Pop Culture across Cultures - Essay Example

Part One Pop Culture across Cultures Pop culture can termed as an idea that is into the mainstream because of its popularity and charismatic tendencies. This article is going to analyze one celebrity that is considered a pop icon who transverse cultures. This article is going to analyze the legendary king of pop Michael Jackson. Moreover, this article is going to analyze the reason behind Michael’s success more so across cultures. Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, businessman and actor. The king of pop was born in 1958 in Gary, Indiana. Michael Jackson died on June 25th at the age of 50 following a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles (Michael Jackson). Michael was popular because of his music and dance styles. Being a pop artist, Michael Jackson changed pop music in a massive way. He begun singing at a time when pop music was little known and the fact that he was black made it even difficult to penetrate the industry. As matter of fact Michael used little known MTV music channel to release his music and thereby also enhancing the fame of the channel (Michael Jackson). Michael somehow managed to stay afloat, he not only forced pop music into the limelight but he made the main stream media acknowledge that even a black young man singing a not very popular music genre can be heard and become a star (Michael Jackson). The thing that makes him so famous is that he broke down obstacles and in so doing opened ways for many people, especially the black generation (Michael Jackson). In addition to this success was the Guinness world record which named Michael the greatest singer of all time. One of his albums thriller was also named best selling album, of all time. Furthermore, Michael had been a heart throb since he was young while singing with his brother in their family band the five alive then the Jackson five (Pratt,5). He was the most loved of the group because he was young and very talented. How and Why Michael Has Crossed Cultures Michael Jackson the person has crossed cultures because of so many reasons. First, he has dancing moves that people find quite fascinating like the moonwalk style (Pratt, 62). Secondly, the kind of songs he sings has made him popular among different cultures even rigid cultures like the Asian continent. Michael sings about the environment in a way that touches hearts and people are compelled to conserve the environment which is a key issue today (Firpo). Lastly, Michael is popular among cultures because many people saw him as a role model, a young black man making it in the United States of America. They wanted to be him, to be able to achieve what he has achieved in such a country. Many young people were motivated by him and his success and he made them believe in themselves and their dreams. Michaels Media Reception Sources in the media say different things about Michael Jackson. For one, he was a controversial celebrity because he did not quite agree with the way things were done (Henning, 65). Michael also faced numerous court charges over sexual allegations (Henning, 21). He was also known to be addicted to prescription drugs. To add salt to injury, he bleached his skin to be white and even changed his nose to be pointed and sharp like a white man. He was also accused of being involved with the illuminati, the devilish cult that gives fame and money. There is one fact that remains even amidst this controversies and allegations, that he was a very a talented man who could perform for over six hours nonstop. He never lip synched as he sang with his natural voice and his voice did not go raw. He also danced vigorously and kept his fans entertained without physical exhaustion like his counterparts. His overall live show performances kept him on top of his league. In my point of view, Michael has been received well by the media. Michael’s Potential Michael Jackson had the potential of this huge success because he was charismatic and charming. His voice was captivating and his songs memorable. His music videos like thriller also made fans go head over heels to watch, critics had nothing bad to say about him (Pratt, 20). He was an actor and did very well; he toured countries to honor them. He cared for kids and built a Disney imaginative land called never land in respect to his lost childhood so that children could enjoy being children something he lacked (Henning, 55). On the other hand, he had the potential of being so successful because ha also sang about daily occurrences like love, his song Billie Jean did very well (Pratt, 30). Moreover, Michael’s death caused crashes in search sites like Google, Wikipedia and even on social sites like twitter. His post humus song is making headlines and creating abuzz in the internet. His death was widely mourned by the whole world; it was a global grief. People seek celebrities form other countries especially the US because they think they have superior technology which makes them better. They also seek out these celebrities to gain the latest trends in the market. Michael’s wardrobe was famous and has been placed in a museum. There are many factors that affect the popularity of a celebrity in different cultures like the social, economic, political and historical factors. When a celebrity does not relate to these issues then they will not appeal to all countries. For example, Michael sang about the environment, wars and hunger and diseases (Firpo). These issues affect every culture thus relatable. Michael was appealing because he did something different and impacted on the lives of young people around the world. It does not mean that any artist from America would be as appealing as some have come up singing weird, dirty and offensive music with dirty videos and have no impact on people even though they come from the same continent as Michael. Michael’s success opened doors for other artists and black young people in other fields who did not believe they could make it. Artists have now cropped up all thanking and recognizing Michael as their role model. Michael Jackson fever is legendary and will not go away for ever. The future of Michael Jackson is still here and very much alive because it has crossed over to other nations and also because he sang of trends that are part and parcel of the lives of every culture. Part Two I chose the blog article format for the analysis of Michael Jackson. I chose this type of format because I was writing about a famous celebrity who is a legendary entertainer (Henning, 37). I felt that this analysis was not for education purposes but for entertainment .moreover, there was no new being passed across just information about what made the king of pop who he was and how he reached his height of success. This format affected some of my decisions like the use of informal language and soft tone. I imagined my readers to be music lovers of all ages. The difference in ages made me use simple and straight English to allow easy understanding. I also had to tone down on the use of strong language since my readers include young under age people and even transverse cultures who get offended by use of some language. Information included was also not very explicit as may have been and explicit content was made vague to protect young readers. I chose to use the images above to showcase the different sides to Michael Jackson. In one he is wearing a suit to depict that he was a serious businessman and not always dancing. In two pictures chose dancing pictures to show how he captivated the crowds and the first image is to show Michael the showbiz star and celebrity. Furthermore, I did not use nude or explicit images as my audiences must be protected as they are under age. Some are old people and some are from different backgrounds so I chose images that are neutral and pleasant to all. Secondary sources like the books from the internet were good sources but not very entertaining as the websites and newspaper articles. Journals were also a little helpful. This is because newspapers gave out information that was mindful of my audience unlike the books. Works cited Firpo, carr. "michael jackson motivated ." Questia Trusted Online Research 3.7 (2010): Print. Henning, Shawn. Michael Jackson: The Book the Media Doesnt Want You to Read. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2009. Print. Pratt, Mary K. Michael Jackson: King of Pop. Edina, Minn: ABDO Pub. Co, 2010. Internet resource. "Michael Jackson." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. . Read More