From Breakouts Stars to Overnight Legends

Why overnight success leads to legendary status

“…With success on their side, look out for this new star to hit the entertainment scene. They’ll be giving Hollywood a run for its money!”

It is so often that we hear statements like these from the media praising celebrity newbies in the field of music, television, and film. It seems like every other year a new star comes into the entertainment scene and is immediately labeled “the next big thing.” Some go so far as to compare certain up and coming stars to either being the next Madonna, Prince, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Elvis Presley, or even Lauryn Hill. Why are overnight sensations being compared to legends? And, could it have something to do with these new talented stars being manufactured so as to project an image that the public is already familiar with?

Sometimes, when it comes to new talent receiving praise, the public doesn’t always agree with the media. Often some say that the media shows favoritism to certain upcoming stars, giving them more credit than what they deserve. They call them “overrated” which is a term that’s most often used in the music industry and sports.

But it’s not only the haters that use this term. Most of time there are some even within the music industry that have felt this same way about new artists. In an interview with CNN, Rock icon Ozzy Osbourne was asked what his thoughts were about music today. He replied, "The music industry is completely different now,” he adds, “they're manufactured people now... like ice cream- when the flavor runs out, they move on.”

Just to note, there is nothing wrong with praising new talent, because even current celebrities admit they had to work hard for years before they finally reached success. In fact, veteran stars encourage and even seek out fresh talent as a way to share with the public other talented newcomers that are looking for their big break. The problem is fame is happening too quickly for certain talented stars. With that there is a risk of becoming overhyped to the point of overkill and soon the public becomes fatigued by the new star.

“This is a fickle business with a high turnover and an insatiable appetite for something new,” said singer/songwriter Jewel, “And there are one thousand young aspiring talents to take that place any given day.”

It is quite often we see certain new talent try their best to project an image of a legendary artist they want to be. They go so far to copy a legendary star's style of dressing to their speech, conduct, and also in their creativity.

Now it is fine to pay homage to an idol that you grew up listening to their music or watching the films they had starred in. But is it really necessary to copy every single aspect of them? Instead, wouldn't it be much better if a new artist created their own trend, so that years from now they will be remembered for their own unique talent, rather than copying a legendary star that so many others before them have done?

Personally it doesn’t make sense to give newcomers such prestigious credit when they’ve just started in the industry; meaning they haven’t proved their worth to receive such a title. Usually you can not determine whether an artist will be a legendary star or not based on one or two hit singles. For a new talent to reach legendary status it takes time and after they’ve created several successful projects then the public will be able to see where that star’s career will be heading.

Written by: Bridget Campos
Link: http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/breakout-stars-overnight-legends-09-18-2010