To the editor
By:
"Have a seat … watch the awards with me, Mom," I asked.
"Are you sure it isn’t another garbage program?" my mother responded.
"Positive!" I answered, hoping to convince her.
Not even five minutes into the Music Video Awards, Britney Spears and Madonna kissed. This was when I realized the music industry has taken freedom of expression a step too far and I can’t even watch a simple awards show without feeling ashamed of the industry I aspire to be part of.
The industry went from suggestive love songs with underlying sexual innuendoes to the blatant sexual lyrics. Tom Vickers of A&M Records says, "There has been no denying that musical content has become sexual over the past 10 years."
The record business’ defense is that pop music has always pushed the envelope. But we’ve pushed the envelope off the desk and into the gutter.
When listening to the car radio, I am often hesitant to continue listening with my parents in the next seat. Between the moaning, breathing, and sexual lyrics, I question whether or not the artist is presenting his or her vocal abilities of sex.
Aside from the provocative songs, the vulgar performances are making the industry even more controversial.
Half the time the singers are lip-syncing while dancing as if they were in a strip joint. They are targeting children and teens with soft porn, rather than showcasing their talent. A perfect example was Britney Spears’ concert where she was half-naked in a bathtub singing her songs.
What is next? Sex on stage? By the way things look, it is seemingly possible.
The general public and the FCC have become disgusted with the music industry. Newsmax.com tells us, "…The industry has been disappointing in its failure to institute positive reforms in self structure."
Music videos, pictures, and overall images of the artists are the main lure to selling records right now. It should be about the artists’ talent, not about their sexuality.
The industry has taken away the mystique of sexiness and brought it to a primitive, impulsive level. It was much sexier to leave something to the imagination. Being a young new artist, it will be my responsibility to prove that a singer can "look hot and feel sexy, too, without taking their clothes off and being taboo," a quote from my new recorded song "Innocent Girls’ Anthem."
It is up to the youth of America to make a conscious decision to keep the "music industry" … the MUSIC industry.
Hillsborough High School

