Font Ideas

YouGov Research: Topshop

Looking at the older of the two main target groups, I chose one of the interests that these people would have. It is evident that those that shop at Topshop are very feminine and interested in fashion and beauty. They also use many different social media networks, suggesting that it would be a good idea to address fans via social media. They define themselves as sweet, suggesting that they will relate to an artist with a similar personality. They also accept that they can be neurotic and insecure, suggesting that they would appreciate pop songs touching on these themes. Their focus on beauty suggests an importance in aesthetics; I should use a visually appealing digipak and magazine advert to attract their attention.

Research: YouGov

I will use the site YouGov to research how my target audience is likely to be interested in my artist and other topics. This will suggest how I should attract these listeners; for example it will show what kind of fashion they like, and what social media they use.

Target Audience

Age Range: 7-25

Gender: Female

Lily Palmer’s target audience will be mostly females under the age of 25 due to her music and image. I have split the demographic into two main groups.

Music Treatment: Taylor Swift- Shake It Off

Track Title: Shake It Off

Artist: Lily Palmer

Director: Siân Fields

I have decided to choose Shake It Off for Palmer’s music video because I think it would look really fun and represent her as a great pop artist and really appeal to her fan base.

Overview

The Shake It Off video will be performance-based and will reflect Palmer’s style. It will appeal to her fan base because it will be visually exciting and humorous. Furthermore it will be appropriate for its audience as it will not be overly sexualised.

The video will predominantly be shot in front of a white background with Palmer lip syncing. This will put the focus on her and promote her as an artist. This is important for Palmer, as her ‘girl next door’ image is a significant part of her career.

Through the video Palmer will perform in a range of costumes, which each reflect the lyrics she is singing. There will be 15 different outfits, for each of which I have assigned a ‘character’. The variety of looks will be visually exciting and also present Palmer as an actress as well as a pop artist.

The Costumes

 

“I stay out too late”

For the opening line to the song Palmer will wear bright, heavy makeup. This will include pink lipstick, purple eyeshadow and black winged eyeliner. Her hair will be worn down and tightly curled. She will wear a black leather jacket and a mini skirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Got nothing in my brain”

 Here Palmer will pretend to be a model, playing up to the stereotype that models are not very intellectual. She will pose mockingly and have her hair loosely slicked back, with fairly natural makeup and glittery eyeshadow. She gaze deeply at the camera, and put her hand on her hips. Her expression will be very serious. She will wear large heels and a dress.

“I go on too many dates”

Palmer will be dressed up really nicely, wearing a ‘Little Black Dress’- as if going on a date. Her hair will be styled in large curls, and her make-up will be immaculate (including classy red lipstick and false lashes). She will also be holding a single red rose and a clutch.

 

“But I can’t make ‘em stay”

For this part Palmer will be wearing the same outfit as the previous lyric, however she will have mascara running down her face to suggest she has been crying. Her hair will also be messy and she will have an overly exaggerated distressed look on her face.

“But I keep cruising

Can’t stop, won’t stop moving”

Palmer will wear a flower headdress and a kimono. The overall look will be very boho/festival themed and she will be riding around on a small bicycle with her knees above the handlebars. This will give a very humorous look, and by appearing to mess about Palmer is presented as a fun-loving, laidback teenager. Unlike most of the video, this section will be filmed in a street and Palmer will not be lip-syncing. This will seem to give the audience an insight into her life away from her career. For the first line, Palmer will be stood on the bike, gliding through the air. For the second, she will be comically cycling as fast as she can. Throughout she will have a huge smile on her face and be laughing.

 

 

“Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play”

When singing these lyrics Palmer will dress slightly provocatively as she is dressing as a ‘player’, however this will be kept appropriate to her young fans. Therefore she will wear a black leather jacket to give a somewhat masculine vibe, with a low cut top. She will wear fairly heavy make-up with smoky eyes and a bright pink lipstick. Her hair will be messy with a blasé attitude. Palmer will also use playing cards as a prop for these scenes. She will hold the cards to face her and have a ‘poker face’ to represent slyness and also lack of sensitivity.  

“And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate”

This is Palmer’s opportunity to hit back at people whom unnecessarily, harshly criticise her. The look will be very dark and very over the top. She will look pale but wear excessive black eyeliner and shadow to show that she is mocking ‘haters’ rather than being serious. She will look very angry as she lip-syncs. Palmer will also wear a hoodie with the hood up.

 

“Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break”

The aim here is an absolutely stunning look; natural-looking but long lashes and heavy lip-gloss but otherwise a fairly natural, youthful appearance. Her clothing should be preppy but not nerdy- wearing a shirt and a short skirt. The overall appearance should present her as the ‘perfect yet unobtainable’ girl.

