Research into chosen artist - Miss Georgiou

Gabrielle Aplin

I am an avid listener of the indie genre because my favourite type of songs are the ones that are often based on real life experiences and include narrative music videos that make it more interesting to listen to the song. I was inspired to create a music video with Gabrielle Aplin in mind because I like the way she tells a story with her music videos, the use of visuals help her lyrics to come to life, she comes across as being down to earth through the way she dresses in affordable clothing, and through the type of music she produces. Also, I really liked her cover of the song 'The Power of Love' when I first saw the John Lewis Christmas advert, which is what led me to listen to some of her own original songs, including 'Please don't say you love me' and 'Home'. Furthermore, after watching some of her music videos, my group feels as though we will be able to create a video that tells a story, due to the deeper meaning that the lyrics of her songs have.

Artist profile: Gabrielle Aplin

Gabrielle Aplin is a folk-inspired English singer song writer who first started out by uploading videos of herself singing covers of Katy Perry and Bob Dylan songs onto YouTube which helped her to achieve a huge following and inspired her to write her own original material. Her first self-released EP's include Never Fade (2011) and Home (2012) which helped her to express her inner emotions and show off her song writing skills. In 2011 she was invited to perform on the BBC introducing... show which gave her more exposure and helped her to continue rising to the level of fame that she has achieved today. In 2012, following a headline tour she was signed to the Parlophone record label and recorded her debut album 'English Rain' which was released in 2013. In 2014, following the release of her debut album in the US, Aplin began her first tour of North America which helped her to share her music with a newer, wider audience.

In 2012, Gabrielle Aplin was signed to Parlophone records where she recorded her debut album 'English Rain' which was released in 2013 and reached number 2 on the UK album chart. Gabrielle Aplin is still currently signed to Parlophone but other record labels that she has worked with over the years incluceds EMI, which is one of the UK's biggest labels, Never Fade Records and Warner Bros Records. Other well known artists that are signed to Parlophone include The Beatles, Queen and David Guetta.

In 2012, Gabrielle Aplin was asked to sing Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'The Power of Love' as the soundtrack for the John Lewis television commercial. On release, Aplin rose to fame when her cover of the song went on to top the UK singles chart in the December of that year. Aplin received a lot of exposure from the commercial and was signed to her first record label following the release of the advert. "Please don't say you love me", which reached number 6 on the UK singles chart became Aplin's second top ten hit on the top UK singles chart. Also, her debut album 'English rain' reached number 2 on the UK album chart and was later certified Gold in the UK for selling over 100,000 copies. These figures are evidence of how far Gabrielle Aplin has come since her days on singing on YouTube. Her career also shows us how powerful YouTube and public opinion is when it comes to the music industry and deciding the success of the career of someone from within the music industry.

The power of love

'The Power of Love' was originally performed by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, but Gabrielle Aplin was asked to cover the song for the John Lewis Christmas commercial. It could be argued that the reason for the simplicity of the video is due to the fact that the song was not her own, and that the actual John Lewis commercial acted as a music video for the song. Gabrielle Aplin, seen playing the piano, is the only one featured in the entire video which is set in the same place throughout the whole thing.

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. It could be argued that his theory may not be as suited to the indie genre, compared to a more mainstream genre like pop, because indie music does not have a massive following and has more of a niche target audience. Richard Dyer came up with four paradoxes that he believed every music video would contain. These were that an artist must be both ordinary and extraordinary, and that they must be both absent and present. An artist being ordinary means that it will be easy for their audience to relate to them. The 'The Power of Love' music video is very simple, the audience can see Aplin playing the piano and there are no special effects or sound effects added to make her sound differently. The video is also set in the same, homely location throughout and her outfit is very casual, affordable. Gabrielle Aplin comes across as being very down to earth and as not trying to flaunt her fame and success by wearing designer brands or expensive goods. The audience will be able to relate to her because she is perceived as being similar to those who cannot afford to buy materialistic goods. Having said that, there is also the sense in the music video of Gabrielle Aplin being extraordinary, too. This is achieved when an audience look up to an artist and view them as having an extraordinary talent or quality that causes an audience to idolise them. For example, Aplin has the ability to both sing and play musical instruments, qualities of which most people do not posses, therefore they may envy the fact that Aplin is musically talented. An artist must be absent refers to the idea that the audience have never actually met the artist before, and that there are still some things they do not know about her and that an artist is present because articles and the media help to keep them in our minds and lives. The absence can be used to create a sense of mystery  about the artist which is what keeps the audience interested and coming back for more. When the audience feel as though they have learnt all they can about an artist they will eventually lose interest. In this music video, Gabrielle Aplin appears absent in the sense that she rarely looks at the camera because she is too focused on the song and playing the right notes on the piano. By not being able to see her facial expressions, a sense of mystery will be created because the audience will find it difficult to work out how she is feeling or who she is singing to. This may also make it difficult for the audience to make a connection with Aplin because there is no personal touch to the song. An artist must be present refers to the idea that there will be some fans who, through research and social media, will feel as though they are friends with the artist because they already know so much about the artist. Many artists partake in interviews for YouTube of magazines because it allows them to open up to their audience and helps to make them more relatable, because the audience realise that they too are just human beings.

