Kasey Ferrell

Staff Writer

        Clare Boucher, better known as Grimes, has had enough of the put downs of pop music.  Boucher, who is a critically acclaimed experimental synthpop artist with the number one song “Oblivion” on Pitchfork’s top ten tracks of 2012, posted a playlist of her favorite tracks of 2012 on Tumblr - and was summarily knocked down.  Simply because that list included the likes of Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen and Psy.  She received so much flack for those inclusions that she deleted her list.  She wrote up a follow-up post where she had to justify her choices - and then deleted her Tumblr altogether (which she has since brought back).

        In the follow-up post, Grimes wrote:  “So I made that post about my favorite songs of 2012 (including Taylor Swift and Gangnam Style etc.) and people just hated on it.

I just don’t understand.  I mean, I do understand.  I have my own issues with ‘the industry,’ I have issues with how it’s hard to compete with a bunch of people with great connections, and that a lot of real artists get lost along the way because they don’t have an ‘in.’  And that women feel pressured to act like strippers, and it’s okay to make rape threats, but it’s not okay to say you’re a feminist?!  However, I don’t see why we have to hate something just because it’s successful, or assume the because it is successful, it has no substance.”

        Such is the problem with pop music these days.  Especially on the internet, it seems, it is largely reviled as empty music created by untalented artists, concentrated so much on the perceived image of the artist, that they have forgotten how to enjoy a song.  Hating something because it is successful has become all the rage.  Though one could argue it’s always been the rage, and it’s simply more prevalent now because of social media.  Too many people believe that success means selling out to “the industry” or ”the man.”  It happens when a band comes in the scene and reaches number one on the charts.  It happens when a young artist reaches a mass audience immediately after releasing a single. It happens when someone becomes an internet phenomenon and translates that into a successful record deal.

        Artists are not benevolent organizations; they do not exist simply to put a smile on your face.  This is their livelihood.  To dismiss them just because they’ve made their livelihood lucrative instead of having to dumpster-dive for food or sleep in vans borders on ludicrous.

        Here’s another problem - begrudging artists for making it big just because someone doesn’t like their particular brand of music, not thinking for a second that music is indeed subjective.  Just because you don’t like a certain artist’s style does not mean that they don’t deserve the accolade and sales they receive.

        Grimes went on;  “No one made Psy. Psy is a genius and I don’t think it’s so terrible that he’s been recognized for this.  It also doesn’t make him evil.  His art is creating a generation of kids that will grow up seeing Asian culture as being as valid as western culture, which they currently don’t.  I know because I grew up in Vancouver and half my high school was Korean or Chinese and the kind of (things) I heard all the time was horrible...  Racism isn’t over.  Sexism isn’t over.  The only way things actually effect social change is by hitting the audience that perpetuates these ideas.  Therefore, when a deserving artist blows up, it’s good for everybody.”

        Maybe it’s not just racism or sexism.  Maybe it’s elitism, a product of people who think the music they don’t listen to is somehow below the parameters of what should be perceived as “good music.”  People who continually denounce pop/hip-hop/rock/etc. music are like people who don’t have televisions and take every opportunity to tell you; or worse, people who own televisions, but make doubly sure they let you know that they only watch PBS and C-Span and everything else is beneath them.

        It’s the “we’re smarter than you, we’re more cultured than you, and therefore better than you” inference which permeates discussions about music genres that make an intelligent discussion difficult at best.  When someone automatically dismisses you and your ideals because you happen to love Taylor Swift, there’s a disconnect going on that’s hard to bridge. The elitism one shows when they dismiss pop music as vapid and those who like it equally vapid is a detriment to any open conversation. The defenders of pop – myself included – are often put on the defensive, made to offer up excuses as to why we like what we do. No one should have to defend their musical choices. No artist who worked hard to get where they are should be roundly dismissed because their music doesn’t fit some elitist standard. No one should have to feel, like Grimes did, ashamed about what they like, ashamed enough to delete the evidence of their penchant for pop.

        I’m glad Grimes wrote a follow up post, but I hope the people who need to see it read it. She also wrote a follow up to the follow up where she once again felt the need to defend herself against her detractors – and that’s a sad commentary on the state of music discourse.

        I may not enjoy the music of Taylor Swift but that doesn’t mean I’m going to deride my friends for enjoying it. It’s a somewhat free world out there when it comes to entertainment. People should be able to listen to what they want without fear of ridicule.

With liberty and pop music for all!