is there any such thing as an original artist in music these days??

Question

every single artist alive today that makes modern music has been listening to older artists from bygone days.so is it possible for any of them to write or compose material which hasn't been influenced in some way,therefore losing any originality they may have?

i totally agree cubanita.for example,the song hurt by nine inch nails was covered by johnny cash,and many see this as the definitive work because of the raw emotion he instilled in it.but,in general,is it right to label a piece as original unless it is just that.that is my querie,thanx to all for the cracking answers though.keep em comin.

Answer 1

To me, there's not even a handful of originality in todays music. Much of it is remixed from, or redone from older 60's, 70's and even 80's songs. I just don't care for the pop stuff today.

Answer 2

I think there is a lot of rubbish music that isn't original around at the moment, so much that any good original stuff gets ignored, I agree with the answer above, Bjork is original and does her own thing and don't really care if it comes out a bit rubbish, I heard she was working with Timberland though so you know looks like she is probably gonna be Nelly Furtado the 2nd (not that it's bad) but nope you wont find a lot of good original artists around

Answer 3

I'll admit that in mainstream music, all creativity has gone. And I could argue that until the cows come home. Look beyond mainstream, however, and you will find that there are still many bands, both in Britain and the US, who are writing music because they are passionate about it and not for money.

For example, 65Daysofstatic are a post-rock band from Leeds, no lyrics, just music. Good music, heavy music gentle music, electric music, weird music. There's a rather brilliant band from the US called Modest Mouse, again providing something different to what's in the charts over here.

None of my favourite bands are very popular, because if you look for music that isn't written for Joe Public then you find something a little out of the ordinary. Musically speaking, that's definately a good thing.

Answer 4

Surely you could say that anyone who has done anything "creative" since the first blob of jelly crawled out of the swamp?

"There's nothing new in the world" as the saying goes. That doesn't detract from the many talented people who come up with ways to engage and entertain us.

Study the history of any artistic form and you will see artists draw inspiration from all sorts of things but mostly from other artists. The creative process often begins with "Hey! That's cool, I like that! Now what if we did it THIS way..."

Answer 5

What you say is, of course, true of every art form. Every poet, painter, sculptor, novelist is influenced by the artists who came before them. Take Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' - it's a story of boy meets girl, which is hardly a new concept. Would you seriously describe it as lacking in originality?

The influence of previous generations does not mean that there is no originality in art! The thing that is original and unrepeatable that every decent artist puts into his or her work is him/herself. Each of us is a singular personality...in the entire span of time each individual is unique and each individual artist interprets and develops age old traditions to create truly original work.

Answer 6

Your premise is incorrect. "many times music right now is only bland". this isn't authentic. i'm pushing sixty so my favourites are of different eras, yet to assert there is something incorrect with music or musicians right now is only fake. The *music marketplace* is in a tragic state. yet there are as many remarkable musicians appearing and writing wonderful music as ever before, possibly greater via straightforward demographics. As countless human beings have informed you, ignore radio and nicely-known retail retailers. %. a type you like. circulate digging. you would be surprised. Then I propose checking outlast music on your individual city or interior of sight. this is probable the place the action is. it is unquestionably the place it starts. same innovations prepare in each and every form. ==

Answer 7

i don't think that there has ever been truly original music, since all of us are influenced in one way or another by our environment.
but sincerely, is there anything wrong with this? it's not cheating if you take inspiration from others; only if you flat-out copy. the important thing is not complete and total originality, it's that a song/album/artist is GOOD, that it really touches you or makes you feel good.
as gene simmons would say, originality is overrated. ;-P

Answer 8

there are tons of creativity out there. the ones who influenced today's music looked up the heroes too. the art is how the musician incorporates all of the different influences together, along with their own originality

Answer 9

I'm not exactly a raving fan, but I acknowledge that the majority of work produced by Bjork is pretty damned original.

Answer 10

These days?

I agree completely though in essence all music that has structure and form could be seen as somewhat repetition.