Artist Jenny Hart illustrated The Wanted for Buzzworthy's Best New Artist "inspiration illustration" series.
Each of the 15 VMA categories carries its own prestige and distinction. But the VMA Best New Artist category is perhaps one of the night's most anticipated categories. The Best New Artist category represents a diverse roster of some of the best and brightest new faces and names to enter the musical landscape and pop culture conversation over the past year. To celebrate the artistic influence of this year's Best New Artist nominees on Buzzworthy, where we're committed to celebrating pop music, pop culture, and, of course, music fans, I asked five different young artists to pay homage to the 2012 Best New Artist nominees with an "inspiration illustration," to look at that musical artist and the impact of their art through another artist's eyes. (Yes, we're taking a break from animated GIFs for some real-deal art appreciation. We're almost grown-ups!)
Each of this year's Best New Artists have opened our minds (and, quite often, hearts) by writing a tribute to eternal youth (fun. and Janelle Monaé), writing an unforgettable (and unstoppably catchy) ode to first crushes (Carly Rae Jepsen), inciting boy band mania all over again (The Wanted and One Direction, of course), or by breathing new, poetic life into R&B (Frank Ocean). It may sound corny, but it's true -- how we as music fans experience music, videos, lyrics, and the visual images surrounding music creates a visceral, emotional bond that transcends music itself (I can't remember the last time a song truly transported and swept me away the way Frank Ocean's "Swim Good" did the first time I heard it). Essentially, this is an artist-on-artist series. Hopefully you'll enjoy seeing how five visual artists connected to and interpreted each of the 2012 MTV VMA Best New Artist nominees.
Earlier in the series, Brooklyn artist Jess Rotter took on 2012 VMA Best New Artist nominee Frank Ocean and "Swim Good," while Oakland artist Jon Stich captured Carly Rae Jepsen and her unstoppable, inescapable, always adorable "Call Me Maybe" crush anthem.
And today, Jenny Hart takes on The Wanted and "Glad You Came," their dance-pop ode to the timeless boy band tradition of grabbing the nearest girl -- and the nearest drink -- and living in the moment. Here's what she had to say about her The Wanted illustration.
Check out Jenny Hart's 2012 VMA Best New Artist "inspiration illustration" of The Wanted after the jump.
