Adorno's "Popular Music"

"On the one hand it must catch the listener's attention, must differ from other popular songs if it is to sell, to reach the listener at all. On the other hand it must go beyond what audiences are used to, lest it repel them. It must remain unobtrusive, must not transcend that musical language which seems so natural to the average listener envisaged by the producers"(31)

How does an artist transition from unpopular, darker music to popular, commercialized music? What does that process look like and is it possible for that artist to preserve his individuality?

Is it always the doing of producer/artist to make the music popular or can the popularity be accounted for by the social landscape of the population?

The first set of questions refers to The Weeknd. Before his most recent album "Beauty Behind the Madness", the artist was hardly known and created music that was melodically dark and unapproachable unless the listener was ready to commit himself. However, in making this most recent album Testefaye was clear in his intention to become a popular success but to, at the same time, retain his earliest and devoted followers. For the most part, he managed to do so, and I'm wondering if this is because of the unconditional appeal and indulgence that popular music can be or if Testafaye was really able to preserve his artistic character. To compare, here are two songs from his first and last albums. The quote above reminded me in particular of his song "Can't Feel My Face" and the way it somehow appeals to an undefined need or yearning in the popular culture, while also being very formulaic in its structure.

The Weeknd's "Cant Feel My Face"

The Weeknd's "Rolling Stone"

The second sect of questions is more in reference to Kendrick Lamar. His album "To Pimp a Butterfly" was a definite commercial success. However the album as a whole is not something that can't be so easily understood nor accepted by the entire population, considering the country's racial struggles and revelations of ongoing and prevalent racism. It is poetic and intellectual, none of it being "arbitrarily interchangeable"(29) as Adorno characterizes popular music. Take for example, Kendrick's final song on the album "Mortal Man".