Star Image

Richard Dyer has noted: " a star is an image constructed from a range of materials"

Construction of a pop star:
These materials include:

• The songs- their lyrical themes and musical structures/ genres
• The record covers- singles and albums and the image of the star they present
• Music videos
• Magazines- Newspapers- Celebrity gossip
• Concerts- Live performances.

A good example of this would be Lady Gaga. Her real name is Stefani Joanna Germanotta who comes from an italian, french and canadian heritage. She played the piano at the age of 4 and began performing at open mike nights by the age of 14. Gaga has recorded a couple of hip-hop songs and has also began a band called the Stefani Germanotta Bnad (SGBand) with some friends in NYU. At the peak of the band in 2006, Gaga was scouted by Rob Fusari. The band grew apart and she therefore began her career in New Jersy. Her name came from the Queen song 'Radio Gaga'. Her image became fasinating with some of the emerging neo- burlesque shows, Gaga began go-go dancing in bars and dressed in little more than bikini. She was then re-located to LA where big celebrities are and she is able to control her own look as she is successful; this exemplifies that she has that freedom that most other smaller artists don't. When we compare her first music video- Just Dance- to her most recent music video- You and I, it is easy to pick up that she wears more clothes in her first video and as she progresses, they get less and less. This is maybe because the audience is not ready to see someone new in a way she portrays herself like she does now. Also, her image is changing constantly to keep viewers interested: