident in this video is shown through mis-en-scene The artist wears a patterned purple top. This clothing would appeal to the target audience of young girls because it is something that they would wear. The bright and bold nature of the costume also suggests that the artist is transparent in that she is not hiding anything from the audience. Furthermore this makes her a good role model as she inspires her audience to not hide who they are.

When I Look At You (2010)

Towards the end of 'Hannah Montana'  as a television show, Miley Cyrus began to release her own music and introduce her audience to the 'real her'. This song is called 'When I Look At You' and was part of the soundtrack to her movie 'The Last Song' which was one of her first projects that was completely unrelated to Hannah Montana. This song is different to the first as it is much less bouncy and fun as it is slow and ballad-like as she sings seriously and passionately about a relationship. Miley's image itself is much more natural as she is not wearing a wig or heavy makeup like before and is instead wearing subtle make up with her natural curly hair. She is also wearing a flowy white dress instead of eye catching costumes like she did when portraying Hannah Montana.

Goodwin's theory states that the demands of the record company often include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist. This is seen on several occasions when Miley Cyrus is singing into the camera. The shot is simple as she stands on a beach or by her piano so the whole focus is on her as she sings. This allows the audience to see more of the singer and her personality which will as a result make building a relationship with them easier. There are no distractions in the shot and so this forces the audience to focus solely on the artist.

Much like 'Nobody's Perfect', this song follows Goodwins theory as there is intertextual reference to a film starring the singer called 'The Last Song'. The male actor is seen in the music video and there is a feature of clips from the film. This advertises the film which will therefore encourage the audience to watch it. The artist was then seen in other projects besides Hannah Montana which helped her portray her real self and gain a wider audience.

Again the genre of this music video is pop. In different ways to 'Nobody's Perfect', it is conventional to this genre. This is due to the exotic locations that the music video is filmed in. This is typical of this genre as pop artists tend to be seen in exotic locations during their music videos to portray their wealthy lifestyles.  The theme of this song is romance based as the artist sings about her feelings towards someone. Love is very commonly sung about in the pop genre and therefore this makes the song conventional.  The style of this music video is primarily performance based. This is stereotypical to the genre as it is often the main style in pop songs. This is because it allows the artist to connect to the audience by singing into the camera and making the audience feel like they are being sung to.

The artist is presented as ordinary through her image as she is wearing very casual clothing with minimal makeup. This suggests that she does not live the glamorous famous lifestyle to a large amount and that she is actually quite similar to her target audience. This helps them relate to her. However she is seen as extraordinary through her talent as she is singing and playing the piano in this music video. This talent is also emphasized on due to the fact the other aspects of the music video are relatively simple and stripped back.

The artist is viewed as talented mostly in this music video due to the focus being on her performance. She is also seen as laid back and down to earth due to her image and romantic due to the theme of the song. The artist is not viewed as a product as much as she has been previously. This is because she is not changing herself to suit the wants of her audience like she did as Hanna Montana: wearing a wig, performing energetic dance routines etc. She is simply singing a song about her personal experiences. 


This music video places fans against hegemony because the artist is not focused on rebellious behaviour or breaking social conventions. Instead she focuses on sharing her thoughts about her relationship through her song. This is because Miley Cyrus was considered a role model who always had positive or personal messages to share through her songs.

The artist may have reached a larger target audience through changing her image as she would still have her young fans who she gained from performing as Hannah Montana although she may have gained some more due to portraying a slightly more grown up image and singing about love which most people can relate to. her target audience was still children and teenagers but a lot of older teenagers may now be interested in her when they was not before. 

The messages and values that come with this song and music video are that if you feel stressed or upset at a particular time in your life, someone you love will always be able to help you through it. This video was released three years after the first one and it still has a positive message about not worrying about mistakes or bad times you have.

We Can't Stop (2013)

Cyrus released 'We Can't Stop' in 2013 as the lead single from her upcoming album 'Bangerz'. The artist has clearly made drastic changes to her image. Her hair that was before long and brown had be cut short and died blonde. She also experienced a change in wardrobe as she now tends to wear much more controversial and revealing outfits to appear more edgy and capture the audiences attention to create publicity around herself.  The publicity was created because the change shocked the audience as it was so sudden and so different to her previous style. I believe she did this to prove she is not Hannah Montana, that she is her own person and to break away from the Disney image. She wanted to appear grown up and not childish so she could appear to a wider and older audience.

