TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF ‘REAL TEXTS’

‘LOUD’ is Rihanna’s fifth studio album which was released on the 12th of November 2010. The main image is suggestive of lust, passion and love due to the use of bright and vibrant colours of red, this in effect makes the image much more eye catching, which could potentially attract more customers/fans to purchase the album. The connotations of the colour red taints the early image of Rihanna being innocent, meaning that the album ‘LOUD’ may appeal to more males. The title of the album could be a representation of the artists personality, giving the audience the impression that she’s an enthusiastic character regardless of people’s opinions of her. The use of framing is effective in the album cover because it draws attention to the artists significance, due to her being the main focus and filling the full frame with a close up shot of her face. This also draws attention to the fact that her name is not on the CD cover, connoting that Rihanna is such a well known artist, therefore she is easily recognisable, so her name is not needed on the cover. The genre of the album is possibly R&B, this is suggested through the use of the colour red within the CD cover, connoting that the album is going to be based on seduction along with the flesh bearing image, which adheres to the idea that the album is more so based around R&B like tracks.

‘One Of The Boys’ is Katy Perry’s second studio album which was released on June 17th 2008. The font used for the album title and the artists name appears to be extravagant and fancy. The name of the artist is big, bold, and pink. This is effective because people commonly associate the colour pink with females, as it is considered to be more of a feminine colour. The bold font used stating the artists name enables the audience to know who the artist is, in effect, making the album stand out. The title of the album is presented in the colour blue, which is a colour commonly associated with males, this is effective because the colour directly links to the theme of the title which is about ‘boys’. The album cover consists of a range of bright colours, which could be considered as eye catching and alluring, therefore attracting more potential customers. The artist is placed in the centre of the frame, along with a long shot, indicating her significance. The artist is surrounded by an array of brightly coloured flowers suggesting that she is a pro feminine woman, and embraces her inner femininity. The artist looks as though she is from the 1970’s, due to her perfectly curled hair and vintage styled clothing. This instantly suggests that the genre of the album is pop, and females usually listen to pop music, therefore the album may appeal to a female audience overall. The artist is making direct contact eye contact with the camera which seems as though she is personally selling the album to her customers. The white fence in the background suggests that the album is more suited to those that live a lavish lifestyle, since the album cover is indicative of a middle class background.

‘Who You Are’ is Jessie J’s debut album which was released on February 28th 2011. The text of the artists name is bold and in a large font therefore stands out, along with the colour of the artists name which is in gold, presenting a sense of decadence, this could be due to her new found fame. The artists name stands out more so because it heavily contrasts with the other colour used within the image, which is black, this makes the artists name more eye catching, especially because both the colours are bold and complement each other effectively. The title of the album is ‘Who You Are’, this suggests that the artist is presenting a sense of honesty within who she is as a person, within the album, which also appears to have been projected through the album cover, with a striking and fierce look presented through her facial expression. The main image is of the artist, using a medium close up, since she takes up the majority of the frame, it is made clear that she is the centre of attention. The main colour used within the image is black, this indicates that the album is likely to be dark and edgy, giving the audience a sense of who the artist is and her personality. The artist is wearing a bold lip colour, along with a black netted top, and black nails, implying that Jessie J is wild, and fearless, which is presented through her body language also. This suggests that she does what she likes, despite the impressions that she may give off. Her fringe almost covers her eyes, giving her a sense of mystery, this suggests that the audience aren’t to know what to expect of her. I think this album would appeal to all females, particularly younger females because it enables them to feel powerful as the artist isn’t afraid to be herself, so girls may feel the same way. The artist is looking directly into the camera, implying that she is trying to personally connect with her audience through her music.

