Marriage is Money
It’s startling to realize that Justin Bieber’s music hasn’t been dominating the Top 40 airwaves in the same way it did in 2010, with the release of the singer’s oft-lampooned “Baby,” or like it did in 2015, after his latest studio album, “Purpose,” launched songs like “Sorry” and “Love Yourself” into international anthem-hood.
Bieber, indubitably one of the most prominent pop-culture figures of the 2010s, hasn’t released an album in over three years, and although he’s hinted at plans for a new one, nothing concrete has been announced. Since the release of his last album, Bieber had been living largely out of the public eye and avoiding the types of trouble—like his 2014 DUI—which had earned him negative headlines before.
However, in recent months, Justin Bieber’s name has rocketed up in social media. This time, however, Bieber’s renewed presence in the headlines has nothing to do with a hit single or run-ins with the law. Instead, Bieber’s wedding to model Hailey Baldwin has captured the attentions of millions as the pair progressed through a relatively quick engagement and now begin married life.
Nick Jonas, the youngest of the Jonas Brothers pop trio, has lived through a similar story. After the Jonas Brothers split for good in 2013, Nick endeavored on a solo career that has produced two albums to date, one in 2014 and the other in 2016 (which included hit single “Close”). Like Bieber, Nick Jonas’ relative musical inactivity, as of late, hasn’t kept him from earning a bevy of tabloid headlines over the past few months. His recent marriage to Priyanka Chopra, beauty queen turned Quantico star, has sparked discussion about Jonas in ways his career simply didn’t this year.
America has no royal family, but weddings between high-profile characters drum up similarly ravenous interest. Since the announcements of these two couples’ respective engagements, the press has been covering even the most minute aspects of their lives, from boarding a plane together for the holidays to getting a dog to family dinners and speculation about future additions.
It would be difficult to make the case that the press is unwanted, however. The Jonas duo has already held three wedding receptions and recently announced another to be hosted in Los Angeles in January. Hailey and Justin have been publicizing more domestic aspects of their relationship via social media, and many of the photos and videos that have substantiated the intensive tabloid coverage have come from the couple itself.
It’s difficult to say how much of the intensive advertisement of these marriages is just two newlywed couples flaunting their post-wedding joy. It’s undeniable, though, that there is financial gain to be had by both of these newlywed couples. Many of the news stories covering the Chopra-Jonas nuptials, in particular, centered around the fashion houses involved in designing outfits for various members of the wedding party. Chopra herself has driven some of this speculation by posting to Instagram about brands and companies who sponsored various aspects of the wedding, from the registry to gifts for attendees. Indirectly, the unions between Jonas and Chopra and between Bieber and Baldwin have indubitably raised the value of advertising, online or in print, with any of the four involved parties—whether the product is wedding-related or not.
Less concretely, the wedding buzz has allowed the involved celebrities to leverage television appearances and self-promotional material that will allow them to build their media brands. Since their marriages, both Chopra and Baldwin have appeared in Vogue magazine, and Chopra and Jonas played ‘The Newlywed Game’ with Vogue in a Youtube video that already has over 11 million hits.
Regardless, however, the result is obvious: marriage has proven itself, once again, to be a sure-fire way to grab fame on a massive scale.
Sources: Nick Jonas discography, Purpose, Justin Bieber discography