Authenticity & Conviction

Recently I've been reading a lot and participated in discussions about authenticity in music.  Statements like "Leadbelly's guitar playing exemplifies the most authentic and pure form of rhythm and blues ever," "Authenticity and wealth are mutually exclusive," or "Disco is not an authentic music," are tossed around without careful thought. It is hard to give a clear definition for authenticity in music--what one person, a group of people at one point in time or location consider authentic could be completely different from another individual or group. 

For example, many of you out there know the Beatles. There are some who have grown up listening to Beatles music, like myself, and therefore have memories or certain emotions attached to certain songs or the Beatles group as a whole. These are authentic experiences specific to each individual.  Some of you could even venture to say that you love Beatles music too.  When someone asks, "In your opinion, which Beatles song is representative of their music, composition and performance?", your answer could be completely different from your friends', your mother or your teacher.  This means that authenticity is subjective and therefore, is difficult to discuss or even write about.

I do feel though that the concept people might be referring or alluding to when using the word, authenticity, in regards to music is conviction. It is a concept that is discussed in a post by David Castañeda at theMusicorum.com:

"Conviction can, and does, mean many things, but in this context I’m referring to an apparent and undeniable commitment to whatever you might be doing. In music, we have many names for this; 'buying into it,' 'leaving your heart on the stage,' 'having emotional investment in your material.' If you’ve never heard it put this way, take a minute and think of performance that gave you tunnel vision or goosebumps. Maybe at a concert, performance, or spoken word event where the performer was so invested in what they were sharing that you found yourself intently focused on every word, movement, mannerism – in other words, they were so invested that they forced you to become present, if only for that small moment in time."

The rest of this post can be read here.  This concept is not only something that I agree with, but have experienced myself, both on- and off-stage.  For example, when performing, if you sing about losing a loved one and you get to a place where you feel every ounce of that grief, identify with or draw from experiences to help you convey the words you are singing to your audience in a more deliberate way, the audience will feel that pain right in that moment with you.  I believe that this is connected to the idea of authentic experience--every individual feels and perceives the message conveyed in a piece of music differently.  Without conviction, people wouldn't be able to connect to the music and the musicians that play the music. 

I have also witnessed conviction during performances as well with singers such a Gregory Porter. I was also able to watch Thalma de Freitas' performance at the Loft that night (the one mentioned in David's post) and I was completely blown away by her performance.  She had everyone in the crowd moving in their seats and her amazing, heart-felt, interpretation of "Amalgura" captivated everyone.  These performances were filled with conviction that made it almost feel like I was feeling exactly what they were feeling. These musical experiences were my own, pure individual experiences that are now a part of who I am as a singer, musician, and individual.  

What are your opinions on authenticity? Is there such a thing in terms of music? Have you ever been a part of a performance or at a show where someone performed with so much conviction that that moment became a part of you? Tell us about it in the comments below!