Duane at Black Informant raises an interesting question: how much of a singer’s appeal comes from their looks? Specifically, he frames the discussion in the terms of a conversation he had with his wife on whether Beyonce would be as popular if she were dark-skinned. He later juxtaposes this with the assertion that many, if not most popular rappers, who are male, are dark-skinned.
It’s interesting, because I had never really thought about it too much, but as I go through the list of popular female singers in my mind, I can’t really think of any dark-dark sisters. Not now, at least. Historically, there’s Chaka Khan, although she didn’t have all that much crossover appeal.
I’m not sure what this signifies. Given that we don’t really control the industry or have our own means of distribution, I don’t know that it’s possible to say that the onus is entirely on us; certainly if crossover appeal is the goal, then darker-skinned sisters would likely have a harder go of it. This is especially true nowadays, when being a singer is more about being The Package than it is about actually being a good singer. At the same time, it’s not exactly like there aren’t and haven’t been skin color issues within the Black community.
I think I need to puzzle over this some more.
November 28th, 2007 at 11:27 am
A coupla things. In the day, Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilson and Dinah Washington were, respectively, relatively brown. But the tube was less a factor then, and videos were few. Regarding Bouncey, DC was one of the few “girl groups” in which the lead singer possessed the stronger voice. She was there for blow, not for show, as she outsings Latoya and Michelle. Some may doubt this, as her dad was the manager. In the majority of female r& b groups, the lead singer is the weakest vocal link- i.e. Destiny’s Child, (Diana Ross and) the Supremes, Xscape, SWV.
November 28th, 2007 at 11:56 am
then there was En Vogue…everybody was good-lookin’, everybody could sang, and everybody was relatively light…dawn and maxine were the darkest, i think.
November 28th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
You may be right. In truth, I just don’t keep up with the modern pop singers for the most part – black/white/male/female they just seem to be so ‘made for tv’ and are really just a package with dance moves; not much for singing. I go for the older singers – Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Carla Thomas can truly sang! For the newer females I have a brand new thang for Sharon Jones (& the Dap-Kings). She’s dark and AWESOME!
November 29th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Off the top of my head, i think Whitney Houston was the last solo darker-than-caramel star with major crossover appeal. Tough to make a point with Mariah and B cuz, at the end of the day, them two ladies really can blow (imho).
November 29th, 2007 at 10:37 am
A few more dark-skinned crossover greats: Nina Simone, Tina Turner and Bessie Smith (yes, I realize that I’m reaching back in time, but I do love them)
Going back to my previous post on ‘packaging’, I think I can equate the designed appeal for modern ‘artists’ in much the same way as cars designed in the 1990’s – where everything started to acquire the same bulging headlight, teardrop shape with big windows and five point spokes – in tan; Ford, Benz, Lexus, whatever, and you couldn’t tell the difference. I see pop music designing the same thing – the men are androgenous (at best – fay at worst) wimpy little boys with mussed hair in over-washed, medium t-shirts with pithy slogans, singing songs of such angst that I’m surprised they aren’t in perpetual tears; the girls are either ‘tuff’ (Pink, Avril Lavigne, etc. – although I can actually imagine Pink beating the cr** out of me…), or obscenely beautiful (down to the bronze, luminous powder in photos for any race) in a fashion that is appealing for many demographics. Which leads my train of thought to a study not so long ago dealing with the topic of the intermarriage of numerous cultures and , including some morphed photo of the coming ‘ideal’ which is of a caramel colored people with merged facial features that gave the impression of the person being asian/black/indian(either)/nordic/etc. Perhaps the record companies are actually ahead of the curve – pushing this ideal in order to sell in more markets – “Music be damned! It’s the world-wide appeal of the package that counts!”?
Having read The Black Informant’s article, I have to agree with his assessment of the women with a minor caveat – more often than not, the darker-skinned girls (India.Arie for example) sing/produce a music that is much more fulfilling for the palate than the blandness (lack of color?) of the Pop Top 40 crowd. I’m not sure I see that as a race thing, really – or that it’s even a bad thing if it were; leave the truly beautiful music by truly beautiful dark-skinned women to those not enamored of the Top 40. However, for male rappers he’s nailed it (by omission) that it’s no coincidence that a darker skinned guy is likely viewed as having a more mysterious/menacing appeal which works for the genre, whereas Usher pulls into that cross-over appeal. Sucks, but likely true.
