From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Time period of musician at their peak
The
imperial phase
is the period in which a musical artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously.
[1]
[2]
The phrase was coined by
Neil Tennant
of
the Pet Shop Boys
to describe the group's feelings on their career circa "
Domino Dancing
" (1988).
[3]
Usage
[
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]
"Imperial phase" has been applied by pop music critics and fans to the creative output of artists.
[4]
While its original usage implied that an imperial phase was a one-time occurrence for a single artist, artists have been referred to
[5]
as having multiple imperial phases.
[6]
The term may also be applied to non-musical entities, such as film studios.
[7]
Critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase: "command, permission, and self-definition". He defined "command" as an artist's ability to push the boundaries of their medium in a way that produces lasting change. "Permission" is the public's goodwill toward and interest in the artist's work. Finally, "self-definition" is the concept that the imperial phase defines the rest of the artist's career; future works will be compared to those from the imperial phase.
[1]
- Led Zeppelin (Early 1970s)
- Fleetwood Mac (Late 1970s)
- Michael Jackson (1980s)
- Madonna (1980s and late 1990s/Early 2000s)
- Oasis (Mid 1990s)
- Beyonce (2010s)
- Taylor Swift (2010s and 2020s)
See also
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References
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]
- ^
a
b
Ewing, Tom (May 28, 2010).
"Imperial"
.
Pitchfork
.
Archived
from the original on September 15, 2018
. Retrieved
September 15,
2018
.
- ^
"Ariana Grande rediscovers her Midas Touch with new album"
. Financial Times.
Archived
from the original on 12 February 2019
. Retrieved
14 February
2019
.
- ^
"Pet Shop Boys Please & Actually & Introspective: reissues"
. The Quietus.
Archived
from the original on 30 July 2023
. Retrieved
7 February
2019
.
- ^
Molanphy, Chris (1 December 2014).
"Why Is Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" No. 1?"
.
Slate
.
Archived
from the original on 14 February 2019
. Retrieved
14 February
2019
.
- ^
Ewing, Tom (27 May 2010).
"Imperial"
.
Pitchfork
.
Archived
from the original on 28 January 2024
. Retrieved
4 February
2024
.
- ^
Macpherson, Alex (10 January 2019).
"Ariana Grande's Imperial Phase As A Pop Star Began In Earnest With 'Thank U, Next'
"
.
Uproxx
.
Archived
from the original on 12 January 2019
. Retrieved
14 February
2019
.
- ^
Breihan, Tom (8 February 2019).
"With Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel made household names out of interstellar second-stringers"
.
AV Club
.
Archived
from the original on 14 February 2019
. Retrieved
14 February
2019
.
External links
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Stylistic origins
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Styles
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Regional variants
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The Americas
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Asia
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Europe
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Related topics
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