The first main element from Goodwin's theory that can be seen in this music video is visuals of the artist. The majority of the video is made up of a variety of camera shots of visuals of Aplin playing the piano. The reason behind this could be because this was one of her first serious music videos, therefore the label may want to introduce and promote her as a new artist into the music industry. Furthermore, on the John Lewis advert, the audience could only hear her voice, but now when they watch this music video, they will be able to associate her face with the song and the advert. It is a lot easier for an audience to remember an artist and associate a song with them if they know what they look like. The use of visuals also makes it much more interesting for the audience as opposed to just listening to the song by itself. This element could link in with another element from Goodwin's theory which is the fact that the video is primarily performance based. Gabrielle Aplin can be seen playing the piano which, because she is new to the industry, helps her to show her audience, other record labels and other artists from the indie genre that she is multi-talented and can produce the sound of her music herself. The audience may appreciate that Aplin is passionate about her music and the use of visuals helps them to remember what she looks like so that in the future they will be able to associate her face when they hear her voice.

In the music video, there is also a relationship between the music and the visuals, which can be seen towards the end of the video when she sings the chorus for the final time and the tempo of the song picks up, along with the volume at which she is singing, which coincides with fast pace editing that shows the audience visuals of more and more lights appearing around where Aplin is sitting. The pace of the video changes according to the pace of the song to help make it more comfortable for the audience to watch because the video and the song do not feel out of sink.

In the music video, through the simplicity of the entire thing, including the way she dresses, Gabrielle Aplin is represented as being very down to earth. The record label may be trying to make her as relatable as possible for the target audience because they will be more likely to buy into her music and her as an artist. They will not want her to come across as being materialistic because not everyone can afford to buy designer goods or can relate to having a wealthy lifestyle. Also, through the use of the piano, Gabrielle Aplin is represented as being musically talented. It is important for an artist in the indie genre to be able to do more than just sing because the genre is very diverse and in order to sell their music an artist will need to stand out.

The audience for this music video will mainly consist of those people who would watch her cover videos on YouTube, due to it being one of her first music videos produced after being signed to the Parlophone record label, therefore there may not be that many people who are avid listeners of her music. This music video will have the purpose of introducing and promoting Aplin into the industry, as there will be many people who will recognise her voice from the John Lewis Christmas advert. It could also be said that the music video will appeal to those who liked the song when it was first released by Frankie Goes to Hollywood as that audience will be curious to see who she is and how she has made the song her own.

Gabrielle Aplin's costume and makeup in the video is kept very simple, for example, she can be seen wearing natural looking makeup and affordable clothing like jeans and a cardigan. Her appearance helps her to fit into the simple, homely setting so that she does not look out of place. The use of casual clothing could help the audience to relate to the artist because it suggests that, similar to the audience, famous people do not dress up when they are in their own homes. The audience may see that, although famous people can afford to buy designer goods and have people to do their hair and makeup for them, most of them prefer to wear the type of comfortable clothing that the majority of people own. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are often perceived as being too focused on their music to worry about keeping up with current fashion trends. They usually wear old fashioned, vintage looking clothing that only appears to a niche target audience, which is why the genre does not have a huge following.

The location remains the same throughout the entire video, which the audience can see is an old, abandoned looking house. This type of setting is conventional to the indie genre because all of the audience will be able to relate to the idea of having a home, and indie artists often use cheap locations to film in because they do not have the money to spend on expensive places. Furthermore, the fact that the house is old is suitable for the genre which is usually quite old fashioned and does not fit into the mainstream. The most important piece of iconography seen in the video is the grand piano, which Aplin plays throughout in order to show the audience that she is the one, not only singing, but producing the backing sound as well. This can be used to highlight the talents that Aplin has which may help her to stand out in a already diverse music genre, especially seeing as she was new to the music industry. The audience may appreciate how much time and effort she must have spent learning how to play the piano. The use of the piano also links in with the performance element of the music video because it makes it appear as though the music that the audience can hear has been produce entirely by the artist themselves and not through using a band, or recording the backing soundtrack in a studio. This is conventional to the indie genre because the genre is often perceived as being vintage and old fashioned, and in the olden days musicians would not have had fancy technology to help them produce their music.

