Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal"^[1] and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music^[2][3][4] and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local audiences.^[2][3][4] Although popular music sometimes is known as "pop music", the two terms are not interchangeable. Popular music is a generic term for music of all ages that appeals to popular tastes,^[5] whereas pop music usually refers to a specific musical genre.

Overview[link]

Musicologist and specialist in popular music Philip Tagg defined the notion in the light of sociocultural and economical aspects:

"Popular music, unlike art music, is (1) conceived for mass distribution to large and often socioculturally heterogeneous groups of listeners, (2) stored and distributed in non-written form, (3) only possible in an industrial monetary economy where it becomes a commodity and (4) in capitalist societies, subject to the laws of 'free' enterprise, according to which it should ideally sell as much as possible of as little as possible to as many as possible."^[4]

For Richard Middleton and Peter Manuel, "a common approach to defining popular music is to link popularity with scale of activity", such as "sales of sheet music or recordings".^[6] This approach has a problem, in that "repeat hearings are not counted, depth of response does not feature, socially diverse audiences are treated as one aggregated market and there is no differentiation between musical styles".^[6] Another way to define popular music is "to link popularity with means of dissemination" (e.g., being aired on the radio); however, this is problematic, because "all sorts of music, from folk to avant garde, are subject to mass mediation".^[6] A third approach to defining popular music is to based on "social group – either a mass audience or a particular class (most often, though not always) the working class", an approach which is problematic because social structures cannot simply be overlain onto musical styles. These three approaches are "too partial" and "too static". Moreover, "understandings of popular music have changed with time".^[6]

Form[link]

Form in popular music is most often sectional, the most common sections being verse, chorus or refrain, and bridge. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and the twelve bar blues. Popular music songs are rarely composed using different music for each stanza of the lyrics (songs composed in this fashion are said to be "through-composed").

The verse and chorus are considered the primary elements. Each verse usually has the same melody (possibly with some slight modifications), but the lyrics change for most verses. The chorus (or "refrain") usually has a melodic phrase and a key lyrical line which is repeated. Pop songs may have an introduction and coda ("tag"), but these elements are not essential to the identity of most songs. Pop songs that use verses and choruses often have a bridge, which, as its name suggests, is a section which connects the verse and chorus at one or more points in the song.

The verse and chorus are usually repeated throughout a song, while the bridge, intro, and coda (also called an "outro") tend to be used only once. Some pop songs may have a solo section, particularly in rock or blues-influenced pop. During the solo section one or more instruments play a melodic line which may be the melody used by the singer, or, in blues- or jazz-influenced pop, the solo may be improvised based on the chord progression. A solo usually features a single instrumental performer (e.g., a guitarist or a harmonica player) or less commonly, more than one instrumentalist (e.g., a trumpeter and a sax player).

Thirty-two-bar form uses four sections, most often eight measures long each (4×8=32), two verses or A sections, a contrasting B section (the bridge or "middle-eight") and a return of the verse in one last A section (AABA). Verse-chorus form or ABA form may be combined with AABA form, in compound AABA forms. Variations such as a1 and a2 can also be used. The repetition of one chord progression may mark off the only section in a simple verse form such as the twelve bar blues.

History[link]

The 19th century singer Jenny Lind depicted performing La sonnambula

"The most significant feature of the emergent popular music industry of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the extent of its focus on the commodity form of sheet music".^[6] The availability of inexpensive, widely available sheet music versions of popular songs and instrumental music pieces made it possible for music to be disseminated to a wide audience of amateur music-makers, who could play and sing popular music at home. In addition to the influence of sheet music, another factor was the increasing availability during the late 18th and early 19th century of public popular music performances in "pleasure gardens and dance halls, popular theatres and concert rooms".^[6] The early popular music performers worked hand-in-hand with the sheet music industry to promote popular sheet music. One of the early popular music performers to attain widespread popularity was a Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, who toured the US in the mid-19th century. During the 19th century, more regular people began getting involved in music by participating in amateur choirs or joining brass bands.

