Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Theory - Miss Miller

The Richard Dyer's Star theory


According to Richard Dyer's Star theory, the term 'star' refers to the semi-mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience. There are many different reasons as to why a star will feel the need to reinvent themselves. For example, an artist may want to create publicity for themselves, especially if they have been out of the public eye for a while. In order to sell themselves and their music they will need to get people talking about them again, and they will need to make an audience aware that they are still producing music. Another reason may be that an artist wants to change the public opinion of them. For example, an artist who is seen as being wild or out of control, or may have been associated with drugs and alcohol, may want to show their fans and the music industry that they take their music seriously. This reinvention could also help them to avoid achieving a bad reputation which may prevent other artists or record labels from wanting to work with them in the future. Similarly, someone who is considered quite laid back might want to prove through their music videos that they aren't boring.
Justin Bieber is an example of a star who has reinvented himself over the years. It could be argued that during his younger years, Justin Bieber was a product of the music industry. The types of clothes he wore were in keeping up with the current fashion trends of the time that would help him fit into the mainstream, which is typical of a pop artist. One reason for his reinvention could have been maturity. Justin Bieber was only a young teenager when he released his debut EP 'My World' in 2009, and being new to the music industry arguably meant that they had more control over him because he could not afford to risk losing his record deal so early on. However, as he got older and became more successful, Justin Bieber would have gained more control over the way he wanted to look and the type of music he wanted to produce. He had reached a stage in his career where music labels would have been wanting to work with him, not the other way around. Another possible reason for his reinvention could have been down to him wanting to change the genre of music he was producing and the target audience he was appealing to. Over time, as new genres are developed and new artists emerge, the genre of music that people listen to will change. In order to maintain his popularity, Justin Bieber may have felt the need to move from the pop genre to more of the R&B genre, for example, his song, 'Where are you now', in accordance to the change in peoples tastes and preferences.

  

Miley Cyrus - Best of both worlds

Miley Cyrus' career was launched in 2006 with the premier of her own Disney Channel show 'Hannah Montana'. The song 'Best of both worlds' was purposely written to be the theme tune for the show and was heavily influenced by the dance, rock and country music genres.

The music video for 'Best of both worlds' includes some of the elements from Goodwin's music video theory. For example, the music video is primarily performance based. The audience can see 'Hannah Montana' performing on stage with her band, in front of hundreds of people. This use of performance in the music video is beneficial for the fans of Miley Cyrus who might not be able to afford to pay for tickets to an actual concert. The audience are given the chance to experience what it would be like at one of her concerts, which is aided by the variety of camera shots that are used through the video to make it appear as though the audience watching from behind the computer screen are actually part of the audience in the video. Furthermore, the use of performance means that the audience will not feel as though they are missing out.
A performance based music video is conventional to the pop rock genre because pop rock artists are seen to be more passionate about their music and want to share what they love with their fans as apposed to worrying about keeping up with current fashion trends. The audience may appreciate that the artists are not only looking to make money and that they actually care about pleasing their fans.

Another convention of the pop rock genre that is used in the 'Best of both worlds' music video is the use of quite affordable clothing, for example, skinny jeans and a leather jacket. While they are quite fashionable, pop rock artists tend to wear clothes that are not as revealing as those in the pop genre, but not as dark as those in the rock genre. This is conventional because most pop rock artists like to come across as quite laid back and as more passionate about their music as opposed to keeping up with current fashion trends. The audience, who may not be able to afford designer brands that most other musicians prefer to wear, may appreciate that not all artists are materialistic.

The video represents Miley Cyrus as being your average teenage girl whose just doing what she loves to do the most, which is to perform for her fans. The audience may appreciate that Miley is not materialistic and cares more about making her fans happy. This representation is to be expected of a girl her age who is still young and should be enjoying herself rather than worrying about the way she looks.

One way in which Miley Cyrus could be viewed as a product is through the way the audience see her dressed when she is on stage. For example, the knee high boots and blonde wig are not the type of clothing that she would wear if she had the choice. Most people outside of the music industry would encourage children her age to be as natural as they possibly can. Costumes may have been used in order to make her appear older, or to help her look more like all of the other artists in the music industry during that era. The music industry would have wanted Miley to fit into the mainstream and appeal to the thousands of people who listen to pop music, which ultimately would have led to them making more money.

