Star Theory

The terms "pop performer" and "pop star" have become interchangeable — strictly speaking, in

media terms they are not the same thing. The study of stars as media texts/components of media

texts demands that the distinction be made between those who are simply known for performing

pop music and those who are known for being pop stars, who have an identity or persona which is

not restricted solely to their musicianship. One of the reasons so many pop performers are described

as pop stars is that they are quickly promoted to this status by their management. This is easily done

courtesy of a few judiciously placed stories, a famous boyfriend/girlfriend, attendance at

premieres/parties and a feature in HEAT magazine. It can be easy to forget about the music in the

light of the outfits or love affairs. There are some who appear to leapfrog the performer stage

entirely, but they do have to go through it.However, a true pop star does have a lasting significance,

and has "brand awareness" amongst a wider market over a period of time. Many of the so-called

pop stars populating the top forty currently have not made a sufficient sociological or cultural impact

to be classified as true stars if we return to Richard Dyers’ definition. They will be forgotten by all but

their most avid fans within a few years.

Stars as Constructions

Stars are constructed, artificial images, even if they are represented as being "real people",

experiencing real emotions etc. It helps if their image contains a USP — they can be copied and/or

parodied because of it. Their representation may be metonymic — Madonna's conical bra in the

early 1990s, Bono's 'Fly' sunglasses, Britney's belly, Justin Bieber's bangs. Pop stars have the

advantage over film stars in that their constructed image may be much more consistent over a

period of time, and is not dependent on the creative input of others (e.g. screenwriters writing their

lines).

Dyer proposes that: A star is an image not a real person that is constructed (as any other aspect of

fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising, magazines etc. as well as films [music]).

Yet that construction process is neither automatic nor fully understood. Record companies think

they know about it — but witness the number of failures on their books. TV programmes such as The

X Factor show us the supposed construction process, how an ordinary person is groomed, styled and

coached into fulfilling a set of record company and market expectations. This is not true stardom,

which must happen through a combination of factors. None of them labelled 'X'.