Pop Brands in Crisis
With the official news of Justin Bieber turning himself in to Toronto police for the assault of a limo driver and his most recent charted jet search, one can’t help but wonder – what makes certain teen pop artists manage their transition to public perceptions of adulthood more successfully than others? For the moment, let’s define success as keeping one’s career intact, through a somewhat bumpy ride, to the other side. Is there a way to achieve career stability, without complete embarrassment and financial loss?
Coming of Age
Usher and manager Scooter Braun’s personal guidance aside, Justin Bieber needed to put his hand in the fire…This is what strong-willed teenagers and young adults, especially creative ones, do. I can’t tell you how many coming of age horror stories I have heard or seen friends go through during this dicey time. I bet their parents prayed for an egg-throwing offense, or a couple of simple misdemeanors. Only difference is, we didn’t have TMZ or a million followers with ringside seats to our shame.
We live in a culture of ripple effects. Stories start to emerge about artists who have been derailed into darkness, surrounded by sycophants, and out of control. Everyone joins the chorus, with mournful cries or outright scorn – or worse, sarcasm, chanting about the pop star’s demise.
Artists can proactively and successfully weather their re-invention: from safe young teen star to evolved artist without crashing and burning. I have broken this down in 5 “uneasy” steps.
5 Uneasy Steps for Pop Artists to Grow Up
1. Transition when you are at the top of your game
Timing in this business is truly everything. You need to start making your musical and image shifts while you are on top and while everyone loves you. In Bieber’s case, his fans have been cooling on him for over a year, as all these events started to hit, and his R+B album “Journals” was launched. Take it slow, but do it – like Miley Cyrus did in 2008 – with the controversial Annie Leibovitz Vanity Fair cover (which, let’s face it, painted Disney as the bad guy ) and progressively more revealing videos, over the following two years. Or you can make an even bolder move, like Justin Timberlake did, who moved away from ‘N Sync, when he probably could have still made more money there. He took a risk by seeing the future. If you don’t want things blowing up in your face, visualize and take your next steps. Artists are born to challenge the status quo – but this needs to be done when there is an audience who still passionately listens and are on your side.
2. When you make a stand, don’t compromise – stick to your plan
Justin Bieber did stick to his maturing musical agenda — but his public persona stayed the same, until 2013. Perhaps he could have made less formulaic videos – and revealed more of himself, as his music began to change (cue:Justin Timberlake and Cry Me A River). Or embrace the right film appearance which could broaden his image. When Miley Cyrus came with her big statement video and album “Can’t Be Tamed” in 2010 – fans saw an artist struggling to be herself, and move away from her no longer relevant Disney image. The song wasn’t a hit, and she addressed this lack of commercial success by recasting her team. She fired Hollywood Records, her management team, ditched her dad, and took over A&R duties, creating “Bangerz“. She wasn’t backing down until Hannah Montana was dead.
3. Make sure your fans are with you
When your fans grow with you, and not away from you, you have a great formula. Taylor Swift uses her much talked about confessional writing style to bring her fans along with her. Swift’s life and heartbreak are an open emotional book – but her image, carefully crafted. Fans were right there when Miley broke up with Liam Hemsworth, the same occurred for Justin Timberlake regarding his split with Britney, his vulnerability over the break-up felt real. Not sure that Justin Bieber was cast in the same light when he and Selena called it quits. Fans want access to the real you – they don’t want their stars to be players, with no depth. They don’t mind if you are a hot mess – as long as they see your humanity. Great creative which addresses real emotional issues that the star may be going through helps cement your “connect” with your fans.
4. Keep your communication honest, real, and humble
When I was in grade school, I remember my world changing when I read The Diary Of Anne Frank. I started writing a diary, myself – and kept thinking about this incredible girl who wrote her extraordinary life down. It was heartbreaking to read her story, knowing she dies so young. So, I wondered, when Bieber made his Anne Frank comment, how many of his young female fans were embarrassed. Probably, many of them. Just like they must have been embarrassed by his boycotting the Grammys because he wasn’t nominated. Fans don’t want to read about their idols saying self-absorbed, inappropriate, and unfeeling things. If Justin Bieber tried connecting to life outside himself, in public, he would be less of a target.
5. Fight back with great music and art
This is the most important rule of all. Regardless of your image and what you say in the press, your comments on Twitter, or your twerking antics, you need to back everything up with great music. Bieber’s #MusicMondaysand the subsequent underwhelming launch of #Journals, as well as the “Believe” documentary, all felt like tactical errors. Although you can appreciate the freshness of the approach of releasing one new song a week, Bieber needed to come back BIG — with all the bells and whistles behind one great track that people could hang on to. A great video – with style and depth. Then, the documentary, maybe. You can’t get tricky when you are in transition. “Wrecking Ball” was a hit record – and lyrically, explained Miley very well. The VMAs would have been meaningless, if “Wrecking Ball” wasn’t such a great song. “Sexy Back” was a real turning point for Justin Timberlake – hitting the nail in the coffin of ‘N Sync. JT may have appeared “uncool” in the early years, but he always created music that resonated. When he began making films, his music was missed. Timberlake got bigger, and than cool came to him, in the form of Jay-Z and more complex acting roles. Keep your music great,always.