My Views On Mainstream Music

Two heaped tablespoons of boy bands, a sprinkle of remix and just a dash of rap. Mix to your desired taste. 

Isn't that all mainstream music is these days?

I know that any tweenie reading this will want my head on a stick for saying I do not like One Direction, nor will I ever, but I'm going to say it anyway. They're a group of young guys who can, apparently, sing. So what? Haven't we seen that same thing with *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys? Do Westlife and Hanson ring bells for anyone?

You'd forgotten about them, hadn't you? 

Boy bands like that are everywhere, from the Jackson 5 to now Big Time Rush and One Direction. They're all over the internet- Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook- everywhere- TV and magazines. One after the other. With every season of talent shows, there's always a boy band set out to be the "next big thing." After their ten minutes of fame, they're gone- washed up like their predecessors. I mean, does anyone even listen to Justin Bieber anymore?

Don't get me wrong- some of them are okay. I don't mind Big Time Rush every so often, and I can say that I know the lyrics to a few Allstar Weekend songs. However, my point is that they're no different from the others before and after them. There is nothing that sets them apart from every other boy band that every tweenage girl has ever wished to marry. There aren't any I can think of off the top of my head that actually play their own instruments or write their own songs. Feel free to add a comment if you can think of any.

And then there's the rest of mainstream music. The section that isn't boy bands seems to be an individual artist with a song loaded to the brim with fake instruments and drum machines; synthesizers and auto tune. And of course, the rapper. Rihanna featuring Eminem. Justin Bieber featuring Usher. Everyone featuring Pitbull. I've heard enough of this kind of music to have the opinion that pop music of late is all one and the same. There's a set formula in place that seems to be the recipe for success. 

And then, when the style of the moment changes, these bands are stuck in their patterns, and most times, if they try to change their style in a desperate attempt to style popular, fans wail that it's not the same, and they're forgotten about. On occasion, there's one or two out of the lot that manage to make a comeback. However the majority wind up on Where-Are-They-Now shows. 

Maybe it's just me. Maybe these bands actually have some talent and are diverse. Maybe there's a reason people so desperately want to be like them. Perhaps I'm just the minority that believes music is about originality and creativity; about expressing and doing what you love not for popularity, but because it's something you love. Sure, the songs are catchy and easy to find yourself singing along to, but are they really all they're cracked up to be?

Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo