Comments on: Pop artists and Prejudice

By: Han

Han — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:20:44 +0000

Music changes the patterns of thoughts in our minds according to science. So people who like the same music, often think in similar patterns and feel connected to one another. I generally like ‘alternative music’ more than pop, and I think a bit differently to other people in general too. I like some pop music as well. There is so much variety. I often think that if something is popular I won’t like it and that is less to do with prejudice than experience. I am open to liking it. I like Lady Gaga and she is very popular.

By: Andreea Seferian

Andreea Seferian — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:59:12 +0000

Adam’s persona also came to mind. HE has invaded us…And his Empire is empowering.

By: Mia Johnson

Mia Johnson — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:51:54 +0000

i just thought that adam lambert has a much better voice than David Archuleta”`~

By: Glen

Glen — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:33:57 +0000

I think prejudice is related to fear and kind of jealousy at the same time.I don´t think Pop Artist are bad people,they are just different in what they do from us.I think that if we feel identified with a famous person or an pop artist there´s nothing wrong with that,if somebody or something touches our heart, there´s nothing wrong with that…by the way, I love some Pop Artists!!I sing too, and sometimes they are my inspiration!!

By: Nawal

Nawal — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:14:17 +0000

Hello,
I’m not sure if you will have time to read this, or even have time to watch the link of videos that I’ll mention later. But, believe whether you are of any religion, we as followers of God have responsipility to aware and to be awared. The following link will make you see why they are some of pop artist (singer) I am really not fond of.

http://www.wakeupproject.com – Documentary Phase 1, The Arrivals
http://www.theindustryexposed.com
Music Industry Exposed, on youtube

By: a-ha cds

a-ha cds — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 06:42:05 +0000

they do have chill ed soup now as well in the supermarket!
there is nothing like a good earthy soup:)
Thanks Heart. Xx

By: Zackary Lagergren

Zackary Lagergren — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:22:50 +0000

Good deal. I like her music a lot. It really temped me when people say something like since she’s 40 she should not make music anymore. Thats unreasonable. Carry it J.Lo!

By: Elena

Elena — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:10:44 +0000

Popularity prevents communicate with the man, it creates the illusion of uniqueness. You can not be sure of the person creating masterpieces. You pull for him – such is human nature, desire to get closer to anyone interested in that. And the popularity creates a gap (trap) and the man eventually may fall into it and die as a person.

By: Zaira

Zaira — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:28:46 +0000

my english is basic but I can understand when i read it
Aunque prefiero escribir en español, es más cómodo por ahora …

A mi me gusta muchisimo la música pop, de hecho mi cantante favorita canta pop.
La mayoría me critica por eso, pero su música es lo que me gusta.
Creo que la mayoria de la gente dice “la música pop es plástica” sólo porque asi lo dicen otros y no porque de verdad no les guste.

Yo disfruto la música en diferentes idiomas y diferentes géneros y respeto la opinión de cada quien. No debería haber prejuicios por algo que todos podemos disfrutar igualmente.

By: Silvia

Silvia — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:03:58 +0000

I like Luis Miguel, Yuridia and Edith Marquez,these three singers can sing whatever they want.
There are two things I love Luis Miguel music and Paulo Coelho books.
I have been on Luis Miguel’s concert he is very nice with his fans, and so do Paulo, sometimes the comments on newspaper, magazines or tv are only their perceptions no the reality.
“El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz”
We have to respect their private life and enjoy their art.

By: rachelle

rachelle — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:16:52 +0000

i definitely agree… that’s because his childhood was stolen from him. at a very young age, he was forced to be excellent in his craft… to be the best young artist there could ever be. he was forced to work instead of him playing. he was forced to project a perfect life that was never his. it was like a taboo if the stars or artists talk about what is lacking in their life or what is wrong in his life. he didn’t have enough privacy and i feel sad for him. he has all the material things that he could possibly have but it’s as if he doesn’t have the right to embrace who he truly is… the only reason why he ended up like that is because he was deprived of the things that are far much important for him… can we blame him for being like that or turning out to be like that… it’s yes or no… there is no perfect explanation to that but the best thing that we can do is at least accept him for who he truly is