In this music video, the artist can be viewed as both ordinary and extraordinary. For starters, the character of Hannah Montana is an ordinary, humbled teenage girl, who leads a secret life as a world famous superstar. The target audience, who will be made up primarily of teenage girls, will be able to relate to her ordinary character in the way that she too has to go to school, and has a normal family life which involves fighting with her older brother and spending time with her best friend. However, although the audience will be able to relate to her, they will also envy her extraordinary self that gets to live the most lavish lifestyle, and is able to perform in front of thousands of people which is something that pretty much every other girl her age will never be able to do. The lyrics 'you get the best of both worlds, chill it out, take it slow, then you rock out the show...' entirely confirms Dyer's belief that an artist must be both ordinary and extraordinary. If an artist is not ordinary their audience will not be able to relate to them in any way and consequently they may be viewed as unrealistic. Similarly, if the artist is not extraordinary they risk losing their appeal because the audience will no longer view them as special.

Hegemony refers to the star image as being used to position the consumer in relation to dominant and influential social values. In the music video, Miley is dressed and behaves in a way that could be considered socially acceptable for a girl her age. There is an expectation that at 15 years old, a teenager will dress in a way that is considered appropriate, for example, the fact that Miley's costume covers all of her body is respectful of her age and, although she is a famous artist, the industry are still representing her as being a child. The have recognised that her audience will be able to relate to her more if she is shown as having a good time and not being overly caught up in her appearance and whether boys will find her attractive.


Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA

The song 'Party in the USA' (dance pop) was initially written for artist Jessie J, but she felt the song wasn't edgy enough for her or for the era, and so passed it on to Miley Cyrus.

An element of Goodwin's theory that is evident in the 'Party in the USA' music video is the use of intertextual references. Towards the middle of the song, Miley sings the lyrics 'the taxi man turned on the radio...', the radio being one of the many mediums that is used by an audience to listen to their favourite songs. The purpose of this intertextual reference is to show the audience that she has moved on from just singing on Hannah Montana to having her music played on a larger scale. The audience may feel as though they are a part of her success because without them buying her songs, the career that she has would never have been possible.

One way in which the music video is conventional to the pop dance genre is through the use of bright colours and natural lighting. The pop genre is often perceived as being able to create an exciting atmosphere, and a happy vibe because the type of music that comes out of the pop genre is very uplifting, and usually has a consistent, dance orientated beat that is ideal for the target audience who are at the age where they will be going to parties and this is the type of music that they are likely to listen to.

Another way in which the music video is conventional to the pop dance genre is through the use of costumes. The audience can see Miley Cyrus, along with the other female characters in the video wearing loose tops and short denim shorts. Female pop artists are often seen wearing revealing outfits because it helps them to fit into the mainstream. Most pop artists like to keep up with the current fashion trends and often seek to set new ones, this is why many teenagers who want to fit into the mainstream take inspiration from the way these artists dress. Furthermore, the use of cowboy boots also helps the audience to relate back to Miley Cyrus' country roots. This item of clothing shows the audience that her music video has taken some inspiration from her old music videos and music style, which may help her audience to transition into her newer style of music because some aspects of Miley are still the same.


In the music video, Miley Cyrus used positioning of characters to appeal to her target audience. Throughout the video, Miley is always seen walking around in a group of girls, or surrounded by a large group. This is conventional to the pop genre because pop songs often express the unity that is associated with teens, who are the main target audience of the genre. The audience may be able to relate to the theme of friendship groups and strength in numbers that is expressed in the video. Like the female characters in the video, most teenagers feel their most confident when they are surrounded by their friends.

In the music video, Miley is represented as being relaxed and as enjoying herself while she performs her song for the other characters. This representation is evident through the use of body position and facial expressions, particularly when the audience can see her smiling and dancing around in front of the camera. This gives the audience the impression that she is passionate about her music and is happy to be there, sharing her music with her fans. The audience may appreciate that Miley is dedicated to her music and that she works hard to produce new songs for her fans to listen to.

