The other night I had the amazing experience of going to see a George Michael concert. I have always been a big fan his, but never had the chance to see him live. I am only 21; admittedly I was not familiar with his entire collection of music. In an attempt to familiarize myself with his music and career I went online.
After reading up on the star, I was really surprised by how successful he actually is. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide, had 10 U.S. No.1 singles, with a total estimated income of around £100 million or $200 million. He has fans worldwide, and he can still fill up huge venues, as I saw at the American Airlines Center.
Every seat I saw was full, and the crowd was going wild the entire time. Everyone was up on their feet dancing and singing; it seemed like 80 percent of the crowd knew all his songs by heart. It was the best concert I’ve seen to date.
After that night I couldn’t help but ponder the nature of the entertainment industry.
I hear over and over again about record labels, movie producers and studios, casting directors and talent agents rejecting talented, good looking artists simply because they are gay. Not only do I hear of this happening, I have experienced it myself. The most frequent excuse I hear is that gay artists cut out a major part of the market and have less appeal to straight members of the opposite sex.
With so much gay talent out there and so many gay consumers, why aren’t record labels, producers and the like jumping at the opportunity to create a new gay pop or movie star? Everyone in that crowd knew George Michael was gay, and the entire auditorium still filled up. Sure, there were plenty of people from the GLBT community there, but by no means was everyone gay.
My best friend and I sat next to a young woman who had a “major crush” on the singer her whole life. I asked her if his being gay was a turn off and she replied, “No! I find him incredibly sexy.” So, do members of the opposite sex really shy away from gay musicians and actors? I believe the answer is no.
The most successful and famous artists are those who push the envelope and break down gender identity and conformity. Some of the most prevalent examples are Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson and, of course, George Michael. If these artists have shown us anything about music, it’s that a little homosexual or just sexual controversy is always good.
We have artists today who dabble with their sexuality. Britney Spears had the whole world talking about her kiss with Madonna. Lindsay Lohan is now reportedly in a lesbian relationship with Samantha Ronson, and Nelly Furtado was recently quoted as saying she believes everyone is innately bisexual. This is definitely a good thing. It is breaking down the barriers that have been in place for too long that have been preventing us from having an actual gay artist be gay from the beginning of his career and have a real chance at making it big.
Is the world ready for another gay pop star? I think so. The question is, who?
Brent Lemons is a senior international relations and political science major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
