From Ziggy Stardust to Electra Heart: The Artists Behind the Alter Egos

There is something so striking and iconic about how an artist delves further into passion for their craft by meticulously curating an entire character to accompany their body of work. It’s a mysterious yet fascinating way through which an artist explores unique perspectives, all while encouraging their fans to use their imaginations against all preexisting knowledge or biases.

There are plenty of reasons an artist may form an alter ego or persona, one being how it’s a personification of all their traits they’d like to be at the forefront, a caricature of all the things they like most. Take Ziggy Stardust, the ultimate rockstar and an androgynous beacon of hope. For the late David Bowie, his creation was centred around the inspirations he garnered from the things around him, specifically his curiosity regarding space travel and English-American rock and roll singer Vince Taylor.

Another notable character that is worth mentioning is Marina’s Electra Heart. Who is she? Marina said she “felt like a walking broken heart” after enduring a breakup, thus paving the way for Electra Heart. She transformed into an expression of anger through a foil character who is cynical and, in this instance, became the heartbreaker herself. In a time in which Marina felt low, Electra became an embodiment of four female archetypes: housewife, homewrecker, idle teen, and beauty queen. She was contrived in a time where identity felt like a lost cause and was doomed to endless darkness; however, with time, Electra Heart was no more, and the Marina we know and love to this day reemerged.

Aside from using character creation as a means of grappling with a specific period of time or emotion, lots of artists toy with hidden variations of themselves, and oftentimes they may be brought out for a specific project or to create a theatrical performance during their shows. Another reason why musicians turn to personas is to transition into another genre to steer their career into something a little different. What was once an all-too-familiar face becomes a whole new disposition. Fans can now begin to separate what they used to know about an artist to create space for the birth of something brand new.

Not only can we take a look at the numerous alter egos throughout music history, such as Slim Shady, 2-D, Jo Calderone, and now Chappell Roan, but we can also introduce the topic of concept albums and when musicians write entire storylines to pair with their artistry. After all, like alter egos, it blends what we can hear within our reality with fiction. My favourite example is, of course, the one and only Ethel Cain and the album “Preacher’s Daughter” by Hayden Anhedönia, a project exploring the American dream and the effects of abuse and religious trauma.

Photo credit: Helen Kirbo

Without telling you the whole story (because you should really go and listen!), “Preacher’s Daughter” tells the story of Ethel Cain, a woman who is desperately trying to develop a sense of self outside the church in which she grew up. After losing one lover after the other, she finds herself in the most heartbreaking of situations. (Although if you decide to take your 3 am deep dive through this piece of art, please be aware it covers topics of abuse, cannibalism, grooming, murder, prostitution, and more.)

Alter egos and the stories artists create aren’t always entirely based on their own lives, but many of them take little snippets of them to sometimes encapsulate just how dark life may get. But despite it all, there are ways you can come out on top, even if that means being a whole new person for a little while.

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WORDS PIPER GAIR