*** i’m not MJ fanatic but i don’t hate him either***

By: rachelle

rachelle — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:03:17 +0000

i guess some people are just envy of those people who were able to fulfill their dreams. people use to criticize, finding fault on the rich and the famous because they have nothing good to do. those people who are prejudice just look at the things that they wanted to see… they see the faults of others but they can’t see their own imperfections. some people hate pop stars because for them they look cheap (well i do have the same perception to those other pop stars who are just bunch of pretenders but it’s not always applicable to all) and they are fake (well we can’t blame other people if they have this kind of perception to pop stars because some pop stars only care about creating an image and selling CDs that are not worth for keeps) but little do they know, they envy those pop stars because despite of their perception, those pop stars were able to reach something in their life. other people who can’t reach their own dreams do nothing but pull other people down. they are miserable for not reaching what God intended them to be, so they wanted to share they misery with other people which is sick and pathetic. i know a lot of people who are like this (prejudice)… they only project hatred to others (in general, not only to pop stars) well in fact they hate their self for being stagnant. what is wrong with being a pop star and being famous? does that make them less of a person? of course not… i’m happy for them because they were able to do something worth while in their lifetime unlike those people who are just fond of criticizing yet they have not accomplished anything in their entire lifetime, which is sad and odd.

i like those artists, not only the pop stars who have reached their goal… some of them are young and successful and for me that is amazing… but then again this is not applicable to all
i also understand the side of those people who criticize (but this is not applicable to the prejudice i guess)

it’s just sad because some of the pop stars are not considered as an artist because people can’t find truth in them. whenever they sing, there is no soul in their song or in their music and it’s very obvious that they are just there to sing but not convey a message. it’s sad that most of the pop stars are just used for money making but their album is not for keeps. i guess every listener knows if the music being played has a song or if the song was only done for the sake of money making. i really feel bad about this because i’m a sworn music lover and some people destroy the main essence of creating music just because of their personal agenda. and because the wanted to have more money, they build an image of the pop star that seems perfect and too beautiful to be true because they think that if they don’t create a star that has a perfect image, people will not accept them or the crowd will not love them and they will not the records. some of the stars are being forced to project a life that is never theirs… they project perfection that is just a false illusion and it’s really sad because the more the star is hidden in the shell of make belief, they feel less fulfilled. at first they will feel happy because all the material compensation are there and they are very tempting… who doesn’t want to be rich and famous??? but later on they realize that they wanted to find their true self which is far from what they are projecting to the audience thus, destroy their image and the audience perceive them as getting wild or getting wasted and they are wasting up their career… the audience don’t really see the need of the pop star of finding him/her true self because they were already fixated in the image that was shown to them previously… this makes the rich and the famous realize that it’s not about being rich and famous, but it about being who you are. it’s not about image building but building your character as a person.

nevertheless, i admire those pop stars who are there were they are because they wanted to be there…. because they worked hard to be there. through their craft they show their soul and they share the soul of their craft to those who are open to receive the message the song would love to convey. i admire those artists who excelled in their craft… the song writers, the producers, the singers, the performers who do their thing out of love, out of passion and not just by merely doing things for the material compensation that they will get later on. i admire all those people whose craft or whose product has a heart and soul because today, you can barely see people doing what they truly love and being passionate to their work. a lot of people would claim that they are passionate and they love what they do and the truth is their just creating a false illusion to prevent their selves from having a bruised ego.

criticizing… it’s good because it can build

prejudice… ??? well… keep it to yourself, or better, throw it so you won’t have it. remember… “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”… if insecurities cover your heart, then most likely you will project this…

By: Stefania

Stefania — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:17:36 +0000

Well… I’m not a great admirer of pop singers… because, even who, beside them, can really sing very good, generally send his/her look before his voice… and this is the thing I really don’t like! but I think there’s another reason, a deeper one: they’re people who’ve achieved their goal… and this could cause some envy. Why them and not me, whetever my goals are? ..I think that’s the real point! Or maybe, one of that…

