Truth In Music: Giving The People What They Want

Harking all the way back to the delta blues, or even further to the grandest of symphonies, music has been a medium for understanding personal truth. It’s this vital fact that separates the wheat from the chaff, and often leads to certain tunes standing the test of time.

It’s no coincidence that amongst the hits the fickle pop machine is churning out with a hell for leather purpose, lay those diamonds in the rough who revel in artistry. They spurn this truth amongst tunes coiled from moments of clarity or introspection, and it can’t be said enough, this is where the pathway of careerism in music lies.

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne songwriter Sam Fender - now two consecutive number one albums deep - has achieved this through not only being deft at crafting Springsteen boots-on-the-ground guitar music, but by also honing in on his hometown and alongside it, reality. With the pop machine being based in large, sprawling cities, the need for someone to excavate the reality that befalls those who live on the literal outer edges - from small coastal towns to forgotten northern industrial complexes - was ripe for the taking.

Similar instances fall to artists such as Self Esteem. Her second album - Prioritise Pleasure - balances artistic impulse with the stark reality of being a woman in the modern day, all wrapped in a potently relatable visage. It’s gloriously cheeky, abruptly succinct and most of all, never cowers in the face of presenting truth - and also lead to her first ever albums chart placement.

Which is predominantly what these two artists have in common. They’re speaking from a place of understanding, not mechanised emulation. Truth is the most powerful tool an artist can have, and even when that truth is written by someone else (Johnny Cash’s rendition of Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Hurt’ has far eclipsed the original due to the dearth of emotive power Cash portrays), as long as the performance is coming from a place that unlocks that mystical factor of understanding, it stands to be more useful than even the longest reigning Top 10 throwaway.

In an age where Coldplay have achieved their ninth number one album with a stratospheric and saccharine take on humanity via Music Of The Spheres, all the way down to their use of emojis as song titles, simply, entertainment value will always exist. It’s necessary to basically help us get through the dark days, but oftentimes we need more. We need guidance and understanding.

When Sam Fender first rose to prominence through his Dead Boys EP, with the titular track dealing with the unspoken suicide amongst young men - particularly in Fender’s home county - it resonated. Songwriting is a medium for someone to convey a message; something fickle, something deep, it all serves a purpose for the penner - but anyone undertaking such a role in the world.

Speaking to something within other people that truly affects them is a gift. Evoking an emotion is one thing, but to manifest someone’s deepest memories by way of your own journey is something else entirely. This is what the truth unlocks. It’s that magic invitation to take care of someone in their most vulnerable state where a real relationship between artist and listener takes place. It’s not a formula that can be bottled, or fixed up in post-production - it just is.

It’s this same unnameable force that’s led to most modern musical movements - punk was a bunch of snot nosed kids kicking out (sometimes literally) at the boring and abrasive suppression of voice in the stuffy ‘70s. Britpop was the masses finding the dream of maybe, one day, becoming someone (a rock ’n’ roll star perhaps) when Oasis reached their zenith in the ‘90s. It can be said that this service of musicality has waned given the oscillating nature of genres, but even this is belonging to the simple idea that people want to like what they like, with no faux prestige offered to a singular scene. It’s an open market, ready for the next person to establish their own way of finding that truthful excavation.

This article isn’t an attempt to dissuade anyone from creating music. It’s the purest form of expression that resonates to the masses with extreme ease. Melodies can turn days around, form life long friendships, and even aid in getting through the gauntlet of life. Instead, it’s meant to spotlight that when doing so, ensure it’s coming from a place of purity.

Identity is also a keen player in the acceptance and deliverance of a long career. It’s better to either figure out a way to elevate yourself above the norm, or to embrace that which makes you different. Pop stars are renowned for their era’s - which befits the cyclical nature of the beast, and is often as much a talking point as the music itself - whereas alternative genres often find bands trying to create complex worlds, or even hiding behind masks, but as long as they’re fully invested the rest will follow.

It all falls in line with escapism as a means of processing reality. The words that resonate will have that guiding light, but sometimes the confidence is required also. Rock duo Twenty One Pilots are adept masters at creating a world for their ardent fan based to walk around. The fact their songs are consistently expanding and contracting around lyrics regarding real life struggles (particularly mental health) has indeed lead to such a ferociously devoted fanbase. But it’s their ability to explore the world inhabiting these tracks beyond this - including creating physical creatures, and bringing it all to life in their videos - that’s led to them going from playing club shows to sell out arena tours in a matter of years.

Indeed, things can be churned out, things can be created to make way for that special stuff that rises. It’s always worth, when trying to craft a song, to note what impacts your life. What sits around you is the inertia that feeds into the truth, and that’s where you’ll find a fan base that’s both devoted, and will help guide your next moves. Nothing will speak to a listener more than their own reflection.