We’ve all seen it. Miss Miley Cyrus has been dominating tabloids and glossy mags for weeks and weeks. Ever since that controversial “twerking” episode at the VMAs where she “represented women in a cool way” and made us see foam fingers and dancing bears in a whole new light, she has been everywhere. I can’t even go onto my Yahoo anymore without seeing “Miley’s done this, Miley’s upset so and so, Miley the tearaway etc etc”. It would all be very boring, apart from the fact that Miley has in fact become a little bit of a trailblazer. I don’t usually take much notice of ex-Disney stars since they all seem to merge into one after a while. Demi who? But, Miley has definitely made sure that she isn’t the good girl of pop anymore. She has burnt a few bridges along the way whilst trying to dismantle her sickly sweet Hannah Montana image. Harry Styles even admitted that her performance at the VMAs was shocking, especially considering her young fan base.
Since then, Miley has had run-ins with Sinead O’connor, where she distastefully mocked Sinead’s past mental health issues publicly on Twitter after O’connor warned her not to “prostitute” herself in an open letter. Annie Lennox waged in on the debate, complaining of the sexualisation of women in the music industry. Miley seemed to open up a whole new can of worms with the debate, with celebs and common folk alike complaining about her inappropriate behaviour. One newsreader even claimed he “felt embarrassed for Billy Ray who he knew, Miley was such a good kid before.”
The latest condemnation has been from Jennifer Lawrence, coming at a time where Cyrus ceremoniously lit up what appeared to be a joint on stage whilst in Amsterdam. Miley hasn’t just ditched her old image. She has publicly and violently set her alight before our eyes. But, rather than being up in flames, her career seems to be flourishing. Insiders are saying that Miley is such hot property, that show bosses are desperate to book her to perform. At a time when viewing figures are dwindling, she always manages to pull something out of the bag (literally) and get ratings soaring.
As much as I appreciate Cyrus’ new wild side, I don’t find anything unique in her new music. Her look may be striking, but her sound is same old, same old. Plus, I’m not that way inclined so the whole “sex sells” thing isn’t really working for me. Well, I suppose when times get bad and good music is dangerously thin on the ground, there are always the X factor artists, right? *sarcasm* So is there anything new out there for people who don’t appreciate having “artists” shoved down their throats?
All I can say is, thank goodness for Lorde. She has appeared from nowhere and has stormed the charts both here and in the US with her alternative pop tune “Royals”. Originally from Auckland, Australia, she was discovered on a talent show and is barely 17. Beating Cyrus’ “Wrecking ball” on the iTunes charts reportedly earned her abuse from “Smilers”. Single-handedly restoring my faith in the merit of today’s young artists, she writes her own stuff, and styles herself. Not yet her manager’s puppet, like Cyrus, she is so fresh that she looks like she just stepped out of her teen bedroom in her video for “Royals”. A hipster’s dream; she is a bit Florence Welch meets Ellie Goulding, with a little bit of Birdy and Foxes thrown in.
Mix these artists together and you might have something that resembles Lorde. But Lorde isn’t an imitator and there’s nothing quite like her authentic sound; there’s no doubt she will be a trailblazer of her own. In an age where music videos and lyrics are full of references to drugs, sex and general debauchery (take note Cyrus), it is extremely refreshing to listen to a song about enjoying the little things in life (Royals), and not a song that boasts of “big booty strippers” and cash flows (Rihanna). I love how she took the mundane topic of teenage life in Auckland, and made it into a clever auditory masterpiece. This girl could write a song about having a bath and make it a hit. Her other tracks, one of my favourites “Tennis court” is equally simple, yet brilliant. Her videos are muted and sultry, no twerking in sight, as she allows the talent to do the talking. I think we may have found the antidote to Miley Cyrus, and the manufactured auto-tuned rubbish that is everywhere today. I have found my new music crush. I didn’t think I would see any breakthrough artists this year that I could like as much as Lana Del Rey, but Lorde has so much potential. She may not be royal, but I’m sure she will be very wealthy, very soon!