Rules Of The Game #5: What's Wrong With Pretty Girls

[koganbot]

Latest column. Comments welcome here.

What's Wrong With Pretty Girls?

EDIT: Here are links to all but three of my other Rules Of The Game columns (LVW's search results for "Rules of the Game"). Links for the other three (which for some reason didn't get "Rules Of The Game" in their titles), are here: #4, #5, and #8.

UPDATE: I've got all the links here now:

http://koganbot.livejournal.com/179531.html

Comments

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

I've softened to Avril as well when I heard Girlfriend, but now I've realised it is only cos it sounds so much like I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend by Lush.

I think Lily will have great trouble having a successful second album. Already people are getting tired of her, and I almost feel bad to say I like her these days. She sprung to fame so fast that the backlash was only a few steps behind and although it hasn't kicked in too badly I can see it brewing. It is natural that excitement about an artist dies down after a year or so, and it explains why second albums are so difficult. It's almost better if the public hate you than if they're just bored of you - at least you're talked about.

For her second album the pressure will really be on and she'll have to work with excellent producers. I think sticking with Greg Kurstin and Mark Ronson would be fine as long as they don't just make Smile and LDN clones. What she must not do is a Kelly Clarkson i.e. think that the success is all due to herself and write the next album all on her own. Luckily Lily did seem to have a lot of input in the first album and it shows her personality, but then this could be bad if people are bored of her personality and she then can't win them back because the personality shown in her songs is her main charm. If Smile had boring, conventional lyrics it wouldn't have been no.1.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I hope she manages it. It would be such a shame if she was written off as a one-album-wonder and we would be left with Amy W to hold the solo lass fort.

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

If she does fall down there might be others who'll last - Kate Nash maybe? Then again, thinking of other female acts like Natasha and Sophie, I always have a feeling of them being vulnerable - if their next song is a flop they're over and done with. The one thing that does annoy me is when a female singer or band becomes popular and people start looking for other girls similar, as though 'female solo act' is a new niche. Meanwhile, 'male solo act' is an accepted staple of music, probably the second most common type of act after 'male group'. We shouldn't be looking for a new female singer because it's the current trend, we should have an endless supply of them like we do their male equivalents. And there are plenty of them to be found if you look for them (they make up a big chunk of my music listening) but not many people are bothered enough to look.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Totally - its interesting that I can name an endless stream of highly characterful non-UK ladies who have dominiated pop in the last five years (Bouncy/Nelly/Shakira/Xtina/Kelly/Amerie/Rihanna/Gwen/Avril/Britney etc etc PLUS they are established enough that I only need state their first names!) compared to lets see, Lily, Amy, Natasha, SEB, er..... Jamelia? EXACTLY. Our British solo lads haven't been particularly active either - for the last two years or so UK music has been far too reliant on guitar/indie bands and nameless producers. Plenty of worthy attempts but more often than not we end up with Beware Of The Dog instead of Since U Been Gone.