What is authentic music?

After completing the readings, I have concluded that authenticity is a compilation of many factors. Artists being true to themselves, staying out of the mainstream, identifying who they are, connecting with their audience, and representing their culture or background is essentially, what makes them authentic.

In the article by Kembrew McLeod, he considers authenticity of hip-hop music in six different categories. Even though they don’t transfer over completely to other music genres, they do give us a clearer understanding of authenticity. The categories are as follows:
• Social psychological
• Racial
• Political-economic
• Gender-sexual
• Social locational
• Cultural

In most genres of music, artists meet the social psychological category of “staying true to yourself” or “representing who you are in actuality to the best of your ability” (McLeod, 140). Most musicians perform what they love with lyrics that speak from their heart. I find this parallel to the “voice” of a story. A reader can recognize an author by their voice just as we can recognize a musical artist by their style. For example, Miley Cyrus connects with her audience and passionately provides different messages through her lyrics that seem to resonate with her.

Another category that affects all genres of music is the political-economic category. According to McLeod, an artist is considered authentic if they stay away from the mainstream and avoid the commercial influence of MTV and radio. Ideally, these authentic groups would perform “underground” in local clubs, etc. However, many successful artists become victims of the commercial elements and are still are considered authentic. Dyer concludes that “it is not enough that the star is real; he or she must “act realness” (Pattie, 3). Therefore, it seems that the artist can maintain their authenticity if they remain true to themselves even once they become a mainstream artist.

Authenticity was also measured by social location and cultural influences. In terms of hip-hop music, this was considered being true to the "streets" and your roots. However, this can be applied to other genres of music as well. According to McLeod, “Constructions of authenticity center around, among other things, an acknowledgment of rich cultural heritage, a close connection to its audience, and a genuine expression of one’s inner feelings” (147). An example would be a country singer, who connects with their audience emotionally and carries their country connections close to their being. I will reference Miley Cyrus again. Her background and upbringing was as a “country girl” and her music captures that authentically.

It seems that when we consider the best music versus the most authentic music, we are faced with who defines “best” and who defines “authentic.” However, I think that these two go hand in hand.

According to Pattie, authenticity is reached when the audience and the performer share an experience together that is not repeatable. The connection between the audience and the performance is “real.” They are both engaged in the experience. Jon Savage reiterates, “This moment of transformation, where the boundary between the performer and the audience no longer seem to exist, is the goal of any successful rock performance” (Patti, 8).

Therefore, it seems obvious that each person connects with a specific genre of music that they experience authentically because they “invest in their own meaning, while still engaging in a shared experience of the performance” (Pattie, 10). Whether, they were at Woodstock, the Country Music Festival, or Lollapalooza. This authentic experience is completely individual.

When considering a group that I would rank as authentic, I tend to consider the longevity as well. It seems that if a groups sustains popularity across generations, they are more authentic. To mention a few: Abba, The Beatles, U2. I would consider these authentic groups, but I cannot prove that because, as I stated above, the connection that one person experiences is completely their own. However, I absolutely do not enjoy country music, yet I would probably agree that there are authentic groups out there even if I haven’t experienced the connection to their music.

The concept of authenticity was something I never related to music. When I initially started contemplating what I thought made something authentic, I immediately considered the longevity of the artist. However, as I completed the readings, I realized that I was totally on a different page. I kept this in mind as I considered a lesson I could do in the classroom to initiate the discussion of authenticity among our celebrities and musician.

I would first define authenticity.
• In the middle of a poster board, they would write “authenticity” and then in different colors write what initially comes to their minds.
• After each group has brainstormed, I would have them agree on one definition to present to the class.
• Once the class agrees on a definition, I would play several songs from different genres of music and have them decide whether they consider the groups/song to be authentic.
• I would again have them get in groups and discuss why or why not they considered each group authentic or not.
• I would then provide them with some of the evidence that was presented in the articles we read to help identify authenticity and then I would have them reconsider their decision from above.

I would follow that lesson up with the opportunity for them to find what they consider “authentic music” and then have them respond to questions proving the group/songs authenticity.
• I would have them provide a pod cast of their song and their rationale regarding the authenticity of the group/song. They would have to convince us that it was authentic. They would have to explain why they think so, consider if the media has played a role in their decision, etc.
• I also think it would be beneficial for them to discuss their thoughts with others, so I may have them each listen to and respond to two other students.