It is possible for Miley to be viewed as a product due to the fact that most female artists within the pop genre often dress in revealing outfits that help to draw the audience in. It could be argued that pop artists fit into the mainstream the most because they are remembered for their fashionable outfits and for setting new trends. The audience can also see a clear change from Miley's appearance in 'Best of both worlds' compared to 'Party in the USA', in which her clothes are a lot more revealing, but they do fit into the era during which the video was filmed. Over the years, the clothes that people find fashionable change, and as they get older, artists gain more control over their appearance and they way they want the public eye to see them. I think that in the video, Miley appears comfortable in the clothes that she is wearing, which could suggest that the choice of outfit was more hers rather than the music industry.

In the music video, Miley Cyrus is portrayed as extraordinary in the way that her music is being played on the radio, and the fact that she is able to perform in front of a large group of people. There are many people watching her video who may wish to be able to do what she can, at to be able to achieve the same amount of success that she has. It is important for Miley to be perceived as extraordinary because it will ensure that her fans continue to want to know more about her. An artist must always leave their audience wanting more, otherwise they will begin to feel as though they know everything there is to know about the artist, which may consequently lead to an artist losing the mystery that makes them so desirable. Having said that, Miley's character can also be viewed as ordinary in the way that the audience can see her hanging out with her friends and having a good time, which the majority of her audience will be able to relate to because they too will spend time with their friends. The audience will find it easier to relate to Miley Cyrus if she is shown behaving in a way and doing things that most other teenagers her age are doing too.

Miley Cyrus - 'Wrecking ball'

Miley Cyrus released the song 'Wrecking ball' in 2013 following a break up with her fiancée, which is what led everyone to believe that the song was written about their relationship. The music video shows a clear transformation from the country influenced type of music that Miley had originally started out producing. One possible reason for this change could be that she no longer wanted to just be remembered as Hannah Montana, Miley may have wanted to show her fans and the music industry that she was diverse and that there was more to her than just her Disney Channel roots.

The music video shows the audience a clear relationship between the lyrics and visuals. As Miley sings the lyrics 'I came in like a wrecking ball', the audience can see her run up to and jump onto a 'wrecking ball'. The lyrics do suggest that she is referring to herself as the object, which makes the song more personal because it tells the audience that there is a deeper meaning to the lyrics and that they are based on one of her real life experiences. In the video, Miley Cyrus is portrayed as being very strong and destructive, a visual that complements the loud beat and fast pace of the song.


One convention in the music video that is often seen in pop music videos is revealing outfits. This music video surprised many people who were so used to seeing Miley Cyrus with long, brown hair and clothes that reflected her country roots, which is why the song created a lot of publicity for her. Costume and makeup is often used in the pop genre to help artists to communicate a feeling to the audience. In 'Wrecking ball', Miley Cyrus can be seen wearing a very revealing white outfit, which consists of underwear type pants and a short cropped top. In the majority of pop music videos, the female characters are often expressed in a sexual way in order to draw the audience in. The target audience, most of whom will be teenage girls, are at the age where they will enjoy going to parties and dancing and due to pop songs having consistent, dance orientated beats, these are the kind of songs that they will listen to. Furthermore, the outfits worn in pop music videos are often very fashionable and mainstream. This is conventional as artists within the pop genre often keep up with the current fashion trends and seek to set new trends. The audience will often look up to pop artists and the way that they put themselves across to society, including the way they dress. There is an idea nowadays that if you do not dress to fit into the mainstream that you will not fit in at all. There are a lot of teenagers who will be influenced by the way pop artists dress because they are often viewed as the people who fit into the mainstream the most. Furthermore, her wearing bold red lipstick is conventional to the pop genre because the genre is often associated with creating a lively and exciting atmosphere.

Another convention that is typical of the pop genre is the use of close ups. They are often used in music videos in order to make the audience feel as though the artist is telling them a personal story because it appears as if they were singing directly to them. A close up can also help an artist to express to the audience how they are feeling. For example, at the beginning of the 'Wrecking ball' video the audience are shown a visual that is entirely made up of Miley Cyrus' face as a tear rolls down her cheek. This visual tells the audience that she is clearly upset which helps to give the lyrics a deeper meaning because the audience know that they are personal to her which consequently makes the music video more emotional to watch, especially for her fans who have supported her from the very beginning.

In the 'Wrecking ball' music video, Miley Cyrus is represented as being quite masculine. The constant references and visuals of weapons of destruction, including hammers and the 'wrecking ball' itself, tools that would usually be associated with builders and construction workers, that in the video make Miley appear strong and powerful. However, it could be perceived that Miley is also trying to represent herself as being innocent. The colour white which the entirety of her outfit is made up of is often associated with innocence and goodness. The audience know that the song was written following the break up with her fiancée, therefore it appears as though Miley is trying to express to her fans, through her music, that she is the innocent one, which will cause the audience, many of whom will have been through similar situations themselves, to sympathise with her.

