Succession of Divas

Another potentially useless thread of my rambling thoughts..

Gen Xer that I am, the diva of my time (most impact on me) is Madonna. Her 2nd-4th album CDs (original mastering) are constant in my rotation, and although I appreciate much of her later stuff, for whatever reasons that early era of her work resonates the most with me. A huge thank you to Nile Rodgers and Stephen Bray. And so while some of the songs have been negatively altered on it, The Immaculate Collection would probably be one of my Desert Island picks (along with Rush’s Chronicles, really hard to pick a 3rd.)

Whitney Houston certainly gave her stiff competition, she belted out some fantastic tunes. But I think Madonna defined that era more definitively.

Going into the 90’s I was drawn almost entirely to Hard Rock & Metal music and mostly turned my back on all other music. I was obviously aware of Mariah Carey but have never been a fan of her work.

In the early 2000’s as Pop and R&B had already converged, I think it was first Britney Spears and then Beyoncé who were dominating the scene; can’t recall anyone else bigger than them.

Heading into 2010 Lady Gaga blew up. I think Gaga is extremely talented and very similar to Madonna but more versatile. Adele was pretty popular, good songs, but don't think as influential.

It seems to me that Taylor Swift is undoubtedly today’s diva - a hit-making force to be reckoned with, blazing her own trail in several ways. Her songs are catchy as f**k, I don’t know how much of that is genius producers and/or her own writing abilities.

But what happened to Katy Perry, who I feel peaked with Teenage Dreams? Huge disappointment…I thought she had a lot of potential but she pivoted to becoming so generic and ultimately forgettable.

Obviously, music streaming and social media have changed everything about the way we listen to music, how artists get discovered and promoted, and how much more careers can hinge on singular hits rather than albums. So this was something I was thinking about recently - which popular modern female solo artists’ work will be remembered as time goes on.

Much respect to Aretha and Tina, the OG divas.

 

Don't forget Amy Winehouse. She had enormous promise about the same time Lady Gaga hit her stride. But Amy made her thoughts on rehab quite clear, with predictable results.

 

there are two paths for young western women: Swiftie or the Lana Cult. ezly told apart, oftentimes by appearance alone.

 

Christina Aguilera is in my top 3 with Whitney and Tina, but I do love all the ones you mention but for some reason never really got into Gaga.

Taylor Dayne is one that should have been greater than she was.

I like this thread.

 

Mate, there was a growler or 2 fueling that screed. Money.

 

I can listen to and appreciate all mentioned singers ‘ feat except Taylor Swift lol