"Talent": Compulsion, the Artist, and the Masses

 I transcribe music on the regular. Meaning I write lyrics down in my journal constantly. I write it down because I want it stuck in my head. I want to recite verses and refrains like others recite scripture and Shakespeare. 

King Lear has nothing on the power of lyrics. 

Fran Lebowitz noted the power (and food) has over mankind. 

(Pretend It's A City Ep. 2 "Cultural Affairs")

And I couldn't agree more. 

It calls on every human faculty to stand at attention and behold (when done with gusto and a conviction). Those two characteristics may be the same, but I argue not all bravado is aware of itself and nowhere is this more evident than in the pop anthem. To know it expresses is obvious, but to believe it is singularly warranted (every song being intrinsically necessary to the genre) can be as quickly called into doubt as soon as an artists is pressed too hard in interview. 

When talent is called into question, is it the bravado of the artist of his/her conviction that we want rebuffed? Perhaps this example proves the two (gusto and conviction) are interminably linked. However, when taste is implicated, does the artist need to prove some level of talent that goes beyond conviction? And to what end does this talent need to prove itself? 

I have a question about talent today:

Is talent all about seeing opportunity and seizing it by means? 

And by means I mean money. 

But as pay per play is nothing new, is the new talent of our generation (like TikTok star LILHUDDY) reliant on views that yield dollars and then influence? 

And as we traditionally view talent as a compulsion that propels the artist forward and necessarily captivates the masses, are we not now inundated by talent? And is this not to say that we've had enough. 

But I ask: 

Did the talent of yore not also see a window of opportunity and exploit it for everything it was worth? Why does contemporary cynicism negate the possibility of compulsion? Ours to consume. Whatever...

I'm a little all over the place, but I'm overwhelmed with my own realization that I don't take pop music seriously, and thus negate a  lot of people's A) talent and B) taste in music. And neither will hold in my house. Lol. But for real I think these questions are crucial and would love any form of engagement in the ongoing dialogue I'll be starting on here. Leave a comment, like subscribe and I'll see you guys next week ;)