ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the phases of the author's Lifecycle Model that lies beyond the temptress—for those artists lucky enough to survive beyond that point. It explores the worlds of the diva, the exotic, the provocateur, the whore, and the hot mess—the phases that artists inhabit in the middle to late stages of their careers. Finally, this chapter discussed those rare artists who succeed in reviving a declining career in order to play the enviable role of the comeback queen, and the lucky few who end their careers as superstars and live on as legends. The lifecycle is admittedly reductive—no young woman starting out in the music industry foresees herself following this regimented path. But it is a clear reflection of nearly every pop star's career during the past three and a half decades. This is a phenomenon worthy of consideration by both the producers and the receivers of popular culture.