 

“And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake”

This look is intended to look ridiculous. Palmer will wear a foundation much darker than suited to her skin. Think Ross counting ‘Mississippily’. Her eyebrows will be drawn over with a dark brown pencil, contrasting greatly with her blonde hair. She will also wear ludicrously large false eyelashes and her lips will be made larger with a lip pencil and shiny pink lipstick. This will mock women who try to be something they are not, and suggest that Palmer is totally opposed to this; she is happy in her natural appearance. Despite the idea of this look being rather stupid, as with all the looks Palmer should not look unattractive.

 

“I never miss a beat

I’m lightening on my feet”

Palmer will wear a very cute, athletic outfit; a baggy American football shirt and small fabric shorts with knee high socks and pumps. This will be another scene shot outside, at a park. During the first line she will be shown bouncing a basketball, and for the second she will do a track start. This will present her as a strong woman and disprove female stereotypes.

“I’m dancing on my own

I make the moves up as I go”

This look will be very laid back and relaxed. Palmer’s hair will be in a messy, high ponytail complete with a scrunchie. She will wear a fairly plain oversized t-shirt and her makeup will be very natural. She will sing the first line into a hairbrush and then spin around for the second line. Palmer’s fans will enjoy this scene; it resembles a girl dancing around her bedroom and so appears to give viewers a more intimate insight into her private life.

 

“But I keep cruising

Can’t stop, won’t stop grooving”

This mood board shows the kind of style and setting I will aim to achieve. It will be quite hipster, with Palmer sat down riding a skateboard down a suburban road. She will wear a beanie and have her hair in beachy waves. She will have a checked shirt tied around her waist and distressed jeans. She will wear a plum coloured lipstick and have smoky eye makeup. A handheld camera technique will be used to give this scene a homemade, laid back look.  

 

Schoolgirl Look

For one of the verses in this video Palmer will be dressed as a schoolgirl because the music at this point sounds like a chant, and the “Oh, my god!” is rather typical of teenage girls. This look will also emphasise her youth, and her fan base will be able to relate to this look as most will be young schoolgirls. I will be careful to find a balance between a normal school uniform (fans will want something more glamourous and grown up to aspire to), and an inappropriate version. Palmer will wear a white shirt and black tube skirt, with a tie loosely tied around her neck. Her hair will be down so that she doesn’t look too young.

 

 

Artist Look 1

This will be the look used for most of the video; to be paired with the lyrics which do not link to a particular image. As the other styles will be particularly eccentric/themed, this look will be very toned down. I will use current trends to keep the look relevant, with a polo neck white top and mom jeans for a look reminiscent of the 90s. Palmer’s hair will be straight, in a fairly ordinary hairstyle. Her make-up will be fairly toned down, however she will wear red lipstick to give the look a splash of colour. This outfit will also be used for the rap verse, however I will also add hoop earrings, a necklace and some hipster glasses. I will also edit that scene to be in black and white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lyric Analysis

I stay out too late
Got nothing in my brain
That's what people say, mmm-mmm
That's what people say, mmm-mmm

I go on too many dates [chuckle]
But I can't make 'em stay
At least that's what people say, mmm-mmm
That's what people say, mmm-mmm

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright."

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

I never miss a beat
I'm lightning on my feet
And that's what they don't see, mmm-mmm
that's what they don't see, mmm-mmm

I'm dancing on my own (dancing on my own)
I make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go)
And that's what they don't know, mmm-mmm
that's what they don't know, mmm-mmm

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop grooving
It's like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright."

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Hey, hey, hey
Just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world,
You could've been getting down to this sick beat.

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like "Oh, my god!" but I'm just gonna shake.
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won't you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake

Yeah ohhh

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate)
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break (mmmm)
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (and fake, and fake, and fake)
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off (you've got to),
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

The lyrics to this song are really straight forward, without many hidden meanings. They suggest that the artist, like most others, has been the victim of internet ‘tolls’ and unfaithful partners. The song expresses her new attitude towards these people and her decision to just ignore them. The first two verses include criticisms people have made about her. By including them in her song, the artist is claiming back these statements. Furthermore the use of slang presents her as a casual, relatable person the her young listeners, and extensive repetition makes the song very catchy, fitting the pop genre perfectly. In the music video I will use the images of different characters descibed in the song. Palmer will dress as these characters, thereby mocking them and the comments people have made about her.

