Genre Research

Indie folk music is a relatively recent sub-genre that is still evolving and emerging today, although it's roots can be traced back to the early 1990's, following the ride of the independent music scene, with singer / songwriters showing equal influence from the music of the indie rock genre and folk music scene of the late 50's to early 70's. Early artists of the scene include the likes of Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith, and many indie folk artist cite their influences to be such artists as Bob Dylan and Radiohead. Indie folk bands have no standard musical set up, and can include a variety of instruments including brass, strings and percussion. The most popular and conventional format is that of the independent singer / songwriter, armed with only an acoustic guitar.

Gabrielle Aplin could be seen to be aligned to this genre of music, as influences from artists of a more alternative musical genre can clearly be heard in her work, and she cites many indie folk artists to be reflected in her sound. However, at the same time she very much fits into the typical conventional sound of the soft, melodic folk style.

In terms of representation, artists of the indie folk genre are very much marketed based on their music, and perhaps the message they are trying to convey with this. Female artists such as Gabrielle would be marketed in a much more respected manner that products belonging to the Pop genre may be. For example, in this genre, it would be highly unconventional to portray the female artist in light of the male gaze theory - creating a overtly sexualised image, concentrating on the female form as a marketing device. It would be more typical of the genre to either rely on the music to sell itself, or portray the female artist in a much more innocent and dignified way, often focusing more on the face or general identity as a whole.