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Celeb News: The Atlantic: Demi's Album More 'Distinctive' Than Selena's
Member Since: 4/14/2011
Posts: 48,397
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The Atlantic: Demi's Album More 'Distinctive' Than Selena's
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Both Lovato and Gomez have recently emerged from a young-entertainer pipeline even sleeker than the one that spat out the first class of new-millennium teen idols (Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera). It’s common knowledge that for all such figures—past and present, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande included—eventually comes a moment where they loudly announce that they’re in charge of their careers and occasionally make visits to the family-planning section of CVS. The irony is that such declarations of independence signal that they’re moving from one system of corporate control into another one: From Disney (or Nickelodeon) to what John Seabrook’s new book title has coined as The Song Machine, a network of major-label handlers, producers, and writers who collaborate on chart-beating double entendres about sex.
Given the shared lineage, it’s tempting to talk about Gomez and Lovato’s new releases in terms of what they have in common, which is a lot. The two women announced the reparation of their once-wounded friendship in a suspiciously well-timed Instagram parlay; both albums have thesis-statement keywords as titles; both feature the same, specific tropes of 2015 pop (background vocals pitchshifted way high like ghost chipmunks or way low like ghost Eeyores; heavy-lidded affect probably learned from Lana Del Rey); and both echo each other in strange ways (conspicuously casual swearing; the word “kerosene”; Lovato has a song that shares a title with Gomez’s last album). But the similarities make it so it’s easier to see the contrasts—how natural talents and public narratives, filtered through the same pop apparatus, create two very different artistic identities.
n the years since, Gomez has often played “cool girls” on TV; Lovato has more often been cast to portray awkwardness or shy strength, and is more clearly the natural musician. And so it goes that in the tabloids, Gomez has always seemed unflappable, even though she has had little reason to be—she dated Justin Bieber, and she recently revealed that she went to chemotherapy for Lupus. Talking about body-shaming on the Internet, Gomez recently reflected “I actually had never experienced it before,” a statement of implicit contrast with Lovato, who over the years has talked about her fight with bulimia and other mental-health issues. Lovato makes headlines for taking a fall on stage, or going out with her makeup unblended; intentionally or not, she breaks with the Beyoncé-style pop ideal of flawlessness.
The public personas jibe with their musical abilities; Gomez’s vocal range is limited, but part of her appeal is in the fact that she doesn’t make sudden moves. Gomez’s personality and deeper desires remain mysterious, but her calm power is infectious; put the album on when you need to get the rest of the world off your cloud.
Lovato’s Confident, though, is for times you need to fight. Accordingly, it’s as bombastic a pop album we’re likely to get until Lady Gaga makes her true return. y track four, Lovato settles in pining-balladeer mode, where she stays for much of the rest of the album: shout-singing and lurching octaves as the production mimics battering rams and ’80s-metal slow dances. Sometimes all this noise and straining is moving; often, it’s tiresome; at all times and unlike Gomez, as people in the age bracket of her fanbase might say, Lovato has no chill.
Sit with it for a while, and Lovato’s album starts to feel like the more distinctive one, the result of an excellent vocalist with an on-record personality that feels more human, more vulnerable, than any of her peers.You could see all of this on display on SNL this past weekend, where Lovato sang one of her new ballads, “Stone Cold.” When she cried and her voice cracked, it felt less like she was making mistakes and more like she was showing evidence of a talent that can’t be manufactured—the soul in the machine of post-Disney stardom.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 7,691
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Member Since: 4/14/2011
Posts: 48,397
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Quote:
Originally posted by Opium
In what world?
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Read the article, it says nothing but the truth. Demi and Selena grew up as singers in the same machine/corporation but what Demi went through made her more aware, more soulful (not to mention that she's quite a good singer actually).
Selena on the other hand has had it too easy all along, hence why she doesn't put as much in as Demi. It doesn't feel as distinctive.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 510
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Selena won with Revival imo. Didn't care for Confident.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 7,691
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Quote:
Originally posted by LoKoPaNdA
Read the article, it says nothing but the truth. Demi and Selena grew up as singers in the same machine/corporation but what Demi went through made her more aware, more soulful (not to mention that she's quite a good singer actually).
Selena on the other hand has had it too easy all along, hence why she doesn't put as much in as Demi. It doesn't feel as distinctive.
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Confident still sounds like a compilation of 00-10's hits covered by Demi 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 28,415
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Umm, so am I supposed to post the articles praising Selena/Revival compared to Demi? 0_0
I dont agree with the Atlantic - REVIVAL shows more growth in Selena as a musician. And is more distinctive.
edit: The fact that you dont care if Demi is praised usually, cause Im sure this is not the first time. But its thread-worthy when Selena Gomez is mentioned. 
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Member Since: 4/14/2011
Posts: 48,397
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Quote:
Originally posted by Opium
Confident still sounds like a compilation of 00-10's hits covered by Demi |
You're welcome to disagree, I guess. I think Demi just cares more about music than Selena and it shows, I agree with The Atlantic.
