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Since the 1980s, there have been  numerous reality television shows centered around the idea of finding ordinary people from all walks of life and crowning them with musical stardom.  The “talent search” programming format was so successful that it has survived decades, while other attempts at reality television have come and gone, eventually fizzling out altogether.  Currently, shows like American Idol and The X Factor reign supreme among viewers, enjoying a greater popularity than in years past and generating some of the music industry’s most influential stars.  Kelly Clarkson comes to mind, a veteran of the star making power of top talent agents like Simon Cowell of American Idol fame.

America seems to have a fascination with celebrity, which is nothing new — but its warm embrace of these unknowns into the ranks of the most famous and celebrated stars is a sign of what appeals to people most about these kinds of shows. They represent a microcosmic glimpse of the long lost American Dream, the one where anyone can become anything if they only believe in themselves and try hard enough.  It’s the dream where a stadium restroom scrubber can become a superstar with songs on the top 40 charts, almost overnight, with the support of voting fans cheering them on.  Although this dream represents quite something else in the “real” world,  mainly things like home ownership and the ability to pay one’s bills on time without amassing huge debt, it is still a signal to people that hopes can be realized and no aspiration is too great.  Right now, in the midst of this nation’s worst economic crisis, it is a dream people want to believe in and be a part of, if only vicariously through the lives of stars they have chosen for themselves.  In a way, reality music stars are avatars of The People.  They live the life that the rest of us probably never will, but knowing that we put them there provides a little consolation.

So the next time you download a track from iTunes or buy a CD, check out the picture on the album cover.  Chances are, your star got his or her start on one of the top talent shows in the world.