The centre of the music publishing industry in the US during the late 19th century was in New York's 'Tin Pan Alley' district. The Tin Pan Alley music publishers developed a new method for promoting sheet music: incessant promotion of new songs. One of the technological innovations that helped to spread popular music around the turn of the century was player pianos; these allowed people to hear the new popular piano tunes.^[6] By the early 1900s, the big trends in popular music were the increasing popularity of vaudeville theaters and dance halls and the new invention—the gramophone player. The record industry grew very rapidly; "By 1920 there were almost 80 record companies in Britain, and almost 200 in the USA".^[6] Radio broadcasting of music, which began in the early 1920s, helped to spread popular songs to a huge audience. Another factor which helped to disseminate popular music was the introduction of "talking pictures"—sound films—in the late 1920s. In the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s, there was a move towards consolidation in the recording industry which led several major companies to dominate the record industry.^[6]

In the 1950s and 1960s, television began to play an increasingly important role in disseminating new popular music. Variety shows regularly showcased popular singers and bands. In the 1960s, the development of new technologies in recording such as multitrack recorders gave sound engineers an increasingly important role in popular music. By using recording techniques, sound engineers could create new sounds and sound effects that were not possible using traditional "live" recording techniques.^[6]

In the 1970s, the trend towards consolidation in the recording industry continued to the point that the "... dominance was in the hands of five huge transnational organizations, three American-owned (WEA, RCA, CBS) and two European-owned [companies] (EMI, Polygram)". In the 1990s, the consolidation trend took a new turn: inter-media consolidation. This trend saw music recording companies being consolidated with film, television, magazines, and other media companies, an approach which facilitated cross-marketing promotion between subsidiaries. For example, a record company's singing star could be cross-promoted by the firm's television and magazine arms.^[6]

In the 1990s, popular music was changed by the "introduction of digital equipment (mixing desks, synthesizers, samplers, sequencers)" which allowed the creation of "new sound worlds" and facilitated DIY music production by amateur musicians and " tiny independent record labels".^[6] By the 2000s, another trend which affected popular music was the increasing availability and use of computers and Internet connections, which facilitated the dissemination—both legal and illegal—of digital recordings and digital versions of sheet music and lyrics.

See also[link]

• Music radio
• Popular culture
• List of popular music performers
• List of popular music genres
• Popular music pedagogy
• List of honorific titles in popular music
• Music popularity index

Sources[link]

• Tagg Philip (1982) "Analysing Popular Music : Theory, Method and Practice" in Popular Music, 2
• Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0-335-15275-9.
• Bennett (1980).
• Birrer, Frans A. J. (1985). "Definitions and research orientation: do we need a definition of popular music?" in D. Horn, ed., Popular Music Perspectives, 2 (Gothenburge, Exeter, Ottawa and Reggio Emilia), p. 99-106.
• Hall, S. (1978). "Popular culture, politics, and history", in Popular Culture Bulletin, 3, Open University duplicated paper.
• Everett, Walter (1997). "Swallowed by a Song: Paul Simon's Crisis of Chromaticism", Understanding Rock: Essays in Musical Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-510004-2.
• Hamm, Charles (1979). Yesterdays: Popular Song in America. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-01257-3.
• Manuel, Peter (1988). Popular Musics of the Non-Western World: An Introductory Survey. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-505342-7.
• Marcello Sorce Keller (2000). "Popular Music in Europe", in James Porter, Timothy Rice and Chris Goertzen (eds.), Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Europe, New York, pp. 204- 213.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• T.W. Adorno with G. Simpson: ‘On Popular Music’, Studies in Philosophy and Social Science, ix (1941), 17–48

• R. Iwaschkin: Popular Music: a Reference Guide (New York, 1986)

• P. Hardy and D. Laing: The Faber Companion to 20th-Century Popular Music (London, 1990/R)

• R. Middleton: Studying Popular Music (Milton Keynes, 1990)

• P. Gammond: The Oxford Companion to Popular Music (Oxford, 1991)

• D. Brackett: Interpreting Popular Music (Cambridge, 1995)

• fr:Volume ! a French scholarly journal dedicated to popular music studies.

