David Bowie: Career, Legacy

David+Bowie%3A+Career%2C+Legacy

Gianna O'Connor, Staff Writer

David Bowie, singer, songwriter, actor, painter, record producer, and icon, died on January 10, 2016. His career accomplishments will live on forever, and his legacy is as broad as any other cultural figure of our time.

Throughout Bowie’s career, he set milestones and trends that were unpopular and futuristic, which made him a prominent megastar. He acted fearlessly, truly followed his own heart by blending music with visuals, and always put his original twist on every aspect of life.

Bowie ventured between many different genres of music during his time as a singer, which made him iconic. In fact, he created music videos long before MTV, so thank David Bowie the next time you watch a music video.

Along with the creation of music videos, Bowie launched BowieNet so the public could interact with the artist himself in 1997 (long before Twitter and Instagram).

Bowie’s individualism and fearlessness was also prevalent beyond the music industry. He was a strong advocate for African American artists, an uncommon action for artists of the time. He even called out MTV in 1983 for not playing black artists’ videos. Bowie also broke barriers when he announced his bisexuality in the mid-1970s, before a declaration like that was tolerated.

Whatever method of expression Bowie used, he embodied a consistent image of alienation, outsiders, and weirdos. He encouraged misfits to find their voices and be proudly defiant. Bowie’s radical individualism gave voice to those who did not know how to find theirs. The icon always pushed boundaries in music, fashion, society, and art.

David Bowie’s legacy lives on and will live on forever. Although he is gone, Bowie will continuously inspire and redefine the world for many generations to come. Rest in peace.