Being an artist in today’s ever-changing music industry means changing up your sound and image. Actually changing your sound is a scary concept, because you want to change it up in order to reach new listeners, but you don’t want to evolve so much that your loyal fans lose interest. It’s a balancing act that I’m currently battling, as I am going through a creative change with my music. Right now, I have lots of country and rock influences, but I feel like I want to explore more mainstream pop. Pop is so fun and refreshing to listen to and also, writing songs that make you want to dance makes the whole process more enjoyable.
Giulia is finding her new sound
Recently, I’ve been listening to the likes of HAIM, Lorde and Glass Animals. These artists have been the soundtrack to my autumn after seeing them at Glastonbury Festival over the summer. As well as Glastonbury Festival, I’ve been going to plenty of gigs this year. One of my favourites was Sundara Karma at the O2 Academy Brixton. They’re a very energetic and slick live band and had one of the best crowd atmospheres I’ve ever been part of. Recently, I’ve been listening to a more varied pool of artists such as Purity Ping, Tame Impala and FKA Twigs; they’re quite experimental and mesmerising to listen to. Give them a listen if you haven’t already, they will not disappoint!
The evolution of pop image is an art form that the likes of Lady Gaga and Madonna have mastered down to a tee. Madonna has gone from dramatic 80s wild child, to the iconic pointy bra look; each of the looks that she has gone for have been memorable in every way, because people didn’t know what was coming next. The excitement for the next wacky look was equal to the excitement for new music. Lady Gaga went from the platinum blonde wigs with the block fringes and body suits, to the infamous meat dress. This is how they have both managed to sustain such a long, prosperous career, due to how they have evolved both musically and stylistically. Change isn’t always a bad thing.
As an artist, I think you have always got to keep the fans on their toes, but the change is primarily for you as an artist, as I find it so enriching to keep adding new dynamics into my sound, because no one stays the same. Music taste is always evolving, as we go through life, it will never stay the same. Studies have shown that younger people tend to be more interested in popular music, but around the age of 24, it starts to veer away from popular music and more of what you actually like. This is important to know when targeting your music at a demographic.
So there’s no excuse to find yourself stuck in a musical rut with the endless amounts of new music being released challenge yourself to listen to a new genre this week and kick-start your voyage of musical discovery.
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