Pillow Talk

   When is Zayn not completely killing it? His latest single and music video, "Pillow Talk", was an inevitable, dramatic, outcome of his solo career and it's beautiful in every possible aspect. First thing I noticed how unlike One Direction, Zayn isn't playing to his old career and really building something up for himself. He creates a synth-pop aura and large lead up to an extremely powerful and building chorus line. He plays with his vocal range immensely during the song, going fairly high up on the refrain yet keeping a vaguely husky tone throughout the verses.

   "Pillow Talk" illustrates an intense relationship with both highs ("paradise") and lows ("war zone"), both people are extremely different ("light and dark") but have incredible passion. The song is very much obviously about sex but less of the physical aspect and more on an emotional and mental level. They both are figuring feelings and dynamic out and find out more about each other through intimacy. There's discomfort at certain points but both parties trust each other and share power. I found it extremely impressive how eloquently Zayn went through this. 

   The music video is just as gorgeous with constant visual stimulation. Though some of it was kind of ridiculous (I'm looking at you, weird triangle effect), the artwork of it was incredible. The backdrops and shots told the story perfectly and didn't take away from the ultimate purpose of the song. 

   I'm amazed at how well Zayn has fit into the solo job and am unsurprised at the same time, we all knew Zayn could hold himself up without any doubt. His vocals are not only strong but the entire imagery is breathtaking. 

(I promise my next post won't be One Direction related)

Why One Direction's "History" Music Video Matters

 

   Only a few hours ago, One Direction dropped their final music video off of Made in the AM for "History". Though every single thing One Direction does is obviously extremely important in my heart, this video really emphasized something to me; One Direction was, like many other people's, first band I got into. And when I say "got into", I mean full on knew every song, everything about the members, and loved everything about this band. One Direction was a gateway into my intense love for music and though I definitely have distanced myself from that genre, I still give credit for being the first musicians that really truly meant something to me.
   "History" was one of the first releases off of the band's latest, and rumor has it, last album and an already emotional one at that. Though I hadn't even looked close enough to think of it as a song to the fans, and more a relationship in the stages of a breakup, with the recent hiatus, it makes perfect sense. The song promises to never forget the memories and moments they've shared along with the ending line of "we can live forever", a note of no matter where the band goes, they'll never burn out. The video centers around the highlights of each of the boy's careers, the high points, the sold out shows, the funny times on the road, One Direction illustrates their own history. Getting their start on The X-Factor, you see your favorite five boys grow up in black and white with color shots of the present day and honestly, the comparison is quite emotional to watch. There's one less member than the past videos along with the fact that they no longer are teenagers, the ever so lovable boy band resembles well, adults.

   The "History" music video takes you through the memories you've created with the boys, the day they were signed, auditioning for the X-Factor, the various music video clips, and all the stupid backstage moments you can't help but forget. There's a tragic nostalgia to it when you realize you've grown up alongside these boys and looking at how far they've come. You see the various hairstyles and fashions and eras of the band, there's that connection of the jokes and moments and songs that come along with it. There's also the huge elephant in the room: Zayn. Ever since leaving the band, One Direction has been fairly quiet about the past member and I really appreciated how they didn't try to erase him from their history. Malik is pictured in multiple different scenes and valued as a member who brought quite a ton to the dynamic. 

   The last scene of the video is probably the most emotional; starting with their first performance, the last black and white scene is taken from their last time onstage before going on hiatus. The shot shows how far they've come along with how little they've changed. They started out as your classic boyband and since then, the personalities, writing styles, and dynamics have changed. They've grown but still honor their beginning and everything that came with it; "History" is a tribute to five albums, countless sold out shows, more than dedicated fans, and the boys themselves, growing up along with it. The song and video illustrate the unknown future and where the hiatus and band will go from here and where they'll all end up, with the last present day bit of them all walking in separate directions and waving goodbye to each other, there's high ambiguity as to what it means and an overall worry with it. I'm not nearly ready for the ending of One Direction but this video was definitely an incredible tribute to the band as they begin a new chapter, band or not. 

One Direction (and other): Why I Need Feminism

   Just this week, One Direction finally released the music video for their latest hit, "Drag Me Down". To say the entire thing was creative is an understatement; it includes robots, the boys running after a camera at rather awkward angles, and the ultimate point in which our favorite boy band is shot into space. Though I could write up an entire post about my love for the extravaganza that was the "Drag Me Down" video, there's actually a pretty big elephant in the room that comes with the attention the band is receiving, mainly from a male standpoint. Though most reactions towards DMD were positive and excited, there of course, had to be a chorus of "girls only listen to their music because they're hot" and though these things usually pop up with anything, there's an actual problem within saying this. Let's completely take everything we know about One Direction/ any biases against them and start from the beginning. "Drag Me Down" currently holds the title of #1 in 80 countries. EIGHTY. And this isn't even the first time something like this has happened- about all of their previous singles have hit first place on the iTunes charts without preorders. Going off of that, the British band have broken the Vevo records multiple times along with playing sold out or close to sold out shows every single night in the most well known venues on their world tour. So why don't they gain more respect? Why does a large portion of people still claim females who enjoy bands like One Direction are only there for the looks of the members? And no, it's actually not the performer's faults comments like this are usually put across, it's the demographic. One Direction's main audience is extremely versatile. Their listeners go from eight year old girls to college students. Mainly all female. This group of people is incredibly impressive- it's tough to land the pre-teen population already but also having young through older teens, and young adults (think recent college graduates) calling themselves directioners is almost considered impossible. A band that appeals to such drastically different age groups is usually something celebrated. But with their almost 97% fanbase of girls, One Direction is thought of as talentless because females can't possibly actually enjoy music, they must have a crush on one of the members to latch onto a band like this. Yes, it is very much true that most of their audience is attracted towards the boys but that's completely understandable; in a video done by Lacy Green, she describes "fangirling" or having a crush on a famous person as something completely normal and actually scientific in the minds of girls growing up (which fits most of 1D's fans). Another great point to bring up is these ladies' source of income. Being young, these directioners are mostly working minimum wage jobs or relying completely on their parents. They aren't giving up their paycheck or birthday present for the album or tickets to see four talentless boys. They enjoy the music and yes, the members but this behavior isn't driven from the pure attraction of Harry Styles. It's a love for the content this band creates and the way it makes them feel.
   Think of it as this: if One Direction's fanbase was mainly all male, their reputation and music would be taken much more seriously. The idea that the bands and artists that have a co-ed or mostly male audience are more respectable and talented is ridiculous. The statement, "girls only like One Direction because of their looks", also puts across the idea that all women are boy obsessed and can't appreciate something unless they find attractive value within the artist. When you turn it on it's head, the situation is actually pretty funny because of how large a double standard it is. For this year's Victoria's Secret fashion show, more men tuned in live than woman to watch supermodels walk across a runway in lingerie. Though Taylor Swift gave a pretty killer performance, it is easily argued that this male audience was there for the looks of the models. So why are guys allowed to literally just watch conventionally gorgeous women walk across a stage whereas girls can't enjoy a band with attractive members?
   It's sad to watch a band that has one of the most powerful fanbases and has put an influence on the demographic of teenagers (one of the hardest to hit ever) can't be taken seriously because directioners are mainly all female. It's even sadder that these fans are constantly having to prove themselves to guys (and even some women) for their taste in music because of being seen as "boy crazy". Though this post only covered One Direction specifically because of my own liking and experiences, this can be applied to any artist within the industry- these double standards hitting females are ridiculous.