The Problem With Musical Genius
Genius is exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability. Musical genius can be defined as having “technical mastery, virtuosity, emotional depth, integrity, originality, understanding, and transcendence.” Even colloquially, we tend to associate genius with something that is extraordinary, something that only a few people have, usually by birth or by putting in intense work or effort. While we revere genius, we should also note how some of our ideals are rooted in racism and sexism.
A generic search for “genius” on any search engine reveals that for many authors, the default idea of a genius is a probably dead, older white man. According to author Kevin Ashter, the term was “intended only for white men of European descent,” and even then, it was reserved only for those of a wealthier socioeconomic status (similar to how in the Declaration of Independence, the “all men were created equal” and only referred to wealthy white landowning males).
Genius, by this concept, relies on how many white men are excelling in that specific area – in general and in music. We even reserve the genius title for certain musical genres. We must question who determines what constitutes genius, and why that may or may not matter.
Pop culture is part of an already-established system used for portraying male geniuses as “innately smart, never having had to work hard to gain their insights,” according to The New Republic. Our society has difficulty associating “genius” with woman-identified people. Often, this title is begrudgingly offered to women, whether they are brilliant or not.
There is also a persistent myth that those who are not conventionally attractive or lack sex appeal tend to be smarter and touted as genius. However, an example of the opposite includes Beethoven, who was known to have been unattractive with poor hygiene. It’s been said that woman-identified musical performers who might otherwise be called geniuses are not – because they choose to perform in heels rather than playing guitar. This makes an audience more focused on their sexuality rather than their work, as if capitalizing on sex appeal or being attractive takes away from one’s intelligence.
Theo WargoGetty Images for TIDAL
Much of what society consider the isolated genius stems from the European artists of the Romantic Era in the 1800s. Therefore, white artists do not get the same criticism for working on their music with a team as much as their black counterparts do. However, creativity does not exist in a vacuum. Many artists would not have gotten to where they were were if it weren’t for collaborations, and with the state of current music, collaborative teams are a given.
In general, men of all backgrounds tend to get praise for being the “lone genius,” while women usually get criticism for having a “team” behind them. For example, despite Beyoncé having a collection of groundbreaking work in her arsenal, many people bring up the fact she is not a genius because she has a “team” working for her. They point out the fact that there were over 72 “writers” on her Lemonade album, despite these people not understanding art history or the nuances of entertainment law. Despite her being a visionary (which is one of the definitions of being a genius) and having a heavy hand in all of the projects that she produces, this tends to be discounted because she is not the sole person doing the work, even though solo projects of pop stars are not uncommon. This criticism has been curiously leveled mostly at black artists of all genders. It speaks to the racist and sexist notion that black people or women cannot get to where they are without the help of others.
Even with stars like Aretha Franklin, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes of her own music, her producer Wexler would intentionally leave her out of recording credits and only gave her singing credits, as if singing credits were just enough. Meanwhile, her black male counterparts, such as Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder, did not have any issues with getting credits for all of their contributions.
The idea of what is considered genius or not is often rooted in racism or sexism. We must ask ourselves why do we use whiteness or cisgender male-ness as the yardstick to measure what is considered exceptional and what gets considered less than? We do a grave disservice in being unable to see genius beyond the male gaze.
