FEATURE:
Love Thru a Lens
IN THIS PHOTO: Cheryl in a promotional shot for her new single, Love Made Me Do It (out 09/11)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
The Perils of High-Profile Relationships in Music
__________
THE reason I have chosen Cheryl…
IN THIS PHOTO: Cheryl (then Cheryl Fernandez-Versini) pictyred with Liam Payne in 2016/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
as a sort of ‘cover star’ is because she is making the news right now. Following her split with Liam Payne; it seems the days of dating are being put on the back burner:
“Cheryl has said her love life is "not happening any more" in her first interview since splitting with Liam Payne.
The former Girls Aloud singer is set to release new music on Friday and spoke to fellow musician Jessie Ware for her podcast Table Manners.
Cheryl said: "In business I know what I want, but in my romantic area I'm not as evolved - that area has stopped."
She also spoke about Bear, her 20-month-old son with Payne.
The artist formerly known as Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Cole and Tweedy said: "I've got the man in my life now. I'm good."
The 35-year-old also spoke about releasing her first song in four years, Love Made Me Do It, which was written with her former Girls Aloud bandmate Nicola Roberts.
She was asked about her split from Payne and whether her new music – her latest single, Love Made Me Do It, is out tomorrow – was referencing him:
"All the music and the songs were done way before we split," she said.
"None of them are about anybody. That's the easiest thing you could write, it's such an easy headline.
"When I'm in a room, I'm not sat there with other writers thinking about somebody.
"We may talk about one subject and it comes out that way, but I wasn't writing a love poem to anybody."
The singer said she had taken a decision to change her life in recent years, saying she was "jaded and living in a negative space" after spending much of her life in the spotlight”.
Her name is Cheryl and she wants the brisket.
— Jessie Ware (@JessieWare) November 7, 2018
New Table Manners podcast episode with @CherylOfficial
-> https://t.co/EU60OiSP4b xx pic.twitter.com/vad9L3REyU
Whilst it seems some well-timed music will not do her commercial any harm – there is likely to be that extra intrigue regarding her new material – it seems the life of an artist is hard enough without bringing love into things. I know a lot of well-known musicians and figures who are in relationships with less-known (normal) people and there is not the same sort of intrigue and leering from the press. Even if you are someone like Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran or their like; there are not going to be the same amount of paparazzi at your door if you are dating someone quite ordinary – consider those high-profile bonds and how much more pressure comes with them. The same happens with actors. If you have two A-listers in love; that sends everyone into a storm and their lives will never be the same again; there is always that speculation and focus. Musicians are not quite as appealing as actors when it comes to the high-profiles bonds but it seems like there their private lives end pretty quickly. I know Cheryl lives a fairly quiet life but since she started dating Payne (and had a child with him) there has been that fever of press obsession and she has been thrust into focus. Maybe some artists can worsen a problem – big magazine covers posing with their other halves hardly deters and dampens that press intrigue – but it seems even having a normal and stable life is a unlikely.
PHOTO CREDIT: @mvs_berlin/Unsplash
In this case, who knows the exact cause of the breakup. Maybe there were the pressures of two different careers or Payne not being as interested in family as his own interests. In any case; it seems that there is no real difference when you compare acting and music. If you have these two big artists, there will always be the lens out. People will scrutinise songs and pick through every line; wonder whether lyrics are about their lover and, when things go sour, whether the songs that follow document that. The life of an artist these days is tough enough and I know so many (unsigned artists) that avoid relationships because they fear the lack of commitment and time they have will render things null. You are on the road a lot and there are numerous demands; promotion is constant and the energy levels flag. I have mooted, before, the possibility of having a bespoke dating service for artists...sort of like a Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club-style pun/name that, in all seriousness, would make it easier for artists to find someone suited to them. In Cheryl’s case; I do not think she will swear off men forever – even if her son, Bear, does come first – but dating someone else in the industry is likely to get the press swarming around her door like flies on sh*t. The attention would still be there if she dated someone outside of music but one feels the level of intrusion and focus would not be as severe.