‘The Blueprint 3’ is Jay Z’s eleventh studio album which was released on September 8th 2009. The main image is of a group of musical instruments all bundled, tangled and intertwined together. This suggests that the music tracks within the album are likely to involve loud and possibly rhythmical music, maybe even fast paced. However, the only thing missing from the image is the main artist. This could be because Jay Z is a world renowned artist, therefore doesn’t need to go out of his way for more people to recognise him, as he is already an easily recognisable artist. There is a vast amount of empty space around the instruments, which indicates to the audience that the album is solely about the music, and only about the music, rather than the artist personally. The cover could be considered mysterious due to the peculiar image presented. The colour scheme within the cover are red, white, and black which all contrast, however, complement each other at the same time. The red stands out the bold due to its bold nature, therefore is eye catching and causes the cover to stand out. The colour scheme subverts the idea that the main colour likely to be used for the cover would be blue, due to the connotations presented through the title of the album. The colour red is suggestive of violence, indicating that the album is going to consist of songs that are likely to speak of danger and possible gang related issues/topics. For this reason, it’s evident that the album is likely to be Hip Hop. This is because most Hip Hop albums refer to violent acts and gang affiliation. The print advertisement not only is advertising the artists’ album, but is also advertising his own record label ‘Roc Nation’. This insinuates that the artist is releasing his album through his own record company, possibly to save money, and also promote to the label at the same time of the release of his album. This is therefore a win-win situation for the artist. There is a link to the artists website to enable audiences to find out more about his upcoming album, and other events. The advert also includes the release date of the album so that consumers are aware of the exact date as to when they can purchase the album. The album is likely to appeal to mostly males, because they tend to have a liking towards rap music over females.

‘LUNGS’ is Florence and the Machine’s debut studio album which was released on July 3rd 2009. The main image is of the artist, with her lungs outside of her body. This suggests that audience will get a true insight into the artists life and emotions, as it is suggested that the tracks on the album are likely to be personal so that the audience can understand who she is as both an artist and a person. A medium shot is used with the artist in the centre of the frame, taking up the majority of the shot. This indicates that she is the sole focus of the album. The artists name is at the top of the advertisement, in a fancy font, which contrasts to the title of the album which is in a simplistic font in capital letters. The extravagance of the font suggests that the artist is presenting herself as someone she isn’t, due to the over the top look of the font presented, therefore she is showing her true colours within the album, connoted through the typography style of the title being basic but true to its nature. The background of the image contains flowers and vines, presenting a sense of fantasy and a mythical nature. This could mean that some of the tracks within the album are more so an illusion, in contrast to the rest of the songs which could be presenting the real her. The background colour is dark, implying that the album may have a gothic undertone to it. This colour directly contrasts with the brighter spotlight which is being shone on the artist, adhering to the idea that she is trying to distance herself from the darkness and move closer towards a brighter life. The artist is looking away from the camera, suggesting that she would like to communicate with the audience through her album rather than through a camera lens. Due to the mysterious nature of the main image, it is implied that the genre of the album is likely to be indie/rock. The album is likely to appeal to audiences that gravitate towards indie music, as it is more of a niche genre in contrast with genres such as pop and R&B which appeal to most. The date of the album release is shown so that audiences are made aware of the exact date as to when they can purchase the album. It is also made apparent that the album can be bought in four different forms, therefore there are no restrictions for someone who may want to purchase it in a different form.

‘The Fame Monster’ is Lady Gaga’s second studio album, which was released on November 18th 2009. There are two images presented within this advertisement. It is evident that Gaga is the focal point of the advertisement, due to the fact that there are two images of her, both being close up camera shots. These two images could present two different sides of the artist that audiences may be unaware of. The top image consists of the artist partially covering her face, suggesting that she is hiding an aspect of her personality away. As opposed to the image below, which seems more natural and raw, suggesting that this is Gaga at her realest, and that the audience will be given an insight into both her artificial lived life, and the person she really is. The main colours used within this advertisement, are black and white. The top image creates a sense of mystery, because the artist is covering her face. Due to the colour of her jacket being black as she hides herself away, this could suggest that there are some things that we as an audience can’t know, and that she can’t say, therefore she will hold some things back from her music within this album. The typography of the artists’ name is in white font , and stands out against the darker background shade, and is also noticeable because it is in a large font and in capital letters. This in effect grabs the audiences attention, especially because her name is in the centre of the advertisement, therefore partially covering the image in the middle. This in effect suggests that the artist is more interested in her fame than her real personality, this is hinted at within the title of the album, suggesting that she is possibly fame hungry. The album title stands out, mostly because it hints that Gaga is possibly religious, this is because the ‘T’ in ‘MONSTER’ is a cross, indicating that Gaga is Christian, and some of the songs within the album may consist of her religious ties. The genre of the album is likely to be Pop because this is the genre that Gaga typically sticks to within her music. This album would possibly appeal to females over men, due to the advert appearing to look more feminine and mysterious. The artist is looking directly into the camera lens, suggesting that she is personally reaching out to her audience.