Pop music has always been the most accessible form of music. Simple, catchy, vibrant and easy to get into, it should be no wonder that radios eat it up and their accompanying albums sell millions; but if there ever was a hurdle that pop music had to clear, it's the idea of "fakeness". For years, record labels have touted acts like the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys who appeared "perfect" and seemed to be in some fantasy land, distant from the fans the artists had picked up.
Now, the cynical would suggest, with such "down to earth" acts like Michelle Branch, the American Idols, John Mayer, etc. that the pop world is still pulling this affront. "It's all an act" they say, and maybe they're right. Most don't ever experience their favourite pop stars on a personal level so it's impossible to gauge their real personalities; and you know what, I'd believe them if only for that very fact.
Until Branch's Toronto show October 19. That changed my mind on at least two pop acts- herself and Canadian pop/rock band Dakona, her opening act- since I actually managed to see them on a personal level; and, for now anyway, I'm convinced that they are "for real" and are not just pulling an affront, and that there just may be more in the pop world.
Now, I didn't actually get a chance to really converse with Branch (though I would have liked to), but just seeing her was good enough. After the Toronto show, Branch appeared outside of her tour bus to sign autographs for adoring fans. Obviously, I was one of them, although I didn't know she'd do that- so all I had her to sign was my ticket stub, which she did. Anyway, she was very receptive and friendly to everyone, but her appearance is what shocked me the most. Although there was- understandably- a physical barricade between us and her, it didn't feel like my world and hers were separate. You just look at her and you almost have to think twice to ensure that you really haven't bumped into her before walking down the halls of your school or just around town, because she appeared, well, "normal". She wasn't this "different" person who's so distant from everyone like *cough*Jennifer Lopez*- she was just a regular person, like you and me, only that she strums a guitar, tops the charts and goes on world tours, that's all.
For Dakona- at least for bassist Shane Dueck- I can say a lot more. Right before Branch's set, Dueck was standing in the halls also signing autographs, many of whom had experienced Dakona for the first time (I wasn't one of them- I had heard them and I liked their music before I saw their set). I figured I might as well talk to them (as they had announced after their set) because a) I had nothing better to do and b) because I did actually like their music, so why not?
Fortunately for me, Dueck wasn't crowded by fans, so I could get a few words in. He was pretty receptive to everyone who showed up and seemed like he wanted to talk (and why not, most of these people had just become fans), so that made the experience better. I remember getting the feeling from him that he at least was genuinely mystified about the whole ordeal, touring with Branch and getting a lot of positive response about the music. I also remember his shock when I had told him that I actually knew of them before the show. "Where'd you hear us? The radio?" he asked. "No, LAUNCH". He said he didn't have a clue what that was (and I don't blame him- it's an American music video service), so I told him, because that's where I caught both of Dakona's videos (one for "Good", the current single, and for "The Richest Man In The World"). We introduced ourselves to each other and, after I bought the CD after the show (before I figured it'd be too much), Dueck was the first one to sign it. He didn't remember my name (I don't blame him) but he did remember me and he did use my back to sign other autographs, at least for a while.
Of course, I was just in awe over all this. Branch, Dueck and the rest of Dakona was the first time I'd ever actually got to deal with, on a personal level, actual pop stars (okay, calling Dakona "pop stars" may be a stretch now, but one day...). Here they were, people with massive contracts and at least the specter of massive success in front of them, and, instead of coming off as some "higher" being, they were on "my level". Perhaps it's not exactly something new, but from someone who was cynical about this before, this was a real revelation.
This gets me thinking: is this part of their appeal? Early on in her career, Branch once said to MuchMusic that fans would complain to her about seeing these stars who were "so perfect" and then they'd see her and say "it's okay now". Do people like artists like Branch or Dakona because they're incredibly down to earth and, in effect, "just like them"? Also, what does this mean in the bigger picture, in the beleaguered pop world in general?
I think it all puts an exclamation mark on what we've known from before: that people like "people", not some unattainable fantasy that just looks great but offers nothing else really. It's why Pop Idol in general has really taken off, because the audience really connects with the participants who they see as people just like them going to realize their dreams, and even though the winners don't really write much for their album, it feels different because the winning person was not "created" by some record company. It also points to a new direction for the pop world, one where the stars are not inaccessible dreams but accessible people, and for a genre that's taken far too much flak for it's "fakeness", this can only be good news.
It's also great to know that good people like Branch and Dakona can find success. May they keep going: we need more people like you.
-DG