By: Dhede Wantah

Dhede Wantah — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:37:25 +0000

Dear Mr.Coelho.. I’m from Indonesia, and I’m a big fan of yours,..and Michael Jackson..
In this context, I wanna share how I feel about Michael Jackson.. I know some people just don’t like him and made a lot of prejudice because his plastic surgery, his cases at the justice court, his likely of elementary things and all the ‘un-popular’ things about him.. I’m not saying he’s perfect as an angel, but as far as I know, he was just a lonely person with a lot of energy to share love, quite a altruistic kind of love..Knowing him as a person who never felt a normal childhood made me understand why he had a quite ‘different-attitude’ among other normal or popular persons..
In your context, prejudice came because we don’t know the person pretty well, prejudice aroused because we see only part of a life, and prejudice happens because we don’t have clear boundaries between opinions and facts.. Try to seek much more facts rather than just gather more opinion from others.. :)

By: dave

dave — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:04:05 +0000

I think some of us that like music or whatever stuff that is not particulary popular may in some small way take something “satisfying” from this very fact alone (even if unconcious to doing so). Like the old saying “it was cool to everyone else liked it! or till everybody else started doing it”. Maybe people who love a certain sort of largely unknown or far less popular music, may feel it defines them. Maybe it sets them apart from the rest of a world not doing so well or not being so cool in their eyes. I suppose the fact remains that lots of pop music is of poor quality. Yet pop to me is really just music that is popular spanning all genres. A lot of people think if they like some cool alternative rock band that it is not pop music, but it may well be blatant pop in reality cause near half the world are listening to it thinking they are “in the know”. Bottom line is that good music is good music, and nothing can take that away, despite whether it’s very popular or not. While a lot is crap (we should be more realistic and intelligent), we all must learn to listen with an open mind yes. And if you really like something, and it is not actually that good quality music somehow (even though you can’t detect this), it is probably good for you/your brain in some way if you are liking it during a time. Maybe you are enjoying the good in it or are hearing things others can’t. At the same time, people can be stuck on musical platforms that are not serving them well. For me, I have learnt that certain music has great power and promise in our lives. More than a lot of people comprehend. Music is to me education, yet it must be with artists who are into teaching and love through music. So much music truly is “music of the devil”. I am not sure I believe in the devil as such…. but my….. just so much is on a platform so much lower than what we deserve as human beings (and that is where the people who listen to it remain until they are helped. It may not be bad, but not good enough. So help all you can if you think you might be more musically advanced than them. Check out this blogs if you are interested in my particular taste….www.dp44.blogdspot.com…. and there are many many others. Downloading albums via blogs typically requires WinRar (freely available software for extracting .zip files….which is usually how people upload albums, zipped up to reduce space). If you use a Mac, get the Mac equivalent to WinRar, whatever it is. Win rare taskes only minutes to be installed on your pc (get it off any reputatable free software download site) and start enjoying peoples sharing blogs on the music they/you like! Then you can buy the albums you truly love, and have direction in your collecting. After all, remember the big Virgin/HMVs with listening booths, ior the iold record store where you played lp’s for a week on end before laying down your money. Downloading is not bad, it is GREAT, once you are responsible about it. Enjoy. Thanks Paulo. Was reading of yourself tonight, and ended up here. I would look forward to discovering more about your life in the future hopefully. Cheers

