Pop Music: Pros and Cons

The purpose of my essay is to examine the pros and cons of pop music and its impact on people, especially teenagers. I would like to discuss people who like this type of music and who do not. In this essay I agree with Lena’s assertion that “pop is best considered as a chart, a way of doing business, or a target demographic, and not as a genre” (21) because pop music is often created by the music industry to attract more and more listeners and sell as many albums as possible. Nevertheless, pop music is pleasant to listen to and the lyric is easy to remember and sing. Moreover, almost everyone loves this type of music. I will support these claims by discussing the music video “Diamonds” by Rihanna to show that pop music is a great way to relax or gather with friends. I argue that even though pop music is created for a commercial profit and has many positive and negative effects on teenagers, people tend to act like they do not care about it and just keep listening to this type of music.

People of various ages enjoy listening to pop music. However, the best listeners are teenagers, because they have more free time for it than busy adults. One of the most famous performers is Rihanna — a Barbadian pop singer, who became well-known in the whole world. She sings different songs, and many of them are popular among young people. “Diamonds” is one of such songs. Although it is not new (it was written in 2012), it is still in consumers’ demand. Despite the fact that Rihanna’s video for the song “Diamonds” has hardly any special effects, it still remains appealing for the audience. It shows the singer in black and white and then in color on the beach. Viewers’ attention is caught by an image of horses, a burning rose, Rihanna lying on water  holding two hands together – every detail points at a combination of romantic feelings and a feeling of freedom. The song’s refrain is easy to sing. Rihanna’s voice is beautiful and while listening to her song I begin to sing and dance unintentionally. Thus, every line of the song and every shot of the video are truly captivating. Lena writes: “Songs are created to attract an audience, but not necessarily “fans” (20). I am not a fan of Rihanna, but her songs draw my attention, and I want to listen to them more and more. I truly believe that her music has positive effect on people, since it helps people to gather, spend time together and enjoy her amazing voice,. While listening to pop music people can relax or become excited; they can find new friends and have some pleasant associations. This kind of music brings people together. However, there are some individuals who think that pop music has negative effects on teenagers.

Interestingly, pop music really has a great impact on people. When I watch video clips, for example, like Rihanna’s one, I want to look like a singer who performs a song. No matter whether it is a man or a woman – they are beautiful, their appearances are perfect, they wear fashionable clothes, have expensive jewelries, and so on. Moreover, pop music songs are usually about parties, love and relationships; that is why they are so loved by teenagers. This kind of music dictates its language and style to the youth, and they try to repeat it in their lives. Besides, even if a person does not want to listen to pop music but he/she hears it in a public place, such person starts to sing that pop song because its tune is simple and rhythmic. In addition, another negative effect of pop music is creating an idol. Some teenagers are fond of pop singers, and they become crazy about them. Such teenagers may imitate their idols in everything, and it is not so bad if a person is good. However, when a pop singer uses drugs or alcohol, he or she is not the best example for youth. Thus, pop music has some disadvantages, but I think that they are horrifying.

Besides, pop music has a disadvantage for its performers. Lena writes, “The performers who work exclusively within pop music, and no other musical idiom, are typically industry creations” (21). I agree with this statement and I also believe that pop singers often have no choice and are obliged to sing what they are required to. However, it does not affect society because people listen to what they want to listen, and if they like, for example, Rihanna’s songs, they may not like her new, quite different repertoire. Thus, there is nothing bad in commercial music. Unlike some special genres, such as jazz, rap, or rock-en-roll, pop music is the most popular kind of music because its songs are unobtrusive and not complicated.

In conclusion, pop music has both positive and negative impacts on society. However, I am sure that such positive factors as a feeling of joy, pleasure, excitement, as well as a reason to come to the party and meet with good friends, spending time together are enough to listen to this kind of music and love it. Moreover, although pop music is a commercial music and pop industries are interested in selling as many albums as possible, it is not a reason to stop listening to it. Pop music is a popular music; it is a kind of music loved in the whole world. Therefore, despite many disadvantages, people do not care about them and enjoy listening and singing these simple and pleasant songs.