Literature Application by Jean Kyna Baltazar
“A star is not always a star – he or she performs other routines that define him or her in different ways in other contexts.” (Auslander 2015: 319). For Auslander, musicians must adhere to the set behaviours and values associated with the “genre context they achieved success [in]” in order to achieve stardom (2015: 329). In the case of Jay Park, he used to be an idol, then eventually ventured out into the South Korean hip-hop scene after he established his own record label AOMG. By creating AOMG, he can not only take creative control over his releases but also distance himself from his past as an idol and embrace his new roles as an artist and an entrepreneur.
According to Goffman, “‘role distance [] involves “effectively” expressed pointed separateness between the individual and his putative role.’” (Ibid., 326). Unlike idols, Park does not totally separate his musical persona from his professional persona. Auslander observes that hip-hop artists attribute their success as business people to “present themselves as having come from the streets and beaten up the music industry at its own game.” (Ibid., 327). Consistently producing high-quality content for fans and at the same running a business is not an easy feat. Park is required to perform two roles for the past five years. In a business setting, he must be more serious in making crucial decisions for the company. Whereas as an artist, he is allowed to show his “real” self although he is still expected to be professional at work. Through his excellent skills and hard work, Park became the first-ever Asian American artist signed with Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s own record label, in July 2017.
Bibliography
Auslander, Philip. “Everybody’s in Show Biz: Performing Star Identity in Popular Music.” The SAGE Handbook of Popular Music, edited by Andy Bennet and Steve Waksman. 317-331. Los Angeles: SAGE reference, 2015.
Goffman, E. Encounters: Two Studies in the Sociology of Interaction. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1972.