By: Mariana

Mariana — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:42:09 +0000

Señor Paulo Coelho:
Me siento tan alagada como al fan saber que un gran escritor y persona como usted ninguna crítica ni excluya la musica de nuestros amados alemanes QUE SON TOKIO HOTEL por la Manera de Ser, vestirce, etc, si no que por su admirable voz sean musica y Reconocidos y no criticados injustamente por lo demas mencionado, son 4 niños que empezaron solos con su musica y el duro pasar de los días mas que se Hicieron Grandes y La Mega personalidad del vocalista es tanta la admiracion que uno Debe Tener Porque no le importa el diran que los demas, solo con sentirce bien el ES SUFICIENTE, pues la mayoria de seres humanos, alguna vez incluyendome a mi, nos cuesta mucho sacarnos de la cabeza el que dira “aquel”, él es una muestra a seguir, Amo a esos 4 jovenes que crecieron SOLOS, SE Hicieron grandes con su sudor y humildemente Demuestran agradecimiento a todos los que los apoyaron, Mil Gracias por sus palabras y por no hacernos sentir solos en esto, que luchamos dia a dia Porque nuestra banda favorita no excluida del mar, Apartada y discriminada por su apariencia .. Lo queremos un abrazo a la distancia.

¿Si no eh leido una novela? .. El alquimista Dios!! me hizo viajar hasta Egipto y esta frase “Cuando una persona Desea realmente algo, todo el Universo conspira para que Realice su deseo”.

Lima – Perú

By: Kimberly Lawson K

Kimberly Lawson K — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:10:59 +0000

Yes Mozart was popular during his time, as was Haydn, P.E. Bach and Gluck. Couldn’t we consider him popular by the masses today as well? Look at Beethoven’s 5th Symphony….popular but not considered a “Pop artist”, but all the same recognizable, recorded time and time again even now but still wildly embraced and considered “good” (well, amazing)right?

By: Beata

Beata — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:52:38 +0000

Wow, Paulo – first I must tell You that Your books are really popular in Poland and You’ve got lots of fans :)
It’s great You said something positive about Tokio Hotel. I love this band and their music and You’re right – People always have negative opinions about this boys and I don’t know why. First, they don’t listen their music – it’s the most important thing if we talk about bands, isn’t it? People look at them and think “Omg, stupid gays” or something like that.. It’s their image – something what have all stars. They are original, I think. I don’t know how to describe them – Tokio Hotel is amazing group. I’m really glad, Paulo, that You think they’re good.

Best Wishes,
Beata.

By: arliz

arliz — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:50:50 +0000

hola Paulo! me llamo Arlis y soy una gran admiradora tuya me encanta como escribes xD y estoy de acuerdo con tu opinion acerc de lo que hablaste y te queria decir que soy super fan de la banda alemana Tokio Hotel son fabulosos xD te los recomiendoo (:

cuidate mucho, saludos

Tokio Hotel <3

Tacna – Perú

atte. arlis kaulitz *

By: carolina

carolina — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:43:31 +0000

hola! paulo! antes de dar mi opinion acerca de lo has hablado quiero decirte que te admiro mucho tus libros son increibles (=
bueno.. opino igual que tu no me parece bien que las personas odien a una banda solo por que son populares, yo pienso que si te gusta una bandaa la debes valorar y querer por mas que sea popular, a mi me gusta la banda alemana tokio hotel! pienso que es genial (=

cuidate mucho!
un besoo!

i’m from tacna – peru

By: katy

katy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:09:18 +0000

Hi Paulo! This is a very interesting subject. I personally like Tokio Hotel an as a fan I’m telling u is not easy! Is right what u say…ppl think that if you like a famous band…is a waste of time because u r just fallin’ “trends” and classify u…”oh, if u like TH the you’re emo or something” and thats not true…although I respect any person but it doesn’t mean you’re goin’ “with the flow” if u like one artist or another…Specially by being fan of TH…some ppl always says bad things about them or make fun or get mad at me because I like them…but I really think they are true talented artist…it’s true…their look is different (so cool by the way)…but the main thing is that they’re a really MATURE, ORIGINAL, TALENTED, THEY SPEAK THEIR MINDS AND MOTIVATES U TO FIGHT FOR UR GOLDS AND BE WHO U R…!!! I just love them!! and by the way…I hope u can see them live! Plzz enjoy their concert…you’re so lucky!!…I think I’ll never go to one of their concerts since I live in central america and I don’t think they will come here anytime soon =( Again, thanx for this interestin’ subject
lov
katy

By: Lamya

Lamya — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:12:01 +0000

can we really be free of prejudice? I feel like we’ve become too politically correct to even be able to express certain views that people may not like, even if they are not negative and hurtful. I find that alot of people very easily pass judgements on me because I despise hiphop. Yes, it is popular, but am I supposed to like it coz it has nice beats and disregard the mostly sexist nature of lots of those songs? To me it is simple, my prejudice against hiphop comes from my prejudice against sexism in all its forms. Popular isn’t always good, but it’s true that some pop culture is positive…and afterall, Bach’s work was one day pop!

