| dc.description.abstract | The rise of global streaming services in the 21st century has changed the music industry and made the process of creating artist personae easier. When crafting a social avatar, the character is often idealised in the pursuit of notability and social relevancy and, furthermore, connected to the performer through the compulsion of authenticity. The thesis aims to show how this balancing act constitutes a driving force in producing a musical performance.
This thesis studies the relationship between the use of artist personae and the progression of the musical expression in Mac Miller’s “Knock Knock” (2010), “Weekend” (2015), and “Good News” (2020). The analyses emphasise how lyrics, delivery, and non-vocal qualities affect the performer’s self-presentation. Notably, each record utilises genre to manage the audience's expectations and insert a particular impression of the persona.
At the core of the discussion is the concept of performative biographism, which ties biographic information about the artist to their product. This threshold between fact and fiction creates a space where life and literature affect one another. The audience is intertwined in this process as their response to a performance establishes a dialogue between themselves and the performer. This thesis will then demonstrate how reviewers and fans become co-authors of the persona. | |
