Artist's Musical, Lyrical, and Personal Identity

Now that we have spent some time considering the concept of artist identity, in what ways do you feel the songs written by professional songwriters and recorded by Billie Holiday, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley differed from the original material by 50 Cent and the Beatles (especially the later Beatles in 1968-69)? How, in your opinion, did this affect the artist's identity?

What do you make of the fact that "Love Me Do" and "Revolution Number 9" were released by the same recording artist just a few years apart?

To complete this exercise, choose three artists; one from the list provided below, one well-know artist of your choice and another from your own music community (one that you know personally). Spend time listening to their work and researching these artists, being careful to distinguish between posts by fans, posts by professional journalists and critics, and posts by the artists and their record companies.

Write concise identity statements (descriptions) of the artists you choose. Include information and cite specific examples about:

artist's musical identity

lyrical identity

personal identity

If the artist has been around for a while, you may want to include information on how the artist's identity has evolved over time, if that is applicable.

For the artists in your community, which might not have an already-established following, consider and write in response to the following:

How the focus of their identity compares and contrasts in relationship to similar artists in their intended genre.

Is there anything unique about them?

Amongst their artist peers, would they stand out to their intended audience?

Please use this template as a reference of the depth and detail expected in this type of artist identity statement:

Izzy Navarro

California-raised, Brasilian-American singer-songwriter Izzy Navarro brings a unique voice to contemporary pop music and musical theatre, inspired by artists like Sara Bareilles, Ed Sheeran, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Combining the warmth of her sultry soprano voice with the lighter tropical colors of her instrumental arrangements, Izzy Navarro’s songwriting evokes images of innocence, sensuality, happiness, and, above all, truth. Her lyrics flow with poetic imagery and metaphors expressed musically with wistful, memorable melodies. These diverse traits distilled through her unique voice as a classic and elegant songwriter, makes her a contemporary pop music and musical theatre tour-de-force to be reckoned with.

Each identity statement should be as detailed and thorough as possible, making sure you support your claims with the reasons for them. Post your statements, then review and feel free to comment on your classmates' identity statements.