Research: Dyer's "Star Theory"

The term "star" refers to the set of meaning constructed around singers in order to sell their music to a mainstream or loyal audience, however this is mainly mainstream. A "star" can also apply to the film industry due to the same popularity gained and the mainstream audience they attract.
Richard Dyer's created this theory and stated that:

• "Star image is incoherent, that it is incomplete and 'open'..." 
• "Star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer."
• "The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer."

The quote "Star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer" suggests that the artist must be ordinary and normal enough to be able to identify with the audience and give them a sense of connection with the artist. It is important for the audience to be able to connect with the artist as this will maintain the artist's loyal fan base. As well as this, the artist must be able to be extraordinary meaning that they will still be able to entertain their audience in a significant way which will also keep his career successful.

Performer/Pop Star:

The main difference between a Performer and Pop Star is that a performer may or may not be famous. This means that the person purely performs the music. However, a Pop "Star" is image constructed to an audience, meaning they are not being themselves and it is purely based on what the audience wants to see which will keep them entertained. This could mean the Pop "Star" dressing or looking a certain way, to gain the most publicity. One example of a performer is Passenger who is seen as a performer as he is not in the public eye often and is only known for his music. However, within the same genre of Indie music an example of a Pop "Star" would be Ed Sheeran as he is followed by audiences and is more publicly known creating his "star" image. 

Dyer identified four elements to recognising a star:

1) Stars as constructions:

Stars are seen as artificial images in order to gain popularity. Also, this helps if their image contains a unique selling point (USP) which ensures the loyal audiences to stay engaged. For example, shows such as "X-Factor" promote the idea of star constructions due to the live displays on TV every week showing the process of building an ordinary person into a Pop "Star". One successful construction that was created on the "X-Factor" were "One Direction". In the top half of the picture the boys are all young and still new on the show, however the bottom half of the picture is after they became famous and displays how their appearances changed significantly. This was only done to gain the publicity of the mainstream audience.

2) Industry and Audience:

Dyer believes that stars are manufactured to make money. He also states that pop stars, whatever the nature, are quite clearly the product of their record company and therefore, must be sold. The record companies identify what sells, and produce the same, the same, and the same. This means the audience can actually buy into the artist such as buying mugs, clothes, calendars, etc. For example, Justin Bieber has his own merchandising company where his audience can buy these items.

3) Ideology and Culture:

Dyer believes stars represent cultural values and attitudes and promote a certain ideology. Audience interest in these values enhances their 'star quality' and create their star persona. Social networks give pop stars the opportunity to establish their own values outside their music. For example, Kanye West is an extremely influential artist due to his cultural values and attitudes. His song, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" clearly portrays his views on child slavery as it features visuals of young African children toiling away in mines. Kanye also has various social media accounts where he expresses his personal opinions regularly.

4) Character and Personality:

Dyer believes that a star is a construct, but the construct that has a foundation of realism. Star provide audiences with a focus for ideas of "what people are supposed to be like." Stars may support hegemony (dominate cultural ideology) by conforming to it (thin/beautiful) or providing difference (fat/still loveable). For example, Rita Ora fits into the image the media wants which is to be skinny and pretty. However, artists such as Adele does not fit in with this image and is still extremely successful although she is overweight. Adele has influenced audiences that it is okay to be overweight and to be able to love yourself regardless of this. She has become lovable and extremely successful within the music industry.

 

Control on star image is extremely complex as most of the time the artist does not have much control. This is because in order to entertain the public and remain popular they need to sell themselves in a certain way which causes them to be a social construct. Also, in order to remain in a successful record label it might mean that the artist has to conform to whatever the record label wants to ensure they are still signed.

Overall, Dyer's theory is extremely important as it outlines the arguments to how star image is created. I am going to represent my artist through ideology and culture. This is because it keeps the artist as honest as possible to the audience. Also, this enables the artist to be free to express there own opinions and gather their own fanbase. This also makes the artist independent and not dependent on their record label company to be forced into a certain star image.