Imperial phase

The imperial phase is the period in which an artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously. Critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase: "command, permission, and self-definition". He defined "command" as an artist's 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. Finally, "self-definition" is the concept that the imperial phase defines the rest of the artist's career; future works will be compared to those from the imperial phase.
Use
The phrase 'imperial phase' has been applied to the creative output of such artists as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga. 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. A genre itself may also be said to have experienced an imperial phase, as in the case of the discussion of the imperial phase of British indie music. The term may also be applied to non-musical entities, such as film studios.

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