Introduction:

Existentialism is a philosophy that is often mentioned in jest, usually in the context of having an existential crisis. It is said in TheEthicsCentre (n.d.) that, existentialism is the belief that creating purpose in your life is up to oneself, without any predetermined factors. This means that, there is no blue print that is laid out before you are born to tell you who and what you are already. This type of philosophy can (and is) applied in a lot of different aspects of life and is expressed very commonly in many forms of art, particularly in music. Though Existentialism is not always necessarily expressed explicitly in song titles or lyrics, it is often shown in the actions and decisions made by the artist in the lead up to releases.

Existentialism and the Artist:

There are many artists, rappers, painters etc who hold the belief of existentialism, but possible the most prominent examples of this group would be the artist, Childish Gambino (Donald Glover). Thomas (2020) states that “Donald Glover is an authentic artist, bound only to his creations rather than his personal life or even career. In this sense, he provides us with a model of existential living at its most profound and compatible with a world growing increasingly bored, and hopeless.” This can be seen upon looking at Donald’s repertoire. Donald initially started as an actor in the show “Community by ” in the early stages of his career, he then used this as an opportunity to collaborate with the producer Ludwig Göransson, who helped Donald produce his debut album “Because the internet” (2012), which was an exploratory and genre bending album. Donald then proceeded to do a stand up comedy special on netflix, release another iconic album “Awaken my love”(2016) and do continuous other acting gigs along with writing and directing his own show “Atlanta” (2017-2022). This type of talent and diversity is unprecedented and very rare especially amongst other musicians, as many have tried acting, writing etc but have not had as much success and praise as Donald has received. Though Donald has had an impeccable career so far, a lot of speculation and curiosity about the mind have arisen because of his talent. One of the main questions about this type of artistry and talent being “Why doesn’t he continue doing (x) ?”. The reason behind this being, that creators want to create. Most artists will not start  a new project unless their previous one is finished, this is usually either because of a sense of perfectionism or just the understanding of existentialism and knowing that things will come to an end at some point in time.

Existentialism and the Art:

When investigating upon media types and art forms (music and film specifically), there is a very common theme of Success = Sequel. This is very predominant in main stream record labels for music and in major studios in Hollywood. In an article by (Raskin 2019) it is stated that one of the major problems with sequels is that, after the first film many writers try to emulate/ copy the plot for the first film, with a lack of original ideas. This theme is also very common in the music industry, associated with the term “The Sophomore Slump” as (Healy, 2024)  also emphasises that many sophomore albums are met with apathy as many artists try to recreate what was done with the previous album. The problem with this as (Healy, 2024) explains is that the previous album or (the debut), was created in a different environment, where the artist was in a different headspace and state of living. With this being said, existentialism makes art significantly more interesting and expressive for artists. this gives creates more room for artists to explore the concept of “All things must come to an end”, as artists go through many different creative phases over time and the ones who truly value the art, dislike creating the same thing twice. Because of this fact many artists tend to stem outside of the original genre that they released their debut in. From this point onwards depending on if the artist is independent or signed, they will either begin to mix genres like Kendrick Lamar (To Pimp A Butterfly in 2015) or try completely new genres and see what range they have as an artist. An example of this type of artist would be XXXTentacion who ventured from the Lo Fi aesthetic of his debut album “17” in 2017 and create the much more experimental and alternative sounding album “?” which was published in 2018. These types of projects usually tend to make or break an artist, but these two albums were considered generational and heavily inspired a lot of the music from other artists around the that followed the initial release of these albums.

Existentialism and Marketing:

In terms of an artist’s marketing, the concept of existentialism is pretty important. Although existentialism is not explicitly stated or shown, it can often be used in certain album or song roll outs. This is usually done when artists are portraying a certain character in the album or song that they are releasing. Examples of this are: Jaden Smith (SYRE 2017 and ERYS 2018 ) and Childish Gambino (The Boy 2011-12) and Tyler the Creator (Mr. Baulderlaur 2021). In a blog post by Brown (2019), it’s stated that “The Boy seems very analytical, even existential, which does not seem far off from Childish Gambino himself.” This statement introduces the fact that, a lot of the characters that artists portray in their music are often an extension or exaggerated version of their self and is often used as a form of expression to portray an emotion or state of thought the artist was in at that point in time. Although this is true, there is a common trend among all these artists when it comes to playing these type of roles. This common theme being that, once the album or work is released, the artists stop playing these characters and revert back to their true selves. This is because the version of oneself that the artist is portraying, is representative of the headspace and stage of life that the artist was in at the time. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense for the artist  to keep playing the character unless it’s tied to a movie or other marketing campaigns. It’s simply a demonstration of existentialism based on the concept that all good things must come to an end. Hence, why people tend to long for more after these type of albums, especially if they are done well. This type of “hype” that is created from these albums and rollouts, creates long term fans who not only love the art but the artist too.

