Prince's death has brought up so many food for thought articles everywhere you looked on line today. Such out pouring of strong emotions and disbelief abounded. Many, such as myself, are still trying to process Bowie, and wham! Another shot to the heart and a youth shaped by him as well as Prince gets shaken. I will always be grateful to have lived through both these artists time. Because of these two men, is one of the many reasons that I, and many other women of a certain age imo, were floored when Adam hit the scene on AI. We older people KNEW great music. We saw in Adam the resurgence of someone different, talented, free spirited and an original. He was a breath of fresh air in a 20 year + stodgy music scene.
I agree with Bebeg on so much of her post. Who is up and coming that can, not replace, but be a new exciting Prince or Bowie? No one even remotely is out there doing ground breaking art. Sorry, not even Gaga. And she "was" pretty out there for a time.
imo, Adam had and has the potential to fill that void of creativity. His pre AI songs that he wrote and did on garage band in his cockroach infested studio apartment are the ones I truly love by him. The songs imo are sensational, free spirited and unabashedly HIM.
I don't want to beat a dead horse, but please indulge me for a moment....
When he came off AI and was signed to RCA, imo, they didn't have a clue what to do with him. He burned so bright with limitless potential, that I was giddy with delight to hear his first album. I was expecting songs in the vein of, Glamorize, Pop Pop Goes The Camera, Kiss And Tell. I WANTED my new Bowie or Prince unicorn magic music man. Not that I was totally bummed out by FYE. I wasn't at all. But he had worked with producers provided by AI that didn't exactly ~get him. I expected more out there material.
So where was RCA's disconnect? Was his sexuality, which was I'm sure a foreign concept to them at the time that an out and proud gay man could be profitable the problem? Did they not want to nurture his career? Were they too afraid to? They had such a talent on their hands that could have made them millions, in the very same way that Prince did when he was signed to Warner. Where did the courage of record companies go? When did it all become about a product to make money for the shareholders and be damn to new talent? When music is reduced to profits for the fat cats, we, the public suffer by it. And we backlash by not buying their tripe of what THEY think WE like.
Interesting that Prince and Bowie both danced around their own sexuality. Bowie said he was bi. It is well documented. But being bi and announcing it was okay because he had a wife Angie and a son Zowie. The Mick ~thing was swept under the proverbial carpet. Prince always left his sexuality a blur. But everyone knew that he was a ladies man and that made him okay too for public consumption. Adam, who is the only honest and genuine real deal out gay man suffers for being forthright in being his authentic self. imo, RCA lost such a great opportunity to really come into the 21st century and embrace a wave of change. I am glad that WBR does not seem to have an issue with it. But having said that, seven years is a long time that Adam and the music world had to wait.
I know that Adam is going for mass appeal and wants a hit on radio. I understand that. I hope and pray probably more than I should
that he gets his dreams fulfilled. I want nothing more than him to realize that dream. But, if radio in U S continues to snub him. And if even Max M couldn't get him a top 10 hit, I believe with my whole being that he will always be a very successful niche touring artist. He will always have a following as Prince and Bowie did. They were not on U S radio for years and still had great success. As does Lenny K.
Well, sorry for the word vomit. Major events such as Prince's death make me wordy. Thanks for listening and peace to all.