Following this week’s collection of videos by an assortment of pop divas, today’s clip feels like an appropriate way to wrap up.
Neon Trees, of ‘Everybody Talks’ fame, has released a short promo clip for their new album, Pop Psychology, in which Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus show up in cartoon form.
Our next controversial video comes from Sky Ferreira, the 21-year-old Los Angeles indie rocker.
Her clip for ‘I Blame Myself’ has been criticized for using black men as “props” and perpetrating negative stereotypes.
I just can’t muster much outrage over this sort of thing. A week after L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling was caught on tape saying truly hateful things about the African-American men who make his league to successful, I’d say that’s where our vitriol should be directed.
This is shaping up to be an unofficial theme week on controversial videos by female artists.
Our next entry is ‘Hello Kitty’ by Avril Lavigne, which has been criticized for its use of Japanese cultural motifs. Fans and critics have labelled the Canadian singer racist for employing a quartet of stoic Japanese background dancers and parading through a series of exaggerated colorful sets.
Lily Allen releases her third full-length album next month, more than five years after her sophomore effort, It’s Not Me, It’s You.
During that period she announced she was quitting the music business, had a couple of kids, changed her professional name to Lily Rose Cooper, sang backup on a Pink song, changed her name back to Lily Allen and went back to the studio to record the new album, Sheezus.
You have to give Katy Perry credit for trying.
Whether or not you like her music, the woman sure works hard to entertain. In the video for her latest single, ‘Birthday,’ she convincingly disguises herself as an elderly stripper, a Jewish comedian, a clown, a grizzled animal trainer and a princess and crashes the birthday parties of unsuspecting victims.
