I'd like to just give some perspective here, because the pop landscape is one that is commonly misunderstood.
Undeniably - as it stands at this very moment - Taylor Swift is far more of a songwriter and musician than Beyonce. While both of them largely work with the assistance of producers, Swift's 1989 was written predominantly by three key people, Max Martin, Shellback and Swift herself. Two or three tracks have additional input from one or two other people.
Beyonce's Lemonade on the other hand is a product of the Hit Factory's traditional method of writers camps, where they poach the best talent from a huge collection of songwriters, including - but not limited to - beat makers/producers (make the actual musical instrumentation ideas), top liners (whose job is to make the catchiest of melodies - Sia does this), and lyricists (whose sole job is to write lyrics). During the Meek Mill/Drake saga, by which Mill accused Drake of using ghost writers, the concept of this was brought into the mainstream for a brief moment, with Drake using a camp that took largely from his OVO label, including PartyNextDoor, dvsn and others.
Now, an argument without referencing is just disgusting, so I'd like to direct your attention to this:
The accreditation for Beyonce's Lemonade can be seen here.Now, if you compare that to Swift's 1989 song writing credits...It's blatantly obvious that Beyonce's role within Lemonade was nowhere near as involved as Swift's role in 1989.
This speaks large volumes. As one would assume Triple J would fawn over the likes of a strong independent female who composes her own songs with very little assistance; Taylor Swift is more Lisa Mitchell or Bertie Blackman than Beyonce.
But, Triple J are not to blame. They are merely playing into the game of contemporary music media, which has become driven largely by an artist's story, as opposed to the music itself.
If you want to say that Beyonce makes you think, that's subjective. Looking at a piece of grass can make a young child think. Beyonce's lyrics may be largely guided by her, but it would be incorrect to say that it wasn't heavily influenced by the aforementioned team of collaborators. If her "story" (I'll get to this later) resonates with you, then that's great, and she's succeeded in her role as an artist. Personally - and I have to stress PERSONALLY, because when typing comments on the internet, people seem to forget that subjectivity is a thing, and take other people's opinions to be direct attacks, for which this is not - I think Beyonce's lyrics can be pretty one-note. Looking at her discography, the same argument could be said of her earlier work: she just sang about love, men, and female empowerment. And that's fine. Those are some of the most relatable topics in songwriting, and they are subjects which will never lose currency.
Swift is a pop sweetheart who unabashedly embraces her identity; this is to say she knows her role. She's moved from country, to pop, which was a risky, yet necessary move for growth. Having said that, she plays it safer than Beyonce when it comes to her lyrics because she's still developing her prominence within pop culture. Beyonce only moved to more "controversial" topics such as female empowerment, black rights etc as she progressed in her career, and was stable enough to make greater artistic claims.
Beyonce went through the same phase of establishing a solid foundation of proving herself when she was in one of the largest pop groups of the late 90's to early 00's within Destiny's Child - who
did not get a mention for their smash hit Say My Name in the 1999 Hottest 100 Countdown. Beyond that,
Beyonce did not receive a nomination for 2003's Hottest 100 for the mindblowing hit that is Crazy In Love.If anything, this is more of a testament to Beyonce's remarkable PR efforts. Knowles and her team are remarkably brilliant at playing the media, and forcing Knowles to continuously stand out as an entity that transcends whatever is happening within the sphere of popular culture. One of the most famous instances of this when she received unprecedented backlash due to lip-syncing at Obama's presidential inauguration in 2013. That's a faux pas that Ashley Simpson couldn't recover from. How did Beyonce rebound?
By holding a god damn press conference, and without barely uttering a single peep, she sang the national anthem to a crowd of reporters ready to tear her to shreds for such an unpatriotic act, and humbly apologised.As time has progressed, Beyonce and her team (and I emphasise her team, because to be under the illusion that her actions are in no way calculated and orchestrated by a larger body is to be unquestionably ignorant) have found ways to keep her not only relevant, but ahead of the curve.
So, how did she find her way into Triple J's rotation, and transition to something that indie fans could latch onto?
Having an album with good music on it isn't enough these days; you need a headline. The headline for her fifth album self-titled album was the surprise release. Without any warning, the internet, and the world, were given something they didn't even know they want. And who doesn't love a surprise? In conjunction with the cultural weight that the Beyonce brand holds, the album dominated almost every major digital news publication. It was perceived as a renegade move that carried undertones of undermining the traditional values of the musical industry. And that's a concept that indie fans can latch onto.
It's also important to note here that Beyonce didn't give a large number of interviews following this album, as the sheer novelty of the release was enough in its own right. She also knows that a bit of mystique can go a long way.
Beyonce is now 35. That's kinda old for an industry where youthful competition is always on the rise. The wave of Beyonce, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga has passed, and there's new kids dying for their chance to step into the limelight.
So, where to from here?
Now, this is where I have to reference the conspiracy theory that the Jay-Z tribulations narrative of Lemonade was one that was masterfully constructed as
there's a lot of credence to that. Jay-Z isn't an idiot (he is largely responsible for the rise of Rihanna - another pop super star who Triple J doesn't give a lick of attention to), and nor are Beyonce's team (see the previously reference lip-syncing debacle).
This debate is one that is divisive for many people, and for good reason: it forces the audience to question the artist's authenticity. And as an "artist", authenticity is one of the most valuable assets that one can possess. This is to suggest, if the break-up story of Lemonade is manufactured, then not only are you going to not give a fuck about Beyonce and Lemonade, you're also going to lose respect for her as a performing artist.
Regardless of whether the break-up story line is true or not is irrelevant now. Because it worked. It did something truly amazing: it simultaneously victimised Beyonce, forcing you to perceive her as the underdog, while - at the same time - empowered her by throwing it in Jay-Z's face through some uniquely produced pop songs. That's a story that anyone can get behind. Beyond that, she recruited a remarkably diverse range of indie sweethearts to increase her "diversity" as an artist, by employing the talents of James Blake, Jack White and Ezra Koenig (of Vampire Weekend). By drawing from these "indie" artists talents, she's continued to broaden her audience beyond just typical pop fans. And more fans, means more money.
We can't forget that the music industry is a money making machine where the "talent" are the product, and we - the listener - are the consumers.
This narrative worked perfectly for Beyonce, as she's now gotten in the good books of smaller publications such as Stereogum, Pitchfork and Triple J. And that's fascinating for a woman who wouldn't have received a drop of attention from these guys back in the "Crazy In Love" days.
But, I've digressed.
This is all to suggest that I have to disagree with you entirely when you propose that Taylor Swift and Beyonce are different beasts. They are both huge entities that exist within the pop realm, and have huge elements of manufactured decisions behind their success. They are both remarkably calculated individuals, with every part of their lives being considered as an opportunity to progress their careers. The only difference between the two is that Beyonce strategically moved into this realm, where as Taylor Swift doesn't care.
Taylor - and her team, of course - are far more occupied by maintaining her innocent-girl-next-door-that-you-also-want-to-bang persona by playing the media into being concerned with her romantic life (even her love life is orchestrated).
But, hey. Taylor's still young, and a lot of money is on the line if she were to divert from this role of being not only a pop queen, but a cultural icon. If she and her label want to continue this line of success...I'll put it this way: I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor was on the Hottest 100 in a couple of years.
