Music has always been a very expressive medium compared to other art forms. As the listener we are given an opportunity to become very intimate with the artist. Roles reversed, the artist comfortably sharing their vision, sound, and sometimes their personal experiences with us adds to the creativity and individuality of the works. As someone who is a gay cis male, I appreciate seeing artists incorporating, normalizing, and embracing identities that they can't change into their work, or just composing pieces that are open to interpretation. Beginning in the 1990s and segwaying more prominently in the mid 2000s, LGBTQ+ artists began to incorporate their experiences as people into their music. Suzanne Vega, a New Yorker who does not identify as queer has had a 40-year long career in music. Mostly comprised of folk music, however she did extensive recording in the early 80s of songs verging on poetry. DJ DNA used her song as a basis for a remix in 1990. Lady Gaga, ...
The Music: Human Nature By Michael Jackson. July 3, 1983 USA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElN_4vUvTPs Michael Jackson became the king of the music world in the early 80’s. His music had a magical and revolutionary sound that still sounds closer to some of the modern works by artists such as the Weeknd then of other artists of his time. He does still have a very retro 1980’s synth sound, but arguably that sound has been used up until now. Human Nature is the perfect showcase of how an immaculate song could be produced without the automation tools used today. According to Nextbop, Human Nature has resurfaced within the jazz and piano world multiple times since its release. The song was so successful and incorporated aspects of multiple genres that allowed for it to be so adaptive. Miles Davis’ straightforward jazz cover of Human Nature and David Benoit’s classical cover are 2 examples noted. I am extremely curious to see what the future holds for Human Nature and MJ’s lega...