Gabrielle Aplin is the only character to be seen in the entire music video because the purpose of the video is to introduce her into the indie genre and to promote her as a new artist. Most people will recognise her voice from the John Lewis Christmas advert but because this is the first major song she has covered, they probably will not know her name or what she looks like. By being able to see her face in the video, this will help the audience to associate her face and name with the advert and song, and means that they will be more likely to look out for any new music that she releases in the future. This could also create a word of mouth effect because people will be able to share her name with her friends, most of whom would have probably seen the Christmas advert. Gabrielle Aplin comes across as being very serious in the music video due to the fact that the audience do not see her smile throughout the entire thing. One reason for this could be due to the fact that she is too focused on the music and playing the rights keys on the piano to think about what her face looks like. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are often perceived as being really passionate about their music and sharing their music with as many people as they can. However, another possible reason could be due to the fact that the lyrics to the song are emotional, therefore Aplin wants to come across as being emotional, too, but a smile would take away from the meaning behind the song.

Most of the colours and lighting used in the music video are natural and simple, for example, whites and browns and greys, which helps to make the video more comfortable for the audience to watch because the song itself is very slow, and simple and emotional. The use of natural lighting is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists do not make enough money in this niche genre of music to be able to afford green screens and artificial lighting for their videos. Furthermore, Aplin is still relatively new to the music industry, therefore she will not have made a lot of money so far and will be more focused on gaining exposure for her own music rather than creating extravagant music videos. Having said that, towards the end of the video when the tempo and volume of the song begins to pick up, the lighting changes and becomes more and more brighter through the use of candles and fairy lights. The reason for this could be due to the element of Goodwin's theory that states that a in a music video there will be a relationship between the music and the visuals which helps to make the video more comfortable for the audience to watch because every element of the music video are in sink.

The first common camera shot used in the music video is a close up of the artist. This techniques helps to promote and introduce the artist, especially those who are new to the music industry, as it allow the audience to see what she looks like as well as hear her voice, which will make it easier for them to recognise her if ever they hear another one of her songs. Furthermore, a close up is beneficial for the artist because people will be more likely to want to research Aplin to find out more about her music history, which could lead to them finding more of her own music and create exposure for her and her music. Also, the use of close ups allows the audience to see her facial expressions which usually coincides with the feel of the song, for example, Gabrielle Aplin appears quite sad in the music video because the song itself has an emotional deeper meaning. The use of a close up in this particular music video allows the audience to get to know what Aplin looks like so that in the future they will be able to associate her with the song and any other music that she produces.

Another common camera shot used in the music video is a long shot, which is often used in music videos to introduce the setting or the narrative. In this music video, the long shot is used to show the audience that the video is set in an old house, and that Gabrielle Aplin is the only character in the video. The long shot also helps the audience to see that Aplin is playing the piano, which suggests to them that she is the one producing the background music for the song as well as the vocals. This technique helps to show the audience that Gabrielle Aplin is musically talented in more than one way, which could help her to stand out from, or fit into this diverse genre of music that is made up of artists who can play different musical instruments.

 

Home

According to Richard Dyer's star theory, there are four paradoxes that an artist will conform to in their music video, the first two are that an artist will be both ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary refers to the idea that the audience will be able to relate to an artist through the music video. In the video for 'Home', Gabrielle Aplin is portrayed to be ordinary in the sense that bad things can still happen to her, which is seen in the video when she has her car stolen. But also due to the fact that the audience do not see her wearing outfits that portray her as being wealth and materialistic, in the video Aplin can be seen wearing ripped skinny jeans and a baggy grey t-shirt. The use of this affordable clothing helps the audience to relate to her because most of Aplin's audience will not be able to afford designer brands, nor will they like to dress to fit into the mainstream because the indie audience will be made up primarily of people who will dress in vintage type clothing, similar to indie artists. On the other hand, extraordinary refers to the idea that an audience will view an artist as someone they strive to be like, and look up to the talents that they have. Gabrielle Aplin is extraordinary in the sense that she is musically talented due to the fact that she can sing and can write her own music that was very successful. The artist being absent refers to the idea that the audience have never actually met the artist before, and that they have only ever seen them in magazines, on social media and in music videos. It is important for an artist to always have an element of mystery about them in order to keep their audience interested, and to keep them feeling as though there is still more to learn about the artist. In the music video, Aplin is absent in the sense that the audience are only watcher her from behind a computer screen, and the fact that she never makes eye contact with the camera will make them feel as though she is oblivious to the fact that they are there, which can cause the video to lose its personal touch. The artist being present refers to the idea that the audience already know so much about the artist. The audience are constantly reminded of an artist and learn new things about them on a daily basis due to the development in social media and the fact that artists often participate in interviews for television chat shows or magazine articles that allows them to open up to their audience and inform them about music related topics, for example, artists often get interviewed close to the release date of a new music. This helps to ensure that the artist is always fresh on their audience's mind. In this music video, Gabrielle Aplin is present in the sense that the audience can see visuals of her throughout the entire video because she is the main character in the narrative and the song is her own, therefore she is the one performing the song as well.