I think that Miley is less likely to be viewed as a product in this music video compared to 'Best of both worlds' and 'Party in the USA' because although her appearance is very different, she was the one who decided to make the change, and not the music industry forcing her to do so. Her reinvention could be a result of how competitive the pop genre is, therefore Miley wanted to diverse herself from everybody else. Another reason could be that Miley wanted to create publicity for herself to get people talking about her new music. The more people that listen to her music means the more money Miley is likely to make. Furthermore, there are less people who look like the newer Miley, compared to the way she looked in 'Party in the USA', therefore she is not as keeping in with mainstream.

The video for 'Wrecking ball' is definitely a memorable one. After its realise in 2013, Miley Cyrus was thrown into the public eye due to the fact that her new songs were so different to the country style of music that her fans were so used to her producing. Through the use of extravagant props, including the wrecking ball, and such emotional lyrics, Miley Cyrus was able to create an extraordinary music video that, although her audience may not be able to relate to, helped her to express how she was feeling, which would have helped her to build a relationship with her fans because they were allowed to see the more personal side of her. On the other hand, the video could portray Miley as being ordinary in the sense that she has been hurt, like everybody else. Some of her fans may still view Miley Cyrus as a role model because she made the decision to change her appearance and the type of music she wanted to produce, and she stuck by her decision despite the fact that she received a lot of negative publicity. Therefore, it could be argued that Miley may have encouraged some of her fans to be true to themselves, regardless of what the mainstream suggests they should be.

In the music video, I do not think that Miley positions the consumer in relation to dominant and influential social values. For example, her appearance does not fit into the mainstream in the way that people would not expect to see someone walking down the street in the same clothes that she is wearing because most people will not consider them respectable. Furthermore, it could also be argued that because she is a girl, society would not expect to see Miley using such manly tools, or behaving in a way that is not considered ladylike. 

The target audience
The target audience for the 'Best of both worlds' music video would have been the Hannah Montana fan base; the group of young teenage girls who had been avid viewers of the programme. The music video itself was a clip from one of the first episodes of the Hannah Montana show, during which the audience can see Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana performing on stage for an arena full of people. The purpose of this is so the audience will immediately be able to recognise and associate the music video with the television programme.
The target audience for the 'Party in the USA' music video would have been fairly similar to the target audience for 'Best of both worlds'. Although Miley Cyrus' appearance had changed between the two videos, arguably down to maturity and personal preference of how she wanted to look, the genre of music that she produced was still the same. Miley Cyrus had such a strong fan base due to the success of Hannah Montana, therefore it was important for her to continue appealing to her Hannah Montana fan base because, at the time, the fans of the show made up the majority of the people who were buying her music and who were aiding her success.
The music video for 'Wrecking ball', on the other hand, shows a huge transformation from the Miley Cyrus seen in the 'Best of both worlds' and 'Party in the USA', not only in her appearance, but also the genre of music that she was producing. One possible reason for her reinvention could be due to the change in tastes and preferences in music that her audience had. In order to sell her music, Miley Cyrus has to produce music that people are going to want to listen to and buy. The pop genre is arguably one of the most listened to genres of music, it is also very competitive in the sense that there are a lot of artists who conform to the genre. Her extravagant appearance helps Miley to stand out from other artists and to be remembered.
Between the release of 'Party in the USA' and 'Wrecking ball', Miley Cyrus starred in a couple of films including 'The Last Song' and 'LOL'. Miley Cyrus had moved on from her younger career with Disney Channel and Hannah Montana and gained more control over the type of music she wanted to produce. While she worked for the Disney company she potentially would of had to force herself to appeal to the Disney target audience by doing what she was told to. This may have including having certain rules to follow regarding the way she dressed, and the type of music she could produce. Thanks to the success of Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus had become a role model for impressionable teenage girls. Furthermore, not only was her genre of music changing, but Miley's image was changing as well. One reason for this could be that she had to change her appearance in order to fit into her new genre of music. Her target audience would not have bought into a country looking girl singing songs like 'Wrecking ball' and 'We can't stop'. These songs were personal and much more about Miley Cyrus being true to herself. I think that the target audience for the song 'Wrecking ball' would have changed from young teenagers to young adults due to the fact that in the music video on some occasions Miley Cyrus can be seen not wearing any clothes, which parents may find inappropriate and will not want their children to be influenced by the way she behaves.
It is important to identify a target audience because different age groups have different tastes and preferences when it comes to music because not everyone likes the same genres of music. For example, someone who is 70 is much less likely to listen to the rap genre than someone who is 17. It is also important to maintain a target audience because at the end of the day, the audience are the ones who are going to buy into a product and determine the success of an artist.

