Post by Admin on Sept 13, 2014 0:39:17 GMT
In 1998, two Lørenskog girls of M2M secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Until the duo was dissolved in 2002, M2M sold 12 million albums and singles worldwide. After the split, both Larsen and Raven done well as solo artists. The story of the girls who became international celebrities in their teens, is also the story of the Norwegian pop music in a nutshell. In any case According Ålvik, which in recent years have spent a lot of time and effort on the former duo.
- Why do you research on M2M?
- I have followed the duo long since Marit & Marion released children's songs in 1996. When they later debuted as solo artists, I noticed that Larsen was met with praise and standing ovation, while Raven is not met an equally welcoming press. Why was it so, ask the musicologist, who decided to look critically at what it was like M2M.
Ålvik has since taken a deep dig into to M2M and solo artists Larsen and Raven, as well as music videos and interviews, feature articles, and other newspaper clippings about artists from 1996 to today. The aim has been to identify what strategies artists use to design their popstar personal images. The picture Ålvik have found in their material is characterized by contradiction. Solo artist Larsen is based on a number of female stereotypes: baby girl, girl next door, housewife. She smiles roguishly to the camera, giggles on stage and gives a naive and adorable appearance. Raven is her contrast. She is confrontational, exaggeration, challenges the press and stare straight into the camera. While Larsen plays the female stereotypes, Raven challenges often the hegemonic conception of what a woman should be. While Larsen is the "naive" the Raven "the bad girl".
- Especially Larsen claims that she did not drive image building, but just being herself. She also succeeded better than Raven in geting through this portrayal of herself as real oneself and natural. But with my fagbriller I see that Larsen portrays himself deliberately to the same extent as the Raven, says Ålvik.
- Popular music is very important for our ideas about sex, but it is far from a neutral medium.
At the same time Ålvik believes that Larsen and Raven are inextricably linked together - and how the one appears, therefore, affect the other.
Marion Raven appears frequently as opposed Larsen. Instead of playing the traditional female roles, challenges the ho often the same roles, says musicologist Ålvik. Photo: Workers Party / Flickr.
- Larsen succeeded best in portraying itself as unmediated and authentic - often at Raven's expense, he says. At the moment, a way to be woman hosted seen as more appropriate than another, it will be open problematic. I can not know how the public perceive Larsen and Raven, but outwardly from how they appear one can ask himself what the precedent is set if the female performers must be giggly and girly. I see also that other artists take for Larsen say marketing of itself as real and natural. If such stereotypical female roles hosted the drawn, it may restrict the scope of action of the artist, believes Ålvik.
Writer and editor Charlotte Myrbråten, thinks the research to Ålvik is exciting.
- The research provides a perspective on how singular female roles still are, either you are the cheeky rebel or the good girlfriend. How the media portrays the two is very fascinating. It is also fascinating that, if one puts it bluntly, there is still the classic whore / madonna roles, for example, Freud talked about, which makes the current here, write Myrbråten in an email.
She thinks pop music is an exciting place to look at gender roles.
- Pop is a splendid venue for experimenting with gender roles, and that makes many artists with great success.
Myrbråten believe that both Larsen and Raven are good role models for young listeners, despite a somewhat stereotypical representation.
- They are in general not teachers either and has nothing greater pedagogical responsibility for their listeners, other than making good music, she adds.