The first way in which Goodwin's theory is used in this music video is that the video is primarily performance based, which can be seen towards the end of 'Home' when the artist are show visuals of Gabrielle Aplin sitting on a pool table in the middle of a bar surrounded by a bar full of people who are watching her as she sings her song. The use of performance is conventional to the indie genre because it is used to show the audience that the artist is doing what they love and to allow them to see what it would be like to see the artist perform live. Some of the audience may not be able to afford tickets to an actual concert, or may not live in the same country as the artist, therefore the performance element of music video helps them to feel as though they are not missing out.
Another element of Goodwin's theory that is used in the music video are visuals of the artist. Due to the fact that 'Home' was one of Gabrielle Aplin's first singles to be released and that she was still relatively new to the music industry, this use of visuals helped the audience to see her true self, in the way that she liked to dress, the type of music that she wanted to produce. Furthermore, there may also be some people who have not seen her before or heard her music before, therefore the use of visuals help them to identify which person in the music video is the artist. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists seek to share their music, which is what they are most passionate about, with as many people as they can. The audience will appreciate how much the artist cares about their music as opposed to the money they are getting for selling it.

Similar to the music video for 'The Power of Love', in this video, Gabrielle Aplin is represented as being down to earth and relatable to the audience. For example, she does not come across as being very fashionable in her cartoon looking t-shirt and ripped skinny jeans, however, the fact that her hair appears rough and her makeup limited helps her to fit into the narrative of the music video. For example, at the beginning of the video the audience saw Aplin have her car stolen which meant that she had no money and no way of getting home. Furthermore, Gabrielle Aplin is portrayed as being an individual and not as a product of the music industry, because for this the audience would expect to see Aplin wearing a more revealing outfit, lots of makeup and extravagant props and possibly a dance number.

Due to the fact that the indie genre as a whole has a pretty niche target audience, and that 'Home' was one of Gabrielle Aplin's first original singles, the target audience will still consist of those who would watch her covers on YouTube. However, they will also be made up of those who enjoyed her cover of the 'The Power of Love ' song, which was highly successful on its release, and would have given Aplin more exposure and expanded her target audience. The age group that will make up the majority of Aplin's audience will be 14-25 year old females, due to the fact that her songs often have a deeper meaning which most people associate with something that females prefer rather than men.

The main style that the music video has adopted is narrative. For example, at the beginning of the video the audience can see her car get stolen by a group of boys, which leads into the rest of the video which revolves around her journey to get home. During the video the audience can see her hitch hike and perform her song for a bar full of people. The narrative helps the audience to relate to the lyrics of the song because they are often used to tell a story, in this particular video, the story is essentially Aplin's journey to get back home. Most narratives within the indie genre will help the audience to relate to the song because they have often been through a similar experiences themselves. The use of visuals alongside the lyrics also means that there is little room left for the audience to use their imagination because the artist has explained the lyrics through the use of visuals, which is unlike what happens when the audience can only hear the song. Furthermore, the use of a narrative makes a music video more interesting to watch because it gives the audience something to focus on, that isn't just the artist singing. Having said that, there are also some elements of performance which can be seen in the video through the use of close ups and visuals of the artist. For example, the audience are shown shots of Gabrielle Aplin sitting on a pool table in the middle of a bar surrounded by a large crowd while singing the song. The use of performance allows the audience to see how passionate the artist is about their music, and shows them that all of the sounds and background sounds that they can hear have been created by the artist themselves. The use of performance allows Aplin to become the main focus of the video and helps her to promote herself as a new and up and coming artist. The joint elements of narrative between the performance is also conventional to the indie genre because it helps to give the video more meaning and helps an artist to hold their audiences attention because the variety of shots used makes it more interesting to watch.

