Star Theory: To what extent does a pop stars image influence their audience?

Professor Richard Dyer

“A star is an image not a real person that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines etc as well as films [music])”.  This quote is from English academic Richard Dyer who is a professor of film studies at Kings College London. Dyer wrote a book called “Stars” in 1979 which discusses the viewer’s perception of film and the idea that it is heavily influenced by the perception of its stars. He believed that it was not the film which attracted the audience by the idea of who famous was in it and publicity materials such as reviews, interviews etc. determine the that the audience experience the film. An example of this is the film “Mission: Impossible” which stars Tom Cruise. The DVD cover and posters of the film both have Tom Cruise’s name in the same size font as the title. From this it is evident that Tom Cruise is just as important as the actual film it self and they use this as a way of drawing in Tom Cruise fans and an audience.

Katy B

Dyer also applied this star theory to music and pop stars. The term “pop performer” and “pop star” have become interchangeable and many people can not distinguish the difference between the two. However a “pop performer” is someone strictly known for just performing pop music and a “pop star” is someone who has an identity not restricted solely to their music. Many pop stars will start off as a pop performer and build an image from there. An example of a pop performer would be British born artist Katy B who is only known for her music and an example of a pop star would be Lady Gaga who is not only known for her music but for her outfits, her video’s, her personal life and many other things. The construction process to turning a “pop performer” into a “pop star” is neither automatic nor fully understood. Shows like X Factor show the supposed construction process of how an ordinary person is groomed and coached into fulfilling expectations that are needed when becoming a pop star, however how true is this stardom? Many of the contestants seen on shows like X Factor will have their five minutes of fame before they are forgotten and unknown again.

A true pop star has a long lasting significance and brand awareness. Michael Jackson is one of the best examples for this, even after death he is known as the ‘King of Pop’ and many of his dance routines have become iconic. The moon walk was not necessarily created by Jackson; however everyone will associate it with him regardless. This shows real stardom. In the present day many stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose and make money out of their audience. Record companies, specifically their mangers will nurture and shape their stars just as X Factor shows us to appeal to the audience. A star will begin as a “real” human who possesses gender and race characteristics which exist against a socio-historic background and will transfer into the image their record companies want them to portray and the “star” the audience will see and love. However the “star” will always have a real foundation and so will be seen as not as fictional as Dyer made out but someone who is very much of their time and culture or in other words the product of their generation. This makes them easy to relate too and so essentially more appealing to their audience.

Not everyone is convinced by the hype created around these stars and so will not spend their money. However historically pop stars have been created to each have a different appeal. Some will be produce to fit a specific genre of music and some will be produce to have a long lasting appeal. U2  is an example of a established band who have a long lasting appeal and so are able to cater to their fan audiences for decades