{{Short description|Period of musician at their peak}} The '''imperial phase''' is the period in which a musician is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak.<ref name="Ewing">{{cite web|first=Tom|last=Ewing|date=May 28, 2010|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/poptimist/7811-poptimist-29/|title=Imperial|website=Pitchfork|access-date=September 15, 2018|archive-date=September 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915192306/https://pitchfork.com/features/poptimist/7811-poptimist-29/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/8d444848-2bb4-11e9-a5ab-ff8ef2b976c7|title=Ariana Grande rediscovers her Midas Touch with new album|website=Financial Times|access-date=14 February 2019|archive-date=12 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212223013/https://www.ft.com/content/8d444848-2bb4-11e9-a5ab-ff8ef2b976c7|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Origins == The phrase was coined by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys to describe their feelings on their career circa "Domino Dancing" (1988).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/24165-pet-shop-boys-please-actually-introspective-reissue-review|title=Pet Shop Boys Please & Actually & Introspective: reissues|website=The Quietus|access-date=7 February 2019|archive-date=30 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730013447/https://thequietus.com/articles/24165-pet-shop-boys-please-actually-introspective-reissue-review|url-status=live}}</ref> It has since been applied by pop music critics and fans.<ref>{{cite news |last=Molanphy |first=Chris |date=1 December 2014 |title=Why Is Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" No. 1? |url=https://slate.com/culture/2014/12/taylor-swift-blank-space-is-back-to-back-number-1-hit-with-shake-it-off-is-this-her-imperial-moment.html |work=Slate |access-date=14 February 2019 |archive-date=14 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214070124/https://slate.com/culture/2014/12/taylor-swift-blank-space-is-back-to-back-number-1-hit-with-shake-it-off-is-this-her-imperial-moment.html |url-status=live }}</ref> For example, the ''Uncut'' journalist Michael Bonner identified 1973–1979 as Pink Floyd's imperial phase.<ref name="Bonner 2017">{{cite news |last1=Bonner |first1=Michael |title=An interview with David Gilmour |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/interview-david-gilmour-99501/6/ |access-date=31 July 2024 |work=Uncut |publisher=Kelsey Media |date=6 March 2017 |ref=Bonner 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423040602/https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/interview-david-gilmour-99501/6/ |archive-date=23 April 2023 |quote=Aubrey Powell is reflecting on Pink Floyd's imperial phase: the enormous successes of Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall.}}</ref> While its original usage implied that an imperial phase was a one-time occurrence for a single artist, artists have been referred to as having multiple imperial phases.<ref name="Ewing" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://uproxx.com/music/ariana-grande-thank-u-next-critics-poll-number-one-song/ |title=Ariana Grande's Imperial Phase As A Pop Star Began In Earnest With 'Thank U, Next' |last=Macpherson |first=Alex |date=10 January 2019 |website=Uproxx |access-date=14 February 2019 |archive-date=12 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112205220/https://uproxx.com/music/ariana-grande-thank-u-next-critics-poll-number-one-song/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The term may also be applied to non-musical entities, such as film studios.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/with-guardians-of-the-galaxy-marvel-made-household-nam-1832269320 |title=With Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel made household names out of interstellar second-stringers |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=8 February 2019 |website=A.V. Club |access-date=14 February 2019 |archive-date=14 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214042811/https://film.avclub.com/with-guardians-of-the-galaxy-marvel-made-household-nam-1832269320 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Criteria == The ''Pitchfork'' critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase: "command, permission, and self-definition". He defined "command" as the ability to push the boundaries of their medium in a way that produces lasting change; "permission" is the public's goodwill toward and interest in the artist's work; "self-definition" is the concept that the imperial phase defines the rest of the artist's career, and that future works will be compared to those from the imperial phase.<ref name="Ewing" />
==See also== *Zeitgeist
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web |url=https://tmrwmagazine.com/features/legacy/katy-perry-lady-gaga-end-imperial-phase |title=Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and the End of the Imperial Phase |last=Griffiths |first=George |date=15 June 2017 |website=TMRW Magazine |access-date=14 February 2019 }}
{{Pop music}}
Category:Pop music Category:Music criticism
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