One point from Goodwin's theory that I have identified in this music video is the frequent voyeuristic treatment of the female body. One of the first shots of the artist is of her laying provocatively on a bed. There are several female dancers/actresses in revealing clothes such as hot pants or underwear in a swimming pool.The purpose of this is to portray the artist as attractive and desirable so male audiences would find her good looking and female fans may be jealous or want to copy her. This in turn gives the artist more publicity.

Goodwins theory also stated that there is a succinct relationship between lyrics and visuals. This is evident when the artist sings "dancing with Miley" and "shaking it" etc. As she sings this lyrics, her and other actors in the music video begin to dance. This would appeal to the audience and encourage them to dance also. Being able to interact with the music video will allow the audience to build a relationship with the artist.

The artists music style remains in the pop genre and is still conventional to it but is more controversial with reference of drugs in her lyrics and explicit dancing etc. It is conventional because the artist is being represented as attractive. She wears revealing clothes and makeup and dances to the camera to appear desirable.

Although, the genre of this song remains pop there are more dance and R&B undertones. The video is conventional to all aspects of its genre as it takes place in  a party setting which is conventional to dance music as this is often the case. Most dance music videos take part in club or party settings as they advertise the party lifestyle and try to promote it so that audiences will want to listen to their music and have fun at clubs or parties where this music is often played. R&B music videos are often flashy as it consists of artists portraying themselves as either attractive or wealthy. Miley Cyrus does both here by featuring money and several outfits in her video as well as dressing skimpily to show off her body.

The video represents the artist as wild and rebellious due to her party-animal image and crazy behaviour. It is representing how she is youthful and just focused on having fun. She is represented as almost the complete opposite to Hannah Montana who was seen as innocent and well behaved as a good role model for young children. Now, however, Miley Cyrus has been criticized for not being a suitable role model for the younger part of her audience who may want to copy her rebellious behaviour.  

The artist is intentionally aiming to not be viewed as a product by acting original and wild so she stands out from the other artists in the same genre as her. She is giving off the impression that she is doing only what she wants not what will be best for the audience. This comes across by the quirky aspects of the video that would not regularly be found in other pop music videos. These include kissing a doll version of herself and someone eating money. Cyrus is mostly portrayed as extraordinary due to her wild behaviour and unusual music video.

'We Can't Stop' places fans for hegemony as it is a very influential video as it shows rebellious behaviour and reference to drugs. The audience could copy this behaviour very easily. Miley Cyrus's target audience is now older, around 15-25 as she has portrayed herself as more grown up and  a bit of a party animal which is hard for a younger audience to relate to. The target audience  will consist of most of her previous fans but now also most are older. She has obtained a wider audience by changing her style because some older people may have not listened to her music before if they felt it was too childish but now they are able to enjoy it.  Most of Miley's target audience will be fans who had watched her as Hannah Montana when they were younger and then grown up to watch her as Miley as Miley also grows up with them. Miley Cyrus manages to still satisfy some of her younger fans at the same time though. She does this in 'We Can't Stop' when a former lyric was "dancing with molly" referring to the drug ecstasy. There was confusion on whether the artist was saying 'Miley' referencing herself or 'Molly' referencing the drug. Cyrus clarified that she was singing about drugs but also said that the younger audience can interpret it as Miley and so both audiences are happy: "if you’re aged ten it’s 'Miley', if you know what I'm talking about then you know."                                              
The main messages from this video is to have fun and do what you want. The artist is celebrating being young and free and trying to break away from her child star image and show the audience the real her. 

Overall, I think the main reason for this artist to reinvent herself is to break away from her image as a child star and Hannah Montana because that is not truly her and she does not want to be associated with a fictional character but wants to be known for herself. She achieved this in acting recklessly and completely changing her image to appear more edgy and grown up. I think this research will help me in choosing an artist for my music video. This is because it has taught me to look into all the songs they have created throughout their career and not just one I can think of because they may have reinvented themself a lot previously. It has also helped me to think about the messages, concepts and values I would want my video to portray. I have considered using a controversial artist after analysing Miley Cyrus as it is clear that by shocking her audience she has gained a lot of publicity and recognition.