Singing For the Eyes

When we look at today's singers and artists, we see them for their looks.  When a famous singer performs on television or at a concert, they put a lot of work into the production, the lights, the outfits, the dancers, and the outfits.  They make the performance visually appealing.  They are singing for the eyes, not the ears, or the soul.  

Let's take a look at Nicki Minaj.  Below, there is a picture of her from 2011, after a performance on Good Morning America.  You can see her wild hair, open jacket with a very small shirt that shows off a lot of skin, and interestingly printed leggings to go under a skirt that appears to be clear plastic.  Her shoes are leopard print rain boots, and the outfit is tied together with big yellow hoop earrings, and large round bracelets.  This is a few years old, and since then, she has been spotted in a lot more crazy and questionable outfits, most that shoe off a lot of her body.  As you can see in the background there was a large set to go with it.  

Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, and many others are very guilty of singing for the eyes.  They put on a big fancy production to distract from the music they are performing.  They do it because they want to be talked about, and be thought of as the best.  This also sets a negative image for how people think they need to dress.  Obviously people aren't going to go out and wear a plastic skirt, but they see artists showing off their bodies, they see that people find that appealing, and they believe that they need to do so as well.  That's not right.  

On the other side of this spectrum, we have people that sing for the eyes, and the soul.  One of the best examples of this is Adele.  She never puts on a big flashy show, and she keeps things simple.  Below, we see her performing at the 54th Annual Grammy's in 2012.  She is wearing a simple black dress, she doesn't have crazy hair, and she is modest.  We can also see that she is a plus sized woman.  She doesn't have to put on a big elaborate show to be talked about by people.  She does that through her music.  

 I believe that artists should be more interested in the music, not the performance.  The performance is about the music and the message.  Music isn't meant to be visually appealing, it should be listened to.  It should be for the people to enjoy and relate to.  I'm not saying that artists should stand at a microphone, sing, and be done.  I'm just saying that we should worry less about the show, and more about the song.