External links[link]

• Famous Music Videos - Music Video Database - YouTube, Google Video, MySpace TV, MetaCafe, DailyMotion, Veoh, Current.com, ClipFish.de, MyVideo.de, Break.com and EyeSpot
• The 1950s-2000's Week-By-Week - Looks at pop music/albums/radio and music news through these decades.
• Pop Culture Madness Features the most requested pop songs 1920s through today
• The Daily Vault music reviews
• Yale Music Library Guide to Pop Music Research
• Volume ! the French academic journal dedicated to the study of popular music
• Éditions Mélanie Seteun ! a French publisher dedicated to popular music studies - publishes Volume, the French journal of PMS.

Ariana Grande
Grande at the film premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in July 2011
Background information
Birth name	Ariana Grande-Butera
Born	(1993-06-26) June 26, 1993 (age 19) Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Actress, singer, dancer
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Universal Republic
Website	arianagrande.info[1]

Ariana Grande-Butera^[2][3] (born June 26, 1993^[4][5]) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She made her performance debut on Broadway at age 15. Recently, she has gained attention for her role as Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious.

Early life[link]

Grande was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida.^[6] She is of Italian descent, half Sicilian, half Abruzzese.^[7]

Career[link]

Grande at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010

In 2008, Grande played the role of Charlotte in the musical 13 on Broadway, for which she won a National Youth Theatre Association Award. When she joined the musical, Grande left her high school, North Broward Preparatory School, but continued to be enrolled. The school sent materials to her for study with tutors.^[8] She played the role of Miriam in the first reading of the forthcoming musical Cuba Libre composed by Desmond Child. Grande teaches music and dance to children in South Africa each year as a member of Broadway in South Africa.^[6][9]

Grande plays the character Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon television show Victorious, which premiered in March 2010.

In May/June 2011, she was featured in Greyson Chance's music video for the single "Unfriend You", playing Chance's ex-girlfriend.

Grande is currently working on her debut album, due for a late 2012 release.^[10]

Stage and screen credits[link]

Television

Broadway

Music video

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Album appearances[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ariana Grande

• Official website
• Ariana Grande at the Internet Movie Database
• Ariana Grande at the Internet Broadway Database

Eric Saade
Eric Saade (2011)
Background information
Birth name	Eric Khaled Saade
Born	(1990-10-29) 29 October 1990 (age 21)
Origin	Kattarp, Helsingborg, Sweden
Genres	Dance, Pop, Pop rock, Rock, Teen Pop
Occupations	Singer, Television presenter
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Roxy Recordings, All Around the World Productions, B1M1 Recordings, Mostiko, Neocorp Music, Oh My God!, Ratas Music Group, Broma Sixteen
Associated acts	J-Son, Dev, What's Up!
Website	Official Website

Eric Saade (Arabic: اريك سعادة‎ Īrik Saʿāda, IPA: [ˈiːrik saʔaːdɐ]; Swedish pronunciation: [ˈeː.ˈrɪk sa.ˈaː.ˈdɛ]; born 29 October 1990 in Kattarp, Helsingborg, Sweden) is a Swedish singer. After two years with the boyband What's Up!, he left the group in February 2009 to pursue a solo career. Eric Saade represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany after winning the national Swedish selection Melodifestivalen 2011 with his entry "Popular". In the final Saade came in third place.

Early life[link]

Eric Saade grew up in Kattarp, Sweden with his Swedish mother and Palestinian father. His parents divorced when Saade was four years old. He is the second oldest of eight siblings and half siblings.

When he was six years old, Saade first sang on a stage at his mother's wedding. He has been writing songs since he was 13 years old. He got his first record deal when he was 15 years old. Before starting his solo career, Saade was in the boyband What's Up!.^[1]

Career[link]

2009: Beginnings[link]

In summer 2009, Saade hosted the Swedish music competition My Camp Rock, a camp inspirated by the Disney Channel movie Camp Rock. In the same year, he hosted the nationwide contest Julia's Shooting Stars.

In August 2009, Saade signed with the Swedish record label Roxy Recordings.

