2. Richard Dyer’s Star Theory
Richard Dyer’s star theory presents the idea that celebrities (in this case, pop
stars) are constructed by institutions such as record labels. The star’s personality
is created with the purpose of becoming famous and selling records to a
mainstream audience. The theory is divided into three different areas; Audiences
& Institutions, Constitutions and Hegemony.
3. Dyer’s Theory is split into 3 different areas:
Audiences & Institutions
Stars are made with the purpose of making money and increasing popularity. By building the star's reputation, it increases
their brand identity as well as make it the household name. The institution does this by modelling the artist to suit the target
audience they select.
Constitutions
Constitutions, very similar to the Audiences & Institutions area, which is that the influence on the “stars” match what the
institutions think the audience want.
Hegemony
Hegemony, which is also referred to as culture, is the idea that the audience relates to the star because they have a feature
that they share with the star. Artists represent the cultural trends to increase their status by the audience interest. Social
Media today allow artists to share their personality and their trends so that the audience can interact with them easier.
4. Criteria of a Pop Star
Successful Pop Stars are carefully constructed by institutions through a sequence
of planned events. Usually, they use a sequence of well planned stories, smart
management, a connection to fame, magazine appearances and interviews as
well as an appearance at a popular party or event.
5. Example Artist
An example of an artist who clearly meets each of the criteria is Bruno Mars.
Bruno Mars is an American singer-songwriter who has been releasing albums
since 2010. With the 3 studio albums that have been released (beginning in 2010),
he has sold over 130 million copies worldwide, making one of the best-selling
artists of all time.
6. News Stories
Bruno Mars has been in the news a lot for charitable reasons.
In 2012, Bruno Mars was in the news for having performed at the Hilarity For
Charity Event to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association.
In 2014, Bruno Mars donated $100k for children that were affected by the super
typhoon Yolanda.
In July 2015, Bruno Mars jokingly dissed Ed Sheeran on Twitter to make a
mockery out of Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift’s beef at the time.
In August 2017, Bruno Mars donated $1 million dollars to aid victims of the Flint
Water Crisis.
7. Famous Relationships
Bruno Mars has had a few famous relationships since 2009:
Chanel Malvar (2009-2011)
Rita Ora (May 2010-February 2011)
Amelle Berrabah (2011)
Rocsi Diaz (2011)
Jessica Caban (June 2011-Present)
8. Premiers/Popular Party Appearances
Since 2009, Bruno Mars has attended
many award ceremonies and has
attracted attention for his outfits as well
as the wins in his categories.
In 2013, Mars attended the MTV Video
Music Awards in which he won 2
awards.
In 2016, he attended the Grammys and
won 2 for his hit song “Uptown Funk”.
9. Our Star
Apply the star theory to our star will be difficult as the publicity will be more
complicated due to the fact that the artist is new meaning that they are not as
newsworthy. Our star will represent the generic conventions of a hip-hop artist and
will discuss many topics within his music such as his wealth, going from broke to
rich, as well as his rise to fame. However he will also discuss mental health within
his music to challenge the hip-hop stereotypes of money, power and women as
happiness. Also, our institution is less known as it is a British institution.