Artist image

Palmer’s image will be very important to her brand. As a role model to young fans, her style, attitude and behaviour will be appropriate and sweet. She will wear a lot of pastel colours as these are considered pretty and youthful. I have gained inspiration from many similar celebrities in order to decide on a look which is right for my artist. Like Perrie Edwards from girl group Little Mix, Palmer is a pop artist with young, female fans. Edwards often wears bright colours, especially pink, and I think this is effective in reflecting her genre of music. Taylor Swift’s sensible but sweet lacy dresses are mature, yet pretty and girlish. This represents her as a perfect role model; she is not trying to be provocative, but instead is grown up in a matured way. Furthermore when wearing a shirt dress, she opts for a high neckline. This further shows her perfect balance between maturity and youth. I also want Palmer to have a slightly bohemian edge to her style, like Disney star Vanessa Hudgens. Hudgens is famous for her cute festival style, and I was inspired by her individuality. For Palmer, this boho look could include, perhaps, a lacy white crop top paired with patterned palazzo trousers. This style conveys a sense of peace and happiness. I also love how Blake Lively styles her hair, and think that her look would be perfect for Palmer. Her long blonde locks are reminiscent of a fairy-tale princess, and therefore are often considered desirable by young girls. A princess look would also present Palmer as a kind person. Being ‘likable’ is very important for pop artists, as fans are less likely to be avid music fans; the pop genre appeals to the masses, so listeners may not be just interested in the music. Pop artists are also more likely to have ‘megafans’ who want to know absolutely everything about their idol.

 

I have chosen Francesca Banat to present my artist. Her blonde hair is perfect for the role, and her skin tone looks great in both pastel and bright colours. She is very pretty and her appearance is very sweet, just as Palmer’s should be. She simply looks like a kind person. I also think she will very good at performing because she is a good actress. She is also the correct age, as Palmer is supposed to be 18 and Francesca is 17. Therefore she will look like a teenage pop artist. Furthermore she doesn’t look too young; she looks mature, and thus like a good role model for children to idolise.

 

 

Artist Background

Lily Palmer

Lily Elizabeth Palmer (born September 15, 1996) is a British singer from Sheffield. She has a sister, Amelie, who is two years older than her. Her Grandmother is Lithuanian and her Grandfather is Polish. When she was 12 years old, Palmer created a band along with her sister, cousin (Joe Richards) and his friend. They called themselves Vivid Panic and performed at school and busked around Sheffield. The band lasted for three years before Richards and Palmer were left as a duo.  

When Palmer was 16 Vivid Panic auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor in Manchester, singing a version of fun.’s Some Nights with Richards on the guitar and back up vocals. The performance was greatly praised by the judges, with Nicole Sherzinger in tears and Louis Walsh saying “you guys have pure talent; amazing vocals”. They also received a standing ovation from the audience. They again wowed the judges at Bootcamp, singing Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love as a cappella, sending them to Las Vegas with Walsh for the Judges’ Houses stage of the competition. There they performed Carly Rae Jepson’s hit Call Me Maybe, sending them through to the live shows. Unfortunately before the inaugural show, Richards became ill and was unable to continue. After much deliberation, Walsh made the controversial decision to carry on mentoring Palmer as a solo artist, despite her now fitting into the Girls category rather than the Groups.

 

Palmer made it to the final having only one being in the bottom two once (where the judges voted for her over Rylan Clark). After meeting Ed Sheeran when he performed on the show in the sixth week, he agreed to join her for the duet in the final. The two sang a rendition Sheeran’s Give Me Love. At this point she was eliminated, coming third overall in the competition.

After two years recording. Palmer is releasing her debut single Shake It Off, which is mostly directed at those who criticised her during her unusual X Factor journey.   

Name Choice

Lily Palmer

 

I chose the name Lily Palmer for my artist, because I think it is quite ordinary. This highlights that my artist is down-to-earth and relatable. The name is also very feminine, with natural connotations (with lilies and palm trees being plants). I think this will suit my artist’s target audience, because it will show young girls that ordinary people like them can be successful. Furthermore lilies are supposed to reflect beauty, purity and innocence. Palm trees are considered exotic, so this suggests that Palmer’s talent is new and exciting.

Pop Artist Research: Amelia Lily

Amelia Lily

Amelia Lily is a nineteen year old English pop artist. Yet to release her debut album California in November, she has already released successful singles; You Bring Me Joy reached number 2 in the UK. However she has scrapped this first album (Be A Fighter) as she wanted to go in a “different direction”.

Lily was brought to the public’s attention on talent show the X Factor aged 16. In her audition she sang Piece of My Heart (originally performed by Erma Franklin) and received praise from the judges. She progressed all the way to the live shows, however there was no public voting in the opening show and Lily was eliminated by her mentor, Kelly Rowland. However she returned for the sixth show after another contestant was disqualified. The public voted her back in, and she won nearly 50% of the votes. Lily reached the show’s final and came third.

At the start of the live shows Lily was made over and given pink hair. This clearly reflects her target audience of young girls, as pink is often considered very feminine. The bubble-gum colour made her stand out as an artist and suited her genre of music. It also makes her look fairly young, which means that her target audience can relate to her. While originally dying it back to blonde after the show finished, Lily has since gone back and forth between pink and blonde locks.   