On 21 December 2009, Saade released his first single Sleepless, written by Fredrik Kempe and Peter Boström as a download single worldwide on iTunes.^[2] The song reached #44 in Sweden. The music video premiered on 22 January 2010 and was directed by Anders Rune.^[3]

2010: Melodifestivalen[link]

Eric Saade performing at Melodifestivalen 2010

On 12 February 2010, Saade performed in the second semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2010,^[4] the Swedish pre-decision for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Manboy" written by Fredrik Kempe and Peter Boström^[2] as number one. He won that semi-final.^[5] He came in third place. The song was released on 3 March 2010 in Sweden. The single reached #1 in Sweden and in the Swedish ringtone Charts. In June 2010, the single has reached Platinum status there.^[6] The music video of the acoustic version premiered on 25 March 2010.^[7] The acoustic version was released on 10 May 2010 in Sweden.^[8]

2010: Breakthrough in Sweden[link]

Eric.Saade performing at Masquerade Tour

In January 2010, Saade won one Scandipop Award in the category Brightest New Hope for 2010.^[9]

In March 2010, Saade was nominated for one Marcel Bezençon Award (Melodifestivalen) in the category Press Award for Manboy. He also won one in the category Artistic Award for the same song. Saade released his first solo album Masquerade on 19 May 2011.^[10] The album reached #2 in Sweden and reached Gold status there. After the release of his debut album, Saade went on his first tour called Masquerade Tour. The tour went from 9 June 2010 until 11 September 2010 with 24 concerts in Sweden.

The third single from the album, called Break of Dawn, written by Saade and Fredrik Kempe,^[11] was released on 28 June 2010 in Sweden. The song reached #45 in Sweden. The music video premiered on 15 June 2010.^[12] The Le Family Remix of the song was released on 12 July 2010 in Sweden.^[13]

In August 2010, Saade was nominated for three Rockbjörnen Awards in the categories Best Swedish Male Live Artist, Best Breakthrough Act and Best Swedish Song of the Year for Manboy.^[14]

Still in 2010, Saade released the singles Masquerade and It's Gonna Rain.^[5] The music video for Masquerade premiered on 10 August 2010.^[15] The music video for It's Gonna Rain premiered on 22 October 2010.^[16]

2011: Melodifestivalen / Eurovision Song Contest[link]

On 19 February 2011, Saade competed a second time Melodifestivalen. He performed in the third semi-final with the number eight^[17] and won the final with the song Popular written by Fredrik Kempe and produced by Peter Boström on 12 March 2011 with 193 points.^[18] On 14 April 2011, the music video of the song premiered.

Eric Saade performing in the semi-final of Eurovisiong Song Contest 2011

On 12 May 2011, Saade competed with the number eight in the second semi-final of Eurovision Song Contest 2011. He reached the final as the last contestant. It was later revealed that he won the semi-final. On 14 May 2011, Saade competed with the number seven in the final. He placed on the third place. That is Sweden's best position since 1999 when Charlotte Perrelli won with the song Take Me to Your Heaven. It also is the fifth third place for Sweden in Eurovision history. It was released on 28 February 2011 in Sweden.^[19] The song reached #1 in Sweden and in the Swedish ringtone Charts. By July 2011, it sold over 40.000 copies in Sweden and received Double Platinum status there. The music video premiered on 14 April 2011. After competing in Eurovision Song Contest, Saade released the song on 25 April 2011 in Finland,^[20] on 6 May 2011 in Norway,^[21] on 12 May 2011 in Australia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, the UK and the USA,^[22] on 18 May 2011 in Austria, Germany and Switzerland^[23] and on 20 May 2011 in Belgium.^[24] The song reached #4 in the Belgium (Flanders) Ultratip Charts, #17 in Finland, #23 in the Belgium (Wallonia) Ultratip, #29 in Austria,^[25] #27 in Ireland,^[26] #48 in Germany^[27] and #76 in the UK.^[28] The song was listed on number three on popjustice.coms list 45 Best Singles 2011. The album remix of the song was released on 14 March 2011 in Sweden.^[29] The slow version was released the same day in Sweden.^[30] That version was named Song of the Day by popjustice.com on 15 May 2011.^[31] The SoundFactory Remix was released on 25 May 2011 in Sweden.^[32] Another remix was released on 9 June 2011 in Greece.^[33]

2011-2012: More success[link]