IN THIS PHOTO: Guy Ritchie and Madonna (the couple divorced in 2008)
From Madonna and Chris Martin through to Cheryl – I know the first two dated actors/directors but they were both famous (Guy Ritchie and Gwyneth Paltrow respectively) -; it is always a lot more testing and challenging when you join two big stars. Think of some of the big-name couples in music that have survived the test of time such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé and it seems their success and stability is a rarity. Granted, that relationship has been put through the spotlight. Many felt Beyoncé’s 2016 album, Lemonade, was talking about Jay-Z and rumours of infidelity. There was a moment you felt they would split but, now, they seem stronger than ever and perform as part of a duo, The Carters. I suppose any sort of indiscretion and cheating will naturally go into one artist’s work and, when you consider the other will release music, the press and fan attention heightens and it can boil over. It is a problem and curse as old as time itself but I wonder whether that high-profile relationship can ever last. There have been survivors and successes but there have been so many more disasters and short-term bonds. When things do break; that can result in a series of petty songs where each artist takes shots at the other and, before you know it, things have truly unravelled. One artist who has faced a lot of unwanted attention and unhappiness regarding her relationships is Ariana Grande.
IN THIS PHOTO: Jay-Z and Beyoncé/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
When she was dating Mac Miller; there was this sense of togetherness that stemmed from a rather sweet and humble beginnings and, after Miller’s death earlier this year, some blamed Grande for that and felt she contributed somehow. There were compelling enough reasons why the two broke up and the fact Ariana Grande misses him so much – a reason tweet from her shows that pain – means they managed to stay friends after the split. Earlier this year, a couple of months before Mac Miller died; news of their breakup was reported in the press:
“Ariana Grande and Mac Miller's love story began with a tweet, then a friendship built from their early collaborations -- first, "Baby It's Cold Outside," then with the infectious hit "The Way" -- before a full-fledged romance blossomed.
However, that all came crashing down on May 10, when Ariana confirmed the news of her split from Mac in a post on her Instagram Stories. "This is one of my best friends in the whole world and favorite people on the planet,” Grande wrote above a photo of them cuddling and smiling. “I respect and adore him endlessly and am grateful to have him in my life in any form, at all times regardless of how our relationship changes or what the universe holds for each of us!”
Naturally, the news of Ariana and Mac's split didn't sit well with fans, as heartbreak and crying emojis have since flooded the artists' Instagram comment section. Mac, who had a run-in with the law earlier this month and was charged with drunk driving and hit-and-run, has remained mum on all of his socials, while Ariana has been prepping her upcoming album following the release of her new song "No Tears Left To Cry".
IN THIS PHOTO: Mac Miller and Ariana Grande/PHOTO CREDIT: GC Images
You could argue artists should date those outside of the profession to avoid easy breakups or having quite as much attention from the media. That is fair enough but in many cases it is the similarities they have and that common bond that brings them together. I am likely to be drawn more to someone in music as opposed to someone who wasn’t. It is that sense of compatibility that leads to a relationship and, often, can end it. A lot of the time, the pressures and time demands of music can lead to breakup and problems in a relationship. Musicians are among the busiest around and, when you are traveling so much and wrapped up in a new release, where does the relationship rank? We all get a little bit more interested when we see two well-known artists date and, of course, there is that glitz and glamour that comes with it. A lot times, that endless glare and sense of encroachment can spell the end to even the most secure of relationships – or mean any problems are exposed quicker and, in turn, that adds fuel to the fire. Most of the big Pop names around, at some point, have dated someone quite high-profile and a lot of times one wonders whether the relationship is quite calculated – a ploy for more commercial appeal or something that will generate them that hollow fame.
PHOTO CREDIT: @wbayreuther/Unsplash
In a lot of instances, there is that un-cynical and natural affection that, if they were in most other industries, would continue to grow and survive. It is not the case every high-profile musical bond will end in flames and be a disaster but I always worry when I see big artists dating and whether they can ever be left alone. Creative and personal lives entwine and it can go bad. Social media can make things so much worse. For every ‘success’ story like that of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, there are these relationships that seem promising but, before long, are over. Love and relationships are the common stock for artists and some of music’s greatest moments have come from pure and content times. I am not down on musicians dating one another but there are obvious traps and obstacles that can trip them up sooner or later. That always present media lens is out and, wherever they go, it seems somebody wants something from them. The natural demands of the music lifestyle can cause their own strains and, if they are two quite prominent and mainstream artists, then that adds another layer of strain to the party. Maybe breakups can breed creative lust and success but the aftermath and realisations are pretty stark and harsh. Maybe Cheryl will date another musician/musical figure soon but it seems family life is more important. A new album and a clearer head has come in and there are new goals on her horizon. Away from all the upset and press intrusion; sometimes that high-profile breakup can result...
PHOTO CREDIT: @shadex_bona/Unsplash
IN something quite positive.