Sorry for the length, particularly as I still don’t have an answer for you.
November 29th, 2007 at 11:45 am
MONTE CARLO, Monaco – R&B legend Patti LaBelle says one of the biggest obstacles she’s had to face in her career has been watching friend and fellow diva Celine Dion soar up the charts with a song she recorded first.
LaBelle tells the online magazine MonacoRevue.com that racism in the music industry is what kept her from reaching the same heights with the single “If You Asked Me To.”
Dion’s 1992 rendition soared to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while LaBelle’s version three years earlier peaked at number 79.
LaBelle says Dion had the sales “because she’s a white girl” and that people pay more respect to white artists who sing well than black women.
Nevertheless, she went on to refer to Dion as a friend, and said that she’s satisfied with her lengthy career and is grateful for the blessings in her life.
Both LaBelle and Dion were honoured with career achievement awards at the World Music Awards in Monaco earlier this month.
“Why do I think Celine had the sales and I didn’t? Because she’s a white girl,” LaBelle tells the Canadian-owned magazine based in Monaco.
“You want me to be honest? That’s why.”
“People pay more respect to white artists who sing well before they do black women,” she continues in the question-and-answer piece, posted Nov. 23.
“I’ve been singing for 45 years and that’s an obstacle that I’m still … I’m getting over it because I’m fabulous. You know, so you can’t beat me up. You can’t make me feel less than I am because whenever I get the microphone I’m gonna show you who I am. But the industry is very racist.”
November 29th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
“… i.e. Destiny’s Child, (Diana Ross and) the Supremes…”
I meant En Vogue, not D.C.
BCB
November 29th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Nina Simone was never really all that popular w/ the mainstream, not taking anything from her talent. As for Sarah, my father said some guys in the ’50’s would say “It’s a shame she’s such a bear though. Wish they could cut her head off…” – meaning to some Black men she wasn’t physically attractive. He told me women expressed a similar sentiment re- Nat Cole.
B
November 30th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Beyonce is just a product of the times. As far as I’m concerned, she’s easy on the eyes, and except for eschewing her former group in a naked grab for fame and fortune, has never really done anything that would make me think she has disgraced herself. I think she is over-exposed at the moment, but I just hope she doesn’t lose her mind when her time passes and start doing things to seek attention, such as cosmetic surgery. She is an above average entertainer, however I would have to get a free ticket to see her personally. She’s no Alicia Keys.
December 1st, 2007 at 3:23 pm
We’re entering strange territory anytime we try to parse the issue of Blackness. Granted, there’s always been a schism between some ‘light-skinned’ and ‘dark-skinned’ Blacks with the Paper Bag Test as the qualifier. But I’m not confident White people are aware of Blacks’ intraracism or that sensitive to the variations in complexion amongst us. Once the entertainment industry get a whiff someone’s Black, the redbones are thrown under the bus as fast as the darkies (see, ‘Mariah Carey’).
First off, talent is a secondary consideration in pop music to aesthetics. It’s always been true, even before video. How else can anyone explain Teena Marie’s disappearance? (Yes, I know Teena’s had her battles with substance abuse, but that didn’t stop Whitney Houston. Or Amy Winehouse.) Let’s be honest… Teena and Patti can blow, but they’re hags. Janet Jackson, OTOH, can’t sing a bit. But she’s a hottie. I wouldn’t know exactly how Janet would fare on the Paper Bag Test. She’s definitely more chocolatety than Beyonce, but she’s no Angie Stone. Where do we draw the line?
Without question, our major media corporations choose to promote Black women whom appeal to the dominant culture’s sense of aesthetics. They hype Beyonce, Janet, Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Ashanti, et al., as they’re more compatible with (mostly) young White mens’ imaginations. Ironically, so are Oprah and Missy Elliott, if you’d think about it. There are arguably more talented ‘light-skinned’ (Erykah Badu, Vivian Green, Rochelle Farrell) and ‘dark-skinned’ (India.Arie, Chrissette Michelle, Lauren Hill) sisters around whose careers are affected largely because they refuse to be pigeonholed. But I don’t think that dynamic should be held against the Beyonces or Alicia Keyses whom are obviously very talented in their own right, in their own way.
July 9th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Ashanti is one of my favorite singers because of a great, crystal clear voice.`’~