Breaking the mold: recording and performance practices in the creation of genre-bending popular music

This paper examines the creative and performance trends in which 21st-century artists “bend” genre while utilizing a combination of distinctive vocal delivery, contemporary digital production, songwriting, and arrangement techniques to establish and convey their artistic voices. It shares findings from my own arts practice PhD research regarding the practice of creating genre-bending music that is informed by influences of traditional folk song, experimental music, electronic music, and art-pop. This examination will be grounded with examples of contemporary musicians such as Rosalia, Beyoncé, and Björk. The topics of vocal delivery, vocal production, and audio production in both recorded and live performance contexts will be addressed as key mediums for “reinventing” and “recontextualizing” the role of the performing singer-songwriter.

The conference theme of “monetize!” will be addressed through the lens of the tools that modern independent touring artists use to convey their artistic voice while performing live and translating their recorded works to the stage, typically within budget constraints. Specifically, touring musicians’ choice of gear, including the use of layering, looping, and digital effects pedals, along with DAWs and other music technology, will be addressed.

This presentation will examine the themes of Arts Practice Research, genre-bending, contemporary audio production, contemporary vocal techniques, electronic music, experimental music, pop music, and traditional folk song.