Cultural icon

A cultural icon is an artifact that is recognised by members of a culture or sub-culture as representing some aspect of cultural identity. Cultural icons vary widely, and may be visual, audio, an object, a person or group of people, etc.

In the media, many items of popular culture have been called "iconic" despite their lack of durability. Some commentators believe that the word is overused or misused.

Types

A web-based survey was set up in 2006 allowing the public to nominate their ideas for national icons of England and the results reflect the range of different types of icon associated with an English view of English culture.

Some examples are:

Matryoshka dolls are seen internationally as cultural icons of Russia.

Rebel Heart (Madonna album)

Rebel Heart is the thirteenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on March 6, 2015, by Interscope Records. Following the completion of the MDNA era, Madonna worked on the album throughout 2014, co-writing and co-producing it with various musicians, including Diplo, Avicii, and Kanye West. She teased by uploading pictures of her recording sessions on her Instagram account. Working with a number of collaborators posed problem for Madonna in keeping a cohesive sound and direction for Rebel Heart, unlike her previous efforts where only a few people were involved.

Thematically Rebel Heart represents the two different sides of the singer, her romantic and her rebellious side. The themes grew organically during the writing and recording sessions. Musically, it is a pop record which merges an array of genres such as 1990s house, trap and reggae, as well as the usage of acoustic guitars and gospel choir. Some of the songs are autobiographical in nature while others talk about love and introspection of Madonna's career. Rebel Heart features guest appearances from boxer Mike Tyson and rappers Nicki Minaj, Nas, and Chance the Rapper.

Icona Pop discography

The discography of Icona Pop, a Swedish DJ duo, consists of two studio albums, two extended plays and five singles. The press, including NME, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork Media, have praised the duo. The Guardian described the debut single "Manners" as "effortlessly cool".

In Fall 2012, the duo released an extended play Iconic in the US and the album Icona Pop in Sweden. The duo have performed in Sweden, the US, Germany, Italy, and London and have also been interviewed by Swedish and foreign press. "I Love It", a pre-release of their self-titled album Icona Pop charted on Sverigetopplistan, the official Swedish singles chart.

On 20 September 2013, Icona Pop released their second studio album, a revised edition of Icona Pop, This Is... Icona Pop.

Albums

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other appearances

Promotional singles

Music videos

References