The Cult of the Pop Star
This month I can’t help thinking about what it means to be a pop star. How does that come about really – and how does one find oneself going from relative obscurity to being an international sensation. Is that the inevitable goal or trajectory of all musicians?
It doesn’t seem to be the case for 2 of our featured artists this month on the Ultimate Ears Artists to Watch program. Ali Farké Toure is one of the most famous world-music artists yet he considered himself a farmer. To quote from his biography:
Despite his amazing international success, Ali became increasingly reluctant to leave his farm in Niafunké. World Circuit's Nick Gold decided that the only way the make another record with him was to bring the studio to Niafunké. The studio was set up in an abandoned agricultural school, and the recording had to be fitted in between tending the land, with the crops always coming first. The resulting album ‘Niafunké’ was released in 1999.
After that, Ali returned to what he saw as his main role in life, looking after his farm and being with his family. Ali was actively involved with ongoing irrigation projects to better the agricultural situation in the Niafunké region and this culminated in his election in 2004 as Mayor of Niafunké.
So while music was in his DNA, the idea of the pop star was not. Success came to him independently – more like success pursued him rather than the other way around. I wonder how often that can happen when we don’t push for things to happen prematurely. Ali did not set out to change the world – maybe it just changed around him.
The same is true for the band Spoon. Success courts them by their rules. Their new album was recorded at their own house and 5 of the 11 songs are the original demos. And the album sounds better than ever. Sometimes not pushing is the strongest action. And their drummer, Jim Eno, was an electrical engineer who designed microchips up until mid 2006 when it made more sense to solely focus on music for the time being.
So what does this all mean? Is there still room for the pop star and the media darlings? Yes - of course – there always will be. But it is refreshing to also know that good things happen no mater what and that true art has a pathway all to its own. So if any of you reading this have a passion or an idea or anything that is yours to pursue, walk the line and see where it goes. It might just lead you all around the world and right back to where you started from. You never know until you put one foot in front of the other.
Until Next month –
Listen to great music!
It doesn’t seem to be the case for 2 of our featured artists this month on the Ultimate Ears Artists to Watch program. Ali Farké Toure is one of the most famous world-music artists yet he considered himself a farmer. To quote from his biography:
Despite his amazing international success, Ali became increasingly reluctant to leave his farm in Niafunké. World Circuit's Nick Gold decided that the only way the make another record with him was to bring the studio to Niafunké. The studio was set up in an abandoned agricultural school, and the recording had to be fitted in between tending the land, with the crops always coming first. The resulting album ‘Niafunké’ was released in 1999.
After that, Ali returned to what he saw as his main role in life, looking after his farm and being with his family. Ali was actively involved with ongoing irrigation projects to better the agricultural situation in the Niafunké region and this culminated in his election in 2004 as Mayor of Niafunké.
So while music was in his DNA, the idea of the pop star was not. Success came to him independently – more like success pursued him rather than the other way around. I wonder how often that can happen when we don’t push for things to happen prematurely. Ali did not set out to change the world – maybe it just changed around him.
The same is true for the band Spoon. Success courts them by their rules. Their new album was recorded at their own house and 5 of the 11 songs are the original demos. And the album sounds better than ever. Sometimes not pushing is the strongest action. And their drummer, Jim Eno, was an electrical engineer who designed microchips up until mid 2006 when it made more sense to solely focus on music for the time being.
So what does this all mean? Is there still room for the pop star and the media darlings? Yes - of course – there always will be. But it is refreshing to also know that good things happen no mater what and that true art has a pathway all to its own. So if any of you reading this have a passion or an idea or anything that is yours to pursue, walk the line and see where it goes. It might just lead you all around the world and right back to where you started from. You never know until you put one foot in front of the other.
Until Next month –
Listen to great music!
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