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Member Since: 5/14/2012
Posts: 12,274
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I agree with the article. A pretty good read.
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Member Since: 4/14/2011
Posts: 48,397
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Quote:
Originally posted by SelenaTheWinner
Umm, so am I supposed to post the articles praising Selena/Revival compared to Demi? 0_0
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Are there any?  By a publication with a good reputation such as The Atlantic?
I'd love to read them!
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 14,461
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Why are they acting like Selena has had an easy life her WHOLE career? Just because she didn't go through the same struggles as demi, i'm sure having Lupus and many other aspects in her life (her toxic relationship with Justin) were hard to get through.
I have nothing against them praising demi, but their basically putting down Selena to prove their point? ATRL/Lovactic twitter teas.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 7,691
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Quote:
Originally posted by moonlight.
Why are they acting like Selena has had an easy life her WHOLE career? Just because she didn't go through the same struggles as demi, i'm sure having Lupus and many other aspects in her life (her toxic relationship with Justin) were hard to get through.
I have nothing against them praising demi, but their basically putting down Selena to prove their point? ATRL/Lovactic twitter teas.
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true. I mean, if Selena doesn't talk about her struggles at every interview she has, doesn't mean she has no struggles
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Member Since: 4/14/2011
Posts: 48,397
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I just like Demi more this era and think she's very underrated in comparison to Selena. They are bound to be compared because the release dates were close and because they were Disney peers back in the day.
It's just a review piece, the article does praise Selena a little bit. They don't say her record is bad. 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 40,803
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Eh, I agreed up until their last albums
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 1,326
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I'm so SICK of media acting like Selena had an easy life just because Demi is non-stop talking about her struggles, the fact that after 2 YEARS of media calling Selena a drugaddict, an alcoholic for going to rehab and she was getting radioterapy for lupus, her toxic relationship with Justin, they media not talking about her projects but of her and justin, they media LYING 27/4 about her just to get headlines...
Revival (song) tells a bit about what she has been trought yet, Survivors, Rise and Kill Em With Kindness are gems about living your life instead of others and at the same time it talks about what she has been through.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 2,712
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As ****ing if 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 46,848
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The album is trash so nah
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 2,712
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Quote:
Originally posted by BeingRicardo
I'm so SICK of media acting like Selena had an easy life just because Demi is non-stop talking about her struggles, the fact that after 2 YEARS of media calling Selena a drugaddict, an alcoholic for going to rehab and she was getting radioterapy for lupus, her toxic relationship with Justin, they media not talking about her projects but of her and justin, they media LYING 27/4 about her just to get headlines...
Revival (song) tells a bit about what she has been trought yet, Survivors, Rise and Kill Em With Kindness are gems about living your life instead of others and at the same time it talks about what she has been through.
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tea
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 28,415
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Quote:
Originally posted by moonlight.
Why are they acting like Selena has had an easy life her WHOLE career? Just because she didn't go through the same struggles as demi, i'm sure having Lupus and many other aspects in her life (her toxic relationship with Justin) were hard to get through.
I have nothing against them praising demi, but their basically putting down Selena to prove their point? ATRL/Lovactic twitter teas.
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Quote:
Originally posted by BeingRicardo
I'm so SICK of media acting like Selena had an easy life just because Demi is non-stop talking about her struggles, the fact that after 2 YEARS of media calling Selena a drugaddict, an alcoholic for going to rehab and she was getting radioterapy for lupus, her toxic relationship with Justin, they media not talking about her projects but of her and justin, they media LYING 27/4 about her just to get headlines...
Revival (song) tells a bit about what she has been trought yet, Survivors, Rise and Kill Em With Kindness are gems about living your life instead of others and at the same time it talks about what she has been through.
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It shows how they "listened" to Revival. Obviously they didnt, if they think that.
Nobody, Perfect, Cologne, Revival, Kill Em With Kindness, Rise and on.
Not gonna get into this anymore. The "reason" for this thread is obvious.
edit: the "undistinctive" SOL had a 60% jumps in sales this week and jumped like 20 spots on Billboard. So sad for REVIVAL & Selena that the reliable The Atlantic doesnt agree.
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Member Since: 12/3/2004
Posts: 10,491
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Quote:
Originally posted by BeingRicardo
I'm so SICK of media acting like Selena had an easy life just because Demi is non-stop talking about her struggles, the fact that after 2 YEARS of media calling Selena a drugaddict, an alcoholic for going to rehab and she was getting radioterapy for lupus, her toxic relationship with Justin, they media not talking about her projects but of her and justin, they media LYING 27/4 about her just to get headlines...
Revival (song) tells a bit about what she has been trought yet, Survivors, Rise and Kill Em With Kindness are gems about living your life instead of others and at the same time it talks about what she has been through.
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+1 just because she hasn't spent years crying about the same thing doesn't mean she hasn't struggled.
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 1,326
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Quote:
Originally posted by Gerry I Shot
+1 just because she hasn't spent years crying about the same thing doesn't mean she hasn't struggled.
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And just because she hasn't made 3 albums about it..
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