Elliana Murillo
Music artists can peak at the start of their career but some need longer to develop their sound and achieve success. Elliana Murillo discusses the reasons why some musicians produce the highlights of their music career at the very beginning.
I hear you ask the question: Why do some artists write their best music at the start of their careers? Whilst I can acknowledge and appreciate the new works of many artists, I, as a music fan, often crave a return to the earlier eras of some of my favourite artists and find myself listening to their first pieces of music. When I hear groups of music fans shout at a club or party: “Take me back to young JB” when Baby or Never Say Never comes on, I can imagine many of you feel the same way.
It was only recently that my housemates and I were discussing that we preferred Shawn Mendes’ music in the era before he was with his now ex-girlfriend, Camila Cabello. Favourite tunes that were mentioned were Stitches, the song that really kick-started his career into the music world back in 2015, then subsequent songs such as There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back (2017) and In My Blood and Lost in Japan which were part of his 2018 album. No doubt the artist who gained recognition by uploading song covers on Vine at a young age has much more to bring, regardless of his early start as a musician. He is an example of many musicians who begin their careers at a time of scarcity, allowing the artist to express their individual creativity as they have the time to hone their own craft early on, and nevertheless, releasing music in its most true form.
The former works of artists usually express themes of grief and beauty in their songs. Grief and beauty act as a catalyst to create the best production of music, and there is a tendency for new artists to use this and translate a relative emotion into an artistic spectacle. Since Ed Sheeran’s debut single A Team for example, the artist has been able to create a desired emotional reaction through melodic lyrics which is seen again in subsequent songs such as Thinking Out Loud and Perfect.
Some songs by certain artists will forever be iconic
Yet some songs by certain artists will forever be iconic. Take Oasis’s Wonderwall which comes from their second album: ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’. The track remains and may continue to be the band’s most iconic anthem from 1995, though the singer-songwriter Noel Gallagher argues: “Outside of England, it’s the one we’re famous for all over the world, and it annoys the fuck out of me”. There are high expectations for artistic originality amongst musical artists today. Often a significant memory amongst listeners is associated with a certain song, and with Wonderwall being a national favourite in Britain, it is seen as irreplaceable and one that is impossible to top.
Music as an art form is up for experiment
Music as an art form is up for experiment as musicians are willing to delve into different genres, moving away from their earlier muses. From pop to contemporary RnB, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande are beginning to take this approach, and it is good to see artists grow and make use of their musical talent. From starting solo to working alongside other musicians – Bruno Mars meets Anderson Paak to form Silk Sonic and releases the soulful RnB piece Smokin Out The Window – a genre that differs from Mars’s usual style of music. Some fans of the artist may dislike this change, due to unfamiliarity, though as a fan myself, you learn to appreciate the artist’s growth in music, and you’d be surprised to find there are connections to his 2010 music style and performance. Therefore, he is arguably still doing what he does best in his career.
For many artists, what is known as the ‘J’ word in the phrase ‘musical journey’, applies here for many returning idols, like Adele’s Easy On Me or with Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (10 Minute Version), which goes to show that there are many artists that still have what it takes and have certainly come a long way. However, artists with new sounds like British indie singer Sam Fender to the Catalonian singer Rosalía, and artists who have been discovered through TikTok like Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray, are all at the start of their musical journeys. We are yet to see whether their most successful music is already out there, or if their best is yet to come.
Elliana Murillo
Featured image courtesy of Mark Kent via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.
In-article image 1 courtesy of @shawnmendes via instagram.com. No changes made to these images.
In-article image 2 courtesy of @brunomars via instagram.com. No changes made to these images.
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