If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I love watching award shows. So naturally I decided to check out the American Music Awards tonight.  This was actually the first time I've ever actually seen this particular awards show, but I figured I had a decent idea of what to expect--Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, and all the other pop superstars that rule the current music industry.

The AMAs celebrate various popular American genres including pop, country, alternative, and even EDM. But after seeing several of the performances and the winners, I began questioning the value of this awards show to the music industry.

Award ceremonies like the Grammys, the Oscars, and the Tonys are all traditional and significant parts of the entertainment culture. They are the nights where we celebrate the best of film, music, and theater in America and recognize artists for their contributions and work. Then, as I discovered tonight, there are some shows that recognize not necessarily the best artists, but simply those with the catchiest songs on the radio. These shows make it seem as though bringing home trophies are what defines an artist.

While there are several artists that performed and won at the AMAs that I believe do represent American music well. I enjoyed the performances that Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and Carrie Underwood put on. Then there were the performances by Ke$ha and Carly Rae Jepsen that made me think about what we represent as being the best of the best in America.

I don't necessarily have a problem with any of the artists the won or performed at the AMAs. I may try to hide it by turning the volume down or putting my head phones on when I listen to Justin Bieber and One Direction on occasion, but I love pop music. I believe there are many pop musicians that are valuable to the industry. Pop is fun. It brings people enjoyment and happiness. It's the music we blast when driving down the highway or belt out in shower. After all, it's not as if every single song ever written has to make some huge statement or have a deep life meaning.  Because of that, pop is still very much a part of our culture and, therefore, can be said to add some value to the industry.

But then Carly Rae Jepsen won Best New Artist and Justin Bieber won Artist of the Year, and I started to think about where to draw the line between loving this music for fun and representing it as the best America has to offer. "Call Me Maybe" is an enjoyable song to dance to when you're goofing around with friends, but it's not, in my opinion, an award worthy song . But these are the kinds of songs that receive the most praise and recognition.

Popular American music used to be Elvis, The Beach Boys, Michael Jackson. These artists were considered "pop" in their day and I don't think anyone can question the contributions they made to music or their artistic merit. I wish I had lived in the times when these artists defined American music. Instead, the legacy of my generation will be "Call me Maybe," "Baby," and "Tik Tok." I guess it's all subjective as to whether or not my generation's music is defined by these songs. What makes music worth recognition and praise is all up to the individual. That's what makes music so great, after all.