TASK 6 Choose a musical genre/genres to feature in your magazine.

List the names of bands/artists that are part of this genre, a brief history of the genre and the type of imagery associated with it.

What is Pop Music? Pop music (a term that originally derives from an abbreviation of "popular") is a genre of popular music which originated in the 1950s, deriving from rock and roll. As a genre, pop music is very eclectic, borrowing elements from other genres including urban, dance, rock, Latin and country; but there are some elements that featured in pop. It includes generally short-to-medium length songs, written in a basic format (often the verse-chorus structure), as well as repeated choruses, melodic tunes, and catchy lyrics. Pop uses electric guitars, drums and bass to create sounds and the main goal is to create music that is nice to listen to, rather than having much artistic depth. Pop music is generally thought of as a genre which is commercially recorded and desires to have a mass audience. Characteristics These are some characteristics of the pop genre:

an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology an emphasis on production/sound rather than formal "artistic" qualities an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, over live performance /vocals reflects current trends rather than being innovative usually includes dance-oriented beats or rhythms

The song is usually between two and a half and three and a half minutes in length, generally marked by a consistent sound, a mainstream style and a simple traditional structure. The lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes often love and romantic relationships although there are notable exceptions.

Artists Pop music moves quickly and artists come and go depending on the success of their recent single. Some current artists are: Rihannna Katy Perry One Direction Olly Murs Justin Bieber Taylor Swift Beyonce Lady GaGa Usher Ne-yo

Imagery associated with pop Some pop artists have a very clean cut image for example Justin Bieber and One Direction however some are more sexual, such as Rihanna. This is reflected in their music videos; Rihanna is often seen in revealing clothing and doing suggestive dances, whereas Justin Biebers videos are usually more innocent, seen playing video games with his friends. Imagery of pop music relates to things like microphones and acoustic guitars, as well as dancing, electronic sounds and headphones. The logos/album covers are usually very colourful, with innocent song titles and fun lyrics. Pop music has mass appeal so doesnt target a specific audience although it does tend to be most popular with teenagers and children, as the lyrics and sound of the song are light and fun, and make for easy listening rather than other genres, such as rock, which have deep lyrics so make for more heavy listening.