Message and values
The music video for 'Best of both worlds' was released while Miley Cyrus was representing the Disney Channel, and due to the success of the programme she became a role model for the young girls who were avid viewers. Disney Channel had a child friendly reputation to uphold which meant that it would have been inappropriate for Miley Cyrus to be seen wearing overly revealing outfits. However, for the genre that the 'Best of both worlds' song fell into, the costumes were conventional to the genre because they were not as revealing as they would have been in the pop genre, but they were also not as dark as they would have been in the rock genre. Artists in the pop rock genre are often perceived as being more focused on their music rather than on their appearance, this helps them to show their audience that they are passionate about their music and are not completely materialistic.

In the 'Party in the USA' music video, Miley Cyrus comes across as being very humbled, which is evident by her shock of hearing her own music being played on the radio which could suggest that she appreciates and is aware of how lucky she is to have the career that she does, due to how difficult it is to break into the television and music industries. This could suggest that her values are about how passionate she is about producing music and having it heard by thousands of people across the world, which the radio is capable of doing. 'Party in the USA', which, although is fairly similar to 'Best of both worlds', does show her audience that Miley has matured over the years and is beginning to find her own style, in both the dress and music sense. The song appeals to a wider audience than 'Best of both worlds', which was primarily targeted at those who watched Hannah Montana.
In the music video for 'Wrecking ball', Miley is portrayed as being powerful and destructive. Throughout the video, the audience can see her walking around a darkened room swinging a hammer around, and later on she begins swinging from a giant wrecking ball. It is clear to see that any values and messages portrayed in this video will be completely different to those expressed in 'Best of both worlds' and 'Party in the USA'. I believed the message behind the video is all about women empowerment and individual strength. After her breakup with her fiancée, it is possible that Miley wanted to show her audience, through her music, that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Furthermore, because she was no longer part of Disney Channel, the values of her music videos may have changed because she no longer had to live up to what was expected of her. She had more control over the type of music she wanted to produce and the type of music videos that she wanted her audience to see, as well as how she wanted to be seen by the public eye. Miley could now express her emotions and be true to herself by singing about her real life experiences. By doing this her audience were able to relate to her songs more, sympathise with her because it is likely that they would been through similar situations themselves. I think Miley's change was in keeping with the era as nowadays people are much more expressive with the way they dress and act, and society as a whole are much more accepting of the fact that everybody is different.


Throughout her music career, Miley Cyrus has faced her fair share of bad publicity. In 2008, when she was 15 years old, Miley received bad publicity following a photo shoot she took part in for Vanity Fair. The Walt Disney Company spoke out about the photo-shoot saying "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." Miley Cyrus also commented on what had happened saying "I took part in a photo-shoot that was suppose to be artistic, and now seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed." As she got older, Miley Cyrus began taking control of how she wanted to be seen by the public eye and eventually stopped apologising for she bad publicity she was receiving because of it.

In conclusion, I think the main reason behind Miley Cyrus' reinvention was because of her gain in control of the way she could dress and the type of music she could produce. Most people only knew her as Hannah Montana, which was a product of the Disney Channel company. Miley may have felt encouraged her to show people that she was her own person and not just a character that had been created for her. In 2013, Miley Cyrus started to perform with the likes of Pharrel Williams, Snoop Lion and Robin Thicke, which in itself shows how much her style of music was changing. There may be some of her fans who do not like her new style of music, and so will not buy into the new Miley. However, by fully entering the pop genre, Miley has opened her music to a much larger target audience, of both boys and girls, because before her appearance and songs were more suited to a girly girl fan base. Also, the pop genre has many more conventions that may help Miley to make her videos more interesting and memorable...