Theory of Popular Music Singing Performance - Beyond Style Reflectionism

This study theoretically examines singing in popular music. This study defines “style reflectionism” as the view of singing style dominated by structure, system, and norm. Along with criticizing reflectionist view, this study constructs a preliminary theory of popular music singing performance. Singing and vocal style in popular music is more diverse than western classical music, but there is an obvious tendency of convention in each genre’s context. Existing studies on singing focus on interpretation of techniques and music analysis. Hence, it is necessary to reconsider the theoretical approach of popular music singing itself beyond convention as normatizing and representing. Although music studies considering performance and performativity have recently emerged, there remains a gap in the literature. John Potter, a tenor and a scholar, not only theorized singing style but also made a valid approach. Potter’s theory, which covers both traditions of western classical and popular music, explains how specific singing style exercises hegemonic power contemplating sociocultural conditions and structure. However, he schematizes the historical development of style centered on ideology, and does not overstep the limits of style reflectionism. This study reconsider Louis Althusser’s ideas of ideology, subject, and interpellation as constructing the timbral subject (subject of timbre). Furthermore, Roland Barthes’s concept of “the grain of the voice” is also reconsidered. These are useful for building and considering an anti-reflectionist view. Finally, this study argues that the theory of popular music singing performance beyond style reflectionism can be imagined by emphasizing singularity, not in a dominant-subordinate relationship between universality and specificity, which is continuous differentiation of meaning and subjectivity.