Through the use of costume and makeup, Gabrielle Aplin begins to look rougher and rougher as the music video goes on, for example, towards the end of the video her hair looks as though it hasn't been brushed in a while, and her clothes remain the same throughout the entire video which tells the audience that she hasn't showered or changed her outfit. This use of costume and makeup links in with the narrative of the video which shows the artist as having her car stolen and as having no way of getting home. This narrative may cause the audience to sympathise with Aplin because the narrative suggests that she is very unlucky, which tells the audience that her life is not as perfect as magazines and the media makes it out to be. This use of costume and makeup is conventional to the indie genre because most indie artists are perceived as being too focused on their music to worry about keeping up with the current fashion trends.

The most important piece of iconography use in the music video can be seen towards the end when Aplin is performing in the bar for the crowd around her, the audience can see that she is holding a microphone in one of her hands. The use of a microphone links in with the performance element of the video because when performing live an artist will use a microphone so that their voice can be heard throughout the entire arena. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists usually enjoy performing their music for audiences because it means more exposure for their songs and allows them to do and share what they love doing with lots of people. The audience will be more likely to enjoy watching the video if the artist comes across as wanting to be there and as having a good time themselves.

Throughout the majority of the video, Gabrielle Aplin is the only character in the video. However, at the end of the video, the audience can see Aplin sitting on a pool table in the middle of the bar surrounded by drunk looking people who are watching her perform her song, and some are even singing along with her. During this point of the song, the audience can hear backing singers join in with Aplin, and the use of the music video makes it appear as though the people in the bar are her backing singers. This links in with the element of performance because of the way that it appears as though she is performing for the people in the bar. This is beneficial for the audience because it enables them to see what it would be like to watch her in concert, and for those who cannot afford to buy tickets it means that they do not have to feel as though they are missing out. Furthermore, some of the audience may be able to relate to the idea of karaoke singing in a bar, and begin to view Aplin as someone who enjoys to partake in activities that the audience also enjoy.

Gabrielle Aplin uses her facial expressions to show her audience how she is feeling throughout the video. For example, at the beginning of the video following her car being stolen, Aplin appears annoyed and angry, which is emphasised by the sound of her shouting at the men in the car. Dialogue is conventional to the indie genre because it helps the artist to develop the narrative. However, Aplin's facial expressions change towards the end of the video when the performance element begins. When the audience see her singing for the other characters in the bar, they can see that she is smiling and enjoys performing for them. This is conventional to the indie genre because indie artists are often perceived as being passionate about their music and as loving what they do. The audience may appreciate that Aplin cares about her music and isn't just looking to make lots of money through what she does.

The lighting in the music video changes according to the narrative. For example, the beginning of the video is set during the beginning of the day, therefore the lighting is bright, compared to the darker lighting at the end of the day. This use of natural lighting is conventional to the indie genre because most indie artists do not have enough money to afford green screens or artificial lighting, which is could be due to the fact that Aplin is still relatively new to the music industry and that indie genre is not one of the most popular genres of music. Furthermore, most indie artists do not want anything in the music video to take away from the music itself, which at the end of the day is what is going to make an artist the money.

The first common camera shot that is used in this music video is a long shot. Long shots are often used in video to help an artist set the scene for the video and also for the narrative. In this particular video, the location constantly changes, for example, at the beginning Aplin looks to be in the middle of a desert, compared to the end of the video when the audience can see her walking down a strip of bars and flashing lights. The use of a long shot helps the audience to keep up with the constant change of locations and...
This is conventional to the indie genre because indie music videos often include narratives that help to show the audience what the lyrics really mean, and to break up the elements of performance which makes the video more interesting to watch. Furthermore, indie artists are often associated with being on the road, therefore the constant change of location could be used to represent how fast pace the artists life is, and how they never stay in the same place for very long.
Another common camera shot used in the music video is a mid-shot, which helps to show how Aplin is feeling, and to highlight the performance at the end of the video which primarily consists of a narrative based style. A mid-shot can be used to capture an artist in the moment, including hand gestures, which helps the audience to see their true emotions at a particular point in the video. A mid-shot makes the audience feel as though they are actually there with her, because the audience get the same visuals that they would if they were seeing someone in the flesh. This could make the video feel more personal because the audience will feel as though they are sharing the experience with her.

In conclusion, these two indie music videos help Gabrielle Aplin to come across as being genuine and relatable and as someone who cares less about fitting into the mainstream and more about sharing her music and promoting herself as an individual within the music industry. This research has inspired me to use simplistic locations when creating the music video, which means filming in places that I myself are likely to go to. For example, visuals of an underground train station, or landmarks around London such as Big Ben. I have also learnt that, out of the two videos analysed, the one most likely to keep an audience interested is 'Home' due to the fact that the music video tied in with the lyrics to a song, which helped to tell the audience a story and to help them understand the lyrics more.