Black Vibes

Author's note: I was initially going to write about other topics, but I thought this was too timely to pass up. I'm back!
When I first heard Justin Bieber sing, I thought to myself, "This has got to be the most ridiculous teenybopper singer ever." The asinine, repetitive lyrics, the lisping tunes, the Bieber hairdo, and the legions of rabid (and equally ridiculous) fangirls attested to that well enough. However much his talent may have been in question, his popularity certainly was not. Here in the Philippines, everyone knows who Justin Bieber is, and everyone has probably sung santches of his songs, myself included. The most remarkable thing about Justin Bieber is the insidious invasion of his songs into the collective subconscious. He provokes Last Song Syndrome much better than Willie Revillame ever did in his heyday, and that is saying something ("Boom Tarat Tarat" anyone?). If ever he decides to quit his day job of teenybopper singing sensation, he should pursue the career of a mass hypnotist, in which he will most likely be a tremendous success. (A scary thought has occurred to me. Maybe he's already doing that now. Maybe Justin Bieber is smarter than any of us thought.)
Anyway, why all this preamble? Two words: Rebecca Black. If before I thought that no one could top Justin Bieber in sheer...absurdity, I now readily admit that I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dubbed "the new Justin Bieber", Rebecca Black has already made the following headlines:Rebecca Black must be saying right now, “Eat this!” – Friday set to make $1 Million Dollars; Rebecca Black “Friday” Worst Singer, Song and Video in the World?;Rebecca Black Will Donate to Japan Profit from her Ridiculous Song “Friday”. (Titles from the websites Chizmizan With Chuva, Pinoy Ambisyoso, and Showbiz Renegade, respectively, which are also my sources for the other information to follow.)
And no, you cannot expect castigations aimed at her from any of the "revered and reviled" of the music industry. Simon Cowell, that paragon of vitriol, found Rebecca's vocals excellent. Charmed, I'm sure. Lady Gaga, that luminary of out-and-out fabulosity and eccentricity, called her performance "genius". Rolling Stone Rob Sheffield said that she "should be proud of what she's achieved."
What exactly has she achieved? Even I cannot sufficiently express the effect her music has on the senses, not to mention the mind. Is it a matter of being so bad it's good? Judge for yourself by visiting this link:www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0.
Rebecca, on her part, has the charitable spirit so crucial to lasting power in show business. In the midst of all the hullabaloo about her video, she worried that it stole the show from the recent horrid events in Japan and decided to donate her video's profits to the victims of the catastophe. She herself admits:“I think I have talent on some level,” and “I don’t think I’m the worst singer, I don’t think I’m the best singer".
So there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. For my part, I think that she is handling herself and her career well, all things considered. Let's just not bring up the issue of talent. How will we then measure the extent of her success? By the number of times you find her song playing in your head, and the millions of hits her video receives on Youtube.