I was recently sent the new video from "Country/Indie Pop" singer Shaniah Paige who was named after Country singer Shania Twain who was named after "Country" writer Mark Twain who was named after newspaper editor Samuel Clements so you can tell right away I know what I'm talking about. Shaniah is currently a college student which is to say she's not a professional singer, yet, but has worked with multi-platinum music producer Andrew Lane (High
School Musical, Hannah Montana), who produced her first few singles so she has some musical miles on her already. Perhaps Lane saw another Hannah Montana, aka Miley Cyrus in her but thinking that leads down a dark road.
Before I venture down that road I'd like to mention that young Shaniah is from Monmouth, Il, and has recorded her Country inspired Pop, not Country or Pop Country, with multi-Grammy winner Larry Beaird, was named Fresh New Face of Country Music by Renegade Radio Nashville and signed a record deal with Heart Songs Records. She's performed at CMA Fest and opened for Stella Parton at BB King's, Nashville, Granger Smith, Love and Theft, Walker McGuire and Morgan Wallen.
In her new video, "Mysterious Boy", Shaniah comes off as the All American Girl Next Door, pretty, vivacious and reminiscent of a bygone time. Portrayed as a waitress in a roadside diner hearkens back to the "Happy Days" of juke boxes, 45 RPM singles and sock hops. It also recalls the melody line of the chorus of TLC's hit, No Scrubs and goes nowhere we don't expect it to go. For someone with one foot in Country Music she sings without the requisite Country accent and the only real nod to country is the pedal steel and the Telecaster lead fills on the track. The song sounds like a Pop singer forced into cowboy boots. Perhaps her road to stardom is the Taylor Swift Trail.
Shaniah Page the way she looked when we first saw here. Sigh!
Now to get dark, not because I'm geared to look in the shadows but to see what may be coming in order to best prepare for it. We've seen this all before; the pretty young girl who wants to be a "STAR" and has people, certainly well intentioned, behind her. She's recorded professional, well produced material and obviously has a professional PR firm behind her. Her target audience at this point is the girl she used to be, young pretty and interested in music. She looks to Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears not only for entertainment but for fashion, make up and dating tips. Therefore, following the formula already well established, she has one of three routes; go more Country. Taylor Swift and other young, pretty Country stars stay relatively fresh faced but although there's been more of a merger of Country and Pop and Rock since Garth Brooks, Country is still a pretty exclusive club and pretenders are not easily welcomed. Shaniah, at this point is very much more Pop than Country and this may force her onto one of the other two paths eventually. The next path is the Brittany Path; exploit your youthful good looks and natural sex appeal. It's a rather distasteful path but one that can lead to major success for someone who may need that little extra push off the cliff when the singing/acting/dancing/writing chops are only just okay. Barbara Streisand could stay "Funny Girl" for most of her career but she has an exceptional singing voice. She also had a pretty unique personality. The last path is to get yourself noticed by taking the Freak Show Path. Miley and Stephanie were talented but nondescript entertainers until they started letting their freak flag fly. Miley shed her Disney Hannah Montana persona and then her Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter label by geting bizarre looking as did Stephanie when she became Lady Gaga. Before you think this is being sexist and saying men don't have to exploit their sexuality or become side shows to become successful take a moment and think about David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Marylin Manson, Kiss, virtually all hairspray metal bands, Ozzie Osborn, Iggy Stooge, Arthur Brown, all the Emo, Goth, Metal, Psychedelic and Glam bands......
No comments:
Post a Comment