Quote:
Originally posted by Arking
Sometimes I feel she does too much to inject meaning into her work, which can come off as a bit corny or tryhard. I can enjoy shock, transgression and the image for what it is - I don't need a meaning or metaphor behind every single thing she does. I feel as if some of her work would be much more impactful/interesting if she just winked and smiled at the audience instead of always trying to over-explain things that are quite capable of standing on their own.
That being said, I don't find her pretentious in the least. People have leveled the same complaints about artists like Madonna and Janelle Monae for always going the extra mile in putting effort into their performances, concepts and visuals and it's pretty telling. The truth is, she's talented, she works very hard and she has a pretty solid imagination (as well as the courage to follow it), which is more than you can say about many other pop girls. Anyone who thinks she does too much must have very low standards for their entertainers.
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I think people claim she does the most for a cheap payoff - sonically. Her image does exceed the quality of her music, and the visuals themselves aren't too pretty or compelling to begin with. I didn't mind her pretense when she had good music in the vein of "Poker Face", but anything since last decade has been too much layering to cover up the lack of substance (quality music). I think the pretense will die off when she finds an identity she feels comfortable with. Until then, I shan't use her unless the music improves or she takes off the shell and shows
Stefani. 
