Research into Chosen Artist

Research Into Chosen Artist

 

From the beginning of the planning of our music video, as a group we had decided that we wanted to use a song of the Indie genre. We then discussed various artists we knew and enjoyed within this genre and came across the artist Nina Nesbitt, that our group member Daisy had previously listened to. The rest of the group had only heard of Nina and had not listened to her music, therefore we took the time to listen through her songs and we all decided that we particularly liked the song Noserings and Shoestrings. We then decided to brainstorm ideas that the song gave us and finally stuck with our decision of using this song as we believed it would be an ideal song to create a conventional Indie music video to. I have a great interest in the Indie genre as I am a huge fan of artists such as Tom Odell, Ben Howard, Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons. Therefore I have a wide knowledge within this music genre which will enhance the likelihood of our music video being conventional to the Indie genre.

 

Nina Nesbitt is a 19 year old Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She begun her music career by writing and recording songs in the comfort of her bedroom, and then uploading them to her YouTube channel to present to possible fans. Nina's big break came when she met Ed Sheeran and he was extremely impressed by her talent and therefore invited her to support him on his European Tour and also asked her to appear in his music video for Drunk. She was also asked to support Example after he heard her cover of one of his songs; Stay Awake. From these opportunities Nina was presented to the public where they became more aware of her and her music and she gradually started to build her own fan base. Nina is best known for her biggest hit single, Stay Out, which reached No. 21 in April 2013 in the UK charts. This song release gave her mainstream attention. She has also released a number of other EP's as well as this including; Boy, Way In The World and The Apple Tree. The Apple Tree was released in April 2012 and reached number 6 on the iTunes download charts after receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1. It also reached number 1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. Nina's most recent single is a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, Don't Stop which is used in an advert for John Lewis. 

 

Nina Nesbitt belongs to the Universal Music Group and is signed to Island Records record label. Islands Records was founded by Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group. The label operates as a division of The Island Def Jam Music Group in the Unites States, and as a standalone label in the UK. In addition to this there is a frontline local artist and repertoire label in Australia known as Island Records Australia, run by Universal Music Australia. Island Records manages a number of successful artists with music from a range of genres including; Jessie J, Drake, Disclosure and Florence and The Machine.

 

Nina Nesbitt has only released 4 singles publicly which included; Boy in 2012 which reached no 134 in the UK charts and Stay Out, Way In The World and Don't Stop in 2013 which reached no 21, 55 and 61 in the UK charts. The rest of the songs that she released publicly were via EP's online as she is still early on in her music career so it was the most logical thing to do to gain public interest in her music. This is therefore the reason why she has only released 4 singles that managed to enter the UK charts. Nina is yet to produce an album to sell to her fans as she is still climbing up the popularity ladder within the music industry.

 

Boy

 

The first music video of Nina Nesbitt I am going to analyse is Boy. The music video subverts Dyer's star theory as Nina is an ordinary artist and doesn't evoke any extraordinary qualities. This is due to the fact that she is very early on in her music career and therefore not much of the public are aware of her as an artist. She is also a down to earth individual and it is easy for fans to relate to and idolise her as she illustrates qualities of a regular teenage girl.

 

Throughout the music video of Nina Nesbitt, Boy elements of Goodwin's theory is incorporated to enhance the entertainment factor of the music video and to allow it to be more conventional to the Indie genre. There is a clear relationship between the music and visuals in the music video. Transitions are incorporated to change the visuals on the beat of the music to provide the audience with the visuals of a new scene. By having this element of Goodwin's theory present in the music video it allows the narrative and performance elements to flow evenly and consistently. In turn the audience will be able to understand more surrounding the music video itself and will therefore increase how entertaining the music video is to the target audience. There is also a vague link between the lyrics and the visuals in the music video. Nina sings 'Im Sorry Your Drunk On It' whilst the visuals present the male in the music video drinking alcohol and acting somewhat drunk and disorderly. This relationship between the lyrics and visuals allows the audience to become more aware of the narrative running throughout the music video as they are provided with a visual to support the lyrics being sung. There are a large number of close up camera shots included of Nina Nesbitt to present her to the audience. She is mainly seen performing her song and therefore the viewers are given the opportunity to build a relationship with her as an artist. The camera shots also illustrate Ninas' talent to the viewers and provides them with an insight into her personality. Ninas' Boy music video is primarily performance based and therefore allows the viewers to witness Nina doing what she is known for. It also further entices the audience to build a relationship with her as an artist. 

 

Throughout the Boy music video Nina is presented as a quirky, down to earth teenager. It illustrates how she is in the early stages of her music career as she resembles an everyday teenager. She is therefore relatable for teenage girls who are interested in her music and also encourages them to reach for their dreams as that is what Nina has done. *ADD MORE* It is apparent through Ninas music video that the target audience for her music is adolescent girls, aged around 16-25. This is because she is highly relatable to teenage girls and sings songs that are relevant to the events teenage girls tend to go through. Therefore they can see Nina as a figure to look  up to as she is very ordinary within the music industry. 