By: vinha

vinha — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:37:43 +0000

Eu tenho que assumir que no ínicio eu tinha um certo preconceito com as bandas atuais, ate mesmo tokio hotel, achava que era mais uma banda qualquer… a questao é que determinadas épocas dá-se mais valor a determinados estilos de musicais, e as vezes as pessoas não conseguem gostar destes estilos, principalmente quando tantas bandas fazem sons tão parecidos… e é mais dificil ainda assumir que voce gosta de uma banda, depois de julga-la tanto (fazer o que,quem mandou julgar? hahaha)… hoje em dia th é uma das minhas bandas favoritas

abraço

By: marie-christine

marie-christine — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:13:52 +0000

thank you Elaine.
Love to you too

By: Astrid

Astrid — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:39:16 +0000

I am a lover of pop music, but I believe good music is good music in the end. The problem I have with most popular artists today is they lack depth, both in their music and character. Although I enjoy many people on the radio, very few have motivated me to open my wallet and pay to see them live in concert. For me, it is about the voice and ability to communicate the emotion of a song. Some of my favorites live are Elton John, Tracy Chapman, Marc Anthony, and more recently David Archuleta. Interestingly, I feel David faces prejudices because he is only 18. He is quite often dismissed by older music lovers as just another teenage singer. I will admit that his pop album, released last year, does not show his full potential. His Christmas CD, on the other hand, is another matter altogether. He sings these songs with such reverence and conviction. It is truly beautiful. Of course, all of what I’ve written is just my humble opinion. Thank you for the forum, Paulo!

By: Lizzie Bang

Lizzie Bang — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:02:55 +0000

Honestamente Tokio Hotel é muito bom, sendo eles conhecidos ou não. Ultimamente esta tendo entre os jovens um preconceito com bandas que julgam ser da moda, acham que são produzidas e que não prestam. Mas no caso de Tokio Hotel, falam e nem conhecem nada sobre eles.
Obviamente que hoje “qualquer um” canta, mas não é só porque é conhecido que vai ser ruim não é? Quer dizer que Beatles era ruim? Queen? ACDC? Michael Jackson? Madonna? Hm… acho que deu pra ter uma base. Sou totalmente contra a esse preconceito. Conheço muitas bandas BOAS e desconhecidas, mas também bandas OTIMAS e conhecidas.

Beijo e neon

By: El57

El57 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:28:37 +0000

I have to say it’s all about respect. I don’t follow one particular genre of music. If I like a song and I see who the artist is then I support it. A recent example would be a young 18 year old artist by the name of David Archuleta. He considers himself a pop artist however, from what I’ve heard – he has done Spanish ballads to Christmas music. Now only is he talented, but I respect him for his morals and values. This is unique and rare in the world of entertainment. Check him out on u-tube.

By: Melle Johnson

Melle Johnson — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:06:25 +0000

I have always love artists who could communicate profound truths to a mass audience. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Picasso. They weren’t manufactured, they revealed elements of ourselves that we had yet to see.

Madonna, Cher, john Grisham. There is an element of self conscious manufacturing that people… I don’t think that it tastes nourishing or of long term value. Michael Jackson, Elvis, isn’t there art popularity?

By: isbelth

isbelth — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:48:29 +0000

I agree, Mr. Paulo, I’m a fan of Tokio Hotel bother me much as you yourself said closed-minded society, I’m glad you alla given their opinion.

eh I have seen one of his novels”Veronika Decides to Die”I love! is fascinating.

By: Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:24:11 +0000

Me encantó Tokio Hotel. Nunca los habia escuchado. Espero verlos en Zurich en Marzo