Why is existentialism effective in marketing in the music industry:

Existentialism in marketing has been proven to have results based on the sense of belonging that it gives Sarksyan (2022). The idea of giving people a sense of belonging, makes them feel more comfortable and less likely to be afraid. So why is this so important? Because Artists are usually using the character as a way to get more vulnerable with the listeners, it makes people feel more in touch with the musician as a person. And from a marketing stand point, it also makes people feel like they are tuning in to a tv show every time the artist posts, which therefore gives people a purpose to engage with their media. Another reason why this is so effective in marketing is because, when artists portray characters in their music, it is often followed by an aesthetic of the world/ person the artist is trying to depict. This in turn gives people another reason to engage in media, which the purpose for this type of marketing is “Escapism”. In an article by Dover (2021), it is stated that “the power of music can provide a temporary escape from stress and depression”. This is because the most common physical response when hearing or listening to music is the release of dopamine Dover (2021).The escapism component to this schematic plays a semi crucial role in how the rest of the roll out and marketing plays out, this is because if the world the artist is trying to create isn’t vivid or detailed enough, the whole purpose for this type of marketing is lost.  The reason being, that the beauty of escapism is knowing you are escaping from the real world with your imagination or through an experience, but once it ends you will still be faced with everything you were escaping from. As Elliot (2024) explains, that intentionally escaping reality and your day to day life is a super power that we all have. Therefore, the reason for the success of existentialism in music marketing is actually blurring the lines of existentialism and escapism. Taking a chapter from a part of an artist’s mind, creating a world out of it and eventually concluding it as the artist moves on to future endeavours.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the link between existentialism and it’s affect in creative expression for artists in the music industry, is very diverse and wide spread. It goes just past the “Psychology” of marketing and explores the more philosophical side. This is necessary because especially in a creative field like music, not everything is completely black or white, this extends from the music, the time it was written, and finally the marketing. Hence, why it is even more important for artists and labels to understand their core target audience. This is because every person who views an artist’s page or streams their music is an individual, with their own core beliefs, values and philosophies, which is something that needs to be taken in to consideration when an artist starts a marketing campaign. This is because if an artist is making “secular music” for example and tries to target a christian community, they will see little to no success in the campaign. Instagram on the other hand though has made targeting certain audiences and communities significantly easier with the use of SEOS (Search Engine Optimisers), so artists can reach their desired audiences and express themselves how they truly want to through social media as well as their art. With this being said, using the topic of existentialism not only narrows down an artists target audience, but it also allows artists to constantly grow and try new things, without needing to stick to one specific image their whole careers. This leads to better mental health, expression, freedom and art overall, due to the versatility and understanding that all things must come to an end. It encapsulates the beauty of creating art and with the understanding of this philosophy, it has allowed audiences to better understand artists and feel more connected to the artists as a whole. Therefore, the philosophy of existentialism in music and marketing is important because of the versatility it gives artists as well as the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and engagement on their pages.

References

Brown, A. (n.d.). Who Is The Boy?. Geeks. Retrieved April 7, 2024, from https://vocal.media/geeks/who-is-the-boy

Elliott, T. (2024, January 26). The Art of Escapism. THOUGHTS of a TRAIL RUNNER; Medium. https://medium.com/thoughts-of-a-trail-runner/the-art-of-escapism-a999a1c22a65

Healey, J. (2024, January 1). Is It a Sophomore Slump? Or the Curse of the Triumphant Debut? The Riff. https://medium.com/the-riff/is-it-a-sophomore-slump-or-the-curse-of-the-triumphant-debut-6b8d1aa3f699

Robb-Dover, K. (2021, November 20). The Surprising Results of Music Escapism to Feel Better. FHE Health – Addiction & Mental Health Care. https://fherehab.com/learning/music-escapism

The Ethics Centre. (2018, December 11). What Is Existentialism? An Ethics Explainer By The Ethics Centre. THE ETHICS CENTRE. https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-existentialism/#:~:text=Existentialism%20is%20the%20philosophical%20belief

Thomas, B. (2020, May 19). Why Creativity is a Cure for Nihilistic Despair. Medium. https://medium.com/swlh/why-donald-glover-is-an-existentialist-and-you-should-be-too-1bf17ccd3a8a

Warren, M. (2022, June 27). Artist Breakdown: The existential nature of Childish Gambino. The Argonaut. https://www.uiargonaut.com/2022/06/27/artist-breakdown-the-existential-nature-of-childish-gambino/