Lily has supported Girls Aloud and Olly Murs on their tours. Both of these acts have similar demographics of listeners, so these were good opportunities to attract a larger fan base.  Her overall public image heavily presents her as a sweet girl; her youth suggests that she is nice, while sometimes giving her appearance a grungy look also suggests that she is quite tough. This combination presents her as a good role model for her fans.   

 

Pop Artist Research: Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande 

Ariana Grande is an American singer and actress aged 21. She rose to fame in 2009, playing Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s Victorious.  She also starred in a spin-off sitcom with iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy; Sam & Cat from 2012 to 2014. While enjoying acting, she has stated that “music has always been first and foremost with me”. Grande collaborated with Mika on his Popular Song, which is based on Popular from the musical Wicked. Her debut album Yours Truly was released in 2013 and her second album My Everything was released in August.

 

Grande’s fan base is mostly comprised of young girls, most of whom watched her Nickelodeon shows. Unlike similar teen idols, Grande’s public image is considered appropriate for her fans. Instead, she receives attention for her music rather than her sexuality. While she often wears crop tops and miniskirts on stage, this is much less provocative than many analogous artists (such as Miley Cyrus), whom tend to wear much less clothing. Furthermore Grande’s signature go-go boots are knee high, and considerably reduce the amount of skin she is actually showing. This look establishes her as a suitable role model, and infers that she has a correspondingly sweet personality.

Part of Grande’s signature look is her famous ponytail. Across social media platforms, users criticised her for never changing her look. This led Grande to explain her reasoning on her Instagram profile. During her portrayal of Cat Valentine, the director asked her to dye her hair red so that not all of the female characters were brunettes. So for four years Grande had to bleach and dye her hair every two weeks, which “completely destroyed” it. The ponytail also makes her hair extensions look more natural; this long hair gives Grande a princess-like appearance, fitting with her sweet public image.

Grande is an avid user of social media, using it as a way to communicate with fans. She is well known for her ‘selfies’, and for constantly expressing her gratitude to her fans. By communicating with her fans, Ariana creates a sense of familiarity with them and reinforces her friendly public image. Her selfies and informal language are typical of teenage girls; her fan base. This makes her appear relatable and attracts her target audience. Her diehard fans are often referred to as Arianators.

Pop Artists Research: BEYONCÉ

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is a 33 year old American singer and actress. As a solo artist she has sold 118 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. In total she has won 17 Grammy awards. Her musical influences include Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston. She is also a successful actress and has starred in many films, including Dreamgirls and The Pink Panther. Being known mononymously is very powerful as it suggests that she is incredibly famous. It also provides a sense of intimacy, as if everyone is on first-name terms with her. This therefore gives her a friendly image.
 

Beyoncé first rose to fame in 1997 as part of R&B girl group Destiny’s Child. That year their debut song Killing Time was featured on the Men in Black soundtrack, and the group went on to be incredibly successful. Four of their singles went to number 1 in the U.S., and their third album Survivor reached number 1 in seven countries worldwide.

 

Beyoncé has described herself as a “modern-day feminist”, with her public image strongly presenting her as an independent woman (coincidently this is the name of a Destiny’s Child song- reinforcing this idea). She also has an alter-ego called Sasha Fierce. Beyoncé says that it is Sasha who performs on stage, as she is not “aggressive” or “sassy” enough.  There was a very regal theme to the marketing of her Mrs Carter Show World Tour, referencing her independence but also suggesting superiority to other artists.

 

Her beauty is a very important side to Beyoncé’s public image. Wearing revealing clothing onstage, she has become a sex symbol. People magazine named her “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” in 2012, and GQ chose her to top their “100 Sexiest Women of the 21^st Century” in 2013. Beyoncé’s image is a careful balance; she does not overly sexualise her image, and remains a strong role model to young girls. However by owning her beauty Beyoncé draws in a male fan base; listeners who may not be interested in her music. Furthermore, girls will look up to her because they will aspire to be a beautiful, independent woman like her. In addition Beyoncé’s healthy, curvy figure presents a positive image as it encourages girls to make healthy choices; unlike many skinny celebrities, Beyoncé’s figure does not motivate girls to starve themselves. She is definitely a promoter of being natural, as in 2013, Beyoncé criticized H&M proposing "retouching" of images of her. Furthermore according to Vogue Beyoncé demanded that only "natural pictures be used”.
 

 

In 2008 Beyoncé married Shawn Carter, aka American rapper Jay-Z. Their marriage is one of the most high profile celebrity marriages, and draws a lot of public attention. Despite this the pair have been reasonably private about their relationship. This shows that they are down to earth and also creates intrigue.
Beyoncé’s fan base is called The Bey Hive, a name chosen by fans afters petitions on twitter. The competitions were so popular that there were online news reports. Many artists name their fan bases, however this is mostly distinctive of pop artists.