 

The music video is primarily performance based (90%) with a vague, loose narrative running throughout (10%). This therefore allows the viewers to set their main focus on the artist and her when she is performing. The viewers learn from this that she is an extremely talented performer and allows them to build a relationship with her based on this. ADD MORE

 

The main location in the Boy music video is what is seen as Nina's bedroom in her house. Her bedroom is visually quirky and is decorated in a girly way which presents the audience with an insight into her personality. It also allows the audience to relate to Nina as she is illustrated as a typical teenager and adds a personal element to the music video as they feel as though they have been welcomed into her world. Her bedroom is also very messy and cluttered, along with the other rooms in her house. This could be significant of the relationship she is currently in, evoking the idea that it is taking over her life and she has no escape from it. Throughout the music video Nina is mainly centrally positioned within the camera shots and her bedroom location. This shows the significance of her as she is the artist and therefore presents her as the main focus of the music video as a whole. The clothes that Nina is seen wearing in her music video allows the audience to form an interpretation of her personality visually. Nina is seen wearing a red jumper, which could be significant of the idea that she is holding the power over the boy in her music video, in terms of their relationship. She is also seen wearing jean shorts and trainers which highlights how she is laid back and down to earth, therefore she is highly relatable for teenage girls.

 

Throughout Nina Nesbitt's Boy music video the most commonly employed camera shots are mid shots and close up shots. These shots present Nina to the audience and allow them to build a relationship with her as they are given a detailed insight into her as a performing. These specific camera shots allow the audience to witness her music talent and build a relationship with her based on this. The incorporation of these particular camera shots also mean the viewers are able to learn more surrounding the personality of Nina and can therefore understand the meanings behind her lyrics in more depth.

 

Stay Out

 

Stay Out is the single which made Nina more popular with mainstream audiences as it secured a number 21  position in the Official UK Top 40. Ninas music video to this song subverts Dyer's star theory. This is because she has not had the opportunity to be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer as she is a new artist in the music industry ,who has only recently become known by the public. However Ninas music video does follow elements of Goodwin's theory. The music video demonstrates genre characteristic which is evident to the viewers. Nina is seen busking in the streets which is typical of an artist within the indie genre, who is beginning their career by trying to gain public interest. The music video further relates to Goodwin's theory as a high number of close up camera shots are employed of the artist. The close up and mid camera shots included of Nina present her performing and also during the narrative. This allows the audience to learn more about Nina based on the visuals they are provided with. The style of the music video is directly split between elements of narrative (50%) and performance (50%) this is evident throughout the music video as the viewers witness Nina performing and also par taking in the narrative element of the music video.

 

Throughout the Stay Out music video, Nina is presented to the viewers as a fun and outgoing individual. This highlights how she is just like a typical, down to earth teenage girl which means she is highly relatable for viewers. She also evokes the idea that she leads a somewhat care-free life as she is represented as so laid back. This is unusual for someone in the music industry, but therefore makes her a more realistic figure for teenagers to look up towards. It is apparent that Ninas' target audience is therefore adolescence, mainly female. This is because she is an extremely relatable figure for them and the music video presents how she is still able to go out and have fun. In turn portraying that the music industry lifestyle has not directly affected her in anyway. The style of her Stay Out music video is 50%narrative and 50%performance. This is evident because Nina is seen busking/performing on the streets and also she is seen involved in the narrative that is present throughout the music video. The equal dividing of the style of the music video allows the audience to witness Nina as a performer and also as an everyday individual, therefore meaning they can build a relationship with her based on two different factors.

 

One of the main locations of her music video is her bedroom. In this location the viewers witness Nina getting ready for a night out with her friends. This further presents the idea that Nina is down to earth and just a typical teenage girl. Another location incorporated is the London location. Within this location Nina is seen riding around on an open top bus with her friends. This presents how she is exploring London on a night out, and illustrates how she is fun and outgoing. There is also a club location included. This conveys the fact that Nina is 19 years old and therefore presents a somewhat rebellious side to her at the first sight of it. However inside the club she is seen jumping on a bouncy castle with her friends which further evokes how she is a fun and down to earth individual. The main location that the audience see Nina performing in is on the streets of London. This provokes the idea that she is out busking to gain public attention for her music. This is a convention of the indie genre and therefore enhances the visual experience of the audience and the likelihood they have of connecting with Nina as an artist. Nina is seen dressed in a shirt and jeans as she is going on a night out which relates to the title of the song 'stay out'. This further illustrates how she is quirky and outgoing as it highlights that she enjoys going on nights out with her friends. She is also seen wearing a leather jacket which gives her a somewhat edgy appearance to that which is already presented to the viewers. Throughout the music video Nina is seen performing with her guitar. This is a significant form of iconography as it is conventional to the indie genre and presents Nina as a talented performer.

 

Throughout the music video the most commonly used camera shots include mid shots, close up shots and long/establishing shots. The mid and close up shots are employed of Nina to present her as an artist to the viewers. Within these camera shots she is mainly seen performing and therefore the audience get to understand her as an artist, and they begin to learn more surrounding the lyrics she is seen singing. The long shots and establishing shots that are incorporated present the audience with the location and surroundings that Nina is in. The viewers get to see her perform in these locations and they follow the narrative through them also. The use of these specific camera shots means the audience can see the locations in detail and are therefore able to interpretate their own ideas surrounding the significance of these particular locations.

 

The research I have conducted will assist me with the planning of my music video as it has given me a more detailed insight into elements of Nina Nesbitts music video. From the research I found that Nina likes to create music videos with a personal element to them as she uses house and bedroom locations in both music videos. Her personality is highlighted to the audience through various elements in the music video including the locations and clothing. Therefore this has inspired me to include personal elements to the artist in my music video and allow her personality to be presented throughout the music video using the various elements included. From the research I also discovered the extreme amount of close up shots incorporated to present the artist to the audience. In turn I will incorporate close up/mid shots in my music video to allow the viewers to build a relationship with the artist as they get an intimate insight into her personality.