In January 2011, Saade was nominated for six Scandipop Awards in the categories Best Single from a New Artist for It's Gonna Rain and Manboy, Best Male Single for the same songs, Best Male Album for Masquerade and Best New Artist. He also won two awards in the categories Best Album from a New Artist for Masquerade and Best Male.^[34]

Also in January 2011, Saade was nominated for one Grammi in the category Song of the Year for Manboy.^[35]

On 14 January 2011, Saade released the first single Still Loving It from his second album, written by Saade, Niclas Lundin and Anton Malmberg Hård Af Segerstad,^[36] in Sweden.^[37]

In March 2011, Saade was nominated for one Marcel Bezençon Award (Melodifestivalen) in the category Artistic Award for Popular. He also won one in the category Press Award for the same song.

In April 2011, Saade was nominated for one Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in Sweden in the category Sweden's Favorite Star.^[38]

In May 2011, Saade was nominated for two Marcel Bezençon Awards in the categories Artistic Award and Press Award for Popular. Also in May 2011, it was announced that Saade would release two albums in 2011 called Saade Vol. 1 and Saade Vol. 2 in Sweden. The first one was released on 29 June 2011 in Sweden and Norway.^[39] From 16 June until 27 June 2011, the website scandipop.co.uk released previews from the album. The album reached #1 in Sweden, sold over 50.000 copies and reached Platinum status in July 2011 there. It also reached #16 in Finland.^[40]

In June 2011, Saade won two ESC Radio Awards in the categories Best Male Artist and Best Song for "Popular".

The second single of the album Saade Vol. 1 called "Hearts in the Air", a collaboration with J-Son, was released on 3 June 2011 in Sweden and Norway^[41] and on 28 September 2011 in France.^[42] The song reached #2 in Sweden and reached Gold status there. The music video premiered on 29 June 2011. The remix of the song was released on 11 December 2011 in the UK.^[43]

Eric Saade performing at Made of Pop Concert

From 17 June 2011 until 10 November 2011, Saade went on his second tour called Made of Pop Concert. The tour included 24 concerts in Sweden and one concert in France.

On 14 July 2011, Saade performed for the Swedish crown princess Victoria and the royal family.

In August 2011, Saade was nominated for two You Choice Awards in the categories Best Male Video for Popular^[44] and Best Newcommer for the same song.

Also in August 2011, Saade was nominated for two Rockbjörnen Awards in the categories Best Male Artist Live and Best Swedish Song for Popular.

On 2 November 2011, Saade released the first single "Hotter Than Fire", a collaboration with Dev, in Sweden. The song is written by Saade, Jason Gill and J-Son. On 30 October 2011, scandipop.co.uk has released a preview of the song. The song reached #5 in Sweden. The music video premiered on 7 December 2011. The remix of the song was released on 30 November 2011 in Sweden.^[45]

The album Saade Vol. 2 was released on 30 November 2011. From 21 November until 29 November 2011, scandipop.co.uk has released previews from the album. The album reached #1 in Sweden and #46 in Finland.^[46]

In 2011, Saade was the most searched celebrity on Google in Sweden.^{[citation needed]}

2012

Saade is nominated for six Scandipop Awards in the categories Best Male, Readers Favourite of 2011, Best Male Album for Saade Vol. 1 and Saade Vol. 2, Best Male Single for "Popular" and Best Remix for "Popular (SoundFactory Remix)" which will be awarded in January 2012.^[47]

Saade is also nominated for one Grammi in the category Best Song for "Popular" which also will be awarded in January 2012.

From 30 March until 28 April 2012, Saade will go on his third Swedish tour, called Pop Explosion Concert 2012 with 15 concerts.

Personal life[link]

Saade lives in Stockholm. He was in a long-term relationship with Molly Sandén, until their relationship officially ended on January 9, 2012.^[48]

Influences[link]

Saade started singing after seeing Michael Jackson on TV. His other musical influences are Bryan Adams and the Backstreet Boys.

Discography[link]

• 2010: Masquerade
• 2011: Saade Vol. 1
• 2011: Saade Vol. 2

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Eric Saade Official Website
• Eric Saade Official Facebook
• Eric Saade Official Twitter
• Eric Saade Charts Sweden
• Eric Saade Fansite